NCAA Basketball: 10 sleeper teams to watch heading into 2023-24 season

As the calendar turns to September, fall practices begin to start and the dust from the transfer portal has settled, it is time to start looking at 10 teams that seem to be flying under the radar heading into the 2023-2024 NCAA Basketball season.

Every year some teams start the year unranked and quickly catapult themselves into the Top 25. To name a few, the 2022-2023 National Champion UConn Huskies started unranked. Jerome Tang’s Kansas State Wildcats, who were projected last in the 2022-2023 Big 12 preseason poll, managed to get a three-seed and make a magical run to the Elite Eight while starting the season unranked.

Another one? Shaka Smart’s Golden Eagles, who were projected 9th in the 2022-2023 Big East preseason poll yet managed to go 17-3 in the Big East, win the Big East Tournament and get two seed in March.

Who will be this year’s teams, starting from unranked to quickly jumping into the national college basketball scene? Although many teams in college basketball seem to fit that mold, here are ten sleeper teams that all college basketball fans must keep an eye out for as November quickly approaches.

Clemson Tigers

It’s hard to argue a 23-11 campaign as a true disappointment, but a poor non-conference strength of schedule, a weak ACC that only sent five bids (and only three single-digit seeds) to the NCAA Tournament and an 83-73 loss to lowly Louisville ultimately sent Brownell’s Tigers en route to a 68-64 First Round exit to Preston Spradlin’s Morehead State Eagles. With the possibility of Brownell’s job security being on the line (again), the Tigers look better equipped to make some noise heading into the 2023-2024 season.

The majority of Clemson’s success will depend on PJ Hall, who opted to return to the Tigers after withdrawing from the NBA Draft. Hall vastly improved his shooting percentages last year and his physicality/strength remains a major asset in his skillset.

Clemson returns fifth-year senior guard Chase Hunter and fifth-year senior Alex Hemenway while welcoming Syracuse transfer and leading scorer Joe Girard and Air Force transfer Jake Heidbreder to create a dynamic, deep and experienced backcourt that should be improved from the perimeter.

The Tigers also added UNC Greensboro transfer Bas Leyte and North Carolina State transfer Jack Clark — both of whom are expected to provide critical role-player minutes for Brad Brownell and Company.

Additionally, the Tiger’s non-conference schedule is certainly no pushover, featuring the likes of Boise State (home-and-home), the two-game Asheville Championship (drawing UAB first), Alabama, TCU, Memphis and South Carolina.

According to Bart Torvik’s preseason rankings, the Clemson Tigers currently rank #34 in the country — although subject to change — placing them third in the ACC, respectively. The Tigers have all the pieces in place to make some noise.

Ole Miss Rebels

After a steep fall from grace after the Rebels made the NCAA Tournament in 2019, the Ole Miss AD Keith Carter decided to pull the plug on Kermit Davis and hire ex-Texas coach Chris Beard.

Beard, who was arrested in December of 2022 on a third-degree felony domestic violence charge, had his charge dropped in February — promptly giving AD Keith Carter the window to hire one of college basketball’s talented coaches to resurrect a program in need of revitalization.

Revitalization indeed.

The Rebels brought in a plethora of transfers, including the likes of Brandon Murray* (LSU/Georgetown), Austin Nunez (Arizona State), Moussa Cisse* (Memphis/Oklahoma State), 7’5 giant Jamarion Sharpe (Western Kentucky), Jaylen Murray (Saint Peter’s) and Allen Flannigan (Auburn). (* = waiver needed).

In addition, the Rebels have a solid core of returning players including last year’s leading scorer Matthew Murrell — who withdrew from the NBA draft — alongside stretch-forward Jaemyn Brakefield and TJ Caldwell.

The Rebels will have one of the best interior defenses in the nation (pending Cisse’s waiver). They will be deep, experienced and will display that stingy, no-middle, cutthroat defense Chris Beard has used to his rise in the college basketball coaching ranks. On paper, this is a squad that can undoubtedly get a single-digit seed in March.

Stanford Cardinal

No coach at the power-five level gets to coach seven years without making the NCAA Tournament.

Unless you’re Jerod Haase and the Stanford Cardinal, of course.

Haase came off a not-so-spectacular 14-19 campaign, yet was retained by AD Bernard Muir with hopes of ending their nine-season drought of zero NCAA Tournament appearances. (Stanford last made the NCAA Tournament in 2014).

Despite losing former five-star recruit Harrison Ingram to North Carolina, the Cardinal retained an experienced core in Spencer Jones and Michel Jones alongside adding Providence transfer Jared Bynum.

Additionally, Stanford brings the 32rd-best recruiting class, per 24/7 Sports, highlighted by four-star forward Andrej Stojakovic (#18) and four-star guard Kanaan Carlyle (#57). Both are expected to play a critical role in year eight of the Haase era.

The unique blend of experienced veterans and talented freshmen gives plenty of optimism for the Cardinal heading into the 2023-2024 season. The Cardinal, according to Bart Torvik, will return 79.3 percent of their returning minutes which should yet again help them become quite efficient on the offensive side of the floor.

In a way, this seems like a do-or-die year for Jerod Haase. If there is any team to finally get over the hump and end their March Madness drought, it’s not completely of-of-the-box to think that the Stanford Cardinal will hear their name called on Selection Sunday.

New Mexico Lobos

Last season, Richard Pitinio’s Lobos jumped out to a 14-0 start and jumped as high as #18 in the Associated Press Top 25.

Although the Lobos stumbled down the final stretch of the season, they still managed to snag a two-seed in the NIT and eclipse a 22-win total — a nine-win difference from their previous season.

Despite losing Morris Udeze, returning for New Mexico includes arguably the Mountain West’s most talented and experienced backcourt in Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jaelen House. Both guards averaged more than 16 points per game with over 30 minutes played last season while House earned All-Defense Honors and Mashburn Jr. earned first-team all-conference in 2023, respectively.

The Lobos also added Kentucky/Arizona/Fresno State transfer Jemarl Baker (who started his collegiate career in 2017), highly efficient First-Team All-MAAC Iona transfer Nelly Junior Joseph and Dayton transfer Mustapha Amzil.

Additionally, Sophomore guard Donovan Dent is primed for a potential breakout year, according to Jon Rothstein via Twitter:

Guard play goes a long way in college basketball. Experience guard play goes even further. Richard Pitino and the New Mexico Lobos look well-equipped to make substantial noise in the Mountain West in 2023-2024.

Duquesne Dukes

Keith Dambrot quietly assembled an impressive turnaround season in the Steel City, guiding the Dukes to a 20-win season after a six-win season the year before.

The key behind the Duke’s success last year was the dynamic guard duo of Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III. Clark III, who led the A10 in steals last year, and Grant, a prolific scorer, both return, giving Dambrot talented guard play to work with both offensively and defensively.

Duquesne will also have one of the older teams in the country next season after adding NC State transfer Dusan Mahorcic and Georgia Southern transfer Andrei Savrasov. Specifically, both Savrasov and Mahorcic should help the Dukes fix one of their biggest flaws last year, which was defensive rebounding.

According to Bart Torvik, the Dukes had a 33.1 defensive rebounding percentage, placing them at 344th in the national amongst 363 total teams last year.

That number will surely change, as Andrei Savrasov averaged an impressive 7.3 rebounds per game while Mahorcic averaged 6.6 rebounds per game last season.

The ceiling is high and the A10 should be a bit better than it was last season. Can Keith Dambrot send the Dukes to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977? It’s certainly feasible. The Dukes are a team to keep an eye out for.

Syracuse Orange

Ushering in a new era of Syracuse basketball, longtime Syracuse assistant Adrian “Red ” Autry will take over the reins of legendary coach Jim Boeheim.

Syracuse will have a new head coach for the first time in 47 years.

The Orange will no doubt look different, specifically with the diminished reliance (or even the absence) of the 2-3 zone along with the departures of Jesse Edwards (West Virginia) and Joe Girard (Clemson).

Nonetheless, the buzz is certainly palpable in the Carrier Dome as freshman star Judah Mintz withdrew from the 2023 NBA Draft. Mintz is a unique player as he can strongly finish at the rim yet score at a quality clip in the mid-range.

Alongside Mintz at the guard spot is one of the top transfer portal additions of the 2023 class: former five-star McDonald’s All-American recruit JJ Starling from Notre Dame.

Additionally, Adrian Autry was able to retain two key pieces at the forward position with Chris Bell and Benny Williams. Both Williams and Bell should provide valuable length, athleticism and three-point scoring from the wing if given consistent minutes.

Although the Orange will be young and there are questions about how they will operate the center spot, the ceiling of this young core gives Orange fans reasons for hope heading into November and beyond.

TCU Horned Frogs

Jamie Dixon has quietly assembled a highly accomplished coaching resume throughout his years at Pittsburgh and TCU. Although his Frogs haven’t necessarily been a dominant force in the Big 12, they have certainly been a competitive force throughout the Dixon era, yielding three NCAA Tournament appearances — including their first NCAA Tournament win since 1987 in 2022 — five 20+ win seasons and two consecutive Round of 32 appearances in 2022 and 2023.

In 2024? Expect the Horned Frogs to make their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance.

Although TCU loses two All-Conference starters in Mike Miles and Damion Baugh alongside the ultimate high-energy big man Eddie Lampkin to Colorado, they retain a healthy core of last year’s squad in Emmanuel Miller, Chuck O’Bannon, JaKobe Coles, Micah Peavy and Xavier Cork.

Replacing the role of Mike Miles is the high-scoring George Washington/Delaware transfer Jameer Nelson Jr., who averaged an impressive 20.6 PPG, per Sports Reference. Nelson Jr. can be one of the Big 12’s most talented and critical transfer portal pieces.

In addition, Dixon was also able to expand guard depth with Oklahoma State transfer Avery Anderson III and Texas A&M Corpus Christi transfer Trevian Tennyson. This gets Dixon three/four-deep at the guard spot which will be crucial if all can stay healthy.

One potential breakout player could be lying at the center spot in Kansas transfer Ernest Udeh. The former McDonald’s All-American did not play a major role for Bill Self last year, only mustering 8.3 MPG on 2.6 PPG. With a likely possibility of having an expanded role alongside JaKobe Coles, Udeh’s rim-to-rim running and lob-catching talents will be a treat to watch in Fort Worth.

Don’t expect the TCU Horned Frogs to take any step back this year. Although the Big 12 will (yet again) be immensely talented, TCU stacks right there amidst other NCAA Tournament-caliber teams.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Steve Forbes. Master of guard play.

In Forbes’ last two seasons at Wake Forest, he was able to land Oklahoma transfer Alondes Williams in 2021 — who would wind up to win the 2021-2022 ACC Player of the Year in his lone season in Winston Salem and Cleveland State/Florida transfer Tyree Appebley in 2022 — who was voted First Team All-ACC in his lone season as a Demon Deacon.

In 2023, Forbes was able to land two quality transfer guards in Gonzaga transfer/former five-star recruit Hunter Sallis and Central Michigan transfer Kevin Miller. Either of these guards may put up ACC First/Second Team numbers.

Forbes also added former LSU/Gonzaga big man Efton Reid and UCLA transfer Abramo Canka to add more depth at both the guard and center spots.

What has been the driving point of Wake Forest’s past two successful seasons was their success in transition. According to HoopMath, the Demon Deacons were eighth in the country in effective field goal percentage, posting a 61.5 percent clip.

Expect that number to stay the same with junior guard Cameron Hildreth in the fold. Take a look at some of his transition clips:

Alongside Hildreth, the Demon Deacons also return Andrew Carr, Jao Ituka and Damari Monsanto.

Although the Demon Deacons may not be in the upper echelon of the ACC this season, they will certainly be competitive if they continue to get out and run and develop at the guard spot in year four of the Steve Forbes era.

Ohio State Buckeyes

It was a tumultuous season last year for Chris Hotlmann. From January 5 to February 26, the Buckeyes went on a 1-14 slide before going on an impressive run to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals. Nonetheless, the Buckeyes still finished with an unappealing 16-19 (5-15) record. It was their worst year since the 1997-1998 season, according to Sports Reference.

Departing Columbus from last year’s team include their leading scorer Brice Sensabaugh, who went on to be drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 28th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. Other departures include Justice Seuing, sharp-shooter Sean McNeil, Isaac Likekele and Tanner Holden (who elected to transfer back to Wright State.)

So what makes this team a sleeper team?

Seeing the expanded role of the Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. duo gives the Buckeye faithful plenty of optimism. Thornton, as a true freshman last year, started in all 35 games, averaged 10.6 points per game, and logged 30.5 minutes per game, per Sports Reference. Gayle Jr.,  who didn’t have as prominent of a role as Thornton had last year, was still able to show flashes of excellence including a 15-point game against Michigan State and a 20-point game against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively.

Heading to the post, Chris Holtmann will look to utilize the talented low-post scorer Zed Key and Felix Okpara — who played his best basketball late in the season.

Headling the Buckeyes transfer portal class includes La Salle/Minnesota transfer Jamison Battle, Baylor transfer Dale Bonner and Penn State transfer Evan Mahaffey. Although Battle is certainly the most critical piece out of this class due to his undeniable proven talent, here is my take on Evan Maheffy via Twitter:

Additionally, Chris Hotlmann and staff have assembled a Top 11 ranked recruiting class, according to 24/7 Sports. Taison Champan, Devin Royal and/or Scotty Middleton may play critical roles for the Buckeyes for the majority of the season.

The blend of a talented freshman class, strong guard and post-play that can stretch the floor alongside critical transfer portal additions places Chris Holtmann in a much better situation to have a successful season this upcoming year.

Washington Huskies

Coming off of a mediocre 16-16 season that prolonged Washington’s NCAA Tournament drought to four years, Mike Hopkins was retained by Washington AD Jen Coehn with hopes that this upcoming season might be different than the past four.

Entering his seventh year at the helm, Hopkins returns two core players in last year’s leading scorer Keion Brooks and PAC-12 All-Defensive team honoree Braxton Meah.

From the portal, Mike Hopkins was able to land six players, including the likes of Rutgers transfer Paul Mulcahy, Nebraska transfer Wilhelm Breidenbach, Tulane/UNLV/Portland transfer Moses Wood, Georgia/Kentucky transfer Sahvir Wheeler, Fresno State transfer Anthony Holland and Lamar transfer Nate Calmese.

What is interesting about this transfer class is that not all transfers are out of eligibility after next season. Nate Calmese, who averaged over 17 points per game at Lamar, is only entering his sophomore year. Wilhelm Breidenbach is only entering his junior year. This gives Hopkins a bit of a building block to work with if he is indeed retained after the 2023-2024 season.

Mike Hopkins’ portal haul alongside the returns of Keion Brooks and Braxton Meah should help Washington become much more skilled on the offensive glass and in terms of offensive efficiency. Although there are questions as to how these pieces will fit (a high dependency on guards), the talent and upside remain distinctively present and the Huskies could certainly be in the mix of a successful season in 2023-2024.