NCAA Basketball: Power rankings of all teams (363-1) for 2022-23 season

30. Virginia Tech Hokies- Last Season Ranking: 35

Conference: ACC

Virginia Tech was relentless on defense a year ago and they were a top 3 three-point shooting team. The entire team was 3 and D. That philosophy has worked well for head coach Mike Young. It was the same philosophy that he used to build up Wofford and it has worked wonders for him as the head man of the Hokies.

The Hokies also played well enough to win the ACC tournament and got the automatic bid into the tournament. Virginia Tech was a trendy pick to upset Texas in the first round of the NCAA tournament because of how each team was playing. Texas was not playing that well and the Hokies were hot having just ran through the ACC tournament. Virginia Tech did lose in the NCAA tournament, but coach Young has this program rolling and will have them in the conversation again this season. The Hokies play slow and slow teams down to a snail’s pace on the defensive end. Defense plays anywhere and Virginia Tech is always bought in on that end of the floor.

Grant Basile was one of the premier scorers in the Horizon League a season ago. He is a big man who can stretch the floor, two seasons ago Basile shot over 50% from three. He scored over 1200 points and grabbed over 600 rebounds in his four years at Wright State. The big man was one of the top transfers on the market and it was because of his ability to stretch the floor and do work in the post. The Hokies have great guards and fantastic shooters all over the floor. Basile could be the piece that sends the Hokies over the top.

29. Purdue Boilermakers- Last Season Ranking: 9

Conference: Big Ten

There was a time when people didn’t think that head coach Matt Painter was the guy for the job. He has made the tournament every year but four, however when he did make the tournament early on, he had trouble winning games. Those days are behind the Boilermakers now and they are a machine in the Big Ten every single season.

Purdue has a great offense every year, is always loaded with tons of individual talent, they play as a team even with all the talent, and they almost always shoot at a high percentage. Coach Painter always seems to find skilled players over 7’0” tall who wreak havoc in the middle of the floor. The efficient offense and big men in the middle of the floor was enough for the Boilermakers to win a lot of games and claim the school’s first number 1 ranking last year.

The 2021-2022 version of the Purdue Boilermakers may have been the best team that Purdue has had under Coach Painter. It is unfortunate for them that they ran into a hot and confident Saint Peter’s team in the Sweet 16. Purdue has not made the Final Four since the 1979-1980 season. The Boilers are not in the preseason top 25, but they still have a great roster and are in no danger of missing the NCAA tournament.

Zach Edey is 7’4” and weighs just under 300 pounds. Given his size, he is one of the most athletic players I have ever seen. When the large man is in the game, he changes the game he may have only averaged 1.2 blocks per game but that does not consider all of the shots he altered or forced a team to not take. Edey averaged 14 points per game, 8 rebounds and 1 assist in 19 minutes per game. Some players put up those numbers in about 35 minutes per game and he did it in under 20. That is impressive.

28. Texas A&M Aggies- Last Season Ranking: 75

Conference: SEC

The Aggies were left out of the NCAA tournament field last year and they did have a case. They went 9-9 in the SEC but had two wins over Florida and Arkansas. Texas A& M also beat Alabama and Auburn and made the finals of the SEC tournament. It wasn’t good enough as the Aggies did lose 9 out of 10 games in the middle of the season that saw losses to Vanderbilt and Missouri in that losing streak. It is hard for bubble teams to go on an extended losing streak and still get a serious look from the tournament committee.

In all honesty, Texas A&M did have a case and I could not believe they did not get in. Most of the committee members must have thought they had a case as well, as now there are talks of tournament expansion and the rumors are because of the snub of the Aggies last year. Head Coach Buzz Williams has most of his team back from a season ago, but he was able to secure some quality transfers to fill the holes in the roster. The Aggies are going to have a chip on their shoulder and if they use that for motivation, they will make the tournament. Coach Williams has won everywhere he has coached, and Texas A & M is showing that it is no different. The Aggies finish middle of the pack in the SEC and make the tournament.

Henry Coleman III has a lot of upside and as the season progressed he showed why. He is a dominant post player who is a great rebounder. He is going to have a lot of double-doubles this year and is good enough to take over a game. Coleman III was originally a transfer from Duke, but he now enters the season as the Texas A & M Aggies best player. He shoots a very high percentage from the floor and is going to average about 3 offensive rebounds per game. He has quick hands on defense and averaged over a steal per game. He is going to take off this year.

27. Ohio State Buckeyes- Last Season Ranking: 19

Conference: Big Ten

Ohio State had some head scratching games last year. The Buckeyes should have lost to Nebraska twice, Maryland, and Penn State were all games that Ohio State lost a season ago and all of them are games that they should not have lost. The Buckeyes ended up in the tournament last season and were able to get to the second round. It is the things that head coach Chris Holtmann does that bother me as a fan. Ohio State played at one of the slowest paces in the country with a team who was built to run the floor and put points up.

The slow grind it out style works for the Buckeyes but if they were to take this roster and get out in transition with it they would put up more points and probably win more games. What do I know though, I am sitting here typing this and coach Holtmann is on the floor coaching his guys up? The Ohio State roster has a lot of new pieces to it, but it also has a lot of talent. The Buckeyes were not picked to finish overly high in the preseason conference rankings, but this team has talent and is coached well enough to outplay their projection. Ohio State goes back to the tournament.

Tanner Holden is an elite scorer who is now playing for his childhood favorite team for his final year of college. The guard put on a show in the First Four last season against Bryant when he scored 37 points while playing for Wright State. It has been a while since Ohio State has had a scorer the caliber of Holden and they plan to utilize him to the fullest of his ability.

26. Miami Hurricanes- Last Season Ranking: 83

Conference: ACC

Head coach Jim Larranaga has done a great job at Miami but before last season’s run to the Elite Eight, the Hurricanes had experienced 3 losing seasons in a row. They were trending down, and it looked as if Larranaga didn’t have any answers. I still can’t figure out if last season was a signal that the Hurricanes had figured it out or if it was just a perfect storm for Miami last year.

It was a little bit of both, coach Larranaga is a good coach, who has been a good coach for a while and deserves the benefit of the doubt. Miami also had a lot of guys take huge leaps last season which enabled the Hurricanes to have a much better season than most thought. It is always hard to replicate an elite eight run, so that should not be the expectation for Miami.

A more realistic expectation for the Hurricanes is to make the tournament two seasons in a row. That is likely going to happen as Miami loaded up in the transfer portal. Having big time NIL opportunities is a recruiting tool that the Hurricanes are going to be able to use for a long time. Two of the top transfers in the country committed to Miami because of the amount of NIL money they are making. With the roster that coach Larranaga has assembled it would be a huge upset if Miami didn’t make the tournament with a top seed and finish in the top half of the ACC.

Norchad Omier is a transfer from Arkansas State, and he is a good one. Omier is the reigning Sun Belt player of the year, defensive player of the year, and a two time first team all conference selection. Last season while competing for the Red Wolves he averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks per game. He dominated in the conference, and he is going to dominate in the ACC as well.

Omier is one of the best players in the country and probably the best big man in the country. Getting a player like that in the transfer portal can change the entire season for a team. Miami has expectations again and they are close to the top 25 to start the year. They will end up ranked and win a lot of games.

25. San Diego State Aztecs- Last Season Ranking: 31

Conference: Mountain West

Stop me if you have head this before. San Diego State won 20 games, finished in the top tier of the Mountain West, had a clunky offense, and played smothering defense that allowed less than 60 points per game. Rinse and repeat for the Aztecs as they were completely normal and played their games exactly as coach Brian Dutcher always has. San Diego State is another team who is wins games and shuts people down on defense regardless of the roster personnel. They are also a team who is a threat to win 30 games almost any year.

Their defense is relentless and never waivers. The Aztecs are so disciplined on that end of the floor that they never seem to have an off night. Teams are going to have to make shots to beat San Diego State but considering the Aztecs only allowed 38% of the shots they allowed to go in. Making shots is not that easy. The Aztecs are loaded and find themselves in the preseason top 25 and are the overwhelming favorite in the Mountain West.

Matt Bradley had one of the best individual seasons that an Aztec has ever had. He averaged 17 points on 44% shooting but shot 40% from deep. The fifth year guard took 13 shots per game and dominated touches in the offense. San Diego State needs Bradley to be as good and as aggressive on offense as he was last year. Many close to the Aztecs say Bradley could average close to 20 a game to go along with his ability to rebound and play defense. He is my early season vote for Mountain West Player of the Year.

24. Michigan Wolverines- Last Season Ranking: 3

Conference: Big Ten

Michigan had a ton of hype heading into last season and with good reason given the recruiting class, how well head coach Juwan Howard had done in his first season, and that their star player, who many thought was going to be the player of the year last year, returned to campus. The year did not start out well for the Wolverines as they lost a lot of head scratching games and had some moments where they looked lost early in the year. The freshman had some early growing pains and a few of the players were having trouble figuring out their early roles.

Once all of that got figured out for coach Howard Michigan took off and the Wolverines received an at large bid into the NCAA tournament as an 11 seed. The Wolverines ended up making the Sweet 16 after a lot of people didn’t think they belonged in the tournament at all. Michigan doesn’t have the hype they had last year but are still expected to finish in the top half of the Big Ten and still find themselves in the top 25 to start the year. The Wolverines are a team who has a roster that can put them into National Title contention.

Hunter Dickinson is still in college, and he is looking to give defenses nightmares again this season. Dickinson has been an All American, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and two time all Big Ten player. That doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of how good the junior big man has been in college. He is one of the best college players I have ever seen. If he stays for his senior season next season, he will be a 2,000 point scorer and 800 rebound contributor. That is domination especially in a power league.

23. Dayton Flyers- Last Season Ranking: 82

Conference Atlantic 10

The Flyers got undersold in the preseason because of the number of freshmen they had on their team last year. Early in the season it looked like Dayton had a ton of freshman as they had three terrible losses. As the season wore on the Flyers started to rack up wins against some of the better teams in the country. Dayton beat Kansas, Miami, Davidson, and Richmond. The Flyers also lost La Salle, Lipscomb, UMass Lowell, and Austin Peay.

Head coach Anthony Grant led his Flyers to some of the best wins in the country, but they also had some of the worst losses in the country. In the end the losses are what did the Flyers in, even though I felt the entire time they should have made the NCAA tournament. This year Dayton finds themselves in the preseason top 25 with their entire roster returning and ready to run it back. The Flyers are going to leave no doubt about making the tournament this year. The Flyers are hungry, and Dayton has one of the best home court advantages in the country. Flyers fans are ready for a deep run for Dayton this year.

DaRon Holmes II had one of the best freshman seasons in the history of Dayton basketball and was one of the very best freshmen in the country a season ago. The big man averaged over 20 points per game over the last five games of the season. He is an elite rebounder and shot blocker and shot 65% from the floor. Holmes is going to win the Atlantic 10 player of the year in a runaway. He is the best player in the conference by a landslide.

22. Texas Tech Red Raiders- Last Season Ranking: 26

Conference: Big 12

No Chris Beard, no problem for the Red Raiders as current head coach Mark Adams picked up right where coach Beard left off. Texas Tech was one of the best defensive teams in the country again, they ran a no middle defense again. Texas Tech made the sweet 16 last year again. See, everything was the same except for the coach on the sidelines. The Red Raiders are a team that is hard to play because they are so good on the defensive end that they can rack up steals and turnovers and overwhelm a team, especially if that team is not ready to play.

Take the first round of the NCAA tournament for example. Texas Tech overwhelmed Montana State and that game got out of hand quickly. The no middles defense lulls teams into a sense of confidence that they can get a shot by moving the ball but, they just have to settle for a long three or a contested shot just outside the paint. The Red Raiders were just outside the top 25 to start the year last season, but not this season, they are in the top 25 and are good enough to stay in the top 25 all season long.

Fardaws Aimaq is going to miss some time at the beginning of the year as he broke his foot in workouts in September. Even with the broken foot, when he returns, he is going to likely dominate. Aimaq is one of most dominant players to play in NCAA Basketball over the last ten years. He is the best rebounder in the country and has scored over 1,000 points in his basketball career.

Aimaq is the two time reigning WAC defensive player of the year when he played at Utah State. He is also the reigning WAC player of the year. He is going to end his career with over 1,000 rebounds. Aimaq is the player that can lead the Red Raiders to the National Championship.

21. Oregon Ducks- Last Season Ranking: 11

Conference: Pac-12

It is strange to see teams who we are so used to being consistent struggle mightily. Under head coach Dana Altman it was a rare occurrence to Oregon does not live up to the expectations placed on them. They almost always exceed expectations. They are the one sure thing it feels like every season in NCAA Basketball. I had them preseason ranked 11 at the beginning of the 2021-2022 season and I felt like they were going to get one of the coveted top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament.

That didn’t happen and Oregon didn’t seem right all year long. The Ducks struggled at the point guard position, at least by Coach Altman’s standards. Oregon did not have the natural point guard they have had in the past, and the inability to make consistent shots was the reason for the Ducks down season. Not to fear though, Ducks fans as Oregon finds themselves in the top 25 to start the season and have expectations again. Oregon is going back to the tournament again.

N’Faly Dante flat out needs to be better for Oregon. When he was recruited, he was supposed to be the next dominant big man in the Pac 12. He has been good but not nearly as good as he needs to be for Oregon. If Dante can start dominating, he can easily be the player of the year in the league.