Men’s College Basketball Way-Too-Early Top 25: Houston No. 1 After Rosters Settle
Following the NBA draft withdrawal deadline, we have a clearer picture of what the 2025–26 season will look like.
Just ahead of Duke #8 and UL at #10
SI has Cats #7 in another Way Too Early Top 25
- Thread starter darkshadesofblue
- Start date
Just ahead of Duke #8 and UL at #10
1-2 weeks into the season we won't drop below #5
No major issues with that list from me other than I feel Florida is too high. Losing those 3 guards hurts. They reload but they don’t have the same level of backcourt.
Yea that guard they got from Princeton really don’t scare me at all. I see our guards completely shutting him down. We have dogs this year and will not get bullied one time this year.
I think UConn is too high right now, although it’s completely meaningless anyway
Hurley effect.
"He surely won't be overrated two years in a row right? Right?!"
I really don't get the Florida love.
Xavian Lee is nowhere close to Walter Clayton or Elijah Martin. Nowhere close. Arkansas was better a year ago without Boogie Fland.
Their frontcourt is obviously going to be very good but that isn't what made them special last year. I just don't see them as a top-5 team, they scream 4 seed or 5 seed in the NCAA tournament to me.
Recency bias.
UCONN had a preseason number 1 or 2 ranking after they won the title. And they of course SUCKED
So, who knows.
UF, Texas Tech, and Auburn are too high.
Purdue, UK, Michigan, and Arkansas are too low.
BYU is intriguing. If Dybantsa is as good as advertised, they could be really dangerous. While I think Wright is overrated, I think Saunders is underrated. Love Saunders’ game. He is legit. I like Keita as well. I like where they have BYU.
Purdue, UK, Michigan, and Arkansas are too low.
BYU is intriguing. If Dybantsa is as good as advertised, they could be really dangerous. While I think Wright is overrated, I think Saunders is underrated. Love Saunders’ game. He is legit. I like Keita as well. I like where they have BYU.
I am glad I am not the only one who thinks this. The UF hype is off the charts.
It’s borderline disrespectful to Clayton, Richard, Martin, and Aberdeen. These so-called experts are acting like an Ivy League guard and a Sophomore can almost seamlessly replace one of the best backcourts in recent memory.
I get it, their staff does a great job of developing and putting kids in a spot to thrive. They'll miss those Guards but I wouldn't be shocked to see Lee and Fland thrive in that system.
They’ll take a step back, but will still be good.
They are lucky that everybody in the SEC is also trying to replace a bunch of Seniors and fifth year COVID Seniors.
They will be good, but I don’t think they are in the top 5 in the country. I don’t see them making it back to the Final Four, not with a brand new backcourt leading the way.
It’s like nobody paid attention to just how good Clayton was, not to mention Richard, Martin, and Aberdeen.
Right? He says they are hungry again. Um, they were hungry last year—just incompetent. Which doesn’t bode well for him convincing anyone their five returning rotation players are a strength. Not in the tier he’s put them in anyway. Presumably they’ll be blue-collar good by this point.
I hope they suck again. Can’t stand Hurley and glad we got Pope instead. They say you would love him if he was on your side but I disagree. I hope UK never hires a whiny B**** like him.
I spent five years disliking Cal. I can’t even imagine what it would take for me to like Dan Hurley.
To your point, we were ranked in the preseason top 5 after winning the championship in 2012.
I think people did pay attention to how good those Guards were. They were special. But it wasn't just their Guards that made them special. Haugh dropped 20 in the E8. Condon was an All-SEC player. I'm not going to say they're not top 5 in the country right now, because I have questions about how a lot of teams will replace talent or how teams will form and play together.
Nobody had them in the top 5 a year ago to start the season because of what they were replacing, but yet they were big time. That's a really good staff down there.
I think that dude is in for a rude awakening when he faces conference level athleticism. Good shooter but slow af release and pace of play from what I’ve seen.
They were not great but they played their tourney match to the end. They could have went further had they pulled that out. They weren’t world beaters like the previous two but still a tough out. I think they will be improved for sure. That said I wish they would lose every game until the end of time after their lucky runs the last 20 years.
They just won a championship. That team always gets a bump after that it seems like. They’ll be good not great. This list seems to be a little better than ESPN’s list. Ole UNC must be on vacation I can’t imagine the Carolina fans will tolerate to much more of the mediocre ball.
We, UK, win the SEC this year IMO. It’ll be us and Arkansas for best team in conference. Florida is way overrated. If not for their dominant guard play, they lose second round last tournament. Well, they lost their entire backcourt.
I'm not worried about Arkansas winning the SEC. Their coach doesn't care enough and isn't motivated enough to win it. He's gotten old and lazy.
Last season when healthy we're a Top 5 team with I believe it was an NCAA record 8 wins against top 15 teams. With wins over a Final Four team Duke & a win over national champion Florida. Our upcoming team for next season is bigger, deeper & more talented than the team we just had. We are way underrated at #7.
Hurley is a good coach with a good staff and they struggled after losing their key players after a title.
Donovan is a great coach and had a great staff and they struggled after losing their key players after a title.
Self is a good coach and has struggled the last two seasons after losing a strong core of players and trying to replace them with portal players.
Seen this story again and again. Even great coaches have to adjust after having their key players leave.
Golden will lean on his very strong frontcourt, but it will be an adjustment for Condon and company playing with new guards. Lee will need time to acclimate himself to the SEC and Fland will need to adjust to a new team.
And UF has to adjust to being the hunted. They kind of flew under the radar last season. Everyone was talking about Auburn and Alabama to start the year.. Then UT ended up number one to start the SEC season. UF looked like the fourth best team in the SEC until they started rolling.
This year, all eyes ore on the defending champs. They will be everybody’s Super Bowl.
We will see how they adjust.
I’m not saying they won’t compete in the SEC, I just don’t see them as a top 5 team. Houston and Purdue return strong cores from very good teams. UK returns their leading scorer and added a really strong portal class. UConn returns a lot of guys and added some pieces. St. John’s returns arguably their best player and added a great portal class. Michigan added a monster portal class. Arkansas returns a strong core and added some elite HS players and some good portal guys.
UF is top 10 good, we will see if they are top 5 good, and if they are repeat good, then anoint Golden the next coaching legend.
I would take the duo of Lee/Fland over Mahoney/Reed in comparing what UF added to what UCONN added after their 2nd title. I would also take the probable starting 5 at UF over what UCONN started this past season. Lee, Fland, Haugh, Condon and Chinyelu is one of the top starting 5's in CBK.
Donovan started over from scratch after his second title. The returning players from that 2nd title team were their 7th, 8th, and 9th players, not their starting frontcourt and 6th man.
Yes, it will take an adjustment. But that's the case for everyone else in the age of the portal. It will take Arkansas, UK, St John's, Michigan all to adjust to new faces in new roles. From what I've seen the past 2 years, Golden and his staff will do just fine in that regard.
They'll have to adjust to getting everyone's best shot, but it's not like they weren't a top 10 team the entire SEC slate. And they still won 10 SEC games by double digits. I think that staff will have them ready to go.
Yup.
Pope was 7-0 to start the year with a completely new team, before injuries started to mount.
That was a team assembled on the fly in just a couple of months.
This team was methodically constructed.
We return four players with experience, including our leading scorer.
We added a really strong portal class that includes a good mix of experience and raw talent.
We added an experienced annd talented international player.
We added a 5-star, a Burger Boy, and a 4-star top 40 guy as our HS recruiting class.
That’s the balance needed to put together a contending roster that so many of us on here have been talking about for a long time.
You have to have retention and devopment.
That was the biggest difference separating Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida from Kentucky.
Yet despite not having any retention, playing with a brand new squad, Pope kept the Cats right there in contention this season.
Should be even better with returning players to lead the way and players that Pope had time to analyze and study to make sure they fit what he waned to do.
And we have much better depth than last season, and fingers crossed we don’t need it. We are due a season without a slew of injuries.
I expect we will truly compete for a SEC title this season, grab a higher seed than last season, and make a deeper run.
Gotcha.
I didn’t realize I was trying to convince a Gator fan. LOL!
Enjoy your season, but don’t be shocked when you don’t cut down the nets.
Repeating is next to impossible, especially after losing your top four guards.
It’s practically unheard of.
They are rating their coach as much as their players. They will be a tough out, especially in Gainesville.
Wouldn't be shocked if UF didn't repeat. It's incredibly hard to win an NC. But that doesn't mean UF won't be a top 5 or top 10 team next year. You've been trying to make it seem like Golden is in the same situation as Hurley, Donovan or Self and that's not the case. When was the last time the NC winner returned it's entire front court and added 2 really good guards via the portal?
You just talked about retention being key in your latest response to another poster, and then act as if Golden and his staff didn't retain really good talent.
I said they would be top 10 good.
I have them in my top 10.
I just don’t see them being top 5 good.
I just think a lot of people are underestimating how good UF’s guards were.
Especially Clayton. He was great last year:
It’s like the Bulls trying to replace Jordan.
It’s been almost 30 years, and they haven’t done it yet.
Doesn’t mean UF won’t be good, just that they will take a step back.
UNC in 1993 won the title and returned everyone except George Lynch. That included All-American 7 footer Eric Montrose.
They added two of the top five HS players in the country in Wallace and Stackhouse.
They lost in the second round of the tournament.
After the season, their legendary head coach Dean Smith said losing Lynch off that team was the difference. They could not replace his rebounding and his hustle.
One player made a huge difference.
And he was replacing him with two future NBA superstars.
It’s just really hard to replace a champion.
Clayton was a champion.
I think UF has a hard time replacing him and to a lesser extent, Richard, Martin, and Aberdeen.
They added two of the top five HS players in the country in Wallace and Stackhouse.
They lost in the second round of the tournament.
After the season, their legendary head coach Dean Smith said losing Lynch off that team was the difference. They could not replace his rebounding and his hustle.
One player made a huge difference.
And he was replacing him with two future NBA superstars.
It’s just really hard to replace a champion.
Clayton was a champion.
I think UF has a hard time replacing him and to a lesser extent, Richard, Martin, and Aberdeen.
I remember saying that St. Johns would be a sleeping giant in the NIL era and multiple people told me there would be too much competition for money.
St. John’s Red Storm
Armed with a massive NIL budget, the Red Storm have a more talented roster than the one that won the Big East a year ago.Of course 1 player can make a difference. But you realize how much has changed since 1993 right? UF lost its All-SEC PG, another double digit scorer and it's 6th man from the previous year, added 0 of the top 100 transfers and still improved this past season. Maybe their staff knows what they're doing?
I don't think they'll have an issue replacing Aberdeen, tbh. I think that's the least of their concerns. Considering they're now on their 4th PG in 4 years and the last 2 were among the best in CBK.
Good luck to you.
You obviously like your team.
I like mine too.
We will see if Lee, Fland, and Brown can replace Clayton and company.
If it’s the players, they will struggle. If it’s all about the system, you’ll be fine.
I guess it’s me.
I guess I am dumb to think Lee and Fland will struggle to replace Clayton (two years in the system) and Richard (three years in the system) their first year in the system.
Clayton and Richard were just easily replaced pieces. Nothing special. It’s all about the system in Florida.
I guess I am dumb to think Lee and Fland will struggle to replace Clayton (two years in the system) and Richard (three years in the system) their first year in the system.
Clayton and Richard were just easily replaced pieces. Nothing special. It’s all about the system in Florida.
Correction, we will be everyone’s Super Bowl! They can be the Canadian Basketball League Championship or something lol.
