The 2022-23 college basketball season is finally here, which means the off-season is over. Thank God. No more looking over the transfer portal and what recruit committed to where. It is now strictly business. The push for conference titles and the national title starts today.
There are so many good teams looking for that coveted championship, so of course I have to rank them. You’ll see the normal blue bloods that are near the top every season like Gonzaga and Kentucky. You’ll also see some new guys that are finding their footing on the big stage like Creighton and TCU. There are some unconventional preseason conference favorites. There are also familiar faces coming back for another season. This is what makes the sport fun and unpredictable.
The 2022-23 season is going to be a good one. I do not want to rush it away by any means, but to say I am not ready for March Madness already would be a lie. However, that is not possible, so I will be watching the sport religiously every week like most of you.
Along with watching every week, I will also be ranking my personal top 15 teams every week. I hope you enjoy the ride with me as we push to March. Until then, here is the Elam 15, version 1.0.
Gonzaga is deep, talented, and poised to get Mark Few his first national title at the helm of the program. They return potential national player of the year Drew Timme, and other core pieces like Julian Strawther, Rasir Bolton and Nolan Hickman. They also bring in Chattanooga transfer Malachi Smith, who averaged 19.9 points a game last season.
Hubert Davis, in his first season as the head coach of North Carolina, led his Tar Heels to the National Championship game. They return all major pieces except Brady Manek, but bring in Northwestern transfer Pete Nance to replace him. The Tar Heels are No. 1 in the AP Top 25, and hope to repeat their run to the Final Four.
Reigning NPOY Oscar Tschiebwe? Back. 2x SEC assist leader Sahvir Wheeler? Back. Key role players Jacob Toppin and Damion Collins? Back. Talented freshmen? Yes. Better shooting? Yes. After a loss to No. 15-seed St. Peter’s, the Wildcats are looking for revenge. Kentucky has the skill and depth to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2015.
Kelvin Sampson has done tremendous things at Houston, including reaching the Final Four in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. This year, his Cougars are healthy and hungry for another deep tournament run. Marcus Sasser is back and will likely have an All-American type season. Other notables like Tremon Mark and Jamal Shead are back, and 2022 top 15 recruit Jarace Walker comes in as well.
Of all the backcourts in the country this season, Baylor will have arguably the best with their three guard lineup of Adam Flagler, LJ Cryer, and 2022 top 10 recruit Keyonte George. The Bears also return key pieces in Flo Thamba and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua. Scott Drew is one of the best coaches in the country, and he will try and get the Bears back to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Preseason All-American Jaime Jaquez Jr. and veteran guard Tyger Campbell are back for UCLA this season. Mick Cronin also brings in a top 15 recruiting class led by 5-stars Amari Bailey and Adem Bona. The Bruins have improved every season under Cronin, and this season hope to win a Pac-12 title and go to the Final Four for the second time in three tournaments.
Talent. That is the one word that describes Duke heading into the 2022-23 season. The Blue Devils have the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the nation, headlined by four 5-stars. This freshmen class along with multiple nice transfers and returning point guard Jeremy Roach will help Jon Scheyer reach a high seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Scheyer takes over the program after the retirement of Mike Krzyzewski.
Zakai Zeigler is a top candidate for breakout player of the year, and will be one of the best point guards in the SEC. All-SEC member Santiago Vescovi is back. Other key pieces are back such as Josiah-Jordan James, Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic. Indiana State transfer Tyrese Key comes in after averaging 17.2 points a game last season. Lastly, 5-star wing Julian Phillips joins the team.
Creighton returns four of its top six scorers from a team that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Ryan Nembhard will be one of the best guards in the Big East, and Ryan Kalkbrenner will be one of the best bigs in the nation. The Blue Jays also bring in South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman, who was one of the hottest players in the portal.
Like Duke, Arkansas will be very reliant on talent this season. 5-star guards Nick Smith and Anthony Black, along with 5-star wing Jordan Walsh headline the Razorbacks freshmen class. Eric Musselman also brings in a nice transfer class headlined by Ricky Council IV from Wichita State and the Mitchell twins from Rhode Island. Arkansas is looking to make its third straight Elite Eight.
Chris Beard in his second season in Austin will have a good shot at winning a Big 12 title. Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr, and Christian Bishop are back. Tyrese Hunter transfers from Iowa State, and Sir’Jabari Rice transfers from New Mexico State. Lastly, 5-stars Dillon Mitchell and Aterio Morris come in to bring young, freshmen talent. Texas had an underwhelming season a year ago, but this year they’re looking to be a force.
Kansas just won their second national championship under Bill Self in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks however lose a lot from that team. Leading scorers Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun and fellow starters David McCormack and Remy Martin are gone. Kansas returns meaningful players in Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris Jr. and bring in a top five recruiting class. That class is headlined by 5-star Gradey Dick. Self is suspended for the first four games, including the Champions Classic against Duke, but look for the best coach in college basketball to get his Jayhawks back in the title race.
The Tigers bring back talented, yet flawed, backcourt Wendell Green Jr. and KD Johnson. They also bring back Allen Flanigan, Jaylin Williams, and Zep Jasper. Auburn brings in 5-star Yohan Traore and 4-star Chance Westry, along with talented transfer big Johni Broome from Morehead State, who averaged 16.8 points a game last year. Bruce Pearl as once again built an Auburn team good enough to make a push in the SEC and a run in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Preseason All-American and Big 12 leading returning scorer Mike Miles is back, along with every other meaningful piece from a TCU team that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Horned Frogs have their highest preseason ranking ever in the AP Top 25 due to what is returning. Miles, Damion Baugh, Emanuel Miller and company are looking to win TCU’s first conference title since 1998 when they were in the Western Athletic Conference.
Mike Woodson had a successful first year as Indiana’s head coach, making the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers return most major pieces from that team including preseason Big Ten player of the year, and preseason All-American, Trayce Jackson-Davis. Woodson also recruited two 5-stars in Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau. Indiana is the favorite to win the Big Ten this season, and potentially make a deep run in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Stay tuned for more college basketball news, among other sports and esports news!
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