College Basketball Preview

The top 3 Men’s College basketball teams are:

1. KANSAS

2. DUKE

3. PURDUE

KANSAS

Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick were the leading scorers and faces of the Jayhawks last year. Now the face of Kansas basketball is transfer Hunter Dickinson. Hunter Dickinson is a transfer from Michigan, who was the Wolverines leader in points, rebounds, and blocks. Dickinson and the Jayhawks return with the intention of going further than the second round of the tournament, like they did last year. Coach Bill Self will be back with the Jayhawks this season after missing the NCAA Tournament with a health condition.

DUKE

There isn’t much roster changing going on in Durham currently. The newly extended head coach Jon Scheyer is working with his recruited players instead of messing around in the transfer portal. Leading scorers Kyle Flipowski and Jeremy Roach need to step up their game to lead a team with predominantly defenders.

PURDUE

Last year was EXTREMELY odd for the Boilermakers. First, on the good side, they won the Big Ten Regular season, and the Big Ten Tournament, earning them their first 1-seed since 1996! On the depressing side, Purdue lost to Indiana twice, got upset multiple other times throughout the regular season, and they concluded their season by the loss to 16-seeded FDU! Purdue had many great defensive games, but unless All-American Zach Edey went off for at least 20 every game, they didn't have enough scoring to survive. This year doesn’t look much different since they basically have the same team. Coach Painter will definitely need to pick up the three point shooting from players like Ethan Morton, Mason Gillis, and Fletcher Loyer.

The top 3 Women’s College Basketball teams are:

1. LSU

2. UCONN

3. IOWA

LSU

LSU is a heavy favorite to win another National Championship this year. After coasting through the March tourney last year, LSU has brought in some top transfers in search of back to back titles. Flau’jae Johnson, Kateri Poole, and Angel Reese are the top returning names, while transfers Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow add a significant amount of scoring. The most dangerous trap for this loaded team is to have poor team camaraderie and never bond with each other when they aren't hitting on all cylinders.

UCONN

UConn had some devastating injuries over the past couple years. Unfortunately the injuries were to their two best players. Paige Bueckers, their leading scorer and point guard, injured her knee before the 2023 season and missed the whole season. This injury was her second major knee injury in her short collegiate career. Azzi Fudd, on the other hand, missed a couple games last year after going down in a Top-10 showdown against Notre Dame. The year prior to that, she dealt with a foot injury that carried on throughout the season. Overall, UConn must keep these two healthy, and with Coach Auriemma at the wheel, they control their destiny.

IOWA

Despite Iowa being #3 in the country, they have as good a chance as LSU and UCONN to be National Champions. Most important for the Hawkeyes is that they have the generational talent of Caitlin Clark. Along with the unanimous All-American, they have some of the best role players in the country as well. The supporting cast includes a steady dose of defense, sharpshooters, and hustlers. Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin highlight the three point shooting supporting cast of Clark. With Czinano, their starting center from last year graduating, Addison O’Grady and Hannah Stuelke must step up their roles in the post for Iowa to be a team that can score anywhere on the floor.