College basketball rankings: Way-too-early Top 25 for 2019-20

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks with Cassius Winston #5 in the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 15: Xavier Musketeers guard Paul Scruggs (1) during the first half of the Big East Conference semi final college basketball game between the Villanova Wildcats and the Xavier Musketeers on March 15, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Is this surprising? It shouldn’t be if you’ve followed the Musketeers over the course of the season and realize what they bring back as well as the incoming freshmen and even a solid transfer.

Xavier won seven of its final nine regular season games and earned a bid to the NIT, winning its first round game before getting bounced by eventual champion Texas. The Musketeers improved by the week and they return their top four scorers in Naji Marshall, Paul Scruggs, Tyrique Jones and Quentin Goodin.

Travis Steele’s first season as the head coach can be labeled as a success because he didn’t post a losing record and he’s set up for high expectations in 2019-20.

To top it all off, the Musketeers are bringing in the No. 20 recruiting class in the nation with four four-star prospects and one three-star, headlined by top-100 combo guard KyKy Tandy — they have three more top-150 prospects.

And remember the name Jason Carter, an Ohio transfer with two remaining years of eligibility who is eligible right away after averaging 16.5 points with the Bobcats last season.

This team should be stacked.