With the weather getting colder and the sun setting sooner, fans are impatiently waiting for the college basketball season to return after a seemingly endless offseason. Teams across the country are back with new faces and storylines, with the same goal of bringing a championship to their school. The 2024-25 season was headlined by the Florida Gators, who won the tournament and are looking to defend their title, with the addition of several key players. However, it’s hard to say if this season will follow that script. With powerhouse schools reloading their rosters and underdogs utilizing the transfer portal this offseason, the race to March is wide open.
Despite coming in as the defending champs, Florida ranks third in the Preseason Top 25. Meanwhile, Purdue is ranked first after falling to Houston, who is ranked second this year, in the Sweet Sixteen last season. Right behind Florida is UConn and Coach Dan Hurley, who are looking to make their way back to the Final Four after winning consecutive championships in ’23 and ’24. To finish off the top five is St. John’s, who were sent home in the second round of last year’s tournament but enter this season strong after utilizing the transfer portal this offseason.
Teams that were often seen at the top last year, such as Auburn (the one-seed in last year’s tournament), have found a new home in the rankings, being placed at twentieth after losing key players in Johnni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara. Tennessee, a two-seed in the tournament last season, is now ranked eighteenth. There are also some surprises about teams that even cracked the top 25, such as UNC, which arguably has a worse roster after a mediocre offseason following their first-round loss in the tournament last March. Either way, these polls will change very soon, and either one of these teams could soar to the top or plummet to the bottom.
Every College Basketball season is marked by several key players, and there is an abundance of individual talent this year–including Darryn Peterson, the Kansas guard who had a spectacular performance against Louisville, scoring 26 points and grabbing five steals, and AJ Dybantsa, a freshman at BYU, who is projected by many to be the number one overall pick in the NBA draft. Dybantsa is already making an impact at BYU, leading his team to preseason victories against Nebraska and UNC, scoring 30 and 18 points, respectively. Yet, another freshman, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, is also looking to make his mark this season. Boozer had 33 points and 12 rebounds in an exhibition game against UCF this preseason. It’s not just the newcomers drawing attention, though. Veterans like Purdue’s Braden Smith are back and ready to dominate. Smith enters the season as a unanimous preseason All-American, a rare honor, after averaging nearly sixteen points and nine assists last season (ESPN). Despite losing to Kentucky in an exhibition match, Smith and the Boilermakers are expected to make plenty of noise this season. Yet another Vet, JT Toppin, who was widely regarded as one of Division 1’s best players, is returning to Texas Tech after averaging 18 points and almost ten rebounds per game last year. These players are assured to put on a show every time they step on the court and are destined to make an impact for their school.
With the season just over the horizon, it is clear that the road to March will be a daunting but exciting journey. Whether you are a diehard fan or just turning a game on for the first time, this season is bound to have some drama, and watching these teams and players can guarantee you some entertainment, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the season that is to come.
The Red & White 
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