As a new season of college basketball approaches, fans around the nation are gearing up for another riveting year of upsets, madness, and rivalries.
The reigning national champions, the Florida Gators, look to have another successful season under Head Coach Todd Golden. While March Madness superstar Walter Clayton departed for the NBA, they have brought back many key players from their championship squad last season including Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. They were also very active in the transfer portal, as they searched for a player to replace Clayton. The Gators found their suitors in Xavian Lee from Princeton and Boogie Fland, a highly ranked recruit.
The Big Ten will be one of the top conferences in the nation, with teams like Purdue, Michigan, and Michigan State vying for the top spot. Purdue is the favorite heading into the year, as they are ranked first in the country to begin the season. A key player that is returning for Purdue is prolific scoring and playguard Braden Smith. He is the favorite to win national player of the year this season. Another star player returning to the Boilermakers is Trey Kaufman-Renn, who averaged 20 points per game and is returning for another year trying to chase a national championship.
“The Boilermakers are my favorite to win the national championship because their two top players from last year are returning, meaning they will only improve and have chemistry amongst the squad,” said sophomore Jonah Hattem.
The Michigan Wolverines are looking to build on their Sweet 16 run from last year, where they ultimately ended up losing to the first seeded Auburn. They have had a major rebuild over the offseason, being one of the top teams in the transfer portal. The top recruit in the portal, Yaxel Lendenborg, joined Michigan during the offseason. He impressed all season last year, as he consistently scored and rebounded at a high level. Now, he looks to do the same for the Wolverines as they are projected to be one of the top teams in the nation throughout the year.
“This is the best Michigan team on paper in 15 years, I’m ready for an exciting season, with the Wolverines having their eye on cutting the nets in March,” said sophomore Luke Garfin.
Another team fans look at year after year are the Duke Blue Devils, and they are ready to go for another year with a top team, with top recruit, Cameron Boozer, joining the team along with returning scorer and three point sniper, Isaiah Evans. Evans only averaged eight points per game last year, but he looked like a star in the making at times.
Another team in the ACC that is looking to be a top team in the nation is NC State. They brought over Will Wade from McNeese State to coach their squad this season. Wade has shown that he knows how to win at a high level as he led LSU to an SEC title in 2019. He has brought in nine transfers, re-constructing the NC State squad. The team is led by new stars like Darrion Williams from Texas Tech, former Michigan State point guard Tre Holloman, and incoming freshman Matt Able, who has the talent to go to the NBA after this season.
Another ACC powerhouse are the Louisville Cardinals, with second year coach Pat Kelsey looking to build upon his accomplishments in the 24-25 season. The Cardinals have some of the deepest and most talented guards in the nation, with projected NBA draft pick Mikel Brown Jr. surrounded by transfers like Ryan Conwell (Xavier), Isaac McKneely (Virginia) and Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State).
The St. John’s Red Storm and Rick Pitino are also looking to make a deep run in March Madness this year, shown by Pitino and the Red Storm making a splash in the transfer portal. Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Joson Sanon (Arizona State), Oziyah Sellers (Stanford), Bryce Hopkins (Providence), Dillon Mitchell (Cincinnati) and Dylan Darling (Idaho State) make up one of the most elite and talented transfer classes of all time. That’s all in addition to star center Zuby Ejiofor coming back. With Pitino’s experience, people expect them to be a powerhouse to reckon with, if they can stay healthy during the season.
“St. John’s are my front runners right now to win the national championship because of their age, experience, and depth,” said freshman Ben Kaplan.
After a disappointing season, the UConn Huskies and Dan Hurley have reloaded this roster, after losing in the round of 32 last season. Star players Alex Karaban and Solo Ball are returning under the Hurley system, transfers coming into the team include, Silas Demary Jr. (Georgia) and Malachi Smith (Dayton), both point guards, are elite playmakers that can run an offense with ease. With Hurley’s aggressive coaching style, we will see if this team can look like the teams that won back to back national championships.
The Illinois Fighting Illini are another top team in the Big Ten, their projected starting lineup includes Mihailo Petrovic (14.3 PPG overseas), Kylan Boswell (12.3 PPG), Andrej Stojakovic (17.9 PPG at California), Zvonimir Ivisic (8.5 PPG at Arkansas), Tomislav Ivisic (13.0 PPG).
All in all, the nation is gearing up for another exciting season in college basketball, with multiple top teams looking to get back to the promised land, and a couple of dark horses attempting to put their names on the map.