USA TODAY International Edition
Old, new talent bode well for Duke
Now that Kansas has cut down the net as the NCAA men’s basketball champion, a look at the teams best positioned to be among the elite come November when next season tips off:
1. Duke ( 32- 7): First- year head coach Jon Scheyer, the replacement to Mike Krzyzewski, will have talent to keep the Blue Devils as perennial title contenders despite likely losing the core of the Final Four team to the NBA draft. The 34year- old coach has a No. 1 class of fivestar freshmen coming in, including the top three prospects in the class in Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski and Dereck Lively. They’ll join NCAA Tournament breakout stars Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels, who are expected to be back.
2. UCLA ( 27- 8): The Bruins, by many counts, underachieved after a season in which they unexpectedly reached the Final Four and brought virtually everyone back. The same nucleus is likely to return for Mick Cronin after a disappointing Sweet 16 finish this season, including leading scorer Johnny Juzang and veteran point guard Tyger Campbell. Joining this group will be top- five freshman guard Amari Bailey.
3. North Carolina ( 29- 10): Brady Manek has no more eligibility left and it’s uncertain whether the team’s stars, Armando Bacot and Caleb Love, go pro. But R. J. Davis will be back and coach Hubert Davis has reinvigorated this blue- blood program to be an annual contender. Expect elite transfers to want to follow in Manek’s footsteps in heading to Chapel Hill to play for Davis.
4. Kentucky ( 26- 8): This prediction is assuming Oscar Tshiebwe, USA TODAY Sports’ national player of the year, returns for a Wildcats team that will be looking to avenge a stunning first- round loss to 15- seed Saint Peter’s. Coach John Calipari has reloaded with a talented freshman class ( top- 10 recruits Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston), and he’ll surely strike gold in the transfer portal.
5. Gonzaga ( 28- 4): Stud freshman Chet Holmgren is NBA- bound, but twotime All- American Drew Timme ( 18.4 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game) is expected to be back, giving the
Bulldogs their top player to build around. Expect guard Julian Strawther to hit another gear and coach Mark Few to cash in on the transfer portal.
6. Kansas ( 34- 6): Leading scorer and first- team All- American guard Ochai Agbaji is gone, and so is NCAA Tournament breakout star Remy Martin. But Kansas could potentially bring back big man David McCormack and fellow starters Christian Braun, Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris Jr. Then factor in a strong recruiting class led by Gradey Dick and a transfer portal that will surely benefit Bill Self ’ s team, and KU will be right back in the mix.
7. Arkansas ( 28- 9): Coach Eric Musselman has had the Razorbacks knocking on the door of the Final Four, with back- to- back Elite Eight finishes, since taking over. He’s hauled in a top- notch recruiting class, including five- star point guard Nick Smith and Anthony Black, a 6- 7 ball- handler who can thrive in all three perimeter positions.
8. Michigan ( 19- 15): Coach Juwan Howard took the Wolverines to the Elite Eight in his first season but this past season was trending toward disaster before this Michigan group – as a bubble team – staged a reinvigorating Sweet 16 run. Now key pieces from that team are back, freshman reinforcements are coming in and it’s likely 7- foot big man Hunter Dickinson comes back as the most talented player in the Big Ten.
9. Houston ( 32- 6): Coach Kelvin Sampson should get his nucleus from an Elite Eight team back, including a healthy Marcus Sasser, and five- star freshman Jarace Walker will add more muscle to blend in with Sampson’s nation- leading defense.
10. Baylor ( 27- 7): The fact that the Bears lost a boatload of talent to the NBA from 2021’ s national title team and coach Scott Drew still got the team to come back as a 1- seed is proof the Bears belong in the top 10 despite another round of key losses. The Bears return leading scorer Adam Flagler, while trying to replicate a transfer scenario similar to James Akinjo in the portal. Freshman Keyonte George will make an immediate impact.
11. Illinois ( 23- 10): This prediction is going off the idea of first- team AllAmerican Kofi Cockburn returning for the Fighting Illini, who have underachieved in each of the past two NCAA Tournaments by exiting in the second round. Coach Brad Underwood will likely turn to the transfer portal to add another star, but the returning roster featuring RJ Melendez and Coleman Hawkins remains strong.
12. TCU ( 21- 13): Virtually everyone important should be back for a Horned Frogs group that nearly knocked off 1seed Arizona in the NCAA Tournament and fared well ( upsetting Kansas) in the Big 12 this past season. Coach Jamie Dixon has a stellar backcourt behind duo Mike Miles and Damion Baugh.
13. Arizona ( 33- 4): The Wildcats will surely lose first- team All- American Bennedict Mathurin to the NBA, but coach Tommy Lloyd will have ample talent left to keep Arizona near the top of the Pac- 12. Big man Christian Koloko would be wise if he returned for another run.
14. Villanova ( 30- 8): Coach Jay Wright is going to see his veteran- laden roster depleted, but he’ll have Justin Moore back from an Achilles injury and a top- 10 freshman class to rebuild.
15. Creighton ( 23- 12): Coach Gregg McDermott is likely to see his team be one of many benefiting from the NCAA’s extra season of eligibility granted because of the pandemic, meaning many of his veterans who got Creighton to the brink of beating Kansas will be back for more as a seasoned group.
16. Texas Tech ( 27- 10): First- year coach Mark Adams had a bare- bones roster once he took over the program last year and then the Red Raiders finished third in the Big 12 and reached the Sweet 16. So no matter how much talent is leaving, Adams will get this team to be elite again on defense. The top returner should be guard Kevin McCullar.
17. Virginia ( 21- 14): The Cavaliers are poised to return to more of a contending status after missing the NCAA Tournament as a bubble team. Coach Tony Bennett returns Armaan Franklin, among others, and will have a strong recruiting class to fit his signature system of a slowed- tempo offense and pack- line defense.
18. Texas ( 22- 12): Coach Chris Beard hauled in an elite freshman class behind five- star recruits Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris. Expect the Longhorns to hit big in the transfer portal, too, with Beard having the top- rated transfer group last offseason.
19. Alabama ( 19- 14): The Crimson Tide bring back all the key pieces from an underachieving group. Combine the experience with a top- five recruiting class for coach Nate Oates, and Alabama should be back near the top of the SEC in 2022- 23.
20. Notre Dame ( 24- 11): Coach Mike Brey figures to bring back a sizable chunk from a roster that finished third in the ACC and staged a strong NCAA Tournament finish. Even with leading scorer Blake Wesley leaving for the NBA, the Irish should still be in the national equation.