Mark Sears is the favorite to win National Player of the Year, and his return for Alabama helps this team land in the top spot in our preseason rankings. Nate Oats should once again have an electric offense with Sears, Grant Nelson, Jarrin Stevenson, and Latrell Wrightsell back in the mix, but the addition of Clifford Omoruyi and freshmen Derrion Reid and Labaron Philon should also help this team improve defensively – which might be what is necessary to win a national title.

Houston lost star point guard Jamal Shead, but Kelvin Sampson’s team returns the rest of his starting lineup from a team that consistently finishes at or near the top of the KenPom rankings every season. Milos Uzan from Oklahoma will step in for Shead at point guard, and alongside LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp, and breakout candidate Terrance Arceneaux, this team should once again be among the best in college basketball.

Jon Scheyer has an absolutely electric freshman class in Durham, headlined of course by top prospect Cooper Flagg. But don’t overlook Duke’s other freshman additions, namely Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, as well as returners Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster and portal additions Sion James, Maliq Brown, and Mason Gillis. This team is deep, incredibly talented, and looks like a unit that has played together for a long time already. That’s a dangerous combination.

Gonzaga returns seven of its eight rotation players from last season, a team that was among the very best in college basketball in the latter half of the season. Mark Few also went out and added Michael Ajayi from Pepperdine and Khalif Battle from Arkansas, two 15+ point per game scorers who add much needed depth and offensive punch to a returning core headlined by Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike.

Kansas has a nice blend of returning talent (Hunter Dickinson, KJ Adams, and Dajuan Harris) mixed with transfer portal additions (AJ Storr, Rylan Griffen, Zeke Mayo) and freshman stars like Rakease Passmore and Flory Bidunga.

After a very disappointing finish in 2024, Bill Self has this roster exploding with talent and depth, and if the pieces come together they will be a strong contender to win it all.

Iowa State has tremendous roster continuity, keeping Tamin Lipsey, Keshon Gilbert, Curtis Jones, and Milan Momcilovic together from a team that was the top ranked defense in the country last season. The additions of Dishon Jackson and Joshua Jefferson up front should help a ton, and T.J. Otzelberger’s team is once again a strong candidate to win the Big 12 and make a Final Four run.

Baylor added veteran talent in the transfer portal at point guard and center in Jeremy Roach (Duke) and Norchad Omier (Miami), while also adding some shooting in Jalen Celestine from Cal. That’s a lot of new faces in Waco, especially when including freshman phenom VJ Edgecombe, but if anyone can get a new group of talent to gel and play together it’s Scott Drew.

Dan Hurley has led the UConn Huskies to back-to-back national titles, so this team gets the benefit of the doubt despite losing four starters to the NBA from last year’s squad. Alex Karaban is back, and key reserves from last year in Hassan Diarra, Solo Ball, and Sampson Johnson give this team enough continuity to run Hurley’s schemes to perfection. Add in star freshman Liam McNeeley and transfers Aidan Mahaney and Tarris Reed and you have the makings of a potential threepeat.

North Carolina has one of the best backcourts in the country, headlined by All-American RJ Davis, rising sophomore Elliot Cadeau, and a pair of potential one-and-done freshmen in Ian Jackson and Drake Powell. The concern is up front, where Jalen Washington will be asked to fill the massive shoes of Armando Bacot, with Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin in the mix as well.

Auburn returns NPOY candidate Johni Broome to the frontcourt, as well as Chad Baker-Mazzara and Denver Jones. The team was a top five KenPom squad last year, and despite the loss to Yale in the first round they are primed for another big season in the SEC – especially after shoring up the guard play with portal additions Miles Kelly (Georgia Tech) and JP Pegues (Furman).

Tommy Lloyd has earned either a one or two seed in each of his first three seasons at Arizona, but a deep March run still eludes him. The return of Caleb Love and Jaden Bradley in the backcourt, as well as a potential breakout from big man Motiejus Krivas at center and strong portal additions Tobe Awaka (Tennessee) and Trey Townsend (Oakland) could be what gets this team past the Sweet 16.

Creighton gets Ryan Kalkbrenner back for a fifth season, and the two-way superstar is a legit candidate for National Player of the Year. The Bluejays lost a pair of guards to the NBA in Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander, but adding Texas Tech transfer Pop Isaacs and an older European freshman in Fedor Zugic – while returning Steven Ashworth – will have this team around the top ten all season long.

Florida is in line for a breakout season in Todd Golden’s third year, thanks to a super experienced and strong three point shooting backcourt, led by All-American candidate Walter Clayton. Will Riley is back and FAU transfer Alijah Martin is in the mix as well, and if Alex Condon and Ruben Chinyelu can remain high efficiency monsters in the frontcourt, this team should contend for a top three spot in the SEC and could make a deep run in March.

Purdue was unable to bring a long-awaited title to the Big Ten last season, and the loss of Zach Edey is a massive – literally – blow to Matt Painter’s team. However, the Boilermakers return backcourt running mates Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, and growth from Cam Heide and Trey Kaufman-Renn should have this team at or near the top of the Big Ten once again in 2025.

Shaka Smart is allergic to the transfer portal, opting to buy into internal development to replace NBA players Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro. Kam Jones looks like a potential All-American with the scoring load he’s expected to shoulder, and if Chase Ross and Ben Gold can step up this team should remain a fixture in the top three of the Big East.

John Calipari has a fully rebuilt roster in his first season at Arkansas, adding Johnell Davis and Jonas Aidoo from FAU and Tennessee, respectively, while bringing a trio of former Kentucky players from Lexington to Fayetteville in DJ Wagner, Zvonimir Ivisis, and Adou Thiero.

Wagner and Ivisic looked great in exhibition games, and incoming freshman Boogie Fland looks like a star, but how all the pieces fit together will be a big storyline in the SEC this season.

Tennessee looked great last year in huge part thanks to transfer Dalton Knecht, a lightning in a bottle portal addition from Northern Colorado. The Vols are hoping to hit lightning twice with Chaz Lanier from North Florida, and they will need to with Santiago Vescovi and Jonas Aidoo both out the door.

Rick Pitino overhauled a struggling St. John’s program in his first season, nearly leading them into the NCAA Tournament. This offseason he went out and landed two outstanding, versatile guards in Kadary Richmond (Seton Hall) and Deivon Smith (Utah) while keeping RJ Luis, Simeon Wilcher, and Zuby Ejiofor. This could be a breakthrough year for the Johnnies.

Grant McCasland has done a phenomenal job at Texas Tech thus far, and while his team isn’t getting the same love as the top five teams in the Big 12, they have a real chance of spoiling the party after adding big man JT Toppin from New Mexico and elite passing point guard Elijah Hawkins from Minnesota.

Mick Cronin’s UCLA squad was a massive disappointment last season, but a retooled roster comprised of key returners Sebastian Mack and Dylan Andrews, along with transfer portal additions Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State) Kobe Johnson (USC) and Skyy Clark (Louisville), should have this team at or near the top of the Big Ten standings.

Losing N’Faly Dante up front is tough for coach Dana Altman, especially with a move to the Big Ten, but Oregon has a phenomenal young core led by point guard Jackson Shelstad. Shelstad’s sophomore breakout feels inevitable, and if KJ Evans and Mookie Cook can shine this team will be a strong contender in its new conference.

Texas has arguably one of the two or three best starting lineups in the SEC, headlined by transfer portal additions Tramon Mark (Arkansas) Jordan Pope (Oregon State) and Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State) as well as incoming freshman Tre Johnson. But can the unit’s lack of continuity, and a relatively unproven bench, do enough to compete in a new league?

BYU had a wild year. First they finished fifth in the Big 12 despite a preseason projected finish of 13th, then they lost head coach Mark Pope to his alma mater, Kentucky, then they hired Kevin Young from the NBA and went ahead and added the best freshman class in program history while retaining key talents like Dallin Hall, Richie Bradshaw, and Fousseyni Traore. The result is a team once again capable of earning a top five seed and making a big run in March.

Mike Woodson won the offseason, landing an elite transfer portal class that includes Oumar Ballo (Arizona), Myles Rice (Washington State) and Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford). Paired with returners Mackenzie Mgbako and Malik Reneau, this team has enough talent to win the Big Ten and make a deep run in March – which means if they don’t, Woodson could be on his way out.

Cincinnati returns multiple key starters, including guards Jizzle James and Daniel Skillings, while adding Dillon Mitchell from Texas and Connor Hickman from Bradley to shore up depth. The Big 12 is a gauntlet this year, but the Bearcats are a team to keep an eye on.