NCAA Basketball: 5 bounce-back teams, 5 teams with question marks entering 2024-25 season

The start of the men’s 2024-25 college basketball season is ever-so-slowly approaching, with less than five months to go (not that anyone is counting, right?) until the season begins. While it may seem a long wait, most rosters are now set, with scholarships filled and players being back on campus preparing for the winter.

Looking ahead to the 2024-25 season, several teams that struggled in 2023-24 are expected, or hoping, to bounce back and leave last year’s struggles behind. On the other hand, some teams face critical question marks, causing fans to approach the season with a sense of caution.

With that in mind, take a look at five bounce-back teams and five teams with question marks entering the 2024-25 season.

Bounce-back team No. 1: Xavier Musketeers

It was a rough go for the Musketeers last season, finishing just 16-18 (9-11) after making the Sweet 16 a year before. Now entering the third season (eighth overall) of the Sean Miller era, expect Xavier to be a major force in the Big East.

A significant reason Xaiver’s struggles last year were due to the season-ending injuries of Zach Freemantle (15.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG in 2022-23) and Jerome Hunter (7.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG in 2022-23). Both missed the 2023-24 campaign, which proved to be a lethal blow to Xavier’s frontcourt.

With Freemantle back and Hunter (presumably) back, the Musketeers boast a veteran-laden frontcourt, even adding Oklahoma transfer John Hugley IV, a viable backup frontcourt piece. 

Despite losing Desmond Claude to USC, Sean Miller has made noteworthy splashes in the transfer portal, landing Cam’Ron Fletcher (Florida State), Dante Maddox Jr. (Toledo), Ryan Conwell (Indiana State) and Lassina Traore (LBSU), among others.

Putting the 2023-24 woes behind them in the rearview mirror, the Musketeers should be adequately set up for a bounce-back season in 2024-25.