Heading into Week 1 of the 2024-2025 men’s college basketball season, Andy Katz gives his top six storylines to look out for.
MORE KATZ: Alabama leads Andy Katz’s preseason power rankings
1. UConn three-peat? The Huskies are attempting to pull off the first three-peat since UCLA won seven in a row from 1967-1973. The Huskies don’t have the rim protection without Donovan Clingan, the multiple lottery picks, but they have the depth, the ability to score and the drive to get a third title in a row. Alex Karaban, Samson Johnson, Liam McNeeley, Solo Ball, Hassan Diarra, Jayden Ross and Aidan Mahaney should end up being the leaders of this squad.
2. Are the top three freshmen competing for the top three picks in the NBA Draft? Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Rutgers’ Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper could all go 1-2-3 in the June NBA Draft. Duke is a legit title contender with Flagg and a loaded roster while the Scarlet Knights will be appointment television. The two freshmen have elevated Rutgers to an offensive force — something that has been sorely lacking lately in Piscataway.
3. Will Alabama go back to the Final Four? The Tide made their first-ever Final Four appearance in 2024, and Bama is a favorite not just to make it back but potentially win it. Alabama brought back Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Chris Youngblood and Jarin Stevenson. Add in Cliff Omoruyi, Houston Mallette and Derrion Reid to make the Tide the deepest contender in the country.
4. Multiple Big 12 Final Four teams? The Big 12 has consistently been one of the deepest leagues and should be the toughest to win this season. Arguments can be made for Kansas, Iowa State, Houston or Baylor to win the league and compete for the national title. But expect Cincinnati, Texas Tech and Kansas State to be in the NCAA tournament with decent seeds, too. The bubble will be filled with the rest of the league.
5. The SEC with the most bids? Alabama is a national title favorite, but the league is the deepest it has ever been. The SEC has likely NCAA tournament teams in Auburn, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. That’s 10 teams with South Carolina and Georgia legit bubble teams, too.
6. The race for the national player of the year is wide open! There is no favorite for the first time since 2017 when Kansas’ Frank Mason III won the award. Will a freshman like Flagg, Bailey or Harper win it? Will Sears, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson or North Carolina’s RJ Davis win? The race is wide open.
