60. Minnesota Golden Gophers - Last Season Ranking: 118
Conference: Big Ten
It took three years, but head coach Ben Johnson finally found an identity at Minnesota and knows how he wants his teams to play. He wants them to be tough and physical and work the ball inside out on offense. The only problem is that the Gophers need help keeping up with the rest of the Big Ten. This year's roster is focused on the two stars, with some big-time transfers to supplement. Dawson Garcia is the best big in the league.
59. TCU Horned Frogs - Last Season Ranking: 31
Conference: Big 12
TCU made the NCAA tournament for the third season in a row. The Horned Frogs also won 20 games for the third season in a row and finished in the middle of the Big 12 pack for the third season. The league is much deeper now and teams have had to bolster their rosters. TCU lost a lot of talent but got two elite scorers from the mid-major ranks to lead the offense. Trazarien White was an elite scorer in the CAA the last two seasons.
58. Grand Canyon Antelopes - Last Season Ranking: 87
Conference: WAC
The Antelopes have qualified for the tournament three out of the four seasons that Bryce Drew has been at the helm. Last year, they won 30 games and got their first NCAA tournament win. Most of the roster from the 30-win team is returning this year, and the Antelopes look like the team to beat in the WAC again. Tyon Grant-Foster was the WAC Player of the Year and is one of the best players in the country.
57. North Carolina State Wolfpack - Last Season Ranking: 64
Conference: ACC
No one in the country was hotter than the Wolfpack in March last year. NC State won the ACC tournament to qualify for the NCAA tournament and then made the Final Four. It was the first Final Four for NC State since the 1982-1983 season. NC State lost a lot of talent from the Final Four team but still has enough on the roster to make the tournament again. Jayden Taylor returns to lead the Wolfpack.
56. USC Trojans - Last Season Ranking: 22
Conference: Big Ten
USC does not have a single player back this season who played meaningful minutes last year. That is largely due to new coach Eric Musselman, who has had much success building teams through the portal. The Trojans have brought in a lot of talent from the transfer portal, and they will be one of the teams that no one would be surprised if they finished at the top of the Big Ten. The same applies if they were to finish last in the Big Ten. Desmond Claude comes to USC after two great years at Xavier.
55. Northwestern Wildcats - Last Season Ranking: 45
Conference: Big Ten
Northwestern made the NCAA tournament again last season and won a game. The Wildcats also saw the end of a career of one of the greatest Northwestern players of all time. Head coach Chris Collins has a lot coming back from last season, but it's hard to fathom that they will be as good given what they lost. The Wildcats still look like a middle-of-the-pack Big 10 team. Brooks Barnhizer may average close to 20 points a night this year.
54. Nebraska Cornhuskers - Last Season Ranking: 52
Conference: Big Ten
Nebraska went into the year with many expectations, and for the first time in the Fred Hoiberg era, the Huskers lived up to those. They beat Purdue in Lincoln and were fun to watch when they were making threes. Nebraska has two key players from last season returning and loaded the roster with shooters and depth. The hope is to make it back-to-back appearances in the tournament. Rollie Worster is the first true point guard coach Hoiberg has had.
53. Missouri Tigers - Last Season Ranking: 39
Conference: SEC
It was surprising to see Missouri struggle so badly last year, given that head coach Dennis Gates has always won wherever he has been. He got the Tigers to the tournament his first year in Columbia and last year watching Missouri go 0-18 in the SEC and having a terrible time defending anyone. The roster this season for the Tigers is loaded with scoring and will be competitive again in the SEC. Mark Mitchell was a rising star at Duke before transferring to Missouri.
52. Miami Hurricanes - Last Season Ranking: 11
Conference: ACC
Miami enters the year on a 10-game losing streak, which unraveled quickly for the Hurricanes a season ago. This year, head coach Jim Larranaga hopes the added depth in the transfer portal and some super-star freshmen will help alleviate the late-season swoon. Miami has a very nice roster on paper, with many good players. Given how last year ended, they are in prove-it mode this year. Jalil Bethea is one of the best freshmen in the country.
51. Syracuse Orange - Last Season Ranking: 60
Conference: ACC
The post-Jim Boeheim era went well for Syracuse. They won 20 games for the first time since 2018-2019. Coach Adrian Autry didn’t lead his team to the postseason, but he did get them to finish in the top five of the ACC. Orange got some big wins in the transfer portal and retained some of its good talent. It will be another 20-win season for Syracuse, and they will end up securely on the bubble. JJ Starling will be a star in the ACC.
50. Iowa Hawkeyes - Last Season Ranking: 50
Conference: Big Ten
Iowa had their typical season on the offensive end of the floor last year. They struggled on the defensive end, and their defense was worse than usual. Despite that, Iowa still won many games down the stretch to qualify for the NIT. Iowa has a good portion of its roster returning this year and needs to improve their defense to return to the tournament. Owen Freeman is going to be a star in the Big Ten.
49. Boise State Broncos - Last Season Ranking: 65
Conference: Mountain West
The Broncos made the tournament again, but they lost again. Eventually, head coach Leon Rice and Boise State will show up well in the NCAA tournament and win a game. The Broncos will play a physical game and will always play great defense. The offense is clunky at times, but it is good enough to win games. Boise State has a lot of the roster back from last year and will likely make the tournament again. Tyson Degenhart is one of the best players in Boise State's history.
48. VCU Rams - Last Season Ranking: 99
Conference: Atlantic 10
The Atlantic 10 will always be a better league when the Rams are good, and VCU was good last year in head coach Ryan Odom’s first season. They were good enough to qualify for the NIT and win a game. This year, VCU looks like it will be even better and a trendy team in preseason NCAA tournament lists. Phillip Russell is the true point guard VCU needs to reach its ceiling.
47. Xavier Musketeers - Last Season Ranking: 37
Conference: Big East
Xavier lost its two best players before the season started. Those two losses hurt the Musketeers and head coach Sean Miller all season long, and they could never seem to get their footing in a very tough Big East. Xavier returned its two injured stars and bolstered the roster around them in the transfer portal. They are a sleeper for the tournament. Zach Freemantle is one of the best players in the country when he is healthy.
46. Maryland Terrapins - Last Season Ranking: 33
Conference: Big Ten
Maryland was one of the most physical teams in the country last year, and they had to be because their offense could have been better. One player dominated the offense, and they could not shoot the ball from deep at all. However, they won in the Big Ten because they could defend, rebound, and play physical. The Terps tried to upgrade their shooting in the portal. Selton Miguel shot 40% from deep last year.