College Basketball Opening Night Cheat Sheet. Lists, Rankings, and Tiers to Tip-Off the Season.

Photo Courtesy of The University of Connecticut 

For some, this is another day, for a few it should be a national holiday. College Basketball is back! This means new storylines, players, coaches, and newborn rivalries. 


After a full offseason of coaching news like Ed Cooley swapping Big East brands and Rick Pitino returning to the Power-6 conferences, some world-class talented transfers (Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Love, etc.) changed scenery and are hungry for postseason success. 


Because so much happened, it leaves more questions than answers. Like will Hunter Dickinson finally achieve tournament glory? Who is the deeper conference, Big Ten or Big East? Who is the best freshman that we will see on an NBA court soon? Will Ed Cooley regret leaving Providence for Georgetown? Can he bring them back to the promised land?


113 Division 1 vs Division 1 games tip-off today. The marathon to March begins now…


Below are lists and rankings to help you get in mid-season form a little earlier than usual. Top players, freshmen, underrated players, coaches, and conference championship predictions. 



Top 5 Player of the Year Candidates

  1. Zach Edey - Center - Purdue

  2. Tyler Kolek - Point Guard - Marquette

  3. Kyle Filipowski - Center - Duke 

  4. Tyson Walker - Shooting Guard - Michigan State

  5. Ryan Kalkbrenner - Center - Creighton



Top 5 Freshman of the Year Candidates 

(Rankings via 247Sports Composite National Ranking)


  1. Justin Edwards (No. 3) - Forward - Kentucky

  2. D.J. Wagner - Guard (No 6) - Kentucky

  3. Isaiah Collier (No. 2)  - Guard - USC

  4. Mackenzie Mgbako (No. 10) - Indiana

  5. Cody Williams (No. 4) - F - Colorado 



Underrated Freshman 

(Rankings via 247Sports Composite National Ranking)


  1. Simeon Wilcher (No. 49) - Guard - St. John’s

  2. Jeremy Fears (No. 32) - Guard - Michigan State

  3. Gabe Cupps (No. 131) - Guard - Indiana

  4. Akil Watson (No. 137) - Forward - Arizona State

  5. Rob Dillingham (No. 21) - Guard - Kentucky


Top Transfers 


  1. Hunter Dickinson - Center - Michigan to Kansas

  2. Grant Nelson - Forward - North Dakota State to Alabama 

  3. Ke’el Ware - Center - Oregon to Indiana

  4. L.J. Cryer - Guard/Forward - Baylor to Houston

  5. Caleb Love - Guard - North Carolina to Arizona



Top First-Year Coaches


  1. Rick Pitino - St. John’s

  2. Ed Cooley - Georgetown

  3. Adrian Autry - Syracuse

  4. Kim English - Providence

  5. Micah Shrewsberry - Notre Dame


Conference Talent Rankings


  1. Big East

  2. Big Ten

  3. Big 12

  4. SEC

  5. PAC 12


Team Tiers


  1. Natty Bound (Best of the Best)

    1. Kansas, Duke

  2. Final Four or Bust:

    1. Purdue, Michigan State, Texas, Marquette

  3. Don’t Let Them Get Hot in March (Natty Dark Horses):

    1. Kentucky, UConn, UNC, Villanova, Alabama, Houston

  4. Probably Contending for the Conference

    1. USC, Texas A&M, Creighton, Tennessee, FAU, Arkansas, SDSU, Baylor


Conference Championship Games Predictions (Winner in Bold)


Prediction: ACC Championship Game:

  1. Duke vs North Carolina 


Prediction: Big East Championship Game

  1. UConn vs Marquette

Prediction: Big Ten Championship Game

     1. Purdue vs Michigan State

Prediction: Big-12 Championship Game

  1. Kansas vs Houston 


Prediction: PAC-12 Championship Game

  1. USC vs Arizona


Prediction: SEC Championship Game

  1. Kentucky vs Texas A&M


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