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NCAA Basketball: Way-way-too-early 2019-20 preseason top-25 rankings

By Lukas Harkins

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers looks on in the second half during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal against the Auburn Tigers at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers looks on in the second half during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal against the Auburn Tigers at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 23: The Florida Gators cheerleads perform. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 23: The Florida Gators cheerleads perform. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

I love this Florida team. In my opinion, the Gators feature all of the ingredients needed to be a contender in the SEC during this upcoming season. Head coach Mike White has truly done an exceptional job on the recruiting trail and the preseason expectations are soaring for this coming season. With all of this said, though, the Gators are going to be extremely young and that is my main reason for leaving them at No. 22 in this list. If they show early on in the season that their youth will not come back to hurt them, Florida has top-10 potential.

This is due to the fact that you would be hard-pressed to find a deeper and more talented backcourt than the one that will be roaming Gainesville next season. Among those returning, sophomore stud Andrew Nembhard will likely reprise his role as the starting point guard. Over the course of last season, Nembhard averaged 8.0 points (.458/.347/.764), 2.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. These numbers might not jump off of the computer screen but his poise and ability to control the tempo of games should not be understated.  Additionally, his running mate of Noah Locke will also be back as possibly the top scoring option on the team. Another rising sophomore, Locke struggled with consistency during his first collegiate season but still finished second on the team at 9.4 points per game. He flashed signs of being an elite-level scorer at the college level and will hopefully take the next step.

Transitioning to the backcourt options joining the roster via the recruiting trail, it would be a mistake to ignore the incoming talents of Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann. Starting with Lewis, there might not be a better incoming defender in the nation. An elite-level defender at 6-foot-5, Lewis can play multiple positions and should immediately slide into the starting lineup. He is ranked as the No. 12 player in the class by 247Sports. Mann, on the other hand, is more of a true point guard at 6-foot-3 and should be the primary sixth man for the team next season. He is ranked as the No. 26 player in the class and is a superb 3-point shooter. He is more of a shoot-first lead guard compared to Nembhard and could provide a nice change of pace.

In the frontcourt, Coach White will likely rely on rising sophomore Keyontae Johnson (8.1p/6.4r) and incoming freshman Omar Payne (No. 43 recruit). Both of these players represent big bodies who should excel on the defensive end while securing their fair share of rebounds as well. They round out this talented, albeit inexperienced, roster that should have a huge ceiling this year.

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