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

7. Michigan State Spartans

Here is another discrepancy in my rankings compared to everyone else. I am likely much higher on Michigan State to come out of the Big Ten this year as anyone. Michigan State is the best team in the league and to be honest, there is a larger gap than many think.

Just to break it down, yes Michigan State did lose one of the best players in program history last year when Cassius Winston graduated. Winston is irreplaceable, but this now allows Michigan State to free up some more players and provide them more minutes that may not have otherwise gotten with Winston on the floor. The Spartans were just outside the top 50 in total offense and total defense a season ago. Those numbers should be repeatable with this roster.

Michigan State is bringing back a lot of experience this year as well. Joey Hauser from Marquette becomes eligible, Joshua Langford is as healthy as he has been in about two years and Rocket Watts is the next big-name star in the Big Ten. Don’t count out the Spartans they win the Big Ten and will be in the top 10 all year.

6. Kentucky Wildcats

Head Coach John Calipari should be credited with changing the way many coaches thought about recruiting he has made a living off getting one-year players to come and play for Kentucky.  Say what you want about Kentucky and count them out at your own peril, but the Wildcats win the SEC pretty much every year, they are in the mix for a one seed pretty much every year and they are always nationally relevant.

This year it won’t be any different as Kentucky has done a masterful job of recruiting again and has sprinkled in a transfer to help fill some holes.

The Wildcats were able to secure two grad transfers one of them has some question marks and will likely be a role player whereas the other, Olivier Sarr from Wake Forest will be much more than a role player and may be what sets Kentucky apart from the rest in the SEC. Kentucky will win the SEC and will likely get a top 8 seed in the NCAA tournament.

5. Florida State Seminoles

Leonard Hamilton has done unbelievable things at Florida State, last year I mentioned it was criminal they were not preseason ranked and it turned out they should have preseason ranked in the top 10 as they won the ACC by one full game over Duke and the other ACC powers.

The ACC regular-season win was one season after the Seminoles made a run to the Sweet 16. In the last three seasons, Florida State has made an elite eight, sweet 16, and has now won the league.

That is a tremendous run and to top it all off Florida State secured the highest recruit their school has ever gotten in Scottie Barnes. Barnes is going to win the ACC freshman of the year. Florida State is ranked in the top 10 and wins the ACC again.