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College basketball rankings: Kentucky returns in updated ESPN way-too-early preseason Top 25 – 247Sports
It did not take long for Kentucky basketball to bounce back from what seemed to be the start of a potential downward spiral. The Wildcats received positive news several weeks ago when senior guard Antonio Reeves opted to Lexington for his fifth and final year of eligibility after flirting with both the NBA Draft and transfer portal. Just a few days after that Kentucky landed transfer forward Tre Mitchell from West Virginia in a move that gives head coach John Calipari veteran leadership to roster full of youth. As a result, Kentucky climbed back into the updated ESPN way-too-early Top 25 college basketball rankings for 2023-24.
Calipari and the Wildcats own the top-ranked recruiting class for 2023 with nine incoming freshmen — four of which are five-star prospects. It was essential to get Reeves back to Kentucky for another season. Mitchell should make a big impact on the Wildcats as well.
The Wildcats were unranked in the previous version, moving several teams moved down and knocking out Wisconsin from the rankings
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Below is a complete look at the updated ESPN Way-too-early Top 25 college basketball rankings ahead of the 2023-24 season.
25. Colorado
24. Texas
23. St. Mary’s
Colorado showcased potential last season on its way to an NIT berth and could be more consistent during the 2023-24 season with a couple of key newcomers in McDonald’s All-American Cody Williams and TCU transfer Eddie Lampkin Jr. Texas added Max Abmas from Oral Roberts as Tyrese Hunter and Dylan Disu return to the reigning Big 12 champions with Rodney Terry now the full-time head coach of the Longhorns. St. Mary’s returns four of its top five scorers from its squad that claimed a share of the West Coast Conference title last season.
22. Alabama
21. USC
20. Baylor
The Crimson Tide are likely to add more transfers to its roster after losing several players to the NBA Draft and Jahvon Quinerly to the portal. Alabama and head coach Nate Oats are already bringing in Grant Nelson from North Dakota State. USC reloads with the freshmen duo of Bronny James and Isaiah Collier, the top-ranked prospect in the 2023 class. Baylor is replacing its top three scorers with a trio of top-50 freshmen — Ja’Kobe Walter, Yves Missi and Miro Little.
19. Texas A&M
18. Miami
17. Kentucky
Texas A&M returns four starters from a squad that almost won the SEC Tournament title last season. The Aggies need more consistency after an up-and-down roller coaster campaign in 2022-23. Jim Larranaga brings back three Miami starters — Nijel Pack, Norchad Omier and Wooga Poplar — that helped the Hurricanes reach the Final Four last season. He also added rival Florida State transfer Matthew Cleveland to the mix with sights set on a third-consecutive trip to the Elite Eight. Kentucky has the top-ranked recruiting class in 2023 to pair with veterans Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell, who transferred in from West Virginia in June.
16. Villanova
15. North Carolina
14. Arkansas
Villanova made a handful of transfer moves by bringing in Tyler Burton (Richmond), Hakim Hart (Maryland) and TJ Bamba (Washington State) for the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats return two of their top three scorers from last season with Eric Dixon and Justin Moore back for second-year head coach Kyle Neptune. North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis retooled the Tar Heels’ roster with several transfer additions — Harrison Ingram, Cormac Ryan, Jae’Lyn Withers and Paxson Wojcik. Veterans R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot return to Chapel Hill with five-star freshman Elliot Cadeau also on board. Arkansas has two incoming five-star recruits in Baye Fall and Layden Blocker. The Razorbacks return four of their top eight scorers from last season.
13. Creighton
12. San Diego State
11. Arizona
Creighton may be under-ranked with nearly everyone returning from last season’s squad that won 24 games and advanced to the Elite Eight. The Bluejays added Utah State transfer Steven Ashworth to the mix as a double-digit scorer. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman all return to Omaha as the top-three scorers from Creighton in 2022-23. San Diego State returns four of its top six scorers from a team that finished as the runner-up in the NCAA Tournament last season. Arizona experienced an early exit in the NCAA Tournament, but added North Carolina transfer Caleb Love to its lineup that returns Oumar Ballo and Pelle Larsson.
Head coach Shaka Smart may have found the perfect spot at Marquette. The Wisconsin native led the Golden Eagles to 29 wins and their second-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance last season. Olivier-Maxence Prosper entered the NBA Draft, but Marquette returns Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek, who averaged a combined 28.0 points per game last season. The Golden Eagles are on the brink of being a national-title contender and potential favorite in the Big East alongside UConn.
Florida Atlantic put together a Cinderella run to the Final Four last season, winning 35 (!!) games. The Owls look to replicate that success as a nationally-ranked program. All five starters return including double-digit scorers Johnell Davis, Alijah Martin and big man Vladislav Goldin. Florida Atlantic made the move to the American Athletic Conference where it will face tougher competition during the 2023-24 season.
Even with the losses of Drew Timme, Julian Strawther, Rasir Bolton and Malachi Smith, Gonzaga isn’t going anywhere, at least not with head coach Mark Few leading the Bulldogs. The Zags return three of their top seven scorers alongside a group of incoming transfers — Ryan Nembhard (Creighton), Graham Ike (Wyoming) and Steele Venters (Eastern Washington). Anton Watson was a key piece Gonzaga managed to get back for 2023-24 after he averaged 11.1 points per game last season.
The Cougars are now a member of the daunted Big 12 Conference. Head coach Kelvin Sampson turned Houston into a perennial top-10 program in the American Athletic Conference but will face stiffer competition night in and night out in the new high-major league. Five of the top eight scorers from last season return to Houston including Jamal Shead, J’Wan Roberts, Emanuel Sharp, Ja’Vier Francis and Terrance Arceneaux. Baylor transfer guard LJ Cryer joins the lineup after averaging 15.0 points while shooting 41.5% from 3-point range last season. The Cougars did lose several key pieces with the departures of Tramon Mark, Marcus Sasser and Jarace Walker.
Tennessee should be a force in the SEC and a legitimate threat to reach the Final Four with three of its top four scorers — Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler and Josiah-Jordan James — all returning to Knoxville. The Vols upped their potential with several key additions via the transfer portal — Jordan Gainey (South Carolina Upstate), Chris Ledlum (Harvard) and Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado). Head coach Rick Barnes led Tennessee to the Sweet 16 for the second time in six years last season. Expectations are greater than that for the Vols in 2023-24.
UConn returned to the top of the college basketball world in 2022-23 with a national championship. Now, the Huskies bring in a top-five recruiting class to join key returners Tristen Newton, Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan in hopes of putting together a run at a repeat title. UConn also adds Rutgers transfer guard Cam Spencer who averaged 13.2 points last season. Head coach Dan Hurley earned a new contract and agreed to a six-year, $32.1 million extension with UConn last month.
Can Tom Izzo finally breakthrough and win another national championship at Michigan State — the first since 2000? The Spartans return five of their top six scorers — Tyson Walker, A.J. Hoggard, Jaden Akins, Malik Hall and Mady Sissoko — from last season. Add in a top-five recruiting class and there are plenty of reasons why Michigan State is an early top-five team for the preseason. Xavier Booker and Jeremy Fears are both five-star prospects joining the Spartans in 2023-24. Izzo has guided Michigan State to seven Final Four appearances since its last title more than two decades ago.
Zach Edey returns to Purdue after withdrawing his name from the 2023 NBA Draft just before the deadline. The National Player of the Year has unfinished business with the Boilermakers after they were upset as a No. 1 seed in the Round of 64 at the NCAA Tournament. Purdue has six of its top seven scorers — including all five starters — returning to West Lafayette with Edey a likely favorite to win another Player of the Year award in 2024.
Duke has one of, if not the most talented roster in the country ahead of the 2023-24 season. A top-two recruiting class is set to pair with the Blue Devils top four scorers from last season with Kyle Filipowski, Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell all back. The newcomers include four five-star freshmen — Jared McCain, Sean Stewart, Caleb Foster and TJ Power. Duke does not appear to be taking any sort of step backward under head coach Jon Scheyer who completed his first season a year ago replacing the legendary Coach K.
An aggressive approach to the transfer portal has head coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks reloaded for another deep postseason run. Kansas lost Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson — its top two scorers — to the NBA Draft but returns three starters in Dajuan Harris, Kevin McCullar and K.J. Adams. The Jayhawks have the best incoming transfer class in the nation headlined by former Michigan All-American Hunter Dickinson, Towson sharpshooter Nick Timberlake and former McDonald’s All-American Arterio Morris from Texas.
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