The NBA season has officially kicked off, but that is not the only new beginning in the basketball world. College Basketball, which I would argue is more entertaining than the NBA, has begun and is looking to be even more exciting than last year. There is just something about March Madness and the adrenaline rush that comes in the regular season games that make it the sport to watch.
Last season, the UConn Huskies behind coach Dan Hurley won their second national championship in a row, and they will look to make it a three-peat this year. Hurley and his staff did a great job retaining players like Alex Karaban and Samson Johnson and acquiring transfers like former Michigan forward Tarris Reed Jr. and former Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney. The Huskies also landed five-star wing Liam McNeeley who is one of the best players in this 2024 freshman class.
UConn wasn’t the only team that did some shifting around during the offseason; almost every power four team from last year has brought in new faces and added pieces to help their team. Some other teams that I think could go all the way this year are Alabama, Houston, Gonzaga, and, as more of a dark-horse pick, Iowa State.
Starting off with Alabama, they made it all the way to the Final Four last year and have on paper one of the best rosters in college basketball. They returned point guard Mark Sears, forward Grant Nelson, and picked up two of the best freshman bigs in the country Aiden Sherrell and Derrion Reid. They are also led by head coach Nate Oats who has taken the Crimson Tide to 4 straight NCAA tournament appearances and has the ability to help the program capture a national championship.
Houston is a team that has been consistently good for the last 5 years, but they haven’t had enough to put it all together. They made the Final Four in 2021 and have earned a 1 seed the last two years but haven’t made it past the Sweet 16 since their 2021 run. This year, Houston doesn’t have their star point guard Jamal Shead, but they did keep 4 out of their 5 starters, including L.J Cryer and Emanuel Sharp. They have an experienced coach in Kelvin Sampson and a veteran roster which should aid them in their pursuit of a championship this year.
Although Gonzaga made it to the Sweet 16 last season, the Zags had a bit of a down year. They had almost an entirely new roster last season, and it took a while for them to adjust and gel together. They lost the West Coast Conference championship for the first time since 2019 and will be looking to win it this year before they officially transition to the PAC-12 in 2026. This season, Gonzaga has returned almost everyone from last year and will be led by point guard Ryan Nembhard, center Graham Ike and Oregon native Ben Gregg. They have Mark Few at head coach, and may be a sneakily good team.
Rounding off my favorites for this year is Iowa State. The Cyclones surprised everyone last year and had an extremely successful season. They made it to the Sweet 16 before falling to a high offensive-powered Illinois team. They return most of their roster from last year which includes star guard Tamin Lipsey and talented forward Milan Momcilovic. Iowa State was known for their defense last year, (ranking number two in defensive efficiency only behind Houston) and should continue that success this year with the leadership of head coach T.J. Otzelberger.
College basketball is looking like it will be super entertaining this year. Based on the first few games from Nov. 4 and Nov. 6, there are many exciting freshmen that should spice things up this year. Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel both finished their first games for Duke in double figures, and Robert Wright III and Asa Newell also had nice debuts to their freshman season. Experienced players like Ryan Kalkbrenner for Creighton and Hunter Dickinson for Kansas are also looking great as they are both dominating in the post. There are a lot of talented teams this year and it should be an exciting college basketball season once again.
