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

40. Michigan State Spartans – Last Season Ranking: 6

Conference: Big Ten

Michigan State is no longer the top team in the state of Michigan. They still have a great team, but they are not a preseason top 25 team. Michigan State got hot last year and made a run to the NCAA tournament as they had some of the best wins in the country but also had some very ugly losses.

Michigan State has a good portion of their roster returning from last year and coach Tom Izzo was able to supplement his returning talent with a great recruiting class as he is always able to do. The Spartans do have a question in the backcourt though and that is what is keeping their ranking down for me.

Who is going to play Point Guard?  Michigan State is always at their best when they have a dominant point guard and their roster doesn’t have anyone who has any experience in the Big Ten playing that position.

Tyson Walker is a transfer from Northeastern, he is a point guard and is going to get the first crack at it for Izzo. Walker was one of the best at the position in the Colonial but some in the Spartan camp suggest he is better suited for the off guard. If he pans out at the point, then Michigan State is going to be very good.

39. BYU Cougars – Last Season Ranking: 50

Conference: West Coast

Head coach Mark Pope has done a tremendous job with BYU as he has turned them into a West Coast Conference power in just a few seasons. The Cougars have always shot the ball well under Pope and they do have arguably the best shooter in the entire country on their team. BYU heads into the season losing a lot of production to graduation.

They were able to grab some guys who can score in the transfer portal who will help minimize the loss of two of the top three scorers. The Cougars are likely going to finish second in the conference again because they have something that not many others have and that is three guys who can all average over 20 per game.  BYU is always going to score as they have so many role players who are so good at what they do, but this year they have three players who could all average around 15 to 20 per game.

BYU is a dangerous team again and they are going to make noise in the West Coast Conference. Alex Barcello shot 48% from deep last year, that was the best individual number in the country. Barcello rarely turns the ball over, is a great free throw shooter, and gets his teammates involved. He is going to be an all-conference player and should be a finalist for all kinds of point guard awards. He is a joy to watch play basketball.

38. Syracuse Orange – Last Season Ranking: 49

Conference: ACC

The Orange did it again, they made the NCAA tournament and made a run to the Sweet 16 despite not really looking great getting there. Head coach Jim Boeheim is a legend and he is consistently winning games and he still has Syracuse playing Orange basketball despite the game-changing so much in the last few years. Orange basketball is an exclusive 2-3 zone on defense and shooting a ton of threes. Syracuse is always one of the better teams in the country on defense, a lot of it is because of the zone and they also have a ton of length to protect the rim and get a ton of steals.

The Orange didn’t shoot an overly high percentage from the floor last year, but they made a bunch of threes which helped them on the offensive end. The Orange are likely going to finish in the middle of the pack in the ACC and have some head-scratching losses but then have some eye-opening wins as well. They are going to play a zone and they are going to shoot a ton of threes.

Coach Boeheim is going to have his two sons playing for him this year as well as a lot of top-ranked recruits who are going to improve and provide this team some quality depth. Buddy Boeheim returns to lead this offense. He shot 38% from deep last year and showed he can score from everywhere. He is in the mix for first-team all-conference.

37. West Virginia Mountaineers – Last Season Ranking: 24

Conference: Big 12

West Virginia under Bob Huggins has been one of the most consistent programs in the country. They play stifling defense and they play fast on offense. They don’t shoot the ball with a real high percentage, but they are able to make up for it with their great rebounding and steal numbers. They did shoot the ball well from deep and consistently finish in the top half of the Big 12 again. West Virginia didn’t protect the rim very well last year and that Is very off-brand for a Bob Huggins-coached team.

On the transfer market, the Mountaineers were able to get some players who were able to block a lot of shots at their previous schools. West Virginia also like every season, has a lot of great individual defensive talent. However, the rebounding and overall offense may not be as good this season, but the Mountaineers are still going to get a lot of steals which will enable them to get out in transition for easy baskets.

Taz Sherman is ready to be the number one option for West Virginia. He was already an honorable mention Big 12 player and he is going to get the bulk of the shots in the offense this year so he should be all-conference. West Virginia makes the tournament again.

36. St. John’s Red Storm – Last Season Ranking: 77

Conference: Big East

St John’s is going to be good this year and is going to likely be in and out of the rankings. The Red Storm finished 4th in the Big East last year and many had them pegged as a bottom of the league team as they did have some key pieces that were very young, and they had some question marks.

Head coach Mike Anderson showed the kind of coach he is. He is a guy who is going to get kids to play for him and they are going to play hard. The Red Storm has all the key pieces returning on an offense that scored about 80 points per game last year. They were picked to finish in the top four in the league this year and if they can do that and not have an early exit in the NCAA tournament, they should find themselves in the NCAA tournament.

St. John’s also has one of the premier players in this game who is going to win a ton of awards in the Big East. Julian Champagnie is an elite scorer, dominant rebounder, and great shooter. He does everything for St. John’s and will likely be all-conference and should play in the NBA next season.

35. Virginia Tech Hokies – Last Season Ranking: 56

Conference: ACC

Mike Young and Virginia Tech are ahead of schedule. The Hokies were a tournament team when Young took over and after a down season in which they went .500, Virginia Tech made the NCAA tournament in Young’s second season. Virginia Tech being good this early into coach Young’s tenure isn’t surprising, but what is surprising is just how good they were, the Hokies finished in the top three of the ACC last year, and while I expected them to be good, I didn’t expect them to be this good.

Hokie Basketball is going to shoot and make a good number of threes, take high percentage shots inside the two-point arc, and play good defense, protect the rim, and rarely turn the ball over. The Hokies return a good portion of their roster from a season ago but did lose some key rotation pieces. They replaced them with some new rotation pieces that are going to make it seem like Virginia Tech didn’t lose much.

Keve Aluma is going to see his role expand this year. He can rebound, protect the rim, and score. He is one of the best big men in the ACC even if he doesn’t get enough recognition for it.

34. Colorado State Rams – Last Season Ranking: 106

Conference: Mountain West

The Rams are going to spend time in the top 25 this season and are going to get some serious consideration for an at-large bid. Head coach Niko Medved has built this team into one of the best teams in the Mountain West in just three short years.

This season, the Rams could have one of their best teams ever. They are a good three-point shooting team, shoot about 80% from the free throw line, and 55% from inside the arc. They are tough to play because they can stretch the floor as they have a player at every level who can shoot from deep and they love to spread you out.

Colorado State has a lot to like and with the experience they have, they are going to likely live up to their lofty expectations this year. David Roddy had a breakout year a season ago, and he is likely going to follow it up with a first-team all-conference selection.

33. Loyola-Chicago Ramblers – Last Season Ranking: 111

Conference: Missouri Valley

I was way off on how good the Ramblers would be last season. They made the sweet 16 after knocking off Illinois in the NCAA tournament and former head coach Porter Moser coached the best scoring defense in the country. Coach Moser is off to Oklahoma and Drew Valentine takes over.

Coach Valentine couldn’t ask for anything more as he had a very experienced roster with a lot of guys who know how to play Rambler basketball. It will be a story to follow all year long to see if Loyola Chicago is as good on defense as they were under their former coach, and will their offense be good enough?  None of the players on the current roster have ever shown that much on offense, but someone is going to have to step up and carry the load.

Either way, the Ramblers are still a top team in the league and will finish in the top three. Lucas Williamson returns for his final year to lead the Ramblers.

32. Indiana Hoosiers – Last Season Ranking: 67

Conference: Big Ten

The Archie Miller is finally over at Indiana, and it didn’t go well. The Hoosiers have always been able to recruit well and that is why the lack of success by Miller was so frustrating as he did have the ability to get a ton of talent to Bloomington.

The Hoosiers didn’t make a flashy hire, but they hired someone with a pedigree and someone who wins. Mike Woodson is the new coach and he comes from the NBA, and I personally love the hire and he is going to be a guy who is going to right the ship at Indiana and get them playing Hoosier basketball again. Woodson is also a guy whose kids are going to want to play for him. Indiana has one of the better rosters for a first-year to inherit, as Woodson was able to keep a lot of talent on campus.

It is hard to say how good Indiana does in year one, but with this talent and a good coach, they should be in the NCAA tournament conversation all year long. Trayce Jackson-Davis is about as dominant as they come. He is a traditional back-to-the-basket center who gets fouled a ton, shoots a high percentage from the floor, gets a ton of rebounds, and protects the rim. He is going to be an All-American this season.

31. San Diego State Aztecs – Last Season Ranking: 33

Conference: Mountain West

San Diego State just reloads every year, as they don’t go through much of a rebuild. Head coach Brian Dutcher has turned the Aztecs into the premier program in the Mountain West and has become a hot destination for transfers over the years. San Diego State is also one of the premier defensive teams in the country almost every year now. They play relentless defense and there are times where they will trade offense for defense. The defense clicked again last year as the Aztecs only allowed a shade over 61 points per game.

San Diego State doesn’t even allow many teams to even get the ball inside the paint on most possessions, if you are going to beat them you are going to have to hit a bunch of threes and extend the defense out. The pick and roll work sometimes as well but the defense is so disciplined.

This season San Diego State did lose a lot of offense, but they were able to secure one of the premier scorers in the entire transfer portal. They also bolstered their defense with two players who are premier shot blockers and rebounders. San Diego State is going to be good again and is going to be in the mix for the Mountain West crown.

Matt Bradley spent the first three years of his career at California. He decided to transfer to San Diego State where he is going to be the focal point on offense. He is one of the best scorers in the country and he isn’t a volume shooter he can score a lot of ways and doesn’t need to take a ton of shots to do it.