Our one-stop hub for this year’s Top 40 countdown! Full listing of teams included, plus links to each daily tweet thread inside.
Read moreAtlantic 10 2021-22 Preview
The Bonnies have the most stability at the top, but an impressive tier of squads are intent on getting the A10 multiple NCAA Tournament bids this season. Richmond, SLU, and Dayton lurk most, but can a dark horse emerge from the talented but mysterious group below them?
Read more#4 Kentucky 2021-22 Preview
Following an extremely disappointing campaign in Lexington, John Calipari loaded up the roster this offseason. Four high-level transfers and two 5-star recruits give the Cats a tantalizing ceiling, but will all of these pieces come together?
Read more#9 UCLA 2021-22 Preview
UCLA looks to prove its 2021 Final Four run was no fluke. A wealth of talent, a big man from Rutgers, and a coach named Mick lead the way.
Read more#13 Tennessee 2021-22 Preview
Tennessee’s stuck-in-the-mud offense undermined an elite defense last year, sending the Vols home in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. With another intriguing roster that blends productive experience and exciting young talent, can Rick Barnes strike a better balance this time around?
Read more#15 Oregon 2021-22 Preview
Talent oozes from a Duck roster rebuilt with high-level HS talent and scintillating skill from the transfer portal. A healthy Will Richardson looks to lead Oregon to its third straight Pac 12 title and another trip to the Dance.
Read more#16 Houston 2021-22 Preview
The Cougars lose two key pieces from their first Final Four squad since 1984, but Kelvin Sampson and the fellas are not going anywhere. The physical identity remains, and Sampson has elevated Houston to “perennial American favorite” over the past five years.
Read more#17 Illinois 2021-22 Preview
Illinois looks to get back to the top seed line with All-American Kofi Cockburn back in the fold. Can Andre Curbelo ascend to alpha status and lead the Illini to the top of the Big Ten standings?
Read more#19 Memphis 2021-22 Preview
Losing to Tulsa twice may have doomed the Tigers’ NCAA chances, but they rebounded to win the NIT in emphatic fashion. With gobs of talent once again, can Penny Hardaway finally get Memphis dancing?
Read more#20 Indiana 2021-22 Preview
Mike Woodson takes over in Bloomington for the fired Archie Miller looking to bring his Hoosiers back to the top of the Big Ten standings.
Read more#22 Auburn 2021-22 Preview
A roller coaster season (especially at the point guard position) coupled with a postseason ban left Auburn in a strange college hoops netherworld last year. After Bruce Pearl restocked the roster this offseason, can the Tigers regain national relevance?
Read more#24 Arkansas 2021-22 Preview
The Muss Bus rolls on, again loaded with a potent lineup of transfers and veterans from last year’s squad. The Razorbacks put a scare in Baylor before the Bears went scorched earth at the Final Four, and with more length and perimeter weaponry, this Razorbacks squad is another legitimate national threat.
Read more#25 BYU 2021-22 Preview
Mark Pope has another winner brewing in Provo. Led by a veteran backcourt in Alex Barcello and Te’Jon Lucas, the Cougars look to earn yet another high seed in March and challenge Gonzaga for the WCC throne.
Read more#26 UConn 2021-22 Preview
The Huskies were extremely solid in their return to the Big East, finishing in third and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Though James Bouknight is gone, UConn remains near the top of the Big East totem pole, and Dan Hurley should have his squad in the Big Dance for many years to come.
Read more#27 St. Bonaventure 2021-22 Preview
Mark Schmidt returns all five starters from his best team ever. Can the Bonnies make a March run as an encore to winning both the A-10 regular season and tournament crowns?
Read more#30 LSU 2021-22 Preview
A full turnover of the starting lineup has not daunted Will Wade. Instead, the man with the “strong ass offers” on his side mined the transfer portal for several key names, meaning LSU will be right back in the mix. The burning question remains, though: will the Tigers play any defense?
Read more#34 Arizona 2021-22 Preview
Sean Miller is OUT, Tommy Lloyd is IN. A regime change is usually an indicator of struggle the following year, but these Cats look ready to pounce on the Pac 12 competition and improve upon last season.
Read more#37 Florida 2021-22 Preview
Mike White has found a modicum of consistency at Florida. Unfortunately for Gator fans, that has meant “7 through 10 seed, second round loss,” rather than the elite squads from the Billy Donovan days. With a few mainstays back and a large group of transfers, can White and the Gators break through to a higher level?
Read more#38 Seton Hall 2021-22 Preview
A late seson collapse and a leaky defense prevented Kevin Willard from making his sixth straight NCAA Tournament in 2021. Without mega-talent Sandro Mamukelashvili, can the Pirates actually improve on both ends and get back into the Big Dance?
Read more#39 Xavier 2021-22 Preview
It’s a monster year for Travis Steele, as his Musketeers are now in the midst of the program’s longest NCAA Tournament drought since Thriller and E.T. were released (aka 1982). The pieces are here, but can Steele put them together effectively?
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