Month: November 2023

Thanksgiving Week never seems to disappoint, and 2023 was no different. The Maui Invitational was one of the most loaded fields in recent history, with Purdue emerging from the pack. The Battle 4 Atlantis was a great platform for Villanova to jump from, and Florida Atlantic bounced back strongly from their loss to Bryant to take the ESPN Invitational. UConn continued its streak of double-digit non-conference victories by winning two more to take home the Empire Classic.

Once again, Purdue’s season will come down to their guard play. If this is the year that their guards are able to carry some momentum into the NCAA Tournament, watch out. However, it is tough to get past that they lost to St. Peter’s in 2022 and FDU in 2023.

“Are the tournaments over with?” No. There is one more big tournament (Diamond Head Classic, which starts on 12/21), though it doesn’t feature any currently ranked teams. The Big 5 Classic (the annual games that involve all schools in the Philadelphia area) is finishing up its preliminary games this week, with the championship on Saturday. As it stands right now, Villanova won’t be in that title game. If they beat St. Joseph’s this week, however, the three Pod 2 schools will finish 1-1. I don’t know how they will determine the winner of the pod if that happens. Pod 1 is much easier: Whoever wins the LaSalle-Temple game on Wednesday goes to the championship game.

In case you are wondering why it is called the “Big 5” when there are six schools in the field, this is the first year that Drexel is involved. It is also the first year where they will determine the winner through a championship game. In the past, it was simply best record in a round-robin format.

Top 25:

1. Purdue (6-0) (2) – Gonzaga. Tennessee. Marquette. The Boilermakers ran through a gauntlet to win the Maui and should garner every first-place vote amongst the writers and the coaches.

2. Arizona (6-0) (4) – The Wildcats closed out their November schedule with a win over Michigan State. They own non-conference wins over Duke (road) and Michigan State (neutral) and still have non-conference games remaining with Wisconsin (home), Purdue (neutral, but in Purdue’s home state), Alabama (neutral), and Florida Atlantic (neutral, but in Arizona’s home state). Those four games are consecutive and begin on December 9th.

3. UConn (6-0) (3) – Defeating Texas by ten is considered a close win by the Huskies’ current standards. A road game at Kansas awaits them on Friday night.

4. Marquette (5-1) (5) – Before losing to Purdue in the title game, the Golden Eagles dismantled Kansas by 14 in the semifinals. A well-deserved break comes to an end on Tuesday, when they take on 1-5 Southern. That’s a tune-up for the in-state rivalry game with Wisconsin on Saturday.

5. Kansas (5-1) (1) – The Jayhawks went 2-1 in Maui (one of the wins was over the host Chaminade, but we will excuse that as they beat Kentucky prior to taking a trip over the Pacific). Next is a tune-up game with Eastern Illinois before their big game against UConn.

6. Houston (7-0) (7) – There are 362 Division 1 schools this season, and Houston’s non-conference schedule is currently 257th (KenPom). They won the Charleston title with a win over Dayton and have won every game by double-digits, but their non-conference slate is mostly non-existent and doesn’t get much better (they have a true road game against Xavier and a home game against Texas A&M).

7. Duke (5-1) (8) – The Blue Devil Challenge (a round-robin event against mid-majors) went as expected. The Blue Devils take a trip to Arkansas on Wednesday in the inaugural ACC-SEC Challenge.

8. Miami (5-0) (9) – It’s been over a week since the Hurricanes defeated Kansas State to win the Bahamas Championship. Their break ends with a huge game at Kentucky on Tuesday in the ACC-SEC Challenge. As much as I like this squad, they are currently only 37th in the early season according to KenPom (yes, it is still too early to read much into that)

9. Gonzaga (4-1) (14) – The Bulldogs went 2-1 in Maui, though the way the tournament played out meant games against Purdue-Syracuse-UCLA, allowing them to avoid Kansas, Marquette, and Tennessee. Their remaining non-conference slate includes games against USC, Washington (road), UConn, and San Diego State.

10. Villanova (6-1) (NR) – The loss to Penn stands out, but they made up for that by defeating Texas Tech, North Carolina, and Memphis to take the Battle 4 Atlantis crown. I should have stuck to my guns and kept them ranked even after the Penn loss, but I can’t take that back now. St. Joseph’s, who took Kentucky to overtime and is a local rival, is next on the slate.

11. Creighton (5-1) (6) – The Hall of Fame Classic, where the Blue Jays were heavily favored, didn’t quite go their way as Colorado State destroyed them by 21 points in the title game. Their next two games are true road games against Oklahoma State and in-state rival Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are currently unbeaten (poor schedule, however)

12. North Carolina (5-1) (12) – In one of the best games thus far this season, the Tar Heels lost by two to Villanova in the Battle 4 Atlantis before knocking off Arkansas in the third-place game.

13, Kentucky (5-1) (13) – The Wildcats lost their only difficult game (Kansas by five) to date. They averaged over 100 points per game during the round-robin Wildcat Challenge, though St. Joseph’s took them to overtime. It is hard to get a good read on them – their upcoming games against Miami and North Carolina should provide more clarity.

14. Florida Atlantic (5-1) (19) – There may have been questions about the Owls after their crazy loss to Bryant, but they put those fears to rest by winning the ESPN Events Invitational (wins over Texas A&M and Virginia Tech). Future games against Illinois and Arizona will provide a challenge, but they shouldn’t overlook their next opponent (Liberty).

15. Baylor (6-0) (17) – The NIT Season Tip-Off went the Bears’ way, as they knocked off Oregon State and Florida to take the title. Three of their six victories are over big-name schools (though none are ranked). They still have games with Michigan State and Duke remaining.

16. Texas A&M (6-1) (11) – Considered as the co-favorites to win the ESPN Events Invitational, they lost to Florida Atlantic in the semi-finals. That said, they avenged last year’s NCAA Tournament loss to Penn State and took home third place with their win over Iowa State.

17. Tennessee (4-2) (10) – A top team was destined to lose twice in Maui, and the Volunteers ended up being that team (lost to Purdue by four and Kansas by nine). It doesn’t get easier, as they close out their November with a road game against North Carolina. Their strong defensive play remains their calling card (first in adjusted defense according to KenPom)

18. Colorado State (6-0) (NR) – The Rams didn’t just beat Creighton – they suffocated Creighton. The Mountain West may be San Diego State’s to lose, but Colorado State has placed itself on the list of contenders. An in-state battle with Colorado is coming up on Wednesday.

19. Texas (5-1) (16) – The Longhorns played UConn about as tight as anyone over the last several months, but still came up short by ten. Their upcoming game against Texas State serves as a warm-up heading into their matchup against another Big East power: Marquette in the Big East-Big 12 Battle.

20. BYU (6-0) (NR) – The move to the Big 12 figures to provide the Cougars with a massive challenge. They are tuning up for that challenge in grand fashion by winning the Vegas Showdown (wins over Arizona State and North Carolina State). The rest of their non-conference slate isn’t difficult (a road game against Utah is a roadblock) and they can easily enter Big 12 play with a 13-0 record.

21. James Madison (6-0) (20) – The Cancun Challenge was a battle of mid-majors, and the Dukes took it home with wins over Southern Illinois and Fresno State (a 95-64 demolition). One never knows what will happen in conference play, but this squad at least has a shot to put together a gaudy record (the rest of their non-conference slate isn’t difficult on paper).

22. Mississippi State (6-0) (15) – Obviously, the Bulldogs did nothing wrong and they have an early-season tournament win to fall back on. That said, the schedule is mostly atrocious and other teams jumped over them. The ACC-SEC Challenge doesn’t even give them a big opponent, as they take on Georgia Tech on Tuesday.

23. Alabama (5-1) (21) – The high-flying Crimson Tide (97.8 points per game, tops in the nation) lost to Ohio State by 11 before bouncing back with an 8-point win over Oregon. As mentioned last week, their schedule is one of the toughest in the nation: Unbeaten Clemson in the ACC-SEC Challenge and games against Purdue, Creighton, and Arizona.

24. Memphis (5-1) (18) – The Tigers ran away from Michigan and earned a win over Arkansas before losing to Villanova in the title game of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Their next three games are true road games (Mississippi, VCU, Texas A&M) before a date with Clemson.

25. Illinois (5-1) (25) – Their only quality game is a respectable 7-point loss to Marquette. If they want to truly be the second dog in the Big Ten, they should start with quality performances in their next three games (Rutgers (road), Florida Atlantic, and Tennessee).

Dropped out:

Arkansas (4-3) (22) – The Razorbacks are 1-3 in their last four games (including a loss to UNC Greensboro) with their only win a 3-point triumph over Stanford. They can right the ship with a win over Duke in a home game this week.

Virginia (5-1) (23) – When the Cavaliers have an off-night, it can be ugly. That is what happened in a 65-41 loss to Wisconsin (4-2). The Badgers went on to win the Fort Myers Tip-Off. As for Virginia, Texas A&M is their opponent in the ACC-SEC Challenge.

Liberty (6-0) (24) – I think the Flames are a legit mid-major, but other teams simply surpassed them this week. If they can beat Florida Atlantic on Thursday, the Top 25 will welcome them again.

Just Missed:

Oklahoma (6-0) – The Rady Children’s Invitational was a wide-open affair and it was the Sooners that came through with wins over Iowa and USC to take the championship.

San Diego State (5-1) – Their loss to BYU looks to be more excusable now than it did then (especially since it was a road game). The Aztecs will next play Point Loma Nazarene University (Division II). The Sea Lions went 29-4 last season, winning a pair of games in the Division II Tournament.

Colorado (5-1) – The Buffaloes lost a tough overtime game to Florida State in the Sunshine Slam title game. We’ll see what they do at Colorado State this week as they try to establish themselves as the second-best team behind Arizona in the Pac-12.

Ohio State (5-1) – The Buckeyes have four straight wins after their 7-point loss to Texas A&M. That includes taking out Alabama in the Emerald Coast Classic. It is not easy to differentiate several Big Ten schools at the moment, and this squad is right in the mix.

 

The early season has its usual collection of madness games, including Penn outclassing Villanova, Bryant knocking off Florida Atlantic, UC Irvine defeating USC,  and Greensboro taking care of business against Arkansas in this past week alone.

Do these games mean anything? In the long run, not really – though it continues to prove that parity in college basketball is getting more pronounced, not less. The games above (and others that didn’t involve Top 25 schools, such as Long Beach State – Michigan and Jackson State – Missouri) were not the type of games you saw regularly 20 years ago. What was once truly shocking is becoming more commonplace.

The early-season tournaments are in full swing, with all eyes on the ultra-competitive Maui Invitational. Barring an upset winner, it is probable that the winner will be the #1 team in the country when the dust settles. Kansas, Purdue, Marquette, Tennessee, and Gonzaga all have Final Four aspirations this season.

Top 25:

1. Kansas (3-0) (2) – A big win over Kentucky moves them ahead of Purdue in my rankings. Now it is off to Maui.

2. Purdue (3-0) (1) – A quiet week for the Boilermakers, who knocked off Xavier in a Gavitt Tipoff game (essentially, a Big Ten – Big East challenge). A very strong Maui is next – their opener is against Gonzaga.

3. UConn (4-0) (3) – The 4-team Empire Classic features squads from the Big East, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12.  In the Opening Round, the Huskies dismantled Indiana and will now take on Texas on Monday Night for the championship. It’s only four games and the competition hasn’t been great, but UConn is continuing its momentum which started in the NCAA Tournament.

4. Arizona (5-0) (4) – A sluggish start against UT-Arlington was quickly erased as the Wildcats used a 58-19 second-half run to maul the Mavericks. Next up is a date with Michigan State on Thanksgiving in the inaugural “Acrisure Classic.” While this is a one-and-done game (multiple teams participated in the preliminaries, but it wasn’t a tournament) in the newly constructed arena, expect this Classic to become a premier tournament in the future.

5. Marquette (3-0) (5) – The Golden Eagles will start their Maui journey against UCLA. They took down Illinois by seven in last week’s Gavitt Tipoff game.

6. Creighton (4-0) (6) – As expected, Iowa – Creighton was a high-scoring affair. The Blue Jays pulled away in the second half and will now concentrate on the Hall of Fame Classic, where they are the heavy favorites in a field of four (Creighton vs Loyola Chicago, Boston College vs Colorado State).

7. Houston (6-0) (7) – The Cougars finished off their four-win week with a victory over Dayton in the Charleston Classic final. Their schedule becomes scattered for a while, as they only have one more game this month (Friday against Montana).

8. Duke (3-1) (8) – The Blue Devils had a nice bounceback win over Michigan State. The “Blue Devil Challenge” offers some mid-major schools some national TV coverage. They defeated Bucknell and have two more games (La Salle, Southern Indiana) before a date with Arkansas on the road in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.

9. Miami (5-0) (13) – Perhaps looking forward to their trip to the Bahamas, Miami had to hold off a stubborn Florida International squad, 86-80, on Monday. That didn’t impact their trip at all as they defeated Georgia and Kansas State to cruise to the title. The Hurricanes will take Thanksgiving week off before a date with Kentucky next Tuesday.

10. Tennessee (3-0) (9) – It feels as if Tennessee is lost in the Maui Invitational crowd, which is indicative of the strength of the tournament more than anything. The tournament starts a stretch of tough games for the Volunteers. Immediately following the tournament, they go on the road to take on North Carolina.

11. Texas A&M (4-0) (10) – Oral Roberts played them tough, but the Aggies were able to pull off an 8-point win. The 8-team ESPN Invitational starts on Thanksgiving, where they will try to avenge their loss to Penn State from the NCAA Tournament. If they win that, a semifinal matchup against Florida Atlantic may await.

12. North Carolina (3-0) (15) – The Tar Heels haven’t challenged themselves yet, but the Battle 4 Atlantis will show them where they stand in the early going. They start their journey with Northern Iowa. Other teams in the field include Memphis, Villanova, Arkansas, and Michigan. Three of those four teams (all but Memphis) suffered losses to mid-major squads earlier this week.

13. Kentucky (3-1) (17) – Saint Joseph’s and Marshall shouldn’t provide much competition. The game I have circled is on 11/28 against Miami in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

14. Gonzaga (2-0) (19) – Business has been slow but it is about to pick up in Maui. Beyond that crazy tournament, they have dates with USC, UConn, and San Diego State before the conference season begins. How good are they? We are about to find out.

15. Mississippi State (5-0) (NR) – Maybe the Hall of Fame Tipoff wasn’t the deepest of fields, but the Bulldogs took care of business with wins over Washington State and Northwestern. That said, the rest of their non-conference schedule is lacking and they will probably move down from here as other teams play stronger competition leading into the conference schedule (it is possible that they will be 13-0 heading into conference play, though North Texas and Rutgers should provide competition)

16. Texas (4-0) (24) – Louisville provided them a massive scare and probably should have won the game. As expected, they will play in the title game against UConn. A win there and a massive jump in the rankings awaits.

17. Baylor (4-0) (25) – They haven’t played strong competition after their season-opening win over Auburn. The Bears are solid favorites to take down the NIT Tip-off, where they start off with a game against Oregon State (if they win that, they play the winner of Florida – Pittsburgh).

18. Memphis (3-0) (22) – The Jackson State win over Missouri brings down Memphis’ signature win to date. That said, the Tigers will have a chance to pile up some quality wins in the Battle 4 Atlantis (they start their journey against Michigan).

19. Florida Atlantic (2-1) (11) – Losing to Bryant certainly raises eyebrows (it was Bryant’s first win over a ranked opponent), but the Bulldogs aren’t necessarily an awful squad (they entered this season 54-29 over the last three years). It comes down to how the Owls respond to that loss. A date with Butler in the ESPN Invitational is next.

20. James Madison (4-0) (23) – Radford did their best to spoil the party, but the Dukes held on for a 76-73 victory. That was a campus game in the Cancun Challenge, a tournament that features a wide assortment of mid-major squads. James Madison plays Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley) in the first round on Tuesday.

21. Alabama (4-0) (NR) – On Friday, Mercer was the first team to hold the Crimson Tide under 100 points (98). They are a part of the Emerald Classic, where they will play Ohio State in the first round. A win there sets up a championship game against either Oregon or Santa Clara. While their schedule hasn’t been strong to date, they have upcoming games against Clemson, Purdue, Creighton, and Arizona. Wow.

22. Arkansas (3-1) (16) – Greensboro went on the road and lost to Vanderbilt by four. They followed that up with a 78-72 win over Arkansas. The Spartans won 20 games last season, losing to Arkansas by only seven in the process. Anyway, back to the Razorbacks: They can certainly make up for that loss in the coming weeks, as they are in the competitive Battle 4 Atlantis before a home game against Duke.

23. Virginia (4-0) (NR) – The Cavaliers suffocated poor Texas Southern, allowing only 33 points. They should be considered the favorites to win the Fort Myers Tip-Off, with an opening-round game against Wisconsin. That could be ugly.

24. Liberty (5-0) (NR) – The Myrtle Beach Invitational featured a group of traditionally solid mid-major teams and it was the Flames who defeated  Furman, Wichita State, and Vermont to take home the crown. All five of their wins have been by double digits. A date with Florida Atlantic awaits at the end of the month.

25. Illinois (4-1) (21) – A 7-point loss to Marquette is certainly not a bad loss, but it would have been a nice feather in their early-season cap (especially since it was a home game). The Big Ten underneath Purdue (and perhaps Michigan State if they get rolling) is going to be fun to watch. The committee loves to give the conference a lot of bids and it is hard to figure out where those bids will come from at this moment.

Dropped out:

Michigan State (12) – The Spartans mauled Bulter and Alcorn State after losing to Duke. They can jump back into the Top 25 with a win over Arizona on Thursday.
Villanova (14) – I likely overrated the Wildcats a bit last week. That said, I still expect them to have a bounce-back season.
USC (18) – A bad loss against UC Irvine followed up with an uninspiring win over Brown. I considered them the favorites to win the Rady Children’s Invitational, but the tournament (which features Seton Hall, Iowa, and Oklahoma) appears to be wide open now.
St. John’s (20) – I give them credit for their win over Utah, but it was a tough week overall for St. John’s (losses to Michigan and Dayton). The top of the Big East is strong – which team is going to be the best of the rest?

Just Missed:

San Diego State (4-1) – It was a toss-up between the Aztecs and Illinois for the 25th spot in my rankings. San Diego State completed its run to a Continental Tire Main Event with a thrilling 100-97 overtime victory over Washington.

BYU (4-0) – Moving to the Big 12 from the West Coast Conference may be a bit of a culture shock for the Cougars, who are the only team to knock off San Diego State thus far.

Colorado (3-0) – I am trying to figure out which team will present any kind of challenge to Arizona this year. The Buffaloes have the potential to be near the top of the conference, but I can say that about a handful of teams.

 

The 2022-2023 college basketball season ended with one of the craziest tournaments in history. For the first time ever, a 15-seed and a 16-seed both won in the first round (15th-seeded Princeton won a second-round game as well) while a #9 seed (Florida Atlantic) made a run to the Final Four, where they were eliminated on a buzzer-beater by San Diego State.

Before we get to see how the 2024 tournament will unfold, we first have to get through what promises to be a fun regular season.  James Madison owns the biggest early upset with their win over Michigan State (that isn’t the only mid-major win over a power conference school) while Arizona-Duke was a high-profile matchup that met expectations.

Speaking of high-profile matchups, if you are a true college basketball fan, you can’t possibly miss the upcoming Maui Invitational, which starts next Monday. Some of the top teams in the country (Kansas, Purdue, Tennessee, Marquette, Gonzaga) are competing in the 8-team tournament. And one should never discount Syracuse or UCLA, though both will be underdogs in this loaded field. Given the madness of March, we are often “robbed” of some intriguing matchups due to major upsets. In this tournament, you will need to survive a gauntlet to take home the trophy. I will pick my winner in next week’s entry.

My first Top 25:

1. Purdue (2-0) – The Boilermakers will try to repeat the feat of the 2019 Virginia Cavaliers, a school that lost in the 2018 tournament to #16 UMBC before bouncing back to win the title in 2019. Purdue will need to break a long streak to make it happen: The Big Ten hasn’t won a title since Michigan State in 2000.

2. Kansas (2-0) – The Jayhawks “acquired” one of the nation’s biggest transfers this year when they pried Hunter Dickinson away from Michigan. With all the chaos in last year’s tournament, it is easy to forget that Kansas was a #1 seed that lost in the second round (Arkansas). Many top schools are trying to avenge poor showings.

3. UConn (2-0) – The defending champions lost a few important pieces in their quest to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Florida. The Huskies will get their first test this coming Sunday when they take on Indiana in the first round of the Empire Classic. A win there likely means a date with Texas in the championship.

4. Arizona (2-0) – The final year of the current Pac-12 doesn’t appear to be strong on paper. The Wildcats’ big win over Duke can be the appetizer to a big season, though they have a tough non-conference schedule to get through (Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Alabama, Florida Atlantic)

5. Marquette (2-0) – The Big East is loaded at the top, and the Golden Eagles are another team trying to bounce back from an early NCAA Tournament exit. After a tough time down in Texas, Shaka Smart seems to have found his footing in Marquette, a team that is heavy on experience coming off of their Big East title.

6. Creighton (2-0) – I told you that the Big East is top-heavy. While UConn was destroying the competition in the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Jays made an impressive run of their own. They could have easily been UConn’s opponent in the title game. Creighton will be the heavy favorite to win the upcoming Hall of Fame Classic.

7. Houston (2-0) – This week’s Charleston Classic will provide a test for the Cougars. They will be the highest-ranked team in the field (and may be the only ranked team, depending on how one feels about St. John’s). We’ll see how they get through the Big 12 grind in their first year since moving on from the AAC.

8. Duke (1-1) – The Blue Devils lost a home game to Arizona, and that knocked them down a few pegs in the early going. They are uncharacteristically not playing in one of the big early-season tournaments (they host smaller schools in the Blue Devil Challenge), but their non-conference slate includes matchups against Michigan State, Arkansas, and Baylor.

9. Tennessee (2-0) – A victim of the Florida Atlantic Express in the Sweet 16, Tennessee will once again try to ride a strong defense to a deep NCAA Tournament run. Rick Barnes’ history isn’t a great one in the NCAA Tournament, but the Volunteers have a Final Four-capable roster.

10. Texas A&M (2-0) – The Aggies challenged themselves with a road game against Ohio State last week. They left with an impressive 73-66 victory that sets themselves up for the rest of the non-conference slate. That slate includes the ESPN Events Invitational, where they take on Penn State in the opening round (11/23). The Nittany Lions knocked off this squad in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

11. Florida Atlantic (1-0) – The Owls entered the 2023 Tournament with a gaudy 31-3 record. It was reasonable to wonder just how good they were, however. They lost a non-conference game to an Ole Miss squad that would go on to finish 12-21. Their win over Florida was great for in-state bragging rights, though the Gators would go on to finish under .500. They proved their mettle on the court, however, as their high-wire act took them to the Final Four, where they lost to San Diego State on a buzzer-beater. A shift from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference should be a step up in competition, even with former top-dog Houston now in the Big 12. Another step up is their involvement in the ESPN Invitational, where they take on Butler in the opening round.

12. Michigan State (1-1) – The Spartans have the look and feel of a top-five squad, but one can’t just ignore a loss to James Madison. They have plenty of time to make up for that, however, including their big game with Duke on Tuesday.

13. Miami (2-0) – Most “big” schools aren’t feel-good stories in the NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes, however, certainly fit the bill in 2023 as their fun style of play made a run to the Final Four for likable coach Jim Larranaga. This year’s squad has a different look, as top guards Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller are now in the NBA while four other players transferred to other schools. Incoming transfer Matthew Cleveland (Florida State) should ease some of the pain,

14. Villanova (2-0) – The sudden departure of Jay Wright left a void for the Wildcats, who had to fight just to finish the season 17-16 (before losing in the first-round in the NIT). Second-year coach Kyle Neptune hopes for a less chaotic 2023-2024 season, and we will find out soon enough just how good they may be as they are a part of the Battle 4 Atlantis field that promises to be highly competitive (North Carolina and Arkansas are in the field, along with Michigan, Texas Tech, and Memphis)

15. North Carolina (2-0) – While some teams rose from the ashes last season, the Tar Heels crashed and burned. Coming off their miracle run to the championship game in 2022, they were considered a top-five team heading into 2023. They have a lot to prove this year, and an experienced squad to do it with.

16. Arkansas (2-0) – The SEC promises to be a tough conference top-to-near-bottom and Arkansas should be right in the mix. The Razorbacks have two Elite Eight appearances and one Sweet 16 appearance in their last three seasons, and their hodgepodge roster this season is capable of another run. Four players from last year’s team declared for the NBA draft, replaced mostly with a wide variety of transfers. It’s certainly become a popular way to rebuild a roster.

17. Kentucky (2-0) – While we think of the Wildcats as a prime example of NCAA Tournament success, they haven’t reached the Sweet 16 since 2019 and the Final Four since 2015. Many schools would see that as a success, but that is not the case for Kentucky. While there is experience on this team if you look deep enough (ie, transfer Tre Mitchell), the reality is that they will rely a lot on freshmen in an effort to reverse their fortunes. How good are they? Let’s see how they do against Kansas on Tuesday.

18. USC (2-0) – Arizona is the overwhelming favorite to win the Pac-12, but USC may have something to say about that. The Trojans have superstar recruit Isaiah Collier leading the charge, joined by positional top-ten recruits at center (Arrinten Page) and shooting guard (Bronny James). They participate in the four-team Rady Children’s Invitational over the Thanksgiving holiday – the tournament includes Seton Hall, Iowa, and Oklahoma.

19. Gonzaga (1-0) – The engine for this squad (Drew Timme) is gone, as are nine other players from the 2023 tournament squad. They are trying to make up for that by bringing in three transfers who have double-digit scoring pedigrees. As usual, the Bulldogs have several strong games on their non-conference schedule, including their inclusion in the ultra-tough Maui. It is there where they can show us if talk of their dominance fading is overstated.

20. St. John’s (1-0) – The arrival of Rick Pitino has created a buzz around the program that hasn’t been seen in several years. Now it is time for them to prove they belong amongst the nation’s elite in his first season. You may think the expectations are unfair, but I am of the mind that Pitino craves the expectations and we should hold him to the standard he wants. Their Monday game against a down Michigan program should still present a challenge, as should their participation in the Charleston Classic.

21. Illinois (2-0) – With Purdue and Michigan State at the top of the conference, the question is: Who is willing to step up underneath them?  Maryland is a wise-guy choice, but they crashed and burned in the Asheville Championship, where they lost two games. Can Illinois be that team? The Fighting Illini haven’t made a significant NCAA Tournament run since 2005, and they are going to try to break that spell with an experienced, transfer-laden squad.

22. Memphis (2-0) – While Florida Atlantic will take on the role as the preseason AAC favorites, Memphis should be right in the mix. An astonishing 14 players from last year are no longer with the team this year. However, they once again have a strong recruiting class to mix in with a group of transfers. The Tigers defeated Missouri this past week and are a part of the Battle 4 Atlantis, where they will take on Michigan in the opening round.

23. James Madison (3-0) – Do I expect James Madison to be in the Top 25 all year? No. Do I think a road win over Michigan State warrants them a shoutout in November? Yes. After all, they followed up that win by putting up 113 points against Kent State, a perennially good team out of the MAC (they are the defending champions). The Dukes are a part of the mid-major-laden Cancun Challenge.

24. Texas (2-0) – Texas is the likely championship opponent for UConn in the Empire Classic. Rodney Terry took over for Chris Beard after the latter was fired early last season, and promptly took his team to the Elite Eight. It was their first appearance since 2008. The Longhorns lost several players from last year’s team to graduation but scored big with transfer Max Abmas, the hyper-scoring guard from Oral Roberts (20.8 points per game in his career).

25. Baylor (3-0) – The Bears haven’t been able to repeat their 2021 NCAA Tournament success, but they continue to string together solid seasons under coach Scott Drew (399-222 since being hired). They are the favorites to take down the NIT Preseason Tip-Off and feature a solid recruiting class.