NCAA Basketball: Early preseason top 25 for the 2017-18 season

Having just seen the culmination of a great season with North Carolina taking the NCAA Basketball title, let’s delve into an early top-25 for next season.

On the whole, this last season in college hoops was as exciting as ever. The regular season was great and we saw a couple of magical runs during March Madness (see Xavier and South Carolina). Sadly, however, the year came to a close Monday night, with the Tar Heels of North Carolina cutting down the nets in Phoenix.

Gonzaga, having made both their first Final Four and title game, came on the losing end, but their special season should not be forgotten. The unfair judgment of the Zags as a team that chokes in the postseason can now officially be done away with. With another talented roster for next season, the Bulldogs will likely be near the top of the country all season long and that should no longer come as a surprise to people.

Also, after Xavier reached the Elite Eight this season, the new Big East has now had a team in the Elite Eight in each of the last three seasons. The love for the Power 5 conferences will forever continue, but it is just not right to continuously overlook the Big East. Teams like Butler, Creighton and Xavier are no longer the lovable underdog and they will continue to have excellent seasons.

With the following rankings coming out just after the National Championship Game, there is obviously much left up to debate. If you want to discuss any of your thoughts, tweet me at @hardwiredsports. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the rankings.

Other receiving heavy consideration: Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Michigan, TCU, Wisconsin, Seton Hall, Baylor, Creighton, Indiana, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, BYU, Maryland, Oklahoma, SMU, Purdue, and Rhode Island.