While football is very much in the spotlight across college campuses, behind the curtain, another journey to March is inching closer. College basketball is just over three weeks away, and heading into the 2024-25 campaign, the sport is in a healthy place and in for a fascinating year ahead.
For starters, you have a program in Connecticut that is trying to do something only John Wooden and UCLA can say they’ve done in men’s college basketball history: win three consecutive national championships. The Huskies are in the top three of my early top 25 rankings, with Dan Hurley reloading behind returning junior Alex Karaban.
In Durham, North Carolina, there’s the biggest freshman talent we have seen since Zion Williamson, with Cooper Flagg arriving at Duke. The 6-foot-9 specimen is an elite defensive player with an ultra-high IQ and an evolving offensive game that should lead to him becoming the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Kansas is set to bring Hunter Dickinson and a strong core back, while Bill Self crushed it in the transfer portal. Meanwhile, Mike Woodson is poised to have the best team of his tenure at Indiana with Malik Reneau and Arizona All-American transfer Oumar Ballo charging the Hoosiers, and John Calipari begins a new era at Arkansas with what looks like a top-15 team.
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After all the roster turnover, coaching changes and offseason shakeups, here’s where I stand with my preseason top 25.
When judging a team’s offseason, roster retention is the hardest area to succeed in because of how active the transfer portal and NIL climate is, not to mention being able to get the right players for your program to reload. Bill Self and his staff get an A+ this time around, and that’s why I have the Jayhawks at No. 1.
The Jayhawks return Dickinson, point guard Dajuan Harris, power forward KJ Adams, and they bring in the nation’s No. 3 transfer class, per 247 Sports, which makes this offseason a slam dunk. The addition of Wisconsin transfer AJ Storr, who averaged nearly 17 points per game for the Badgers this past season, can’t be overstated. He will be one of the best scorers in the Big 12, if not the country.
When you have won the last two national championships and taken your last 12 March Madness games by a combined 260 points, you reserve the right to a top-three spot in my preseason rankings.
Gone are Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan, but Karaban’s return makes him the centerpiece and point guard Hassan Diarra looks poised to be the lead engineer of the offense. Saint Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney and five-star freshman Liam McNeeley will help on the perimeter, with the big question mark being just how good the frontcourt will be with Samson Johnson and Michigan transfer Tarris Reed.
One key item for UConn will be the growth of Jaylin Stewart, Solomon Ball and the sophomore class, which could swing this team’s ceiling upward.
In talking with Hurley and his staff, it was very apparent that McNeeley is going to make an impact right away. “He’s as ready as any freshman that has come in,” Hurley said, which is saying something considering Castle was the fourth overall pick in last June’s draft. “The work ethic, the shooting, an ability to get to the rim that is better than we ever thought, it’s all there.”
Dan Hurley on his decision to return to UConn: ‘I already had the leverage’
The Crimson Tide have the best player in the country in Mark Sears, who returns for his fifth season of college basketball after averaging a gaudy 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game this past season. His microwave scoring ability and dynamic skill set will lead the way for Nate Oats’ program coming off the school’s first Final Four appearance. Grant Nelson, Latrell Wrightsell, and Jarin Stevenson are back, among others, while USF transfer Chris Youngblood was a tremendous portal add for the backcourt. Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi will be one of the best bigs in the nation.
It feels like the Cougars are going to be a top-10, if not top-five staple every year as long as coach Kelvin Sampson is around, because he has built a juggernaut rooted in toughness down at Houston. Four of the program’s five projected starters — L.J. Cryer, Emanuel Sharp, J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis — are returning players, while Milos Uzan will help in the playmaking category coming off a season in which he averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 assists per game at Oklahoma. We’ll see how Houston’s bench comes together, but that first five is really strong.
Entering his 26th season in Spokane, Mark Few should have one of the top offensive teams in America. Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman give the Zags great backcourt continuity, while Graham Ike is back following his first year with the program in which he averaged 16.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The Zags added Arkansas transfer Khalif Battle, who averaged nearly 15 points per game last season in the SEC, and don’t sleep on Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi’s versatility as well.
While the loss of Anton Watson to the pros and the season-ending achilles injury to Steele Venters are tough, Gonzaga still has Final Four potential. One thing worth monitoring is the kind of leap we see from the supporting cast of Ben Gregg, Braden Huff and Dusty Stromer.
One thing is for certain: the Zags are a safe bet in March. They’ve made the Sweet 16 in nine consecutive years and with the program finding an upgraded home in 2026 with the newly-renovated Pac-12, which includes the likes of tournament programs San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, Washington State, Oregon State and more, the vibes are strong for Few’s program.
It was 1944 when the Cyclones made the school’s only Final Four. Eighty years later, the folks in Ames, Iowa, can dream of that scenario. T.J. Otzelberger has done an unbelievable job with this program and has rich roster continuity, with four of his five projected starters back from a Sweet 16 team. Tamin Lipsey (12.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.9 APG) is one of the best guards in college basketball, Milan Momcilovic will make a sophomore leap, and the pickup of Saint Mary’s transfer Joshua Jefferson was just what this roster needed as the 6-foot-8 forward is coming off a good sophomore season.
While all eyes are on Flagg, and rightfully so, the Blue Devils have talent beyond him, welcoming the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class.
Center Khaman Maluach is a specimen, while freshman wing Kon Knueppel is beyond his years when it comes to his IQ and shotmaking. Knueppel could end up being a top-five pick in next June’s NBA Draft because he is beyond his years in maturity and does all the right things.
My big question: How consistent will the guards play on this team be? Will Tyrese Proctor be steady running the point with Jeremy Roach gone to Baylor? Will Caleb Foster be consistent at the No. 2-spot? One big potential weapon is Tulane transfer Sion James, who averaged 14 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists this past season and should start. If Flagg is making perimeter shots, he could be the national player of the year. It’s a huge third season for Jon Scheyer, who came a game short of the Final Four last season.
8. Baylor Bears
If you can’t tell, the Big 12 is going to be absolutely loaded again this year. The race for the conference champion will be a heck of a marathon to watch. Scott Drew ushers in the No. 4-ranked recruiting class in the country, per 247 Sports, highlighted by five-star freshman V.J. Edgecombe, who should fit perfectly in Drew’s system and be one of the best rookies in the country and a top NBA Draft prospect. The Bears also welcome a talented transfer class with Roach and Miami (Fla.) transfer Norchard Omier. Double-figure scorers Langston Love and Jayden Nunn return to the fold as well for a team that had the No. 2-ranked offense in America last year, according to KenPom. The big question: Will the new additions help the defense, which was sub-100 last year?
Former North Carolina star Caleb Love is in the running for first-team All-American consideration. The 6-foot-4 guard returns for his fifth season after averaging 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists this past season, charging the Wildcats to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a Sweet 16 trip. It will be fascinating to see how Tommy Lloyd, who has gone 88-20 in his first three years but has struggled in March, fares in the program’s first year in the loaded Big 12.
The loss of Ballo puts the spotlight on Motiejus Krivas at center, but Oakland transfer Trey Townsend should be a highly productive option at the 4. Look out for Campbell transfer Anthony Dell’Orso, who has a really versatile skill set for a wing player that’ll lead to him being on NBA radars.
The Tar Heels round out the top ten because they have a returning superstar as good as any in the country with fifth-year guard RJ Davis, but that’s not the only reason. All signs point to Davis having a new-and-improved sophomore alongside him in Elliot Cadeau, who was the story of ACC media days after what fourth-year coach Hubert Davis said about him.
How will the Tar Heels handle life without Armando Bacot on the glass? Vanderbilt transfer Ven Allen-Lubin is positioned to be the starting 5-man, while Belmont transfer Cade Tyson could be the X-factor, but this team is going to be smaller as there’s no one replacement for the production that their former All-American delivered. One freshman name to watch: Ian Jackson. The five-star New York native is a 6-foot-4 guard who is tough to handle in transition, something that will play quite well in Chapel Hill.
We’ve become so conditioned to seeing the Volunteers be one of the best defensive teams in the country, but what allowed them to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in 14 years was Dalton Knecht running a top-30 offense. Veteran guard Zakai Zeigler is back to lead the team, and he has another bucket-getting transfer guard in Chaz Lanier, who arrived from North Florida after averaging 20.0 points per game last season.
The Bluejays, who have been one of the nation’s most consistent programs with three Sweet 16 appearances in the past four years, have a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award candidate in Ryan Kalkbrenner back at center and Steven Ashworth to run the point. Texas Tech transfer Pop Isaacs will fit in perfectly in Greg McDermott’s system.
Let the Calipari Era begin. After one of the most shocking coaching moves in college basketball history, the Hall of Famer takes over the Razorbacks with a high-impact transfer in guard Johnell Davis, along with Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo. The big question: Can the guys who followed Calipari from Kentucky — D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic — evolve and make a consistent impact? Wagner is so important to whether or not Arkansas is a top-15 team or just a tournament team.
The Big Ten preseason favorites will definitely look different from a personnel standpoint because back-to-back national player of the year Zach Edey is gone to the NBA. But the Boilermakers have one of America’s best backcourts with Big Ten preseason player of the year Braden Smith alongside Fletcher Loyer. Matt Painter says junior Trey Kaufman-Renn is poised to make a leap. The breakout scoring candidate for Purdue will be sophomore Cam Heide, who shot 45% from 3-point land in limited minutes as a freshman.
15. Auburn Tigers
Bruce Pearl returns an All-American in Johni Broome from a 27-8 team that is out for redemption after a first-round loss to Yale in the NCAA Tournament last season. The key for the Tigers will be Furman transfer JP Pegues, who averaged 18.0 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game last season.
16. Indiana Hoosiers
Year 4 of the Woodson Era brings a rich amount of buzz that the Hoosiers could contend for the Big Ten title. They reeled in the nation’s No. 2-ranked transfer class headlined by big man Ballo (Arizona) along with guards Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford) and Myles Rice (Washington State). With Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako and veteran Trey Galloway in the fold, everything is on the table for a big year in Bloomington.
17. UCLA Bruins
As the Bruins enter the Big Ten, they should be one of the league’s best teams with Dylan Andrews as one of the top guards in the conference and a leader on the wing in Kobe Johnson. I wouldn’t bet against Mick Cronin to have a second straight down year.
Similar to Cronin, Sean Miller is not having a second consecutive disappointing season. In fact, I think Xavier can contend for the Big East crown and be a top-10 team if everything goes right. Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter are back, while Indiana State transfer Ryan Conwell could be a first-team All-Big East selection this season.
This feels like the year for the Bearcats to make the Big Dance for the first time since 2019. Four of their five projected starters are back, headlined by Dan Skillings, Simas Lukosius and Day Day Thomas.
20. Texas A&M Aggies
The Wade Taylor show has another act, as the senior guard will be one of the nation’s most impactful players. Can the Aggies avoid a slow start to the season?
Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro might be gone, but Shaka Smart has bought into player development and not diving into the transfer portal. He has a Big East Player of the Year and All-American candidate in Kam Jones. My X-factor: Ben Gold.
The Mark Pope Era is here, and the Wildcats have a lot of depth. People seem to forget he took BYU into the nation’s top conference, the Big 12, and went to the tournament with a top-25 caliber team. Jaxson Robinson and Koby Brea are going to make a lethal duo, and I think the Cats could be a real dark horse come March.
Grant McCasland knows how to coach defense at a high level and bring in versatile talent. Look for Minnesota transfer Elijah Hawkins to be one of the nation’s assist leaders at point guard and New Mexico transfer JT Toppin to get on NBA Draft radars.
24. Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels have a really talented roster with veteran pieces in Matthew Murrell, Virginia Tech transfer Sean Pedulla and Seton Hall transfer Dre Davis. I could see this program making its first Sweet 16 since 2001, and only the second in its history, if everything goes right.
Yes, the Illini lost several significant pieces, but I am buying Brad Underwood and his staff’s ability to reload. Arizona transfer Kylan Boswell is so critical to this team’s success in the backcourt with the X-factor being Evansville transfer Ben Humrichous. The 6-foot-9 forward could have a similar impact to what Marcus Domask had last year in Champaign.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on at @John_Fanta.
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