NCAA Basketball: 5 preseason unranked teams that could win it all in 2023-24

The Preseason NCAA Basketball AP poll came out on Monday, with the Kansas Jayhawks getting the No. 1 overall spot. The Big 12 program will hope that it’s not a curse to have that honor, based on what the UNC Tar Heels did last year.

What’s also key to note are the teams that didn’t make the top-25 cut. With how big the transfer portal has become, there are a lot of teams that have built their respective rosters to the point where they’re very capable of being in the top 25 mix. And just like with UNC, last season proved to be very beneficial for a team that started out unranked.

The UConn Huskies were in the “receiving votes” part of the 2022-23 initial preseason poll. They were a team that has some potential but also some questions. But center Adama Sanogo became a star, while shooting guard Jordan Hawkins became a breakout star of his own. Former East Carolina point guard Tristen Newton was one of the top impact transfers, while Donovan Clingan and Alex Karaban were impact freshmen. It all worked out in the end, with UConn winning a national championship.

So that asks the question; who is most likely to repeat what UConn did this year? To qualify, you simply have to have been excluded from the recent top-25 rankings. There are a few that stood out in my eye, here’s a look at five teams that could ultimately massively overachieve preseason expectations.