Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Updated way-too-early top 25 rankings for 2021-22 season

By Cody Mitchell

Apr 5, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Fans roam Georgia Street before the national championship game of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Monday, April 5, 2021, in downtown Indianapolis. Mandatory Credit: Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Fans roam Georgia Street before the national championship game of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Monday, April 5, 2021, in downtown Indianapolis. Mandatory Credit: Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball Osun Osunniyi St. Bonaventure Bonnies (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Osun Osunniyi St. Bonaventure Bonnies (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

13. Texas Longhorns

Projected Starting Five:

G Devin Askew
G Courtney Ramey
G Andrew Jones
F Timmy Allen
F Dylan Disu

Chris Beard is entering his first season with the Long Horns and brought him some talent as well. Devin Askew a former five-star recruit never really got going at Kentucky, however he still has a lot of untapt potentials left in the tank. Timmy Allen comes over from Utah, a guy that came out of nowhere who was the leading playmaker for the Utes last season.

Andrew Jones will be entering his senior season, a true scorer who should shine in Beard’s efficient offense. Courtney Ramey will be getting more looks this year as well, also a prolific scorer and a lockdown defender.  And having a guy like Christian Bishop off the bench gives Beard somebody who can come in and do a little bit of everything after the first media timeout.

I am a lot higher on this Texas team than most, there is just too much talent and too much coaching for them to not be successful next season.

12. St. Bonaventure Bonnies

Projected Starting Five:

G Kyle Lofton
G Jaren Holmes
G Dominick Welch
G Jalen Adaway
C Osun Osunniyi

Depth is on the way to help out this starting five that was forced to play heavy minutes last season. No starter played less than 33 minutes a night and Kyle Lofton averaged over 38 minutes per contest. Transfers Karim Coulibaly and Quadry Adams are both coming from power 6 programs at which they didn’t see the floor too often.

Both young and raw, they will get their opportunity to shine with the Bonnies. With over 70% of their scoring returning the sky the limit for the last year’s 9 seed. Kyle Lofton is one of the most fun basketball players in the country and will become a household name by the end of the season.

And with Osun Osunniyi protecting the basket, count on the Bonnies to again be near the top of the country in terms of defense. This Atlantic 10 program will shine in the nonconference and play itself into a top 5 seed in March regardless of a conference tournament victory or not.

11. Kentucky Wildcats

Projected Starting Five:

G TyTy Washington
G Kellan Grady
F CJ Fredrick
F Keion Brooks
C Oscar Tshiebwe

From left field, John Calipari got his hands dirty in the transfer portal. This new-age Kentucky team is made up of transfer from other programs and not just star-studded big-time recruits. Kellan Grady a once slated first-round NBA talent comes over from Davidson where he averaged over 17 points a game.

Sort of a shocker, CJ Fredrick comes home to give the Wildcats some serious shooting from the outside. In-conference foe, Sahvir Wheeler from Georiga also is coming to Lexington. More of a traditional point guard, Wheeler will most likely come off the bench but will really provide quality minutes for coach Cal.

TyTy Washington and Daimion Collins are the guys you typically see out of a Calipari team and I think will really benefit from some veteran leadership within the program.  With a combo of big-time transfers and big-time recruits as well as a few players back on campus, you can count on seeing Big Blue Nation back in the NCAA tournament.

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