2024-25 College Basketball Top 75
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 75! Rankings and analysis per team are below.
Top 75
Strategically not the best way to spoil the whole article, but spread into three articles, I wrote close to 18 thousand words to explain the rationale behind my decisions to rank the programs the way I did. So for the ones who want to read it, feel free to do so!
Therefore, here’s my full Top 75 without any filter, with all explanations for the picks 51 to 75 below. The pieces for #1 to #25 and #26 to #50 are referred to at the end of the article.
Rankings
51. Ole Miss
Malik Dia is one of the best transfers in the SEC. The 6-foot-9 bulky forward fits the toughness of the conference while looking to be one of the impact-makers on an upperclassmen-heavy roster.
Dre Davis who came over from Seton Hall will pair well with Matthew Murrell, who’s back for another year. Despite the experience, their highly-regarded freshman recruit John Bol will likely play spot minutes to add offensive versatility to Ole Miss’ frontcourt, as veteran forward Jaemyn Brakefield lacks the size to play as a full-five for the majority of the minutes.
They are comparable to Kentucky in how the roster is shaped and built, with the versatility of the roster without real standout names being how they positioned themself in the league. Dia might become Newcomer of the Year.
52. Boise State
Coach Rice enters his 15th coaching year at the Idaho-based Boise State. Tyson Degenhart will be one of the most productive forwards in college, with O’Mar Stanley and Alvardo Cardenas giving the Broncos a core of three of the top players in the conference.
With two promising freshmen from AZ Compass Prep, Ethan Lathan (C), and Moses Hipps (SG), Boise State adds more size with Dylan Anderson from Arizona. The seven-footer looks like one of the breakout candidates of the conference, after not having a single game with more than ten minutes for the Wildcats. Size seems to have been the emphasis, as, after Cardenas (6-foot-1), their entire roster is at or above 6-foot-4.
On top of that, their starting line-up alone makes Boise State a contender. However, in terms of depth, Degenhart, Stanley, and Cardenas all have to step up to ensure stability. The Broncos will be going dancing, looking to aim to make it to the first weekend.
53. Northwestern
The Wildcats have proven that coaching and building the right way around key players bring you success. Coach Collins has two consecutive 12-8 records with NCAA Tournament appearances in both years. For this upcoming season, they bring back Ty Berry and Brooks Barnhizer who will lead the team in usage and ball touches.
However, the rest of the conference was impressively better, while also welcoming four new schools. The decision to move Northwestern to the last four programs in the conference is not fully compensating for losing Boo Buie. That’s putting more pressure and eventually everything to trusting the program’s system by letting returning players take the big roles.
Don’t get me wrong, that’s one of the beauties of college basketball, but in the era of the transfer portal, the amount of talent on a roster matters as well, and that’s where Northwestern will likely lose against the aforementioned programs. One of my watches on this team will be incoming freshman KJ Windham.
54. TCU
The Horned Frogs were one of the oldest teams in the conference and saw the majority of their experienced guys leave the program. Returning Ernest Udeh, Jr. makes him a favorite to be a solid starter, while Coach Dixon hit the transfer portal to collect a bunch of mid-major standouts such as Vasean Allette, Noah Reynolds, and Trazarien White who was one of the best-scoring wings in the country last year.
Brendan Wenzel and Frankie Collins give them two starter-caliber pieces that add a ton of scoring potential and an incoming freshman class where hometown kid Micah Robinson looks like the favorite to crack the rotation, who’s their best NBA prospect at the same time.
TCU has been a stable factor in the Big 12 for years. And regardless of their team seeing a total renewal, they’ll again be competitive to keep themselves in the race for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
55. Rutgers
Despite Rutgers’ historical recruiting class with Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, their team is not built to play winning basketball in the Big Ten. College basketball keeps getting older, as also explained in the conference guru Joe Jackson’s graph, and the Scarlet Knights couldn’t replace one of the best defensive guards in Mawot Mag and an All-American caliber big man in Cliff Omoruyi, who are also both seniors.
Harper and Bailey will be productive and will likely keep their top-5 status intact this upcoming season. But that won’t lead to Rutgers playing winning basketball. Bringing back Jeremiah Williams was essential, but that won’t make them a top-10 team in the conference.
56. Louisville
The Cardinals have had five conference wins in the last two seasons. To give Coach Kelsey a clean slate, they decided to return zero minutes from last year’s team. And that’s the right way to rebuild an all-time great program that’s suffering for years now.
However, their aggressive NIL spending won’t warrant them a good position in an ACC conference that has significantly gotten better. Terrence Edwards, Jr. will be this team’s most important player. The Sun Belt Player of the Year will get the needed support from Chucky Hepburn, Koren Johnson, J’Vonne Hadley, and Kasean Pryor. All solid starters for Louisville, who have enough depth in their roster, but lack the true star to battle for a tournament ticket.
Regardless, Louisville will be one of the more entertaining teams to watch and one of my contenders for the NIT title this upcoming season.
57. Saint Joseph’s
The Hawks bring back their trio of conference stars Erik Reynolds, Xzayvier Brown, and Rasheer Fleming, who are legitimate NBA prospects. Losing a top-notch scorer in Lynn Greer III (Temple), while big man Chris Essandoko (Providence) is also gone, Coach Lange will rely on a combination of remaining players getting bigger roles and some good additions via the portal.
Justice Ajogbor (Harvard) brings valuable experience and interior toughness, while Derek Simpson gives them another good perimeter defender to put alongside Erik Reynolds and Xzayvier Brown, whose scoring prowess will be more functional. Steve Solano is the big prize among the incoming freshmen as he is ready to back up Ajogbor immediately.
Saint Joe’s will stay in contention mode for a long time, and Rasheer Fleming’s junior season leap will be the X factor that might even make them win the Atlantic 10 if everything goes well.
58. Villanova
Eric Dixon and Jordan Longino both return for their senior year. That’s what keeps this team afloat. Bringing in highly-touted transfers in Wooga Poplar and Jhamir Brickus gives them a very good starting five. But for the Wildcats, a good team on paper hasn’t worked at all. After two consecutive seasons finishing conference play with a 10-10 record, this is a career-changing season for Coach Neptune.
I expect Nova to be a competitive team that lets their freshmen get the runway they need. Josiah Moseley has had a terrific summer representing Belize at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup, while Aleksandar Gavalyugov took over in the European scene. Both are under-discussed prospects for the NBA who will thrive in Coach Neptune’s system. Adding Matthew Hodge and Kris Parker to the mix, Villanova has eight to ten good options while aiming to finish this year near or slightly above .500 while winning more than twenty games.
59. Iowa
A lack of depth is the reason behind Iowa finishing outside of the top ten. They have two All-Conference level players Owen Freeman and Payton Sandfort. But losing Ben Krikke and Tony Perkins will put too much pressure on Josh Dix, who’s set to receive more usage for the Hawkeyes.
One of Coach McCaffery’s recruiting wins of the last few years is Seydou Traore, who has had a fantastic year at Manhattan, finishing in the MAAC All-Rookie First Team. His plus-sized guard play will complement Dix’s improved production. That leaves Iowa in the hands of Owen Freeman, who can ascend to an All-Big Ten level, but the margin of error on top of Ben Krikke’s offense not fully being replaced puts Iowa in a tough position compared to their peers.
60. Georgia
Somto Cyril, Savo Drezgic, and Asa Newell helped Georgia to establish a great incoming freshman class. With valuable experience in Dakota Leffew and Tyrin Lawrence, it’s up to them to help Georgia develop into becoming a contender in the SEC in the next few years.
As of now, the whole conference’s senior-heavy build-up doesn’t match with Georgia, which mostly has underclassmen on its roster. Newell is the most intriguing scoring option, as he’s a walking mismatch problem the Bulldogs will be keen on using, with an uber-athletic big man in Somto Cyril while adding one of the most dynamic guards in the European youth scene in Drezgic. Many pieces for Coach White to build a team around, but that will take time.
61. Maryland
Losing Jahmir Young and Donta Scott is a tough burden for Maryland. However, by adding a key transfer in Ja’Kobi Gillespie, whilst DeShawn Harris-Smith has had a promising summer, Maryland has enough firepower to replace Young. That’s not the case for Scott, whose departure will lead to Julian Reese getting his well-earned usage booster in the Terrapins’ frontcourt.
However, regardless of the level of excitement Derik Queen’s addition has brought to Maryland, relying on underclassmen in such a talented conference is a risk. Rodney Rice is a promising scorer who can fill in for a part of Young’s production, but this roster looks better on paper than it is in reality. With the lack of true depth in case of injuries alongside the departure of one of the better point guards in college basketball, Maryland is yet again in a tough spot as their margin for error is less than the aforementioned teams.
62. Notre Dame
Coach Shrewsberry has had a good first year. The Fighting Irish saw their freshman stud Carey Booth leave but replaced their frontcourt minutes with Nikita Konstantynovskyi who was successful at the mid-major level.
The team’s most vital part in Markus Barton is undersized compared to his conference peers at six feet. That forced Notre Dame to surround him with size, which they successfully did. Matt Allocco and Braeden Shrewsberry are both expected to have good seasons for them.
Consistency is essential in the era where the transfer portal is king, and Notre Dame will be a consistent team this year in the ACC.
63. Wichita State
The Shockers have had a good offseason. Retaining both Harlond Beverly and Xavier Bell has been crucial. They’ve added more experience around them with seniors Justin Hill (Georgia) and Matej Bosnjak, who come from KK Cibona Zagreb (Croatia).
Experience matters nowadays, and with Ronnie DeGray III, Corey Washington, and Zane Meeks, they are eight deep, of which all seven are seniors.
I expect them to be one of the best rebounding teams in the conference, which will give Wichita State the edge in most games. Quincy Ballard stands out on that end. With their good guard play, experience, and depth in their frontcourt, Coach Mills will be in the run to keep his name in NCAA Tournament contention.
64. Virginia
Virginia had a good summer by keeping Andrew Rohde and Isaac McKneely. While playing at a slow pace, Virginia kept opponents under 60 points more often than not, however, it had no added value because they failed to put points on the board consistently. That’s what they addressed in the portal by adding TJ Power.
The highly-touted Power is this team’s X factor. He had a limited role at Duke and will embrace more freedom to express his creativity as a scorer. On top of that, Dai Dai Ames is another portal homerun, as the 6-foot-1 leading guard fits Virginia’s style as a scrappy, tough guard who can use his speed and rim pressure to create more looks for his teammates.
No more Jalen Warley, or Tony Bennett. But Virginia will stay in the conversation for a tournament ticket.
65. Arizona State
The Sun Devils have had one of their best recruiting summers in a very long time. Adding two high-end guards in Amier Ali and Joson Sanon gives them a burst of offensive creativity and scoring prowess. On top of that, Jayden Quaintance is one of their other big prizes. He’s set to be one of the best American prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The other side of the coin is that Coach Hurley saw his entire starting lineup leave the program. The logjam among their guard rotation makes it tough, as ball-dominant older players in Alston Mason and Adam Miller will also want their fair share of ball touches and usage. Talent is not the issue here, but relying on a freshman-heavy rotation while more than 80% of the minutes from last year is where it’s more likely than not more experienced teams will prevail over Arizona State during the conference schedule.
66. Miami
After their Final Four bid in 2023, Miami had a good year before collapsing with a ten-game losing streak. But they are ready to come back strong by maintaining Nijel Pack and Matthew Cleveland, two program cornerstones. On top of that, incoming freshman Jalil Bethea will look to secure a role for himself early on in the season.
The Hurricanes got better. But losing Norchad Omier is a tough pill to swallow. Replacing him with Lynn Kidd should be considered addition by subtraction, rather than making Miami a better team compared to last year. The lack of depth in the frontcourt will put more pressure on Coach Larrañaga’s guards to carry the team, which is likely but to a certain degree.
67. Dayton
DaRon Holmes II leaves for the NBA, and regardless, the Flyers bring back a competitive group of starters and two top transfers in Posh Alexander (Butler) and Zed Key (Ohio State). More importantly, they get Malachi Smith back, who tore his ACL very early in the season. Now he’s back and healthy again.
With an accomplished defender in Enoch Cheeks and a plus-sized floor-stretching four in Nate Santos, Dayton has a reliable starting five that’s addressed its rebounding needs via the portal with the aforementioned Alexander and Key.
The X-factor that will keep Dayton in the race to win the A-10 is Javon Bennett’s scoring off the bench. Regardless, Dayton should be in the mix to earn a ticket for the Big Dance in March.
68. Seton Hall
Coach Holloway has had a fantastic season, winning 25 games while also becoming the NIT champion. The next step would be to battle for an NCAA appearance, but that becomes tricky as their absolute star in Kadary Richmond left for their conference rival in St. John’s. On top of that, close to 80% of their minutes are not returned. So that leaves the Pirates with the challenge to continue their path with a whole new team, Isaiah Colemon is the most essential Holloway recruit who will have to prove his value in his second year.
But they have another sophomore stud: Garwey Dual. He is my personal favorite NBA prospect in the Big East. Not for how high he might go, but how much untapped potential there is. He added close to 15 pounds during his freshman year and looks like a favorite to take a sophomore leap. Dylan Addae-Wusu will be forced to take over most of Richmond’s role as well. The addition of Scotty Middleton from Ohio State is another potentially fruitful transaction for Seton Hall, alongside great athletes in Prince Aligbe and Zion Harmon. I expect Seton Hall to play for a .500 record, putting them outside of contention to make it to the Big Dance.
69. Washington State
After being with the Eastern Washington program for over a decade, Coach Riley took over the highly-touted Cougars job. He starts with a clean slate as the entire team, except for Isaiah Watts, left the program, with Jaylen Wells and Isaac Jones both starting their NBA journey, while Myles Rice (Indiana), Rueben Chinyelu (Florida), and Andrej Jakimovski (Colorado) got rewarded with power-five transfers.
However, the NBA radars will continue targeting Pullman, as Cedric Coward rejoins his coach with three other teammates. The reigning Big Sky Freshman of the Year, Ethan Price and LeJuan Watts are the two most promising former Eagles who will have great seasons in the WCC. On top of that, sole returner Isaiah Watts will have an extended role, giving more body to Coach Riley’s guard rotation.
This team has a group of multiple ball-handlers and scoring threats while keeping a group of culture-setters as pieces like ND Okafor (California) and intriguing incoming freshman Tomas Thrastarson from Iceland adds more power to five worthy personnel to the Cougars. I do not expect Washington State to be a contender, but they are the first team after the first tier and a name to reckon with in the conference tournament.
70. SMU
Welcome to the ACC! Coach Enfield’s first year with the Mustangs in a power-five conference. Losing Zhuric Phelps hurts, but the incoming big man Samet Yiğitoğlu is a pro who will be one of the conference’s best big men right out of the gates. Their frontcourt depth becomes more impressive with the uber-athletic Yohan Traore.
However, the lack of guard talent is what will hurt SMU to be a top-10 team in the conference. Kevin Miller and Chuck Harris will carry the offensive scoring load, with Tibet Görener taking on a bigger role after welcoming his countryman in Yiğitoğlu. In today’s college basketball, guard play is what all winning teams have in common. But it’s clear that SMU aims to be a relevant program in the next few years, and this year will be their introduction.
71. Utah
The Runnin’ Utes enter their debut season in the Big 12. Keeping Gabe Madsen is key to maintaining their scoring punch, while Lawson Lovering and Hunter Erickson are respected rotational pieces who will make it easier for the new guys to adjust to Coach Smith’s system.
Utah added one of the best face-up scoring fours in the country in Ezra Ausar, giving them a huge boost of scoring prowess. Miro Little was a highly-touted guard prospect from Europe, who came off a disappointing year at Baylor. Both are hungry to prove doubters wrong. With teams looking for multiple ball-handlers and decision-makers, the addition of San Francisco transfer Mike Sharavjamts adds more size and scoring to a roster where replacing Deivon Smith and Branden Carlson will be the biggest challenge. Utah will be decent but needs to focus on building a core while focusing on being a competitive factor in the 2025-26 season.
72. McNeese State
Will Wade is one of the top coaches at the low-major level. And the Cowboys are a serious top-75 team as a result. They won 30 games last year, and despite losing their star guard Shahada Wells, while also losing rotational pieces in CJ Felder and Antavion Collum to graduation, McNeese saw his roster get stronger, with some promising high and mid-major transfers.
They brought in nine upperclassmen, with Bryant Selabangue (Arizona State), Brandon Murray (Ole Miss), Quadir Copeland (Syracuse), and Alyn Breed (Providence) being the most notable ones.
The combination of size and decision-makers in all positions while bringing tons of experience makes the Cowboys special. Their depth leads to them being able to make life hard for any high-major program, with returning Christian Shumate and DJ Richards, Jr. being the two main guys.
Wells leaves a question mark at the leading guard spot, but the amount of offensive firepower of this team will make it work as multiple options like Murray and Copeland, but also Javohn Garcia will keep the guard play at a good enough level.
73. UNLV
The Dedan Thomas, Jr.-led Runnin’ Rebels are always a stable factor in the Mountain West. They lost Luis Rodriguez and the Boone brothers who ran out of eligibility, and replaced them with significant impact-makers with Jeremiah Cherry being the most vital one.
After Rob Whaley, Jr., UNLV again hits the JUCO market by landing one of the top players. Cherry and Thomas, Jr. will be one of the more dynamic pick-and-roll duos of the country, with solid pieces like JalenHill and Jailen Bedford helping the Runnin’ Rebels to be an outsider to finish in the top three, while earning an NCAA Tournament ticket for the first time since 2013.
74. Murray State
The Racers bring back Ja’Cobi Wood and Nick Ellington, and those two will lead the pact for Coach Prohm. They lost about 50% of their minutes but got key replacements with guard Kylen Milton, who put up 17 points per game at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, while also grabbing Kye Lindsay from Texas Tech.
Terence Hardum and Alden Applewhite give Murray State seven starter-level players with good size and defensive versatility. Top-notch decision-making and taking great care of the basketball is the Murray State brand of basketball, whereas they ranked 31st in the country last season.
On top of that, the Racers have the personnel to be a plus-rebounding team with potentially the best offense in the conference. That’s where quality additions like AJ Ferguson (Southern Illinois) add more depth.
After a 20-20 record for Prohm in his first two seasons, it’s his season to battle for the conference title.
75. Butler
I like the Bulldogs. They are a sneaky team that could win up to eleven conference games. However, that’s a big “could”. I have tons of expectations from Finley Bizjack, of whom I saw flashes late in his freshman campaign. He’s a legitimate NBA prospect no one else is talking about. While there will be an article out on him soon, he’s another sophomore leap taker after the earlier-mentioned Dual.
Jahmyl Telfort and Pierre Brooks II return as the two most vital parts of this Butler team. Adding Kolby King and Patrick McCaffery gives Coach Matta two starting-caliber pieces. The addition of size was the emphasis, with the whole roster being at or over 6-foot-4, outside of their leading guard Kolby King.
This is a pick that I might regret later on because my heart says Butler will win eleven games while being a potential six-seed in the Big East, but my mind says that I have to be cautious and see them finish near a .500 record at best.
Finalizing Summary
As mentioned in the introduction, here are the two articles as references for all the explanations behind selections #1 to #25 and #26 to #50:
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