| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn | Not worried about last two weeks |
| 2 | Houston | Best finish ever coming for Kelvin Sampson? |
| 3 | Duke | Flagg injury seems like it could be a problem long term |
| 4 | Florida | Peaking at right time |
| 5 | Tennessee | Barnes is consistently so good |
| 6 | Alabama | Defense worries me come tournament time |
| 7 | Michigan State | Outside shooting worries me come tournament time |
| 8 | St. John's | Offense worries me come tournament time |
| 9 | Texas Tech | F4 Potential |
| 10 | Iowa State | If healthy they're spicy |
| 11 | Wisconsin | Really should have been sent to Milwaukee |
| 12 | Kentucky | Not sure about that D |
| 13 | Maryland | Built for March, whatever that means |
| 14 | Texas A&M | buzz buzz |
| 15 | Arizona | Lloyd is gonna break through to F4 one year, just not sure it's this year |
| 16 | Michigan | Righted ship at BTT |
| 17 | Purdue | Got a favorable draw in big dance |
| 18 | Clemson | Brad's got a squad |
| 19 | Louisville | Got hosed with that 8 seed |
| 20 | BYU | Good job with first year coach |
| 21 | Oregon | Altman is good at this |
| 22 | UCLA | IDK what to think of this team |
| 23 | Illinois | Or this one |
| 24 | Ole Miss | Or this one |
| 25 | Memphis | Best Penny team yet. Rough draw getting Maryland though |
Just missed: St. Mary's, Missouri, Kansas, Gonzaga, Creighton, Marquette, UConn