AwkGiraffe1257's Week Pre-Season Ballot
| Rank | Team | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | Roster strength and a lot of talent in their front court returning for this season |
| 2 | Duke | Incredible at recruiting, high expectations for the program with recent sustained success |
| 3 | Illinois | Plenty of players from last year's Final 4 squad are returning. Should contend strongly for the B10 title. |
| 4 | Arizona | Offensive ability is always solid for the Wildcats and they have a high ceiling |
| 5 | UConn | Were just in the championship, Hurley is no slouch at coaching a strong team and maintaining a solid roster to rotate into games |
| 6 | Michigan State | Returning guard play will keep them in contention, defensive metrics may be better than their offensive which will keep them competitive in a stacked B10 conference |
| 7 | Houston | Even with a lower offensive output compared to most top programs, their defensive prowess cannot be ignored |
| 8 | Virginia | Continuing the strong defensive trend, Virginia has high offensive upside as well and should be a menace for teams trying to drive the basket consistently |
| 9 | Tennessee | 3 factors - good coaching, competitive within a deep SEC and their upside with both offensive/defensive abilities is solid |
| 10 | Texas | Not as high as everyone on Texas, even being a fan of theirs. A promising Cinderella run has given them high hopes but their schedule can make or break the season outlook fast. |
| 11 | Iowa State | Can't go wrong with a team that puts up production like they do. Another top defensive program that can live or die by the 3. |
| 12 | Gonzaga | New conference, high hopes (as per usual), should cruise to another high finish in the conference and likely a title to boot. Roster potential will help a lot when facing a new slate of schools |
| 13 | Louisville | Another ACC top contender, have the defensive skills to compete with the best and a loaded roster to boot |
| 14 | Arkansas | Offense all day - could put up major points on a regular basis, have to hope they protect the basket enough against a growing and tougher SEC |
| 15 | St. John's | Should compete right up there with UConn in the Big East, having just won the last conference title but underseeded in the tourney. Program continues to strengthen. |
| 16 | Texas Tech | Based on KenPom I really wanted to rank higher due to how exciting their offense can be but they have question marks around the roster due to the recent court rulings. To be seen... |
| 17 | Kansas | This is a situation where yes they just landed Kaufman-Renn but there's a lot of question about the lineup in general. The Jayhawks know how to contend at any time and could upset the best of them. |
| 18 | Alabama | Tough SEC slate this season, heck the whole schedule really. KenPom is very high on their offense as am I. Another team who could drop 100+ on any given night. |
| 19 | Michigan | Reigning champs usually have some sort of "hangover" yet Michigan is still capable of a LOT. Keeping them just inside the top 20 initial rankings til we see how the roster changes affect them overall. |
| 20 | Vanderbilt | All-around solid team. Question remains can they hang with the rest of the SEC. |
| 21 | UCLA | I think they're sneaky good and can be a surprise team to hang around the rankings all year. My concern is they will be amazing one day then crap out the next. |
| 22 | BYU | Yes they just lost a strong guy to the draft; but, they rank high in offensive ability. They'll hang around in a deep Big 12. |
| 23 | Kentucky | Never thought I'd be ranking a Kentucky team lower than Top-20 for a preseason. There's a big hope for this offense, can they stop other top offenses is my concern. |
| 24 | Nebraska | NEBRASKETBALL! What an exciting season they're coming off of. My belief is they have the ability to outperform what people are thinking about them. This ranking is more a preseason hopeful one. |
| 25 | Purdue | Last and not certainly least. Continuing their ranking trend as well. Purdue is coming back weaker but they have plenty of potential given Coach Painter and program historical strength. |
Overall Rationale
My rankings used a combination of KenPom, preseason expectations, roster turnover, program strength and coaching. Some programs left off the list due to unknown potential but still fringe-top 25 like Miami (FL), USC, Ohio State & Auburn. The lowest 5 teams are more a rationale of "hopium" and belief they can outperform expectations by the national media and fans alike.