The Best College Basketball Teams in 2016-17 from A to Z
In three weeks, college basketball will be back in action, the 2016-17 season beginning in earnest with dozens of games on tap for Nov. 11. That will start five months' worth of near-daily hoops action, culminating in a national champion crowned in Arizona in early April.
There are 351 Division I teams set to compete and vie for bragging rights, team goals and various titles. Not all are created equal, however, as you'll see as the games unfold.
Instead of pointing out the best of the best in a standard format, through a Top 25 poll or a list of projected conference champions, this time we're taking an alphabet tour of college basketball's top squads. There's at least one D-I school that begins with every letter except for Z—though if we really wanted to cheat, we could have counted the Akron Zips—and we've picked the best one for each.
Follow along as we take a letter-by-letter tour of the college basketball landscape and its top teams.
Arizona Wildcats
1 of 25
2015-16 record: 25-9, 12-6 Pac-12 (T-3rd)
One of two A schools that have won a national championship, along with Arkansas, Arizona has been a regular contender for another title since Sean Miller succeeded longtime coach Lute Olson in 2009-10. He took the Wildcats to three Elite Eights in a five-year span before getting knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season.
Expect Arizona to be back in the mix again in 2016-17. Sitting 11th in the USA Today preseason coaches poll, the Wildcats feature one of the top freshman classes in the country that includes explosive guards Rawle Alkins and Kobi Simmons and athletic Finnish big man Lauri Markkanen. They'll combine with rising sophomore guard Allonzo Trier and several other veteran backcourt players.
Arizona will vie for the Pac-12 championship after going through a non-league schedule that includes games against Michigan State (in Hawaii), Gonzaga (in Los Angeles) and Texas A&M (in Houston).
Baylor Bears
2 of 25
2015-16 record: 22-12, 10-8 Big 12 (T-5th)
A little more than a decade ago, Baylor was at a low point as it tried to dig out from a scandal brought on by former coach Dave Bliss. Scott Drew was tasked with trying to revive a program that hadn't made the NCAA tournament since 1988, and after a few lean years, he got the Bears moving forward and has kept them at a consistent level ever since.
The Bears have averaged 25 wins over the last five seasons, making the NCAA tourney four times, though the last two years they've been bumped off by lower-seeded teams in the first round. A strong nucleus returns from last season, most notably guards Al Freeman and Ishmail Wainright as well as forward Johnathan Motley.
Being able to replace the inside play of Rico Gathers and Taurean Prince, who combined for 27.1 points and 15.1 rebounds last season, will be the key to Baylor contending in the Big 12 and beyond. That responsibility could fall to 7'0" junior college transfer Jo Acuil, who missed 2015-16 because of a heart condition.
Connecticut Huskies
3 of 25
2015-16 record: 25-11, 11-7 American (6th)
We're not sure if there's any crossover between UConn fans and those who support baseball's San Francisco Giants. If there is, expect plenty of hope that history can repeat itself for the Huskies this season like it has this decade for the Giants.
Similar to the Giants' "even year magic" that led to winning World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 (before falling in the National League Division Series earlier this month) is the way UConn has risen up to claim a pair national titles since 2011. The Huskies won it all that year, then again three years later, and 2016-17 will be the third season since that last championship.
The current UConn team has some potential similarities to those past winners.
First, coach Kevin Ollie was on Jim Calhoun's staff in 2011 and led the Huskies to their second title in his second season in charge. And the roster is somewhat the same, too, though potential breakout star Jalen Adams—who seems made from the mold of past UConn star guards Shabazz Napier and Kemba Walker—is only a sophomore, and his supporting cast (guard Rodney Purvis and big men Amida Brimah and Kentan Facey) are veterans.
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Duke Blue Devils
4 of 25
2015-16 record: 25-11, 11-7 ACC (T-5th)
Duke isn't just the best team among the dozen D schools in Division I, it's tops in the country. At least, that's what the majority of coaches who vote in the USA Today poll seem to think.
The Blue Devils earned 27 of 32 first-place votes in the preseason rankings, and when the Associated Press puts out its poll on Oct. 31, they figure to be at or near the top in that one as well. So it goes when a strong crop of returning players is combined with the top-ranked recruiting class, which features a quartet of 5-star prospects, including three whom DraftExpress projects will get taken in the first eight spots of the 2017 NBA draft.
Forwards Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum as well as center Marques Bolden should help Duke fix its biggest flaw from a year ago, when it reached the Sweet 16 but suffered its most losses since 2006-07. The Blue Devils were ultra-thin up front but won't be this time, as those newcomers are joined by senior Amile Jefferson as he returns from a foot injury that limited him to nine games last season.
Duke's backcourt is stacked as well, led by junior Grayson Allen and his 21.6 points per game. And let's not forget its most reliable asset, all-time wins leader Mike Krzyzewski and his five national titles, including in 2014-15.
Eastern Michigan Eagles
5 of 25
2015-16 record: 18-15, 9-9 Mid-American Conference (T-3rd West)
The first letter that doesn't feature a traditional power-conference team (sorry, East Carolina, two sub-.500 seasons in the American Athletic Conference doesn't count) means our first chance to shine the light on an off-the-radar program. But if Eastern Michigan can build off last season's strong finish, the Eagles might get some attention come March.
Eastern Michigan won seven of its final 10 games in 2015-16 and returns its top four scorers, including sophomore James Thompson IV.
The 6'10" center, who originally signed with South Carolina, is one of seven returning Division I players who averaged a double-double. Along with his 14.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game was a 64.8 percent shooting rate aided by making 27 consecutive field goals at one point, which at the time tied for the NCAA record.
Eastern Michigan, which hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 1998, will visit Pittsburgh and SMU as part of the 2K Classic in November and also travel to Syracuse before entering Mid-American Conference play.
Florida State Seminoles
6 of 25
2015-16 record: 20-14, 8-10 ACC (T-11th)
The state of Florida dominates Division I's F members, with six of 11 schools located in the Sunshine State. It makes sense to pick one from that group, and while the Florida Gators have the better lineage—five Final Fours and consecutive national titles in 2006 and 2007—it's their rivals from Tallahassee that get our endorsement because of the potential they hold for the upcoming season.
Florida State made four consecutive NCAA tournaments from 2009-12, but the last four seasons have seen the Seminoles struggle with inconsistent play despite talent. There won't be a shortage of talent this winter, as a potentially explosive backcourt led by sophomore Dwayne Bacon and junior Xavier Rathan-Mayes is complemented by freshman forward Jonathan Isaac.
"Three very good reasons why FSU should break from its malaise and finally play like a good-to-very-good team," CBSSports.com's Matt Norlander wrote.
The 6'9" Isaac, rated as the No. 5 prospect in the 2016 class, briefly considered entering the NBA draft straight out of high school before opting to honor his FSU commitment. He's the highest-ranked player to join the 'Noles in coach Leonard Hamilton's 15 seasons.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
7 of 25
2015-16 record: 28-8, 15-3 West Coast (T-1st)
There are few certainties in college basketball, but one that's become as close to 100 percent as you can get is that Gonzaga will make the NCAA tournament and be a tough out that no power-conference team wants to face. Since the Bulldogs made a surprise run to the Elite Eight in 1999, they've returned to the tourney every year, their 17 consecutive appearances tied for the seventh-longest streak ever and tied for the fourth-longest active run.
An 18th straight trip to March Madness is looking good, even though Gonzaga lost its top three scorers. Coach Mark Few has tapped into the lucrative transfer wire to replenish the roster, bringing in forward Johnathan Williams III from Missouri and guards Jordan Mathews from California and Nigel Williams-Goss from Washington to go with a top-20 recruiting class and a few key returners.
Gonzaga's league isn't particularly strong outside of BYU and Saint Mary's, which prompts the Bulldogs to regularly load up on quality nonconference competition. This season, they'll take on Arizona, San Diego State, Tennessee and Washington and could meet two other power foes in the AdvoCare Invitational in Florida over Thanksgiving.
Harvard Crimson
8 of 25
2015-16 record: 14-16, 6-8 Ivy (4th)
Division I's 10 H schools have combined for 55 NCAA tournament appearances, including ones this past season by Hampton, Hawaii and Holy Cross. Harvard might have been a part of that group as well had an injury to guard Siyani Chambers not caused an already young Crimson lineup to struggle even more.
Harvard made four straight NCAA tourneys from 2011-14, twice pulling off first-round upsets. It is poised to return to the postseason with Chambers back in the fold and a recruiting class never seen before at an Ivy League school.
Coach Tommy Amaker signed three 4-star prospects, including guard Bryce Aiken, who was coveted by many power-conference schools.
Indiana Hoosiers
9 of 25
2015-16 record: 27-8, 15-3 Big Ten (1st)
Indiana is not only the unofficial center of the college basketball universe, but also the home of 10 Division I schools. Hoops are so big in the state that its nickname is shared by the flagship school and one of the top college programs in the sport's history.
The Indiana Hoosiers are also the defending Big Ten champions, their second such title in four years under coach Tom Crean. Three Sweet 16 trips in the past five seasons have them playing their best and most consistent basketball since the heyday of Bobby Knight's tenure in the 1970s and '80s.
The current Indiana squad is loaded with scorers, though it also lost some prolific ones such as Yogi Ferrell and Troy Williams. But it returns sharpshooters James Blackmon and Robert Johnson and rising sophomore frontcourt players OG Anunoby, Thomas Bryant and Juwan Morgan.
James Madison Dukes
10 of 25
2015-16 record: 21-11, 11-7 Colonial (T-3rd)
It's slim pickings for J schools, with only four to choose from. James Madison had the best record of the lot last season and could make some waves this year. That's assuming the surprise coaching change the Dukes made in March proves to have been worth it.
Matt Brady went 118-116 in eight seasons at the school, winning 21 games four times and getting James Madison into the NCAA tournament in 2013. He was replaced by Louis Rowe, a former JMU player and coach who was an assistant at Bowling Green last season.
He inherits a team that returns six of its top seven scorers, including preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association choices Shakir Brown and Yohanny Dalembert.
Kansas Jayhawks
11 of 25
2015-16 record: 33-5, 15-3 Big 12 (1st)
For a letter with only six Division I options, K sure is a loaded character. Picking between Kansas and Kentucky, two of the most storied programs in college basketball history, was the hardest choice we had to make.
Kansas won out, though. While Kentucky might have the better overall talent thanks to the No. 2-ranked recruiting class loaded with future NBA prospects, Kansas has the proven track record of annual success without any recent hiccups.
The Jayhawks have won at least a share of 12 consecutive Big 12 titles under coach Bill Self, who also led them to the 2008 national title and the 2012 final as well as six trips to the Elite Eight. His latest unit is built to make another deep run thanks to the veteran backcourt duo of Devonte' Graham and Frank Mason III as well as a slew of rising frontcourt players. There's also wing Josh Jackson, the No. 1 player in the 2016 class.
Not surprisingly, Kansas was a unanimous choice by Big 12 coaches to win the league again. The Jayhawks will begin the season second in the USA Today poll and received a first-place vote.
Louisville Cardinals
12 of 25
2015-16 record: 23-8, 12-6 ACC (4th)
Louisville had a roster built to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament last March, but it didn't get a chance to show this after the school banned itself from postseason play. It was a pre-emptive move to get ahead of an NCAA investigation into recruiting practices that included an escort service.
It doesn't look like the Cardinals will face a similar fate for 2016-17 after the NCAA released its findings on Thursday, via Jeff Greer of the Courier-Journal. The men's basketball program is accused of four major violations, with coach Rick Pitino cited for failing to monitor an employee, but not the more serious charges of lack of institutional or head coach control that often lead to big sanctions, including postseason bans.
That means Louisville's young-but-talented roster should be a danger all year, not just in the regular season. Six of the Cardinals' top seven returning scorers are sophomores or juniors, and they add well-regarded freshman wing V.J. King.
Michigan State Spartans
13 of 25
2015-16 record: 29-6, 13-5 Big Ten (2nd)
Michigan State may serve as the prime example of how college basketball should be treated like a marathon and not a sprint. That's because the Spartans team that plays in November and December won't be nearly as good as the one Tom Izzo puts on the court in March (and possibly April).
Despite being ranked No. 9 in the USA Today preseason coaches poll, MSU could struggle mightily during the first half of the 2016-17 season after its roster went through massive turnover. Its top three scorers graduated, three other key players either transferred or turned pro and two frontcourt assets have since gone down with significant knee injuries.
UNLV transfer Ben Carter got hurt earlier this month, while senior Gavin Schilling went down with a non-contact injury last week, per MLive's Brendan F. Quinn. Their absence only furthers the need for MSU's talented freshman class, led by forward Miles Bridges, to contribute immediately.
MSU plays an incredibly tough non-league slate with games against Arizona, Duke and Kentucky as well as a stacked Battle 4 Atlantis tournament field. This may lead to a poor pre-Big Ten record but also provide the Spartans with valuable experience when the games really count in the spring.
North Carolina Tar Heels
14 of 25
2015-16 record: 33-7, 14-4 ACC (1st)
With 33 schools, N comprises nearly 10 percent of all Division I programs. Don't let the noise distract you from the signal, though, because no other team comes close to matching the history and lineage of North Carolina.
The Tar Heels played in last season's national championship game, falling to Villanova on a last-second three-pointer to come up short for a sixth title. They have a good shot at making it back to the final with six of their top eight scorers returning, including juniors Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson.
Oregon Ducks
15 of 25
2015-16 record: 31-7, 14-4 Pac-12 (1st)
The first-ever NCAA tournament was held in 1939, the initial championship game a battle of O schools. Oregon downed Ohio State for that title and has been trying to get back ever since, coming perilously close last season when the Ducks fell to Oklahoma in the Elite Eight.
A nearly intact roster is back for coach Dana Altman as Oregon looks to win a second straight conference title and go a little further in the postseason. He'll have five of his top seven players back, though all-around star Dillon Brooks' availability at the outset is up in the air after the junior forward suffered a foot injury this summer.
"He would have been a first-team preseason All-American if it wasn’t for a foot surgery that may keep him out until December," College Basketball Talk's Rob Dauster wrote.
Helping fill the void as Brooks heals is sixth-year senior guard Dylan Ennis, a Villanova transfer who missed all but two games last season because of injury.
Purdue Boilermakers
16 of 25
2015-16 record: 26-9, 12-6 Big Ten (T-3rd)
A dozen Division I P schools have combined for eight trips to the Final Four but zero national championships. Purdue got the closest, falling in the 1969 title game, and its 28 NCAA tournament appearances are tied for 26th-most in history.
That resume doesn't hold up against the best schools from other letters, but it reigns supreme in the P's.
Purdue begins this season ranked 15th in the USA Today coaches poll, four spots better than it finished after getting upset by Arkansas-Little Rock in the first round in March. That Boilermakers squad lost 7-footer (and leading scorer) A.J. Hammons but still has two other dangerous big men in 7'2" Isaac Haas and 6'9", 260-pound sophomore Caleb Swanigan.
How Purdue performs on the perimeter will determine its success, though. That was a source of struggles for much of 2015-16, but the addition of Michigan transfer Spike Albrecht gives it some much-needed experience and care with the ball.
Quinnipiac Bobcats
17 of 25
2015-16 record: 9-21, 6-14 MAAC (9th)
Never heard of Quinnipiac? Don't feel bad—most college basketball fans aren't aware of Division I's only Q school since it's yet to make any noise on a national level. The program made two postseason appearances at the NAIA level and three in Division II, but since moving up to D-I in 1998, the Bobcats have had only eight winning seasons and three that included 20 or more wins.
Tom Moore enters his 10th year in charge with four of his top five scorers back. Senior guard Daniel Harris averaged 10.2 points per game, while the Bobcats' top three rebounders also return to help them build off being among the top 50 teams in the country last year in rebound percentage.
Quinnipiac, picked to finish 10th in the 11-school Metro Atlantic Athletic Association, is part of the AdvoCare Invitational in Florida, where it will open against Gonzaga.
Rhode Island Rams
18 of 25
2015-16 record: 17-15, 9-9 A-10 (7th)
The easy choice for R should have been Rutgers, the only school among the seven in Division I that plays in a major conference. But the Scarlet Knights are only a power-conference team by default, as their 10 consecutive losing seasons and 25 straight without an NCAA tournament appearance show their true colors.
Rhode Island hasn't been in the NCAA field since 1999 but has been much closer than Rutgers on several occasions since then. The Rams have five 20-win seasons since 2007-08 and likely would have participated in March Madness last year had star E.C. Matthews not suffered a season-ending injury 10 minutes into their first game in November 2015.
Matthews, a 6'5" junior guard, joins a quartet of returning starters, including forwards Kuran Iverson and Hassan Martin. Rhode Island also adds guard Stanford Robinson, an Indiana transfer, and it managed to retain coach Dan Hurley despite interest from bigger schools—including Rutgers—so he could finish the rebuilding job he started a few years back.
Saint Mary's Gaels
19 of 25
2015-16 record: 29-6, 15-3 West Coast (T-1st)
There are 42 Division I schools that begin with the letter S, and eight of those are named in honor of various saints. Mary was the mother of Jesus, according to the Bible, and Saint Mary's is the mother of all S programs in our eyes.
Located in tiny Moraga, California (estimated population: 16,000), is a program that's quietly become one of the most consistent outside the power conferences under coach Randy Bennett. The Gaels have won 20 or more games in nine consecutive seasons with five NCAA tournament bids since 2005, their secret to success tied to a pipeline to Australia.
Many of the Gaels' best players, past and present, have come from Down Under. That includes current standouts such as guard Emmett Naar and forward Dane Pineau. Saint Mary's doesn't play many high-profile nonconference games, but its two (or three if they meet in the West Coast Conference tournament) matchups with Gonzaga are each must-see events.
Texas Longhorns
20 of 25
2015-16 record: 20-13, 11-7 Big 12 (4th)
Things tend to be bigger in Texas, and this applies to college basketball. There are 23 Division I programs in the state, second only to California, and while football is still king, the love of hoops is also strong.
Flagship school Texas makes sense for our pick of the T schools, of which there are 21—with 11 located in the Lone Star State. The Longhorns have 33 NCAA tournament appearances and three trips to the Final Four, as many as the other 20 schools, and they've been a part of March Madness 17 of the previous 18 years.
Coach Shaka Smart enters his second year still getting his Havoc-style system in place, but he's got plenty of talent to work with. It's mostly of the young variety in the form of sophomore guards Tevin Mack and Kerwin Roach as well as incoming freshman center Jarrett Allen. While there may be some early hiccups when Big 12 play comes around, Texas might be a legitimate contender to unseat perennial champ Kansas.
UCLA Bruins
21 of 25
2015-16 record: 15-17, 6-12 Pac-12 (10th)
UCLA is college basketball royalty, its 11 national titles the most of any Division I program. That alone is more than enough to lift it above the other U schools, but it also helps that the Bruins are expected to do big things in 2016-17.
Ranked 20th in the USA Today preseason coaches poll, UCLA is the only school that received votes that had a losing record a year ago. That was a massively underachieving team but one that returns three players who averaged double figures, including senior guard Bryce Alford, son of coach Steve Alford.
Most important, though, is what the Bruins are adding—namely, 5-star prospects Ike Anigbogu, Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf. Ball is considered an NBA lottery pick by DraftExpress and is believed by many to be the key to UCLA's return to the top tier of the Pac-12 after finishing near the bottom last season.
Villanova Wildcats
22 of 25
2015-16 record: 35-5, 16-2 Big East (1st)
Seven of eight V schools finished with winning records last season. Four made the NCAA tournament, and another (Valparaiso) played for the NIT title. But only Villanova won a national championship, its thrilling victory over North Carolina in the final capping a tremendous 2015-16 campaign.
The Wildcats are on top of the college basketball world as defending champions, and they have a roster that makes it possible to be the first to repeat since Florida won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. At the very least, they should be in good position to get past the Sweet 16, which has been the ceiling for defending champs since Florida's two-year run.
Back for more are guards Phil Booth, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart as well as forward Kris Jenkins, whose buzzer-beating three-pointer secured the title win. Villanova also has one of the best in the business in Jay Wright, who no longer can be included among the top coaches without a championship.
Wisconsin Badgers
23 of 25
2015-16 record: 22-13, 12-6 Big Ten (T-3rd)
Admittedly, many of our choices for this list have been influenced by how the teams have played in the past, particularly last season. With Wisconsin, its recent history is incredibly pertinent since the team that got hot in February and March to make the Sweet 16 is the same one the Badgers will put on the court in a few weeks.
The Badgers return their top nine players, including seniors Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig, who were also part of Wisconsin's consecutive Final Four appearances in 2014 and 2015. Hayes was recently named the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year.
Greg Gard, who took over for longtime coach Bo Ryan midway through last season, hopes to carry over the momentum Wisconsin created late last season into another strong campaign.
"With so much cohesion from last year, the Badgers are arguably the favorites to win what should be the second-best conference in the country," Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller wrote.
Xavier Musketeers
24 of 25
2015-16 record: 28-6, 14-4 Big East (2nd)
Like with Quinnipiac earlier on this list, Xavier is the only school in Division I that begins with its letter. But unlike the Bobcats, the Musketeers are good enough to beat out dozens of candidates if more X programs existed.
Xavier has been to the NCAA tournament 26 times, including in 10 of the last 11 seasons. That run has seen the Musketeers make five trips to the Sweet 16 and one to the Elite Eight, but they've never gotten to the Final Four, with only BYU's 29 NCAA appearances more for a school without a Final Four.
Could the 2016-17 team make it? Certainly, but it depends on how its talented roster handles the possibility of a poor nonconference record due to strong competition. Before setting out on challenging Villanova for the Big East title, the Musketeers will take on Baylor, Colorado, Utah and Wake Forest as well as a strong field in the Tire Pros Invitational in Florida.
Yale Bulldogs
25 of 25
2015-16 record: 23-7, 13-1 Ivy (1st)
In deciding between Yale or Youngstown State, the only Y schools in Division I, the decision was easy. The former is coming off its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1962 as well as an upset of Baylor, while the latter has never been in the tourney and hasn't finished above .500 since 2012-13.
The Bulldogs lost three of their best players from that NCAA run but bring back a talented guard in leading scorer Makai Mason as well as the architect of its recent success. Coach James Jones heads into his 18th season with a 237-238 record but a 64-32 mark the last three years.
Yale won't be favored to win the Ivy League, but with the conference entering the postseason tournament business with a four-team event in March, it can become the league's first-ever NCAA qualifier to get in without finishing first in the regular season.
All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information courtesy of Scout unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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