10 Teams That Can Win It All

It’s the first day of official practice in college basketball and everyone has aspirations of cutting down the nets. At the end of the day, there’s only one that can.

Think of this list as the Week 6 AP Poll list. The winner is on it.

All the streaks, tendencies, and superstitions live on for another year….

–Top 12 in Week 6 AP poll: 19 in a row

–Top six at KenPom on Selection Monday: 18 of last 21

-“The 355 teams that won’t win”: seven-for-seven

— John Gasaway (@JohnGasaway) April 4, 2023

Connecticut

The defending national champions will be right back in the thick of it this season. Despite losing three players to the NBA, they return key pieces in Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and Alex Karaban. They also added Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer and a potential lottery pick in freshman Stephon Castle. Clingan is expected to put up big numbers with a vastly expanded role and having two savvy, veteran guards in the backcourt is the recipe for winning in March. Most importantly? Dan Hurley is still their coach. The Huskies will look to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Florida Gators.

Creighton

Creighton made the Elite Eight for the second time in program history last year. Even still, the Bluejays lost both Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga) and Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State) to the portal this off-season. Coach McDermott filled one of those spots with one of the best shooters in the country – Steven Ashworth (Utah State). Throw him in a backcourt that already boasts Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander and you’ve got a three-headed monster offensively. Everything revolves around big man Ryan Kalkbrennar, who has the potential to put up some All-American type numbers in McDermott’s highly efficient offense. The Jays have the goods to break through and make a title run this season.

Duke

Duke has the most talented roster in the country – full stop. Kyle Filipowski is Player of the Year good and his frontcourt compadre Mark Mitchell makes a formidable duo that not many can stop. In the backcourt, Jeremy Roach is back for one last ride and Tyrese Proctor having a breakout year seems to be the worst kept secret in the sport. As always, Duke has a stable of super-talented freshmen that will step in and contribute right away. Caleb Foster and Jared McCain are expected to play big roles, giving the Blue Devils a unique blend of young and old that is good enough to win it all. Duke is widely considered the pre-season favorite to cut down the nets.

Florida Atlantic

Dusty May and the Beach Boys are ready to run it back. The Owls seemingly came out of no where, but the sickos that follow the sport could see this building over the last few years. FAU is one of five teams that didn’t lose a single player to the transfer portal. They bring back 90% of their rotational minutes from last season, third most in the country and most on this list. The Owls have four guards that can really go and a big-man duo in Giancarlo Rosado and Vlad Goldin that fits perfectly in their system. The move to the American and a daunting non-conference schedule will likely knock a few wins off last year’s total, but the Owls are poised to show they’re not a one-hit wonder.

Houston

Kelvin Sampson is still somehow one of the most underrated coaches in the sport. His teams are always extremely athletic and as tough as they come. This year’s squad might take a small step back on the defensive end, but they’ve got more than enough offensive firepower to make up for it. In addition to the dynamo that is Jamal Shead, the Cougars added LJ Cryer (Baylor) and Damien Dunn (Temple), who both averaged 15ppg last season. Sophomore Terrance Arceneaux is a potential lottery pick that should flourish with a bigger role. The Cougars move to the Big 12 this season, so the competition is much tougher night in and night out. This could be the year a battle-tested Houston squad has enough to go the distance.

Kansas

Bill Self is a f***ing gangster. He proved that this off-season by adding the prize of the portal in Hunter Dickinson and stealing Nick Timberlake out from under Dan Hurley’s nose. Kansas has one of the best starting-fives in the country this season. DaJuan Harris returns to run the show and he’s got a few new weapons to play around with. Kevin McCullar and KJ Adams make one of the best wing duos in the country and freshmen Elmarko Jackson and Johnny Furphy add some intriguing depth pieces to a team not known for using a large rotation. Kansas should be one of the nation’s top defensive teams and Dickinson’s progression in Self’s system will be fun to watch. Kansas is once again a legitimate title contender.

Marquette

Shaka Smart has it rolling in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles are set to return nearly everyone from their Big East championship team last season. Losing O-Max Prosper will hurt, but All-American Tyler Kolek and company have more than enough firepower to make another run this season. With a starting five full of experienced, cohesive upperclassmen, Marquette has an opportunity to build off last season’s success. Kam Jones will continue to score at will and Oso Ighodaro is more than capable of holding his own in a league with very talented bigs. Shaka’s crew is the high-major version of FAU. Quality coaching, proven talent and a chip on their shoulder after last year’s season ended too soon. A title run is within reach for the Golden Eagles.

Miami

People continue to sleep on Miami and I will not make that mistake again this year. The Hurricanes made the Elite Eight and Final Four in consecutive seasons and this year they can go all the way. Miami loses ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong and ultimate glue guy Jordan Miller, but the rest of the core returns. The Canes added one of the best fits of the portal in Florida State transfer Matthew Cleveland. Cleveland will slide perfectly into the Miller role, while rising junior Wooga Poplar is expected to have a breakout year. Norchad Omier is one of the most underrated bigs in the country and lethal-shooting Nijel Pack can flip the momentum of a game in seconds. Depth will be an issue again this year, but freshmen Kyshawn George and Michael Nwoko are both talented enough to carve out a role. Look for Jim Larranaga’s squad to disrupt more brackets next March.

Michigan State

Can Michigan State end the Big Ten’s national championship drought? Tom Izzo is nearing the end of his career and this year’s group has a chance to be his best yet. AJ Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins make up what could be the best backcourt trio in the country. Malik Hall and Mady Sissoko compliment them in the frontcourt, giving Izzo one of nation’s most experienced starting fives. Minutes continuity is important. Per Bart Torvik, MSU has the highest returning minutes percentage (77%) of any team in the top-ten of the site’s talent metric. Talent AND minutes continuity? Sounds like the makings of a team that will be one of four left standing come the last weekend of the season. January. February. Izzo.

Purdue

The stage is set for another picture perfect redemption arc. Purdue ran through the Big Ten last year and looked like a team destined for a title. Unfortunately, they ran into basketball wizard Tobin Anderson and got bounced in the first round by 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. This year, Purdue has a chance to repeat Virginia’s storyline and win the title. National Player of the Year Zach Edey returns and is widely considered the preseason favorite to win it again. Along with Edey, Purdue returns 84% of its minute share from last season. They also added Southern Illinois transfer Lance Jones, who is expected to come in and guide a young backcourt that struggled in last year’s tournament. If Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer show any signs of development, Purdue’s floor is the highest of any team in the country. Matt Painter is a top-five coach in the sport and it’s about time he got his flowers.

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