Our basketball writers call their shots ahead of the season’s official start Monday night.
Happy hoops season! If you’re reading this, it means college basketball will be played in three days.
We’ve exhausted the season previews, pre-season ranking articles, and “players to break out” columns. It’s time to get our eyes on these teams in real time, starting Monday. The first game of the season is IUPUC vs IU Indy (formerly known as IUPUI) at 11:00 AM. Ohio State plays Texas at 10:00 PM on TNT.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated whether the Buckeyes would land one of Darryn Peterson, Niko Bundalo, Isaiah Denis, or Jerry Easter. 73% of readers agreed with Justin, who is confident Jake Diebler and staff will land one of those four priority targets in the 2025 class.
After 176 weeks:
Connor- 81
Justin- 72
Other- 18
(There have been five ties)
For the second (third?) consecutive year, Connor and Justin are putting pen to paper and making Final Four picks before the season starts. Last year, neither Connor nor Justin nailed a single one of them.
Here are their picks for the 2025 Final Four. Certainly between the two of them, they’ll nail at least one this year.
This week’s question: Which teams will make the 2025 men’s basketball Final Four?
Connor – Alabama, UConn, Baylor, Oregon
Alabama (AP No. 2, KenPom No. 4)
Ohio State plays four SEC teams this season, and they’re fortunate that Alabama isn’t one of them. The Crimson Tide bring back two All-American caliber players in Mark Sears and Grant Nelson — both of whom could have gone pro but opted to come back to college.
Alabama also added former Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi via transfer, giving them a legitimate low post threat that they didn’t have last year when they made the Final Four. That should allow Nelson to play his true position more often, and open up more shots for Sears.
Alabama also added 2023 AAC player of the year Chris Youngblood from USF, although he is recovering from a recent surgery until sometime in December. There are teams with more depth than Alabama, but not many. There may not be a single team with more starpower.
UConn (AP No. 3, KenPom No. 5)
At this point, who are we to question Dan Hurley and the two-time defending champions? The Huskies’ championship team was wiped out by graduation/NBA Draft, but Hurley reloaded and then some. He and his staff have a knack for finding players who fit their system and getting the most out of transfers who were good but not great at their previous stops.
Junior forward and sharpshooter Alex Karaban is back for the Huskies, as are guards Hassan Diarra and Solomon Ball, both of whom were rotation players last year but will be asked to take on larger roles now. Former Michigan center Tarris Reed is at UConn now as well, and will pair with Samson Johnson at center.
Hurley also added former Saint Mary’s star guard Aidan Mahaney, who will need to be more efficient this season but still provides the Huskies with some stability in the backcourt, as well as former five-star forward Liam McNeeley, who will be a one-and-done player.
Baylor (AP No. 8, KenPom No. 11)
V.J. Edgecombe — familiarize yourself with that name. He’s a 6-foot-5 combo guard, was a top-five recruit in the 2024 class, and absolutely crushed it playing for the Bahamian team in the Olympic qualifying rounds this summer playing against grown men. He’s a transition terror, has good size and quick feet, and could wind up being the #1 pick in the NBA Draft next year.
Baylor also brings back guards Langston Love and Jayden Nunn, giving the Bears one of the most talented backcourts in the nation. In the transfer portal, Scott Drew brought in former Duke point guard Jeremy Roach, as well as former Miami center Norchad Omier. Omier is an undersized five, but has delivered on the biggest stage for Miami already despite being a bit smaller at center.
The Big 12 is the most loaded conference in college basketball, and Baylor may wind up being the best team in it.
Oregon (AP unranked, Kenpom No. 29)
Over the past five years, there have been five Final Four teams that began the year unranked. That means I had to find a Final Four caliber team that isn’t in the first AP Top 25 Poll that still looks the part, and Dana Altman’s Ducks are that team for me.
While they weren’t picked to finish in the top four of the conference, Oregon is one of the more complete teams in the Big Ten and may have the highest ceiling of any in that league. The Ducks will be led by future NBA guys in Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans Jr. Shelstad was particularly impressive last year, averaging 12.8 points per game as a freshman.
Oregon also has a capable seven-footer at center in Nate Bittle, who averaged 10 points per game last season when healthy. Throw in Stanford transfer Brandon Angel, Georgetown transfer Supreme Cook, and Villanova transfer T.J. Bamba, and you have a really strong top-six right there.
Justin – Kansas, Alabama, Duke, Texas
Kansas (AP No. 1, KenPom No. 7)
It is hard to believe how many options Kansas has this year. Hunter Dickinson, Dejuan Harris, KJ Adams and Elmarko Jackson return, and the Jayhawks added Rylan Griffin, AJ Storr, Zeke Mayo, Flory Bidunga and David Coit. This is the best team in the country, and anything less than a Final Four appearance would be a failure.
Alabama (AP No. 2, KenPom No. 4)
Guard play wins in March, and Marks Sears, Latrell Wrightsell, Aden Holloway and Chris Youngblood make up a great backcourt. Add in Grant Nelson, Jarin Stevenson, and freshman Aiden Sherrell and you have a really solid roster. Nate Oats will want to get to a Final Four with this squad.
Duke (AP No. 7, KenPom No. 2)
I am all aboard the Cooper Flagg train, and I am also all aboard the Kon Knueppel train. Toss in the backcourt of Caleb Foster, Tyrese Proctor, Darren Harris and Isaiah Evans, and this is a very good roster. The problem with Duke is youth, but the talent could be enough to get to the Final Four and compete for the national title.
Texas (AP No. 19, KenPom No. 18)
This is my out-of-left field pick, but after researching this Longhorn squad for the Ohio State game, I really love this Texas team. They have a lot to figure out with so many transfers, but guys like Arthur Kaluma, Tramon Mark, Jordan Pope, Jayson Kent, Julian Larry and freshman Tre Johnson make up a solid rotation. They have the guard play, the depth, and the experience to make a run in March.