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

30. Xavier Musketeers – Last Season Ranking: 38

Conference: Big East

The Musketeers have had a lot of talent the last few seasons but for some reason, they have underachieved and not played to their full potential. I figured they would easily make the tournament last year as I had them ranked in the top 40, which would technically be the others receiving votes category for the preseason top 25. Head coach Travis Steele still has a talented roster as he went out and found some quality transfers to bolster his bench.

Will the Musketeers perform is now the question.  Xavier shot a ton of threes last year but only had one player they could rely on to make them consistently. They had quality depth as well, but they shot the ball at under 30% from deep in the conference and didn’t shoot free throws all that well. That coupled with the fact that the Big East offenses were able to get into a track meet with the Musketeers was their ultimate downfall.

Early on this season, Xavier is going to be without their star player as he is in a walking boot, the injury isn’t going to sideline him for the whole year but it will be an adjustment to how they like to play.

Paul Scruggs is healthy to start the year, and the point guard is a stat sheet stuffer. He can pass and rebound, and he is a great option to get a bucket when the Musketeers desperately need one. Xavier was the best passing team in the Big East last year and Scruggs is a huge reason why. He is going to need to step his game up even more at the beginning of the year for Xavier to be successful.

29. USC Trojans – Last Season Ranking: 37

Conference: Pac 12

The Trojans were able to maximize their talent last year and made a run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament where they were beaten by Gonzaga. USC was a nightmare last year because they had two very skilled big men and they shot 36% from deep as a team last year. They were also a team who rebounded well, and they blocked about five shots per game. Those were all things that contributed to head coach Andy Enfield leading his team to a second-place finish in the Pac 12.

The Trojans did lose one of their big men to the NBA draft lottery and they lost their lead guard to graduation. The rest of the team is back, and they are likely not going to be as good as they were last year, but the team is still good enough to make the NCAA tournament this year. USC didn’t do anything in the transfer portal, didn’t lose many guys except to graduation, and was able to secure a four-star guard who is likely going to start right away.

Isaiah Mobley was living in his brother’s shadow a year ago and still put up almost a double-double. The older Mobley brother is now in the spotlight and the stage is set for him to have a huge season leading USC.

28. Florida Gators – Last Season Ranking: 27

Conference: SEC

The Gators had an interesting season last year as they got a scare from star player when he collapsed on the floor and had to be rushed to the hospital. That player ended up being okay and the Gators made a run to the tournament. Head coach Mike White is a coach that I wish would take the reins off his team. He loves to play at a slower pace but has a roster with a bunch of guys who can play fast and like to play fast.

Florida was very active on the transfer market and reloaded. One of the key players acquired was Phlandrous Fleming Jr. who was the two-time Big South defensive player of the year and has scored over 1,500 points in his career. He is going to be a huge piece for the Gators this year. He is as steady as they come and will provide a nice scoring punch for the Gators to pair with their big man.

27. Mississippi State Bulldogs – Last Season Ranking: 26

Conference: SEC

Full disclosure, I was much higher on Mississippi State last year than I should have been. I do really like Ben Howland as a coach. This year though Mississippi State could find themselves in and out of the rankings as they were able to secure one of the best transfer classes in the country. The Bulldogs also have their best player returning and with the transfers and the returning guard they have one of the best starting five in the country.

The Bulldogs are going to make the tournament and should easily finish in the top half of the SEC. If everything goes as planned, at least in my eyes the Bulldogs have a great chance to be a second-weekend team. They are loaded and they are going to be able to go about seven or eight players in their rotation as well. Ben Howland is a good coach and has been waiting a long time for a team this good. Prior to last season, the Bulldogs had won 20 games four seasons in a row and they will be back there again this year.

Garrison Brooks was one of the most surprising transfer announcements in the offseason. He had a decorated career at North Carolina, and he was the preseason player of the year in the ACC. He is an offensive big man who can rebound like crazy as well. He finished his career top 50 in scoring and top 25 in rebounding at North Carolina. Sleep on the Bulldogs if you want, but they are very dangerous.

26. Texas Tech Red Raiders – Last Season Ranking: 13

Conference: Big 12

Texas Tech is now officially in the post-Chris Beard era. Their most successful coach decided to leave to become the head coach at Texas, leaving the Red Raiders to be coached by Mark Adams. Adams has been with the program for the last five years and now finally gets the chance to coach at his alma mater. With the departure of Beard came a mass exodus of the talent for the Red Raiders, but not to worry as head coach Adams was able to secure one of the best transfer classes in the country.

They are going to have a lot of versatility and every one of them can defend. Adams was already on the staff at Texas Tech under Beard so he will also know the importance of defense and rest assured the Red Raiders are still going to play a ton of defense. They have enough talent, and Adams has enough experience as a coach that there won’t be a transition year. The Red Raiders expect to compete and expect to finish near the top of the Big 12. Their floor is a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 team that makes the tournament. Their ceiling is a topflight Big 12 team who earns a higher seed in the NCAA tournament.

Kevin Obanor, who really put himself on the map during the NCAA tournament for Oral Roberts, has decided to play out his remaining eligibility at Texas Tech. He is instantly one of the best players in the Big 12. He can shoot at a high percentage, stretch the floor, and is an elite rebounder. As a big man, he is going to get fouled a lot and it helps that he is one of the best free throw shooters in the country.

25. Auburn Tigers – Last Season Ranking: 18

Conference: SEC

Let’s just get it out there, I trust Bruce Pearl as a coach he wins, and he can do a lot with very little. That is the main reason why I ranked Auburn so high last year. They did have my favorite player in the class of 2020-2021 in Sharife Cooper, but Cooper was ineligible for a while and once he became eligible the Tigers played much better.

Auburn was never fully healthy last year as well, as they lost a starter for the season right as Cooper was coming back into the lineup. This year the Tigers have a good portion of their roster from last year returning and they were able to supplement that with some high-quality transfers and one with the highest recruit in Auburn history.

Jabari Smith was the number 4 ranked recruit in the class, and he comes with a ton of hype but once you watch him play, he will back it up as well. The forward is going to start right away and be paired up with another quality 7’0” to make up one of the biggest frontcourts in the SEC. Smith was a high school All-American, McDonald’s All-American, and representative of Team USA. He is going to help Auburn win a lot of games and he likely will be in college for only one year

24. Maryland Terrapins – Last Season Ranking: 52

Conference: Big Ten

Admittedly, I was not very high on Maryland last year because I questioned how much the roster could score. Heading into last season they had lost a lot of talent on the transfer market and didn’t have a lot of notable offensive players.

However, where I sold the Terrapins short was on the defensive side of the ball. Maryland was unbelievable on the defensive side of the ball as they made everything on defense hard for the opponents. The numbers would suggest otherwise but by watching the Terps play it is obvious how good they were on defense. Maryland played slow and deliberate on offense, and even though they only took 53 shots per game they shot at a very high percentage from everywhere on the floor.

Maryland was very selective about the threes they took but again made a lot of the ones they did take. The one thing different about this Terrapins team is the Big Ten defensive player of the year decided to transfer so that could change some things that head coach Mark Turgeon decides to do on defense.

Qudus Wahab is a transfer from Georgetown and he is just the type of center that coach Turgeon has turned into first-round NBA picks. He can shoot, is efficient around the rim. He is one of the best rebounders in the league and he will block shots. Wahab is going to lock down the middle and let the experienced group of guards go to work.

23. UConn Huskies – Last Season Ranking: 40

Conference: Big East

The first year in the Big East was a success for Huskies. Coach Dan Hurley is a great coach and he has done a great job building up the program. His overall goal is to build UConn up to the success they once had and become the historic program most of us remember. The Huskies were one of the best teams in the country last year at protecting the rim as they had one of the nation’s leaders in blocked shots and they were an unbelievable rebounding team. Those two things along with their ability to deny the three-point line and force the opponents to take bad shots led to their success.

UConn returns most of their team from last year including their rim protectors. They have the roster to finish in the top half of the Big East and find themselves back in the top 25. They have a coach who isn’t going to hinder them, and the Huskies have all bought in which makes them dangerous.

Adama Sanogo was the prized recruit in the 2020 class. The big man put up great numbers as a freshman. This year with a full offseason under his belt and one year of experience that he is ready to take off. Sanogo is going to have a huge year and can lead UConn in scoring and in rebounding. The Huskies will make the tournament again and could make a deep run.

22. Virginia Cavaliers – Last Season Ranking: 12

Conference: ACC

The Cavaliers should need no introduction. When you think of Virginia basketball you think of slow methodical offense, with a high shooting percentage, a team that makes a bunch of threes and is one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country. There is also Virginia on defense who forces teams to play their pace, forces teams into terrible shots, and there are times when the opponents rarely ever get a look. This method of operation for head coach Tony Bennett has won him a lot of games, including a National Championship.

The Cavaliers were the regular-season champion in the ACC last year but last year’s team just didn’t feel like a team that was built for a deep run in March and sure enough, they were beaten in the first round by an upstart Ohio team. Coach Bennett can do more with less than any other coach in the country as he strictly recruits guys for his system. He is rarely going to be in the mix for the top recruit because the offense and defense are about being unselfish and being team players. The number one recruits in the country just don’t seem to fit his style. Nothing wrong with that as he has won a ton of games everywhere, he has ever been.

Kihei Clark returns for his final season to run the offense for the fourth year in a row. Clark is not going to light the nets on fire much, he doesn’t shoot a high percentage, but he does make a lot of winning plays and seems to be in the right place at the right time. He is also a huge factor in the pack line for Virginia. Clark brings so much more to the Cavaliers than just offense.

21. Florida State Seminoles – Last Season Ranking: 5

Conference: ACC

Leonard Hamilton has turned the Florida State program around and turned them into a basketball power in the ACC. They are a perennial contender for the final four and they are also a team that lands some of the top recruits in the country every year. The Seminoles enter the year ranked in the top 25 again and are one of the teams to beat near the top of the league as well. Florida State shoots a high efficiency from the floor from both inside and outside the arc.

The one thing that everyone also notices about Florida State is how much height they always have. They have a bunch of athletic 7’0” or taller players who are always going to help them rebound and protect the rim. Those aspects of the game are also things that have become staples of Seminole basketball. This season is going to be the same as Florida State doesn’t have a single player in their rotation shorter than 6’5”. They have two skilled freshmen who were both top 25 recruits in the country and who are going to play a huge role in the success of the Seminoles.

Coach Hamilton is one of the best coaches in the country and Florida State is well on its way to another second-weekend appearance. That would be extremely impressive after losing 4 starters a season ago, that just speaks to the level Florida State has elevated to.

Caleb Mills was the preseason American Athletic Player of the Year a season ago at Houston. He was a mid-season transfer and decided to transfer to Florida State where he will fit into this offense perfectly. He is a good shooter, can get to the rim, and plays great defense. Mills is going to step in and have an impact immediately.