NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 358 D-I programs for 2021-22 season

It’s finally here! Fans are back! The 2021-2022 NCAA basketball season is set to commence, and it is going to be a great season. That means that the rankings, betting lines, and most importantly real live games with fans are almost here. It seems every team in the country was able to utilize the transfer portal to bolster their teams.

When analyzing rosters, it is also crucial to know that every player in the country regardless of how many games they played last year was given a free season, so their eligibility last year didn’t count. Transfers are also allowed to play right away and do not have to sit out. That is going to make this year even more interesting because there are a lot of teams who could have some of their best seasons ever.

There are also a lot of teams who are teams who can make the final four. Usually heading into a season there are eight to ten teams who have a reasonable chance to make a final four, and this year with the overall talent pool being expanded because of the extra year and the sheer volume of transfers, means there are around 15 to 20 different teams who can reasonably make a final four and five or six of those teams can win a National Title. This is going to be an extremely interesting year for those reasons.

Getting all of that out of the way below you will find the comprehensive preseason rankings for all 358 teams in NCAA Division 1 Basketball. In each ranking I also provide a player to watch for each team, preseason rankings don’t mean much but they usually are a good indicator as to where the team stands heading into the season and it is a vehicle for the broadcasters and fans alike to talk about. Enough of the introduction let us get on with the rankings. Enjoy!

358. Chicago State Cougars – Last Season Ranking: 346

Conference: WAC

Chicago State has not won a WAC game in three years. They played 9 games last season before calling it quits due to Covid-19. Through those nine games they were the worst defensive team in the country allowing almost 90 points per game, and they were the second-worst offensive team in the country scoring around 56 points per game. New head coach Gerald Gillion is known for being a good recruiter and he will have to be and then some to get Chicago State out of the depths of the WAC. Coreyoun Rushin is the best player for the Cougars.

357. Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils – Last Season Ranking: 345

Conference: SWAC

Lindsay Hunter is entering his third season as the coach of the Delta Devils, so far, he has not fared any better than the last coach as he has won five games in two seasons. Mississippi Valley State started last season losing their first 16 games. For teams that played at least 20 games last year the Delta Devils were the worst offensive team and the worst defensive team in the country. They are outmatched most every night and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Caleb Hunter is back to try and help the Delta Devils improve their offense.

356. Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks – Last Season Ranking: 357

Conference: MEAC

The Hawks opted out of the season last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Maryland Eastern Shore has been a Division 1 team for 49 years and has had 5 winning seasons. Head Coach Jason Crafton has his work cut out for him as his players have not played any meaningful basketball in almost two years. The last time Eastern Shore took the floor they were one of the worst offensive teams in the country and they are getting better defensively under Crafton. Coach Crafton filled the team with a lot of high level JUCO scorers to help mitigate the lack of offense. In 2019-2020, they set a school record for blocks with 103 and allowed under 70 a game in conference. The Hawks are led by junior guard Da’Shawn Phillip.

355. Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions – Last Season Ranking: 333

Conference: SWAC

Golden Lions fans are desperately hoping that new coach Solomon Bozeman can get it turned it around. Pine Bluff has won 8 games in the last two seasons and they have been one of the worst offensive teams and in turn also one of the worst defensive teams in the country. Bozeman is known for his ability to recruit quality talent and develop it and that is something that the Golden Lions desperately need. Even though Pine Bluff lost two key pieces from last years team they have senior Joshuwan Johnson who could bring this team and finish in the top half. He is that good.

354. South Carolina State Bulldogs – Last Season Ranking: 334

Conference: MEAC

I had thought the Bulldogs would have been a little bit better last year given how bad the bottom of the MEAC typically is. South Carolina State finished with 1 win and they did not have a single player average double-digit points a season ago. It is never good being one of the younger teams in the country like the Bulldogs were last year, but to compound that the team was not able to get together very often in the offseason to build chemistry. This season isn’t likely going to be much better as the top two scorers are gone. Jemal Davis is a talented big man who is going to get the ball a lot for South Carolina State.

353. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats – Last Season Ranking: 356

Conference: SWAC

Welcome to year one in the SWAC for Bethune-Cookman. The Wildcats were always a competitive team in the MEAC finishing near the top of the conference most years. Bethune Cookman was another team that cancelled their season last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When the Wildcats take the floor again this season, they will look drastically different than the last time we saw them.

Bethune-Cookman had extreme roster turnover generated by the cancelled season last year and graduation. The Wildcats are also now coached by Reggie Theus and he is going to have an extremely young roster and it may be an uphill climb in a better conference at least in year one. JUCO transfer Alex Ismail has a chance to be a difference-maker for Bethune Cookman.

352. Idaho Vandals – Last Season Ranking: 341

Conference: Big Sky

There is only one way to go for Idaho and head coach Zac Claus and that is up. The Vandals started the year 0-19 before finally winning a game and then losing their last two. They finished the year 1-21 overall. The Vandals had to find a way to get talent quickly given the recruiting disadvantage they have. Idaho was a destination for some mid-major transfers looking for a fresh start. It’s tough to say if the Vandals will be better as they have a young and new team. One positive note for the Vandals is they finally will have an arena on their campus that they get to call their very own. That is going to be a valuable recruiting tool for coach Claus. NAIA transfer Jemeil King should be the go-to guy this year. He is a good scorer who can shoot from deep. He is also an adept passer and rebounder and hopes to end his career in Idaho by helping this team win some more games.

351. Delaware State Hornets – Last Season Ranking: 323

Conference: MEAC

Delaware State has never had a good basketball program. They are usually one of the worst teams in the entire country and last year was no different. I thought they would be a little better as I believed in the last coaching staff and the players they had on the Roster. However, they only ended up winning 3 overall games and finished in last in the MEAC. The Hornets now have a new coach in Stan Waterman who brings a very impressive pedigree to his new team. Delaware State needs to learn how to defend quickly as they gave up almost 90 points per game. The Hornets do have one of the best players in the MEAC in senior guard Myles Carter.