NCAA Basketball: Should Gonzaga, Houston, or North Carolina be No. 1 for 2022-23?

Houston pros of being No. 1

While Gonzaga’s point guard situation needs to be figured out, Houston returns one of the best pure point guards in the country in Jamal Shead. He went from a role player off the bench to a breakout star last season, averaging 10.0 ppg and 5.8 apg. His near 3/1 assist-to-turnover ratio was one of the best in the country and Shead had five games of 10+ assists, including a career-high 12 against SMU.

And while Shead’s scoring was somewhat inconsistent last season, he had 18 points against Illinois and 21 versus Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. And while both Kyler Edwards and Taze Moore are gone, the Cougars get back both Tramon Mark and Marcus Sasser, who each missed most of last season with injuries. They combined to produce nearly 30 ppg when healthy and Sasser has All-American potential if he doesn’t get hurt.

The trio of Shead, Sasser, and Mark is arguably the best in the country and that doesn’t include Jarace Walker, a five-star prospect and highest-rated incoming freshman in program history. He’s a 6’8 forward that gives Houston an inside-scoring threat and a future NBA pro. If he’s truly an impact top-10 freshman player, that could be what makes Houston the best team in the country.

And with and Kelvin Sampson-coached team, expect the Cougars to be an elite defensive unit as well. This could be the most athletic team he’s had at Houston so they’re very capable of it. Had Louisiana Tech big man and rumored transfer target Kenneth Lofton gone to them, they would’ve been the clear No. 1 preseason team. Still, the pieces they have now put them in contention.