NCAA Basketball Conference Champions Most Likely to Repeat in 2015-16 Season

Gonzaga has won at least a share of 14 of the last 15 West Coast Conference regular-season championships. The Bulldogs are a lock to make it 15 of 16, as they sit atop our list of teams that are all but guaranteed to repeat as men's college basketball conference champions.

One week ago, we posted the list of 10 teams with no chance of scoring back-to-back conference titles, but it's time to balance out some of that pessimism with serious optimism about a few defending champs.

There were a total of 42 teams that earned a share of a 2014-15 conference title—16 of which did the same the prior season. Obviously, the 10 from last week's list were removed from consideration, leaving a pool of 32 teams from which to choose these repeaters.

That may not seem like a lot, but it was actually difficult to limit the list to only 10 teams.

Some of these teams are very legitimate candidates to win the national championship. Others are clearly the best option in conferences otherwise devoid of quality teams. But to rank in the top three, teams needed to have a high score in both columns A and B.

Honorable Mentions

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These four defending champions should absolutely finish in the top three in their respective conferences, but they will have to outlast some very stiff competition in order to repeat.

Arizona Wildcats (Pac-12)

One month ago, Sean Miller's club would have certainly been near the top of the list. Through no fault of their own, though, the Wildcats didn't even make it into the top 10. They're still the top candidates to win the Pac-12 title. At worst, Arizona is a fringe candidate to win the national championship. But with all that California has added lately, the Golden Bears are every bit as likely to claim those crowns.

Davidson Wildcats (Atlantic 10)

Davidson won't be quite as good without Tyler Kalinoski but still has to be considered one of the primary candidates to win this conference. However, there are several strong contenders. VCU certainly seems headed for a rebuilding year, but Dayton and Rhode Island might be even better than they were when they each won 13 conference games this past season.

San Diego State Aztecs (Mountain West)

The Aztecs had a phenomenal recruiting class last November, but what they're losing this summer far outweighs what they're gaining. San Diego State will still be strong, but Fresno State and Utah State could both be headed for breakout seasons. New Mexico should also bounce back in a big way with a healthy Cullen Neal.

Kansas Jayhawks (Big 12)

In pursuit of a 12th consecutive Big 12 title, Kansas is going to be one of the best teams in the entire country. Unfortunately, this is a ridiculously stacked conference, per usual. Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas will all be extremely good, and we certainly can't sleep on Baylor or West Virginia as potential Big 12 champions, either.

10. New Mexico State Aggies (WAC)

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2014-15 Season: 23-11 (13-1 in WAC)

Noteworthy Departures: Remi Barry, Daniel Mullings, Tshilidzi Nephawe, D.K. Eldridge

Noteworthy Additions: None

New Mexico State is losing four of its six leading scorers and adding quite literally nothing to replace them. Under normal circumstances, that would have been grounds for inclusion in last week's list of teams that definitely won't repeat.

The WAC doesn't operate under normal circumstances. With apologies to all involved, that conference—once one of the better mid-majors—is currently an eyesore for college basketball.

During the great conference realignment schism of the 2013 offseason, the WAC lost basically everyone. Louisiana Tech, Denver, Utah State, Texas State, Texas-Arlington, Texas-San Antonio and San Jose State all left for greener pastures. Idaho left the following summer, meaning that eight of the 10 teams jumped ship in the span of a calendar year.

Rather than close up shop or risk losing its automatic bid to the tournament, the conference added a bunch of castoffs. UMKC was the only team that came from a conference previously awarded an automatic bid (Summit League). Chicago State, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley all came from the now-defunct Great West. CSU-Bakersfield was Independent. Grand Canyon was a D-II school. Throw in New Mexico State and Seattle, and apparently you have a valid conference.

The Aggies won the WAC by a five-game margin last season. Of the four other teams that finished .500 or better, Grand Canyon, Seattle and CSU-Bakersfield lose multiple important seniors. Unless Martez Harrison and UMKC make a massive leap next season, New Mexico State could probably win the WAC while putting just four guys on the court, provided one of those players is Pascal Siakam.

9. Villanova Wildcats (Big East)

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2014-15 Season: 33-3 (16-2 in Big East)

Noteworthy Departures: Darrun Hilliard, JayVaughn Pinkston, Dylan Ennis

Noteworthy Additions: Jalen Brunson (Freshman), Donte Divincenzo (Freshman)

It wasn't that long ago that Villanova's most recent outright conference title was from the 1981-82 season. However, the Wildcats have clearly been the biggest benefactor of the recent Big East split, because they are now seeking (and very likely attaining) a third consecutive conference title.

It won't be nearly as easy as it has been the past few seasons, though. Butler, Georgetown, Providence and Xavier will each still be very talented, and Creighton and Marquette aren't likely to be bottom-feeders anymore with the ridiculous amount of improvement they both figure to show next season.

But Villanova is still the top dog here. Anyone who says otherwise is investing way too heavily in the offseason "hype line."

To be fair, the above departures are quite noteworthy. Pinkston didn't have anywhere near the senior year we were expecting, but he leaves the Wildcats with a glaring hole at power forward. Hilliard was arguably the team's most valuable player. Ennis' drastic improvement before bolting for Oregon was one of the main reasons Villanova was even remotely as good as it was.

That doesn't mean the Wildcats are in any sort of trouble. The trio of Josh Hart, Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu makes a pretty great core of veterans. Phil Booth and Kris Jenkins figure to shine with added playing time. Redshirt freshman Mikal Bridges will help fill out the frontcourt depth chart. Brunson might be the best point guard in this year's class of recruits.

All of a sudden, that's a patented Jay Wright seven-man rotation that can beat anyone in the nation.

With all the changes to the roster, there might be some slight growing pains early in the season. By the time Big East games roll around, though, Villanova should be the cream of the crop.

8. Iona Gaels (MAAC)

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2014-15 Season: 26-9 (17-3 in MAAC)

Noteworthy Departures: David Laury

Noteworthy Additions: Aaron Rountree (Wake Forest), Jordan Washington (JUCO)

Iona won the MAAC title by a two-game margin and is only losing one player of particular interest. You might think that would be enough for the Gaels to rank higher on the list, but the player that they lost is a pretty massive casualty.

Laury averaged 19.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He scored at least 11 points in all but one game last season and finished the season with 19 double-doubles.

Yes, Iona always has inflated numbers because of its lightning-paced play under head coach Tim Cluess. But even if we look at his numbers per 100 possessions (31.8 points, 15.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.1 blocks), Laury made a bigger impact than Duke's Justise Winslow across the board (26.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.8 blocks). Laury led the Gaels in rebounds and blocks. He finished in second place in points, just 11 behind team leader A.J. English.

Long story short, he will be missed.

However, the Gaels still have English and Schadrac Casimir, who was an absolutely lethal shooter for most of his freshman campaign. And if either of those noteworthy additions pans out (Rountree is a power forward; Washington is a center), Iona should be able to get by well enough in the post for its guard play to steer the ship to another MAAC championship.

Monmouth and Rider figure to offer the biggest challenge, but those teams have their fair share of noteworthy departures, too. Over the course of the 20-game conference slate, Iona should be able to reign supreme.

7. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (Southland)

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2014-15 Season: 29-5 (17-1 in Southland)

Noteworthy Departures: Jacob Parker, Tanner Clayton

Noteworthy Additions: Nathan Bain (Freshman)

Ax yourself this question: Have the Lumberjacks had any difficulty chopping down their Southland competition over the past few years? (Thus concludes our lumberjack puns.)

Stephen F. Austin has gone 35-1 against conference foes since the start of the 2013-14 season. Last year, the Lumberjacks had an average scoring margin of 17.8 points per conference game.

Parker isn't exactly an infinitesimal loss, though. He shot 44.0 percent from three-point range and ranked second on the team in points and rebounds. He was the Southland Player of the Year two years ago and was the preseason pick for Player of the Year this past season.

However, the Lumberjacks still have Thomas Walkup, Trey Pinkney and Ty Charles, which makes for one heck of a formidable three-pronged attack in what is otherwise a very weak conference. It's not nearly as weak as the WAC, but let's just say we're not too concerned about making room for two Southland teams in the NCAA tournament anytime soon.

Sam Houston State lost four starters. Northwestern State will be a lot of fun to watch once again with Jalan West and Zikiteran Woodley back for another year. But the Demons are a clone of VMI from the past decade in that they'll score a ton of points at a fast pace while never really threatening to win a conference title.

That leaves Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as Stephen F. Austin's biggest competition—and the Islanders were actually the team responsible for the Lumberjacks' sole conference blemish in the past two seasons. They bring back everyone except for starting point guard John Jordan, but the loss of his 652 career assists should be enough for Corpus Christi to remain a distant runner-up to Stephen F. Austin.

6. Central Michigan Chippewas (Mid-American)

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2014-15 Season: 23-9 (12-6 in Mid-American)

Noteworthy Departures: Austin Keel

Noteworthy Additions: None

Congratulations to the MAC for being the only conference to put a team on both this list and last week's "No Chance" list (Kent State). Of course, there were only seven conferences for which there was a shared title to make that a possibility, and our convictions about who will win the Big Sky, Big South, Colonial, Ivy, Mountain West and Summit League aren't quite through the roof.

In the MAC, though, it would be a pretty big surprise if Central Michigan didn't earn the top seed in the conference tournament.

Much of that is due simply to the talent on the Chippewas roster, as they get all seven of their leading scorers back.

Chris Fowler led the way in points, assists and steals and is easily one of the most talented players that 95 percent of the country has never watched. John Simons is no slouch, either. He was one of just five players in the nation to make at least 90 three-pointers while grabbing at least 195 rebounds. You may have heard of the others: D'Angelo Russell (Ohio State), Pat Connaughton (Notre Dame), Denzel Valentine (Michigan State) and Wofford's SoCon Player of the Year, Karl Cochran.

Not only is Central Michigan returning everyone, but look at how much the rest of the conference is losing. Kent State and Toledo each lost three starters. Buffalo lost two starters, a head coach and what would have been a key transfer. Bowling Green lost three starters and a head coach.

Basically, Central Michigan stays the same, and it's complete and utter chaos for every other team that won at least 11 conference games last season. If CMU is going to be challenged, it's looking like Akron or bust.

5. Valparaiso Crusaders (Horizon League)

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2014-15 Season: 28-6 (13-3 in Horizon)

Noteworthy Departures: Vashil Fernandez, E. Victor Nickerson

Noteworthy Additions: Shane Hammink (LSU), Derrik Smits (Freshman)

Truth be told, Valparaiso never got the respect it deserved last season. The Crusaders annihilated Murray State in late November, but coupled with blowout losses to Missouri and New Mexico, all it took was a Horizon-opening loss to Oakland for us write them off.

But they didn't go away, and Green Bay never seemed to reach its peak. All of a sudden, Valparaiso was fighting tooth and nail with Maryland in the NCAA tournament, and nobody knew a darn thing about Bryce Drew's squad.

This year, we'll be ready.

If you're a fan of three-point shooting big men, they don't come any better than 6'9" Alec Peters. After hitting 38.3 percent of his triples as a freshman, Peters really kicked it up a notch to shoot 46.6 percent as a sophomore while attempting more than five per game. It was the same percentage that Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer recorded, but Peters attempted 32 more shots over the course of the season.

The Crusaders also get Darien Walker and Tevonn Walker (no relation) back for another year, completing the trifecta of players who averaged at least 10 points per game in 2014-15.

Meanwhile, Green Bay loses four of its six best players from last year (including all-world guard Keifer Sykes) and Cleveland State loses two starters to graduation and another two to the transfer market. Unless Oakland or Milwaukee is ready to make some kind of gigantic leap this year, Valpo should have little difficulty adding another season to its Horizon League banner.

4. North Florida Ospreys (Atlantic Sun)

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2014-15 Season: 23-12 (12-2 in Atlantic Sun)

Noteworthy Departures: Jalen Nesbitt

Noteworthy Additions: None

For as much dirt as we heaped on the WAC a few slides ago, the Atlantic Sun might be even worse—bizarre, considering this is the conference responsible for two of the biggest tournament stories of the 2010s (Florida Gulf Coast in 2013, Mercer in 2014).

However, according to KenPom.com, this was already the 29th-best—aka fourth-worst—conference in the country last season before the recent news that Northern Kentucky is flying the coop to join the Horizon League. Now, it's a seven-team conference, most of which is in rebuilding mode.

FGCU loses Brett Comer, Bernard Thompson, Jamail Jones and Nate Hicks from last year's roster. USC Upstate will be without three starters in Mario Blessing, Fred Miller and Ty Greene. Lipscomb is moving on without Martin Smith and Malcolm Smith—two of its best scorers from the past few years. And the other three teams not named "North Florida" each lost 22 games last season.

Meanwhile, the Ospreys lost just one key player from last year's roster, and he wasn't even one of their three leading scorers.

Put it this way: If you had to bet on one team to go undefeated in conference play in 2015-16, North Florida might be the safest bet—especially given what figures to be a 12-game conference schedule.

This isn't necessarily related to our cause today, but what if the Atlantic Sun experimented with an "Everyone plays everyone three times" conference schedule?

With just seven teams, they're each looking at 12 conference games and 18-19 nonconference games—many of which would likely need to come against non-D-I competition. Under our proposal, they would each get 18 conference games and have a much less difficult time filling out the rest of the schedule. File that one away in the "Why the heck not?" department.

3. Kentucky Wildcats (SEC)

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2014-15 Season: 38-1 (18-0 in SEC)

Noteworthy Departures: Karl-Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles, Willie Cauley-Stein, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Devin Booker

Noteworthy Additions: Skal Labissiere, Isaiah Briscoe, Charles Matthews, Mychal Mulder

With any other team, this much turnover would be cause for major concern (see: Wisconsin, Northern Iowa, VCU, et al.) And even though we've come to regard John Calipari as the patron saint of the one-and-done model, there's still at least minor cause for concern here.

There's no denying that the Wildcats got substantially worse the last two times they reloaded. They lost six players from 2010's No. 1 seed before earning a No. 4 seed in 2011. Subsequently, they lost six players from the 2012 national championship team only to miss the 2013 tourney. So, if you're expecting a sizable drop-off for Kentucky without these seven guys, you at least have some evidence to support your case.

However, there are two things working in Kentucky's favor, the more substantial of which is the fact that Kentucky had one of the most stacked rosters in history last season.

After the aforementioned 2010 and 2012 exoduses, the second-best remaining players were DeAndre Liggins and Sam Malone, respectively—neither of whom were McDonald's All-Americans. But this coming season, the Wildcats are bringing back Tyler Ulis, Alex Poythress and Marcus Lee, each of whom was a McDonald's All-American.

In other words, they were effectively starting from scratch in those previous disappointing seasons, but have a very solid foundation to build upon this time.

The other promising element is that there's no real challenger to their throne in the SEC.

In Scott Gleeson's updated Top 25 for USA Today from earlier this month, Kentucky was ranked No. 2 and the next-best team was either LSU, Texas A&M or Vanderbilt in the "Also Considered" category. SB Nation's Mike Rutherford isn't quite as high on Kentucky at No. 6, but he also doesn't have any other SEC team in the top 30.

Other outlets are a little more optimistic about LSU and/or Texas A&M, but Arkansas and Florida are nowhere to be found to be found this year. Basically, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks Kentucky isn't going to win the SEC.

At No. 3 on the list, the Wildcats should be ranked high enough to annoy their many haters while simultaneously being ranked low enough to infuriate Big Blue Nation.

2. Wichita State Shockers (Missouri Valley)

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2014-15 Season: 30-5 (17-1 in Missouri Valley)

Noteworthy Departures: Darius Carter, Tekele Cotton

Noteworthy Additions: Anton Grady, Conner Frankamp, Markis McDuffie

The Missouri Valley was a two-horse race last season, and one of those horses was put out to pasture thanks to a bevy of graduations. Northern Iowa simply won't be the same contender without Seth Tuttle, Nate Buss, Deon Mitchell and Marvin Singleton.

That leaves Wichita State as the overwhelming favorite to win one of the better mid-major conferences in the country.

Evansville (returning all seven leading scorers) and Loyola-Chicago (returning eight of nine leading scorers) will put up a valiant fight, but you might be certifiably insane if you think Fred VanVleet, Ron Baker and Evan Wessel are going to suddenly finish behind a team that they bested by at least eight games last season.

Perhaps the following season it will be reasonable to expect a drop in production without that trio, but the Shockers are going to have some of the best guard play in the country in 2015-16.

The big kicker, though, was the addition of Grady from Cleveland State.

There was absolutely justifiable concern about Wichita State's frontcourt situation a month ago. With Darius Carter graduating, the best in-house options were Rashard Kelly, Shaquille Morris and/or Tom "Bush" Wamukota—each of whom could be a great secondary option, but none of whom strikes confidence as a primary post presence.

Grady, on the other hand, recorded 11 double-doubles in Cleveland State's final 19 games last season. He averaged 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game after the start of conference play. If he can be that type of player for Wichita State, the Shockers will not only win the Missouri Valley by a landslide, but could get back to the Final Four again.

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs (West Coast)

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2014-15 Season: 35-3 (17-1 in West Coast)

Noteworthy Departures: Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell Jr., Byron Wesley, Angel Nunez

Noteworthy Additions: None

As noted in the intro, Gonzaga has won 14 of the last 15 WCC regular-season titles. If that isn't ridiculous enough, the Bulldogs are 200-22 (90.1 winning percentage) against conference foes dating back to the 2000-01 season. The last time they lost more than three conference games in a season was 1997-98.

They're on a bit of a hot streak.

But the past has absolutely nothing to do with this ranking. Gonzaga is simply way more talented than any other team in this conference.

BYU and Saint Mary's have been Gonzaga's biggest challengers in recent years. However, BYU lost Tyler Haws, Anson Winder and Skyler Halford while Saint Mary's lost its entire starting five.

The only other team that finished above .500 in West Coast Conference play last year was Pepperdine (10-8), and with nary a senior on that team, the Waves could be a viable contender. Stacy Davis is a double-double waiting to happen on any given night and Jett Raines was a pretty solid post player who scored a career-high 22 points against Gonzaga this past January.

Come on, though. Given the option, are you really taking Davis and Raines over the three-headed monster of Kyle Wiltjer, Domantas Sabonis and Przemek Karnowski?

Even if you refuse to buy stock in a backcourt made up of Eric McClellan, Josh Perkins and Kyle Dranginis contending for a national championship, how can you possibly argue that this frontcourt will lose any games in this conference—let alone lose enough games to not win the conference title?

It probably doesn't take very long to stitch "2016" on a conference championship banner, but the folks at Gonzaga could go ahead and get started on that.

Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.