NCAA Basketball: Power Ranking every team (362-1) for 2023-24 season

It’s finally here! The greatest sport in the world is back! The 2023-24 NCAA Basketball season is set to commence, and it is going to be a great season. That means that the rankings, betting lines, and most importantly real live games with fans are almost here. It seems every team in the country was able to utilize the transfer portal to bolster their teams. With the new NIL deals and the new NIL markets there are some schools who have created what they would call a super team.

This is also something to monitor as it is a huge basis for a lot of the transfers this year. That is going to make this year even more interesting because there are a lot of teams who could have some of their best seasons ever and there are also some teams who have assembled their best rosters ever.

There are also a lot of teams who can make the final four. Usually heading into a season there are eight to ten teams who have a reasonable chance to make a final four, and this year with the overall talent pool being expanded because of the extra NIL money and the sheer volume of transfers, means there are around 15 to 20 different teams who can reasonably make a final four and five or six of those teams can win a National Title. This is going to be an extremely interesting year for those reasons. There is also one new Division 1 teams this season. Two teams have left Division 1 making it an even 362 teams. The Hartford Hawks have dropped to Division III and the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers have decided to drop all sports and no longer compete at any level.

Getting all of that out of the way below you will find the comprehensive preseason rankings for all 362 teams in NCAA Division 1 Basketball. In each ranking I also provide a player to watch for each team, preseason rankings don’t mean much but they usually are a good indicator as to where the team stands heading into the season, and it is a vehicle for the broadcasters and fans alike to talk about. Enough of the introduction let us get on with the rankings. Enjoy!

362. Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils – Last Season Ranking: 361

Conference: SWAC

It is hard for lower mid major teams to get out of the rut they are in, it’s harder when you are a team like Mississippi Valley State. They do not have much of an operating budget, take and play a ton of buy games which see the Delta Devils get blasted every night, and finally the good players the team does have enter the transfer portal to search for bigger and better things. Alvin Stredic showed an ability to carry the Delta Devils in some of their wins a season ago. He will need to take his game to the next level consistently to help Mississippi Valley climb out of the basement.

361. LeMoyne Dolphins – Last Season Ranking: Not Ranked

Conference: Northeast

Welcome to Division 1 LeMoyne. Do not automatically think they will be overmatched. Merrimack wasn’t and they have turned into a NEC powerhouse program now. Every transition is different, and I can’t wait to watch LeMoyne and learn more about them. Isaiah Salter is back for his COVID year and with him he brings a ton of leadership for the Dolphins as well as great shooting from deep. He shot over 40% from deep last season.

360. St. Francis (Pa) Red Flash – Last Season Ranking: 241

Conference: Northeast

What a difference an offseason makes as the stars for Saint Francis have transferred out of the program and have left the Red Flash with one of the youngest rosters in the country. They enter the year with no players who have averaged more than 6 points per game, not a single senior, and ten freshmen. The Red Flash should not be down for long though, the coaching staff has loaded this team with talented freshmen who are going to turn Saint Francis into a contender. Keshawn McNeill is a redshirt freshman who was in the program a season ago. McNeill had a decorated high school career in Japan. The guard averaged over 20 points per game over his high school career and used the redshirt season to get acclimated to American basketball. McNeill is ready to play this year and will likely be a starter from day 1.

359. Houston Christian Huskies – Last Season Ranking: 342

Conference: Southland

If the Huskies played any defense under head coach Ron Cottrell who knows how many times, they would have made the NCAA tournament. Houston Christian is always a buzzsaw on offense; they recruit shooters and guys who can put the ball in the basket. Defense has never been a concern of their head coach and it was evident last season. The Huskies scored 78 points per game which was good enough for a top 45 scoring offense. Luckily for them the Southland is winnable every year and they still finish in the middle of the league pack. Bonke Maring is the one player on the floor for Houston Christian who is not going to shoot a three. He is a skilled big man who shot 60 % from the floor last year. He can block shots and should turn into a star in the Southland.

358. Long Island University Sharks – Last Season Ranking: 337

Conference: Northeast

Head Coach Rod Strickland is in a full on rebuild at Long Island. The Sharks were the worst team in the country last year and it really wasn’t close. The Sharks committed the second most turnovers in the country last year.  It could be another long year for Long Island, given their inexperience but the pieces are there to succeed. RJ Greene is a player who can take a huge leap this season. He is a native of the Bronx, he plays extremely hard and is tremendously skilled on the perimeter. He can shoot the ball from deep and is a good finisher at the rim. The 6’6” point guard averaged 4 assists per game last year for a bad team, as well as 3 turnovers per game. If he can clean up the turnovers this offense will take off.

357. Lindenwood Lions – Last Season Ranking: 349

Conference: Ohio Valley

The first season in Division 1 went about as well as you could have expected for the Lions, and they have some markings for success in the long haul. This year may also be a struggle especially with a new roster. Keenon Cole was not a full time starter last season but still averaged 13 points per game. He is one of the most efficient players in the Ohio Valley. He shot almost 55% from inside the arc and shot 43% from downtown. He was also able to haul in six rebounds per night and all while playing under 30 minutes. His role is going to expand this year as he becomes the star for the Lions. If he can maintain those shooting percentages, he will do just fine.

356. South Carolina State Bulldogs- Last Season Ranking: 345

Conference: MEAC

The first season in Orangeburg did not go well for head coach Erik Martin. The Bulldogs were the worst defensive team in the country. Hopefully the Bulldogs can win more than 5 games and not finish as one of the worst teams in the country next year. Raquan Brown returns to lead the Bulldogs; the guard enters his final year of college basketball ready to breakout. He is a good shooter from deep and does have good numbers from the floor. Brown only averaged 8 points a game last year but he only played 21 minutes a night. I do believe he can keep the same efficiency numbers with increased minutes and will still be one of the better shooters in the MEAC. We will find out soon.

355. Coppin State Eagles – Last Season Ranking: 298

Conference: MEAC

This year is going to be a rebuilding year because Coppin State is young, and they may not win many games but hopefully he can keep these kids around and get Coppin State to the tournament as a coach becoming one of the few to go to the tournament as a player and as a coach of the same school. Don Don Ferguson is a former Mr Basketball nominee in the state of Minnesota. He had a very decorated high school career in a hotbed for high school basketball talent. The guard should come in and start right away and will likely be the leading scorer for the Eagles.

354. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats – Last Season Ranking: 318

Conference: SWAC

The Wildcats have a lot of new faces on the roster with the hopes to fix those problems. Coach Theus is hoping the new roster turns into wins. Zion Harmon was the SWAC Freshman of the Year last season. He led Bethune-Cookman in scoring and showed he can be a capable three point shooter. Harmon is the next budding star in the SWAC.

353. Green Bay Phoenix – Last Season Ranking: 348

Conference: Horizon League

Green Bay is going to have to be fully dedicated to the rebuild though to reach their full potential under Wicks. It did not seem like the Athletic Department was fully committed to the last staff and head coach Will Ryan, but in their defense, there was not much to get excited about. Green Bay is likely bad again this year with a new young roster. Clarence Cummings III returns from an offense that scored under 60 points per game last year and was second to last in the country. Coach Wicks kept him around for a reason, so he has the confidence of the coaching staff already.

352. Idaho Vandals – Last Season Ranking: 350

Conference: Big Sky

There are so many question marks on the roster as we head into the season. Julius Mims was the best player for the best JUCO team in his conference. Mims was a JUCO all american, conference defensive player of the year, and shot 59% from the field. He is going to be a guy the Vandals play through on offense this year and he is athletic enough to not be bothered by the transition from JUCO to Division 1.

351. VMI Keydets- Last Season Ranking: 285

Conference: Southern

VMI heads into the 2023-2024 season having lost 19 of their last 21 games and with only 7 wins last year it doesn’t look like there will be too many more wins this season. Tyran Cook is a freshman who has a ton of talent. He had a 45 point and 21 rebound game in high school. Cook is one of the best players in his high school’s history and he is an elite scorer. Cook is going to need to score a ton of points to carry VMI this year.

350. Incarnate Word Cardinals – Last Season Ranking: 356

Conference: Southland

Incarnate Word has a revamped roster filled with JUCO players and transfers. Those rosters do take some time to develop but I also believe in Heirman and his ability to get the most out of his players. The Cardinals are coming off a 12 win season and an 8th place finish in the Southland. They will be better this year. Josiah Hammons was one of the most prolific scorers in JUCO last season and he is wired to score. He is going to be a nice program builder for coach Heirman.

349. North Carolina A&T Aggies- Last Season Ranking: 261

Conference: Coastal Athletic

This season is going to be a tough one for the Aggies with their new coach they have a young roster that is in a rebuild mode in the CAA. It will be a bottom tier finish for the Aggies. Jason Murphy is a transfer from Frostburg State where he put up huge numbers. The big man averaged 16 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game. He did that shooting just under 60% from the floor. He protects the rim and could put up huge point and rebound numbers.

348. Florida A&M Rattlers – Last Season Ranking: 355

Conference: SWAC

The SWAC is winnable, but it is going to take far more than what Florida A&M must make significant noise. The Rattlers finish in the bottom half of the league again. Dimingus Stevens is the player for Florida A&M that has the most experience and is going to be their leader on and off the court. He has never averaged double figure scoring in his career, but he is going to be given every opportunity to do so.

347. Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks – Last Season Ranking: 312

Conference: MEAC

Unfortunately, the one downfall of being an old team is that eventually that team gets younger and less experienced. That is what has happened to the Hawks this year. They lost a ton of production from last year and don’t have a whole lot to be excited about this year. I do trust coach Crafton to get the best out of this team though. Chace Davis is the one lone starter returning from last season and he has a chance to have a breakout year. He is a good three-point shooter and should get a much bigger share of the offense this year.

346. Alabama State Hornets – Last Season Ranking: 344

Conference: SWAC

The Hornets look like a real contender this season in the SWAC, and coach Madlock is slowly getting a reputation as a program builder. TJ Madlock, who is the coach’s son, was the SWAC Newcomer of the year a season ago. He has the talent to be one of the best players in the SWAC, and he is good enough to lead Alabama State to the top of the league. He is not the most efficient player in the game, but he will adjust this year and be just fine. He is my frontrunner for SWAC player of the year.

345. Cal Poly Mustangs – Last Season Ranking: 267

Conference: Big West

The bottom of the Big West is bad and unfortunately the Mustangs belong in that category. It is going to be another long year for Cal Poly. Kobe Sanders enters his third year in the program and is now going to be the star of the program. He has improved every season he has been at Cal Poly. The guard does most of his damage in the paint and he is athletic enough to get into the paint and finish at the basket. He is going to be the go to guy in the offense.

344. Morgan State Bears – Last Season Ranking: 293

Conference: MEAC

Even with a new roster the Bears are going to finish in their usual place. Coach Broadus runs a sustainable system he plays fast, runs efficient offense and surrounds his stars with three point shooters. Eventually they will get over the hump. Ahmarie Simpkins is new to Division 1 college basketball. He comes to Morgan State from Harcum College. Simpkins is a natural scorer and can score from all three levels. He is going to have his run of the offense especially if he shows that he can carry over his scoring from Harcum to the MEAC.

343. Eastern Illinois Panthers – Last Season Ranking: 357

Conference: Ohio Valley

Eastern Illinois does have something to build on though and coach Marty Simmons went and rebuilt this roster with versatile JUCO players who can do everything.  Nakyel Shelton was one of the best JUCO players in the county a season ago. He was a JUCO All American and averaged 24 points per game to go with 11 rebounds. That is impressive for anyone but even more impressive for a 6’3” guard. He scored 42 points in a game and scored 30 or more 4 times. Shelton is going to carry a heavy load for coach Simmons.

342. Northwestern State Demons – Last Season Ranking: 351

Conference: Southland

Coach Rick Cabrera has filled this team with a ton of athletic, multi dimensional scorers from the JUCO ranks. The Southland is not a good conference from a basketball standpoint and on paper there may not be a better team in the Southland than the Demons. Cabrera did that well on the recruiting trail. Addison Patterson started his career at Oregon, the former top 100 recruit is now at Northwestern State, and he is instantly one of the best players in the conference. I won’t get caught sleeping on the Demons this year.

341. Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions – Last Season Ranking: 359

Conference: SWAC

Pine Bluff has a ceiling of a top four team in the SWAC this year. Kylen Milton is the next player to turn into a star in the SWAC. He has a high ceiling as a player but needs to improve his shot selection. If he can do that the sky’s the limit.

340. Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles – Last Season Ranking: 258

Conference: Ohio Valley

Heading into 2023-2024, the Screaming Eagles have flipped this roster and have a lot of question marks heading into season 2. Even with the new roster, the one thing that people are going to keep going back to is Southern Indiana has a sustainable system that is always going to be somewhat successful. Xavier McCord is new to the program coming from Laramie Community College. While at Laramie the guard showed his ability to score and rebound. He had a 39 point game and a 16 rebound game. He is a guy who can score and rebound and will stuff a stat sheet.

339. Evansville Purple Aces – Last Season Ranking: 341

Conference: Missouri Valley

It is going to be another long season for the Purple Aces. Kenny Strawbridge Jr. was the lone bright spot for Evansville. He was the go to player on offense and was most nights a volume shooter but he is experienced in college basketball and did average 14 points per game a season ago. He is going to need to do that and then some this year for Evansville.

338. Bucknell Bison – Last Season Ranking: 288

Conference: Patriot League

John Griffin III returns to his alma mater where all he has done is win. In the games that Griffin III has been associated with Bucknell the Bison have a 174-87 overall record. He has also guided the Bucknell program to 4 NCAA tournaments, 2 as a player and 2 as an assistant coach.  This year could be tough though as the Bison don’t have much returning and have a lot of role players who are going to have to step up and be a star. Jack Forrest is the only returning player to average double digit points. He scored most of his points from beyond the arc, he is a good three point shooter. This year his role is going to expand, and he is likely going to be relied on to carry the offense most of the season.

337. Lamar Cardinals – Last Season Ranking: 363

Conference: Southland

Lamar rarely shot threes last year and they didn’t run a very efficient offense overall. The defense was laughably bad at times. Lamar was hurt by the transfer portal when star player Nate Calmese decided to transfer this offseason, and the Cardinals were without their 18 points per game scorer. Senior Chris Pryor is going to be relied upon to pick up the scoring load for the Cardinals this season.

336. Prairie View A&M Panthers – Last Season Ranking: 309

Conference: SWAC

The roster heading into this season is young and unproven at the division 1 level. Coach Smith is trying to replace 10 seniors, it is going to be another tough year for the Panthers. Chris Felix Jr. is a transfer from Lincoln Trail who averaged 12 points per game on 50% shooting from the floor. He has the highest ceiling of any of the Prairie View young players and coach Smith should build around him.