College basketball rankings 2023-24: Duke, UConn, Kansas lead … – Sporting News

Remember when projecting a college basketball Top 25 was fun?
Yeah, sure you do.
Look, we’re not complaining about immediate transfer eligibility or NIL or early NBA draft entry or any of that. It’s what the athletes want, and college basketball was resilient enough to endure following the departures of Lew Alcindor and David Thompson, and it managed without ever getting the chance to see LeBron James put on a show. So it’ll be fine into the future (so long as no one messes appreciably with the format for the NCAA Tournament).
It is harder than ever, though, to look at the teams that will begin the season this week and have a strong conviction about how good any of them will be in the 2023-24 season. A year ago, our No. 1 team (Kentucky) lost in the NCAA second round and No. 2 (North Carolina) didn’t even make it to March Madness.
We think we did better this time around.
It was hard work, though, right or wrong.
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Coach: Jon Scheyer
Key returnees: PF Kyle Filipowski, PG Tyrese Proctor, SG Jeremy Roach, SF Mark Mitchell, PF Ryan Young
Key additions: SG Jared McCain, PF T.J. Power, PF Sean Stewart, PG Caleb Foster
2023 finish: 27-9, NCAA second round
Why they’re here: The Devils have more pure talent than any other team in college basketball. We know that doesn’t always add up to a championship, but we also recognize most of the teams that are in the Devils’ neighborhood have disconcerting flaws but not so many five-star recruits. Duke didn’t need to do much work in the transfer portal because top players Filipowski, Proctor and Mitchell chose not to portal into the NBA Draft. Duke’s biggest problem is that absence of an obvious answer at the center position. And we don’t mean just a good player Scheyer can stick in the spot and still win games. We mean someone who can protect the rim at a level necessary to win six NCAA Tournament games. Filipowski is listed as a 7-footer, but he didn’t get a block per game last year. More than half the blocks for last season’s team came from Dereck Lively II, now in the NBA.
MORE: Duke lands the best American prospect of the last 10 years
Coach: Matt Painter
Key returnees: C Zach Edey, PG Braden Smith, SG Fletcher Loyer, F Mason Gillis, PF Trey Kaufman-Renn, G Ethan Morton, PF Caleb Furst
Key additions: SG Myles Colvin, SG Lance Jones
2023 finish: 29-6, NCAA first round
Why they’re here: They earned dual Big Ten championships and a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed last season, but what will be remembered most about the season – even, unfortunately, more than the collection of Player of the Year trophies presented to Edey – was the first-round NCAA loss to Fairleigh Dickinson. It was only the second time in history a No. 1 seed had been upset by a No. 16 seed. Purdue spent the offseason pondering that and discussing it. And nearly every player involved in that result is back for another year. Is someone really going to argue that’s a bad thing? Smith and Loyer were a freshman backcourt that won big games all year, even if each of them faded in the season’s final weeks. They could be better as sophomores. Edey is a singular force. And both of the recruits – freshman Colvin and transfer Jones – can add missing components. Colvin is the sort of dynamic, attack-the-goal wing last year’s group did not possess. Jones joins a team that ranked outside the top 250 in 3-point percentage and makes and brings along 205 career threes, although he’ll need to improve his accuracy from his final year at Southern Illinois.
Coach: Bill Self
Key returnees: PG Dajuan Harris, SG Kevin McCullar Jr., PF KJ Adams Jr., PF Zach Clemence
Key additions: C Hunter Dickinson, SG Nicolas Timberlake, SF Johnny Furphy, SG Elmarko Jackson
2023 finish: 27-9, NCAA second round
Why they’re here: At this point, it’s almost fair to wonder if the bigger reason is Harris or Self. Harris is not what many Kansas fans want him to be portrayed as; he is not a star at point guard. He’s never averaged double-figure scoring. His 8.9 points per game last season were a career best. He’s never come close to leading the NCAA in assists. He ranked ninth last season in Division I, but four per game behind leader Yuri Collins of Saint Louis. Harris just wins. In two seasons as a starter he’s got an NCAA championship, two Big 12 regular season titles, a Big 12 Tournament title, a 7-1 NCAA Tournament record and an .815 winning percentage overall. Dickinson will score a ton of points off Harris’ passes. The question is whether this team will have sufficient long-range shooting.
Coach: Dan Hurley
Key returnees: C Donovan Clingan, PG Tristen Newton, F Alex Karaban, SG Hassan Diarra
Key additions: SF Stephon Castle, SG Solomon Ball, SF Jaylin Stewart, SG Cam Spencer
2023 finish: 31-8, NCAA champions
Why they’re here: UConn is one of the few teams carrying high-level promise into this season that will feature two likely first-round draft picks. Because of his ability to move at his (enormous) size, Clingan could have entered the draft after contributing to the NCAA title, but chose to return and develop into a genuinely elite prospect. Castle arrives with all the dynamism and ball skills to be a coveted pick, even more so if he shows off some 3-point range. Whereas last year’s team depended on its depth for answers, though, this one may need to get most of them from its biggest names. Spencer was brought in from Rutgers to provide deep shooting, but he’ll not deliver the kind of defense and playmaking the Huskies relied upon from Andre Jackson and Jordan Hawkins.
Coach: Tom Izzo
Key returnees: PG AJ Hoggard, SG Tyson Walker, SG Jaden Akins, PF Malik Hall, C Mady Sissoko, C Jaxon Kohler
Key additions: C Xavier Booker, PG Jeremy Fears, SF Coen Carr
2023 finish: 21-13, NCAA Sweet 16
Why they’re here: Most of what made the Spartans a Sweet 16 team – that was an overtime period away from playing for the Final Four – is still in place. That includes Izzo, obviously, one of the great March coaches in the history of the game, but also the entire Hoggard-Walker-Akins backcourt. And the ingredients missing from that team, which did lead to double-digit losses, has mostly been covered with the addition of an elite recruiting class that may consist of three future NBA players. There has been a lot of concern about Booker’s lack of muscle, but the Spartans haven’t had a frontcourt prospect so dynamic since Jaren Jackson Jr. Fears’ biggest issue is the availability of playing time; he’s an extraordinary leader who’ll probably take the reserve minutes left over by Hoggard and Walker. And Carr is the sort of Jason Richardson-style athlete – not just dynamism, but power – who is rare in any program. Purdue may be in better shape to win the Big Ten and earn a No. 1 seed, but the Spartans are the Big Ten’s best bet to end the league’s long NCAA title drought.
Coach: Rodney Terry
Key returnees: PF Dylan Disu, G Tyrese Hunter, SF Brock Cunningham, F Dillon Mitchell
Key additions: G Max Abmas, G Ithiel Horton, G Shendall Weaver, SG Chris Johnson, C Kadin Shedrick, F Ze’Rik Onyema
2023 finish: 29-9, NCAA Elite Eight
Why they’re here: The 2023 Sporting News Coach of the Year, Terry has a lot of work to do building an exceptional team with so many new parts. But those are some pretty impressive parts. Abmas has averaged more than 20 points for three years running and has 2,561 career points. Mitchell spent much of last year adjusting to Division I, but he has team-changing talent. Disu is a proficient in-the-lane scorer whose injury in advance of the Elite Eight loss to Miami surely impacted that result; he’s still not all the way back. There’s an opportunity for Hunter to become a team-changing playmaker if that’s what he wants.
Coach: Rick Barnes
Key returnees: PG Zakai Ziegler, SG Santiago Vescovi, SG Josiah Jordan-James, PF Jonas Aidoo, SG Jahmai Mashack, PF Tobe Awaka
Key additions: G Cameron Carr, PF JP Estrella, SF Dalton Knecht, SG Jordan Gainey
2023 finish: 25-11, NCAA Sweet 16
Why they’re here: It’s easy to be confident with a veteran backcourt like the one pairing Ziegler and Vescovi, and while both of them were absent from an exhibition against Michigan State, the team rang up 89 points and won. That’s unusual for UT teams since Barnes reinvigorated the program nearly a decade ago, but it’s expected they will be among the most difficult to play against. How quickly Ziegler recovers from an ACL injury that caused him to miss all of March 2023 will impact whether the Vols can get off to a fast start.
Coach: Shaka Smart
Key returnees: PG Tyler Kolek, PF Iso Ighodaro, SG Kam Jones, G Stevie Mitchell, F David Joplin, SG Chase Ross, G Sean Jones
Key additions: SG Tre Norman
2023 finish: 29-7, NCAA round of 32
Why they’re here: If Olivier-Maxence Prosper hadn’t wisely tested the NBA Draft process and impressed scouts so profoundly he became a first-round pick, Marquette might be the pick to win it all this year. O-Max will be a difficult player to replace because of his versatility – and the promise he would grow even better this season. But the Golden Eagles still have the best point guard in college hoops and, with Kolek and Ighodaro, a nearly unstoppable pick-and-roll tandem.
Coach: Andy Enfield
Key returnees: SG Boogie Ellis, SG Kobe Johnson, C Joshua Morgan, C Vincent Iwuchukwu
Key additions: PG Isaiah Collier, SG Bronny James, C Arrinten Page, SF DJ Rodman
2023 finish: 22-11, NCAA first round
Why they’re here: If you’re looking for the best backcourt in college basketball, SoCal might not be a bad place to start. Ellis is a proven veteran who can score from multiple levels and got better than 17 points a game last season. Collier is a point guard considered the No. 1 prospect nationally in the 2023 class. James, when he recovers from an offseason heart procedure, is a solid backcourt player who brings toughness, intelligence and a shooting touch. This team will need to figure out how to rebound.
Coach: Greg McDermott
Key returnees: C Ryan Kalkbrenner, SG Trey Alexander, SF Baylor Scheierman, G Francisco Farabello
Key additions: G Steven Ashworth, SF Johnathan Lawson, F Isaac Traudt
2023 finish: 24-13, NCAA Elite Eight
Why they’re here: The exits of point guard Ryan Nembhard and wing Arthur Kaluma kept the Jays from returning a starting five that was one iffy foul call from making it to Houston last spring. And what they remove from this group will impact the ability for Creighton to at last reach the Final Four. But Kalkbrenner already is a destructive defender and productive scorer, and he could become dominant with greater opportunities on offense. Ashworth can replace a lot of what the team loses at the point, but the issue will be whether Kalkbrenner has the help he needs to keep the defense among the best.
Coach: Mark Few
Key players: PG Ryan Nembhard, PF Graham Ike, F Anton Watson, G Nolan Hickman
2023 finish: 31-6, NCAA Elite Eight
Coach: John Calipari
Key players: PF Tre Mitchell, SG D.J. Wagner, SF Adou Thiero, C Aaron Bradshaw, SF Justin Edwards, PG Rob Dillingham
2023 finish: 22-12 NCAA second round
Coach: Hubert Davis
Key players: C Armando Bacot, SG R.J. Davis, PG Elliot Cadeau, SF Harrison Ingram, SG Cormac Ryan, PF Jae’lyn Withers, SG Paxson Wojcik
2023 finish: 20-13
Coach: Tommy Lloyd
Key players: C Oumar Ballo, SG Caleb Love, G Kylan Boswell, PG Jaden Bradley, SF Pelle Larsson, PF Keshad Johnson
2023 finish: 28-7, NCAA first round
Coach: Eric Musselman
Key players: F Trevon Brazile, PF Makhi Mitchell, SG Khalif Battle, PG El Ellis, SF Jeremiah Davenport,
2023 finish: 22-14, NCAA Sweet 16
Coach: Kevin Willard
Key players: PG Jahmir Young, PF Julian Reece, F Donta Scott, SG DeShawn Harris-Smith, SF Jordan Geronimo,
2023 finish: 22-13, NCAA second round
Coach: Brian Dutcher
Key players: PG Lamont Butler, PF Jaedon LeDee, G Darrion Trammell, SF Micah Parrish, SG Reese Dixon-Waters
2023 finish: 32-7, NCAA runner-up
Coach: Buzz Williams
Key players: PG Wade Taylor IV, SG Tyrece Radford, PF Julius Marble, F Henry Coleman III, SG Jace Carter, SG Eli Lawrence
2023 finish: 25-10, NCAA first round
Coach: Kelvin Sampson
Key players: PG Jamal Shead, SG L.J. Cryer, F J’Wan Roberts, SG Damian Dunn
2023 finish: 33-4, NCAA Sweet 16
Coach: Kyle Neptune
Key players: SG Justin Moore, PF Eric Dixon, PG Mark Armstrong, SF Tyler Burton, SF Hakim Hart, G TJ Bamba
2023 finish: 17-17
Coach: Nate Oates
Key players: G Mark Sears, SG Rylan Griffen, PF Jarin Stevenson, C Grant Nelson, G Aaron Estrada, G Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
2023 finish: 31-6, NCAA Sweet 16
Coach: Dusty May
Key players: SG Johnell Davis, SG Alijah Martin, G Nick Boyd, C Vladislav Godin, PF Giancarlo Rosado, G Bryan Greenlee
2023 finish: 35-4, NCAA Final Four
Coach: Scott Drew
Key players: SF Jalen Bridges, SG Langston Love, SG Ja’Kobe Walker, PG Jayden Nunn, PG RayJ Dennis, PG Miro Little
2023 finish: 23-11, NCAA second round
Coach: Randy Bennett
Key players: SG Aidan Mahaney, SF Alex Ducas, SG Augustas Marciulionis, C Mitchell Saxen
2023 finish: 27-8, NCAA second round
Coach: Mick Cronin
Key players: C Adem Bona, G Dylan Andrews, SF Lazar Stefanovic, G Sebastian Mack, G Jan Vide, G Ilane Fibleiul
2023 finish: 31-6, NCAA Sweet 16
Mike DeCourcy is a Senior Writer at The Sporting News

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