NCAA Basketball: Arizona, Indiana, and Ole Miss rise in updated 2024-25 WTE power rankings
It's now been just under a month since the 2023-24 NCAA Basketball season concluded and nearly 30 days since my previous way-too-early power rankings for next year. And as expected, plenty of moves have been made, with hundreds and players transferring in and out of their respective teams, along with various NBA Draft decisions.
Even in the early week of May, there is still plenty to be decided, even with the transfer portal being closed. There are teams such as Kentucky and Arkansas, who are in the midst of rebuilding their rosters and there's a good chance that they'll be in the top-25 range by the start of the 2024-25 campaign. But for now, their limited rosters aren't good enough to make the cut.
The same goes for a few teams who were in last month's WTE top-25 ranking but are now out, including Dayton, Saint Mary's, Boise State, Villanova, and Michigan State. Here's a list of those who did make the cut.
Honorable Mention: Ohio State Buckeyes
New Coach Jake Diebler brings back star guard Bruce Thornton and replaces Roddy Gayle with another talented scoring guard in Meechie Johnson from South Carolina. The addition of former 5-star prospect Aaron Bradshaw from Kentucky gives them a potentially high ceiling if he manages to have a breakout year.
HM: UAB Blazers
A lot of programs outside of high-major conferences have suffered from the portal moves but one exception is UAB, who was able to keep star forward, Yaxel Lendeborg, along with other double-digit scorers. They also managed to add a few more legit rotation pieces, including Saint Louis center transfer, Brad Ezewiro. Right now, they have the top roster in the AAC.
HM: Oregon Ducks
It's been a good past week for the Ducks, landing two talented transfer guards. TJ Bamba is a double-digit scorer from Villanova, while Ra'Heim Moss averaged over 15 ppg at Toledo. With Jackson Shelstad back, Oregon should have one of the better backcourts in NCAA Basketball next season.