Dickie V’s preseason guys’s top 25
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Cock Vitale, College Basketball analystAug 11, 2023, 10:00 AM ET
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- Cock Vitale, college basketball’s top expert and ambassador, signed up with ESPN throughout the 1979-80 season. His thorough knowledge of the game is come up with in a passionate, passionate style. Vitale likewise contributes columns to ESPN.com.As you understand, I
consume, sleep and breathe college basketball year-round. And this year is no exception. Now that the transfer website has actually settled and teams are finishing up summer tours, I thought I ‘d share my forecasts for the upcoming season. So, let’s dive in.Kansas is my preseason No. 1. Costs Self continues his mastery of college basketball, and with the return of Kevin McCullar Jr., and the addition of Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, the Jayhawks have among the most gifted rosters. Naturally, do not forget about top protectors Dajuan Harris Jr. and K.J. Adams Jr., who will make this group hard to beat night in, night out. Adams ‘function will alter a bit playing along with Dickinson, however this breakout star must take a huge advance this season.Challenging Kansas will be Duke at No. 2. Kyle Filipowski’s return support the Blue Devils ‘frontcourt.
Filipowski stayed out of the last NBA draft and might move into a lottery game position next June. The return of Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell, together with Jeremy Roach running the offense, puts Duke as the frontrunner in the ACC. Search for beginner Jared McCain to step up on the wing.With the return of Wooden Award winner– and the most dominant player in college basketball– Zach Edey, Purdue has the strength to make a deep run in the NCAA competition, and holds down the No. 3 area. Matt Painter has all 5 starters back from in 2015’s Big 10 routine season and competition champion team. Is this the year Painter and the Boilermakers recuperate from fast exits in March Madness and make a serious run for the 2024 NCAA title?Even before Tyson Walker and Malik Hall chose to go back to Michigan State, my No. 4 choice, I was high on Tom Izzo’s group. Can you believe this is his 29th season
in East Lansing? He’s 14 wins shy of win No. 700 in his career. Izzo’s job is to mesh first-class employees Xavier Booker, Coen Carr and Jeremy Worries with the best backcourt in the country.Editor’s Picks 2 Related Rounding out my top 5 is defending champion UConn. This team utilized stable play in the competition and actually went unnoticed for a majority of last season. That’s not the case this
year. Coach Dan Hurley
invites the return of Tristen Newton and has packed his lineup with a top-five recruiting class that consists of four ESPN 100 prospects. Look for Donovan Clingan to have a big season down low and for Rutgers transfer Webcam Spencer’s shooting to keep the Huskies in the hunt.I chose Marquette with outstanding guard Tyler Kolek, Houston, Creighton, Gonzaga and Tennessee to round out my top 10. Kelvin Sampson hauled in two of the best guards in the transfer portal in LJ Cryer and Damian Dunn for the Cougars. Creighton returns Baylor Scheierman, Trey Alexander and Ryan Kalkbrenner, who all withdrew their names from the NBA draft to return to Omaha. Gonzaga’s Mark Few simply refilled his roster with 3 transfers and got the return of Anton Watson up front. Expect Josiah-Jordan James to play a larger role in leading the Vols.The next 5 are Florida Atlantic at 11, followed by Arizona, Kentucky, Arkansas, North Carolina. As constantly, I wish to see what John Calipari does with another youthful team that includes two of the four highest-ranked beginners in Justin Edwards and D.J. Wagner, to go along with 3 others ranked in the leading 40. I like Miami at 16, with Nijel Pack
and Norchad Omier both returning after checking the NBA waters. Texas A&M with Wade Taylor IV running the show finds the Aggies at 17. Villanova, San Diego State and USC complete the leading 20. My last five teams are Baylor, Saint Mary’s, Texas, Colorado and St. John’s. I really believe Rick Pitino will have this group competing well at tournament time. Joel Soriano is a productive big man who will lead the Red Storm.Dick Vitale’s Preseason Top 25 groups 1. Kansas Jayhawks 2. Duke Blue Devils 3. Purdue Boilermakers 4. Michigan State Spartans 5. UConn Huskies 6. Marquette Golden Eagles 7. Houston Cougars 8.
Creighton Bluejays 9. Gonzaga Bulldogs 10. Tennessee Volunteers 11. Florida Atlantic Owls 12. Arizona Wildcats 13. Kentucky Wildcats 14. Arkansas Razorbacks 15. North Carolina Tar Heels 16. Miami Hurricanes 17. Texas A&M Aggies 18.