2024-25 College Basketball Top 50
2024-25 College Basketball Top 50
After writing an in-depth review of the A-10, AAC, ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, MVC, MWC, SEC and WCC, it's time to complete my top 50! Rankings and analysis per team are below.
Introduction
As a fun way to prepare for this upcoming college basketball season, I have written over ten conference reviews.
Let’s finish this in style with a top 50 ranking. With over 125 in-depth 3K+ worded player scouting reports, several Mock Drafts, and Big Boards, this newsletter has consistent content.
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I have crazy-ambitious goals. After writing more than 80 in-depth scouting reports for the 2024 NBA Draft, I want to push that to 125+ for this year’s cycle! On top of that, you’ll get consistent college basketball-related content, with some Division II and JUCO content throughout the season!
Top 25
In this article, I went in-depth into my Top 25 ranking, of which the summary can be found below.
Hereafter we’ll start ranking the teams from 26 to 50!
Rankings
26. Clemson
It’s a career-changing year for Chase Hunter. He’ll have to continue what PJ Hall and Hunter Tyson left for him in the last two years. After Clemson’s run for the Elite Eight, the Tigers addressed their frontcourt need with Cincinnati’s Viktor Lakhin, while Ian Schieffelin is another name who’ll see his usage and role improve.
To take away pressure from Hunter, Jaeden Zackery has to step up for Coach Brownell who’s entering his fifteenth season in South Carolina. One of this team’s X factors is incoming freshman Dallas Thomas, who has been one of the conference’s more underrated recruits this past summer.
27. Cincinnati
The Bearcats were one of the best defenses in the Big 12 last season. And that’s yet again the case for this upcoming cycle. They lost their two starters Viktor Lakhin and John Newman III, while replacing highly-touted freshman Tyler Betsey and one of college basketball’s best athletes Dillon Mitchell.
Improving their offense is what will make or break Cincinnatti’s season. Jizzle James is set to take on a bigger role, while Skillings, Jr., and Lukosius are consistent offensive weapons they can rely on.
Keeping a big body underneath the basket in Bandaogo will help Coach Miller play in a more traditional lineup when he has to while improving his shooting depth with Connor Hickman, a 40%+ shooter who had a fantastic season at Bradley in the Missouri Valley conference.
28. Texas Tech
After a fantastic season, Pop Isaacs left Tech for the Big East, while Joe Toussaint ended his collegiate career in style, scoring over twelve points per game before turning pro. The Red Raiders are one of the best recruiting teams in the country when it comes to exploiting the transfer portal.
And they did it again! Adding a solid perimeter scorer in Overton from Drake, on top of getting one of the best freshmen of last year in JT Toppin makes it easier for Coach McCasland to replace the offense that left the program. While adding a true playmaker in Elijah Hawkins, all eyes or set on Christian Anderson, Jr. who was one of the best guards in the FIBA-organized summer tournaments with Germany.
Returning a key rotational piece in both Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian gives Texas Tech a much-needed squad full of depth, with several options who can take over games, with the ability to play a four, or even five-out style of offense for the majority of the minutes, but also playing in a more traditional line-up with a defensive anchor in Federiko Federiko, who came over from Pittsburgh.
29. Michigan State
Jaden Akins. That’s the majority of why I am so high on Michigan State. Coach Izzo is a developing coach, and we all know he doesn’t like to acquire guys via the portal. With Fidler suiting up an acquired Spartan, their starting five will gain another scoring punch, alongside Xavier Booker, Tre Holloman, and Coen Carr, who are all ready to take on more minutes and usage. On top of that, Jeremy Fears will take on the role of the playmaking point guard and get rewarded with more ball touches.
Entering his senior year, Akins can be the number one option for his Michigan State Spartans. Each year, he sacrificed for the greater good, and now Coach Izzo will reward him by making it his team. Akins staying loyal says a lot about his character, but also about the program that one of the greatest legends of college basketball has set up.
30. Arkansas
After fifteen years spent in Lexington, KY, Calipari made the inner-conference move to Arkansas where the all-time great built up a new roster. The Hogs returning Trevon Brazile, while adding top transfers in Johnell Davis and Jonas Aidoo gives them a core of guys who played winning basketball.
With Adou Thiero, Zvonimir Ivisic, and DJ Wagner following Coach Calipari to Fayetteville, this team’s depth is what will carry them throughout the season. With highly regarded recruits in Karter Knox, Boogie Fland, and Billy Richmond, it might take a few games for the coaching staff to figure out what’s the best starting and closing five. The logjam at guard with a high-usage senior in Johnell Davis might hurt DJ Wagner and Boogie Fland’s minutes and on-ball touches, while Brazile will be the clear starter over Knox who’ll likely play in the second unit.
Arkansas has the firepower on paper to compete for the top spots. Despite recent struggles in the NCAA Tournament, Coach Calipari built up a situation to get himself past the first weekend and compete for an Elite 8 spot in his first season.
31. St. John’s
The Johnnies are in a unique situation. They managed to acquire an elite defensive guard tandem in Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith. However, their lack of consistent shooting is what got in their way this past season. While all eyes are on Simeon Wilcher and Brady Dunlap, the majority of college basketball fans should instead focus on their incoming tandem of Europeans: Lefteris Liotopoulos (Greece) and Rúben Prey (Portugal) for whom I both expect an impactful role.
Richmond could reach an All-American status, while Pitino’s defensive style will be applied successfully with Smith alongside him. RJ Luis is a creative scorer, and with North Texas transfer Aaron Scott, they get an excellent connecting big wing. This team’s biggest question mark is what will happen at the center position. Vincent Iwuchukwu is healthy and ready to play good minutes, with freshman Khaman Maker playing spot minutes.
At the end of the day, the Johnnies will be a tournament team, but they will trail behind three very good conference rivals, and that’s no shame.
32. Saint Mary’s
I keep saying this, Saint Mary’s is one of the best four-year schools in the United States. The longevity of their roster keeps them relevant and in contention to win the WCC. However, losing both Aiden Mahaney (Connecticut) and Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State) is the greatest compliment to their development, but also occurrences that will give them less of a punch to compete with Gonzaga, especially when taking Alex Ducas going pro into account.
Regardless, has to add Paulius Murauskas (Arizona) giving them another All-Conference player, with incoming freshman Mikey Lewis being a clear impactful player for them right out of the gates. That gives more room to grow for an already great core in Mitchell Saxen, the reigning WCC Defensive Player of the Year, while bringing their de facto leader in Augustus Marciulionis back, who won WCC Player of the Year this past season.
We will likely see Murauskas take over Ducas’ role, with likely more shooting coming from him, whereas sophomore guard Jordan Ross will be counted on to show more self-creation as a scorer, filling the void Mahaney left the Gaels with. To round out the roster, a supporting cast of Luke Barrett and Harry Wessels gives Coach Bennett two upperclassmen with experience who stayed loyal to the program for years.
33. Pittsburgh
After losing key upperclassmen in Blake Hinson and Federiko Federiko, the Panthers also saw their freshman sensation banking on his stellar performance by becoming a lottery pick in the draft. However, it’s up to the next line of studs for Pittsburgh. Jaland Lowe has a sophomore leap waiting for him as the team’s next de facto leader.
On top of that, Coach Capel did well by securing experience with Damian Dunn coming over from Houston. He also brought in Brandin Cummings, one of the higher-ranked inner-state prospects in the 2024 class. This team’s frontcourt depth is what might eventually haunt them, as Federiko’s toughness around the basket will be tough to replace with Papa Kante, another incoming freshman who will be more of a defensive anchor, while the Diaz Graham brothers continue their role as floor-stretching bigs.
34. Texas
Welcome to the SEC! Texas has a tough task in their debut season. They are one of the winners of the 2024 recruiting class, adding one of the top players in the country in Tre Johnson, who has the runway to start as the three for Coach Terry. The other lines are where I see challenges for the Longhorns to overcome.
Tramon Mark is a highly regarded transfer who has had a good year at a losing Arkansas team. The same applies to Arthur Kaluma, who filled the stat sheets at Kansas State, and also had a disappointing season. With a scoring guard Jordan Pope, who needs the ball in his hands to succeed, Rodney Terry has a lot of mouths to feed to make the big NIL spending lead to a good first year in the SEC.
While it’s certain that Texas will yet again be dancing in March, the usage-dependent additions alongside Dylan Disu leaving the program will put more pressure on Kadin Shedrick to seamlessly fill his spot. Overall, the talent level is hard to overcome, and a highly-regarded coach in Coach Terry will make this a fun and competitive basketball team that can improve on last year’s second-round exit.
35. Ohio State
The Buckeyes never made it past the Round of 32 in Coach Holtmann’s seven-year tenure. But they got hot immediately after Coach Diebler took over. After starting as a video coordinator over a decade ago, Ohio State has one of their guys for who they can now reserve a good chunk of NIL money to spend on the roster.
And that’s what happened. Their veteran guard rotation of Meechie Johnson and Bruce Thornton gives them one of the best duos in the conference. They combined that with highly-touted but underwhelming freshmen Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart, who are now hungry to prove themselves on another high-major program. On top of that, they get back Ques Glover, who missed a whole season because of injury.
With the amount of talent and a coach who has proven that he can immediately respond after a strong run late in the season and a good outing at the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes are in for a big season. Based on the aforementioned, I have them as one of the overachievers.
36. West Virginia
After adding one of the best mid-major coaches in Darian DeVries, and one of the top recruiters in Chester Frazier, West Virginia is back on track and ready to start the post-Bob Huggins era with success.
They saw their whole team leaving the program but bounced back by adding Tucker DeVries, who’s set for an All-American level season, after winning the Missouri Valley Player of the Year award twice. Javon Small is another game-changer for them. His shooting touch combined with athleticism opens up the chance to get more responsibilities than he had at Oklahoma State.
The aspect that makes West Virginia a top team in the Big 12 is the addition of Amani Hansberry. He was one of my favorite prospects out of the 2023 class. Getting him to follow Coach Frazier to West Virginia will make him a high-end contributor sooner rather than later. Ranking him 14th on my most recent big board, Hansberry is a clear candidate to win Newcomer of the Year. Jayden Stone and Toby Okani will be two other solid contributors for the Mountaineers.
37. Xavier
Xavier built a tough yet injury-prone team. Zach Freemantle hasn’t been healthy for two seasons, and Jerome Hunter is back after a heart issue last year. If they can stay healthy, Xavier is one of the best teams in the conference. Returning their veteran leading guard, Dayvion McKnight improves this team’s continuity. However, if one of the pieces can’t stay healthy, the Musketeers are in trouble.
That keeps them outside of the top 5 for me. However, they would still be in contention to secure themselves the right to go dancing in March. One of this team’s X-factors is to overcome the lack of defensive quality, where I expect Dailyn Swain to be the best defender in the conference not-called Ryan Kalkbrenner. Even if defensive improvements occur, the injury risks are too much to overcome.
38. Kansas State
David N’Guessan is an essential returner for Kansas State, that lost the majority of their offensive production. That forced the program to increase its NIL spending, bringing in high-end transfers in Coleman Hawkins, Achor Achor, and Dug McDaniel while trusting highly-touted freshman David Castillo to run this team as the leading guard.
Coach Tang has no problems in getting talent to the program. But keeping them at Kansas State is where he struggles. After medically redshirting a season, promising guard Ques Glover also left the program. To make up for it, Kansas State got better at key areas, adding Ugonna Onyenso to anchor the paint, while Brendan Hausen from Villanova will improve their perimeter shooting while rewarding mid-major standouts Max Jones and CJ Jones with a transfer to the best conference in college basketball.
39. Florida
Coach Golden has done a good job in the transfer portal, adding frontcourt depth in Sam Alexis from Chattanooga, while bringing in a big fish in Alijah Martin who can complement Walter Clayton, Jr. next season.
With both Alex Condon and Will Richard returning, the Gators put themselves in a position to compete in the SEC. However, with very little depth as Micah Handlogten will likely redshirt his season and Oliver Rioux is far from ready to play minutes, that puts extra pressure on Rueben Chinyelu to contribute in the minutes Alex Condon sits.
Comparable to last year, Florida will yet again be reliant on the production coming from Richard and Clayton Jr., with spurts of Alijah Martin being the third option on this team. While the whole SEC got stronger, Florida’s make-or-break will be the frontcourt. The amount of talent on this roster as a whole puts them in the first half of names regardless.
40. Michigan
The Wolverines have had a couple of bad years basketball-wise, but also in the recruiting column. Counting on Caleb Love who decided to go to Arizona, while losing Lee Aaliya and Christian Anderson, Jr., Michigan had no other choice than to focus on the transfer portal after bringing in the successful Dusty May.
And that’s what they did. Vladislav Goldin, Danny Wolf, and Roddy Gayle, Jr. make them one of the more talented teams in the conference. Especially when you factor in good rotational pieces in Tre Donaldson and Sam Walters, who have experienced the sweet taste of playing winning basketball.
One of this team’s challenges is their frontcourt. There’s too much talent in that regard, leaving them to play with a lineup that contains Wolf and Goldin. With Gayle, Jr. and Nimari Burnett leading the scoring column, it comes down to how well this team will mesh early on in the season.
Regardless of the amount of talent, I am cautious in raising expectations. Michigan needs to take this step by step and prove they can qualify for the NCAA Tournament again after having two consecutive appearances in the NIT.
41. UCF
Welcome to the Big 12! Coach Dawkins is serious about being relevant in his debut season by adding explosive amounts of offensive creativity. Dior Johnson was the star in JUCO basketball this past season, where Mikey Williams has a reputation as one of the most highly-touted high school recruits of the past few years. Situations off the court have put both in a tough spot, but UCF gives them a second chance by embracing their return to power-five basketball.
Keeping key starters Jaylin Sellers and Darius Johnson makes life easier for UCF to give Williams and Johnson the time to settle and adjust. Multiple ball-handlers are the name of the game in UCF’s system, with Jordan Ivy-Curry and Keyshawn Hall giving them a clear rotation to play four-out basketball, outscoring teams in bunches.
Moustapha Thiam has a path to impact as a freshman, where Hall can serve as a five in smaller lineups. The amount of offensively gifted scorers, while maintaining enough returners gives UCF a clear path to compete for a ticket to the Big Dance in March.
42. Mississippi State
Adding in Florida-standout Riley Kugel has turned things around for Mississippi State. Coach Jans may have lost a program-changer in Tolu Smith, who left the program for the NBA, but the remaining impact makers from last year all return to Oktibbeha County.
Josh Hubbard is one of the best defenders in the conference, fitting seamlessly with Kugel’s great offensive creativity. On top of that, Cameron Matthews returns, strengthening the Bulldogs’ team defense. The shooting of RJ Melendez and Shawn Jones, Jr. will be deciding factors in how much his Mississippi State offense can improve throughout the season.
43. San Diego State
Jaedon LeDee and Darrion Trammell both went pro, while other strong holders such as Micah Parrish (Ohio State), Lamont Butler, Jr. (Kentucky), and Elijah Saunders (Virginia) also left. Coach Dutcher is forced to rebuild his roster and has a strong incoming class with Pharoah Compton and Thokbor David Majak.
On top of that, Magoon Gwath and BJ Davis are two uber-talented pieces who are next in line to keep the Aztecs winning an ongoing process. To ensure stability, San Diego State added experience in Jared Coleman-Jones (Middle Tennessee) and Kimo Ferrari (Brown), while snagging away Wayne McKinney III from their inner-city rival San Diego.
This team lost its entire core but looks to rebuild quite well. However, too many new faces is always a risky acquisition. The Aztecs will be a Tournament Team regardless.
44. Providence
Coach English is a mastermind and a culture-setter. I expect him to be a successful head coach at Providence. And that could be this year. They might have lost Devin Carter to the NBA. But it was always Bryce Hopkins’ team last year until the injuries occurred. Now he’s back and healthy, ready to battle to win Big East Player of the Year.
The Friars built a competitive team around him, maintaining Jayden Pierre who will be their starting point guard. Getting top-notch defenders in Bensley Joseph (Miami) while adding a five-star center in Oswin Erhunmwunse who’ll be the first name coming off the bench, Providence has a fun but solid team that has a conference star and the needed defensive quality to make it feasible they will win over eleven games at worst.
Wesley Cardet Jr. will be the second scorer after Hopkins, and Christ Essandoko gives them a reliable five. The depth on this team is where they beat the below-mentioned teams: Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Corey Floyd, Jr. will be ready to take on any offensive scoring load when Hopkins has an off-night.
Providence won over twenty games last year but missed out on an NCAA tournament ticket. But they will be one of the 68 in this year’s March Madness.
45. Nebraska
The Cornhuskers built an experienced roster despite missing last year’s standout, Rienk Mast, who medically will redshirt his senior year. Bringing in the versatile forward Büyüktuncel from UCLA while adding a sharpshooter in Connor Essegian. That gives them a needed offensive boost whilst also adding depth to the frontcourt with Washington transfer Braxton Meah.
Coach Hoiberg installed a winning culture in Nebraska, finishing last year as the third seed in the Big Ten, and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Gavin Griffiths will gain more usage after a promising freshman campaign. However, the core of Brice Williams and Juwan Gary will again have to carry the scoring load for the Cornhuskers, who will need to figure out how they will adjust to other teams getting much better whilst not fully replacing last year’s standout in Keisei Tominaga.
46. New Mexico
After losing Jamal Mashburn, Jr. and JT Toppin, Coach Pitino didn’t hesitate and brought in a group of high-end talent, making the Lobos the clear favorite to win the Mountain West.
Experienced scoring guard CJ Noland comes off a double-digit scoring season at North Texas. At the same time, Filip Borovicanin adds more dynamic to the offense as a 6-foot-9 ball handler and shot creator. Jovan Milicevic is one of their prized freshman recruits who will also have a role in the rotation. At the same time, Atiki Ally Atiki from BYU, and Ibrahima Sacko will provide depth for Coach Pitino’s team led by Donovan Dent.
The junior is one of the top pick-and-roll playmakers in the country. His offense vastly improved during his sophomore season, making him one of the favorites to win Mountain West Player of the Year. On top of that, the Lobos have nine starter-level players. Depth is the main reason why they are the clear favorite to win their conference.
47. South Carolina
South Carolina has had a fantastic season under Coach Paris who’s entering his third year in Columbia, SC. They bring back their star freshman in Collin Murray-Boyles, while plus-sized junior guard Zachary Davis will have a bigger role this upcoming season.
With lessening depth in the frontcourt, Alabama transfer Nick Pringle brings much-needed experience, while seven-footer Jordan Butler will be a developmental piece for them as he comes over Missouri.
Myles Stute and Jacobi Wright will be the other starters looking to complement the production coming from Murray-Boyles, who’ll be a dark horse for the All-SEC First Team. Overall, the talent level is lower than in the aforementioned programs, where Coach Paris again has to show that he can take the most out of the available players, as he did last year. I expect the Gamecocks to be competitive in the early stages of conference play, while eventually falling in the rankings as we get closer to March.
48. UAB
Coach Kennedy enters his fifth season and has won both the C-USA and AAC conference tournaments during his tenure in Birmingham. The key for this program is to scout the JUCO reigns to perfection. My personal AAC Player of the Year in Yaxel Lendeborg has played JUCO basketball, but also solid starters in Christian Coleman, Marquis Hargrove, and Alejandro Vazquez.
They add Jaborri McGhee to fill in the void Eric Gaines left, who went pro. Continuity is one of the most decisive factors in the portal era. And the Blazers are one of the best mid-major teams ensuring that. Players buy into what Coach Kennedy has in store for them. And that’s what will make UAB a contender this year. I expect them to go neck-on-neck with Memphis, improving on their 12-win season last year.
49. Santa Clara
Adama Bal is back after testing NBA draft waters in the summer. And that keeps the Broncos as a dark horse for the WCC title. Their chances are being boosted by returning over 75% of their minutes from last year, with the majority of those being their starters. Retention is what most teams struggle with, and Coach Sendek did a fantastic job of keeping his core together.
It gets better when considering they improved their guard depth with the addition of Carlos Stewart (LSU) while adding a strong wing in Elijah Mahi (West Valley College), who has had a fantastic season at the JUCO reigns.
Outside of Stewart, Santa Clara has a group at 6-foot-4 or bigger, giving them a plus-sized, versatile team on both ends with a decently strong non-conference schedule that includes Arizona State, Nevada, TCU, and McNeese State. I expect the Broncos to be in contention to qualify for the Big Dance in March, with Adama Bal being an outsider to win WCC Player of the Year.
50. Saint Louis
After a historical season at Indiana State, where the Sycamores continued to play basketball until April to finish their NIT title-game season, Coach Schertz transferred to Saint Louis. Their success is built around a team-first type of game that involves lots of ball movement and motion.
Bringing the Missouri Valley Player of the Year, Robbie Avila, with him helps a lot. Their system that involves a team-first mentality with lots of ball movement will work in the Atlantic 10. Passing makes it vital to succeed, and that’s where Avila will continue to blossom as one of college basketball’s top passing big men.
If we factor in leading guard Isaiah Swope and scoring guard Gibson Jimerson, the second and third-most impactful players on Saint Louis also followed their coach, the base for success has been set for a big part.
The Billikens were active in the portal as well, adding mid-major standout Kalu Anya (Brown) while adding power-five guys in Josiah Dotzler (Creighton) and AJ Casey (Miami), this roster has the strength in player quality and depth. That makes Saint Louis the clear favorite to win the A-10 conference while being a top-50 team.
Finalizing Summary
To summarize the piece, here’s the list for the 26 to 50 ranked teams:
Thank you!
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I have crazy-ambitious goals. After writing more than 80 in-depth scouting reports for the 2024 NBA Draft, I want to push that to 125+ for this year’s cycle! On top of that, you’ll get consistent college basketball-related content, with some Division II and JUCO content throughout the season!