2024/2025 College Basketball Season - Team Previews: 16 - 20
#16: Indiana Hoosiers
Returning
Malik Reneau (15.4 ppg - 56% / 33% / 68%)
Mackenzie Mgbako (12.2 ppg - 40% / 33% / 82%)
Trey Galloway (10.6 ppg - 47% / 26% / 53%)
Gabe Cupps (2.6 ppg - 36% / 36% / 62%)
Anthony Leal (2.4 ppg - 44% / 47% / 63%)
Transfers
Myles Rice (14.8 ppg @ Washington State - 44% / 28% / 81%)
Oumar Ballo (14.2 ppg @ Arizona - 66% / 0% / 50%)
Kanaan Carlyle (11.5 ppg @ Stanford - 39% / 32% / 78%)
Langdon Hatton (10.5 ppg @ Bellarmine - 48% / 33% / 68%)
Luke Goode (5.7 ppg @ Illinois - 40% / 39% / 65%)
Dallas James (0.8 ppg @ South Carolina State - 53% / 0% / 17%)
Recruits
Bryson Tucker (ESPN #21 / 247Sports #30)
Jakai Newton (Redshirt)
Indiana is in desperate need of a good season. They put up a stinker (by traditional IU standards) last year: 19-14, finished 91st in KenPom and missed the NCAA tournament…they were the 3rd best team in the state that serves as their name. Now, the pressure is on for Mike Woodson to prove he can coach his alma mater to be a contender. The Hoosiers have one of the best incoming transfer / freshmen classes, so there are zero excuses not to perform.
Most of last year’s starting core returns to Bloomington, including Trey Galloway, Mackenzie Mgbako, and Malik Reneau - everyone but point guard Xavier Johnson and center Kel’el Ware. Reneau and Mgbako are sure-fire starters. Reneau is a skilled power forward who has great feel in the paint and nice footwork, and his life should only get easier with an upgraded backcourt that should be able to space the floor a bit better. Mgbako is likely to be a popular pick for a “breakout” player - he was asked to do a lot as a freshman, and he rose to the challenge pretty well. He has a good jumper - he shot just under 33% from 3 so he wasn’t amazing behind the arc, but I think he’s a shooter at heart so I’d bet good money that improves this year. If anything, I’d like to see him show off more of his game and use some of his athleticism and length, rather than settling for tougher jumpshots. Trey Galloway is a competitor and a really good passer, and I expect him to be an A+ glue guy, albeit in a lesser role this year. He has some really good games, but I think he was asked to do too much last season. As soon as his minutes per game bumped above 30, his 3pt shooting fell from 46% in ‘23 to 26% in ‘24…which is one of the more incredible stats I’ve stumbled across during my preseason research.
Woodson assembled a Top 5 Transfer Portal class featuring key additions in Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, and Oumar Ballo. Myles Rice is a true sophomore guard who had one of the most unexpectedly impressive freshman campaigns in the country last season for the surprisingly good Wazzu Cougars. He’s a very confident, aggressive player which already makes him an upgrade at the point guard spot. He’s at his best when attacking the rim, coming off ball screens, and finishing in transition. He’s still working on certain parts of his game - mid-range pull-ups, spot-up shooting, 3pt shooting generally (27.5%) - but he’s got the moves down and he’s an >80% FT shooter, so I think it’s very possible he improves in many of those areas. Kanaan is another sophomore point guard (valuable guys to get in the portal) who had a remarkably good first season, after he took over when starting PG Jared Bynum suffered an injury. He’s also not the most efficient scorer quite yet, but he IS a very fun player who has shown some strengths that complement Rice’s game - including spot-up shooting and deep threes. He seems much more comfortable as a catch-and-shoot scorer vs. scoring off the dribble or in transition, so I could see him playing to his strengths at the 2 spot in a two-PG starting lineup, while giving Woodson lineup flexibility to use him as a point guard if/when needed. He’s a strong passer, so he can facilitate and likely make this offense flow much more smoothly than it did last year (Indiana was 105th in offensive efficiency). Oumar Ballo should pick up right where Kel’el Ware left off, providing a seamless transition as another dominant big man. While he lacks the shooting range that Ware had and wasn’t quite as proficient a shot-blocker, Ballo was a better finisher down low and more proficient rebounder on both ends (Top 20 in off. and def. rebounding rate). He’s going to be a monster in the Big Ten this year. Luke Goode, transfer from Big Ten rival Illinois, adds some much-needed 3pt shooting and should see some decent run off the bench. Bryson Tucker, a freshman 5-star wing from Baltimore, could add more offensive dynamism and shooting to the rotation, as well. If he’s ready to contribute immediately, Indiana has a chance to be the deepest, most talented team in the Big Ten.
It’s hard to believe too much in the Mike Woodson Hoosiers based on the results we’ve seen from his teams so far, but this looks like his most complete roster since taking the Indiana job. In a post-Edey Big Ten, this team could compete for the league title, but the shooting - especially from deep - HAS to improve. While some are concerned that he didn’t land any true shooting guards with eye-popping 3pt shooting numbers, I think there may be more potential for some of their players’ shooting numbers to pop than people are anticipating. Consider me foolishly bullish on IU.
#17: Kentucky Wildcats
Returning
N/A
Transfers
Ansley Almonor (16.4 ppg @ FDU - 44% / 39% / 80%)
Jaxson Robinson (14.2 ppg @ BYU - 43% / 35% / 91%)
Andrew Carr (13.5 ppg @ Wake Forest - 53% / 37% / 78%)
Amari Williams (12.2 ppg @ Drexel - 52% / 33% / 66%)
Otega Oweh (11.4 ppg @ Oklahoma - 49% / 38% / 64%)
Koby Brea (11.1 ppg @ Dayton - 51% / 50% / 88%)
Kerr Kriisa (11.0 @ West Virginia - 43% / 43% / 78%)
Lamont Butler (9.4 ppg @ San Diego State - 42% / 30% / 59%)
Brandon Garrison (7.5 ppg @ Oklahoma State - 57% / 0% / 65%)
Recruits
Travis Perry (ESPN #77 / 247Sports #87)
Collin Chandler (ESPN #32 in 2022)
Trent Noah (247Sports #119)
After striking out on a few of their top Calipari replacement candidates, Kentucky and Big Blue Nation offered the head coaching job to one of their own, former BYU Head Coach Mark Pope. The initial reactions from Big Blue Nation seemed pretty partisan, with some excited to hire a Wildcat who’s shown success at the high-major D1 coaching ranks, and others disappointed that they couldn’t command a bigger name (i.e., Dan Hurley). No one knows how it’ll play out, but a couple of things do seem certain - Pope has been working his ass off to assemble a solid team in Year 1, and the dude can coach offense. His BYU team finished 14th in offensive efficiency (per KenPom) and was one of the best shooting teams in the country. And despite having zero (0) returning players on the roster, he managed to build what seems at pre-season glance like a Top 25 team in just a few short months.
This team should somewhat resemble the make-up of Pope’s latest group at BYU - lots of shooters, usually 4 of them on the floor at a time, with a big anchor center in the paint. This team is very deep with solid, playable talent - but if there’s a negative, it’s that there isn’t an obvious All-American talent who can serve as the leader of the team. There are SEVERAL recognizable names that were big contributors on their former teams, but most weren’t top-level players. That said, there are 3 players who could potentially blow up and turn into stars this year. The first - and most likely, in my eyes - is 5th year senior wing Jaxson Robinson, who follows Pope from Provo to Lexington. Robinson was the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year last season, despite leading the Cougars in scoring and logging the 3rd most minutes. I believe that makes him one of the greatest Sixth Men of all time; the 6-GOAT, if you will. He led BYU, a team that shot more threes than almost any other team, in 3PM with more than 80 triples on 35% shooting. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lead this Kentucky team in scoring, as well. The second player is one of the best returning sharpshooters in the country, senior guard Koby Brea from Dayton. Brea made 100 threes on ~50% shooting last season, which is damn near incomprehensible. Those are ALL-TIME numbers. Per KenPom, he was 1 of the 10 most efficient offensive players in the country. He’s a known entity among big CBB fans, but he’ll be a household name this season. The last of Kentucky’s big 3 offensive players is 5th year senior forward Andrew Carr from Wake Forest. Carr is a highly skilled, 6’10” forward who can score several ways on offense, and plays active defense on the block as well. He finished Top 100 in offensive efficiency because he’s dangerous at all 3 levels - he finishes well around the basket, he can drive off the dribble and use some moves to finish in the mid-range, and he’s a strong 3pt shooter. He’s also a pretty solid rebounder and shotblocker - not bad for someone who will likely spend a lot of time at the 4 spot, anyway. He was a big reason why Wake Forest’s offense was good last year, and he’ll be a big part of Kentucky’s success on the offensive end this season.
Kerr Kriisa, formerly of West Virginia and Arizona, will likely start at point guard. He’s coming off his best season yet, finishing with a career high 11 ppg, career high FG% and 3FG%, and once again solid assist stats (and also once again, high turnover rate). Lamont Butler (from SDSU), Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), and Collin Chandler (21 year-old freshman who was on a Mormon mission) will provide high-level guard play off the bench. There’s plenty of depth in the frontcourt, too - Pope managed to recruit two fantastic centers from the portal: Amari Williams, a dominant 5th year senior from Drexel, and Brandon Garrison, a promising sophomore from Oklahoma State. Both are overpoweringly strong, 6’10”+ centers who score efficiently down low, dominate the boards, block shots at a very high rate, and get to the line frequently. They’re actually strikingly similar players - both can’t shoot well too far away from the rim (Garrison is a bit better a few feet out) and both are pretty decent passers as bigs, which is key to Pope’s 4-out offense (Williams is a bit better as a facilitator). I think there was some drama around Garrison committing then expressing frustration with Pope also bringing in Williams, but apparently that’s been resolved. Junior forward Ansley Almonor from Fairleigh-Dickinson will also rotate in as another forward with high-level shooting and scoring talent. Dude is quick on the trigger, and he is a VERY good shooter.
Again, this team is going to look a lot like last year’s BYU team, but with better depth. They’re going to shoot a ton of threes, they’re going to make a ton of those threes, and they’re going to really piss other teams off as a result. The biggest unknowns to me are 1) how they show up against top-tier teams (especially those with strong defenses) - this also relates to my point about not having an obvious All-American level guy - and 2) how good the defense will be…Pope only coached a Top 50 defense once in his 5 year tenure at BYU. They weren’t horrible on defense last year, but they were a bit soft (251st in defensive turnover rate, aka the Fraud Stat). I think the additions of Lamont Butler and the Garrison / Williams center combo give BBN serious reason for optimism that this could be a better defense than Pope usually fields, but we’ll have to wait and see. As far as expectations, a good year for Kentucky would be finishing inside the Top 4 in the SEC, earning a 5 seed or better in the tournament, and giving Wildcat faithful what they’ve been waiting for since 2019: another damn tournament win. Anything outside of those results, and it could be an “okay” season, but not a good one by Kentucky Basketball standards. The pressure is on for Pope, let’s see if he can do what Calipari has failed to do, in each of the past 4 seasons.
18: Xavier Musketeers
Returning
Zach Freemantle (15.2 ppg in ‘22 - ‘23 - 59% / 64% / 65%)
Dayvion McKnight (12.4 ppg - 47% / 37% / 81%)
Jerome Hunter (7.8 ppg in ‘22 - ‘23 - 58% / 11% / 70%)
Trey Green (5.6 ppg - 36% / 32% / 95%)
Dailyn Swain (4.6 ppg - 46% / 15% / 81%)
Brad Colbert (1.3 ppg - 80% / 67% / 100%)
Transfers
Marcus Foster (17.0 ppg @ Furman - 43% / 30% / 81%)
Ryan Conwell (16.6 ppg @ Indiana State - 48% / 41% / 86%)
Dante Maddox Jr. (15.6 ppg @ Toledo - 44% / 41% / 86%)
Lassina Traore (11.9 ppg @ Long Beach State - OUT FOR SEASON)
John Hugley IV (8.4 ppg @ Oklahoma - 55% / 39% / 76%)
Cam’Ron Fletcher (6.7 ppg @ Florida State - 39% / 29% / 57%)
Roddie Anderson III (6.5 ppg @ Boise State - 36% / 27% / 55%)
Recruits
N/A
Sean Miller is so back. Also, I watched “Clear and Present Danger”, the Tom Clancy / Jack Ryan movie from the 90’s featuring Harrison Ford this summer, and the IRA terrorist bad guy’s name is SEAN MILLER?! How did I not know this?! There are some incredible clips of Ford grabbing some henchmen by the collar and screaming “WHERE’S SEAN MILLER?” that I will certainly be using as gifs during Xavier games this season.
ANYWAY, basketball. Like I said, Sean Miller is SO. BACK. The Musketeers had a bit of a down year after reaching the Sweet 16 in Miller’s first season back in Cincinnati, but I think they’re in hot pursuit of a bounce-back season. I loved what they did in the transfer portal this offseason - they’re reinforcing the roster with a fantastic transfer class, AND they return Dayvion McKnight, as well as Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter, both of whom had to sit out last year with injuries. McKnight - undersized but very effective - will start at point guard again, which is always nice for a team’s offensive chemistry. Freemantle may lead the team in scoring this season if he stays healthy - he’s a versatile scoring big who shoots really well from distance, passes very well and absolutely owns the defensive glass. Jerome Hunter may start alongside Freemantle in the frontcourt. He’s a great offensive rebounder as well as a decent passer and defender, and he has awesome scoring touch in the paint.
As for the transfers, some combination of Marcus Foster, Ryan Conwell, and/or Dante Maddox Jr., all of whom scored more than 15 ppg last year, will round out the backcourt. With Lassina Traore sadly out with a season-ending injury, Oklahoma transfer John Hugley will be a great complement as an option at center. Hugley is a solid rebounder, finishes well down low, and can get to the free throw line consistently. He also has the added edges of being a remarkably good passer for a big man and the ability to shoot well from 3 (39% last season). Sean Miller also added veteran Florida State wing Cam’Ron Fletcher (who unfortunately has a bad injury history and has only played >10 games once in his 4 year college career) and Boise State’s former starting PG, Roddie Anderson (who…hasn’t proven much through 2 seasons but can serve as a decent backup). I’m not sure how much they’ll contribute, but who knows, there could be some upside there. It’s also worth noting that Xavier is one of the rare D1 high-major teams to not take a single freshman this offseason - just experienced transfers.
I have Xavier finishing 4th in the Big East, but I think their ceiling could be as high as 2nd. It all depends on their ability to stay healthy, and how their mid-major transfers acclimate to the Big East. If their new guards look nearly as good as they did on their old teams, this could be a second weekend squad. This is one of the teams that I am VERY excited to watch early in the season - so excited that I’m sweating through my shirt like Sean Miller.
#19: Ohio State Buckeyes
Returning
Bruce Thornton (15.7 ppg - 43% / 33% / 85%)
Devin Royal (4.7 ppg - 51% / 15% / 71%)
Evan Mahaffey (4.3 ppg - 43% / 12% / 62%)
Taison Chatman (1.0 ppg - 33% / 27% / 50%)
Austin Parks (0.3 ppg - 100% / 0% / 50%)
Kalen Etzler (0.0 ppg - 0% / 0% / 0%)
Transfers
Meechie Johnson (14.1 ppg @ South Carolina - 40% / 32% / 79%)
Micah Parrish (9.3 ppg @ San Diego State - 39% / 29% / 74%)
Aaron Bradshaw (4.9 ppg @ Kentucky - 58% / 29% / 57%)
Sean Stewart (2.6 ppg @ Duke - 57% / 0% / 54%)
Ques Glover (14.7 ppg @ Samford ‘22 - ‘23 - 48% / 38% / 85%)
Recruits
John Mobley (ESPN #44 / 247Sports #48)
Colin White (247Sports #136)
The first full year of the Jake Diebler era is here! Diebler made headlines last year, after taking the helm when former head coach Chris Holtmann was fired in the middle of the season, by beginning his interim tenure with a shocking win over #1 ranked Purdue! The vibes remained high, and the Buckeyes went on to win 5 of their last 7 games of the season. Diebler was rewarded with the opportunity to be Ohio State’s full time head coach - and in the offseason, he showed he might be as good of a roster manager as a motivator. Ohio State retained its top scorer, junior guard Bruce Thornton, and landed a very impressive transfer class, headlined by Meechie Johnson from South Carolina. I think Thornton and Johnson will form one of the best backcourt pairings in the Big Ten - both could stand to shoot a little more efficiently, but they’re both leaders who move the ball incredibly effectively and can flat-out score. Ques Glover, a transfer from Kansas State who sat out the whole last season and a half (going back to his second year at Samford) due to injuries, could also provide very high quality backup minutes if he manages to get healthy - he was a very prolific passer and scorer in his last full season (26th in the country in assist rate, 19 ppg). And even if he’s not healthy, Top 50 freshman combo guard John Mobley should be able to contribute right away. Mobley is a little undersized at 6’0” flat, but he’s a very smooth ballhandler and has CRAZY shooting range. Keep an eye on that young man. Micah Parrish from San Diego State will start at the wing, bringing some defensive toughness to the lineup. The Buckeyes struggled defensively last season, and Parrish joining the team reflects effort on Diebler’s part to correct that. Parrish had a brutal shooting regression last season (30% from 3 vs. >34% the three prior years), but he’s generally a capable scorer, an above-average passer and rebounder, and plays lockdown defense.
Sean Stewart, the rising sophomore forward from Duke, will be a closely-watched breakout candidate and has an outside chance to be one of the more impactful transfers in the Big Ten. He began to draw attention toward the end of last season by recording very impressive minutes off the bench for the Blue Devils, and I fully expect him to pick up where he left off, while playing a much bigger role as a starter for the Buckeyes. Stewart is a strong, VERY athletic forward with great jumping ability. He rebounds well and blocks shots at a very high rate for a power forward, and he’s got a great motor. Last, but not least, is Aaron Bradshaw, the transfer center from Kentucky. He has the talent and potential to be one of the better rim-running centers in the country. He has serious length and athleticism, really good body control and touch around the rim even if he doesn’t have skilled post moves quite yet, and a decent foundation for a jumper. In his limited minutes, he’s already proven to rebound and block shots at a high rate, as well. Bradshaw is going to look much better this season purely by getting the playing time and reps needed to put up bigger numbers, but don’t be surprised if you see him gain more momentum and confidence as the season goes along - he might be a problem by the time postseason play commences. Rounding out the rotation will be returning wings, sophomore Devin Royal and junior Evan Mahaffey. Neither have proven themselves to be particularly talented shooters…Royal seems to have more scoring upside and opportunity to improve, while Mahaffey seems to be mostly a glue guy that can play defense and make hustle plays when needed. They’re both relatively young so maybe they improve, but they’re basically high-floor rotation guys.
You can probably already tell by this write-up, but I’m really excited to watch this Buckeyes team at the start of next season - they have two experienced star guards, two potential breakout talents in the frontcourt, and more experienced role-playing talent than last season. I think their biggest problems could be reliable outside shooting (especially with the loss of Jamison Battle, who single-handedly kept the team’s 3pt shooting stats afloat…bro hit 91 threes) and roster depth. The starting lineup is going to be really damn good, but some of the bench guys will need to prove they can step up and keep things going when the starters get tired. Any injuries will just exacerbate that problem even more. This could be a 4-7 seed team that makes a little run in March, if things break their way.
#20: Purdue Boilermakers
Returning
Braden Smith (12.0 ppg - 44% / 43% / 80%)
Fletcher Loyer (10.3 ppg - 42% / 44% / 86%)
Trey Kaufman-Renn (6.4 ppg - 51% / 33% / 56%)
Myles Colvin (3.3 ppg - 44% / 41% / 50%)
Camden Heide (3.3 ppg - 58% / 45% / 73%)
Will Berg (2.6 ppg - 75% / 0% / 47%)
Caleb Furst (2.2 ppg - 44% / 27% / 68%)
Brian Waddell (1.1 ppg - 43% / 17% / 43%)
Transfers
N/A
Recruits
Gicarri Harris (ESPN #91 / 247Sports #74)
Daniel Jacobsen (247Sports #57)
Raleigh Burgess (247Sports #147)
CJ Cox
Jack Benter
There’s really no way to sugarcoat it for Purdue fans: the Boilermakers are going to be worse. Zach Edey, the first player in 50 years to win unanimous player of the year honors in consecutive seasons, has finally departed to the NBA. Starting guard / 3rd leading scorer Lance Jones and and wing / 5th leading scorer (and #6 most offensively efficient player in the country) Mason Gillis are also gone. Replacing those three important pieces of last year’s team that reached the National Championship game are…three 4 star freshmen, two 3 star freshmen, and exactly zero transfers. That’s right, the Purdue Boilermakers are capitalizing on their program’s momentum and strong returning core by doing absolutely nothing in the transfer portal. I appreciate Matt Painter and am happy for him for reaching his first Final Four, but I’m very surprised - and kind of disappointed, for Purdue fans - in the lack of offseason portal activity. The good news is, the Choo-Choo’s are returning a lot of really strong talent. Braden Smith should be one of the best point guards in the country next season, as he was last season (11th overall in ast rate). Fletcher Loyer should still be a dangerous sharpshooter (44.4% from 3, 40th overall in the country). Myles Colvin also shot incredibly well from the field, especially for a freshman who only saw limited minutes, and should be even better in his second year. Another rising Sophomore, Camden Heide, put up some really promising numbers in limited time and should be really good in an expanded role next season - check out his shooting numbers above. He also had one of the best dunks of the tournament in the title game vs. UCONN. The frontcourt role players were also surprisingly efficient despite their unimpressive scoring stats. Trey Kaufman-Renn is a great option at forward / center - he can rebound really well (esp. on offense), score around the basket, draw fouls, and even hit a few shots from outside. Purdue is going to have to rely much more heavily on TKR, so he’s a key piece to watch early this season. Caleb Furst has a similar game but hasn’t seen as much playing time (mostly when Edey was out), and Will Berg - the 7’2” center who barely played had pretty dominant numbers when he did see the court (though that was usually late in blowouts, which tells me Painter isn’t confident he can play in real game situations yet).
Purdue also has two Top 75 freshmen joining the team that could get playing time and make an immediate impact. Gicarri Harris is a savvy combo guard with good handles - the extent of his impact will probably be filling in for Braden or playing alongside him when Painter needs more dynamic guard play (which Loyer and Colvin may not be able to offer). The more interesting rookie is 7’3” Daniel Jacobsen, who shot up about 100 spots in the 2024 class rankings in June. He seems to be the next Edey-in-training for Coach Painter, who has made his living as a competitive D1 basketball coach by developing remarkably tall centers. To be clear, he’s not the same player as Edey - he’s got a much leaner frame. He needs to put on some muscle / weight just to compete effectively in the Big Ten, but it will be interesting to see how much Painter plays him and what he can offer the team immediately as a freshman. Also, check out his 247 photo, it’s a hilarious mean-mug for a lanky kid with a frat swoop haircut.
The Boilermakers’ breadth of returning talent at (almost) all positions (besides Center) should ensure they have a high floor - but their ceiling may be MUCH lower. That’s not a knock on players like Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, TKR, etc. It’s a recognition that 1) Zach Edey was not only tall but also a generationally impactful player, across so many dimensions of every game he played, and 2) even the great stats that the returning players have are likely inflated by the simple fact that they played with Edey (e.g., how do you think Smith had so many assists?). We saw the delta in talent between UCONN’s guards / wings vs. Purdue’s in the title game. And being worse than ‘23-’24 UCONN definitely doesn’t mean you’re bad, but it does mean that your team probably isn’t sniffing that title game without Edey. Before I put much faith in this team, I need them to prove to me that they can win tough games without Edey, which will require time and adjustments. I actually really like a lot of the players on this team, which is why I’m somewhat bummed that Painter didn’t add a good player or two in the portal - it seems like a bit of a disservice to the talent that’s returning to West Lafayette. But for now, my guess would be that this is a bridge year, and Purdue is a Top 15-20 team, at best.