_Nava_CBB's Week Pre-Season Ballot

Rank	Team	Reason
1	Duke	Despite their losses, Duke adds Wisconsin's John Blackwell and an elite recruiting class to a returning core of role players.
2	Florida	I think there's a clear separation between the top two and everyone else. Florida is stacked, and Haugh might be one of the best players in the country.
3	UConn	It's hard for me to not see UConn as a title contender at this point. The Mullins-Demary backcourt just looks unfair.
4	Illinois	David Mirkovic. A strong returning core. Stefan Vaaks. This team is scary.
5	Arizona	Losing so much offense doesn't matter as much with the defensive lineup Arizona is putting together.
6	Michigan State	Jeremy Fears Jr. will continue to infuriate everyone in multiple ways. Coen Carr is another big returnee.
7	Tennessee	Tennessee might have an entire starting lineup composed of elite transfers. This team will have a lot of ways to score.
8	St. John's	With eligibility rulings falling their way, Pitino's experienced group will be a real threat to UConn.
9	Texas	I don't like Texas quite as much as the AP poll, which released as I was writing this, but they'll still have an elite squad anchored by seven-footer Matas Vokietaitis.
10	Texas Tech	I'm very high on Texas Tech. Hofstra's Cruz Davis, a 20-ppg scorer, will benefit from the gravity well and All-American candidate that is JT Toppin.
11	Virginia	UVA returns a ton of good players from a 30-win team and adds Jurian Dixon, whose scoring ability I think will translate to ACC play.
12	Arkansas	I still don't believe in Calipari as a game coach, but this team feels like a top-four seed just by the sheer weight of its talent.
13	Gonzaga	If Braden Huff can stay healthy this time, the Zags will be as good as people have come to expect from them.
14	Miami (FL)	Reneau, Henderson, and Acaden Lewis of Villanova feel like an elite big 3 waiting to happen.
15	USC	USC would really like Eric Reibe to make a big jump, but their backcourt looks lethal regardless.
16	Vanderbilt	I'm just generally high on Byington's coaching ability, as well as Tyler Tanner, who I think is a first-team All-ACC player.
17	Texas A&M	This might be my weirdest inclusion? I just generally think they have a lot of ways to score. PJ Haggerty will continue to be a star.re
18	Kansas	If Tyran Stokes is what people think he is, don't be surprised to see this team creep higher, but there's some real uncertainty here.
19	Missouri	There's some uncertainty around this team, but I think they have enough solid players to land a spot in the rankings, especially if they get big jumps from Tiller and Pierce.
20	Louisville	I think I'm lower on Louisville than most people. Despite their massive transfer class, I have concerns about how the team will come together and I'm not a huge Shelstad fan.
21	Alabama	I expect Aden Holloway's suspension to have minimal impact on Alabama, which will probably score and give up a million points in every game again.
22	Michigan	Michigan lost so much. They have good players, and I think Cadeau will shine this year, but I can't see them as a real contender.
23	Nebraska	I'm not putting much of any weight on their loss to BYU. Scrimmages are scrimmages, and Nebraska still has Pryce Sandfort.
24	UCLA	UCLA will need a lot of luck in their opener against Arizona, but they have a well-rounded roster with the intriguing addition of Nikola Kusturica.
25	Kentucky	I've been going back and forth on this spot, but I ultimately think Kentucky will be better than last year. The addition of Momcilovic gives them an impressive transfer class.

Overall Rationale

Also Considered: Purdue, Iowa State, Villanova, Oklahoma, North Carolina, BYU