{"id":45533,"date":"2025-08-05T14:40:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T14:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/45533\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T14:40:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T14:40:14","slug":"mens-ncaa-basketball-early-top-25-teams-best-nonconference-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/45533\/","title":{"rendered":"Men&#8217;s NCAA basketball early top 25 teams: Best nonconference games"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/borzello_jeff.png&#038;h=80&#038;w=80&#038;scale=crop.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jeff BorzelloAug 5, 2025, 11:30 PM<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"icon-font-after icon-close-solid-after\" href=\"#\">Close<\/a>Jeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>While July was a busy month when it came to off-the-court developments in the college sports world, there was minimal movement in the short-term men&#8217;s college basketball landscape. Coaches were finally able to turn toward the future, hitting the road to watch the next wave of recruits to enter the sport. But in terms of expectation shifts for the 2025-26 season, we&#8217;re essentially in a holding pattern.<\/p>\n<p>The top 25 from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/story\/_\/id\/45623630\/mens-college-basketball-way-too-early-top-25-impact-newcomers-2025-26\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">July edition<\/a> remains the same, though <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"631953ff-0e47-b5d9-f5ff-c7afbe96e363\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/30\/usc-trojans\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">USC<\/a> drops from &#8220;Next in line&#8221; after <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/255063\/alijah-arenas\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alijah Arenas<\/a>&#8216; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/story\/_\/id\/45809112\/usc-alijah-arenas-miss-6-8-months-knee-injury\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">unfortunate injury<\/a> that will see him out for at least the nonconference portion of the season.<\/p>\n<p>So, like last month&#8217;s impact newcomer pick for each team, we&#8217;re going to once again pick a theme. This time we&#8217;re going with one nonconference game to watch for each way-too-early top 25 program. It&#8217;s not necessarily the best game or the toughest opponent on the schedule, but perhaps an early statement opportunity or an interesting matchup. More important, it&#8217;s a game that will inform us about that team&#8217;s potential this season. (And we tried to avoid repeating games.)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753189507_289__end_rule.png\" width=\"100%\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2509.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 1<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec. 20 vs. Auburn in Indianapolis<\/p>\n<p>This matchup will feature two of the elite point guards &#8212; maybe the two best &#8212; in men&#8217;s college basketball in Purdue&#8217;s <a data-player-guid=\"a609551a-802c-382d-bbdb-4bbe1d8d556e\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105854\/braden-smith\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Braden Smith<\/a> and Auburn&#8217;s <a data-player-guid=\"fee62a21-ee07-3ead-8fc3-4c4faef79abd\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4873089\/tahaad-pettiford\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tahaad Pettiford<\/a>. It will also be an interesting test for the Boilermakers&#8217; potential two-big lineup against an Auburn frontcourt that skews smaller than it did last season when it beat Purdue by 18 points behind 23 points and 11 rebounds from Johni Broome.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Braden Smith (15.8 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"921a53fa-f95a-3e0d-8bb3-af8ceb198bbc\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5175591\/cj-cox\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">C.J. Cox<\/a> (6.0 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"7b9cbe2a-8b80-391c-9403-febd5902f886\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105853\/fletcher-loyer\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Fletcher Loyer<\/a> (13.8 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"9100e842-c240-3173-94f5-3303637e5eb4\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4897438\/trey-kaufman-renn\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trey Kaufman-Renn<\/a> (20.1 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"7e414c64-5804-36a3-b0ac-a193b77a80df\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5174973\/oscar-cluff\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Oscar Cluff<\/a> (17.6 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"a50bfcec-efe7-5b81-153b-af36378a883a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2571\/south-dakota-state-jackrabbits\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">South Dakota State<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\" data-image-container=\".inline-photo\" height=\"320\" width=\"570\"\/>Purdue&#8217;s rematch against Auburn will pit Braden Smith, the frontrunner for the Wooden Award, against Tahaad Pettiford.\u00a0Brandon Sumrall\/Getty Images<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/57.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 2<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 3 vs. Arizona in Las Vegas<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s hard to pass up the season opener for the reigning national champs. There will be some growing pains for the Gators, who are bringing in a new backcourt in transfers <a data-player-guid=\"3b5ea3e0-1ac8-337f-8b15-29fcb20474c3\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5238195\/boogie-fland\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Boogie Fland<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"789c6b1b-1167-3b61-9159-a2c93f4cc1ba\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5107169\/xaivian-lee\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Xaivian Lee<\/a>. But the Wildcats should pose a good test, as they are going to be even more of a work-in-progress: likely starting two freshmen in five-star recruits <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/251630\/brayden-burries\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brayden Burries<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/248488\/koa-peat\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Koa Peat<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Boogie Fland (13.5 PPG at Arkansas)<br \/>Xaivian Lee (16.9 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"e9861242-2b5a-e768-d3e8-b6c0b7b5dd7f\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/163\/princeton-tigers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Princeton Tigers<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"ab7df34c-c6d6-396a-9eb5-3a5b4929854b\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5080489\/thomas-haugh\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Thomas Haugh<\/a> (9.8 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"924c1cb5-a635-3ed0-a81e-09fb1e3d0d3f\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5174657\/alex-condon\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alex Condon<\/a> (10.6 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"caea03f5-841d-31cc-a114-6601022250ac\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5174971\/rueben-chinyelu\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rueben Chinyelu<\/a> (6.1 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/248.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 3<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec. 20 vs. Arkansas in Brooklyn<\/p>\n<p>Houston hasn&#8217;t released most of its nonconference schedule yet, but we&#8217;re circling the Cougars&#8217; trip to New York to face John Calipari&#8217;s Razorbacks just before Christmas. It&#8217;ll take place in enough time for both teams&#8217; highly-ranked freshmen to get acclimated to the college game and is a statement-making opportunity before conference play really begins.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"c2076a54-9106-38a3-8cc2-7066c47f7e54\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5106272\/milos-uzan\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Milos Uzan<\/a> (11.4 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"7c1ed5bf-7a04-305b-830c-9e62bd7d6feb\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5106058\/emanuel-sharp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Emanuel Sharp<\/a> (12.7 PPG)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/250598\/isiah-harwell\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Isiah Harwell<\/a> (No. 14 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"32439c5f-d83b-3659-9721-9cce6d6bea89\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5060700\/joseph-tugler\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Joseph Tugler<\/a> (5.5 PPG)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/254842\/chris-cenac-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Cenac Jr<\/a>. (No. 6 in ESPN 100)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/41.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 4<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec. 9 vs. Florida at Madison Square Garden<\/p>\n<p>The winners of the past three men&#8217;s national championships will face off at the famed arena. Are the Gators good enough to go back-to-back? Are the Huskies good enough to compete for their third title in four years? UConn has one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the sport, but the marquee game of the Jimmy V Classic is the most anticipated on the docket.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"5e72775a-6cc6-3df0-ba59-7f9c0b73b9aa\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5054083\/silas-demary-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Silas Demary Jr<\/a>. (13.5 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"80c05c62-ba87-6597-8722-3df63ccc528e\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/61\/georgia-bulldogs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"635dae53-e22f-3ed6-bfdc-d1d52fe7981b\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4895737\/solo-ball\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Solo Ball<\/a> (14.4 PPG)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/258876\/braylon-mullins\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Braylon Mullins<\/a> (No. 17 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"80088292-4b09-39c6-b079-79c090c5a986\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4917149\/alex-karaban\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alex Karaban<\/a> (14.3 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"360f2005-a262-3680-9882-38c27ed1c5e0\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105809\/tarris-reed-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tarris Reed Jr<\/a>. (9.6 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2599.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 5<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Editor&#8217;s Picks<\/p>\n<p>2 Related<\/p>\n<p>Dec. 20 vs. Kentucky in Atlanta<\/p>\n<p>Rick Pitino is going against the team &#8212; and coach (Mark Pope) &#8212; that he guided to the 1996 national championship. But this is also a matchup between arguably the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/story\/_\/id\/45465495\/ncaa-basketball-transfer-portal-class-rankings-2025-26\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">two best transfer classes in the country<\/a>, with both potentially starting four incoming transfers. St. John&#8217;s has legitimate national title hopes this season, and a trip to &#8220;Catlanta&#8221; is a good measuring stick.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"bade1cf0-d621-35ba-a4c3-2af4e3610826\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4869770\/ian-jackson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ian Jackson<\/a> (11.9 PPG at North Carolina)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"7f0fefae-0f76-3f24-90f7-a36dadada48b\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5142625\/joson-sanon\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Joson Sanon<\/a> (11.9 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"96c172c2-869a-ea5c-00f0-db7be77799a5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/9\/arizona-state-sun-devils\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Arizona State<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"c4cc7a85-ec69-3286-83e4-ea5ee23830e6\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105642\/oziyah-sellers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Oziyah Sellers<\/a> (13.7 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"a54679f8-cd4a-5c11-7918-1424cd724981\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/24\/stanford-cardinal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Stanford<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"03ec5ddc-6e79-31f5-9c01-069a1c756af8\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4565698\/bryce-hopkins\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bryce Hopkins<\/a> (15.5 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"dba43170-9fc2-c859-6e26-dc482aee8c9f\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2507\/providence-friars\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Providence<\/a> in 2023-24)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"6223411c-5085-3e1f-bb47-fd6b32e8bdba\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5106262\/zuby-ejiofor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Zuby Ejiofor<\/a> (14.7 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/252.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 6<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 15 vs. UConn in Boston<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/254848\/aj-dybantsa\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A.J. Dybantsa<\/a>&#8216;s first game in a BYU uniform, but it&#8217;s a massive one just a few weeks into his college career. Dybantsa is returning home to Boston to face one of the biggest programs in the sport &#8212; which is also an opportunity for BYU, led by one of the most talented offensive trios in the country, to make an early statement against what should be a top-five Huskies team.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"37c18106-793b-34e3-ac0a-910848638246\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5060709\/robert-wright-iii\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Robert Wright III<\/a> (11.5 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"5ffd2c36-2d70-a740-3bb2-6b4d646d38aa\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/239\/baylor-bears\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Baylor<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"668be06f-3f69-38c0-92ca-6997d0bf5944\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4685654\/kennard-davis-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kennard Davis Jr<\/a>. (16.3 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"db23e3c1-9666-31a4-f169-5bf488c397cb\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/79\/southern-illinois-salukis\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Southern Illinois<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"89c20a68-9086-3fe9-81af-3888275e8e47\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105462\/richie-saunders\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Richie Saunders<\/a> (16.5 PPG)<br \/>A.J. Dybantsa (No. 1 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"c88d8894-4512-3685-9f39-3bc387289be2\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105647\/keba-keita\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Keba Keita<\/a> (7.4 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/97.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 7<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 11 vs. Kentucky<\/p>\n<p>This top-10 game is taking place much earlier than the usual meeting between the regional rivals. It will be loaded with talented perimeter players, so it&#8217;s an opportunity for star Louisville freshman <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/252193\/mikel-brown-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mikel Brown Jr<\/a>. to truly show whether the hype is real. The Cardinals have a string of intriguing tests in December, but this one is an early harbinger.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 8 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"8d1c0a90-8e24-3481-83f9-976a4b9f32e7\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4712845\/isaac-mckneely\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Isaac McKneely<\/a> (14.4 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"61451359-15ec-b9ff-6584-ca6254971797\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/258\/virginia-cavaliers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Virginia<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"00da764f-2021-3741-92ca-2045983b9a92\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5107157\/ryan-conwell\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ryan Conwell<\/a> (16.5 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"8d8b7bf1-76b6-2bcd-1035-6c7a2b192a82\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2752\/xavier-musketeers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Xavier<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"c0dfdcb2-1a7b-374d-a0a9-4f37a7e802d6\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4702784\/jvonne-hadley\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">J&#8217;Vonne Hadley<\/a> (12.2 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"fcfebdb4-45c5-35af-bcc3-e39acc7c84ff\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4589481\/kasean-pryor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kasean Pryor<\/a> (12.0 PPG in seven games)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/130.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 8<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Feb. 21 vs. Duke in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n<p>Late-season nonconference games are increasingly frequent, but the best on the 2025-26 schedule is this one, featuring one of the best individual matchups of the season: <a data-player-guid=\"b037d625-6e30-391c-a906-b39ea32c281f\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5175737\/yaxel-lendeborg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Yaxel Lendeborg<\/a>, one of the premier transfers in the country, vs. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/250590\/cameron-boozer\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cameron Boozer<\/a>, who might end up as the most productive frosh in the 2025 class.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"6af44d66-2224-36c8-96d9-155bbb044539\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4869764\/elliot-cadeau\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Elliot Cadeau<\/a> (9.4 PPG at North Carolina)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"e077d05e-8063-33cb-ad9b-ffc1391b52cd\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105836\/roddy-gayle-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Roddy Gayle Jr<\/a>. (9.8 PPG)<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4433138\/nimari-burnett\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nimari Burnett<\/a> (9.4 PPG)<br \/>Yaxel Lendeborg (17.7 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"89357848-b14d-3289-0a46-92fee10068cc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/5\/uab-blazers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">UAB<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"41acc522-7c02-37cc-a39c-fe18eea0c246\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4873153\/morez-johnson-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Morez Johnson Jr<\/a>. (7.0 PPG at Illinois)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/96.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 9<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec. 2 vs. North Carolina<\/p>\n<p>This isn&#8217;t the toughest game on the Wildcats&#8217; schedule, but it provides some extra time for <a data-player-guid=\"ad6a2af6-d0cd-3882-950d-d9cee753bc1b\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5101845\/jayden-quaintance\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jayden Quaintance<\/a> to recover from tearing his right ACL in February. Until the Arizona State transfer and projected lottery pick is fully healthy, we won&#8217;t see Kentucky hit its true ceiling. So, a blue-blood battle with North Carolina a month into the season is the perfect chance to gauge the Wildcats.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"ea4c5cea-b785-3177-a2c5-1cd6ecee6c40\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4684270\/jaland-lowe\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaland Lowe<\/a> (16.8 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"b26a69f8-2434-6014-c5bb-d1c068a784da\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/221\/pittsburgh-panthers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pitt<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"bf417c1e-deca-3d23-b4dc-e3fc9b4c7845\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105527\/denzel-aberdeen\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Denzel Aberdeen<\/a> (7.7 PPG at Florida)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"aa1992e8-3cef-3fc0-a8e5-46fcdaadc2b0\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5106270\/otega-oweh\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Otega Oweh<\/a> (16.2 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"ea863910-c25b-3abd-805d-15df0e4add78\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4895780\/mouhamed-dioubate\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mouhamed Dioubate<\/a> (7.2 PPG at Alabama)<br \/>Jayden Quaintance (9.4 PPG at Arizona State)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2641.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 10<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec. 20 vs. Duke at Madison Square Garden<\/p>\n<p>Another elite head-to-head individual battle, this time featuring preseason All-American <a data-player-guid=\"8def1a4a-d782-386b-97f4-16cb11473f86\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5143604\/jt-toppin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">JT Toppin<\/a> and Duke freshman <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/250590\/cameron-boozer\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cameron Boozer<\/a>. Toppin put up some otherworldly single-game performances last season, and it wouldn&#8217;t be a surprise to see Boozer do the same this season. Big picture, though, this is a fascinating neutral-site game right before league play begins.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"8411f044-6871-37ea-b920-26ad1c409d22\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5060701\/christian-anderson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Christian Anderson<\/a> (10.6 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"109c7f55-e48a-33c0-b0eb-7c2d4642a481\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5107355\/donovan-atwell\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donovan Atwell<\/a> (13.3 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"5775dc36-db28-e76e-2683-19db47561c2e\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2430\/unc-greensboro-spartans\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">UNC Greensboro<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"07f91e00-4912-3847-bb3a-147c01787510\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5107312\/lejuan-watts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LeJuan Watts<\/a> (13.7 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"140b1b59-bd81-0068-bc1a-391506e49e2c\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/265\/washington-state-cougars\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Washington State<\/a>)<br \/>JT Toppin (18.2 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"0178750a-0e22-3359-9326-1bfcae3d69c8\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5061581\/luke-bamgboye\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Luke Bamgboye<\/a> (3.8 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"55938a79-0ab9-0e7b-b926-efb46723c61d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2670\/vcu-rams\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">VCU<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/8.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 11<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec. 3 vs. Louisville<\/p>\n<p>Arkansas is hosting the Cardinals for the ACC\/SEC Challenge, and on-campus games always add a little bit of spice to the proceedings. Arguably the two best point guards entering college this season, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/254846\/darius-acuff\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Darius Acuff<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/252193\/mikel-brown-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mikel Brown Jr<\/a>., will face off &#8212; though John Calipari will also have to hope his returnees take a step forward after not quite hitting their stride until March last season.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Darius Acuff (No. 7 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"09a57553-11b3-3d03-a672-f98ddc19e3cb\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4683777\/dj-wagner\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">D.J. Wagner<\/a> (11.2 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"715b2210-400e-34ff-aef5-1f4b28260a26\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4869777\/karter-knox\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Karter Knox<\/a> (8.3 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"5d2e6b2b-3638-3b9a-924c-1312fc39cbf6\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4698719\/trevon-brazile\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trevon Brazile<\/a> (6.8 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"0fc3cf1b-158f-3d64-969e-cee0cc4502ec\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105546\/malique-ewin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Malique Ewin<\/a> (14.2 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"7215a749-b7bf-2070-9f19-43b57de35bf2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/52\/florida-state-seminoles\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Florida State<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/150.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 12<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 4 vs. Texas in Charlotte<\/p>\n<p>As evidenced by the slew of Duke mentions so far, the Blue Devils have a loaded nonconference slate, and Texas isn&#8217;t exactly the toughest opponent on their schedule. But it&#8217;s the first game of their season, and the first game of the post-Cooper Flagg era. It&#8217;s a big test for <a data-player-guid=\"bc722fea-34fe-3040-93a4-acd7af7a1eed\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4711256\/caleb-foster\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Caleb Foster<\/a> at the point and a chance for the No. 1-ranked recruiting class to show out.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Caleb Foster (5.1 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"d5da059e-0795-3877-86f4-4197b62d1bfb\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5061585\/isaiah-evans\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Isaiah Evans<\/a> (6.8 PPG)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/254978\/nikolas-khamenia\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nikolas Khamenia<\/a> (No. 15 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/250590\/cameron-boozer\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cameron Boozer<\/a> (No. 3 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"fec6f9fc-c5d9-3fab-a3b9-280f77699357\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4873209\/patrick-ngongba-ii\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Patrick Ngongba II<\/a> (3.9 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\"\/>play<\/p>\n<p>0:19<\/p>\n<p>Cameron Boozer wins men&#8217;s Gatorade Player of the Year<\/p>\n<p class=\"contentItem__subhead\">Cameron Boozer is honored at the ESPYS for being the men&#8217;s Gatorade Player of the Year.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/12.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 13<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 19 at UConn<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ll mention the UCLA-Arizona rivalry game later, don&#8217;t worry. The Wildcats are also going across the country to face the Huskies in a true road game a couple weeks into the season, and we&#8217;re looking forward to a lot of individual matchups: How will <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/248488\/koa-peat\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Koa Peat<\/a> fare against <a data-player-guid=\"80088292-4b09-39c6-b079-79c090c5a986\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4917149\/alex-karaban\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alex Karaban<\/a>? Can <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/251630\/brayden-burries\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brayden Burries<\/a> defend <a data-player-guid=\"635dae53-e22f-3ed6-bfdc-d1d52fe7981b\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4895737\/solo-ball\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Solo Ball<\/a>? Are <a data-player-guid=\"46726a02-13f1-3edf-abb4-ab224d288f35\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5174954\/motiejus-krivas\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Motiejus Krivas<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"888818ce-721f-38af-9849-d001dc25c7dd\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105555\/tobe-awaka\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tobe Awaka<\/a> going to win the battle inside against <a data-player-guid=\"360f2005-a262-3680-9882-38c27ed1c5e0\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105809\/tarris-reed-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tarris Reed Jr<\/a>.?<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"df9228a1-a5fd-36fe-a616-0955a706678f\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4432737\/jaden-bradley\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaden Bradley<\/a> (12.1 PPG)<br \/>Brayden Burries (No. 12 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"b69f4141-8c58-3c54-b1ed-f96d64a9e6e0\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5108141\/anthony-dellorso\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Anthony Dell&#8217;Orso<\/a> (7.2 PPG)<br \/>Koa Peat (No. 10 in ESPN 100)<br \/>Tobe Awaka (8.0 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\"\/>play<\/p>\n<p>0:52<\/p>\n<p>Koa Peat makes college announcement live on McAfee<\/p>\n<p class=\"contentItem__subhead\">Koa Peat joins &#8220;The Pat McAfee Show&#8221; to reveal the college he has decided to play for next season.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 14<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 25 vs. Michigan in Las Vegas<\/p>\n<p>Maybe the best scheduled matchup of the Players Era Festival this year, this will be a massive test for an Auburn group that lost all five starters from its Final Four team. The Tigers were able to dominate around the rim last season, but they&#8217;re going to be smaller up front in 2025-26. Will they be able to handle <a data-player-guid=\"b037d625-6e30-391c-a906-b39ea32c281f\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5175737\/yaxel-lendeborg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Yaxel Lendeborg<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"41acc522-7c02-37cc-a39c-fe18eea0c246\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4873153\/morez-johnson-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Morez Johnson Jr<\/a>. and <a data-player-guid=\"bcb0b572-7f8d-3cfe-91ab-625c31cfc6b5\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5174983\/aday-mara\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Aday Mara<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"fee62a21-ee07-3ead-8fc3-4c4faef79abd\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4873089\/tahaad-pettiford\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tahaad Pettiford<\/a> (11.7 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"99cec652-cebb-3119-a456-58e9f7b09edb\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5176314\/kevin-overton\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kevin Overton<\/a> (7.8 PPG at Texas Tech)<br \/>Elyjah Freeman (19.3 PPG at D-II Lincoln Memorial)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"a5226493-ce3d-3c1d-84d4-8330a891423c\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5075625\/keyshawn-hall\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Keyshawn Hall<\/a> (18.8 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"4ba039e2-23db-2733-9ddf-fae153fa33db\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2116\/ucf-knights\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">UCF<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"50385344-9623-3ff8-beed-6d5d92874245\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4683756\/keshawn-murphy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">KeShawn Murphy<\/a> (11.7 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"7cfbbf6b-2547-a5e5-fb67-caef89185c37\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/344\/mississippi-state-bulldogs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mississippi State<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/26.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 15<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 14 vs. Arizona in Inglewood, Calif.<\/p>\n<p>An old Pac-10\/12 rivalry game will double as a fascinating early-season measuring stick for these high-ceiling teams. For the Bruins, it&#8217;s a chance to see <a data-player-guid=\"bba8076b-a14c-3d71-b650-5eea90d52194\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5107782\/donovan-dent\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donovan Dent<\/a> against a talented backcourt. Dent is going to be the needle-mover for Mick Cronin, but the likes of <a data-player-guid=\"1d03cb67-7df2-3429-9637-efccbcaedef6\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5060706\/trent-perry\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trent Perry<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"391024d4-653c-36ff-bb9b-63ef1791b7cc\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105794\/skyy-clark\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Skyy Clark<\/a> taking a significant leap might make more of a difference for this group&#8217;s potential.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Donovan Dent (20.4 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"2363f145-ba77-bba4-9794-047e956b0e82\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/167\/new-mexico-lobos\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">New Mexico<\/a>)<br \/>Skyy Clark (8.5 PPG)<br \/>Trent Perry (3.7 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"ced596e9-111a-afa9-c8bb-40c87f46d802\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/3955263\/eric-dailey\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Eric Dailey<\/a> (11.4 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"36f0beb9-4399-3183-aa43-b5bcea2e79ff\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105626\/tyler-bilodeau\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tyler Bilodeau<\/a> (13.5 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/356.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 16<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 11 vs. Texas Tech<\/p>\n<p>Illinois is one of the biggest mystery teams entering the season, so welcoming Texas Tech a week in makes for a good watch. Will Mihailo Petrovic make a major impact from day one? Can the Ivisic brothers coexist productively on the floor? Is <a data-player-guid=\"511e1a06-a4a4-3ea3-a4c7-251cc64302eb\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5175007\/andrej-stojakovic\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Andrej Stojakovic<\/a> ready to be the go-to guy on a winning team? There are also defensive questions, and Tech&#8217;s <a data-player-guid=\"8def1a4a-d782-386b-97f4-16cb11473f86\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5143604\/jt-toppin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">JT Toppin<\/a> will look to take advantage.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Mihailo Petrovic (14.3 PPG for Mega Superbet in Serbia)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"f14bb50c-ba08-3255-b7e5-148b4030dbb6\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4684269\/kylan-boswell\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kylan Boswell<\/a> (12.3 PPG)<br \/>Andrej Stojakovic (17.9 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"f5fcf414-6c05-6250-1304-fac5533c67af\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/25\/california-golden-bears\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">California<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"b1c505b5-5432-379d-b4c2-6b0844fc180a\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5174665\/zvonimir-ivisic\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Zvonimir Ivisic<\/a> (8.5 PPG at Arkansas)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"b2e6af27-fa86-3618-9e7f-d47f7cefec0f\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5214642\/tomislav-ivisic\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tomislav Ivisic<\/a> (13.0 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/333.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 17<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 8 at St. John&#8217;s<\/p>\n<p>There isn&#8217;t much of a grace period for Nate Oats to figure out what life looks like without Mark Sears. But if there&#8217;s a time to face a transfer-heavy backcourt like St. John&#8217;s, it might be early in the season. Plus, <a data-player-guid=\"cfb791fa-337f-32a3-8693-c7b5cb4eaec4\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4873090\/labaron-philon\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Labaron Philon<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"942815f1-f616-3ef0-8f9f-9d497231a88c\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4684276\/aden-holloway\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Aden Holloway<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"a09db4c9-c644-3d8b-8f40-a061e48180e5\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4702484\/latrell-wrightsell-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Latrell Wrightsell Jr<\/a>. and <a data-player-guid=\"f54586fa-a8b3-383e-be0d-ece0efb346dd\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5101656\/jalil-bethea\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jalil Bethea<\/a> are plenty capable.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Labaron Philon (10.6 PPG)<br \/>Aden Holloway (11.4 PPG)<br \/>Jalil Bethea (7.1 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"6c260eaf-10dd-3213-105a-5259a36a899b\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2390\/miami-hurricanes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Miami<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"f70b609c-4414-3d77-9d5d-ac7ef810e6b9\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4685658\/taylor-bol-bowen\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Taylor Bol Bowen<\/a> (8.0 PPG at Florida State)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"e722402c-e322-36dd-a92f-04ff91b8344a\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105668\/noah-williamson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Noah Williamson<\/a> (17.6 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"60838c03-e5d0-e6a7-fafc-962acee1bf32\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2083\/bucknell-bison\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bucknell<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\"\/>play<\/p>\n<p>2:48<\/p>\n<p>Nate Oats discusses the transfer portal and Alabama&#8217;s newfound success<\/p>\n<p class=\"contentItem__subhead\">Oats describes adjusting his roster due to the unpredictable transfer portal, the success of Crimson Tide basketball under his leadership and denies rumors of leaving for the NBA.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/66.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 18<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec. 6 at Purdue<\/p>\n<p>The departures of Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert could cause the Cyclones to see a drop-off on the offensive end this season &#8212; more in line with what we saw at that end of the floor in earlier years. But the defense, with <a data-player-guid=\"26cd511d-7b66-3248-9516-6804fae3a285\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5106254\/tamin-lipsey\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tamin Lipsey<\/a> at the point of attack, should be as stingy as ever. How will it fare against what should be one of the best offenses in the country?<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Tamin Lipsey (10.6 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"a51a36f5-479b-3177-af98-35e9a2056805\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4703912\/nate-heise\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nate Heise<\/a> (5.1 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"6583790c-8f99-3c0a-8257-685c4f9fa1bb\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4848637\/milan-momcilovic\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Milan Momcilovic<\/a> (11.5 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"ce3cc2fe-3faf-3710-9e7d-b5d304cf99eb\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4870564\/joshua-jefferson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Joshua Jefferson<\/a> (13.0 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"e74626d3-2afd-3586-ae29-ade129e2d4f0\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5079838\/blake-buchanan\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Blake Buchanan<\/a> (5.7 PPG at Virginia)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2250.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 19<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec. 5 vs. Kentucky in Nashville<\/p>\n<p>Assuming <a data-player-guid=\"747fb45c-ff51-3e11-ab62-04ce5059c582\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4700527\/tyon-grant-foster\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tyon Grant-Foster<\/a> gets another year of eligibility, Gonzaga&#8217;s biggest question will be at the point guard spot, and the Zags&#8217; game against Kentucky in December gives Mark Few a month to try to figure the answer out. He has options: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4683147\/jalen-warley\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jalen Warley<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"90275e51-2bd5-3034-af81-bb8d096ce4e0\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105672\/braeden-smith\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Braeden Smith<\/a> both redshirted this past season, while <a data-player-guid=\"3b115650-4efc-3ed3-b8f3-de0dd2c431e3\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4432175\/adam-miller\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Adam Miller<\/a> can play both guard positions. Mario Saint-Supery might be the best bet, though.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Braeden Smith (12.5 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"5526c327-5e51-036d-8cfe-f2ff3a621181\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2142\/colgate-raiders\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Colgate<\/a> in 2023-24)<br \/>Adam Miller (9.8 PPG at Arizona State)<br \/>Tyon Grant-Foster (14.8 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"4932c59e-d935-e9ab-e241-186980534bfa\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2253\/grand-canyon-lopes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Grand Canyon<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"24881ed4-ff11-3166-898e-25279ef6bf52\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4894445\/braden-huff\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Braden Huff<\/a> (11.0 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"efdccd01-d4ac-30af-95a2-bc6c7bb27d29\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4703396\/graham-ike\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Graham Ike<\/a> (17.3 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/275.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 20<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 21 vs. BYU in Salt Lake City<\/p>\n<p>Wisconsin&#8217;s improvement, and change in style, on the offensive end was one of the more positive Big Ten storylines of last season. Without John Tonje, though, what will the Badgers look like at that end? There&#8217;s no better test of firepower than going away from home to face what should be one of the most explosive offenses in the country.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"bbded900-5a66-30d6-9fef-a168fdbff6f9\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4702654\/nick-boyd\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nick Boyd<\/a> (13.4 PPG at San Diego State)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"276e474b-9b60-367c-8dbe-a0141c0003a7\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5109019\/andrew-rohde\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Andrew Rohde<\/a> (9.3 PPG at Virginia)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"83249d70-826a-3623-b234-edbe58b0c573\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5103630\/john-blackwell\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">John Blackwell<\/a> (15.8 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"ab103744-6002-31f8-a9d3-ba2dc5466e01\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5240971\/austin-rapp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Austin Rapp<\/a> (13.8 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"36cfd175-80d2-5abb-bd63-e64914e71584\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2501\/portland-pilots\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Portland<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"d96782ef-ce5f-3a73-8d3f-94c630ea797e\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4895783\/nolan-winter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nolan Winter<\/a> (9.4 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2305.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 21<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 7 at North Carolina<\/p>\n<p>The following week&#8217;s game against Duke at Madison Square Garden is a stiffer test, but the earlier we see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/250592\/darryn-peterson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Darryn Peterson<\/a>, the better. Peterson is ESPN&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/45585873\/2026-nba-mock-draft-four-players-no-1-pick-options-peterson-dybantsa-boozer-ament\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">projected No. 1 pick<\/a> in the 2026 NBA draft, and a true road game in Chapel Hill the first week of the season is a great test. This is also as unproven a Bill Self roster as we&#8217;ve seen in some time.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Darryn Peterson (No. 2 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"33732fb9-de23-3fd6-b6b5-04722e2417f5\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5177301\/melvin-council-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Melvin Council Jr<\/a>. (14.6 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"a8739d42-8194-fa6b-a99e-208cfc284305\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/179\/st-bonaventure-bonnies\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">St. Bonaventure<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"ad5d8997-315e-3b9d-91f7-f57ede1de94c\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105964\/jayden-dawson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jayden Dawson<\/a> (13.9 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"e5f56d4a-eacc-8e13-ea18-f74c46142f59\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2350\/loyola-chicago-ramblers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Loyola Chicago<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"482903b8-62df-330c-b37c-4c6086d88aa1\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105643\/tre-white\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tre White<\/a> (10.5 PPG at Illinois)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"bca74454-8b6e-379a-b2e3-992ff739329e\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5044426\/flory-bidunga\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Flory Bidunga<\/a> (5.9 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/156.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 22<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 11 at Gonzaga<\/p>\n<p>Creighton&#8217;s Players Era games against Baylor and Iowa State would fit in this spot too, but if you&#8217;re a fan of offense, this one shouldn&#8217;t be missed. Both teams are loaded with talented offensive players and both teams will face some question marks at the defensive end of the floor. <a data-player-guid=\"1ba62436-d5a2-3de1-85db-daf05b2bdad1\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5061591\/jackson-mcandrew\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jackson McAndrew<\/a> making a jump will be worth monitoring early on.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"6918353c-f5c5-39b5-b38d-fb89199de151\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5243101\/blake-harper\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Blake Harper<\/a> (19.5 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"6f8b1e89-ee8f-23a2-83ba-1551f36ec1d9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/47\/howard-bison\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Howard<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"8157312b-5a17-377b-90ed-41a9ee333b7f\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105800\/josh-dix\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Josh Dix<\/a> (14.4 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"b7840e2f-6236-e764-2cae-20286a0829e7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2294\/iowa-hawkeyes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Iowa<\/a>)<br \/>Jackson McAndrew (7.8 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"749ba0a1-d136-38a5-9f1f-e5074eaa360d\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105577\/jasen-green\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jasen Green<\/a> (4.9 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"495cd434-7bdd-3d41-96d4-ba2911a260e2\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4894465\/owen-freeman\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Owen Freeman<\/a> (16.7 PPG at Iowa)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2633.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 23<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov. 25 vs. Houston in Las Vegas<\/p>\n<p>Rick Barnes&#8217; post-Zakai Zeigler coaching career gets underway this season, with this game one of the scheduled highlights of the Players Era. How will <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/256887\/nate-ament\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nate Ament<\/a> handle Houston&#8217;s physicality and defense? Will <a data-player-guid=\"6e1757e3-1cfb-362f-8654-38c86896fae1\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5107968\/jakobi-gillespie\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ja&#8217;Kobi Gillespie<\/a> get the best of <a data-player-guid=\"c2076a54-9106-38a3-8cc2-7066c47f7e54\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5106272\/milos-uzan\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Milos Uzan<\/a> at the point guard spot? Is Tennessee&#8217;s defense going to be in the top five nationally for the sixth year in a row?<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Ja&#8217;Kobi Gillespie (14.7 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"5858f992-9c44-5441-8357-6b2af9bde93e\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/120\/maryland-terrapins\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Maryland<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"b28db329-0778-3052-bd6d-0ed32c79d758\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105544\/amaree-abram\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Amaree Abram<\/a> (12.3 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"b4c77218-5101-d37c-e73a-3c57c39020f1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2348\/louisiana-tech-bulldogs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Louisiana Tech<\/a>)<br \/>Nate Ament (No. 4 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"ca590638-da80-3b73-b106-9176931dbd32\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4685687\/jaylen-carey\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaylen Carey<\/a> (8.0 PPG)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"77214733-3c0e-394b-838b-7acf3fb261d3\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105841\/felix-okpara\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Felix Okpara<\/a> (7.1 PPG)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/152.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 24<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec. 3 at Auburn<\/p>\n<p>Will Wade didn&#8217;t waste too much time putting together a competitive and talented roster in Raleigh. The headliner is <a data-player-guid=\"cb2eb03b-a545-3950-a4a8-5495a669ce5e\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4937074\/darrion-williams\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Darrion Williams<\/a>, and he won&#8217;t be afraid of the spotlight going on the road to face Auburn. One interesting note: <a data-player-guid=\"31c17d95-4971-309d-9387-f6af15315ea7\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105816\/tre-holloman\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tre Holloman<\/a> faced Auburn in last year&#8217;s Elite Eight and went 0-for-10 from the field; he&#8217;ll have to do better against <a data-player-guid=\"fee62a21-ee07-3ead-8fc3-4c4faef79abd\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4873089\/tahaad-pettiford\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tahaad Pettiford<\/a> this time around.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p>Tre Holloman (9.1 PPG at Michigan State)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"3b6bdf69-f9d7-3e6c-a3fd-132818ccf870\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5106059\/terrance-arceneaux\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Terrance Arceneaux<\/a> (6.5 PPG at Houston)<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/womens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5250336\/quadir-copeland\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Quadir Copeland<\/a> (9.2 PPG at McNeese)<br \/>Darrion Williams (15.1 PPG at Texas Tech)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"9f4aee53-deca-3943-a869-652f43e7952e\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4684799\/ven-allen-lubin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ven-Allen Lubin<\/a> (8.7 PPG at North Carolina)<\/p>\n<p><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\"\/>play<\/p>\n<p>0:59<\/p>\n<p>Will Wade: NC State will get &#8216;best version of me&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"contentItem__subhead\">Will Wade makes his introductory speech as NC State&#8217;s new basketball coach and says he&#8217;ll turn the Wolfpack into a consistent winner.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/153.png&#038;w=110&#038;h=110.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Previous ranking: 25<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sw_ye_40.png\" width=\"17\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec. 20 vs. Ohio State in Atlanta<\/p>\n<p>North Carolina is going to be a work in progress to start the season. Eight of the Tar Heels&#8217; top nine scorers are gone, they&#8217;re bringing in five transfers and they might start a freshman and an international newcomer. Early-season games might not be a great gauge for how good Carolina could be, though. A pre-Christmas tilt against a team just outside our top 25 will be a better test.<\/p>\n<p>Projected starting lineup<\/p>\n<p><a data-player-guid=\"f08aa248-fd39-3daf-880d-45b883cc8fd1\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5093253\/kyan-evans\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kyan Evans<\/a> (10.6 PPG at <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"af8ab21f-d4fb-4d43-3047-c416f93bbe76\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/36\/colorado-state-rams\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Colorado State<\/a>)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"e887ad7e-e373-36b7-b007-2947dc1e8a3a\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/4712836\/seth-trimble\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Seth Trimble<\/a> (11.6 PPG)<br \/>Luka Bogavac (14.9 PPG for SC Derby in Montenegro)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/college-sports\/basketball\/recruiting\/player\/_\/id\/207137\/caleb-wilson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Caleb Wilson<\/a> (No. 5 in ESPN 100)<br \/><a data-player-guid=\"58416d5c-eb6e-3bd7-93f5-49a1ebd53692\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mens-college-basketball\/player\/_\/id\/5105571\/henri-veesaar\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Henri Veesaar<\/a> (9.4 PPG at Arizona)<\/p>\n<p>Next in line<\/p>\n<p><a data-clubhouse-guid=\"e27db1a2-334d-8849-17d4-820ecb0c0336\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/21\/san-diego-state-aztecs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">San Diego State Aztecs<\/a><br \/><a data-clubhouse-guid=\"d6fdad20-942f-18ec-c5cb-eb8c7cf4e6c3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/194\/ohio-state-buckeyes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ohio State Buckeyes<\/a><br \/><a data-clubhouse-guid=\"9e2e541a-57cd-03c5-d157-257c7032aae8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/251\/texas-longhorns\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Texas Longhorns<\/a><br \/><a data-clubhouse-guid=\"b327b118-e4ce-7e06-2d20-d3a236718b48\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/2483\/oregon-ducks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Oregon Ducks<\/a><br \/><a data-clubhouse-guid=\"1ee049af-fdba-6368-9c70-eec74ace759f\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com.au\/mens-college-basketball\/team\/_\/id\/127\/michigan-state-spartans\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Michigan State Spartans<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jeff BorzelloAug 5, 2025, 11:30 PM CloseJeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45534,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-45533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45533\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}