Bleacher Report's Way-Too-Early 2023-24 Men's College Basketball Top 25
The UConn Huskies were crowned 2023 NCAA men's tournament champions on Monday night, so naturally by Wednesday morning it's time to turn the page and start talking about the 2023-24 season.
A ton will change in the weeks and months ahead, from NBA draft decisions to a wave of inevitable transfer portal shuffling that will reshape the college basketball landscape.
In other words, the title of this article is "Way-Too-Early Top 25" for a reason, but it's nonetheless a fun exercise to get the discussion rolling on next year's college basketball slate.
Ahead you'll find our initial rankings for next season, with teams ranked based on expected returning talent, incoming recruiting class and history of success securing top-tier talent by way of the transfer portal.
Let the debate begin!
Nos. 25-21
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25. Iowa State Cyclones
With point guard Tamin Lipsey (7.3 PPG, 4.4 APG) back to run the offense and a pair of high-profile incoming freshmen in Omaha Billew (5-star, No. 11 recruit) and Milan Momcilovic (4-star, No. 32 recruit) headlining a recruiting class that ranks No. 9 in the nation, the Cyclones are going to be fun to watch.
24. Saint Mary's Gaels
The Gaels could be a serious threat to unseat Gonzaga atop the WCC standings during the 2023-24 season. Aidan Mahaney (13.9 PPG, 40.0 3PT%) had a terrific freshman season and now becomes the team's go-to scorer, Mitchell Saxen (11.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG) provides an inside presence, and point guard Jordan Ross (3-star, No. 99 recruit) could make an immediate impact. If nothing else, they've built a strong defensive culture.
23. Tennessee Volunteers
There is a ton of turnover from the team that won 25 games and claimed a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. Defensive standout Zakai Zeigler will return once he's recovered from a torn ACL, while role players Jonas Aidoo and Jahmai Mashack have the potential to thrive in expanded roles. Expect Rick Barnes to be busy in the transfer portal with only three players committed for the 2023 recruiting class.
22. USC Trojans
The Trojans are expected to have three starters back from a team that won 22 games in Kobe Johnson (9.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG), Tre White (9.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG) and Joshua Morgan (7.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG), but it's incoming freshman phenom Isaiah Collier (5-star, No. 1 recruit) who gives them hope of building on last season's success.
21. Baylor Bears
With Keyonte George headed for the NBA, LJ Cryer planning to enter the transfer portal and Adam Flagler's status up in the air, coach Scott Drew needs to retool the Baylor backcourt. Langston Love (6.3 PPG) will fill one spot, while freshmen Ja'Kobe Walter (5-star, No. 22 recruit) and Miro Little (4-star, No. 28 recruit) are capable of an immediate impact, but don't rule out a major transfer portal addition. Forward Jalen Bridges (10.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG) could be the X-factor after showing significant improvement as a junior.
Nos. 20-16
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20. Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies ripped off a 10-1 stretch of games with wins over Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn and Missouri before losing to the Crimson Tide in the SEC tournament title game and then dropping their NCAA tournament opener. Point guard Wade Taylor IV (16.3 PPG, 3.9 APG) is set to return, along with fellow starters Julius Marble (9.1 PPG) and Henry Coleman (9.0 PPG), while 2021 top 50 recruit Manny Obaseki (5.2 PPG) could step into a larger role.
19. Gonzaga Bulldogs
With Drew Timme and Julian Strawther likely headed for the NBA, it will be a new-look Gonzaga team next year with Malachi Smith (8.7 PPG) and Nolan Hickman (7.7 PPG, 3.4 APG) as the top returners. Dusty Stromer (4-star, No. 49 recruit) can make an immediate impact and coach Mark Few does as well as anyone mining the transfer portal, but there is work to do.
18. UCLA Bruins
The Bruins' outlook hinges greatly on whether Jaylen Clark (13.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG) decides to return to campus on the other side of his Achilles injury, as well as whether Amari Bailey (11.2 PPG) and Adem Bona (7.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG) return for their sophomore seasons. They also have a trio of top 100 recruits coming in that make up the No. 14 class in the nation.
17. North Carolina Tar Heels
The return of Armando Bacot (15.9 PPG, 10.4 RPG) and RJ Davis (16.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.2 APG) gives the Tar Heels an experienced duo to lean on, but they will also need touted 2022 recruits Seth Trimble (9.8 MPG, 1.8 PPG) and Jalen Washington (5.7 MPG, 2.2 PPG) to take a step forward. Freshman Simeon Wilcher (4-star, No. 38 recruit) will be asked to contribute immediately.
16. Alabama Crimson Tide
Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney are locks for the NBA, while Jahvon Quinerly and Charles Bediako are also testing the draft waters, but there is still a lot of talent on this roster. Mark Sears (12.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG) and Jaden Bradley (6.4 PPG, 3.1 APG) are the top returnees, while Jaykwon Walton (13.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG) was already added from Wichita State in the transfer portal. They also have a three-man 2023 recruiting class that ranks No. 17 in the nation.
Nos. 15-11
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15. Colorado Buffaloes
The Buffaloes finished 18-17 this past season and missed the NCAA tournament, but expectations are sky-high going into next year. Tristan Da Silva (15.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG) and KJ Simpson (15.9 PPG, 3.8 APG) are both expected to return, while TCU transfer Eddie Lampkin Jr. (6.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG) adds an inside presence. However, the real X-factor is wing Cody Williams (5-star, No. 12 recruit) who could be a lottery pick in the 2024 draft.
14. Texas Longhorns
The odds seem 50/50 that point guard Tyrese Hunter (10.3 PPG, 2.5 APG), center Dylan Disu (14.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG in final 11 games before injury) and 2022 5-star recruit Dillon Mitchell (4.3 PPG) will return next season, and those decisions will dramatically shape the Longhorns roster. This ranking is assuming both Hunter and Disu are back, alongside top incoming recruits Ron Holland (5-star, No. 6 recruit) and AJ Johnson (5-star, No. 18 recruit).
13. Kansas Jayhawks
Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick are gone and Kevin McCullar Jr. is possibly out the door as well, but the Jayhawks still have defensive standout Dajuan Harris Jr. (8.9 PPG, 6.2 APG) running the point and KJ Adams Jr. (10.6 PPG) coming off a breakout year. Elmarko Jackson (5-star, No. 21 recruit) and Chris Johnson (4-star, No. 37 recruit) headline the nation's No. 5 recruiting class, and there are a number of former top recruits who could be the 2023-24 version of Adams with an expanded role.
12. Arkansas Razorbacks
Even working under the assumption that Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh will join Nick Smith Jr. and Ricky Council IV in declaring for the draft, the Razorbacks still have a ton of talent. Davonte Davis (10.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG) and Trevon Brazile (11.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, only nine games played due to injury) are both expected to return, incoming freshmen Baye Fall (5-star, No. 16 recruit) and Layden Blocker (5-star, No. 23 recruit) can make an immediate splash, and coach Eric Musselman has a long track record of success in the transfer portal.
11. Miami Hurricanes
Will NIL money be enough to convince ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong (16.2 PPG) to stay at Miami for another year? If he returns alongside fellow starters Nijel Pack (13.6 PPG, 40.4 3PT%), Norchad Omier (13.1 PPG, 10.0 RPG) and Wooga Poplar (8.4 PPG), this team could push for another ACC title and make another deep March Madness run.
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Nos. 10-6
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10. Arizona Wildcats
With a limited outside game, Ąžuolas Tubelis (19.8 PPG, 9.1 RPG) would benefit from returning to campus for another year. If he does come back along with Oumar Ballo (14.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG) and Pelle Larsson (9.9 PPG, 3.1 APG), the Wildcats would have an excellent core to build around through the transfer portal.
9. Michigan State Spartans
Even if Tyson Walker (14.8 PPG) opts against exercising his additional year of eligibility, the Spartans still have A.J. Hoggard (12.9 PPG, 5.9 APG) and Jaden Akins (9.8 PPG) returning along with several role players capable of taking a step forward and a stacked incoming class. Xavier Booker (5-star, No. 8 recruit) and Jeremy Fears (5-star, No. 24 recruit) are the headliners of a recruiting haul that ranks third in the nation.
8. Florida Atlantic Owls
The Owls are just getting started. All five starters and eight of nine rotation players are eligible to return from the Cinderella team that went 35-4 and reached the Final Four. Alijah Martin, Johnell Davis and Vladislav Goldin stack up to any returning trio in the country, and they could make a splash in the transfer portal with their one available roster spot.
7. Creighton Bluejays
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Baylor Scheierman and Arthur Kaluma all have NBA potential, but it's unlikely any of them will be first-round picks in 2023. If they return, the Bluejays could conceivably bring back their entire starting lineup with Ryan Nembhard and Trey Alexander expected back. It took this group some time to get rolling after they started the year with lofty expectations, but if they all decide to run it back, they will be legitimate title contenders.
6. Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats had an unusually experienced roster this past season, but it's back to business as usual for coach John Calipari with a star-studded incoming recruiting class that ranks No. 1 in the nation. Justin Edwards (5-star, No. 2 recruit), DJ Wagner (5-star, No. 3 recruit), Aaron Bradshaw (5-star, No. 4 recruit), Robert Dillingham (5-star, No. 9 recruit) and Reed Sheppard (5-star, No. 30 recruit) all have tremendous upside, but how will the pieces fit together? The bigger question is what All-American Oscar Tshiebwe will do with his final year of eligibility.
Nos. 5-1
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5. Houston Cougars
Marcus Sasser and Jarace Walker were always expected to leave after this season, but the Cougars were dealt a blow when Tramon Mark put his name in the NBA draft and entered the transfer portal. That said, Jamal Shead (10.5 PPG, 5.4 APG) and J'Wan Roberts (10.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG) are both expected back, while Emanuel Sharp and Terrance Arceneaux are both capable of a major step forward as sophomores. There is work to do in the transfer portal, but the move to the Big 12 should help reel in more high-end talent.
4. Purdue Boilermakers
Zach Edey has been non-committal when asked about his future plans. This ranking is assuming he is coming back for another year. The National Player of the Year is generally projected to go somewhere in the second round of mock drafts, and there could be significant NIL money in play if he decides to run it back. The Boilermakers do have freshman standouts Fletcher Loyer (11.0 PPG) and Braden Smith (9.7 PPG, 4.4 APG) to build around if he decides to leave, but they would drop significantly in these rankings.
3. Marquette Golden Eagles
Anything can happen in the transfer portal era, but the Golden Eagles could return their entire starting lineup from a team that won 29 games and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. All-American point guard Tyler Kolek (12.9 PPG, 7.5 APG), leading scorer Kameron Jones (15.1 PPG), fellow starters Olivier-Maxence Prosper (12.5 PPG), Oso Ighodaro (11.4 PPG) and Stevie Mitchell (7.1 PPG), and sixth man David Joplin (9.2 PPG) are all eligible to return.
2. Duke Blue Devils
There's a good chance Kyle Filipowski is headed to the NBA alongside Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead, while Tyrese Proctor (9.4 PPG) and Mark Mitchell (9.1 PPG) are coming back for their sophomore seasons. The big question is what rising senior Jeremy Roach (13.6 PPG, 3.1 APG) will do. Even if he joins the other three in departing, the Blue Devils have five 5-star recruits coming in, led by forwards Mackenzie Mgbako (No. 7 recruit) and Sean Stewart (No. 13 recruit).
1. UConn Huskies
Will the Huskies be the first team since the Florida Gators in 2007 to win back-to-back national championships? Jordan Hawkins is going to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft and Andre Jackson Jr. could also leave for the NBA, but Adama Sanogo's status is still up in the air and Alex Karaban (9.3 PPG) is also capable of shouldering more of the scoring load.
The X-factor will be 7'2" center Donovan Clingan (13.1 MPG, 6.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 BPG), who turned heads in a limited role and has All-American upside. He is starting to get some first-round draft buzz after a stellar NCAA tournament but could potentially play his way into the lottery if he returns.
Oh yeah, and they also have the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation led by Stephon Castle (5-star, No. 10 recruit) and a trio of 4-star prospects.
There are a lot of moving parts to sort out in the coming weeks, but this team has the potential to repeat.
Stats courtesy of Sports Reference, while all recruiting info comes via 247Sports' composite.
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