It’s finally here! The greatest sport in the world is back! The 2022-2023 NCAA basketball season is set to commence, and it is going to be a great season. That means that the rankings, betting lines, and most importantly real live games with fans are almost here. It seems every team in the country was able to utilize the transfer portal to bolster their teams.
With the new NIL deals and the new NIL markets there are some schools that have created what they would call a super team. This is also something to monitor as it is a huge basis for a lot of the transfers this year. That is going to make this year even more interesting because there are a lot of teams who could have some of their best seasons ever and there are also some teams who have assembled their best rosters ever.
There are also a lot of teams who can make the Final Four. Usually heading into a season there are eight to ten teams who have a reasonable chance to make a final four, and this year with the overall talent pool being expanded because of the extra NIL money and the sheer volume of transfers, means there are around 15 to 20 different teams who can reasonably make a final four and five or six of those teams can win a National Title. This is going to be an extremely interesting year for those reasons. There are also 5 new Division 1 teams this season. This will also be the final year that the Hartford Hawks are a member of Division 1, before they transition to Division III next year.
Getting all of that out of the way below you will find the comprehensive preseason rankings for all 363 teams in NCAA Division 1 Basketball. In each ranking I also provide a player to watch for each team, preseason rankings don’t mean much but they usually are a good indicator as to where the team stands heading into the season, and it is a vehicle for the broadcasters and fans alike to talk about. Enough of the introduction let us get on with the rankings. Enjoy!
363. Lamar Cardinals – Last Season Ranking: 272
Conference: Southland
I did not know what to expect from Lamar last year and that is clear given they were 0-27 against Division 1 opponents. The Cardinals hired a former Lamar basketball star to be their coach a season ago. Alvin Brooks was part of the Lamar sweet 16 team and he comes from the Kelvin Sampson coaching tree but his first year at his alma mater could not have gone worse. Heading into this season, Lamar has a 20-game losing streak, most of their roster from a season ago is no longer on campus with a lot of freshmen.
The Cardinals are also going back to familiar waters as they head back to the Southland after a one-year run in the WAC that did not go well. Will Lamar be the worst team in the country again? It is hard to be that bad two years in a row, but they likely will struggle to finish any higher than last in the Southland. JUCO transfer Adam Hamilton averaged a double-double last year and he is the player with the highest ceiling of any on the Lamar roster.
362. Delaware State Hornets – Last Season Ranking: 351
Conference: MEAC
Delaware State is a in a basketball black hole right now. They have not been able to find the right recipe for winning in the MEAC. The Hornets have been one of the worst programs in the country over the last decade and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better in Dover. The Hornets enter the year on a 24-game losing streak, are going to have to take buy games and are likely going to lose a lot early in the year. The roster doesn’t have much talent returning and head coach Stan Waterman has an uphill climb. 7 point per game scorer Martez Robinson returns to help change the fortunes of the Delaware State program.
361. Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils – Last Season Ranking: 357
Conference: SWAC
The Delta Devils have won 4 games in the last two seasons and as a result they have a new coach in George Ivory who replaces Lindsay Hunter. The other downside of losing that many games is the fact the good players on the roster all transfer out leaving Mississippi Valley State with a fresh crop of young players to try and win with. This year is not going to be great for the Delta Devils either as they are going to have immense trouble scoring and they still can’t stop anyone.
The hope is new coach Ivory shows that there is an upward trend within the program, but it is going to be tough sledding for a while for Mississippi Valley State. Gary Grant was the SWAC freshman of the year a season ago and he is one holdover from last season. They will bring up the rear in the SWAC.