College basketball rankings: Top 25 teams entering the 2023-24 season

10. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Drew Timme is gone and with him went a lot of the massive hype for Gonzaga, which has been a staple near the top of the polls, but perhaps lowered expectations will serve the Bulldogs well. Three starters are back for Gonzaga, which will add Wyoming transfer Graham Ike to help fill Timme's massive shoes down low.

9. Tennessee Volunteers

Experience is the name of the game for the Volunteers, who bring back three key starters from last year's team in guards Zakai Zegler, Santiago Vescovi and Josiah Jordan-James. The addition of Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht will hopefully add a bit more punch to a Tennesee attack that has struggled to put the ball in the basket in March.

8. Arizona Wildcats

The exodus of UCLA's Final Four crew has put Arizona in the driver's seat to be the top team in the final year of the Pac-12 as we know it. North Carolina transfer Caleb Love will join returners Oumar Ballo and Pelle Larsson to seek redemption for a Wildcats team that was upset by 15-seed Princeton back in March.

7. Creighton Bluejays

A controversial foul call in the Elite Eight denied the Bluejays a trip to the Final Four but Ryan Kalkbrenner, Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander give Creighton a three-man attack capable of doing serious damage in March. Head coach Gregg McDermott added more experience with three high-level transfers to try and help the Bluejays get over the hump and reach the Final Four.

6. UConn Huskies

The reigning national champs lost a lot of key contributors to the NBA but Dan Hurley's machine is set to keep rolling as senior guard Tristen Newton is set to lead the way while role players like Donovan Clingan and Alex Karaban are set to take on bigger roles. Five-star freshman guard Stephon Castle's ability to acclimate to Big East play could be the key to UConn setting itself up to try and become the first repeat champion in college basketball since the 2006-07 Florida Gators.