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NCAA basketball 2020-2021: Preseason Top 25 college basketball rankings

By Mike Phillips

COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - JANUARY 30: Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes in action against the Maryland Terrapins during the first half at Xfinity Center on January 30, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND - JANUARY 30: Luka Garza #55 of the Iowa Hawkeyes in action against the Maryland Terrapins during the first half at Xfinity Center on January 30, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

10. Wisconsin Badgers

The top of the Big Ten is loaded this season as a Wisconsin team capable of winning it in any year is our third-ranked school out of the conference this season. The Badgers started slowly last season but caught fire when Ohio State transfer Micah Potter became eligible after the first semester, finishing the year with a share of the Big Ten title after going 16-5 when he entered the rotation. Potter is back this year along with all five Wisconsin starters, a huge continuity edge in an unusual offseason. The Badgers are a deep team that should be capable of winning the conference and making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament once again.

9. Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky is back with another group of talented freshmen as B.J. Boston, Terrence Clarke and Devin Askew are the latest fabulous freshmen to take the court in Lexington as Kentucky remains the favorites in the SEC for another year. The key to the Wildcats’ success could be in the frontcourt, where returner Keion Brooks will team with Wake Forest transfer Olivier Sarr to give Kentucky a nice inside presence. Sarr’s waiver from the NCAA grants him immediate eligibility and adds a key veteran leader to a typically young Kentucky team.

8. Duke Blue Devils

The Blue Devils underachieved by their lofty standards in the 2019-20 season when their latest freshmen crop didn’t live up to the heights that the Zion Williamson-R.J. Barrett-Cam Reddish trio reached in the prior year. Mike Krzyzewski is back at it again with another excellent team featuring key returners Wendell Moore and Matthew Hurt to go alongside top freshmen like Jalen Johnson, Jeremy Roach and Mark Williams. The top newcomer is Johnson, who has ACC Player of the Year potential as a do-everything wing. One key for the Blue Devils will be getting more effective outside shooting, which could create better spacing for their athletic wings to attack the basket.

7. Illinois Fighting Illini

It’s been a minute since the Fighting Illini were really relevant nationally but this group can win the Big Ten and more. Brad Underwood has done a tremendous job rebuilding Illinois’ program and got a huge boost for this season when Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmu passed on going pro in order to return to school. The pair was Illinois’ best players a year ago and re-join a deep rotation that gets even deeper with a star-studded freshmen class featuring outstanding talent at guard like Adam Miller and Andre Curbelo. Keeping this team from feeling too much pressure could be the key to seeing the Illini reach their massive ceiling in 2020.

6. Iowa Hawkeyes

The other top contender in the Big Ten is Iowa, which is an unusual position for a Hawkeyes’ program that tends to top out at about fifth or sixth in the conference. Having the favorite for the National Player of the Year award helps as center Luka Garza is poised to dominate in the paint all season long. Garza will get plenty of help from a deep rotation returning the likes of Joe Wieskamp, Jordan Bohannon and Joe Toussaint. This is Fran McCaffery’s best chance to get to a Final Four with Iowa so the heat will be on to ensure this group lives up to the hype.