VisibleConcern's Week Pre-Season Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue | Returns the most talent of any team |
| 2 | Houston | Returns the second most talent of any team |
| 3 | Florida | Defending National Champions |
| 4 | Michigan | Best portal class |
| 5 | Duke | Impressive freshmen, trust in Scheyer's system |
| 6 | St. John's | Team will be fired up to bounce back after tough elimination last year |
| 7 | BYU | Best Freshman incoming |
| 8 | Texas Tech | JT Toppin is a NPOY Frontrunner |
| 9 | UConn | Likely to bounce back after a "down" year |
| 10 | Kentucky | Otega Oweh returning will make this team very strong |
| 11 | UCLA | Donovan Dent is the best PG in the nation and will run this offense beautifully |
| 12 | Illinois | High in metrics, the fighting Illinič will be solid |
| 13 | Louisville | Ryan Conwell is one of the best shooters in CBB, and the team is stacked with several more weapons |
| 14 | Alabama | Labaron Philon will be in the running for SEC POTY, although losing Grant Nelson may hurt more than I expect |
| 15 | Kansas | 2nd best freshman will be very fun to watch, plus Hunter Dickinson is gone! |
| 16 | Arkansas | After a tough start last year, Coach Cal seems to have found his footing. Losing Fland hurts, but the Hogs will be solid this year |
| 17 | Iowa State | Hilton Magic will continue! |
| 18 | Auburn | Tahaad Pettiford will be relied on a lot, as the only returning starter and a new HC, but I think he is more than capable of taking a leadership role |
| 19 | Tennessee | Tennessee will continue to compete in the SEC like they always have under Rick Barnes |
| 20 | San Diego State | Dutcher's SDSU has potentially the deepest team in the entire NCAA. THE mid-major to watch this year |
| 21 | Michigan State | Izzo will be Izzo, and returns a good amount from a really awesome B1G Champion team last year |
| 22 | Arizona | Should compete in the Big XII, but I'm not sold on how this team will be post-Caleb Love |
| 23 | Gonzaga | While the Sweet 16 streak was broken, Gonzaga is still as strong as ever under Mark Few |
| 24 | Ole Miss | Chris Beard, despite his flaws, is a great coach and I trust him to have put together another great team |
| 25 | Iowa | Ben McCollum takes the core of an unbelievable Drake team and puts them in the B1G |
Overall Rationale
I ranked teams based on portal additions, high school recruiting, but most importantly, returning talent. Teams who play together win together.