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

North Carolina cons of being No. 1

Yes, it’s true that the Tar Heels nearly won the NCAA Basketball national title last season and most of that core is coming back. It’s also true that this is the same core that after losing to Pittsburgh at home in February, was on the wrong side of NCAA Tournament projections. They did go on a run afterward and got an 8 seed in the Big Dance but had they allowed Baylor to beat them in the Round of 32 or UCLA in that close Sweet 16 contest, are we even having this conversation with them for the top spot?

And there’s Nance. Is he truly the best transfer from the portal this offseason or was his value hyped up more because he was one of the few impact players left to make a decision in June? His play didn’t translate to more wins at Northwestern, who finished near the bottom in each of the past two seasons in the Big Ten. Plus, will he fit well next to Bacot? Manek did but Marquette transfer Dawson Garcia didn’t last season and between the two, Nance compares more towards Garcia than Manek in terms of the overall game.

There’s also the question of “depth”. UNC played mainly six guys throughout the NCAA Tournament, with the guards playing around 38-40 mpg. For a full season, that won’t work well, and it offers the question of what happens in case of injury to a single starter. Will it even matter how good the freshmen class is if they don’t get time on the court?

It feels weird to give a team a No. 1 ranking based on the final 12 games of last season but we are making projections and right now, the Tar Heels have the best core group entering next season. But that group also lost multiple times before getting to the title game so is their ceiling as high as Gonzaga or Houston’s?

There are plenty of pros and cons for all three teams to getting the No. 1 preseason ranking but all three look to fit into the national title picture next season. Is there a 4th team that fits in this conversation? Let us know who else deserves consideration.