Fansided

College basketball rankings 2022-23: UNC, Gonzaga headline FanSided preseason Top 25

By Mike Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 24: Drew Timme #2 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the second half in the Sweet Sixteen round game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Chase Center on March 24, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 24: Drew Timme #2 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the second half in the Sweet Sixteen round game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Chase Center on March 24, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 17: Isaiah Wilkins #1 of the Longwood Lancers and Josiah-Jordan James #30 of the Tennessee Volunteers compete for a rebound in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 17, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 17: Isaiah Wilkins #1 of the Longwood Lancers and Josiah-Jordan James #30 of the Tennessee Volunteers compete for a rebound in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 17, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

FanSided Preseason Top 25 College Basketball Rankings

15. Villanova Wildcats

The big news surrounding the Wildcats was Jay Wright’s surprise decision to retire after making the Final Four last season. Long-time assistant Kyle Neptune returned to succeed Wright at Villanova and impressed by guiding a struggling Fordham program to relevance last season in his only year at the helm of the Rams’ program.

Returners Caleb Daniels, Eric Dixon and Brandon Slater offer plenty of firepower for the Wildcats, who should also get Justin Moore back at some point in January after a torn Achilles in the Elite Eight. There is some solid depth for Villanova as well, who may benefit from not being the clear Big East favorites as they have been for the past several years.

14. Texas Longhorns

The addition of Chris Beard as their head coach helped Texas finally win a game in the NCAA Tournament last season but the Longhorns have bigger goals this year. Beard returns three key players in Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen and Christian Bishop but the new additions give Texas sleeper Final Four potential.

Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter is a former Big 12 Freshman of the Year and should be a key contributor right away but the exciting part is Beard’s recruiting class, which was the sixth-best in the country. Forward Dillon Mitchell and point guard Arterio Morris are the headliners among the freshmen and their ability to integrate into the rotation could define Texas’ true upside.

13. TCU Horned Frogs

One of the biggest surprises in the Big 12 last season was TCU, which won a tournament game for the first time since 1987 and nearly upset No. 1 seed Arizona to advance to the Sweet 16. Jamie Dixon has done tremendous work at his alma mater and is now poised to have the Horned Frogs contend for a Big 12 title.

All five starters for TCU are upperclassmen with point guard Mike Miles Jr and center Eddie Lampkin Jr establishing themselves with huge performances in the NCAA Tournament. The combination of talent and experience here could help the Horned Frogs deliver their best season in years.

12. Tennessee Volunteers

It looked as if the Volunteers were a stealth Final Four contender last season but Rick Barnes’ team fell apart in the Round of 32 with an upset loss to Michigan. The losses of Kennedy Chandler and John Fulkerson hurt but Tennessee does have a lot of key pieces back from last year’s team, including four seniors in the starting lineup.

The key to this group will be how Zekai Zegler fares as the starting point guard in place of Chandler, who turned pro after a stellar freshman year. Zegler was a spark plug off the bench in his freshman year but will now be asked to become a more efficient player as he runs the offense for a top-tier SEC program.

11. Indiana Hoosiers

The top of the Big Ten is a bit of a mystery but Indiana is poised to top the conference thanks to a deep roster loaded with returning players. The frontcourt has been the Hoosiers’ strength for the past few years and that will continue with Race Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis back for their senior seasons.

Jackson-Davis is a walking double-double machine who flirted with the NBA before deciding to come back to Bloomington for one final season. Combining those two seniors with fellow senior point guard Xavier Johnson gives second-year coach Mike Woodson a tremendous foundation to build a Big Ten champion.