College basketball is right around the corner and expectations are sky-high for the Kansas Jayhawks. That doesn’t make this season unique by any means as few teams have the annual expectations that Bill Self and his team do.
John Fanta is a college basketball reporter and broadcaster for Fox Sports and the host of Big East Shootaround. Fanta released his preseason top 25 for the college basketball season ahead on Sunday and as you would probably expect, Kansas and UConn are both right towards the top.
So who did Fanta put No. 1 and what was his reasoning?
John Fanta’s Preseason College Basketball Top 25 Poll
Fanta’s entire preseason top 25 rankings:
25. Illinois
24. Ole Miss
23. Texas Tech
22. Kentucky
21. Marquette
20. Texas A&M
19. Cincinnati
18. Xavier
17. UCLA
16. Indiana
15. Auburn
14. Purdue
13. Arkansas
12. Creighton
11. Tennessee
10. North Carolina
9. Arizona
8. Baylor
7. Duke
6. Iowa State
5. Gonzaga
4. Houston
3. Alabama
2. UConn
1. Kansas
Why Fanta Says Kansas is No. 1
Kansas will undoubtedly be loaded but UConn has been on a different level once March hits the past couple years. So why does Fanta rank the Jayhawks above the Huskies ahead of the 2024-25 college basketball season?
The Jayhawks return Dickinson, point guard Dajuan Harris, power forward KJ Adams, and they bring in the nation’s No. 3 transfer class, per 247 Sports, which makes this offseason a slam dunk. The addition of Wisconsin transfer AJ Storr, who averaged nearly 17 points per game for the Badgers this past season, can’t be overstated. He will be one of the best scorers in the Big 12, if not the country.
Nick Shepkowski’s Quick Take:
You can sit and argue about who deserves to be number one but we’re all aware that isn’t what ultimately matters in mid-October. What does is just how loaded the Big 12 is going to be.
Fanta’s rankings highlight just how crazy basketball season in the Big 12 should be with the expanded conference this year.
Five of the top nine teams come from the Big 12 while seven of the top 25 come from the conference. This season is going to be incredibly entertaining and competitive across a conference that boasts what should be several true Final Four contenders.
