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

Houston cons of being No. 1

The reason why the Lofton situation was important in my eyes was that he would fill in a potential area of weakness at center for Houston. Last season, UConn transfer Josh Carlton was not only a double-digit scorer and leading rebounder, but he also gave the Cougars exactly what they needed on the defensive end. He, along with Fabian White are gone, leaving some questions as to how effective the new-look frontcourt will be.

Jarace Walker is a talented freshman but he is still a freshman. If he has some growing pains and isn’t ready to have a major impact, that’ll affect the ceiling for Houston. But at center, there’s Reggie Chaney and J’Wan Roberts as the likely potential starters. Both were solid in their limited roles as backups but it’s another level playing 25-30 minutes as key frontcourt rotation players.

Due to how much offensive firepower the perimeter players have, the bigs for the Cougars don’t have to be big scorers. But they do have to be good on defense. And with the tallest player on the roster being 6’8, teams with real size could take advantage of them inside.

Health is also a factor for Houston. They still have plenty of depth but can’t afford another couple of injuries like they did last season. How Sasser and Mark hold up health-wise will be the top storyline, as well as how these starting bigs perform.