College basketball rankings: Top 25 teams entering the 2023-24 season
After a long offseason, college basketball is finally back. The season is set to tip off on Monday with 352 teams set to begin the journey to try and cut down the nets in Glendale in April.
Preseason polls are out and it's almost guaranteed to be an exercise in futility since the 2023 Final Four featured four teams no one projected to get that far in November. There is still value in setting expectations for the college basketball season, so let's look at the Top 25 teams ahead of the season's tip-off.
FanSided's College Basketball Rankings: Preseason Top 25
25. Villanova Wildcats
Kyle Neptune's first year as head coach ended in disappointment but he did good work attacking the transfer portal to add four impact players, including former Kentucky big man Lance Ware and grad transfer Tyler Burton from Richmond. That experience, combined with a full season of health from Justin Moore, should help the Wildcats get back to the dance.
24. UCLA Bruins
Losing Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell will lower the ceiling of UCLA but Mick Cronin's Bruins are getting slept on. Sophomore big man Adem Bona will serve as a leader for a team that has seven freshmen vying to contribute as the Bruins should get better as the calendar turns.
23. Baylor Bears
Scott Drew lost a lot of talent to graduation and the NBA but he has put together an interesting mix of five-star freshmen, impact transfers and JuCo additions to round out the roster. It will take time for the Bears to gel, which isn't always easy in the rugged Big 12.
22. Alabama Crimson Tide
The Crimson Tide aren't nearly as deep as last year's 1-seed but Nate Oats' cupboard isn't exactly bare. Mark Sears lends a steady hand at the point while North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson provides experience to help lead a team that will be reliant on contributions from a loaded freshmen class to contend in the SEC.
21. North Carolina Tar Heels
Expectations are lower for North Carolina after last year's epic flameout from No. 1 in the preseason polls to missing the NCAA Tournament entirely but the leadership of the team that went to the national title game in 2022 is still around. R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot will serve as anchors for the Tar Heels, who added five players from the transfer portal to supplement their rotation and have a viable path toward the top of an ACC that has trended downwards in recent years.