NCAA Basketball: Power ranking all 364 teams for 2024-25 season
By Bryan Mauro
20. Indiana Hoosiers - Last Season Ranking: 35
Conference: Big Ten
Indiana struggled last year, especially against teams that were good from deep. Head coach Mike Woodson's philosophy is to have the Hoosiers work the ball inside to their talented big men, use their guards as distributors, get into the paint, and get fouled. Indiana is ranked to start the season, but it might be shaky, especially if they can’t defend. Malik Reneau will be an all-conference player this year.
19. Marquette Golden Eagles - Last Season Ranking: 7
Conference: Big East
The Golden Eagles know one speed, and that is fast. Head coach Shaka Smart loves to run and loves his team to shoot threes. Marquette earned a top 8 seed in the NCAA tournament after finishing second in the Big East and made the second weekend. It is the second consecutive year Marquette earned a top 8 seed. The Golden Eagles head into the year a favorite to finish in the league's top half and make a deep run in March again. Kam Jones is a trendy National Player of the Year pick.
18. Arkansas Razorbacks - Last Season Ranking: 13
Conference: SEC
The Razorbacks were a huge disappointment last year, and it all stemmed from a lack of ability to defend. After he left Kentucky, John Calipari was the new coach, and the Arkansas fans were excited. Calipari will win and will likely get them to the tournament every year with a high seed. They will shoot a lot of threes, have a ton of one-and-done players, and play everyone. It's good times for the Razorbacks. Johnell Davis had an excellent career at Florida Atlantic.
17. Kentucky Wildcats - Last Season Ranking: 18
Conference: SEC
The John Calipari era is over, and the Mark Pope era has begun. Pope most recently coached at BYU, and he knows offense. Kentucky had the second-best offense in the country last year, but none of those guys are on the team anymore. Coach Pope has filled the roster with high-quality transfers from the portal. All the players come from winning programs and know how to win. The Wildcats find themselves ranked. Jaxson Robinson played for Pope at BYU last season.
16. Texas Longhorns - Last Season Ranking: 15
Conference: SEC
Texas and head coach Rodney Terry underachieved in a sense last year. They did make the NCAA tournament, where they won a game, but they were a team that was supposed to finish at the top of the Big 12 and ended up in the middle of the pack. The Longhorns head to the SEC with a new roster, but it is not short on talent. Texas has a lot of question marks as to how good they will be. Tramon Mark had a great season in the SEC last year.
15. Auburn Tigers - Last Season Ranking: 26
Conference: SEC
Under current head coach Bruce Pearl, the Tigers have built themselves into an SEC powerhouse. Last year, Auburn had a great regular season, with 27 wins and an NCAA tournament seed in the top 16. They were upset by Yale. Auburn has a lot of talent returning from that team and brought in some huge pieces in the transfer portal. They find themselves in the top 15 again this year. Johni Broome is an All-America caliber player.
14. Purdue Boilermakers - Last Season Ranking: 2
Conference: Big Ten
The Boilermakers' job was almost finished last year. They made the National Title game but were beaten by UConn. Purdue was number one in the country for a good chunk of the season, and they also had the National Player of the Year. The Boilermakers lost a lot of talent from that team last year but still have enough to be considered one of the favorites in the Big Ten. Braden Smith is the guy for Purdue now.
13. Tennessee Volunteers - Last Season Ranking: 10
Conference: SEC
The Volunteers won the SEC, earned a two seed in the NCAA Tournament, and made the Elite Eight. Tennessee had a fantastic offense last season, averaging just under 80 points per game. The Volunteers did play head coach Rick Barnes's signature smothering defense. Tennessee added a lot of scoring in the transfer portal and will be good again this year. Zakai Zeigler is the best point guard in the SEC.
12. Creighton Bluejays - Last Season Ranking: 8
Conference: Big East
It was supposed to be Creighton's best season ever last year, and they came into the year with their highest ranking ever. The Bluejays won 25 games and qualified as a 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. It was their best season ever, and even though head coach Greg McDermott lost a lot of talent to the NBA, Creighton still has some big pieces returning and will be great again. Ryan Kalkbrenner is now the best big man in the country.
11. Arizona Wildcats - Last Season Ranking: 14
Conference: Big 12
The transition to the Big 12 from the Pac 12 will be insignificant for a team like Arizona and head coach Tommy Lloyd. The Wildcats already consistently played teams with the caliber of Kansas and Houston. Arizona will add to the already-loaded top line in the league. The offense will be loaded again, and they will get a top-16 seed again. Caleb Love is the best player in the Big 12 this season.