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College basketball rankings: Why UConn remains No. 1 in Top 25 And 1 after Adama Sanogo declared for NBA Draft – CBS Sports
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UConn star Adama Sanogo announced Thursday that he’s entering the 2023 NBA Draft and fully intends to remain in it. So I’m now projecting the 6-foot-9 center to depart the Big East program — but I’m still keeping the Huskies No. 1 in Version 5 of the 2023-24 CBS Sports preseason Top 25 And 1.
Donovan Clingan is the reason.
Remember when Gonzaga lost All-American Filip Petrusev early to the professional ranks but it didn’t really matter because Drew Timme slid into the starting lineup and became an All-American himself? This feels (possibly) similar. Simply put, I just think a starting lineup of Tristen Newton, five-star prospect Stephon Castle, Andre Jackson Jr., Alex Karaban and Clingan can still represent the best starting lineup in the sport. If Jackson ultimately follows Jordan Hawkins and Sanogo to the 2023 NBA Draft, it’ll be time to reconsider. But for now the Huskies will remain No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 based on the idea that they’ll return four of the top six scorers from the team that won the 2023 NCAA Tournament and pair them with a top-five recruiting class featuring three top-70 prospects.
Among the other changes in Version 5 of the Top 25 And 1 are big drops for UCLA and Arizona thanks to Tyger Campbell and Amari Bailey both announcing they’re leaving the Bruins, and Azuolas Tubelis announcing he will pursue a professional career with no intention of returning to the Wildcats. In other Pac-12 news, Boogie Ellis is now reportedly returning to USC, meaning the Trojans are set to return four of the top six scorers from an NCAA Tournament team and add the top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2023 (Isaiah Collier). That’s why I now consider USC the Pac-12 favorite, and the Trojans No. 15 ranking in the Top 25 And 1 is a reflection of that.
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