-Jim Root

NBA Draft decisions have been made, and with that, we have a far greater degree of roster clarity when looking ahead to the 2017-18 season. Several surprises have helped shape what you'll find below - welcome back, Miles Bridges!! - so this should paint a pretty solid picture of where we stand today. These rankings can and will still change, however, whether it be due to some late surprising transfer decisions (remember Andrew White last year?) or our own fickle opinions rising and falling (Mizzou isn't in here - YET). 

With all that said, here's where myself, Ky, and Matt settled as a consensus as of today:

Some thoughts:

-Some major disagreement on the West Coast teams. I have the Gaels of St. Mary's at #15, while they barely sneak into Matt's top 25 and Ky has them out entirely. On the other hand, Matt has Gonzaga at #15, while Ky and I have them at #23 and #24, respectively. The Gaels will be relying a lot on polarizing newcomer Cullen Neal and sophomore Jordan Ford to replace ironman Joe Rahon, while Gonzaga needs Jonathan Williams III and Josh Perkins to step up into massive holes left by Nigel Williams-Goss and the two-headed center combo of Przemek Karnowski and Zach Collins (aka Przachmek Collinowski). Mr. Midrange (Ky) is all over a Killian Tillie breakout season. 

-I left Purdue out of my top 25, much to Ky's chagrin. Caleb Swanigan was such a massive force for them, be it as a scorer, rebounder, passer, or even attention-drawer, that I think they'll struggle to produce good shots next season. A breakout season from sophomore Carsen Edwards, though, could have me feeling burnt by the Boilers. 

-We all universally love Texas A&M for a major bounce-back season. The Aggies were crippled by injuries and had to rely on a Lipscomb grad transfer at PG (never a great option), but adding JJ Caldwell (ineligible as a freshman last year) and Duane Wilson (Marquette grad transfer) in the backcourt along with the return of Rim Rattlin' Robert Williams inside should give Billy Kennedy's boys the juice to make some noise next year.

-Matt is the lone resistance to a unanimous number one, as he placed the Jayhawks at his poll's perch and shafted Sean Miller's Arizona squad all the way down to *gasp* #2. Offensive role allocation could be a question there, but Ky and I trust Mr. Miller to correctly craft a potent attack in Tucson. 

-Kentucky has six 5-star freshman (and two 4-stars) - so why are they all the way down at 8th? Well, they don't really have a ton of guards, nor do they boast much shooting at all. The floor will be cramped for the stable of athletes John Calipari will throw out there, although it's possible this rangy group's defense is so nightmarish and dominant that offense won't matter. 

-Duke went through an incredibly tumultuous offseason, seeing Chase Jeter transfer and four underclassmen declare for the draft...and yet here they are, comfortably in the Top 10. Coach K's Marvelous Recruiting Emporium continues to vacuum up elite prospects, and three 5-star recruits will complement Grayson Allen and hope to prop up Marques Bolden's cadaver. 

-I voted for Virginia and nearly voted for Oregon out of respect for their coaches and their systems - both teams should have young but talented backcourts, and betting against Tony Bennett or Dana Altman could lead to a broken arm and sizable debts to your bookie. 

Finally, for transparency's sake, here are all of our polls: