The college basketball season is approaching quickly. This season will be like no other with COVID still present. With that it will be hard to predict who the top teams will be, but top 25 rankings still have to be done. Here is the college basketball preseason top 25.
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25. Houston Cougars
With DeJon Jarreau and Quentin Grimes back, the Cougars look like one of the favorites in the AAC.
Keyontae Johnson (photo via gatorcountry.com)
24. Florida Gators
The Gators will need some of their newcomers to step up, but Keyontae Johnson is one of the best players in the country.
23. Florida State Seminoles
In the 2020 NBA Draft, the Seminoles had two players selected in the lottery. Florida State always has one of the deepest teams in the country, but M.J. Walker will need to take on a bigger role with a lot of key contributors departing.
22. Ohio State Buckeyes
Losing Kaleb Wesson stings, but getting Seth Towns to go with Duane Washington and C.J. Walker will help them dramatically.
21. LSU Tigers
Having Javonte Smart at point guard and a frontcourt consisting of Darius Days and Trendon Watford will make LSU competitive.
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20. North Carolina Tar Heels
Garrison Brooks is a star in the middle for North Carolina, but outside of him, UNC doesn’t have many proven commodities.
19. UCLA Bruins
Last season, the Bruins started out slowly, but turned it on late in the season. Tyger Campbell will pair with the Kentucky transfer, Johnny Juzang to provide a solid backcourt that will help the team compete in the Pac-12.
18. Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns have a lot of returning talent to go with big-time recruit Greg Brown. If Shaka Smart doesn’t win an NCAA Tournament game, he may be on his way out in Austin.
17. Michigan State Spartans
Losing Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman will hurt, but the Spartans have Rocket Watts and Aaron Henry ready to take over.
16. Oregon Ducks
Team-leader Payton Pritchard is now in the NBA, but the Ducks have recruited well. Amauri Hardy, Will Richardson and Chris Duarte are all capable of averaging double-figures again this season.
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15. Arizona State Sun Devils
While there are definite holes on this team, the Sun Devils will have one of the best players in college basketball in Remy Martin.
14. West Virginia Mountaineers
The Mountaineers will have a lot of experience on the roster from top to bottom. Miles McBride is a candidate to have a breakout year after playing solidly as a freshman.
13. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech hit the transfer market hard, but they have a solid roster once again. Mac McClung Joel Ntwambe and Marcus Santos-Silva are all going to have to step up for the Red Raiders.
12. Creighton Blue Jays
Marcus Zegarowski will lead the Blue Jays from the point guard position, but he’ll also have some good shooters to help him out.
11. Duke Blue Devils
Duke’s recruits are good this season, but they aren’t at the very top of the class. Matthew Hurt and Wendell Moore are going to need to show vast improvement if the Blue Devils want to be title contenders.
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10. Kansas Jayhawks
This Kansas team won’t be dominant, but with Marcus Garrett and Ochai Agbaji back, they have a chance to be very good in the Big 12.
9. Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois has a three-headed monster in Ayo Dosunmu Trent Frazier and Kofi Cockburn that will be hard to stop for any team.
8. Tennessee Volunteers
Yves Pons and John Fulkerson make up a great frontcourt. If Santiago Vescovi can develop a little more at the point guard position, Tennessee could compete for a Final Four.
7. Iowa Hawkeyes
Luka Garza is back along with a lot of other key contributors. If their defense can improve, they are fully capable of making a run at a Final Four.
6. Virginia Cavaliers
Having Sam Hauser joining Kihei Clark and Jay Huff will help Virginia get back to the top of the ACC.
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5. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Joel Ayayi, Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert will form a great combo in the backcourt, but Gonzaga will need new players to fill in for their frontcourt after losing Killian Tillie and Filip Petrusev.
4. Kentucky Wildcats
Having all of their transfers eligible is huge for Kentucky. Pairing Olivier Sarr with the only returnee in Keion Brooks and their five-star recruits will make them one of the best teams in college basketball.
3. Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin returns all five starters from last year’s team, which won the Big Ten. With D’Mitrik Trice and Brad Davidson on the perimeter and Nate Reuvers on the inside, Wisconsin can win games in a lot of ways.
2. Villanova Wildcats
Losing Saddiq Bey won’t be easy, but the Wildcats will have a senior point guard in Collin Gillespie running the show. He and an experienced frontcourt could lead Villanova back to a Final Four.
1. Baylor Bears
The team that was number one for a lot of last season takes the top spot in the preseason rankings. Jared Butler, MaCio Teague, Davion Mitchell and Mark Vital are all stars in their own ways. After how they played together last season, they deserve the top spot.
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