SEC stacked, everyone else fricked per ESPN's latest CBB Preseason Top 25

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Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25:

Updated Aug. 1, 2023

1. Kansas Jayhawks
2. Duke Blue Devils
3. Purdue Boilermakers
4. Michigan State Spartans
5. UConn Huskies
6. Houston Cougars
7. Gonzaga Bulldogs

8. Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee dropped a couple of spots following the departure of Chris Ledlum, who decommitted in July after transferring to Knoxville from Harvard earlier this offseason. Even without him, though, Rick Barnes' team is well-positioned to be ranked around the top 10 to start the season. The Vols still bring in Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado) and Jordan Gainey (South Carolina Upstate) to boost their perimeter scoring, while getting all-SEC guard Santiago Vescovi and veteran starter Josiah-Jordan James back for another year. Zakai Zeigler's health and availability will be the key.

9. Florida Atlantic Owls
10. Marquette Golden Eagles
11. Arizona Wildcats
12. San Diego State Aztecs
13. Creighton Bluejays

14. Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas was busy on NBA draft deadline day, seeing top recruiting target Ron Holland go to the G League, while retaining Devo Davis and losing Jordan Walsh to the NBA. Eric Musselman's team is absolutely loaded on the perimeter, with Davis and top-30 recruit Layden Blocker joining four experienced transfer guards. If Trevon Brazile is healthy, the frontcourt shouldn't be an issue, either. Cincinnati transfer Jeremiah Davenport provides a different dimension at power forward.

15. North Carolina Tar Heels
16. Villanova Wildcats

17. Kentucky Wildcats

While questions remain over the experience and youth of this season's squad, there are no doubts about the talent level in Lexington. In ESPN's 2024 mock draft, released late last month, the Wildcats have two of the four highest-ranked college players (Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner) and five players (Edwards, Wagner, Ugonna Onyenso, Aaron Bradshaw, Robert Dillingam) ranked inside the top 40 overall. If the newcomers can get on the same page, Calipari is spoiled for options.

18. Miami Hurricanes

19. Texas A&M Aggies

Will the Aggies pick up where they left off in the second half of 2022-23, when they won 19 of 22 games before falling in the SEC championship game and the first round of the NCAA tournament? Having Wade Taylor IV back to run the show is a huge plus, while Buzz Williams also has three other returning starters after Tyrece Radford decided to come back. Dexter Dennis is the lone starter leaving, but transfers Jace Carter (UIC) and Eli Lawrence (Middle Tennessee) will help replace him.

20. Baylor Bears
21. USC Trojans

22. Alabama Crimson Tide

The roster machinations have not slowed in Tuscaloosa. After an NBA draft withdrawal deadline that saw Jahvon Quinerly and Mark Sears return but Charles Bediako depart, Quinerly then opted to enter the transfer portal. Nate Oats responded by landing North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson and five-star big man Jarin Stevenson -- and is still in pursuit of more players in the portal. The Tide will be heavily reliant on transfers and could still use another player up front.

23. Saint Mary's Gaels

24. Texas Longhorns

Rodney Terry did an incredible job taking over for Chris Beard last season, guiding the Longhorns to 29 wins, a Big 12 conference tournament title and an Elite Eight appearance. But now comes the reloading process. Texas brings back Tyrese Hunter at point guard and landed Oral Roberts transfer Max Abmas, one of the premier scorers in college basketball. Dillon Mitchell taking a step forward will be the key, although top-50 recruit and former Kansas commit Chris Johnson provides another option.

25. St. John's Red Storm

Next in line:

Colorado Buffaloes
Wisconsin Badgers
Florida Gators
Auburn Tigers
Kansas State Wildcats

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