Chip Bremer
With the men’s college hoops season rapidly approaching, the preseason Top 25 lists are proliferating, and Triangle fans have a great deal to be excited about with Duke, Carolina and NC State all making the cut. Virtually every team listed has its share of returning stars, pricey portal additions and talented freshman recruits, so let’s jump right in and take a look at this year’s top 25 teams:
1. Purdue. The Boilermakers earn the top spot based on the return of three of the country’s top scorers in Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Wrenn. Smith is the consummate lead guard, and Kaufman-Wren is one of the most efficient low-post scorers anywhere. Throw in an abundance of backcourt depth and a polished rim-protector in South Dakota State center Oscar Cluff, and Matt Painter has a sure-fire champion.
2. UConn. Danny Hurley’s group took some lumps last year, but Huskies will be back with a vengeance. Solo Ball and Alex Karaban return, and they’ll be joined by Georgia transfer Silas Demary and freshman sharpshooter Braylon Mullins. The center tandem of Tarris Reed and freshman Eric Reibe is something few teams can match.
3. Houston. They came up just short last season, but Kelvin Sasmpson has the Cougars back in the hunt. Do-it-all lead guard Milos Uzan and defensive stopper Emanuel Sharp return along with rugged forward JoJo Tuggler down low. The addition of superstar frosh Isiah Harwell and Cris Cenac will ensure there is no shortage of scoring.
4. Florida. The defending champs just reloaded with two of the most explosive guards in the transfer portal, Boogie Fland from Arkansas and Xaivian Lee of Princeton. Add that pair to returnees Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten, and there’s no reason to think the Gators can’t repeat.
5. Kentucky. Mark Pope certainly worked wonders to keep the Wildcats in the national conversation, bringing in transfer guards Jaland Lowe (Pitt) and Denzel Aberdeen (Florida) to join leading scorer Otega Oweh in one of the country’s most dangerous backcourts. If the Arizona State transfer Jaden Quaintance can recover quickly and join a deep frontcourt rotation, there’s no telling how far this team can go.
6. Louisville. Last year’s amazing turnaround put the Cardinals back on the map, and by adding sharpshooters Ryan Conwell (Xavier) and Isaac McKneely (Virgina) from the portal and freshman All-American Mikel Brown, there won’t be any slowing down. Forwards J’Vonne Hadley and Kasean Pryor return but keep an eye on German freshman Sananda Fru who will make some noise in the paint.
7. St. John’s. Rick Pitino has become a master of the transfer portal, bringing in guys like Ian Jackson (UNC), Joson Sanon (Arizona State), Oziyah Sellers (Stanford) and Bryce Hopkins (Providence) that can put up points in a hurry. With returning center Zuby Ejiofor patrolling the paint, the Red Storm might finally live up to those lofty expectations.
8. Texas Tech. There were few players who could match the intensity of dynamic forward J.T. Toppin at any point last season. Put a backcourt around him led by returning point Christian Anderson and transfers Tyeree Bryant (UNC Greensboro) and LeJuan Watts (Washington State) and the Red Raiders may find themselves in the title mix.
9. Duke. The Jon Scheyer recruiting machine keeps churning This time bringing in the highly regarded Boozer twins (Cameron and Cayden) to join returnees Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba for another deep postseason run. Freshman forward Nikolas Khamenia may be the most underrated addition to Blue Devils.
10. BYU. Shelling out the money for #1 freshman A.J. Dybantsa is one thing but having enough left over for explosive transfers Kennard Davis (Southern Illinois) and Robert Wright III (Baylor) shows the Cougars mean business. Let’s not forget about wing Richie Sanders who led last year’s squad with 16.5 ppg. If they can learn to play defense, these Cougs could be downright dangerous.
11. Michigan. Dusty May opened some eyes when he signed top transfer Yaxel Lendenborg out of UAB and convinced him to spurn the NBA for a year in Ann Arbor. Adding UNC transfer Elliot Cadeau to run the backcourt with Roddy Gayle and Namari Burnett returning was another bonus. But pairing Lendenborg with either Morez Johnson (Illinois) or Aday Mara (UCLA) will truly put opponents at unease.
12. Arkansas. John Calipari isn’t going away anytime soon, and his latest collection of talent proves it. Freshman All-American guards Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas join returnees D.J. Wagner, Billy Richmond, Karter Knox, Trevon Brazille and Nick Pringle to give Cal his best lineup since his early Kentucky days.
13. Arizona. The Wildcats won’t sneak up on anyone with their own dynamic freshman duo of guard Brayden Burries and forward Koa Peat joining returnees Jayden Bradley, Anthony Dell Orso, and Tobe Awaka. Watch out for big man Motiejus Krivas who is steadily climbing the draft boards already.
14. UCLA. Another brilliant purchase was the Bruins’ acquisition of high-scoring guard Donovan Dent from New Mexico. He should raise the level of the Brentwood backcourt of Skyy Clark and Trent Perry to match that of the frontline of Tyler Bilodeau, Eric Dailey, and Xavier Booker—making them the most interesting West Coast team in the Big Seventeen.
15. Illinois. How about an international All-Star team? The Illini boast the best collection of European talent this side of the Atlantic with point Mihailo Petrovic, hot-shooting Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic, and low post brothers Zvonimir and Tomislav Ivisic. Throw in returning guard Kylan Boswell and Bruce Underwood has Champaign’s best roster since Dee Brown and Deron Williams graced the lineup.
16. Iowa State. The Cyclones are already taking injury hits with Eastern Washington transfer Mason Williams out for the year and starting point Tamin Lipsey sidelined with an MCL sprain, but if Lipsey can return to form by December, and fellow returnees Milan Momcilovic, Joshua Jefferson, and Nat Heise can pick up the slack, T.J. Otzelberger’s crew should be just fine. Oh, and the scouts will be out for freshman star Jamarion Batemon, who may actually be better than advertised.
17. Alabama. Injuries have also hit the Crimson Tide with Miami transfer Jalil Bethea having foot surgery and wing Latrell Wrightsell still recovering from a ruptured Achilles, but the returning backcourt of Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway is as good as any in the country, and former McDonald’s All-American center Aiden Sherrell is ready to step into a bigger role. Once Bethea and Wrightsell return, the Tide should be rolling to another postseason run.
18. Tennessee. Having to replace several of his top scorers from a year ago, Rick Barnes snagged transfers Kobi Gillespie (Maryland) and Amaree Abram (Louisiana Tech/Georgia Tech) as well as one of the country’s top freshmen in 6-9 forward Nate Ament. Returning center Felix Okpara leads a solid frontcourt rotation, but the Vols will need to gel quickly to make waves in the SEC.
19. Kansas. After another disappointing season in Lawrence, Bill Self still has the Jayhawks in the thick of it thanks to the acquisition of dynamic freshman Darryn Peterson. The 6/5 guard will lead a slew of newcomers (mostly high-scoring wing transfers), while center Flory Bidunga will become the next great Jayhawk big man.
20. Gonzaga. The Zags also will look to bounce back behind a revamped backcourt led by transfers Braeden Smith (Colgate), Adam Miller (Arizona State) and possibly Tyron Grant-Foster (waiver pending). But make no mistake, the success of this team hinges on the returning duo of Graham Ike and Braden Huff, who may be the best frontcourt tandem on the West Coast.
21. NC State. The Will Wade era kicks off in Raleigh with one of the finest transfer portal classes in the country highlighted by do-everything forward Darrion Williams from Texas Tech. Returning wing Paul McNeil and freshman sharpshooter Matt Abel will provide perimeter pop, while transfers Tre Holloman (Michigan State), Terrance Arceneaux (Houston) and Quadir Copeland (McNeese State) will add a defensive presence few in the ACC can match.
22. Auburn. The Tigers have been difficult to gauge with Steven Pearl stepping into his father’s shoes just weeks ago, but this team still has a budding star with lead guard Tahaad Pettiford and a slew of talented transfers led by Kevin Overton (Texas Tech), Keyshawn Hall (UCF), and KeShawn Murphy (Mississippi State). Watch out for under-the-radar wing Elyjah Freeman who averaged 19.3 ppg at Division II Lincoln Memorial.
23. UNC. The Tar Heels have had their own roster issues in the offseason, but Hubert Davis worked quickly to plug the holes. Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans takes the reigns at point next to returnee Seth Trimble, while European wing Luka Bogavac will provide scoring. The addition of freshman star Caleb Wilson and transfers Henri Veesaar (Arizona) and Jarin Stevenson (Alabama) will make the Heels’ frontcourt a strength once again.
24. Oregon. The Ducks will be in the Big Seventeen hunt as they return a solid nucleus of lead guard Jackson Shelstad, big man Nate Bittle and fluid forward K.J. Evans. Dana Altman also brought in a slew of transfers led by guards Devon Pryor (Texas) and TK Simpkins (Elon) to shore up the defense and provide scoring support.
25. Creighton. Greg McDermott moved quickly to replace his outgoing talent by grabbing two of Iowa’s top scorers in guard Josh Dix (14.4 ppg) and center Owen Freeman (16.7 ppg). They’ll join a revamped lineup with emerging forward Jackson McAndrew and Howard transfer Blake Harper to make the Blue Jays a contender again.