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

125. Seattle Redhawks – Last Season Ranking: 153

Conference: WAC

The Redhawks have 3 out of 5 starters returning, including their stars. The WAC looks a lot different this year and Seattle has a chance to take a stranglehold over the league. Cameron Tyson is the best player you have never heard of. The 6’3” guard started the year on the National Player of the Year watchlist. He finished the year averaging 18.6 points per game which was top 50 in the country and second overall in the WAC. He is one of the most prolific three point shooters in the country, the guard has made 202 threes over the last two seasons which is third all time at Seattle. Tyson is a volume shooter and isn’t going to have great shooting percentages, but he is deadly from deep and is on the floor for one reason and that is to score.

124. Long Beach State 49ers – Last Season Ranking: 159

Conference: Big West

The roster is assembled with a ton of height and as a result they are one of the premier rebounding teams in the country. Their big men can pass and are good enough to get the ball down the floor in a hurry. The 49ers have most of their roster returning from last season. They are older and coach Monson bolstered the roster with some shooters and a pass first point guard who are going to fill their roles admirably. Is this another tournament year for the most decorated program in the Big West? Lassina Traore had a dominant first season as a 49er. He was one of 14 players to average a double double. He averaged 12.9 points and 10.5 rebounds. The forward ranked 8th in the NCAA in rebounding. He was the first Long Beach State player to have a 20 point and 20 rebound game since 1983. The forward is one of the favorites for the Big West player of the year, since the award should always go to the best player in the league he will be deserving.

123. Hawaii Warriors – Last Season Ranking: 154

Conference: Big West

Coach Ganot brings back 3 of his 5 starters and was able to get some big names in the transfer portal. Hawaii will be fantastic on the defensive end of the floor and should be better on offense. They finish in one the top spots in the Big West. Bernardo Da Silva has been talked about already this offseason. He is due for a huge breakout this year and hopefully people notice. Da Silva is extremely athletic and uses that skill to finish around the basket, play great defense, and block shots. He led the team in field goal percentage and had one of the lowest usage ratings on the team. He is going to get more looks in the offense and it will pay off for Hawaii in a big way.

122. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs – Last Season Ranking: 143

Conference: Conference USA

Louisiana Tech has a team that can finish near the top in the revamped Conference USA. They likely finish middle of the pack because this team has not played together much, if they mesh quickly anything can happen. Daniel Batcho is a player with a very high ceiling and high floor. His worst is some guy’s absolute best and that is a great attribute to have. The big man from France played three seasons at Texas Tech where he showed flashes of his potential but was still one of the better players on the floor most nights. He shoots 60% from the floor, is a good rebounder and blocks shots. He is going to get a lot of run for coach Hester and it looks like a breakout season is coming for the Frenchman.

121. South Dakota State Jackrabbits – Last Season Ranking: 134

Conference: Summit League

Zeke Mayo is the front runner for the Summit league Player of the year. He is a triple double waiting to happen and he had one of the best individual seasons in Jackrabbit history. He is one of the best free throw shooters in the country and was on the Lou Henson National Player of the year watchlist in the preseason. He had a career high of 42 points and scored 30 multiple times. He is one of the best guards in the country.

120. Kent State Golden Flashes – Last Season Ranking: 127

Conference: MAC

The Golden Flashes lost a ton of production from a season ago and do not have a single player returning who averaged double figures. Coach Senderoff is a great coach and will likely still win 20 games and still finish near the top of the MAC. This is not a tournament team this season though. Jalen Sullinger is the reigning Sixth man of the year in the MAC. The 5’10” guard is going to start this year and has an offensive skill set that could see him breakout in a big way this year. Sullinger didn’t get a ton of shots in the offense a season ago but the ones he did get he made. He shot almost 50% from the floor and 43% from three. Almost half of his shots were from deep, so the sample size was large enough to say he is the best shooter for the Golden Flashes.

119. Saint Louis Billikens – Last Season Ranking: 102

Conference: Atlantic 10

The Billikens head into the year with a young and unproven roster. They do, however, have their star back and were able to acquire some quality talent in the transfer portal that should help. Saint Louis finishes near the top of the league again. Coach Ford is too good of a coach to not get this team to play together. They will win 20 games again and hopefully this time the Billikens can stick around a little longer in March. Who is going to play point guard for coach Ford? Gibson Jimerson led Saint Louis in scoring last year and he did the majority of his damage from the three point line. The guard is a 40% three point shooter and also led Saint Louis in shots taken from the floor. He was named second team all-conference for his efforts. Get a body on Jimerson or he is going to make a ton of threes and bury you himself.

118. Minnesota Golden Gophers – Last Season Ranking: 106

Conference: Big Ten

The Golden Gophers will be improved but how far up the standings will they move? They still play on the first day of the Big Ten tournament. Elijah Hawkins was one of the biggest names in the transfer portal this offseason because of the career he has had at Howard. Hawkins was the best player for a Howard team that made the NCAA tournament for the first time in 31 years. The guard is one of the best passers and shooters in the country. He averaged 6 assists per game last year and shot 47% from deep. He is under 6’0” tall but he is going to be a big time player in the Big Ten.

117. Ohio Bobcats – Last Season Ranking: 206

Conference: MAC

Ohio is a team who is going to finish in the top tier of the MAC again under coach Boals and if things go right could find themselves back in the NCAA tournament. Jaylin Hunter enters his second season at Ohio. The first season saw the guard light it up from downtown. The point guard led Ohio in threes, assists and steals. Hunter shot 41% from three with a 2-1 assist to turnover ratio. It’s always good to have an experienced point guard who can pass and score. The Ohio guard is a great mix of both and should lead the Bobcats in scoring as well as assists again.

116. Fresno State Bulldogs – Last Season Ranking: 108

Conference: Mountain West

Coach Hutson knew that he needed to bolster his offense, so he went out and got some role players in the transfer portal. A lot of these role players were shooters at their previous school and the Bulldogs desperately need shooters. Eduardo Andre is in his second year at Fresno State, and it would be wise if coach Hutson were to feed the big man this year. Andre is an athletic big man who can score, rebound, and block shots. He shot 60% from the floor last year and had averaged 6 rebounds per game. If Andre can get going and Fresno State feeds him down low that will lead to good things. Fresno State will be better this year and hopefully can finish at .500

115. DePaul Blue Demons – Last Season Ranking: 94

Conference: Big East

Coach Stubblefield has filled the roster with young talent from other schools. DePaul is young but talented and it is going to be an uphill climb to the top of the Big East, and they are still a long way away from being reasonable contenders. Da’Sean Terry has a lot of potential to be a star in the Big East. He led the Blue Demons in field goal percentage at 53% and showed he be a reliable deep threat.  He was able to haul in 5 rebounds a game to go along with his 10 points that he averaged per game. Nelson is going to get the first looks in the offense and with a better supporting cast around him may have a breakout year.

114. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks – Last Season Ranking: 156

Conference: WAC

They bring back 4 out of 5 starters including their star Sadaidriene Hall. Hall is an undersized 6’5” forward who does everything. He plays great defense and has quick hands which allow him to disrupt every pass and steal a lot of them. Halls greatest contribution is on the offensive end. The forward shot 60% from the floor overall last year. He doesn’t shoot the ball from deep very often but can step out and make a three if he must. At 6’5” he averaged just under 7 rebounds per night. That led to him leading the WAC in double doubles and field goal percentage. Hall was not a first team all-conference selection last year even though he should have been. This year he is my favorite for the player of the year in the WAC.

113. Indiana State Sycamores – Last Season Ranking: 137

Conference: Missouri Valley

The Sycamores are going to be in the mix for the top 4 teams in the Valley this year, but will they be able to close the deal?  Either way they should make another post season tournament. Isaiah Swope is a transfer from Southern Indiana. The junior guard led the Screaming Eagles in scoring with 15.6 points per game. Coach Schertz got a first hand look at what his new guard is capable of. Swope had a career high of 28 points against Indiana State last season. The point guard is going to step in and be a starter from day 1 for the Sycamores. I expect big things from Swope in coach Schertz offense.

112. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Last Season Ranking: 117

Conference: ACC

The roster this year has a ton of talent and should be competitive in the ACC. Will the Yellow Jackets be able to climb out of the cellar of the ACC?  Maybe not this year but the roster is filled with talent that will be in Atlanta for multiple years so look for Georgia Tech to make the tournament again quickly. Kowacie Reeves Jr. is a transfer from Florida who decided to come back home to Atlanta. Reeves is going to benefit from the change of scenery and Georgia Tech should start to see him live up to his lofty expectations he received after a very decorated high school career in Macon Georgia.

111. Hofstra Pride – Last Season Ranking: 146

Conference: Coastal Athletic

The Pride have won 20 games both seasons that coach Claxton has been there and that isn’t going to change this year. The CAA is going to be loaded at the top and this could be a season that the league gets multiple bids into the NCAA tournament. It is a tough league and its time that the committee start recognizing it. Tyler Thomas scored 17 points per game last season and didn’t get much publicity because of his teammate Aaron Estrada being one of the best players in the country. Thomas already took a ton of shots for Hofstra last year. In those shots he shot 40% from deep and 58% from inside the arc. Thomas is a dynamic scorer and very easily could get recognition for national awards this year.

110. Saint Joseph’s Hawks – Last Season Ranking: 169

Conference: Atlantic 10

Right now, they are team who can finish in the top half of the league. Erik Reynolds III has developed into an elite scoring guard. He finished second overall with 19.6 points per game last year. He also scored 648 points on the season which is the fifth most in Saint Joseph’s history. The guard is a fantastic three point shooter and led the Atlantic 10 conference in made threes per game, and third all time at Saint Joseph’s with 99 three point makes on the season. Reynolds III is a star and should be an easy choice for the all-conference team.

109. Drexel Dragons – Last Season Ranking: 207

Conference: Coastal Athletic

This season coach Spiker has his entire roster back from a season ago. Expect a team who is going to go out and defend every night. They will run teams off the three point line, they never foul, and don’t allow rebounds. The Dragons are sound of the defensive of the ball if the offense can figure out a way to score 70 points a night, they will have a successful year. Amari Williams was a dominant big man for Drexel last year. He has won the CAA defensive player of the year two seasons in row. Williams ended up 14th in the country in blocked shots. He totaled 67 blocks a season ago or roughly 2 per game. He also led the CAA in field goal percentage, finished second in rebounding, and led Drexel in steals with 41. He can dominate in the post and he the British big man is looking to making three consecutive years of winning the Defensive Player of the Year.

108. Utah State Aggies – Last Season Ranking: 96

Conference: Mountain West

The Utah State roster has been flipped and coach Sprinkle was able to bring some of his own players from Montana State with him to Utah State to try and win in the Mountain West. Great Osobor makes his way to Logan from Montana State. He was named the top reserve in the Big Sky conference a season ago and was a big part of the last two NCAA tournament teams for Montana State. The big man shot over 60% from the field, is a good passer for his size, and good rebounder. He does damage down low and is a good defender. Osobor is going to need to be great all season with the uptick in talent. The big man can play in this league and do it effectively.

107. UNC Greensboro Spartans – Last Season Ranking: 160

Conference: Southern

This year there are no excuses for the Spartans as they are hoping to finish in the top of the league. They return their three top scorers and are going to be a team that smothers you on defense. Unfortunately for them the league is loaded at the top and it is going to be a battle every night for supremacy in the Southern Conference. Keyshaun Langley has already had a decorated career for Greensboro. He was the conference freshman of the year and has continued to get better after that. As the guard heads into his senior year, you can expect a player who leads the Spartans in scoring and is a tremendous shooter from deep. Langley has quick hands and can rack up steals quickly and get out in transition. UNC Greensboro is going to be tough this year in the league and if you are not ready for a battle when you play them don’t even bother to show up.

106. Northern Iowa Panthers – Last Season Ranking: 128

Conference: Missouri Valley

Coach Jacobson has all his contributors back from last year including the bench. The Panthers could finish near the top of the Valley but are likely a middle of the pack team. Bowen Born had a huge breakout season last year. He led the Panthers in points and finished tenth overall in points for a season. His 17.9 points per game was the fourth best in the Missouri Valley. The point guard also averaged 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. He has been voted by many publications as a preseason all conference player. Born is the one player who is going to scare coaches more than any other player in this league because of his ability to score, pass, and shoot from deep

105. Furman Paladins – Last Season Ranking: 63

Conference: Southern

I know that Furman lost their two stars, and it is hard to repeat as a winner of a one bid league. They currently have the best coach, best roster, and maybe overall best player. The Paladins repeat as the Southern Conference champs and head back to the NCAA tournament. JP Pegues was the hero in the NCAA tournament for coach Richey and the Paladins. He is the player who hit the buzzer beating three point shot to beat Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament. While that may be what he is remembered for, he was so much more for coach Richey. Pegues ran the offense for Furman and had a 3-1 assist to turnover ratio. The point guard is the best defender on the team and while he doesn’t shoot the ball at an overly high efficiency compared to the rest of the Furman roster, he is very important and will likely lead the Paladins in scoring while also running the explosive offense.

104. Louisville Cardinals – Last Season Ranking: 103

Conference: ACC

What is there to say about Louisville last year, their first year under head coach Kenny Payne. Louisville was one of the worst teams in the country. The Cardinals were a train wreck all year, they couldn’t score, and they didn’t play defense. The Cardinals should be much better with far better talent but still finish in the bottom four of the ACC. Skyy Clark is a midseason transfer from Illinois who transferred after 13 games with the Illini. Clark has immense talent but did step away from the Illini because of some mental issues that he needed to address. The point guard is ready to come in and help turn around the Louisville program.

103. UC-Irvine Anteaters – Last Season Ranking: 148

Conference: Big West

The Anteaters have a lot coming back this year and were able to secure the commitment of one of the best players in Division 3 last year. They are still going to compete for the top of the Big West but will have some extra competition this year for the top spot. Bent Leuchten is a big man from Germany who can impact the game in a lot of ways. He is a 60% shooter from the floor, and he can step out and hit a three. The German is a good rebounder averaging just under 6 rebounds per game in only 18 minutes a night. Leuchten will see an increase in minutes this season which should also increase his usage. He needs to be good for coach Turner’s system to work, and I do think he will be good.

102. UNC Wilmington Seahawks – Last Season Ranking: 173

Conference: Coastal Athletic

The 2023-2024 season may finally be the one for coach Siddle and his Seahawks. UNC Wilmington is loaded; they have most of their roster back from last season and were able to add some key role players in the transfer portal. UNC Wilmington finishes the deal this year. Trazarian White is coming back to lead the Seahawks again. Last season he led UNC Wilmington in points and rebounds and double doubles. He dropped 16 points in the CAA championship game and did everything he could to try and get the Seahawks to the NCAA tournament. The guard is going to get plenty of looks in the offense and is going to be asked to do a lot on the defensive end of the floor. White is a CAA player of the year candidate.

101. San Francisco Dons – Last Season Ranking: 115

Conference: West Coast

The Dons have some young talent, but the WCC is loaded, and they will struggle this year at times. They are a middle of pack West Coast Conference team. Mike Sharavjamts also known as Mongolian Mike is the first player born in Mongolia to play Division 1 basketball. The point guard is a transfer from Dayton and even if his numbers were not great last year with the 5.6 points and 2 rebounds. Sharavjamts had 83 assists on the season and made a ton of eye popping plays. He still needs some development, and he needs that development on a team without a ton of expectations. Once he gets that he is going to thrive and will be a star for San Francisco.