There is no end to the college basketball season, as evidenced by teams hitting the transfer portal — where over 1,000 names already reside — the day after Selection Sunday.
Roster construction is currently happening across the country, but it’s never too early to start looking toward the 2024-25 campaign.
With that in mind, let’s roll out our first edition of FOX Sports’ Way-Too-Early top 25 men’s college basketball rankings.
We will update this throughout the spring and summer as storylines emerge, but let’s get to it!
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We had the Huskies at No. 4 in our way-too-early top 25 last April after Dan Hurley said goodbye to Adama Sanogo, Andre Jackson and Jordan Hawkins. That didn’t seem to matter, which speaks to the blue blood Hurley has restored in Storrs. I’m not getting fooled again. Connecticut is No. 1 until further notice.
Say hello to the Cooper Flagg era at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The 17-year-old phenom is a fascinating prospect and in contention to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft due to his versatility, defensive upside and wingspan. The Blue Devils have the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class with wings Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel, along with 6-foot-11 Patrick Ngongba coming in as well.
After a disappointing season by their standards, I expect the Jayhawks to reload and be a top-five team next season. Bill Self has wasted little time, bringing in a pair of quality transfers in South Dakota State’s Zeke Mayo and Florida’s Riley Kugel. With Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams likely returning, the biggest question is simple: Will Hunter Dickinson come back for one final season of college basketball? We shall see. The freshman name to watch: five-star center Flory Bidunga.
Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert are back for the Cyclones, who are coming off a 29-8 season and a Sweet 16. With a veteran backcourt intact, Milan Momcilovic projected to be back and other potential offseason additions on the horizon, there are plenty of known commodities with T.J. Otzelberger’s team in a world where there’s uncertainty surrounding many others.
After a ninth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and a strong finish to the 2023-24 campaign, Mark Few has good roster continuity heading into 2024-25. Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman can continue to charge the backcourt, and the Zags got another weapon to supplement the perimeter with Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi (17.2 PPG, 9.9 RPG). Ben Gregg and Graham Ike headline the frontcourt, with a solid bench in place as well. The Zags are in great shape.
The Wildcats have one of the best records in college basketball over the last three years, boasting an 88-20 mark in the Tommy Lloyd era, but they’ve been as disappointing as anybody in the NCAA Tournament. How will they handle the move to the Big 12, where they will have to meet the likes of Kansas, Houston, Iowa State and others in their league? Lloyd has the roster to be one of the nation’s best teams with Kylan Boswell, Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis back, along with a top-five recruiting class headlined by Carter Bryant and Joson Sanon.
The Volunteers are in the top 10 because they’ve won at a high level in recent seasons and have familiar faces back next year, starting with point guard Zakai Zeigler. I would expect that we see growth from Jordan Gainey and Jahmai Mashack, while big man Jonas Aidoo returns as well. Dalton Knecht will likely be moving on to the NBA, but Tennessee will have the assets to acquire transfer portal help as well.
You cannot doubt Kelvin Sampson. He has gone 97-15 over the last three seasons, took his program to the Big 12 this year and, after many thought there could be some growing pains, led them to a regular-season championship. I would think that LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp are back, with Jamal Shead’s status being up in the air. Houston is going to have enough roster continuity, and Sampson will find some good supplemental players in the portal to make this a top-10 team.
The Boilermakers will be saying goodbye to an all-time college great and two-time national player of the year in Zach Edey, but when you have the level of talent and experience they have coming back, you’re going to have it a lot better than many other rosters throughout the country. Braden Smith is an All-American, Fletcher Loyer is only going to keep getting better, Mason Gillis will return, Camden Heide is a breakout candidate, and Matt Painter ushers in a top-15 recruiting class. The Boilers will keep on steaming ahead.
It’s time for the Kam Jones Show to take center stage. Tyler Kolek was as good as any point guard in college basketball throughout the last two seasons, but as a result, it felt like Jones didn’t get the attention he always deserved. Averaging over 17 points per game this past season, the rising senior will lead Shaka Smart’s program, which has won a combined 56 games over the last two years. Stalwart defender Stevie Mitchell will be back as well, and look for David Joplin and Ben Gold to make up a sneaky good and versatile frontcourt. Don’t forget about Chase Ross and what he could mean to this team, while Tre Norman and Zaide Lowery should make a sophomore leap.
11. North Carolina Tar Heels
12. Florida Gators
13. Baylor Bears
14. Alabama Crimson Tide
15. Auburn Tigers
16. Creighton Bluejays
17. Saint Mary’s Gaels
18. Miami Hurricanes
19. UCLA Bruins
20. Arkansas Razorbacks
21. BYU Cougars
22. Mississippi State Bulldogs
23. Maryland Terrapins
24. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
25. Xavier Musketeers
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
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