NCAA Basketball: 2019-20 preseason national top-25 power rankings

This is one of the rankings that I am most unsure about. I definitely have concerns regarding the Wildcats this season but it also wouldn’t be a major surprise if they launched into the nation’s top-10 at some point this year. Arizona boasts a very high ceiling if the roster is able to gel quickly. Head coach Sean Miller has a ton of capable pieces to work with this season and that should result in a strong campaign.

Arizona missed the NCAA Tournament during this past season (??), but look poised to respond in a big way this time around. Coach Miller is once again bringing in a highly-touted recruiting class and these incoming freshmen will look to carry the squad.

The most notable of these, in my opinion, is Nico Mannion. An elite point guard ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect in the 2019 class, Mannion should take on a starring role right away. He snagged the No. 17 spot in our preseason National Player of the Year rankings and he could put up some monster numbers this year.

Mannion’s backcourt running mate was supposed to be Brandon Williams this year but he already suffered a season-ending injury. In his place, UC-Irvine transfer Max Hazzard will snag a starting spot. Hazzard will be an experienced veteran on the roster and he brings poise as well as 3-point shooting. Hazzard averaged 12.5 points per game for a very good Anteaters team last season. He is a starting-caliber player at the high-major level.

Fellow five-star recruit Josh Green will be filling out the wing alongside those two. Green will arrive in Tucson as the No. 13 overall recruit and he can be a top-tier offensive weapon. Green brings plenty of size at 6-foot-5 and is an elite-level athlete. He can be a terror in transition and is a strong three-level scorer. Watch for him to be a major two-way contributor for the squad.

In the frontcourt, Coach Miller will turn to Chase Jeter to be his top contributor. Jeter is a former highly-touted recruit that has never really lived up to the hype. Nonetheless, he has developed into a solid piece and should be in for a strong senior year. Incoming freshman Zeke Nnaji (No. 40 overall) will likely snag the starting spot alongside him and he has a very high ceiling.

Some of the other players on this roster worth mentioning include Ira Lee, Dylan Smith, and Stone Gettings. On the whole, Arizona’s ceiling is insanely high this year. I am bit a lower on the Wildcats as opposed to others due to Williams’ injury but I respect that they could vastly exceed this ranking.