Purdue
There have been moments this season where Purdue looks to be the unquestioned title favorite. The Boilermakers are borderline elite offensively and defensively. Unlike some of the other top teams, Purdue is capable of winning a high-scoring shootout or grinding out a defensive battle. That’s the type of versatility a championship team needs to succeed deep into March.
Much of Purdue’s success can be attributed to the brilliance of Zach Edey. Looking to be an early favorite for the Player of the Year, the 7-foot-4 Edey is the most dominant force in college basketball. He’s made immense strides since his first year on campus, and now can legitimately influence the outcome of games on both ends of the floor.
Texas
This season was supposed to be the turnaround Texas’ basketball program so desperately needed. The Longhorns entered the year as a borderline top-10 team and proceeded to sprint out of the gates. Texas notched statement wins over Gonzaga and Creighton, and were just narrowly outlasted in an overtime battle versus Illinois. Talent is certainly not an issue for this team which features a slew of playmakers and a top-5 defense.
Unfortunately, the troubling suspension of head coach Chris Beard looms large on this program. With Beard likely gone for good, the Longhorns’ players are tasked with moving forward without their disgraced coach.
Tennessee
Tennessee has a savvy club led by a respectable coach in Rick Barnes. The top-half of the team is a group of seniors who have been with Barnes for a number of years. This includes Santiago Vescovi, Olivier Nkamhoua and Josiah-Jordan James. In terms of newcomers, freshman Julian Phillips is a potential lottery pick with intriguing athletic tools.
While the Volunteers have already dropped early games to a pair of Pac-12 schools (Colorado and Arizona), we aren’t too worried about their long-term outlook. This is a Tennessee team that will defend at a high level each and every night, giving them a chance against any opponent. If their offense can even be average, the Vols will be a viable contender as the season progresses.
Kansas
The defending champions entered the offseason with a handful of questions to answer. Of course, Bill Self’s team securing their first title since 2008 was something worth celebrating, but massive roster overhaul awaited them. Thus far, the Jayhawks have done a fine job of filling in vacancies while continuing to look like a dominant force in the Big 12.
With Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun gone, much of the offensive workload has fallen on junior forward Jalen Wilson. Wilson has doubled his scoring output from a year ago and is an early favorite for Big 12 Player of the Year. Aside from Wilson, the Jayhawks are going to rely heavily on freshman Gradey Dick. Dick has improved his draft stock as much as any player in the country thus far. The Wichita native is a great athlete who is an absolute sniper from all spots on the floor.
UCLA
Mick Cronin has done wonders for this program since taking over in 2019. In his second season, Cronin led the Bruins on an improbable run to the Final Four — and was one shot away from reaching the title game. Last year, the Bruins nearly toppled eventual East regional winner North Carolina in a frenzied matchup. This year, UCLA enters as a favorite in the Pac-12 and one of the most well-rounded teams in the country.
From the looks of it, Cronin finally struck the right balance between upperclassman and first-year players. Needing to replace three starting spots, Cronin granted two of those spots to freshman Amari Bailey and Adem Bona — with the final spot going to two-way wing Jaylen Clark. It’s an athletic trio that fits perfectly with two of the best seniors in college basketball — Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell.
UConn
UConn has raced off to a quick start in 2023 and have the look of a Final Four team. And, the Huskies are no stranger to playing deep into March. Since ’04, Connecticut has reached four Final Fours and have won three National Championships. Dan Hurley took over the program in 2019 and has brought them back to relevance. However, they’ve lost their first tournament game each of the past two years, and are looking to make it past the opening weekend for the first time since 2014.
This is the group that could potentially breakthrough and put UConn back on the college basketball map. Energizing big man Adama Sanogo is the team’s go-to scorer. He will finish everything near the rim, but also has the ability to step outside and knock down a couple of threes. Sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins has developed into one of the best shooters in the country. This team is deep and confident after sweeping its out of conference schedule. The Huskies are for real.
Houston
What Kelvin Sampson has been able to accomplish during his time as Houston’s coach has been remarkable. The Cougars have been one of the American Athletic Conference’s top teams since 2016 — his second year with the club. Over the last two years, Houston has a Final Four and Elite Eight appearance. And, they have their eyes set on an even bigger prize this year.
Led by senior guard Marcus Sasser and first-year wing Jarace Walker, the Cougars look to be one of the favorites to lock up a 1-seed once the tournament begins. While the AAC does feature some tough squads, the Cougars should have no trouble navigating through conference play. This is an experienced group which features plenty of offensive firepower and perhaps the best defense in college basketball. Watch out for the Cougars in March.
Arizona
Closing out 2022, the best offense in the country belongs to the Arizona Wildcats. And, it may come to a shock for some after Arizona bid adieu to three of its top players from a season ago. Despite losing Benedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry, and Christian Koloko to the NBA, Tommy Lloyd’s team has found a way to be even more efficient than the team which secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament last year.
Big man Oumar Ballo has stepped into a larger role and flourished as a rim protector who converts on 70-percent of his field goal attempts. Additionally, Pelle Larsson — who won Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year last season — was moved into the starting lineup and has provided excellent playmaking and defense. There might not be as much star power as last season, but the Wildcats are a legit threat out West.
Kentucky
Last year didn’t end well for John Calipari’s team. After making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019, the Wildcats were unceremoniously ousted in their first game against the No. 15 seed St. Peters Peacocks. Instead of scrapping everything and starting from scratch, Calipari brought back a majority of last year’s team with a few fresh additions.
Starting guard Cason Wallace is the team’s highly-touted freshman, but also look out for wing Chris Livingston earning more minutes as the season goes on. Of course, preseason All-American Oscar Tshiebwe will man the middle and do everything he can to protect the paint and snag every loose ball. Calipari once again used the transfer portal to solidify his group, adding Illinois State sharpshooter Antonio Reeves into the fold.
Gonzaga
This isn’t quite the same Gonzaga Bulldogs team we’ve seen in years past. Their guard play has slipped, and they haven’t been quite as fundamentally sound on both ends of the ball. It’s led to some early season struggles through a rigorous start to the schedule. The Bulldogs have already suffered defeats to three ranked clubs in Baylor, Purdue and Texas — and they weren’t particularly competitive against the latter two.
Still, this team boasts arguably the country’s best big man in Drew Timme and a steady outside shooter in Julian Strawther. Coach Mark Few likely expected a bigger jump out of sophomores Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis, but we haven’t seen that come to fruition for either of the former top recruits just yet. Gonzaga will once again run roughshod through the WCC, but its season will ultimately be graded on how it fares in the NCAA tournament.
Duke
The theme for Duke this season is ‘change’. With Mike Krzyzewski finally calling it quits, it’s now up to new head coach Jon Scheyer to lead the program into a new era. Of course, it’s going to be difficult shoes to fill. But, Scheyer has gained invaluable experience both playing and working under Krzyzewski for a number of years. At the very least, the 35-year-old Scheyer could spark new and innovative concepts on both sides of the ball for one of college basketball’s most storied programs.
Perhaps we won’t know the true extent of Duke’s potential until later in the season. The Blue Devils entered the year with a number of question marks as top freshman Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively (No. 1 and 2 prospects according to ESPN) got banged up early. As Duke has tried to implement the touted freshmen, the play on both ends has left something to be desired. They remain a favorite in the ACC and will likely only improve as the season goes on.
