NCAA Basketball: Power Ranking every team (362-1) for 2023-24 season
By Bryan Mauro
10. Tennessee Volunteers – Last Season Ranking: 12
Conference: SEC
Tennessee is a preseason top 10 team and the favorite to win the SEC regular season title. Dalton Knecht is a transfer from Northern Colorado who is going to take the Tennessee offense to the next level. The guard was the leading scorer on the foreign trip when he averaged 16 points per game. Every report that is coming out of Tennessee says Knecht has taken his game to the next level, he was always talented but now he has a much better team around him that is going to take his game to the next level. Knecht will lead the SEC in three-point shooting and may score over 20 points per game.
9. Gonzaga Bulldogs – Last Season Ranking: 3
Conference: West Coast
The 2023-2024 season is going to be different for the Bulldogs and head coach Mark Few. They are a in a slight rebuild, at least by their standards, and are not picked to win the West Coast Conference this year. Gonzaga opens the year ranked but it’s not in the top 5 like it has been for the last three years. Gonzaga should still not be taken lightly, and they are still likely going to win about 30 games even if they are not as hyped as normal. Ryan Nembhard is a transfer from Creighton who is going to quickly fix one of the biggest problems Gonzaga had last year. Nembhard is a true point guard who is very adept at running a high powered offense. He finished in the top 25 for total assists, had a 2-1 assist to turnover ratio, and scored 15 points per game. He is following in his brother’s footsteps at Gonzaga and coach Few hopes that he is as good as his brother was.
8. Creighton Bluejays – Last Season Ranking: 5
Conference: Big East
The Bluejays have a team to get to the Final Four this year, can they finally get it done? Ryan Kalkbrenner is the most important player on the floor for Creighton every night. He anchors their defense and does it so well that he was named the Field of 68’s National Defensive Player of the Year as well as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He also led Creighton in scoring. Kalkbrenner being on the floor is very important for the success to Creighton, no matter how many guys they have who can nail threes from all over the floor they need their star to win games.
7. Marquette Golden Eagles – Last Season Ranking: 72
Conference: Big East
Marquette brings back 4 out of their 5 starters and most of their bench. They didn’t lose anyone to the transfer portal and are going to be good again. Marquette has banded together to make sure they can repeat the success of last year, but this time with a deeper March run in mind. The Golden Eagles are National Championship contenders and are my pick to win the Big East regular season. Tyler Kolek is the reigning Big East Player of the Year and that only begins to describe how good of a season the point guard had. He was a semifinalist for the National Player of the Year, a finalist for the Bob Cousy award, a second team All-American, and the Most Outstanding Player of the Conference Tournament. He had one of the most decorated Big East seasons ever. Kolek is the best point guard in the country, and it isn’t up for debate anymore.
6. Houston Cougars – Last Season Ranking: 1
Conference: Big 12
This year the Cougars enter the year ranked in the top 10 and one of the favorites to win the Big 12. It is Houston’s first season in the new conference after spending the last 10 seasons in the American. Jamal Shead earned the American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and is one of only two Cougars to ever record two seasons with 200 assists. The point guard is always going to pass first and score second. He can score but he doesn’t need to, he is a much better player when he leads the defense and sets up the offense through passing. Shead is the best pass first point guard in the country, and he is going to lead Houston this year on both sides of the floor.