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

FanSided Top 25 Preseason College Basketball Rankings

5. Creighton Bluejays

No one is talking about how dangerous Creighton can be this season and that is a shame. The Bluejays gave the Jayhawks their most stiff test in the NCAA Tournament prior to the national championship game and that was minus their top two players, guard Ryan Nembhard and forward Ryan Kalkbrenner, who were sidelined with injuries.

Both are back for Creighton alongside Arthur Kaluma and Trey Alexander, giving the Bluejays elite scoring potential. South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman adds even more scoring potential to Creighton’s loaded lineup while TCU import Francisco Farabello is a tremendous glue guy for a team that has every chance to cut down the nets in April.

4. Kentucky Wildcats

The biggest beneficiaries of the NIL rules this season are Kentucky, who saw reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe return to school in lieu of going pro. Tshiebwe is the headliner for the Wildcats but Kentucky’s roster is deep from top to bottom with fellow seniors Sahvir Wheeler and Jacob Toppin adding significant experience to the starting lineup.

Head coach John Calipari has also assembled his usual all-star crew of freshmen, headlined by guard Cason Wallace and forward Chris Livingston. The Wildcats also have a deep bench and have all the pieces necessary to win the SEC and make a run at a national title.

3. Houston Cougars

Kelvin Sampson did yeoman’s work with the Cougars last season, guiding them to the Elite Eight despite losing his two best players to season-ending injuries in January. Both Tramon Mark and Marcus Sasser are healthy now, which is a scary prospect for the rest of the American Athletic Conference since Houston is loaded.

Freshman Jarace Walker is one of Sampson’s best recruits for the Cougars and figures to make an immediate impact at the four while returners Jamal Shead and J’Wan Roberts are ready to step into bigger roles. This year’s Final Four will be held in Houston so there is extra motivation for the Cougars to try and get back there with a chance to win it all in front of their hometown fans.

2. Gonzaga Bulldogs

It feels like a matter of when Gonzaga will put it all together and win a national championship after two dominant regular seasons have come up short in recent years. Drew Timme’s decision to return for his senior season keeps the Bulldogs in the national title conversation as Gonzaga brings back the vast majority of its rotation from a year ago.

Mark Few also hit the transfer portal to add Chattanooga star Malachi Smith, the reigning SoCon Player of the Year, as a source of instant offense. The pressure also isn’t on Gonzaga as the top team in the preseason polls for the first time in three years, which could help Few quietly assemble his best rotation in the early going.

1. North Carolina Tar Heels

Last season’s stunning run to the national title game was a boon for Hubert Davis’ team as it convinced several key players to forgo pro opportunities to return to Chapel Hill to resolve their unfinished business. Armando Bacot and Caleb Love headline the roster for North Carolina, which brings back nearly every key rotation player outside of Brady Manek, who exhausted his eligibility after the season.

Davis filled Manek’s role with Northwestern transfer Pete Nance, arguably the top player in the portal this season, allowing the rich to get richer. The one worry for the Tar Heels is that they fall into the same trap as UCLA did last season by sleeping through the regular season and proving unable to flip the switch when the NCAA Tournament begins.

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.