120. Ohio Bobcats- Last Season Ranking: 117
Conference: MAC
Ohio was rolling at the end of the year, having gone into the MAC tournament on a six-game winning streak before losing to Akron to end the year. The Bobcats have won at least 17 games under current head coach Jeff Boals and expect that to continue. Ohio will likely win over 20 games and push for the NCAA tournament this year. Shereef Mitchell returns for one final season after his breakout season last year.
119. Northern Iowa Panthers - Last Season Ranking: 106
Conference: Missouri Valley
Everyone knows what to expect from the Panthers, and that is efficient offense, a few guys who can shoot the lights out, and a finish in the top half of the Valley. Northern Iowa has been just good enough to accomplish all those things, but it has now been eight full seasons since they made the NCAA tournament. Fans are starting to get restless. Tytan Anderson will be all-conference this year.
118. Arkansas State Red Wolves - Last Season Ranking: 191
Conference: Sun Belt
Arkansas State was one win away from its second NCAA tournament appearance last season, and it did it all with a first-year coach. Bryan Hodgson was always known as a recruiter, but he showed last year he can coach. Heading into this season, the Red Wolves have a dangerous team capable of winning the Sun Belt and knocking off a power school. Taryn Todd is one of the best players in the Sun Belt.
117. UMass Minutemen - Last Season Ranking: 213
Conference: Atlantic 10
I knew it wouldn’t take long for Frank Martin to get UMass playing well again. The Minutemen have been one of the better teams in the Atlantic 10 over his tenure, and he can recruit a type of player that former coach Matt McCall could not. I expect a huge development jump for the talented freshman and for UMass to finish near the league's top again. Jaylen Curry will be an all-conference player this season.
116. St. Bonaventure Bonnies - Last Season Ranking: 75
Conference: Atlantic 10
The Bonnies won 20 games and finished right in the middle of the Atlantic 10. I missed this one because St. Bonaventure was a team I had picked to finish in the top 2 of the Atlantic 10 behind Dayton. The roster comprises JUCO stars and some mid-major stars who will fit in with coach Schmidt and his style of play. Melvin Council Jr. is a stat sheet stuffer who was a star at Wagner.
115. Sam Houston State Bearkats- Last Season Ranking: 140
Conference: Conference USA
The Kats didn’t do anything flashy except win games. They run a smart, efficient offense, rarely turn the ball over, rebound like crazy, and have great depth. Those are things that win games, and head coach Chris Mudge has built the perfect roster for his style of play. I would again put Sam Houston State near the top of the Conference USA this year. Lamar Wilkerson will make the All-Conference team again.
114. UMass-Lowell River Hawks - Last Season Ranking: 170
Conference: America East
Head coach Pat Duquette has made Lowell a power in the America East. Lowell has one of the best offenses in the country, and they do it by getting downhill and getting to the free-throw line. Four out of five starters and four of the top five scorers return. Quinton Mincey will push for conference player of the year.
113. Liberty Flames - Last Season Ranking: 83
Conference: Conference USA
Liberty failed to win 20 games for the second time under head coach Richie McKay. The Flames still won 18 games, but Conference USA proved a tougher test for Liberty than the Atlantic Sun. Liberty will defend very well, take and make a ton of threes, and move the ball well on offense. All those things will always provide a recipe for success no matter the conference. Kaden Metheny is the best shooter in Conference USA.
112. South Florida Bulls - Last Season Ranking: 133
Conference: American Athletic
No one expected the Bulls to finish 16-2 and win the American regular-season championship. Even though South Florida won 25 games last year, they were left out of the NCAA tournament. The Bulls lost a lot of talent from last season, but they can be surprised again. Kobe Knox is going to have a breakout year. Head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim passed away unexpectedly right before the season. The Bulls may not recover from that.
111. Washington State Cougars - Last Season Ranking: 86
Conference: West Coast
Washington State made the NCAA tournament last year, won a game, and finished ranked in the top 25. It was the Cougars' first tournament appearance since 2007-2008. Kyle Smith is off to Stanford, and new coach David Riley is coming to Pullman. Riley won many games at Eastern Washington and brought the best part of his roster for the first season in WCC play. Cedric Coward averaged 15 points a game at Eastern Washington last season.
110. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs - Last Season Ranking: 122
Conference: Conference USA
The Bulldogs finished second in the Conference USA a season ago but laid an egg in the postseason tournament and did not get picked for the NIT. It was a tough pill to swallow for Louisiana Tech after they won 22 games. Head coach Talvin Hester has his team in a prime position to win many games and finish near the top of the Conference USA again. Daniel Batcho can win the Conference USA Player of the Year.
109. Murray State Racers - Last Season Ranking: 129
Conference: Missouri Valley
It was a rare bad season for the Racers and head coach Steve Prohm. Murray State only won 12 games and finished seventh place in the Missouri Valley. Murray State went out and bolstered the roster in the transfer portal to add more depth, and the hope is that the Racers will be far more competitive. JaCobi Wood is a preseason all-conference player in the Valley.
108. Yale Bulldogs - Last Season Ranking 78
Conference: Ivy League
Yale qualified for the NCAA tournament as the Ivy representative again. This time, they won a game when they beat Auburn in the first round. The Bulldogs and head coach James Jones don’t enter the season as the favorite in the Ivy League. It has been a long time since that has happened. The roster does not have the usual star power but will still make Ivy madness, so anything can happen. John Poulakidas and his shooting take over the offense.
107.Saint Louis Billikens - Last Season Ranking: 119
Conference: Atlantic 10
The Billikens were a mess last year, and it ended up costing former coach Travis Ford his job. Saint Louis decided to hire Josh Schertz from Indiana State, and with that came a lot of the Indiana State roster. Saint Louis is loaded and was able to keep its best players from last season. The Billikens enter as one of the favorites in the Atlantic 10. Robbie Avila is one of the favorites for National Player of the Year.
106. Florida Atlantic Owls - Last Season Ranking: 12
Conference: American Athletic
I was bullish on the Owls heading into last season, and given they had their whole roster back, it was with good reason. The Owls had a good season and made the NCAA tournament to lose to Northwestern. That season, head coach Dusty May got the Michigan job and earned John Jakus, an assistant at Gonzaga, this job. Florida Atlantic has a young team sandwiched around some quality transfers. Leland Walker was the best player in the Atlantic Sun last season.
105. Wofford Terriers - Last Season Ranking: 256
Conference: Southern
If there is anything we have learned about Wofford in the last few seasons, it is how consistent the program is. They will end up with a winning record, and the Terriers will take and make a bunch of threes. This year, though, has the makings of a special season. Wofford has its top seven rotation players returning and looks like one of the best teams in their league. Corey Tripp will lead the offense again.
104. Wichita State Shockers - Last Season Ranking: 145
Conference: American Athletic
Paul Mills will turn around the Wichita State program and get them back to playing like they can. Last year the team struggled but started playing very well at the end of the year. Heading into this season the Shockers have one of the best rosters in the American made up of quality power conference transfers, with shooting and scoring everywhere. Wichita State is a sleeper tournament team. AJ McGinnis is a knockdown shooter for a team that needs shooting.
103. McNeese State Cowboys - Last Season Ranking: 182
Conference: Southland
Will Wade coaches McNeese and guided the Cowboys to a 31-4 record last year with a win over Michigan. McNeese was the player of the year in Southland, with an elite offense and an elite defense. That will all be the same this year, except the roster is deeper and has more high-major talent. McNeese is going to make a lot of noise this year. Christian Shumate will dominate in the Southland.
102. High Point Panthers - Last Season Ranking: 283
Conference: Big South
High Point outplayed this ranking by a long way last year, and they ended up winning 27 total games and the Big South regular season title. Those were both program bests for the Panthers, but still no NCAA tournament berth. High Point is loaded again this year and is looking to make it to the NCAA tournament for the first time. Kezza Giffa is the best player in the Big South.
101. Boston College Eagles - Last Season Ranking: 127
Conference: ACC
The Eagles got hot at the end of last year, made a little run in the ACC tournament, and won 20 games. It was a breath of fresh air for Boston College, one of the worst Power Five programs over the last decade. The top six players are gone this year, and the roster is young and filled with transfers. The Eagles may struggle again this year with a new roster. Dion Brown averaged 20 points per game last year at UMBC.
100. George Mason Patriots - Last Season Ranking: 163
Conference: Atlantic 10
Year one for head coach Tony Skinn went about as expected for the Patriots. George Mason won 20 games but struggled a little in the conference and finished at .500. Well, that was last year, and this season, coach Snell and the Patriots are loaded and look like one of the best teams in the Atlantic 10, at least on paper. They have numerous guys who can score and tons of depth. Brayden O’Connor is primed for a huge year.
99. Florida State Seminoles - Last Season Ranking: 76
Conference: ACC
It has now been three years since Florida State has had a winning record and three years since the Seminoles have made the NCAA tournament. Is head coach Leonard Hamilton losing some of his coaching magic? Something is going on because Florida State has lost the ability to defend, causing them to lose games. The defense must be fixed, or it will be more of the same. Jamir Watkins is one of the best scorers in the ACC.
98. Oklahoma State Cowboys - Last Season Ranking: 61
Conference: Big 12
Oklahoma State was another power conference team that didn’t live up to expectations and fired its coach, Mike Boynton. The Cowboys hired Steve Lutz, who was most recently at Western Kentucky. Lutz has made the NCAA tournament three seasons in a row, he can recruit, and his offense is a lot of fun to watch. Oklahoma State is in good hands. Arturo Dean is a great defensive player who can also score, especially in the open court.
97. Vanderbilt Commodores - Last Season Ranking: 63
Conference: SEC
Everyone had higher expectations for Vanderbilt heading into last season; many expected them to be a bubble team. The Commodores were a mess all year, only winning nine games and finishing second to last in the SEC. Jerry Stackhouse is gone, and Mark Byington from James Madison is in. The roster is flipped, and Vanderbilt will be more competitive this year. Jason Edwards scored 20 a night for North Texas.
96. Stanford Cardinal - Last Season Ranking: 57
Conference: ACC
Jerod Haase had no problem getting talent to Stanford; winning at a consistent rate was the problem. Haase was let go at the end of last season after a 14-18 season for a team many thought would be a bubble team. Kyle Smith leads the Cardinal in a new era in the ACC. It might be a tough year for Stanford, given their young roster and little experience. Maxime Raynaud is one of the best big men in the country.
95. Santa Clara Broncos - Last Season Ranking: 149
Conference: WCC
Head coach Herb Sendek has built the Broncos into a top-of-the-WCC force every year. Given the strength of the top of the league, they won't win the league, but they do have the talent to beat some power schools. This year may be the year the WCC gets three teams in the tournament again. Adama Bal returns to lead a dangerous trio for Santa Clara.
94. Bradley Braves - Last Season Ranking: 94
Conference: Missouri Valley
Bradley has been one of the best teams in the Missouri Valley under head coach Brian Wardle. The Braves will be right near the top of the Valley again this year. The roster is mostly intact, and they secured some high-scoring transfers. Bradley is always going to play defense. Duke Deen is one of the best guards and shooters in the Valley. He will be on the all-conference team.
93. UNLV Rebels - Last Season Ranking: 81
Conference: Mountain West
UNLV started rolling in the middle of the season, and by the end of the year, they were the best team in the Mountain West. The Rebels did make the NIT and won two games before falling to Seton Hall. UNLV enters this season with a roster with some question marks and a team that can finish in the league's top half again. Dedan Thomas is one of the best players in the Mountain West.
92. Vermont Catamounts - Last Season Ranking: 137
Conference: America East
Another year and another dominant season by the Catamounts within the America East. Vermont is the only true powerhouse in the America East, and they are almost impossible to beat when it matters. Head coach John Becker will do it again this year because the Catamounts have the majority of the roster returning from last year and were able to secure a big-time transfer. TJ Long is one of the best shooters in the country.
91. Virginia Tech Hokies - Last Season Ranking: 68
Conference: ACC
After qualifying for two straight tournaments, Mike Young has yet to make the NCAA tournament in two straight seasons. The talent has yet to arrive for the Hokies, and they have had trouble consistently beating the powers in the league. Virginia Tech lost a lot of talent from last year’s team and is rebuilding now. They did get some pieces in the transfer portal, but I don’t know if they are enough. Ben Burnham will have a breakout year.