NCAA College Basketball 2022-23 Season Preview (By Matthew Cahill)
College hoops are back with a full schedule, as all teams in the top 25 begin their journey tonight. While there aren’t any premier matchups between ranked teams, there is a ton to go over before we start cutting down the nets in March. Here is all you need to know heading into the season.
Preseason Rankings
Heading into the season, most of the teams with National Title aspirations are back towards the top of the AP poll. After a cinderella run that saw them come just 4 points shy of winning it all, North Carolina occupies the top spot. On the other hand, the defending champion, Kansas, lost key pieces such as David McCormack, Ochai Agbaji, and Christian Braun, and are slotted fifth. And despite being on the All-American second-team, Drew Timme’s unfavorable draft stock brings him back for his senior season, placing Gonzaga on UNC’s heels at 2nd.
1. North Carolina
2. Gonzaga
3. Houston
4. Kentucky
5. Kansas
6. Baylor
7. Duke
8. UCLA
9. Creighton
10. Arkansas
11. Tennessee
12. Texas
13. Indiana
14. TCU
15. Auburn
16. Villanova
17. Arizona
18. Virginia
19. San Diego State
20. Alabama
21. Oregon
22. Michigan
23. Illinois
24. Dayton
25. Texas Tech
Players to Watch
The projected top two picks in the 2023 NBA draft, Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson, are not playing college ball this year. Wembanyama is staying in his home country of France while Henderson decided to take his talents to the NBA G League.As a result, upperclassmen are set to dominate the headlines much more than any season in recent memory. Three senior bigs in particular are making the biggest waves heading into the season. Oscar Tshiebwe is the first AP Player of the Year to forgo the NBA draft and return to college since Tyler Hansorough in 2009, Drew Timme is back for his senior season after having an unfavorable draft stock, and Armando Bacot has returned in efforts of one last attempt to raise another banner for UNC. These three accompany a long list of veterans looking to end their collegiate careers on a high note. Here’s who to keep an eye on throughout the year.
Oscar Tshiebwe - Kansas (Senior)
Drew Timme - Gonazaga (Senior)
Armando Bacot - North Carolina (Senior)
Marcus Sasser - Houston (Senior)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. - UCLA (Senior)
Nick Smith - Arkansas (Freshman)
Trayce Jackson-Davis - Indiana (Senior)
Dariq Whitehead - Duke (Freshman)
Kendic Davis - Memphis (Senior)
Hunter Dickinson - Michigan (Junior)
Opening Night Recaps
With the Champions Classic beginning a week later than usual, last night's season-openers were void of marquee matchups. No top-10 clashes were available on opening night, but there were still some debuts from five-star freshmen and massive blowouts in tune-up games. Every ranked team (1-25) was a double-digit winner. We'll spare you the highlights of teams unloading their benches on Night 1.
Cheers to the 2022-23 college hoops season!
Additional Storylines
SI: Ranking Every Team in Men’s College Basketball, From UNC (No. 1) to Hartford (No. 363)
ESPN: 2022-23 Men's College Basketball Preview: Preseason Picks, Rankings
