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NCAA basketball rankings Top 50 2021: Gonzage, UCLA vie for No. 1; Duke, Michigan, Kentucky in Top 10

By Mike Phillips

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 05: Drew Timme #2 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts during the first half in the National Championship game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Baylor Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 05, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 05: Drew Timme #2 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts during the first half in the National Championship game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Baylor Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 05, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 11: Julian Champagnie #2 of the St. John’s Red Storm takes a shot during the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament – Quarterfinals college basketball game against the Seton Hall Pirates at Madison Square Garden on March 11, 2021, in New York City. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 11: Julian Champagnie #2 of the St. John’s Red Storm takes a shot during the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament – Quarterfinals college basketball game against the Seton Hall Pirates at Madison Square Garden on March 11, 2021, in New York City. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

College basketball rankings for the 2021-2022 season.

It has been just over seven months since Baylor cut down the nets with a dramatic upset of Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament but the time has come to start the journey to March Madness anew. There will be plenty of headlines to follow over the course of the season, including Mike Krzyzewski’s swan song as Duke head coach and Gonzaga’s attempt to finally claim its elusive first national title.

With hundreds of games to be played, a lot can change between now and Selection Sunday. Let’s kick off the season with a look at the top 50 teams in the land, setting the stage for an interesting experiment to look back on in March to see how many of these teams actually reached the dance.

NCAA basketball rankings Top 50 for 2021-2022

50. St. John’s Red Storm (Big East)

A strong finish to the 2020-21 campaign led to enthusiasm for what the program could look like in Mike Anderson’s third year. The return of star wing Julian Champagnie is also critical as the Red Storm looks to build momentum towards a return to the NCAA Tournament.

49. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (ACC)

The Fighting Irish bring back five of their top six scorers from a year ago, headlined by Prentiss Hubb and Dane Goodwin. Mike Brey’s team hasn’t gone dancing in four years but a wide-open middle of the pack in the ACC could lift Notre Dame into the bubble hunt.

48. Nevada Wolf Pack (Mountain West)

The best mid-major player outside of Spokane may well be Grant Sherfield, who torched the Mountain West last season after transferring in from Wichita State. Nevada also adds impact transfers A.J. Bramah and Will Baker to the frontcourt to give the Wolf Pack its most complete team since Eric Musselman was still patrolling4 the baseline.

47. Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12)

New head coach Porter Moser has transformed Oklahoma’s roster with six transfers and three talented freshmen joining just four returning players. Moser’s track record of success at Loyola-Chicago is encouraging as the Sooners look to begin a new era in the rugged Big 12.

46. Seton Hall Pirates (Big East)

Losing Sandro Mamukelashvili will sting for the Pirates but Kevin Willard made a big pickup to help fill some of the scoring load by landing Syracuse transfer Kadary Richmond. The addition of Richmond to a solid core headlined by veterans Jared Rhoden and Myles Cale should help Seton Hall do just fine in the loaded Big East.