Just beat UConn. Maybe that’s all that matters in 2024-25. The Huskies have college basketball by the scruff after bulldozing its way to a second-straight National Championship. Even though legendary Purdue big man Zach Edey went off for 37 points, UConn was in total cruise control for most of the second half of Monday’s 75-60 National Title game victory. This dynasty just marches onward.
Hurley joked about retiring. Some rivals probably wouldn’t be mad about that. But that’s a bombshell that isn’t happening.
Is it repeatable (again) next season?
“I know things are going to be a little crazy for the next 10 days,” Hurley said. “Unfortunately we’re going to head into the portal, like everybody else now. I’ve been dreading this moment. But now we’re here. We’re going to be focusing on trying to put together a three-year run, not just a two-year run.”
What teams are going to be in their way?
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Let’s dive into a way-too-early look ahead to the best 25 teams in the country and 10 extra teams who are also under consideration. (This exercise feels so, so, so impossible right now).
Bill Self is not messing around after arguably the worst season of his Kansas tenure. Self is expected to get Dajuan Harris, KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson back for another ride, and Zeke Mayo (from South Dakota State) and Riley Kugel (from Florida) are two big-time transfers to add to KU’s top-10 recruiting class. This roster is so much better already. If Kansas can somehow get Johnny Furphy back for his sophomore season, the Jayhawks will be banner-hunting again.
Gonzaga is losing Anton Watson but inserting Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi into his spot makes too much sense. Special things can happen for second-year transfers. If Gonzaga gets both Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike back, the point guard-big man duo could be tremendous in 2024-25. Gonzaga could have some high-level complementary pieces like Steele Venters, Braden Huff, Ben Gregg and Dusty Stromer back in the mix, too. This squad is jam-packed with talent.
RELATED: UConn wins national championship: Dan Hurley, players sound off on historic season
Armando Bacot is out of eligibility, but this UNC backcourt could be something special in 2024-25. RJ Davis, Seth Trimble and Elliot Cadeau could all return, and five-star guard Ian Jackson is primed and ready to go. UNC is making moves in the portal for a big man, and it may have to hit the wings market hard if Harrison Ingram goes pro. But if both Davis and Ingram return, look out. Davis would likely be the preseason National Player of the Year.
Cooper Flagg is the headliner of Duke’s glitzy, top-ranked 2024 recruiting class, but he’s far from the only dawg head coach Jon Scheyer has cruising into Cameron. 7-foot-1, 250-pound center Khaman Maluach looks every bit the part of an immediate-impact piece, and five-stars like Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel will be itching to get rolling.
All eyes are on this backcourt. Duke needs a strong showing in the retention game. That is still in the works. Jared McCain is likely off to the 2024 NBA Draft, but if Duke can get Jeremy Roach, Caleb Foster and/or Tyrese Proctor back, it is cooking with gas. They need some experience back. It can’t just rely on Flagg and the youngsters.
Aaron Estrada is the lone rotation player who Alabama is slated to lose. Of course, there will be attrition, but Nate Oats rebuffed Kentucky’s recent advances and looks more than ready to build off an improbable Final Four run. If Alabama can get Mark Sears, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Grant Nelson and Rylan Griffen back for another season, whew baby.
Five-star Derrion Reid and a No. 7-rated recruiting class is on the way. You know Alabama will make money moves in the transfer portal. Pepperdine’s Houston Mallette was a strong start, and more could be on the way. Oats could have some incredible offensive talent in Tuscaloosa, yet again. Just shore up that defense, and Alabama could be back to Final Four contention.
Jamal Shead is expected to chase his NBA dreams, but Kelvin Sampson can get a sterling corps of difference-makers back. Emanuel Sharp, LJ Cryer and J’Wan Roberts can be a three-headed monster. Ja’Vier Francis and JoJo Tugler would help Houston’s frontcourt stay so nasty. And Houston is big-game hunting in the transfer portal, especially for the vacant point guard gig. Odds are strong that Sampson will get a good one.
Zakai Zeigler is one of the best guards in the SEC, and Jonas Aidoo can be an All-League big man in 2024-25. Another step from those two can help alleviate the huge crater Dalton Knecht is leaving behind. Attrition is always expected for a talent-laden program like Tennessee, but the Vols should be in great shape if role players like Tobe Awaka, JP Estrella, Jahmai Mashack, Jordan Gainey and Cameron Carr all run it back.
Knecht provides Tennessee with one helluva “proof of concept” for any and all portal pitches. If the Vols add a few wings and keep the top dawgs, the Vols will be firmly in the mix for another SEC Championship.
Tamin Lipsey, Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones would be one heck of a backcourt trio for T.J. Otzelberger to build around. If Iowa State can get Milan Momcilovic back, that’d be huge for a club that is already doing work in the transfer portal. Northern Iowa transfer Nate Heise is going to corkscrew his way onto the floor, no matter what. Otzelberger is on the verge of building his best-ever Iowa State backcourt.
Arizona’s ballyhooed recruiting class is on tap, headlined by Carter Bryant and Joson Sanon, but head coach Tommy Lloyd needs some answers from his potential returners.
Oumar Ballo entered the transfer portal on Tuesday and the big man will be highly coveted. Key lynchpins like Caleb Love, Pelle Larsson and Kylan Boswell have decisions to make. Getting KJ Lewis and Motiejus Krivas back should be doable for Arizona, and the soon-to-be-sophomores look like real difference-makers next year. Jaden Bradley should return for a big role in 2024-25. If Arizona’s youngsters click and Lloyd does his usual terrific work in the portal, Arizona will have a sky-high upside.
RELATED: UNC, Michigan State headline best fits for No. 1 transfer prospect Oumar Ballo
Dan Hurley can bask in a second-straight National Championship for as long as his heart desires, but some insane roster-building is on tap for the UConn dynasty. Four starters are gone (Tristen Newton, Donovan Clingan, Cam Spencer and Stephon Castle) and Alex Karaban could easily make it a fifth. UConn will likely enter the 2024 cycle needing to revamp the roster with transfers to complement young, talented weapons like Solo Ball, Jaylin Stewart, Jayden Ross, Samson Johnson and Ahmad Nowell.
Will Johnson and Hassan Diarra be ready for way bigger roles? To be fully transparent, ranking UConn right now is an impossible stunt. If Karaban comes back and Hurley does the Lord’s work in the portal, UConn is flirting with top-5 status.
RELATED: UConn’s roster outlook as it goes for a 3-peat
11. Auburn Tigers: Prized freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford is on the way to an Auburn club that will still be brimming with talent. Chad Baker-Mazara is already back, and Denver Jones could be an absolute star in his second year with the Tigers. Oh, and Johni Broome could cash in on his All-American season with another huge payday for his fifth and final year of collegiate eligibility. The bones of another outstanding Auburn club are not hard to envision with the right offseason navigations.
12. Purdue Boilermakers: Matt Painter might not have Zach Edey, but the Boilers aren’t going anywhere. Braden Smith will be the best point guard in the Big Ten next year until proven otherwise. Fletcher Loyer can take another jump. Painter believes Trey Kaufman-Renn has a shot to be a flat-out star, and Purdue has three young wings (Camden Heide, Myles Colvin and Kanon Catchings) who each have a chance to be really, really good.
13. Marquette Golden Eagles: Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro seem ticketed for the NBA, but Marquette’s core is so strong and reliable. We got a taste of what Kam Jones could do when Kolek was sidelined with an injury in the Big East Tournament. Jones could be special next season as the go-to piece. Stevie Mitchell, David Joplin, Sean Jones, Chase Ross, Ben Gold, Tre Norman and Zaide Lowery all got lots of experience last year in bigger roles. That could pay off in the long run. Keep an eye on Gold. The sweet-shooting big man is going to be a playa’.
14. Miami Hurricanes: Miami’s frontcourt had to get tweaked in a hurry, and the staff did just that, reeling in Virginia Tech’s Lynn Kidd and East Carolina’s Brandon Johnson. Nijel Pack will return for a fifth season of college basketball, and Miami’s backcourt could be tremendous if bouncy Wooga Poplar returns for his junior year and five-star Jalil Bethea is ready to rock ‘n’ roll. Miami could also get Matt Cleveland and Norchad Omier back for another year, but that remains up in the air. Surely, Miami won’t have this much poor injury luck again, right?
15. Baylor Bears: Five-star wing VJ Edgecombe is on the way with extremely high expectations for a roster that could be very wide open. Fellow top-50 recruits like Rob Wright and Jason Asemota could waltz into big Year 1 roles. But Baylor is going to get dudes in the transfer portal after the success stories of Ja’Kobe Walter, Yves Missi, RayJ Dennis and Jalen Bridges. The trio of Jayden Nunn, Josh Ojianwuna and Langston Love could be major ushers to Baylor’s next great team. As long as Scott Drew doesn’t leave for Kentucky, Baylor will be a factor in 2024-25.
16. BYU Cougars: Mark Pope’s name has already come up for the Kentucky vacancy, but if he sits tight in Provo, BYU should be dangerous again next winter. Every rotation player except for Spencer Johnson can return. BYU could have so much continuity and experience in the rotation next year.
17. Florida Gators: Florida has to sweat out Walter Clayton Jr.‘s stay-or-go, NBA Draft decision, but if the sharpshooting, killer guard runs it back, the Gators will be humming. Will Richard and Denzel Aberdeen look like no-doubt rotation pieces next year. Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon are two young bigs who will only get better and more seasoned while Micah Handlogten is on the mend after a gruesome leg injury in the SEC Tournament. Florida is armed with the resources to go take some huge swings in the transfer portal, and Todd Golden has a great sell after the success of both Tyrese Samuel and Zyon Pullin. Florida isn’t going anywhere.
18. Wisconsin Badgers: Wisconsin could be so old and pretty reliable next season. You know what you’re getting from Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit and Steven Crowl. John Blackwell was one of the Big Ten’s best freshmen this past season and could be a big candidate for a Year 2 jump. Big man Nolan Winter is going to be a good one, too. Yes, Connor Essegian and AJ Storr entered the portal, but Wisconsin isn’t far away from being near the top of the Big Ten pecking order next season.
19. Saint Mary’s Gaels: A trio of Mitchell Saxen, Augustas Marciulonis and Aidan Mahaney is a terrifying Big Three, and you know Randy Bennett will be flexing in the player-development department. Losing Alex Ducas (exhausted eligibility) and Joshua Jefferson (entered transfer portal) stings, but Saint Mary’s is an easy-to-trust machine.
20. Ohio State Buckeyes: Jake Diebler has a chance to be very good right away. Bruce Thornton is a monster, and South Carolina transfer Meechie Johnson could be a strong addition to an already-good backcourt. A frontcourt mix of sophomore Devin Royal and junior Felix Okpara is so fun, and Ohio State has room for more game-changers out of the portal. Can Diebler keep the mojo going?
21. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Fred Hoiberg has to do work in the portal to remake this backcourt in the wake of Keisei Tominaga’s exit, but Brice Williams, Rienk Mast, Juwan Gary and North Dakota State transfer Andrew Morgan form a strong quartet to assemble around.
22. San Diego State Aztecs: Brian Dutcher just churns out winning clubs. He can do it again in 2024-25 if Reese Waters, Miles Byrd, Elijah Saunders, Micah Parrish and Miles Heide all return. Keep an eye on BJ Davis. The soon-to-be sophomore could be one of college basketball’s breakout names next year.
23. Texas A&M Aggies: If Wade Taylor IV runs it back alongside Andersson Garcia, Henry Coleman III and Manny Obaseki, Buzz Williams should be in business. Taylor is one of the top gunners in the sport, and the Obeseki late-season revival was something. Sneaking Solomon Washington back to school for a third season would be tremendous, as well.
24. St. Louis Billikens: Josh Schertz, the bright new St. Louis coach, could have a cavalry of reinforcements on the way if Indiana State’s posse runs it back at a new destination. Another season of Robbie Avila mixed with those dangerous guards would be glorious.
25. Maryland Terrapins: JuJu Reese and five-star big man Derik Queen should form one of college basketball’s best frontcourts. Maryland’s backcourt will have so many new faces, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Belmont transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie just has to be good if Kevin Willard wants to get this program back on track.
Kentucky Wildcats: Whoever Kentucky hires is going to get dudes. Let’s check back in on the ‘Cats in a couple weeks. Maybe we’ll have a coach. And the bones of a roster.
Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood has everything he needs to construct one of the Big Ten’s most-talented rosters for next season, but it’s facing down the sights of a massive retool after very likely losing five of its top-six scorers, including All-American Terrence Shannon Jr. and do-everything big man Coleman Hawkins.
Washington Huskies: New coach Danny Sprinkle could be off to a great start if he can convince stud big man Great Osobor to follow him to Washington. Sprinkle built Utah State into a NCAA Tournament team from scratch with little NIL. Now armed with UW’s resources, Sprinkle is poised to quickly put Washington basketball back on the map.
Mississippi State Bulldogs: Josh Hubbard will be a megastar in Year 2 in Starkvegas. Chris Jans’ defense will be loaded up, per usual, but Kanye Clary could be a sneaky-nice addition to add another jolt of shot-creation to this backcourt. All eyes are on which big man Mississippi State can land in the transfer portal to replace Tolu Smith.
Creighton Bluejays: Another year of Steven Ashworth should help keep Creighton competitive, especially with sharpshooters like Mason Miller and Jackson McAndrew surrounding him. Creighton’s ceiling will certainly be determined by the work it does in the transfer portal. Replacing Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander will not be easy. Creighton could get Ryan Kalkbrenner back for another year, too. If that happens, Creighton is easily a top-20 team in the country.
UCLA Bruins: Mick Cronin isn’t playing. Kobe Johnson is an outstanding addition to UCLA’s wing rotation. Dylan Andrews was really good down the stretch and should be even better in Year 3. Sebastian Mack and UCLA’s young talented frontcourt should take major strides forward. Adem Bona is the big stay-or-go decision to watch here.
Texas Longhorns: Tyrese Hunter, Kadin Shedrick and Chendall Weaver is the start of a rotation. Five-star Tre Johnson and the No. 10 recruiting class is a bonus, but Rodney Terry has to go big-game hunting in the portal again.
New Mexico Lobos: New Mexico is trying everything to keep JT Toppin and Donovan Dent around for another season. The two rising difference-makers can be absolute superstars next season if the Lobos can keep ’em out of the portal.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are going to put on an absolute show next season for Rutgers, but the supporting cast is still a question after big pieces like Cliff Omoruyi, Gavin Griffiths and Derek Simpson entered the transfer portal. Steve Pikiell has to hit big on the role players to maximize his freshman stars.
Arkansas Razorbacks: New Arkansas coach John Calipari (that sounds weird) is going to bring in some heavy hitters because that’s just what Calipari does. As of now, Arkansas has zero players on the roster. Literally none. That’s about to quickly change, but the need for two-way portal studs will make or break the Hogs in 2024-25.
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