NCAA Basketball: Power ranking of all 357 teams for 2020-21 season

80. Boise State Broncos

Boise State is likely going to return to the NCAA tournament this season. They have a deep roster with a lot of pieces to do damage. Too bad for them that their conference is loaded that they will only end up likely in the middle of the pack.

The Broncos are a team who drastically outplay this ranking as head coach Leon Rice has loaded this roster with high-quality transfers and was able to keep his best player on campus. The duo of Abu Kigab and Derrick Alston Jr. is going to destroy the Mountain West this year.

79. San Francisco Dons

Is this finally the year for San Francisco to return to the NCAA tournament?  The Dons are going to be very good in Todd Golden’s second season. The West Coast Conference has become a very competitive conference over the last few seasons and the Dons are part of that.

San Francisco is going to be tough this year and is going to make some noise in the conference and outside of Gonzaga and BYU, they are the best team in the league. Jamaree Bouyea is going to likely be an all-conference player and will be a huge piece to the success of the Dons.

78. St. John’s Red Storm

St. John’s was a team I thought was going to be bad last season and would finish in last place in the Big East and it wouldn’t be close. I was wrong what they were a competitive team who left it all out on the floor every night. They were overpowered by some of the power teams in the Big East, but they had a good showing for most of the year.

This year the Red Storm have a lot of their scoring back from a season ago and should be able to score the ball like they did last year. The only problem is the rest of the Big East is still great and that leaves St. John’s kind of spinning their wheels. Red Storm freshman Posh Alexander has a ton of potential and has all of the makings of a star in the Big East, and he would get to it for the hometown team. St. John’s is a bottom-three team in the Big East.

77. Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies were one of the worst offensive teams in the power five ranks a season ago. They were also one of the better defensive teams in the country as well. Texas A&M plays slow and they keep games low scoring so they can win.

That doesn’t always work in the SEC, yet last season they ended up finishing in the middle of the pack in the league. They are well-coached and going into head coach Buzz Williams second year, anything is possible. The SEC is loaded this year so it may be hard for the Aggies to repeat their middle of the pack performance.

Kevin Marfo is a graduate transfer from Quinnipiac and he is the leading returning rebounder in the country. He is going to help Texas A&M on both ends as he is both their leading rebounder and leading scorer. Texas A&M is a bottom four team in the SEC.

76. UNC Greensboro Spartans

The Spartans have developed into a powerhouse program under current coach Wes Miller. UNC Greensboro can and does beat high major teams and they are part of the trio that makes the Southern conference one of the toughest mid-major conferences in the country. 2016-2017 was the last time the Spartans didn’t win at least 25 games, only they have made the tournament only once in that span.

Greensboro is a likely tournament team again this year. It also doesn’t hurt that Greensboro has one of the best players in the Southern Conference with Isaiah Miller returning to lead this offense. The defense for the Spartans will still be great, they just don’t have enough outside of Miller to overtake Furman for the top spot but finish top two in the league.

75. Furman Paladins

The Paladins have been so close to winning the Southern Conference and making the tournament. It seems that every year their conference has one of the best teams in the country and Furman doesn’t seem to be able to beat them when it matters.

This year though it feels like a breakthrough for Furman and they have a team who can finally win the league. They are a joy to watch on offense as everyone who touches the floor can shoot from the outside, and they are relentless on the defensive end and can play stifling defense.

The Paladins have beaten a power school each of the last two seasons so who will their victim be this year? Clay Mounce is going to play a huge role in the success of Furman. The Paladins finally win the Southern Conference.

74. Oregon State Beavers

The Beavers have had two seasons in a row with virtually identical seasons. The one difference is the Pac 12 was much different in those seasons. The Beavers were a trendy team because they were extremely fun to watch, could score from deep, and protect the rim. The only issue is was consistency. They were also a team who struggled with scoring at points even with one of the most dynamic players in the Pac 12 in Tres Tinkle.

Tinkle is no longer on campus nor is rim protector and big man Kylor Kelley. The Beavers will likely have their struggles this year and Ethan Thompson is going to have to do a lot without much-proven depth behind him. Oregon State is a bottom four team in the Pac 12.

73. Murray State Racers

Murray State should not sneak up on anyone at this point, they are good, have been good, and will continue to be good. They are one of the powers in the Ohio Valley and this year is going to be no different. The Racers won the Ohio Valley regular season again last year. Last season was the first-year post-Ja Morant and Murray State was just as good.

The Racers have the best shooter and one of the best all-around players in the league in Tevin Brown.  The Racers also return most of their team from last season. So, expect a top 50 offense and a top 75 defense. Murray State finishes second in the Ohio Valley because they don’t have quite the roster Austin Peay does.

72. UNLV Rebels

UNLV decided to hire head coach TJ Otzelberger two seasons ago and the first season was extremely promising for the Rebels. UNLV started slow but they got going late in the year and ended up finishing second in the conference and this year the Rebels get a ton of transfers eligible and they are well on their way to likely making their first NCAA tournament since 2012.

As was mentioned earlier the Mountain West looks to get five teams who will be worthy of the NCAA tournament. David Jenkins Jr. is finally eligible for the Rebels and he is going to help immensely.

71. Akron Zips

The Zips had a great season last year and ever since John Groce took the job, Akron has been on a steady rise as a program. The Zips bring back a lot from last year’s team who ranked in the top 100 in both offense and defense. Akron is going to make noise in every game they play this year because they are well-coached. Loren Christian Jackson is the best shooter in the MAC.