NCAA Basketball: Power ranking all 364 teams for 2024-25 season
By Bryan Mauro
330. Southeast Missouri State Redhawks - Last Season Ranking: 310
Conference: Ohio Valley
The Redhawks had a tough time as a follow-up to their NCAA tournament team from 2022-2023. Southeast Missouri State had a hard time scoring last year, so coach Brad Korn went to the JUCO ranks and found some high-quality scoring and some height to help with the offense, rebounding, and overall depth. Rob Martin will be one of the best shooters in the country this year.
329. Incarnate Word Cardinals - Last Season Ranking: 350
Conference: Southland
Incarnate Word has no history in their short time in Division 1. Current head coach Shane Heirman looks to change that this season. The Cardinals loaded this roster with talent from the transfer portal. The new roster has a lot of guys with high floors and can play multiple positions. The Southland is always winnable. Jalin Anderson was a star last season at Ball State, and he comes to Incarnate Word hoping to turn the program's fortunes.
328. New Hampshire Wildcats - Last Season Ranking: 303
Conference: America East
The Wildcats' window has closed for the time being. New Hampshire lost a lot of talent from last season and has a whole new roster. This year's roster comprises transfers from other schools who didn’t play much and are hoping that a transfer down helps them regain their confidence. Head coach Nathan Davis has his work cut out for him. Giancarlo Bastianoni has immense potential coming from JUCO.
327. Alcorn State Braves - Last Season Ranking: 246
Conference: SWAC
Alcorn State lost its top six scoring options from last season. The Braves finished second in the SWAC but could have been better nationally. They had a hard time playing defense, and like so many other HBCUs and low majors, they had to play a lot of buy games at the start of the season. Alcorn State has built the roster this year with a lot of transfers, including Marcus Tankersley, who scored 17 a game last year for Detroit Mercy.
326. Northwestern State Demons - Last Season Ranking: 342
Conference: Southland
The Demons are trying to find the right recipe for success under second-year head coach Rick Cabrera. Northwestern State won 9 games in the first season under the current coach, which sent them to the transfer portal to build the roster. The roster has completely flipped this season, and that could be good news for the Demons. Addison Patterson was a top recruit for Oregon in 2019 and is back in the Southland looking to be a star.
325. Delaware State Hornets - Last Season Ranking: 323
Conference: MEAC
Have the Hornets finally found their coach in Stan Waterman? Time will tell but Delaware State was much more competitive last year and was a tough out in the MEAC. This year, they are looking to take the next step in their rebuild and finish in the league's top half. Martaz Robinson is a player of the year candidate in the MEAC.
324. Central Arkansas Bears - Last Season Ranking: 328
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Central Arkansas has no history in its 18 years as a Division 1 school. Year 19 brings in a new coach, John Shulman, from Alabama Huntsville, hoping to build the program. It won’t be done overnight; the Bears still need to get some quality talent in Conway. This season's roster has some intriguing pieces, led by Johns Hopkins transfer Brayden Fagbemi.
323. Jackson State Tigers- Last Season Ranking: 222
Conference: SWAC
I had high hopes for the Tigers heading into last year. Jackson State had a ton of scoring and the best roster in the league. That roster never made it to opening night as some players got hurt. The Tigers lost some talent to the portal but were able to supplement the losses in the portal and gained DeShun Ruffin back from injury. He was a McDonald’s All-American and the best SWAC player.
322. Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles - Last Season Ranking: 340
Conference: Ohio Valley
Year 2 in Division 1 for the Screaming Eagles was a struggle. The team had trouble scoring point and saw their leading scorer enter the transfer portal. Head coach Stan Goard had no choice but to rebuild his roster using the transfer portal and go out and acquire scoring that will help the Screaming Eagles in the Ohio Valley. Braxton Jones comes to Southern Indiana after a great career at Garden City Community College.
321. Denver Pioneers - Last Season Ranking: 298
Conference: Summit League
The Pioneers had the most prolific offense in the Summit League last year because they had the nations top scorer. Denver also had the worst defense in the league and one of the worst in the country. That led to a .500 record and a semifinal appearance in the league tournament. The team is young this year and is going to struggle. DeAndre Craig is the team's best returning player.
320. Omaha Mavericks - Last Season Ranking: 284
Conference: Summit League
Head coach Chris Crutchfield has the Mavericks moving in the right direction. Omaha improved to six wins last year. Heading into this season, Omaha is without its all-conference and 20-point-per-game scorer, but coach Crutchfield has built the roster with quality JUCO players and will likely finish close to .500 again. Marquel Sutton will put the Summit League on notice this year and turn into a star.
319. Manhattan Jaspers - Last Season Ranking: 330
Conference: MAAC
Manhattan is a mess but with the hiring of John Gallagher things seem to have stabilized a little bit even though the Jaspers only won 7 games last year. The bulk of the roster returns this season, and the Jaspers should be better. Coach Gallagher will get them playing competitive basketball soon. Shaquil Bender returns to lead the Jaspers again.
318. Dartmouth Big Green - Last Season Ranking: 267
Conference: Ivy League
Dartmouth has never been very good in the Ivy League, but last season was one of the worst seasons they have had in a while. The Big Green could not score and could have been more efficient on offense. This only led to 6 wins overall, and most of their games were noncompetitive. Heading into this season, the team has more experience but is deficient in talent. Brandon Mitchell-Day is primed for a breakout season.
317. Idaho State Bengals - Last Season Ranking: 289
Conference: Big Sky
It is extremely hard to recruit to Pocatello, but head coach Ryan Looney has been doing a good job trying to build the program up to one of the tops in the Big Sky. The Bengals did lose a lot of talent to the transfer portal, so Idaho State does not have very many names we saw last year. Joey Madimba was an elite scorer for Howard College last year, averaging 23 a night.
316. Northern Illinois Huskies - Last Season Ranking: 216
Conference: MAC
Northern Illinois would be a lot better than they were last season. They could score, but their lack of defense did not bode well for them as the year went on. The roster is rebuilt using the transfer portal and a few guys from the JUCO ranks. I do trust head coach Rashon Burno to get the Huskies competitive, but it has already been three years. Dominic Gooden averaged 28 points a game last season in JUCO.
315. Morgan State Bears - Last Season Ranking: 344
Conference: MEAC
Head coach Kevin Broadus has turned the Bears into a consistent middle-of-the-pack team in the MEAC. They can’t get over the hump, mainly in part because of the depth of his rosters. This year is different. The roster has depth and 4 out of 5 starters return, including two dynamic scorers. The defense is still a problem. Wynston Tabbs enters his final year looking like a true all-MEAC performer.
314. SIU-Edwardsville Cougars - Last Season Ranking: 243
Conference: Ohio Valley
Edwardsville has had two straight seasons with identical 9-9 records in the Ohio Valley. Quality depth and talent have been the main issue as to why the Cougars can’t get over the hump in league, and there are a lot of quality teams at the top of the league that they need to contend with. Edwardsville has Ray’Sean Taylor returning and he has already had a very successful career for the Cougars.
313. Hampton Pirates - Last Season Ranking: 266
Conference: Coastal Athletic
Hampton had not been good for a while, so they let long-time coach Edward Joyner go. New head coach Ivan Thomas, who came from the Georgetown staff and is from the DMV, will be able to infuse the program with talent from that area and hopefully bring Hampton back to playing like one of the best college programs in Virginia. Kyrese Mullen will be an All-Conference pick this season.
312. Niagara Purple Eagles - Last Season Ranking: 259
Conference: MAAC
The transfer portal has killed Niagara. The Purple Eagles have zero minutes returning from last season, but head coach Greg Paulus got some talent in the transfer portal. Niagara will take a lot of work to win with a roster completely assembled in the portal. Damondre McKnight averaged 15 a game in JUCO last season.
311. UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros - Last Season Ranking: 251
Conference: WAC
It is hard to win at UTRGV, so the Vaqueros have never made the NCAA tournament. To take that a step further, they have only had 15 winning seasons out of the 56 they have been a Division 1 program. Coach Kahlil Fennell will get this team playing fast and shooting a ton of threes, but they don’t have the guys for that right now. Hasan Abdul-Hakim is a good shooter and will thrive in the offense.
310. Bellarmine Knights - Last Season Ranking: 235
Conference: Atlantic Sun
The Knights had a strange season last year and showed big signs of regression under head coach Scott Davenport. Bellarmine could not score, and their defense needed to be better. The roster is mostly the same, and the Knights hope they can prove last year was just an anomaly and not turning into the normal. Curt Hopf was injured last year, and his loss hurt Bellarmine on offense and equally on the glass.
309. Binghamton Bearcats - Last Season Ranking: 297
Conference: America East
Entering year 4 of coach Levell Sanders's era, the Bearcats have their best team over the last two years. Binghamton finished in the top 4 of the America East. They rarely take threes, and the roster is full of athletic guards who can get downhill and shoot a good percentage from the floor. Tymu Chenery is an all-America East-caliber player.
308. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats - Last Season Ranking: 354
Conference: SWAC
Bethune had 17 wins last season, their most wins in 10 years. Then, like every other team in the country their players transferred. Never fear, though; Wildcat’s fans head coach Reggie Theus filled the roster with talent from mid-major schools. Bethune-Cookman will not shoot threes and will get inside to finish efficiently. The brand new starting five will be a problem, but Daniel Rouzan should have a breakout campaign.
307. Sacramento State Hornets - Last Season Ranking: 232
Conference: Big Sky
The Hornets enter the year with an interim coach in Michael Czepil after former coach David Patrick stepped down to take an associate head coach spot at LSU. This season, the roster was already young and didn’t have much scoring coming back. With his 7 points per game, Jacob Holt leads all returning players for Sacramento State.
306. Campbell Fighting Camels - Last Season Ranking: 304
Conference: Coastal Athletic
The first year in the CAA went about as well as you could expect for coach Kevin McGeehan and the Camels. They played decent defense and scored enough to keep games competitive. They are not going to be as experienced this year and lost their two best players to graduation and the transfer portal. Campbell should finish in the middle of the pack in the CAA. Jasin Sinani returns after his breakout season.
305. Western Michigan Broncos - Last Season Ranking: 326
Conference: MAC
The Broncos were much better in year 2 under coach Dwayne Stephens. This season, they returned some of their key players on the roster, and the coaching staff secured some experienced transfers to help supplement the players who departed. It looks like another middle-of-the-pack finish in the MAC again this season. Chansey Willis Jr. was named conference player of the year at Henry Ford College, and he is an elite scorer.
304. Green Bay Phoenix - Last Season Ranking: 353
Conference: Horizon League
Green Bay won 18 games last year, a 15-game improvement from the previous season. That performance earned former coach Sundance Wicks a better job. Doug Gottlieb is the new coach for the Phoenix, and he has a young roster with some very intriguing pieces. Isaiah Miranda was a top-40 recruit in the country two seasons ago, and now he may finally get some playing time.
303. Canisius Golden Griffins - Last Season Ranking: 268
Conference: MAAC
Canisius fired Reggie Witherspoon and decided to take a different approach by hiring former Boston College coach Jim Christian. The Golden Griffins are like any team going through a coaching change, with a young and unproven roster. However, Canisius has some interesting transfer pieces on the roster, including Tana Kopa, who had many bright spots last season for LIU.
302. Stetson Hatters - Last Season Ranking: 209
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Stetson finally made the NCAA tournament last year, and it did it with a high-powered offense and clutch shot-making in the Atlantic Sun tournament. The Hatters lost a lot of talent from that team, and it is going to be hard for them to make it back to the NCAA tournament again this year. The roster is young and inexperienced in the Atlantic Sun. Mehki Ellison averaged 28 points a game in JUCO last season.
301. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks - Last Season Ranking: 309
Conference: Sun Belt
Louisiana-Monroe head coach Keith Richard has been there for 14 years and had three winning seasons. The Warhawks don’t have a lot of talent to compete in the Sun Belt every year, and this year will likely be another lean year. The Warhawks can’t shoot, and they don’t have much quality depth beyond their starting five. Tyreese Watson will have a breakout season for Louisiana-Monroe.