AJ Hoops

By Aidan Joly

The Pac-12 is the league affected by conference realignment next summer.

In July 2024, all of the schools in the current league except for Washington State and Oregon State will leave for either the Big 12, ACC or the Big Ten. The other two schools do not have destinations as of this writing, but this is the final season for the Pac-12 as we know it.

Let’s get into this current version of the Pac-12, one last time.

UCLA Bruins

2022-23: 31-5 (18-2 Pac-12), lost in Sweet 16

It was a tough off-season for Mick Cronin and the Bruins, losing nearly their entire core from this past season in Jaime Jacquez, Jaylen Clark, Tyger Campbell and Amari Bailey. What makes it even tougher is that all of them could have come back, but did not.

Who will replace that output? A pair of sophomores in Adem Bona and Dylan Andrews will have to lead that charge. Bona averaged 7.5 points per game last year as a freshman, those numbers are sure to increase.

Utah transfer Lazar Stefanovic is a new addition, but is something of a strange fit with the rest of this roster. Freshman Aday Mara, who stands at 7-foot-3, is a huge addition for Cronin and he will play meaningful minutes early on.

With a roster in influx, a dip in the record is almost a certainty. Getting to the NCAA tournament would be an accomplishment.

Arizona Wildcats

2022-23: 28-7 (14-6 Pac-12), lost in round of 64

The Wildcats were a top 10 team in the country for most of the season last year until falling victim to 15 seed Princeton in the first round of the NCAA tournament, a Tigers team that went on to the Sweet 16.

Losing Azoulas Tubelis is definitely tough, but some good pieces return to bring it to a point where it’s not the end of the world. Oumar Ballo should be one of the best all-around players in the country next season, he averaged 14.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this past season and is sure to get better.

San Diego State transfer Keshad Johnson also mitigates some losses in the frontcourt. Losing Kerr Kriisa to the portal was a bit of a surprise, but Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley slides in nicely there. Caleb Love is a good late add after he wasn’t able to get into Michigan due to academics after entering the portal from North Carolina. Love is a bit of a project and will need to get his shooting under control.

Overall, this is a very solid team for Tommy Lloyd. The Wildcats should be back at the top of the league again.

USC Trojans

2022-23: 22-11 (14-6 Pac-12), lost in round of 64

It’ll likely be a strange season for the Trojans in Los Angeles. Leading scorer Boogie Ellis returns, which is huge after he averaged 17.3 points per game this past season.

He’ll have some reinforcements too. Consensus five-star prospect Isaiah Collier will be a huge player for USC right off the bat. He’s only 18 years old, so he may require some development as the season goes on. Washington State transfer DJ Rodman is also a decent player who will start. Kobe Johnson returns.

The Trojans landed Bronny James, the son of LeBron, late in the game, but suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout and is out indefinitely. However, signs point to him suiting up at some point this season. His health is paramount, but seeing him in college basketball this year would be a lot of fun.

Oregon Ducks

2022-23: 21-15 (12-8 Pac-12), lost in NIT quarterfinals

The Ducks are in a strange spot. This was a program that made the second weekend four times in a span of five NCAA tournaments from 2016 to 2021 and made a Final Four in 2017, but has missed back-to-back NCAA tournament now, a first for the program since 2011 and 2012.

With a move to the Big Ten looming, a time for change may be soon. That being said, the Ducks bring back some decent talent from the 2022-23 team, including leading scorer and rebounder N’Faly Dante, Jermaine Couisnard, who averaged 12.8 points per game, and Keeshawn Barthelemy, who averaged 9.3 points per game.

They also bring in a couple good recruits in Marquis Cook and Kwame Evans, who should play big minutes from the start.

Overall, this is a big year for Oregon. How will it fare before a big move to the Big Ten?

Arizona State Sun Devils

2022-23: 23-13 (11-9 Pac-12), lost in round of 64

The Sun Devils probably saved Bobby Hurley’s job by squeaking into the NCAA tournament last March, but the majority of that team is now gone.

The highest scorer returning is Frankie Collins, who averaged 9.5 points per game, but didn’t have as large of a role as the season went on. Bryant Selebangue in the middle is a major downgrade from Warren Washington. Really the only player on this roster worth a mention is Zane Meeks, who averaged 10.3 points per game at San Francisco in 2022-23.

This Arizona State team is likely to struggle. Will an 11 seed and a victory in the First Four be enough to keep Hurley around for two more seasons, or will he back on his brother’s staff at this time next year?

Washington State Cougars

2022-23: 17-17 (11-9 Pac-12), lost in NIT first round

Kyle Smith brought the Cougars to the postseason for the second straight season, something the program had not accomplished since 2011 and 2012.

The issue in Pullman in recent years isn’t struggling to get talent, but being able to retain or maximize it. That being said, Idaho transfer Isaac Jones and Kansas transfer Joseph Yesufu are both interesting adds and we will see what they are able to do with the Coogs. Yesefu was once good enough to play at Kansas, so we will see. Jabe Mullins returns after averaging 8.4 points per game.

This team doesn’t project as anything special, but being in the middle of the pack in the conference will likely be the result.

Utah Utes

2022-23: 17-15 (10-10 Pac-12), no postseason

The Utes were mediocre this past season, but this team is absolutely loaded with seniors.

The headliner of that group is Branden Carlson, who projects as one of the best players in the country after averaging 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this past season for the Utes. Gabe Madsen averaged 11.6 points per game and shot 36.5% from three, Rollie Worster is a solid player, and Ben Carlson will likely see decent minutes as a role player.

This being said, this team needs to take a step forward this season and NCAA tournament should be the goal. If not, it might be a tough, and lengthy, rebuild.

Colorado Buffaloes

2022-23: 18-17 (8-12 Pac-12), lost in NIT second round

The Buffaloes return a very good group for this season. Tristan Da Silva is quietly one of the better players in the country, and KJ Simpson will team up with him to make a very good one-two punch.

Cody Williams, a top NBA draft prospect, comes to Boulder for this season as well. He will likely play a big role early on. TCU transfer Eddie Lampkin put up decent numbers for the Horned Frogs this past season. J’Vonne Hadley and Julian Hammond III will both have roles on a Buffaloes team that should be pretty good.

Overall, this probably projects as an 8 or 9 seed in the NCAA tournament. We shall see. It would be an improvement from last year.

Washington Huskies

2022-23: 16-16 (8-12 Pac-12), no postseason

Mike Hopkins is another coach who has flirted with being on the hot seat who will get another shot in 2023-24.

Thankfully, this is an improved Huskies roster. They bring back Keion Brooks, who averaged 17.7 points per game last season and he will remain one of the best players in the conference. Franck Kapnang was limited to just eight games last season due to injury, but averaged 9.0 points per game in that time.

There are some newcomers as reinforcements, too. Kentucky transfer Sahvir Wheeler didn’t get as many minutes as he probably should have in Lexington, and he’s now the clear number two player for Washington. He’s joined by Rutgers transfer Paul Mulcahy, who is as well-rounded as they come. Freshman Wesley Yates will be an impact player immediately.

The Huskies have not been to the NCAA tournament since 2019. If things fall right, that could change.

Stanford Cardinal

2022-23: 14-19 (7-13 Pac-12), no postseason

It’s hard to find many coaches who have been given as many chances as Jerod Haase has been given. He’ll enter year eight without an NCAA tournament appearance, while having three NBA players on his rosters in that time.

The Cardinal do return leading scorer Spencer Jones, but after that there are not many returners of note.

As for new players, Providence transfer Jared Bynum is here, but he regressed in 2022-23, dropping from 41% from three in 2021-22 to 32% last season and scored about two less points per game. There are a couple decent freshman in Kanaan Carlyle and Andrej Stajakovic, but they don’t inspire a ton.

It’s fair to say that there is a fair amount of talent here, but in recent years, talent hasn’t equaled wins. It’s hard to see that changing this year and what may be Haase’s final season in Palo Alto.

Oregon State Beavers

2022-23: 11-21 (5-15 Pac-12), no postseason

Remember when Oregon State was in the Elite Eight in 2021? How things have changed.

The Beavers won just three games in the season following and won 11 this past season. The program is in a dire spot as there is no real path for them to remain in a power conference with very limited success over the years. Only two NCAA tournament appearances in the past 32 seasons.

Wayne Tinkle’s system requires players to stick around, which the Beaves bring back just about everyone from last year, but six of those players are sophomores. Jordan Pope, Dexter Akanno and Tyler Bilodeau are the only real players of note on the roster.

The team is still very young. If Tinkle’s system works well, the Beavers should be able to get out of the bottom of the league’s basement. If they will, who knows.

California Golden Bears

2022-23: 3-29 (2-18 Pac-12), no postseason

The Golden Bears are coming off a dreadful season in every sense of the word. However, new coach Mark Madsen made some swings in the portal and made some intriguing gets.

The leader of that pack is former Utah Valley centerpiece Fardaws Aimaq, who played 11 injury-plagued games at Texas Tech last year. He will need to be a star to get the Bears out of the bottom half of the league. Some other intriguing veterans brought in are Jalen Tyson (Texas Tech), Jalen Cone (Northern Arizona) and Keonte Kennedy (Memphis).

Leading scorer and former Kentucky Wildcat Devin Askew returns, but that’s it for notable returns.

There is no doubt that the talent on paper has taken a leap. Chemistry is another thing in figuring out whether a program that has been terrible for years will be able to make that leap in terms of results. The program hasn’t had a winning season since 2016-17 and Madsen is the program’s third coach since then. It will be interesting to watch. How will Cal respond?

By Aidan Joly

In 2023, the Big Ten sent eight of its 14 teams to the NCAA tournament, but only one of them got to the second weekend. This has been something of a theme of the Big Ten in recent years.

In 2023-24, can the league change that narrative? Let’s get into each of the fourteen teams that make up the league, one last run with this group before USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon join next summer.

Purdue Boilermakers

2022-23: 29-6 (15-5 Big Ten), lost in Round of 64

Purdue was a number one seed in the NCAA tournament and seemed poised to make a deep run into March.

Fairleigh Dickinson got in the way of that, becoming the second 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in tournament history, a stunning end to what was a dream season before that.

This year, Matt Painter returns 169 of his 175 starts from last season, the centerpiece being Zach Edey, who will again be a top-three player in the country. Meanwhile, Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer were in the starting lineup all season as freshmen and played well. Mason Gillis is back as well.

One new addition is freshman Myles Colvin, a high-level player who should bring a burst of athleticism to the team.

In 2023-24 the Boilermakers look to run it back, and maybe not have its season come to a premature end.

Indiana Hoosiers

2022-23: 23-12 (12-8 Big Ten), lost in Round of 32

Of course, losing first round draft pick Jalen Hood-Schfino and All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis is a high order for the Hoosiers. So, who will step up?

Indiana does have depth, but there are certainly some questions here. Xavier Johnson and Trey Holloway are both key returners, but are they able to take the next step to compete at the top of the Big Ten? Oregon transfer Kel’el Ware has the ability to be one of the best rim protectors in the league, how will he fit into that role? Malik Reneau showed flashes as a freshman, will he come into his own?

Mike Woodson flipped Mackenzie Mgbako from a commitment at Duke, and a pair of transfers in Payton Sparks (Ball State) and Anthony Walker (Miami) should all have solid roles.

This is a team with players who have had varying levels of success, how will it all fit together?

Northwestern Wildcats

2022-23: 22-12 (12-8 Big Ten), lost in Round of 32

Northwestern put together one of the best seasons in program history that lasted in the program’s second-ever NCAA tournament appearance. It will look to replicate that success this year.

All-league guard Boo Buie is back after averaging 17.3 points and 4.5 assists per game in 2022-23. Princeton transfer Ryan Langborn was the Tigers’ second-leading scorer last season, it’s easy to see him being able to make a jump to a starter role in the Big Ten.

Ty Berry had a solid junior season and is sure to have a larger role this season. A seven-footer in the middle in Matthew Nicholson is a prime breakout candidate after averaging 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in 2022-23.

The big question here is, can the Wildcats sustain success?

Michigan State Spartans

2022-23: 21-12 (11-8 Big Ten), lost in Sweet 16

By Spartan expectations, the 2022-23 regular season was something of a disappointment for Michigan State, but Tom Izzo’s group made up for it with a run to the Sweet 16, the only team in its league to get to that point.

The Spartans are poised to potentially be the best team in the league this season. All five projected to be in the starting lineup are returners. AJ Hoggard is a terrific passing point guard, Tyson Walker averaged 14.1 points per game last season, Jaden Akins shot 42.2% from three, Mady Sissoko is a good rebounder and Malik Hall is a great blend of skill and experience.

A four-man recruiting class is a top-10 one in the country, so there is plenty of depth and room for development. Overall, there is a lot to like about this roster and hopefully the Spartans are able to put it all together.

Maryland Terrapins

2022-23: 22-13 (11-9 Big Ten), lost in Round of 32

It was a solid season for the Terps in Kevin Willard’s first season at the helm. In theory, it wants to take the next step, but there are questions here.

They have three players, Jahmir Young, Donta Scott and Julian Reese, all returners, who make up 60% of a starting lineup that can compete with just about anyone in the league. Young is set to be one of the best players in the conference after putting up 15.5 PPG in 2022-23. A pair of freshmen, Deshawn Harris-Smith and Jamie Kaiser, will likely make up the rest of it. How will those two look?

The bench is also a question mark. Jahari Long is a candidate to step up, but only averaged 2.1 points per game as a junior last season. Indiana transfer Jordan Geronimo was a role player for the Hoosiers, what kind of role will he have in College Park?

How quickly will this team get up to speed? That’s the question here.

Illinois Fighting Illini

2022-23: 20-13 (11-9 Big Ten), lost in Round of 64

It was a bit of a tumultuous season for the Illini and coach Brad Underwood, a season that ended in the first round of the tournament at the hands of Arkansas.

Coming into the season, the Illini might be ranked a little bit lower than they should be and that’s due to the point guard position. At least starting the season, don’t be surprised to see it done by committee with Ty Rodgers and freshman Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, at least until they see what they have in the latter.

Terrence Shannon, Coleman Hawkins and Dain Dainja all return after putting up decent seasons in 2022-23. Southern Illinois transfer Marcus Domask is likely to have a starter role.

Oregon transfer Quincy Gurrier and returners Sencire Harris and Luke Goode will all have bench roles. Harris is interesting in seeing how the former four-star recruit takes the next step as a sophomore.

Iowa Hawkeyes

2022-23: 19-14 (11-9 Big Ten), lost in Round of 64

For the past few years the Hawkeyes have had a “guy,” whether it be one of the Murray brothers or Luka Garza. This year’s Hawkeyes team doesn’t really have that. Valparaiso transfer Ben Krikke was one of the best players in the Missouri Valley Conference. Tony Perkins took a big step last year on both sides of the ball, so he might be a candidate to do so from the guard position.

Payton Sandfort is another to expect a big year from, and keep an eye on little brother Pryce Sandfort, who comes into the program as a freshman. It will be interesting to see how he does as a first-year player.

Patrick McCaffrey, the coach’s son, has some experience to his name. The Hawkeyes also have a pair of freshmen bigs in Owen Freeman and Ladji Dembele who may be able to play impact minutes at some point during the year.

This being said, this is probably a team that will be in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten, which should result in a tournament appearance.

Michigan Wolverines

2022-23: 18-16 (11-9 Big Ten), lost in NIT second round

This team is really going to come down to how Jaelin Llewellyn performs. He only played eight games this past season before tearing his ACL, ending his season and with it, the Wolverines’ chances at making a deep postseason run.

Dug McDaniel and Tarris Reed will also be key for the Wolverines andboth should have some decent roles for this season. Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua is a solid addition as well. Off the bench, former top prospect Nimari Byrnett is suddenly a senior and will try to return to form.

This Michigan team has a lot of names, but a lot of questions coming with it. How will Juwan Howard’s group look?

Penn State Nittany Lions

2022-23: 23-14 (10-10 Big Ten), lost in Round of 32

Penn State’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2011 and first win in the tournament since 2001 led to coach Micah Shrewsberry leaving to take the same job at Notre Dame.

In his place enter Mike Rhoades, the former VCU head coach. Along with him came point guard Ace Baldwin, the 2022-23 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year as well as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. In three seasons, Rhoades and Baldwin won 68 games together. Nick Kern also followed Rhoades to VCU and be a solid depth piece. Returner Kanye Clary will back up Baldwin.

A pair of North Carolina transfers in Puff Johnson and D’Marco Dunn come in, both looking for new beginnings after a disappointing season in Chapel Hill. Georgetown transfer Qudus Wahab and Miami transfer Favour Aire are two good pieces in the middle, although Wahab figures to be the starter in the middle. One intriguing piece is Kansas City transfer Rayquawndis Mitchell, who was second team All-Summit League after putting up 17.3 points per game.

There are certainly lots of intriguing pieces and the season can go many different ways for the Nittany Lions. Probably the biggest wild card in the league.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

2022-23: 19-15 (10-10 Big Ten), lost in NIT first round

This roster is another interesting one. Replacing Paul Mulcahy and Cam Spencer is a tall task.

Three of the five starters, Derek Simpson, Mawot Mag and Cliff Omoruyi, are all returners. Simpson showed some flashes as a freshman, Mag is one of the best defenders in the league, provided he stays healthy and Omoruyi should make a run at all-league honors.

Massachusetts transfer Noah Fernandes fills into a starter role after putting up big numbers for the Minutemen in 2022-23 and should be one of the main scorers. Gavin Griffiths is a sharpshooter who should play impact minutes as a freshman.

FIU transfer Austin Williams and returners Aundre Hyatt and Oskar Palmquist will all have depth roles off the bench.

The big question is staying healthy. If they can do that, it could be a good season in Piscataway.

Wisconsin Badgers

2022-23: 20-14 (9-11 Big Ten), lost in NIT semifinals

Lots of roster continuity for the Badgers this off-season. Wisconsin brings back 157 of its 175 starts in 2022-23 and might as well have a sixth starter in St. John’s transfer AJ Storr, who will almost certainly be first to come off the bench each night.

Connor Essegian and Max Klesmit both were decent last season, but were inconsistent at times. Tyler Wahl is one of the best mid-range players in the country and is great off the block, he averaged 10.9 points per game on 48.2% shooting. Chucky Hepburn shot the ball well as a point guard, but dealt with some turnover issues. He needs to be better there.

Expect another step from center Stephen Crowl, who shot 51% from the field in 2022-23.

It’s clear that there is a lot of roster continuity, like just mentioned. After a mediocre season, can the Badgers take a step up?

Nebraska Cornhuskers

2022-23: 16-16 (9-11 Big Ten), no postseason

It was another mediocre season for the Huskers.

They key that might make this Huskers team go is Keisei Tominaga, who is one of the best shooters in the country and took a big leap as a sophomore in 2022-23, averaging 13.1 points per game on 50.3% shooting, including 40% from three.

The other starting guard is Jarron Coleman, who put up 14.3 points per game at Ball State this past season. He has 86 career starts to his name, including 21 at Missouri in 2021-22. in Charlotte transfer Brice Williams is a swing player who averaged 13.8 points per game and is a career 39.5% three point shooter.

Returner Juwan Gary is a capable forward, and Bradley transfer Rienk Mast was a first team All-MVU player last year.

Off the bench, New Mexico transfer Josiah Allick has 84 career starts to his name and CJ Wilcher started 24 games for the Nebraska last year.

There is some interesting talent on this roster, it will cpme down to how these players are able to gel together.

Ohio State Buckeyes

2022-23: 16-19 (5-15 Big Ten), no postseason

After an incredibly disappointing season, coach Chris Holtmann has put together a roster with both talent and depth.

One key piece is Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle, who once averaged 17.5 points per game in the Big Ten, but took something of a step back in 2022-23. Still a good player, but he will look to get back to that form.

Meanwhile, Bruce Thornton will look to build off of a good freshman season, freshman Scotty Middleton is very good. Senior Zed Key is one of the better paint players in the league; he led the team in rebounding (7.5) and was finished second in blocks. Meanwhile, Roddy Gayle is a big breakout candidate as a sophomore.

Penn State transfer Evan Mahaffey is a stout defensive players who should get even better as a sophomore. Depending on how things go, he could get starter minutes at some point. Taison Chatman is an intriguing prospect. Another freshman, Devin Royal, has skill that certainly can translate to the Big Ten.

All if this talent and depth makes it all but a certainly that it won’t be another bad season in Columbus.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

2022-23: 9-22 (2-17 Big Ten), no postseason

It was a disaster of a season for Ben Johnson and the Gophers, but they re-tooled in the portal.

Most notably those additions come in the backcourt in Mike Mitchell, who averaged 11.4 points per game last season at Pepperdine and Elijah Hawkins, who started 55 games over two seasons at Howard and averaged 12.9 points per game in that time. Both are well-rounded players.

Returners Pharrel Payne and Dawson Garcia both showed flashes last year and will look to take another step up in 2023-24. Freshman Cam Christie, the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie, has high upside, possibly the most of anyone on this roster.

Joshua Ola-Joseph can play both forward positions, while Braden Carrington is back healthy and ready to make a push. Isaiah Ihlen, Kadyn Betts, Parker Fox and Jack Wilson are depth pieces.

Minnesota will look to get out of the basement of the Big Ten. The Gophers haven’t finished higher than 12th in the league each of the past four years and will try to avoid a third straight last place finish.

By Aidan Joly

Last March and April certainly make the Big East look like the Big East of old.

UConn became the first school in the league not named Villanova to win a national championship since 2011 (and that school was, in fact, UConn) and a pair of ground-shaking hires gives the league plenty of intrigue heading into the new season.

That being said, it’s time to get into the 11 teams that will make up the league.

Marquette Golden Eagles

2022-23: 29-7 (17-3 Big East), lost in Round of 32

The defending Big East champions return most of the roster. The only major loss was Olivier Maxence-Prosper, who stayed in the NBA Draft.

What this means is a lot of the same team for Shaka Smart. Kam Jones didn’t test the NBA Draft waters, which is something of a surprise because he was expected to. Reigning conference player of the year Tyler Kolek returns to the fold as well as does Oso Ighodaro, who will see a larger role this season.

Overall, this is a strong team that will remain towards the top of the Big East for another year. Smart is a great coach and since he came to Marquette he has gotten the most out of his teams. This seems likely again.

Xavier Musketeers

2022-23: 27-9 (15-5 Big East), lost in Sweet 16

The injury bug is already hitting the Musketeers after recent news that both Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter will likely miss the entire season, Freemantle with a foot injury and Hunter with an undisclosed injury.

That news comes after losing Souley Boum, Jack Nunge and Colby Jones; Boum to the portal, Nunge to graduation and Jones to the NBA.

So, who is left? North Texas transfer Abou Ousmane and Western Kentucky transfer Dayvion McKnight will be thrust into big roles immediately. Rice transfer Quincy Olivari will need to play well too for the Musketeers to succeed.

The highest-scoring returner who will play this season is Desmond Claude, who averaged 4.8 points per game last year.

It might be tough for the Musketeers out of the gate. They’ll need to figure out what works, fast.

Creighton Bluejays

2022-23: 23-12 (14-6 Big East), lost in Elite Eight

The Bluejays might project as the best team in the Big East, talent-wise, right now. Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of the best players in the country, one of four players the Bluejays have that you can fairly put in the top 75 players in the country.

Utah State transfer Steven Ashworth is a star who should translate to this level extremely well. He was probably the best non-big in the portal in the country. A pair of returners in Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman both have star potential after putting up 13.5 and 12.6 points per game last year, respectively.

Arthur Kaluma is gone, but the argument can be made that that was addition by subtraction.

All in all, this team has so many scorers who will put up a lot of points. This makes Creighton a scary team in 2023-24.

UConn Huskies

2022-23: 27-8 (13-7 Big East), won national championship

The Huskies had a chance to return everyone that matters from a dominant run in the NCAA tournament that led to the program’s fifth national championship.

Unfortunately for them, Andre Jackson, Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo chose to capitalize on their NBA Draft stock and turn professional.

Donovan Clingan will probably be the guy for the Huskies this season after putting up a good year, while playing behind Sanogo. Tristen Newton and Alex Karaban are both capable returners from the championship squad, too.

As for new guys, five-star prospect Stephon Castle is coming in and is likely to have a role. It seemed as those UConn waited for the NBA Draft deadlines to pass before making any portal decisions. It got slightly burned there, but recovered by picking up Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer.

This year’s UConn will be much different than last year’s, but is still one with plenty of talent and experience.

Providence Friars

2022-23: 21-12 (13-7 Big East), lost in Round of 64

The Friars were one of the teams who were caught up in the Big East coaching shuffle and ended up bringing in former George Mason head coach Kim English to run the program.

English has a lot of talent returning in leading scorer Bryce Hopkins and Devin Carter, so they project to be the team’s best players this season. English brought Josh Oduro with him from George Mason, but it remains to be seen how much he will move the needle.

It’s rare that a Big East team would bring in a coach with just two years of experience and a record of 34-29 to lead the program, but English is one of the hot young coaches in the sport. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to this new challenge.

Seton Hall Pirates

2022-23: 17-16 (10-10 Big East), lost in NIT first round

There were for sure some growing pains in Shaheen Holloway’s first season as head coach, and it ended with a fairly average season, but were never really in the NCAA tournament conversation.

Three of the top four scorers return in Al-Amir Dawes, Kadary Richmond and Dre Davis, all of whom had solid seasons in 2022-23. Richmond was not the team’s leading scorer but is probably the best player on the team, very all-around.

Santa Clara transfer Jalen Bediako and St. John’s transfer Dylan Addae-Wusu are both notable portal adds.

The Pirates will be a great defensive team, similar to last year. It is the offense that has questions, and it might be another middle-of-the-pack season in South Orange.

Villanova Wildcats

2022-23: 17-17 (10-10 Big East), lost in NIT first round

In Villanova standards, it was an extremely disappointing season in Kyle Neptune’s first season at the helm after replacing the retired Jay Wright. However, the Wildcats seem to be primed for a bounce-back season.

Cam Whitemore, Brandon Slater and Caleb Daniels all are gone, but Neptune did a fantastic job in the transfer portal, picking up former Richmond star Tyler Burton, Maryland’s Hakim Hart and Washington State’s TJ Bamba, all of whom have significant high-level experience. Lance Ware (Kentucky) is a former top prospect, but didn’t amount to much during three seasons in Lexington. This may just be the change of scenery he needs.

The team’s leading scorer, Eric Dixon, is back, as well as Justin Moore, who played just 13 games last season after suffering a torn Achilles in the 2022 NCAA tournament. Chris Arcidiacono is back for the Wildcats as well. Jordan Longino started 2022 in the starting lineup, but was relegated to a bench role after a slow start.

At the very least, this Villanova team should be a contender for a NCAA tournament bid.

St. John’s Red Storm

2022-23: 18-15 (7-13 Big East), no postseason

St. John’s comes into the season being nationally relevant for the first time in about two decades, luring Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino to join them.

The hire was the biggest one of this year’s coaching carousel, and the question is how long it takes before he turns the program around.

Joel Soriano is the only returner. He was the team’s leading scorer at 15.2 points per game as well as the leading rebounder, with 11.9 per game. Technically, he’s not he only returner, as Drissa Traore and his 49 total minutes last year is back too.

Anyway, for the roster. Penn transfer Jordan Dingle and Harvard transfer Chris Ledlum are the safest bets to be key contributors after starring in the Ivy League. Naheim Alleyne was a role player for a national championship team last year. Former top prospect Zuby Ejiofor never caught on at Kansas as a freshman and now he’s here. There’s other guys who we don’t have time for right now, too.

As for freshman, it’s a gimme that Brady Dunlap and Simeon Wilcher will have immediate roles.

As for how the Red Storm will do this year? Man, it’s hard to have any idea. But there’s not a head coach in the league better than Pitino, and it’ll be a real show to watch.

Butler Bulldogs

2022-23: 14-18 (6-14 Big East), no postseason

It was a promising start to Thad Matta’s return to Indianapolis after an 8-3 start, but things went south quickly and resulted in a finish towards the bottom of the Big East.

The Bulldogs also lost a ton of players in the off-season. Butler lost each of its top five scorers, seven of eight who averaged more than two rebounds per game, and all of its players who averaged more than one assist per game.

The only notable returner is Jalen Thomas, who made 13 starts in 21 appearances to the tune of 7.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

That leaves a big group of new players. St. John’s transfer Posh Alexander is here now after putting up decent career numbers with the Johnnies. However, he is coming off his worst collegiate season. Jahmyl Telfort (Northeastern), DJ Davis (UC Irvine), Landon Moore (St. Francis PA) and Andre Screen (Bucknell) all put up good numbers last year, albeit at the mid-major level.

Michigan State transfer Pierre Brooks has high-major experience, but didn’t put up eye-popping numbers with 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

There are a few moving parts here. One is that there’s a new collection of players, and basically every player responsible for last year is gone. The second is Matta, who definitely struggled in his first season back on the sidelines since the 2016-17 season. He’ll need to catch back up or risk another losing season.

DePaul Blue Demons

2022-23: 10-23 (3-17 Big East), no postseason

It was another rough season for DePaul towards the bottom of the Big East.

DePaul was supposed to be decent last season, but that did not come close to happening. Now, the Blue Demons lost five of its top six scorers, four of the five top rebounders and two of three who averaged more than two assists per game.

Who is left? Da’Sean Nelson is the highest scorer returning after putting up 10.0 points per game. Caleb Murphy was limited to 15 games due to injury, but wasn’t bad in those games. Zion Cruz and Jalen Terry were role players who are back.

As for new guys, Texas Tech transfer Elijah Fisher is a former top prospect who never gelled with the Red Raiders and now he is here. Freshman Dramane Camara is a decent prospect, but it’s hard to know what his role will be. Chico Carter (South Carolina), Jeremiah Oden (Wyoming), Mac Etienne (UCLA) and Jaden Henley (Minnesota) all had varying roles as their last stops, but are all sure to find a spot for Tony Stubblefield.

Overall, it’s unlikely that DePaul will be much of anything this season. Someone needs to do something well, and it’s tough to see where that will come from.

Georgetown Hoyas

2022-23: 7-25 (2-18 Big East), no postseason

Georgetown has been bad for years now, and finally got the shot in the arm that it needed in the off-season, parting ways with Patrick Ewing after a disaster of a tenure and luring former Providence coach Ed Cooley to the nation’s capital.

When Georgetown pulled out an out-of-nowhere Big East tournament title in 2021, it was seen as the moment Ewing had it figured out. In retrospect it was all a big fluke and Ewing won just two league games the rest of his tenure.

So, it’s a big rebuilding job for Cooley, one of the better coaches in the country. It won’t be a quick one, though. The Hoyas have 11 new faces and the one with the most significant experience is Fairfield transfer Supreme Cook, a decent rebounder who should have a fairly large role. Kansas State transfer Ismael Massoud had a coming-out party in the Sweet 16 with 15 points, but it seemed to be a fluke after averaging 5.4 points per game on the season. Donteez Styles (North Carolina) and Jayden Epps (Illinois) are former high level prospects who will look to carve out a role.

Rowan Brumbaugh did not play as a freshman for Texas last season, so he will play his first year of college hoops this season. Cooley pulled four-star guard Drew Fielder from his commitment to him at Providence to come to Georgetown.

The only returners are Jay Heath and Wayne Bristol. Heath averaged 12.3 points per game, which is good, while Bristol was a bit player.

All in all, it won’t be a pretty first year for Cooley at Georgetown. He’s a great coach, but the talent just isn’t there. This was seen as one of the best hires of the carousel, and Cooley will get it done eventually. Just not yet.

By Aidan Joly

The Big 12 was the best league in college basketball in the 2022-23 season and it wasn’t close.

Now, for the 2023-24 season, it will be a season of transition. It is the first season of new additions Cincinnati, BYU, Houston and UCF and the final season of Oklahoma and Texas being in the league before those two leave for the SEC in 2024. Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah will join in the summer of 2024.

That being said, the league projects to be strong once again in 2023-24. Let’s get into breaking down each of the league’s 14 teams for this season.

Kansas Jayhawks

2022-23: 28-8 (13-5 Big 12), lost in Round of 32

The Jayhawks lost both of their top two scorers to the NBA in Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick, but claimed the top prize in the transfer portal in Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson, who projects as the team’s best player right out of the gate.

Dickinson seems like a perfect fit for this group, which was one of the most talented rosters in the country even without him. The Jayhawks return Kevin McCullar, KJ Adams and DaJuan Harris, all of whom will have larger roles this season. Freshmen Elmarko Johnson and Chris Johnson are both very good recruits as well.

The talent here is overwhelming. Two question marks are the health of head coach Bill Self, who missed the team’s round of 32 loss to Arkansas as well as Texas transfer Arterio Morris, who is suspended from the program following a rape accusation. The Jayhawks project on paper as a top-2 team in the country on talent alone.

Houston Cougars

2022-23 in American Athletic: 33-3 (17-1 AAC), lost in Sweet 16

The system that coach Kelvin Sampson has in place is more of a plug-and-play one that anyone can really play in. That’s why losing Marcus Sasser and Jerace Walker to the NBA isn’t a huge loss. Case and point, when the Cougars made a run to the Elite Eight in 2022 without Sasser, the team’s best player at the time.

The Cougars return two solid core pieces in Jamal Shead and J’Wan Roberts after they played key roles in what was a top-5 team in the nation for most of 2022-23. Baylor transfer LJ Cryer was one of the better players in the portal and Houston landed him, as well as Temple transfer Damian Dunn. Emanuel Sharp should also have an increased role this season after averaging 5.9 points per game last year.

It will be interesting to see how the Cougars do in a league with much stiffer competition that in the American, but all signs point to a great season with a deep postseason run.

Texas Longhorns

2022-23: 28-8 (12-6 Big 12), lost in Elite Eight

The Longhorns had one of the better stories for the entire season in 2022-23, enduring a midseason coaching change and not missing a beat, ending up one game away from the Final Four.

That was enough for Rodney Terry to get the permanent head coaching gig.

The Longhorns lost just about everyone, but do return Tyrese Hunter, who averaged 10.1 points per game, and Dylan Disu, who averaged 9.1 per game. Texas does bring in two top transfers in Kadin Shedrick (Virginia) and Max Abmas (Oral Roberts), who project to be two of the team’s top three players. Freshman AJ Johnson will have a role, but will have to be developed over time.

The biggest question here remains Terry. In two previous head coaching gigs, he went 163-158 in 10 seasons in the Mountain West (Fresno State) – his first season there was in the WAC – and Conference USA (UTEP). How will be do here in a permanent job?

Kansas State Wildcats

2022-23: 25-9 (11-7 Big 12), lost in Elite Eight

Another one of the best stories in 2022-23, the Wildcats exceeded all expectations in 2022-23, winning 25 games and making the Elite Eight for just the third since since 1988 in Jerome Tang’s first season at the helm, including a signature win over Kansas in January.

The Wildcats lost both of their stars in Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson. However, they re-tooled in the portal, picking up Tylor Perry (North Texas), Arthur Kaluma (Creighton) and Ques Glover (Samford), three unsung guys who are likely to make an impact.

They also return Nae’Qwan Tomlin and David N’Guessan. Overall, this Wildcats team is likely to take a step back, but still be a threat overall in the Big 12.

Baylor Bears

2022-23: 23-11 (11-7 Big 12), lost in Round of 32

The Bears averaged 13th in the NET rankings in the past five years, with usually one of the top rosters in the country. This might be a lower number this year.

The aforementioned LJ Cryer is gone, as is Adam Flagler, who elected to stay in the NBA Draft. In response coach Scott Drew hit the portal, adding RayJ Dennis (Toledo) and Jayden Nunn (VCU) as transfers. They project to be solid replacements for the two departures.

Jalen Bridges does return after averaging 10.3 points per game this past season. A pair of freshmen in JaKobe Walker and Miro Little should help right out of the gate as well.

Scott Drew is one of the best coaches in the country. Dennis and Nunn come from mid-majors, but Drew has proven he can get a lot out of that type of player, looking at what he did with Flagler and MaCio Teague. We will see.

Cincinnati Bearcats

2022-23 in American Athletic: 23-12 (11-7 American), lost in NIT quarterfinals

This will be the first season in the Big 12 for the Bearcats and coach Wes Miller after deep NIT run last March.

Viktor Lahkin and Aziz Bandoago are two of the most underrated centers in the country on a national level, and both of them return in 2023-24. However, there is not much to be said for the other positions. There is Georgetown transfer Primo Spears, who should be solid at the guard position. They bring in Butler transfer Simas Lukosius, who will provide another option in the frontcount.

Cincinnati will be a decent team in 2023-24, but there will surely be some growing pains as they adjust to a new, highly competitive league.

TCU Horned Frogs

2022-23: 22-13 (9-9 Big 12), lost in Round of 32

The Horned Frogs are coming off their second straight NCAA tournament appearance, something the program had not accomplished since 1952 and 1953.

Mike Miles is gone, but returner JaKobe Coles easily slides into having a larger role in his absence. Damion Baugh and Emanuel Miller return for the Horned Frogs as well. Coach Jamie Dixon did a solid job in the portal, picking up Oklahoma State transfer Avery Anderson III and Delaware’s Jameer Nelson Jr. Anderson will see the bigger role, but Nelson projects as about the fourth-best player in the roster.

It remains to be seen how large of a role freshman Jace Posey will have and that is something to monitor.

All in all, TCU should be in solid shape and will compete towards the middle of the league.

Iowa State Cyclones

2022-23: 19-14 (9-9 Big 12), lost in Round of 64

The Cyclones are positioned to be one of the youngest teams in the league following the losses of each of their top four scorers – Jared Holmes, Gabe Kalscheur, Caleb Grill and Osun Osunniyi – all to graduation.

Sophomore Tamin Lipsey will be thrust into a large role after showing some flashed as a freshman, a season where he averaged 7.2 points a game. UNLV transfer Keshon Gilbert will probably be the second-leading scorer, and Buffalo transfer Curtis Jones is likely to start.

A crop of freshman, Omaha Biliew, Milan Momcilovic and JT Rock, will need to develop quickly.

There will surely be some growing pains for the Cyclones at the start of the season, but it will be interesting to see how they progress as the season goes on.

BYU Cougars

2022-23 in WCC: 19-15 (7-9 WCC), no postseason

BYU had Ques Glover for a time this off-season before he re-opened his recruitments and landed with Kansas State, as mentioned before. That was a huge blow for the program as it tried to pick up a second star player.

That being said, Fousseyni Traore is a top-30 player in the country and will have a huge role. However, he will have to play in the post standing at 6-6, in a league where every team has a good center. They do have 6-11 Aly Khalifa, but Traore is much more talented. Spencer Johnson returns for the Cougars as well.

It will be fascinating to see how this team adjusts to the Big 12 buzzsaw, especially coming off a season in the WCC where it struggled to a degree.

UCF Knights

2022-23 in American Athletic: 19-15 (8-10 AAC), lost in NIT second round

UCF is another school joining the Big 12 this season. It has been a solid program for a while now under Johnny Dawkins. A lot of people seem to think that UCF will be something of a whipping boy for a bit, which could happen, but there is also a good shot the Knights can hold their own, even if the season ends towards the bottom of the league.

Darius Johnson is the guy to watch here. Most of the rest of the roster is not much to write home about. Sam Jose State transfer Ibrahima Diallo is a seven-footer who might be a defensive menace in the middle.

Defense has always been the key for Dawkins teams at UCF, and will have to hang its hat on that again this season.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

2022-23: 20-16 (8-10 Big 12), lost in NIT quarterfinals

Losing Kalib Boone and Moussa Cisse to the transfer portal is a huge blow to a team that missed the NCAA tournament last season. Two of the best big men in the nation, but barely playing over 20 minutes a game in coach Mike Boynton’s rotation. Who can blame them? That’s on Boynton and coaching. Avery Anderson III is gone to TCU, as well.

So, the Cowboys will have to lean on mid-major guards to lead the team. On paper, adding Javon Small (East Carolina) is a solid move. He had good stats with 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists, but a lot of that came against much inferior competition. Louisiana-Monroe transfer Russell Harrison missed all of 2022-23, but is now eligible.

Bryce Thompson is back, but he was wildly inconsistent in 2022-23. John-Michael Wright will need to have a bigger role too.

All in all, things don’t look great. You might be looking at the worst team in the Big 12 here.

West Virginia Mountaineers

2022-23: 19-15 (7-11 Big 12), lost in Round of 64

One of the biggest storylines off the off-season came in Morgantown, after Bob Huggins was forced into retirement after using an anti-gay slur on a radio station and then getting a DUI.

Interim coach Josh Eilert, less than two seasons removed from being a DOBO, will lead the team this season.

The team’s biggest get in the portal was Syracuse transfer Jesse Edwards, who will likely be the team’s best player. Montana State transfer RaeQuan Battle and Arizona transfer Kerr Kriisa are both solid gets, but neither dramatically move the needle.

Tre Mitchell is the best returner here. Overall, it’s tough to get too excited about this tea, but maybe they can prove doubters wrong.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

2022-23: 16-16 (5-13 Big 12), no postseason

New coach Grant McCasland is fresh off of a NIT championship with North Texas and will have a good shot at coaching in the NCAA tournament with these Red Raiders.

Arizona State transfer Warren Washington will be key in leading this group, which does not have a ton of returning players. However, Pop Isaacs is one of those returners, back after averaging 11.5 points per game as a freshman in 2022-23. Joining Washington will be Devan Cambridge, who also comes to the program from Arizona State.

The outlook here looks decent. Time will tell.

Oklahoma Sooners

2022-23: 15-17 (5-13 Big 12), no postseason

The 2022-23 season did not go well in Norman, and this year’s edition might take a further step back.

The team’s best player is probably John Hugley IV, who averaged 8.0 points and 3.6 rebounds a game for Pittsbrgh in 2022-23. As for guys coming back, Milos Uzan is probably the best of the group after he averaged 7.6 points per game last year.

Siena transfer Javian McCollum was a star in the MAAC, and he now gets a challenge and a role to put himself into for the Sooners.

It’s likely that this team takes a step back, which is a shame. Porter Moser is a solid coach, but this is just not a good fit for him geographically. A move somewhere else before Oklahoma makes a move could be the best option for him if the season goes even more south.

By Aidan Joly

Less than two months out from the return of college basketball, we are going to start conference previews for the season.

First up is the ACC.

First off, it’s no secret that this league is losing prominence nationally. In 2022-23, the league failed to impress for the second season in a row and only sent five teams to the NCAA tournament, but saved some level of face with a surprise Miami run to the Final Four.

More than half of the league has coaches who have been with their programs less than three years. Many of these teams have had major roster overhauls in the off-season, but the league still boasts a good amount of talent after faring well in the transfer portal.

Right now, the league probably has about seven teams with realistic NCAA tournament chances, and one with national title aspirations. Let’s get into each of the 15 teams.

Duke Blue Devils

2022-23: 27-9 (14-6 ACC), lost in Round of 32

The Blue Devils had high expectations heading into the NCAA tournament, which made a loss to Tennessee in the round of 32 a disappointing end to Jon Scheyer’s first season as head coach. However, all things considered, it was a respectable season after a roster overhaul.

This year’s edition of the Blue Devils brings backs four starters and five of its six top scorers, along with one of the best classes of freshmen in the country. Kyle Filipowski had 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last year as a freshman, and should come back even stronger as a sophomore. The return of Jeremy Roach is huge for the guard position, an efficient player who is sure to be even better. Tyrese Proctor will be a good partner for him on offense.

The additions of freshmen Sean Stewart, Jared McCain, Caleb Foster and TJ Power, all top-20 recruits, will be big reinforcements.

The expectations will only get higher in Scheyer’s second season, and a national title has to be the goal.

Virginia Cavaliers

2022-23: 25-8 (15-5 ACC), lost in Round of 64

After falling victim to an upset in the first round of the tournament last March, Tony Bennett’s squad faced a major roster overhaul after Kihei Clark, Armaan Franklin, Jayden Gardner and Ben Vander Plas all graduated, and Kadin Shedrick transferred.

The Cavaliers do bring in Merrimack transfer Jordan Minor, Georgetown transfer Dante Harris, St. Thomas transfer Andrew Rhode and a few others in the portal, but would have likely been staring down an NIT appearance if not for the return of Reece Beekman, who brings back some much-needed continuity for the Cavaliers.

It’s no secret that outside of the 2019 national title that Virginia has struggled to compete in March, but Tony Bennett always figures it out and this season should be more of the same.

North Carolina Tar Heels

2022-23: 20-13 (11-9 ACC), no postseason

Year two under Hubert Davis did not go as well as year one, going from preseason national title favorites to notoriously declining a bid to the NIT, which makes much more sense now that most of the roster left.

Davis has had issues with playing time. Starters seemingly play the whole game, while the bench barely plays at all. Changes will have to be made with Davis’ coaching philosophy in that regard. Former top recruits Puff Johnson, Dontrez Styles, D’Marco Dunn, Seth Trimble, Jalen Washington and Tyler Nickel are all gone after not getting much of a chance in two years or less of development.

And it just might, with Armando Bacot coming back for another year. The Tar Heels also bring in Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan, Louisville transfer Jae’lyn Withers, Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram and Brown transfer Paxton Wojcik, among others. They also have a decent recruiting class coming in.

The overarching theme here is that on paper, the Tar Heels have one of the most talented rosters in the league. The question will be, can Davis make a simple but important coaching adjustment?

Florida State Seminoles

2022-23: 9-23 (7-13 ACC), no postseason

FSU had arguably its best team in the Leonard Hamilton era in 2019-20 and then made the Sweet 16 in 2021, its second second weekend appearance in five years.

Since then, the past two seasons have featured a ton of injuries that made it impossible for even one of the deepest rosters in the country to compete. At one point last year the Seminoles had a rotation of just seven players, most of them freshman and ideally wouldn’t have been playing much if the team had less injuries. The strange 16-game suspension of Baba Miller didn’t help, either.

Thus, this year’s roster is athletic and should result in a better season than last year. Miller is back, as well as Cam’Ron Fletcher, who missed time last year when he was hurt. Sophomore De’Ante Green can certainly make a step forward too.

Additions of true point guard Primo Spears, as well as Jaylan Gainey and Josh Nickelberry should keep the roster deep.

That’s if, of course, they can stay healthy.

Virginia Tech Hokies

2022-23: 19-15 (8-12 ACC), lost in first round of NIT

Despite coach Mike Young not playing as deep of a rogation as Hamilton and Florida State, the Hokies faced a similar issue that the Seminoles did this past season with injuries.

As a result, Sean Pedulla, Hunter Catoor and Justyn Mutts were forced to be iron men after it turned out that only about six players were prepared for roles in high-major college basketball, and the results were not good, with inefficient shooting that did not result in a lot of winning.

Two of the three in that group (Pedulla and Catoor) will return, so at least there is some continuity there. A four-star recruit in Brandon Rechsteiner is a remarkably similar player to Pedulla, so he should help out in a big way quickly. Transfer portal additions in Mekhi Long (Old Dominion) and the aforementioned Tyler Nickel should play roles for the Hokies as well.

With more able contributors, the NCAA tournament should be a realistic goal for this group, but it does need the ball to bounce the right way from time to time.

Syracuse Orange

2022-23: 17-15 (10-10 ACC), no postseason

Of course, the Orange had the most notable coaching change of the off-season when 78-year-old Jim Boeheim handed the keys to Adrian Autry after 47 years, a career that included 34 NCAA tournament appearances, five Final Fours and the 2003 national championship.

Autry, the former associate head coach, inherits a roster chalk-full of young talent, including a former five-star recruit and a member of last year’s All-Freshman team.

Notre Dame transfer JJ Starling was the one who was on the All-Freshman team, and he will team up with Judah Mintz to form what should be one of the best backcourts in the league. Benny Williams was inconsistent as a sophomore, but showed some serious flashes and should show more this season and hopefully be more consistent. Chris Bell and Maliq Brown both had their moments as freshman, too.

Despite Autry working with Boeheim for 12 years, he has been clear that he will move away from Boeheim’s patented zone defense in favor of man-to-man. This should help out their defensive rebounding woes and bring them into the 21st century a bit when it comes to defense.

All in all, with the young roster, expectations should be reasonably high for the Orange in Autry’s inaugural campaign.

Miami Hurricanes

2022-23: 29-8 (15-5 ACC), lost in national semifinals

The Hurricanes made a surprise run to the Final Four last March, but it will be tough to follow that up this season.

Replacing reigning ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong will be tough, but Bensley Joseph will try to do it after coming off the bench last year. The team will also deal with the loss of star forward Jordan Miller, which will be tasked to Florida State transfer Matthew Cleveland. Cleveland is a great addition and as close to a player to Miller that they could have gotten, maybe Cleveland is slight less strong.

Nijal Pack, Norchad Omier and Wooga Poplar return, bringing some decent pieces back this season.

The starters won’t be the problem as much as the bench and depth, which may do the Canes in this season. But they can certainly try, although an NCAA bid might be tough to come by.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2022-23: 19-14 (10-10 ACC), no postseason

Steve Forbes first three seasons in Winston-Salem have been moderately successful, but have still yet to produce a NCAA tournament appearance.

Several players, including Alondes Williams, Jake LaRavia and Tyree Appleby, have done well after struggling in other offensive systems.

This year’s team will bring back Cam Hildreth, who will likely play a major role and they also bring in Central Michigan transfer Boopie Miller and former top recruits Hunter Sallis and Efton Reid, both coming out of Gonzaga. Both are skilled players who will be looking for a new opportunity playing under Forbes.

Their presence, along with capable players in Andrew Carr and Damari Monsanto and freshman Parker Friedrichsen should make for a team that threats on offense. The question is defense, which hasnt seemingly been a priority of some Forbes teams in recent years.

If things go right, an NCAA tournament bid could be in the cards, which would be a good place to be in year four.

Boston College Eagles

2022-23: 16-17 (9-11 ACC), no postseason

The 2022-23 season was a tale of two schedules for the Eagles. It went 7-6 against a non-very-impressive non-conference slate, which included losses to New Hampshire, Tarleton State and Maine. It did this without Quinton Post, one of the better players on the team. If he had been healthy, BC may have made some sort of postseason for what would have been just the third time since 2009.

Post is back this year, though. Prince Aligbe and Devon McGlockton both showed promise as freshman and should make leaps as sophomores. Charleton Southern transfer Claudell Harris is at least an equal player to replace Makai Ashton-Langford, if not an upgrade. Jaeden Zachary has a chance to re-discover himself after struggling last year, and two former solid recruits in Chas Kelly and Donald Hand will have roles off the bench.

If things go well, this seems to be the year that Earl Grant can bring the Eagles back to some sort of postseason. Even the NIT would be a huge plus.

Clemson Tigers

2022-23: 23-11 (14-6 ACC), lost in NIT first round

The season ended on a pair of bad notes in both missing the NCAA tournament and then losing in the first round of the NIT, but overall it was a better season than expected.

The biggest returnee is Chase Hunter, who is back after averaging 13.8 points per game this past season. Syracuse transfer Joe Girard is in theory an upgrade to Brevin Galloway on offense, but he will need to take less shots, which taking too many would likely reduce Clemson’s efficiency on offense, something it did well with last year.

Air Force transfer Jake Heidbreder should be an upgrade over Alex Hemenway. However, Girard and Heidbreder will likely halt the development of former recruit Dillon Hunter, who will need to have at least a small role in Clemson’s success. Hunter Tyson will be missed on offense.

It seems like Clemson has a lot of guys, but them meshing together will be the question. The Tigers could certainly be good again, but will need a lot of things to go right for that to happen.

Pittsburgh Panthers

2022-23: 24-12 (14-6 ACC), lost in Round of 32

Pitt was one of the major feel-good stories in college basketball last year, Jeff Capel having a breakthrough year and the program making its first NCAA tournament since 2016.

With a lot of departures, the Panthers will likely struggle on offense and overall, take a step back. Really the only core player who is back is Blake Hinson, who wasn’t particularly close to the team’s most important player in 2022-23.

There are Spanish twins Jorge and Guillermo Diaz Graham, who could make up a lethal frontcourt, but both will need to fill out more of their potential, considering their respective size at 6-11 and 7-0.

High Point transfer Zach Austin is here, as is Rhode Island transfer Ishmael Leggett. Their roles are yet to be seen.

All in all, Capel probably bought himself two more years with last year’s performance, provided his players improve and the season isn’t a disaster. But don’t expect last year again.

NC State Wolf Pack

2022-23: 23-11 (12-8 ACC), lost in Round of 64

Coach Kevin Keatts did a solid job with a huge roster turnover last year, getting the program back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018.

It’s another off-season of major roster turnover in Raleigh, in particular losing Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner to graduation.

In theory, Arizona State transfer DJ Horne and North Carolina A&T transfer Kam Woods are capable of replacing Smith and Joiner in the backcourt, but that level of production shouldn’t be expected, at least right off the bat.There will be more opportunities for Casey Morsell too, who broke out a bit this past year. Former Kansas recruit MJ Rice is here too after struggling to get his footing in Lawrence.

In the frontcourt, it is returner DJ Burns, Clemson transfer Ben Middleton and another returner in Ernest Ross, a former top-60 recruit who has not lived up to his hype so far. This is an important year for him.

Keatts did one of the best jobs in the ACC last year in simply making the tournament, but it’ll be hard to replicate with a paper roster that is less talented. Stranger things have happened, though.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2022-23: 15-18 (6-14 ACC), no postseason

After anther season of struggling, Georgia Tech parted ways with Josh Pastner.

The Yellow Jackets brought in Damon Stoudamire. It is an interesting hire to stay the least. He went an unimpressive 71-77 in five seasons with Pacific from 2016-2021 and had been an assistant with the Boston Celtics since. His NBA name is a recruiting tool, which helps matters.

There isn’t a ton here, but the Yellow Jackets do have one player worth writing home about in Miles Kelly, a perimeter volume shooter who really did well last season. Florida transfer Kowacie Reeves has a good reputation, even if the stats haven’t shown up yet. Juniors Lance Terry and Dallan Coleman are both good perimeter shooters, so the Yellow Jacket have all of that going for them as a dangerous team from behind the arc. Ole Miss transfer Amaree Abram helps there, too.

It’ll be a four-guard lineup with either Western Carolina transfer Tyzhaun Claude or NC State transfer Ebenezer Dowuona in the post, so there will be some defense and rebounding questions.

It’s tough to gauge how Georgia Tech will be this season. Seemingly, it’ll live by the three and die by the three.

Louisville Cardinals

2022-23: 4-28 (2-18 ACC), no postseason

Kenny Payne’s first season at the helm was nothing short of a disaster. Payne had some roster turnover but there was talent, a lot of the issues seemed to be coaching-related.

So, of course there was a mass exodus. Most notably, El Ellis and Jae’lyn Withers are gone, both of their best players. Sydney Curry is gone, too. Offensive struggles were expected, but it wasn’t supposed to be that bad, with the Cardinals in the bottom third of the country in several offensive categories, and much worse than when Chris Mack was fired midway through the 2021-22 season and Mike Pegues ran the team in the interim.

Payne was known as a good recruiter, but his top get this off-season was Skyy Clark, a former top recruit who struggled mightily at Illinois and bizarrely leaving the team mid-season, announcing his intention to transfer just hours after the Illini were eliminated from the NCAA tournament (without him). A former five-star recruit, Trentyn Flowers, l eft the program over the summer to play professional overseas instead of play overseas after experiencing the program briefly. Not much talent is there otherwise.

Overall, the roster is slightly more talented, but it will likely take some major improvements for Payne to keep his job beyond this season.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2022-23: 11-21 (3-17 ACC), no postseason

Last year’s Notre Dame team underachieved and played with remarkably little energy, leading Mike Brey, the most successful coach in the program’s history, to announce his retirement in February.

Replacing Brey is Micah Shrewsberry, who the Irish were able to lure from Penn State after he had a successful two seasons in Happy Valley.

Shrewsberry is easily one of the top coaches in the country right now, but there was next to nothing he could do to avoid a near-complete roster turnover.

There won’t be any success in this first year with a roster that might be one of the worst in Power 6. Nobody on the roster has ever averaged more than 4.4 points per game at the college level – that would be Julian Roper at Northwestern last season.

Where will points come from? Micah’s son Braeden, a four-star freshman, will probably get opportunities, as will top-70 recruit Carey Booth. Sophomore J.R. Konieczny, who played sparingly last year, might emerge as the top scorer.

Simply put, this is a complete rebuild job and winning right now isn’t realistic. But, could things go worse than last year? Probably not. And it’s realistic to think just about everyone will return for year two, and we already know Shrewsberry’s ability to build up a program and develop players.

By Aidan Joly

As conference realignment rolls on in college sports, questions have lingered about two of the best college basketball programs in the country, a pair of programs that lie on opposite sides of the country.

Gonzaga and UConn. Would the powerhouses head to the Big 12? Or would they stay put in the WCC and the Big East.

At the end of the day, Big 12 commissioner Brent Yormack said that after the additions of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to bring the league to 16 teams starting in the summer of 2024, it won’t expand any more.

What about Gonzaga and UConn? It’s good that they will stay in their respective leagues. It is fair to say that both of these programs don’t need the Big 12 and will be better off in the long run not being on the addition list, for different reasons.

First, let’s talk about UConn. One major lesson in the past 20 years of conference realignment is to know what you’re good at. Look at schools like Nebraska, Miami, Boston College and Maryland. For the most part, those athletic programs have been worse since moving to new leagues.

Sure, it’s more money from television rights deals, but does that improve the day-to-day lives of fans? Fans want their teams to be good, to play in games that matter, and have regional rivalries.

For decades, UConn had it playing in the old Big East. Then, the program lost it with its move to the American Athletic. It recently got it back by moving back to the Big East, and now is back on top of the basketball world with its fifth national title since 2000 this past season, more than any program in the past 30 years.

You can’t forget about the women’s program either, which has a claim of being the best women’s program in the country with 11 national titles since 1995, but has not won one since 2016 as other programs catch up to Geno Auriemma and the Huskies.

A move to the Big 12 would have created intrigue, but it would have made it far more difficult for UConn to win conference championships, consistently earn high seeds in the NCAA tournament, lose regional rivalries and potentially lose territorial dominance in the northeast. It also has a synonymous connection to Madison Square Garden, which it likely would have lost, too.

On top of that, in an era of student-athlete empowerment, logging thousands of miles more in travel would have hampered their well-being. There’s a financial cost to that, too.

UConn let football drive the bus in the move to the American in 2013, which was a mistake, and it would likely be doing the same if it had moved to the Big 12. That money would have been huge – and much of it likely would have gone to overhauling a football program that struggles to make any sort of wave in its own region, much less nationally.

If the ACC comes calling in a few weeks, months or years, this might be a different discussion. But for now, UConn knows what it is good at.

Now, let’s move over to Gonzaga.

The Bulldogs have been flirting with other conferences ever since it became a national power more than two decades ago.

Similar to UConn, it would have been knocked down a peg or two with a move to the Big 12, but it would have brought much more national exposure to the program. Coach Mark Few is forced to be one of the most ambitious coaches in the country when it comes to non-conference scheduling on a yearly basis – because the program essentially disappears for the most part in January and February. And now with BYU leaving for the Big 12, Gonzaga has lost two high-profile games in the middle of the season too. It needs those non-conference games.

Gonzaga can not, and should not, be content to stay in the WCC and let its standing within the sport slip as its counterparts leave for better leagues. Now, the league is down to nine after BYU’s departure.

In the short term, staying in the WCC is fine for the program to maintain its top-10 status in the sport. How about long term? That’s another question.

The Mountain West has pushed hard to add Gonzaga in the past, but GU said no, using it as leverage for scheduling benefits and a larger share of media rights in the WCC. Now, Gonzaga needs to wait and see what happens with the remnants of the Pac-12 and see if there is any sort of merger with the Mountain West. When you look at the way money is tiered for NCAA tournament performance, the Zags are a cash cow for the rest of the league, which has always been a three-bid league at best.

The Pac-12 has looked down on Gonzaga for a long time, due to the school not having football. Now, it should go to wherever Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State, or some combination of the four go. That should be the Mountain West.

As mentioned before, Gonzaga has always flirted with other leagues. The Big East was one of them, but those talks have fizzled, likely due to the geographic aspect. If Gonzaga was in the Midwest, it would have surely joined the Big East by now.

Gonzaga moving to the remnants of the Pac-12, or joining during some sort of merger, feels like the best move to set up the program for long-term success, even after the 60-year-old Few’s coaching days are up.

Realignment never ends. It has always defined college sports, and the conference landscape will certainly look different in 50 years. Gonzaga and UConn and defined by basketball. There’s a price to that, but the experience is surely much better.

Is that not the point?

By Aidan Joly

The Pac-12 took yet another hit on Thursday after it became official that the University of Colorado will leave the league for the greener pastures of the Big 12 in 2024.

Colorado was arguably the school that had the best options out of anyone else in the league and it turns out they had the ability and motivation to move on from the Pac-12 and return to a league that called home for more than six decades. A surge in popularity with the school was caused by hiring Deion Sanders as the school’s new football coach, too.

If we are keeping score at home, that is now three schools that will leave the Pac-12 next summer after both USC and UCLA will head to the Big Ten in the summer of 2024, leaving the league with just nine schools moving toward as of this writing.

To add onto that, rumors continue to swirl that the Pac-12 could lose up to more schools in the coming weeks and that it might be the larger brands that remain. Oregon, Washington, Arizona or Arizona State would make the most sense.

Now at 13 schools, the Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormack certainly isn’t done expanding. Some other schools in other leagues, such as UConn, remain possibilities too. The Huskies would have to pay a seven-figure exit fee to leave the Big East though. Yormack has said he would like to cap expansion at 14 once Oklahoma and Texas leave, so it is going to be a mad scramble for that 14th spot.

It all comes down to passive leadership within the Pac-12. In 2021, when Texas and Oklahoma announced that they would leave the Big 12 for the SEC, the Pac-12 had a chance to chew at the bones of a wounded league. Instead, the powers that be stood pat and let the Big 12 re-tool and finally take away schools from them. Two years ago, the Big 12 seemed unstable and perhaps headed down a similar road that the Pac-12 is currently heading down, has struck a blow to the Pac-12.

How will the Pac-12 remain afloat?

San Diego State seemed like the easy call, but the Pac-12 could not get its media rights deal straight fast enough, enough time for the Mountain West to double its exit fee, a move to try to prevent that program from leaving. For now, SDSU stays in the Mountain West.

The loss of prestige is hitting the league hard. It has now lost both the Los Angeles and Denver markets, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them lose at least part of the Arizona market in short order. It went from having four schools that have won football national championships to one. In basketball, after UCLA leaves, only one current school will have won a national title since 1959.

Oregon and Washington have talked to other leagues too. The move here needs to be to double down and keep them happy, which would probably have to be a bigger cut of media money, which the league has talked with multiple platforms in recent years, but nothing has come to fruition.

Rumors say that the Pac-12 has been asking for $500 million annually, which breaks down to $50 million per school in a league that just lost its two biggest west coast brand. An outlandish ask.

The Big 12 essentially took away a chance for the league to partner with Fox or ESPN due to their deals, while the Big Ten has partnered with CBS, Fox and NBC for a rich deal. Why would networks pay similar money for the Pac-12?

Apple still remains an option for the Pac-12, which might be sweetened with the league’s connections to Silicon Valley. Still, it’s not one that would make a ton of sense.

All in all here, it’s hard to see the Pac-12 completely dying. It’s likely to stay around in some form, but the relevance remains to be seen.

The last bit of irony: Colorado left the Big 12 back in 2011 because of its lack of stability. 12 years later, it heads back to that league in search of stability.

How about that?

By Aidan Joly

It’s been just about four months since Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino left Iona for St. John’s.

A complete roster overhaul has occurred since then, and that St. John’s will become a recruiting powerhouse as long as Pitino is at the helm.

Earlier this week, the Red Storm picked up Harvard transfer and Brooklyn native Chris Ledlum, one of the best remaining players in the transfer portal. He was highly recruited while he was in the portal after averaging more than 18 points and eight rebounds with the Crimson this past season. He actually had originally committed to Tennessee earlier in the off-season, but entered the portal for a second time this summer and now lands closer to home.

The roster now features 12 newcomers and 10 transfers coming in. The Ledlum addition came at the expense of Quinn Slazinski, who had followed Pitino from Iona to St. John’s, who entered the portal shortly after the Ledlum commitment. He quickly committed to West Virginia.

It’s just the latest in high-profile additions for the Johnnies. Pitino picked up dynamic Penn transfer Jordan Dingle, Kansas transfer and former top prospect Zuby Ejiofor and flipped top-40 recruit Simeon Wilcher from North Carolina to come to Queens.

A big part of Pitino’s recruiting wins so far have been picking up local products in the New York City area. As previously mentioned, Ledlum is from Brooklyn, Dingle hails from Long Island and Wilcher is from New Jersey. The program is heavily recruiting high school stars Boogie Fland and V.J. Edgecombe, who are also both local.

Pitino has built an NCAA tournament roster in year one in a span of these four months, one that additionally is capable of making noise in the Big East. UConn, Marquette and Creighton all have better rosters on paper to this point, but having a Hall of Famer on the sidelines certainly doesn’t hurt your chances of competing at the top of the league. It’s a stunning shift from both the years of previous head coach Mike Anderson and more so the past two decades, which has been mainly filled with mediocrity (the program still has not won an NCAA tournament game since 2000).

St. John’s still does not have the best on-campus facilities. Playing at Madison Square Garden is an allure, but playing for Pitino is probably a bigger one. What happens if St. John’s wins, and wins a lot? Does St. John’s become even more of a threat in the recruiting trail?

When he was hired at Iona in 2020, he proudly pronounced that the Gaels were the last stop of his career. He slowly moved away from that over three years and guided the program to two NCAA tournaments, but did not win a game. He spent this past season with a foot out the door. He also left behind a major rebuilding project for the program and new head coach Tobin Anderson.

There’s no guarantee that Pitino will stay at St. John’s – a blueblood could come calling – and he’s said that he would like to coach for another decade. It’s likely that if and when he does leave, St. John’s is likely to be left in a similar situation that Iona is in right now.

But for St. John’s, it’s easy to tell why they would take this trade-off.

By Aidan Joly

The Peach Jam is always one of the most star-studded youth basketball events of the calendar year. It has the highest-level high school players in the world, NBA stars make appearances and the next generation of stars is born at the event.

This year, it was Cooper Flagg who stole the show.

Flagg hails from one of the most unlikely states in the country. That state is Maine, a state that hasn’t had a player who hails from there drafted in nearly 40 years, and only one player in the league right now from there (Duncan Robinson).

With his local team, Maine United, Flagg put together eye-popping stat line after eye-popping stat line, including a 38-point, 16-rebound, 12-block and 6-assist game on Thursday, one of the most epic Peach Jam performances in recent memory. He followed it up with 37 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks two days later in an elimination, double overtime win.

Flagg came into the week as the No. 2 player in the class of 2025 behind Cameron Boozer, but it seems to just be a matter of time before he surpasses Boozer to take the top spot, even though Boozer’s Nightrydas Elite beat Maine United in the 16U title game.

Flagg impressed all week. Still just 16 years old, he stands at 6-foot-8 and weighs 200 pounds and plays well beyond his years, moving the ball like a point guard, setting up open shots for his teammates and scores with multiple guys on him. On defense, he’s a true rim-protector.

Like just stated, Flagg is doing this at 16 years old. He still has two or so more years of growing, so he might get up to seven feet tall by the time he is in college basketball and the NBA. It’s still early in his recruitment, but due to his age he can re-classify into the class of 2024 and be in college for the 2024-25 season and be eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft. It might behoove him to do so, as the class of 2024 lacks the star power that the class of 2025 and class of 2026 does. Cameron Boozer and brother Cayden are both high-impact players, as are Caleb Wilson, Darius Acuff Jr. and Jalen Haralson. In 2026, AJ Dybantsa and Tyran Stokes made headlines in North Augusta.

Going back to Flagg; if he goes to the class of 2024, he immediately becomes the best player in the class and increases his chances of becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the draft in 2025. He has lots of time to make a decision on that, but it will be fascinating storyline to follow in the next handful of months.

As for where he could go to college, look at Duke or any of the top programs in the northeast to make a hard charge at him, particularly Villanova and UConn. Schools like Michigan and Kansas are sure to be in the running as well.

Or a pipe dream: stay home and play at Maine for a year. Imagine how cool that would be? The Black Bears would be a force in mid-major basketball and give the program, state and America East a ton of recognition. It’s highly, highly unlikely, but one can dream.

This all being said: Cooper Flagg is a future star and what comes next in his career will be very fun to follow.

By Aidan Joly

A few weeks ago on this blog, I wrote that when the mighty fall, it’s rarely a soft landing.

However, it’s surprising to see how bad it has gotten between Bob Huggins and the school he coached at for 16 years, West Virginia.

When he resigned and retired last month after a drunk driving arrest in Pittsburgh, many assumed that he needed some level of help, but he would be alright eventually and might be able to repair the relationship eventually.

That’s not going to happen anymore. As of Tuesday, there have been four letters sent back and forth between Huggins through his attorney and the school, with Huggins claiming he never resigned from his position at WVU and said that the statement put out by West Virginia announcing his resignation was not written by him.

On Monday he doubled down, claiming he checked into a “world class rehabilitation center” and would return to his coaching duties.

He has also threatened legal action against the school if he is not reinstated as head coach. Huggins’ lawyer claims that the resignation came from a text message written by Huggins’ wife.

West Virginia has twice responded, first calling Huggins’ claims “completely factually inaccurate” and said that Huggins told his players in person he was resigning and told university officials in an email.

WVU pushed back again on Monday, saying “there is no support in the law or on these facts to suggest that Mr. Huggins may now ignore his resignation and his actions upon which all have relied, undo his voluntary separation, and return to work as if none of this ever occurred.”

It went on: “But let me again restate the obvious: the university will not accept Mr. Huggins’ attempted revocation of his resignation, nor will it reinstate him as head coach of the men’s basketball program.”

Several players have already transferred out of the program, which has promoted assistant coach Josh Eilert as interim coach for the 2023-24 season.

This is a man who made anti-gay comments on a radio show in May that got him suspended and fined. Five weeks later, he blew a .21 and got arrested for drunk driving. This is clearly not a man who is fit to coach college basketball.

Instead, he is choosing to be a distraction to Eilert and the players who remain in Morgantown. It’s surprising that people in his circle are not advising him better. It’s one of the uglier breakups we’ve seen in college sports in recent memory.

Really, it’s mind-boggling what is happening here. Huggins could have moved on from coaching and eventually return to West Virginia to be properly honored for his career.

Now, any chance of that happening is out the window in this ridiculous and sad saga.