Travbowman's Week Pre-Season Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke | They seem to have everything, including a lot of returning players with a bad taste in their mouth from how last season ended. |
| 2 | Florida | Bringing back a lot of minutes from a team that was a 1 seed the past two seasons |
| 3 | Illinois | Baltic connections seems to be working beautifully |
| 4 | Michigan State | The stretch from 20-26 is the longest in Izzo's tenure without a F4. Incredible consistency |
| 5 | Arizona | Lost a lot, but still going to be great |
| 6 | Houston | I have some concerns about this team offensively, but always trust the Sampson system |
| 7 | Tennessee | Three straight E8s for Barnes. Can Tennessee finally break through to a F4 this year? |
| 8 | UConn | Gonna be weird not seeing Karaban out there |
| 9 | Iowa State | I'm already prepared for their inevitable fantastic start, including looking great in Vegas |
| 10 | Louisville | Talent is definitely there. We'll have to see how the chemistry does with all of these pieces |
| 11 | Kansas | Self seems to have lost his fastball, but he's still an amazing coach with a reloaded roster |
| 12 | Virginia | Top of the ACC should be better than it's been in a few years. |
| 13 | Nebraska | Not a lot of size on this team, but they'll have a lot of shooters |
| 14 | Michigan | No May, but roster is still really good |
| 15 | Alabama | Holloway for SEC POTY? |
| 16 | Purdue | Lost a lot from last year's team, but Painter has earned a top 4 seed in 9 consecutive NCAA tournaments for a reason |
| 17 | Texas Tech | They'll have one of the more experienced rosters in the country |
| 18 | Gonzaga | Not really sure how to gauge this heavily reconstructed roster in year one of the Pac 12 |
| 19 | Texas | Tons of talent in Austin for sure. Curious to see how they play together |
| 20 | Arkansas | Cal team with a ton of talented freshmen. He does what he knows. |
| 21 | Vanderbilt | thisclose to a S16 last year |
| 22 | St. John's | PG is a giant question mark |
| 23 | Miami (FL) | Jai Lucas is a heck of a HC already |
| 24 | USC | Muss has put together an incredibly deep roster |
| 25 | Grand Canyon | Bryce Drew's best team at GCU so far. |
Overall Rationale
Just missed: Kentucky, Auburn, UCLA, BYU, Villanova, Texas A&M, High Point