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NCAA Basketball: Duke, Gonzaga, and WVU rise in latest WTE ’23-24 power rankings

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 24, 2023; Louisville, KY, USA; Creighton Bluejays guard Ryan Nembhard (2) dribbles during the second half of the NCAA tournament round of sixteen against the Princeton Tigers at KFC YUM! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2023; Louisville, KY, USA; Creighton Bluejays guard Ryan Nembhard (2) dribbles during the second half of the NCAA tournament round of sixteen against the Princeton Tigers at KFC YUM! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball
NCAA Basketball UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

It’s been about a month since the UConn Huskies defeated the San Diego State Aztecs to win the 2023 NCAA Basketball national championship. Right after that became a new saga known as the offseason. In recent years past, offseasons, especially the first couple of months are busy but not creating tons of headlines.

However, thanks to the transfer portal, NIL, and now new NBA Draft rules that make it easier for players to go through the process and keep their eligibility, things are wilder than ever. Over 1,500 players have transferred at the D-I level, including several former Conference Player of the Year players and multiple All-American players from the past couple of years.

A month ago, I did an extremely “way-too-early power ranking for the 2023-24 campaign and although it’s already meaningless, it was still a fun exercise to see which teams had rosters that could compete if it stuck together. Unfortunately for some, that didn’t happen. But for others, there have been clear winners that have boosted their respective rosters.

Here’s up updated look at the best teams for 2023-24, including a quick look at who has fallen out.

Dropped out of NCAA Basketball rankings: UCLA Bruins

There’s no team that is dealing with more uncertainty than the Bruins, who may lose all five starters, despite all having at least one year of eligibility. Seniors Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez are almost certain to be done, while the injured Jaylen Clark has the best stock of all of them. If freshmen Amari Bailey and Adem Bona come back, there’s hope. If they don’t UCLA will be rebuilding.

Dropped out of NCAA Basketball rankings: Clemson Tigers

Clemson actually has had a good offseason, keeping guards Alex Hemenway and Chase Hunter back for another year. They also added Air Force transfer Jake Hiedbreder, who averaged over 15 ppg this past season. The issue for them is simply that other teams have simply passed the Tigers in the past month and while NC State transfer Jack Clark is solid, he’s not as good as leading scorer Hunter Tyson.

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