NCAA Basketball: Top 25 preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

We’re less than 60 days away from the 2021-22 NCAA Basketball season. In some ways, it feels like forever since the Baylor Bears defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs for the national championship. That’s because so much has happened in the past few months of the offseason.

There’s the transfer portal opening up more than ever, key NBA Draft decisions being made, players getting an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA, and several class of 2022 prospects reclassifying to play this upcoming season. The last factor singlehandedly boosted one particular program from outside the top-25 to potentially in the top-5 of preseason polls, but more on them in a bit.

I’ve done several “way-too-early” power rankings for the upcoming season but this time, I’ll be having the Busting Brackets staff (@BustingBrackets) with me to compile this set of rankings. We each did our own top-25 ranking and the results coming up are what we have combined. 14 of our writers participated in this project with me so thanks to them for their great help. Below are the participants and where to follow them for their own NCAA Basketball analysis.

Tristan Freeman – @hoopsnut351

Andrew Tineo – @D_Tineo4

Benjamin Zacher – @beezacher

Matt Melton – @matt_melton20

Greg Waddell- @gwizzy12

Cooper Watson – @coopertwatson

Holden Walter-Warner – @halterwarner

Tuck Clarry – @tuckclarry

Danny McCormack – @danny_mac1219

Michael Beard – @AllMikedUp_

Jake Verboven – @JakeVerboven

Tommy Farmer – @T_Farmer1

Daniel Jakes – @DanimalJakes

Jason Burgess – @Collegehoopsguy

Joey Loose – @jloose128

There were a whopping 39 teams that received at least one vote among the 15 different lists, which shows how strong a field of teams we have for the upcoming season. Several programs that were in consideration but missed the cut include BYU, Nevada, Loyola-Chicago, Colorado State, USC, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Rutgers, LSU, Syracuse, and West Virginia.

Here are the three teams that just barely missed the cut, followed by a complete breakdown of the top 25 teams for the upcoming season, courtesy of Busting Brackets.

Honorable Mention – UConn Huskies

Although James Bouknight left and went on to become a lottery pick in the NBA Draft, the Huskies still brought back plenty of talent. Most notably, double-digit scoring wing Tyrese Martin and point guard RJ Cole. What helps even more is that the frontcourt has gone from a long-time weakness to now a strength, as both Isaiah Whaley and Tyler Polley elected to take the extra year to return.

If center Adama Sanogo can become that breakout big man the Huskies have long been looking for, this team could cement itself as the No. 2 team in the Big East next season. Look for the talented freshmen class, led by Rahsool Diggins and Corey Floyd Jr. to have an impact as well.

Honorable Mention: Maryland Terrapins

The loss of leading scorer Aaron Wiggins certainly hurts but being able to keep guard Eric Ayala is huge for Maryland remaining viable. To replace Daryll Morsell as the starting point guard is Fatts Russell, a dynamic scorer from Rhode Island who himself was an all-conference defender.

The other key newcomer if Georgetown transfer Qudus Wahab, who gives the Terrapins a legit center to compete against the top bigs in the Big Ten. He and Donta Scott gives them a quality frontcourt and if Russell can be the lead guard the team needs, they’ll see themselves in the top-25 at some point this season.

Honorable Mention: Virginia Cavaliers

It’s hard to envision Virginia not being ranked to start out the season but they lost a ton of production this offseason, particularly in the frontcourt. There will be a ton of pressure on former East Carolina star forward Jayden Gardner to be a 15 ppg contributor on offense, while also being good on defense. And Indiana sharpshooter Armaan Franklin gives them needed three-point shooting and a complimentary piece to Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman, who aren’t great shooters in the backcourt.

Head coach Tony Bennett has turned less talented rosters into contenders so the Cavaliers will remain a thorn in the side of ACC programs. But the fact that this program didn’t crack the top-25 is a testament to the overall talent pool in NCAA Basketball this upcoming season.