75. Utah State Aggies - Last Season Ranking: 108
Conference: Mountain West
Former coach Danny Sprinkle had the Aggies playing like one of the best teams in the country last year and saw them win a game in the NCAA tournament and have the Mountain West Player of the Year. New head coach Jerrod Calhoun is known for his explosive offense, and his teams play at a lightning-fast pace. Utah State has a roster that can win some games and make the tournament again, especially with Calhoun. Tucker Anderson was fantastic as a freshman at Central Arkansas.
74. Colorado State Rams - Last Season Ranking: 67
Conference: Mountain West
Colorado State is a good team under head coach Niko Medved almost yearly. They are a popular destination for transfers, and lately, the Rams don’t rebuild; they reload. They will finish at the top of the Mountain West again this year and make a big push for the NCAA tournament. Nique Clifford has found a career resurgence in Fort Collins.
73. Arizona State Sun Devils - Last Season Ranking: 69
Conference: Big 12
No one knows what to expect with Arizona State. The Sun Devils will either make the NCAA tournament or have a losing record and finish near the bottom of the Big 12. I am leaning toward finishing near the bottom, given that the Big 12 is much deeper than the Pac 12, and Arizona State has a depth question on the roster. Adam Miller can be a star if he can stay healthy.
72. Washington Huskies - Last Season Ranking: 82
Conference: Big 10
The Huskies begin their time in the Big 10 with a new coach. Former coach Mike Hopkins never had Washington truly competitive in the Pac-12, so Washington decided to hire Danny Sprinkle. Sprinkle has taken his teams to three straight NCAA tournaments, and all those teams have won the league regular season. The Big 10 is a different animal, especially with a new roster, but don’t count out coach Sprinkle. Great Osobor was the MWC Player of the Year last year.
71. Utah Utes - Last Season Ranking: 55
Conference: Big 12
The Utes started out 11-2 but struggled down the stretch and missed the NCAA tournament. As a consolation prize, Utah made the final four of the NIT. It is the second season in a row that head coach Craig Smith has started strong but ended badly, and things only get worse in the Big 12. Utah is good enough to finish in the middle of the league, even with a new but experienced roster. Gabe Madsen is one of the best shooters in the country.
70. Princeton Tigers - Last Season Ranking: 128
Conference: Ivy League
The Tigers did everything right last year except win in the Ivy Madness event. Princeton went into the Ivy League tournament as the top seed and promptly lost to Brown, so there would be no defense of the Sweet 16 appearance. Princeton has a lot of talent from last season and looks to be very good again. Princeton will likely win the Ivy League again, and Xaivian Lee will win the Ivy League Player of the Year.
69. LSU Tigers - Last Season Ranking: 70
Conference: SEC
LSU was much better in year two under Matt McMahon than in year 1. They also had some key players out for most of last season. Had they had those guys, who knows where they have gone? The Tigers went to the transfer portal and prioritized scoring and defense. The defense has been bad under coach McMahon, and if they can get that fixed, they will compete. Cam Carter is a great defender who improved his offense; he won’t leave the floor much.
68. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Last Season Ranking: 165
Conference: ACC
Everyone knew it wouldn’t be long before head coach Micah Shrewsberry brought Notre Dame back. The Irish only won 13 games last year with a young roster, but that was more than many thought they would get. This season, the roster is a lot older, and some very talented transfers and freshmen are coming into South Bend. The Irish will be much better. Markus Burton was the Freshman of the Year in the ACC last year.
67. UCF Knights - Last Season Ranking: 80
Conference: Big 12
It was a good year for the Knights in their first go-around in the Big 12. They performed as well as I thought they would and did it with defense and two stars. The depth was a problem last season. This season's roster still has the two stars, and the rest of the starting five and depth are all Big 12 quality players. Jaylin Sellers is at the all-conference level but has some stiff competition.
66. Georgia Bulldogs - Last Season Ranking: 59
Conference: SEC
The Bulldogs won 20 games last season and showed a lot in head coach Mike White’s second season. The offseason was unkind to the Bulldogs, and they lost a ton of talent to the transfer portal and graduation. Georgia has a new roster made up entirely of transfers and freshmen. It is going to be hard to win in the SEC if you can’t keep the talent you have. Silas Demary Jr. hopes to build off a very promising freshman year.
65. Louisville Cardinals - Last Season Ranking: 104
Conference: ACC
The Kenny Payne era at Louisville is painfully over, and now they bring in Pat Kelsey. Kelsey is a fantastic coach who wins a lot and will be able to get players to come play for the Cardinals because of his energy and coaching philosophy. Louisville’s roster is completely flipped and is filled with intriguing transfers who can win in the ACC. Chucky Hepburn is the most talented player on the Cardinals roster.
64. New Mexico Lobos - Last Season Ranking: 46
Conference: Mountain West
Richard Pitino has completely turned around the Lobos program and made New Mexico a popular transfer destination. The Lobos made the NCAA tournament last year, losing to Clemson. This season's roster did lose a lot of scoring but has some pieces returning that make New Mexico a contender in the Mountain West. The Lobos likely won’t make the tournament this year, though. Donovan Dent should be all-conference in the Mountain West.
63. Virginia Cavaliers - Last Season Ranking: 29
Conference: ACC
Virginia was a normal Tony Bennett-coached team last year. They had a clunky offense that often was hard to watch and an unbelievable defense that won them most of their games. Head coach Bennett retired unexpectedly mere days ago, and new coach Ron Sanchez has the same type of team. Defense is going to be the cornerstone for the Cavaliers again. Isaac McNeely is a fantastic three-point shooter and a great defender.
62. Providence Friars - Last Season Ranking: 54
Conference: Big East
The Friars were 11-2 when their star player fell to a season-ending injury. Providence could never recover from that loss and ended up 10-12 the rest of the way. This year, the Friars and head coach Kim English got their star back and surrounded him with great talent. Providence is a sneaky team in the Big East and can make a lot of noise if everyone stays healthy. Bryce Hopkins is the best player in the league.
61. South Carolina Gamecocks - Last Season Ranking: 73
Conference: SEC
I had pegged the Gamecocks as a bubble team last year, but they ended up in a tie for second place in the SEC and comfortably in the tournament as a six seed. South Carolina got smoked by Oregon in the tournament, but making it was a huge step in the right direction for head coach Lamont Paris. The Gamecocks don’t have as deep of a roster, but they are still a bubble team. Collin Murray-Broyles will play in the NBA next year.