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College basketball rankings: 2020-2021 way-too-early Top 25 – Villanova, Gonzaga vie for No. 1

By Connor Muldowney

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats talks with head coach Jay Wright during the game against the St. John's Red Storm at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats talks with head coach Jay Wright during the game against the St. John's Red Storm at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 07: Tyger Campbell #10 of the UCLA Bruins looks to pass the ball during the game against the USC Trojans at Galen Center on March 7, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 07: Tyger Campbell #10 of the UCLA Bruins looks to pass the ball during the game against the USC Trojans at Galen Center on March 7, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

20. North Carolina Tar Heels

If you were a fan of North Carolina last season, you probably want to forget it even happened and are likely ecstatic that there was no NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels weren’t destined for postseason play, going just 14-19 in a nightmarish regular season. They began the year in the top 10, but injuries struck, including Cole Anthony who is likely to test the NBA draft waters, but an impressive recruiting class joins an already solid roster. Turnaround is likely.

19. West Virginia Mountaineers

Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers took a big step in the first half of the season, climbing all the way up the polls into the top 10 before coming back down to earth. That’s what happens to young teams and that’s why the outlook is good for 2019-20. West Virginia was young but another year of experience and solid defense should have them near the top of the Big 12.

18. UCLA Bruins

When UCLA began its season, fans were fully expecting a rebuilding year. It was the first season of Mick Cronin and there wasn’t a ton of talent on the roster. That all changed in the second half of the year when something clicked with this team and they made a major push for the Pac-12 title. The mid-season turnaround had them tourney-bound, led by Tyger Campbell and Chris Smith. Both could return and UCLA also brings in the seventh-highest ranked signee in program history in Daishen Nix who could pair with Campbell to develop an elite backcourt.

17. Oregon Ducks

From one Pac-12 team to another, Oregon has a slight edge on UCLA, but it’s not by much. The Ducks lose All-American guard Payton Pritchard and that’s going to be a major blow, but they bring in an uber-athletic point guard from Michigan in Jalen Terry. He could be a fan favorite early on and they also bring in Rutgers transfer Eugene Omoruyi and Duquesne transfer Eric Williams Jr. to bolster the roster with experience. This team will be at the top of the Pac-12 again.

16. Michigan Wolverines

Year two of Juwan Howard is coming with more excitement. He has recruited better than John Beilein ever did in a short period of time, landing the fourth-best incoming class and Josh Christopher is a five-star who could still choose the Wolverines. Losing Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske will hurt, but bringing in that recruiting class along with a roster that went 19-12 and has budding stars like Franz Wagner, Isaiah Livers and David DeJulius and they have a national contender.