By Sam Federman
50. New Mexico Lobos (Mountain West)
It became apparent early last season that New Mexico’s offense was best when running through Donovan Dent. Now, without Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn next to him in the backcourt, it’s Dent’s team.
He’s an NBA-level playmaker with the precision and vision to make incredible reads in the halfcourt, and a flare for the spectacular in transition.
The Lobos have both CJ Noland and Tru Washington who can each play the two, but may see some time on the floor together. Both are 6 foot 4 and talented on both ends of the court. Noland is a better shooter while Washington gets into the paint at a high rate and is extremely active defensively.
On the wings, Mustapha Amzil returns after taking a step back in production from his time at Dayton. At his best, he’s a physical tweener wing who can score on the inside and out, but struggled with both last season. Next to him, Filip Borovicanin transfers in from Arizona with guard skills and shooting at 6 foot 8.
Nelly Junior Joseph, a dominant interior scorer, is also back in the fold following an up-and-down season.
A few other young players with upside, Kayde Dotson, Ibrahima Sacko, Braden Appelhans, and Jovan Milicevic hope to make the Lobo bench unit a formidable one.
Had UNM returned JT Toppin, it would probably rank in the top 30, but Richard Pitino could’ve done a much worse job with this roster construction.
49. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (ACC)
Notre Dame’s freshman guards had a strong introduction to the ACC last year. Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry each averaged double-digits and will continue to star this year.
Burton was arguably the best freshman in the conference, scoring 17.5 points per game with 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals. He’s one of the top isolation scorers in the conference, using his speed and ball-handling ability to get to his spots and hit shots. Shrewsberry is a deadeye shooter, draining over 40% in league play.
Micah Shrewsberry added another elite shooter in the transfer portal, Matt Allocco from Princeton who can also handle the ball at 6 foot 4 and give the backcourt a different look for stretches. Julian Roper also returns as a depth piece in the guard room.
Freshman Sir Mohammed will come in and make an immediate impact. He’s a well-rounded 6 foot 7 wing with a strong jump shot and high IQ.
He will play next to Tae Davis, a physical 6 foot 9 forward who crashes the boards and gets to the line coming from both the perimeter and the inside. Additionally, JR Konieczny is back to provide more depth on the wing.
Down low, Kebba Njie has to be more efficient offensively, but he has a really solid backup in Nikita Konstantynovskyi from Monmouth.
Notre Dame also has a few more young players who can make an impact, including sophomore point guard Logan Imes, and two freshmen in Cole Certa and Garrett Sundra.
The Fighting Irish showed in February that they have the core of a strong team ready, and this year, the team can take the big step to tournament contention.
48. San Diego State Aztecs (Mountain West)
This year’s San Diego State team is not quite as talented as the ones of recent years. There is no Jaedon LeDee type player who can put the team on his back and be an All-American, but there are a plethora of players who Aztecs fans should be excited about.
Jared Coleman-Jones is a 6 foot 10 transfer from Middle Tennessee where he was excellent as a post-up player and roll man offensively. He finished out the season averaging 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists per game over the last 9 contests, adding the three-point shot to his repertoire more and more as the season went on. If his development continues, he could be a legit star for the Aztecs.
The transfer backcourt of Nick Boyd and Wayne McKinney has the potential to be one of the best in the Mountain West. Boyd was a key glue guy for FAU during the Final Four run, but took a step back last year while battling injuries. Meanwhile, McKinney blossomed into a good scoring guard last year at San Diego.
In the frontcourt, Magoon Gwath has received rave reviews from everybody around the SDSU program. He is a 7-foot redshirt freshman who missed last season with an ankle injury but has Aztec nation buzzing with his length and upside. He and freshman Pharoah Compton make up a solid combination alongside Coleman-Jones and Miles Heide.
At the three, Reese Waters returns for his fifth year of college basketball. While he never broke out into the star many expected him to, he has become a very solid contributor.
Brian Dutcher’s teams are typically known for their defense, and while this team will probably be good on that end, it feels a little more offensively slanted than past teams.
47. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (ACC)
Steve Forbes is the king of two things.
First, he’s the king of taking talented guards who struggled early in their college career and turning them into All-ACC players. First, it was Alondes Williams, then Tyree Appleby, and last year, it was Hunter Sallis.
Sallis is the first of the three that Forbes gets a second season with, and that’s important for the other thing.
Forbes is also the king of the wrong side of the bubble. He’s won 25, 19, and 21 games over the last three seasons, but hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament once, falling just shy each time.
Sallis’ return sets the Demon Deacons up for potentially breaking that streak because he’s one of the best guards in all of college basketball. He could’ve been drafted this year, possibly in the first round, but instead, he returned to Winston-Salem for one more shot at the tournament.
A bunch of other notable players return as well. Efton Reid helped unlock Wake on both ends with his presence around the rim last year, while Cam Hildreth put up another efficient double-digit scoring campaign while building on his ability beyond the arc.
Parker Freidrichsen will take on more responsibility as a starting guard, but is already one of the best shooters in the ACC. Forbes won’t have to perform his magic this year because he has Sallis back, but development from transfer guards Ty-Laur Johnson and Davin Cosby would go a long way to making the Deacs even more formidable this year.
Finally, transfers Omaha Biliew and Trevon Spillers make up a physical, defensively imposing duo at the four that can protect the paint or switch onto the perimeter.
46. Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (A10)
Loyola is built to be a defensive monster in the A10. The combination of Miles Rubin, arguably the best shot blocker in college basketball, and Jalen DeLoach, a physically imposing power forward, it will be near impossible to score in the paint against the Ramblers.
In the backcourt, Justin Moore is a hard-nosed guard from Drexel who provides great positional size on the ball, and strong offensive playmaking skills. Next to him, 6 foot 7 Kymany Houinsou has potential to be one of the best defenders in the A10. He was a versatile, do-it-all guard off the bench for Kyle Smith at Washington State, and will shine in his new home.
That’s not even mentioning the returning second team All-A10 wing, Desmond Watson, who averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game during conference play while shooting 41% from 3 on 5 attempts per game.
Off the bench, Jayden Dawson returns and a talented group of freshmen looks to make an immediate impact. Finally, Francis Nwaokorie is another versatile forward who brings physicality and rebounding, coming in from a UCSD team that shocked a lot of people last year.
Loyola is my preseason favorite to win the A10 thanks to my belief that its defense will truly be a dominant unit, and the offense will be good enough to have the Ramblers in at-large talks throughout the year. The Drew Valentine slander last offseason was never justified, and he has already proven it, but more proof is still coming.
45. Memphis Tigers (American)
Memphis has a talented roster once again.
PJ Haggerty had a fantastic freshman year for Tulsa as one of the best rim pressure guards in the country while Tyrese Hunter is a well-rounded two-way guard. Although I am concerned with Hunter, as he has gotten worse defensively each year since his stellar freshman year. Behind them, once Baraka Okojie is healthy, he’s also a dynamic guard that can impact the game in a variety of ways.
In the low post, Dain Dainja is a physically gifted back-to-basket scorer who can post up any defender. Moussa Cisse, one of the best rim protectors in the country, should be an tremendous compliment, while Nick Jourdain and Tyreek Smith add some more physicality and dirty work from the power forward spot.
PJ Carter and Colby Rogers were two of the best three-point shooters in the AAC last year, and now will play on the wing for the Tigers.
Concerningly, Memphis is only using 11 scholarships, meaning the rotation could get really short in the event of injuries.
But the main problem is that there really aren’t any guardrails preventing what happened last season for the Tigers to happen again. Penny Hardaway’s teams are usually well-prepared and he’s developed a ton as an x’s and o’s coach over the past few years, but he has failed at managing this program. Four assistant coaches were fired just about 60 days before the season, marking yet another changing of the guard at Penny’s right hand. Then, he hired Mike Davis and Nolan Smith, which didn’t reassure me. There’s no stability in this program, and there’s probably no All-American to bail them out in certain situations.
44. Kansas State Wildcats (Big 12)
Jerome Tang built an incredibly confusing year three roster at Kansas State ahead of a season with a lot to prove.
He followed up a miraculous first season with a disappointing campaign from the very beginning. KSU never felt like a legitimate threat last year, and part of that is losing Naeqwan Tomlin so close to the season, but the overarching point remains.
The Wildcats will run the offense through Dug McDaniel on the perimeter, and he’ll have a huge load to carry. He’s not just the best point guard on the roster, but he’s one of the only true ball handlers that K-State can trust. He’ll operate out of ball screens, attacking the rim, finding his bigs, and passing to elite shooters for three-pointers.
Brendan Hausen is one of the best shooters in the country, while CJ and Max Jones are also strong from beyond the arc. K-State shot under 32% from three last year, and with the wings on this year’s roster, that will likely change.
However, none of the wings are particularly good defenders, and neither is McDaniel, so lots of pressure falls on the frontcourt to defend at a high level. I have no idea how Tang is going to manage the minutes, but Ugonna Onyenso is one of the country’s best rim protectors and will erase a lot of the deficiencies from the backcourt with his deterrence. Coleman Hawkins is a versatile player with a strong all-around game at his size, but he needs to keep it simple on the offensive end.
Achor Achor was the best player on a 30-win Samford team, dominating all 94 feet. He’s an excellent defender and rebounder with touch around the rim and beyond the arc, along with feel in the passing game. He’s making a huge change in competition level, role, and play style, so I’m fascinated to see what he does this year.
The Cats also bring back David N’Guessan, and brought in a few other pieces, like David Castillo, who will be important for the floor and ceiling of the team.
There’s way more talent on this roster than last year, top to bottom, but I just don’t really know what the formula for putting it all together looks like.
43. SMU Mustangs (ACC)
Six of Andy Enfield’s last nine teams at USC finished between 45 and 55 in KenPom, and I’m pinning his first SMU team right around the Enfield zone.
Boopie Miller was one of the best guards in the ACC last year. He emerged as a key contributor for Wake Forest, averaging 15.6 points and 3.5 assists per game. Miller ranked highly as a ball screen operator, isolation scorer, spot-up shooter, and transition threat. He’ll be an All-ACC caliber player for SMU.
He joins Chuck Harris in the backcourt, who had the best season of his college career last year for the Mustangs. Harris is an elite shooter who can play on or off the ball at 6 foot 4, and has three seasons of double-figure scoring at the high-major level already.
Alongside those two offensive-slanted guards, Kario Oquendo and AJ George bring athleticism, strength, and defense to the table. Oquendo can score at a high clip, but not extremely efficiently, and will take on an ancillary offensive role as a cutter while engaging on defense. George is a solid offensive player, but was one of the top wing defenders in the Big West last year, and needs to bring that to Dallas.
In the frontcourt, Matt Cross is one of the most underrated players in college basketball. He broke out at the A10 level after two mediocre seasons in the ACC, and put together two excellent years with UMass. He was a vital piece of UMass’ identity as a gritty squad that nobody wanted to play against because he’s relentless on the glass and plays with a very high IQ. He’s very versatile and scales up to the ACC as an elite-level complimentary piece who can score, rebound, pass, and defend.
The ceiling raiser for SMU is Yohan Traore. If he reaches his ceiling and is more than just a raw athletic rim runner who can protect the rim a little bit, the Mustangs can be really good. If not, they probably fall in the Enfield zone.
42. Grand Canyon Antelopes (WAC)
GCU is not operating like a mid-major program. This is a 30-win team that was 6 minutes away from the Sweet 16 last year returning five of its top six scorers, including an All-American candidate.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The aforementioned All-American candidate, Tyon Grant-Foster, shouldn’t need any introduction. He’s a 6-foot-7 do it all guard/wing who dominated the WAC last year. He averaged 20 points per game, scoring in every way possible. TGF is a powerful rim pressure threat who can break you down off the dribble, but also drain threes with a hand in his face. He is one of the best transition scorers in college basketball as well.
Now on the national radar and expected to be the best player on an elite mid-major team once again, TGF could have the buzz necessary to make him an All-American.
Ray Harrison, the best player on a good GCU team in 2023, also comes back to the program and will run the offense. He took a back seat to TGF last year but can take over a game himself.
Additionally, the Lopes brought in WAC Freshman of the Year Makiah Williams, who will be another option at point guard or gives GCU the ability to slide Harrison over to the two guard.
Collin Moore made WAC All-Defense last year averaging 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, and also chipped in 8.2 points. His role will vary from game to game based on what Grand Canyon needs.
In the frontcourt, Ja’Kobe Coles, a double-digit scorer from TCU who brings defensive intensity at 6 foot 7, is a steal of a transfer add in the WAC. He joins a frontcourt already loaded with the strong and springy Lok Wur and returning starter Duke Brennan.
They’re joined by Sammie Yeanay, a physically mature freshman at 6-8, 230-pounds, who is the highest-ranked recruit in program history, and sophomore Dennis Evans, who was one of the best rim protectors in the 2023 high school class before struggling as a freshman for Louisville.
GCU is absurdly talented, their second group of five players could probably win the WAC. Anything less than another NCAA bid and another 30-win season would be a major disappointment for Bryce Drew.
41. UCLA Bruins (Big Ten)
It’s a new era for UCLA basketball with the move to the Big Ten. In response to a disastrous experiment with a young team and a few highly touted international freshmen, Mick Cronin attacked the transfer portal hard.
The Bruins return two key guards from last year’s team, Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack. Both of them showed flashes last year, averaging over 12 points per game, but were extremely inefficient. The returning duo didn’t stop Cronin from bringing in a few more pieces in the backcourt though. Skyy Clark had a solid year for an awful Louisville team, and Dominick Harris shined for LMU after not getting minutes at Gonzaga.
Harris is an elite shooter and provides a great three-point shooting duo with returning wing Lazar Stefanovic.
Additionally, 6 foot 4 freshman Trent Perry has a ton of offseason buzz for his ability to handle the ball and run an offense. By the end of the season, I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s the lead guard for UCLA, as he is as talented as anybody on the roster.
Kobe Johnson transfers in from USC, where he established a reputation as one of the west coast’s best perimeter defenders.
At the four, Eric Dailey Jr. and Tyler Bilodeau didn’t get a ton of buzz during the season last year because they played for such uninspiring teams, but can each bring a lot to UCLA.
In the middle, William Kyle III comes in from South Dakota State, where he was too physically dominant for other Summit League big men. However, he’s a little undersized for the Big Ten, and can’t stretch the floor as a shooter. Backing him up, Aday Mara looks to rebound from a season where he didn’t come close to living up to the hype. He struggled badly with translating to the college game, but at 7 foot 3 with great vision, there’s still hope.
UCLA has a lot of players from teams that weren’t very good last year. It’s a talented team, but most of the players have to take steps in the direction of playing winning basketball as the Bruins make the jump to a new league.
The ceiling is there, and perhaps I’m overcorrecting with my ranking after missing on evaluating this team last year, but I’m not quite as sold as many others.