NCAA Basketball: 2022-23 Christmas wishlist for each top 25 team

We’re entering the Holiday break, with just a few days until Christmas. That means that many teams are playing just a couple of games between now and the end of December, where every NCAA Basketball team will be in league play, with exception of the two independent programs in Chicago State and Hartford.

After a crazy past weekend that saw six top-25 teams fall, there were a new set of teams listed in the AP top-25. Some of them are playing at the highest levels, while others have been struggling a bit.

In the spirit of the Christmas holiday, all of these top 25 teams could use a gift for the next few months of the 2022-23 NCAA Basketball. If I was Santa Claus, here’s what I would give each of these programs.

*Rankings and order are from Monday’s latest AP top-25 poll.

25. Arizona State Sun Devils – A reunion with Marcus Bagley

After losing to Texas Southern on the road in the third game of the season, it looked as if the Sun Devils were going to have another rough year. Instead, they’ve won nine straight games, including against Michigan, Colorado, and Creighton. But all of their wins have been by just a few points and it could’ve gone either way. With DJ Horne leading the offense at just 12.6 ppg, the team could use another scoring boost before the continuation of Pac-12 play.

There actually is an option on the roster in Marcus Bagley, who’s been injured the past two years and is currently suspended from the team after issues with the coach. He’s another double-digit contributor and a frontcourt option on a team with little depth at forward. If there was any way he and the staff could reconcile before January, that would be what Arizona State needs to remain in the top tier of the conference.