Oh, you better believe it, hoops season is on the horizon, and my excitement meter is off the charts.
Preseason practices are rolling, exhibition games are around the corner, and I'm telling you, this season is going to be electric!
We've got everything from UConn chasing that legendary three-peat to loaded conferences, portal wildness, new-look powerhouses and diaper dandies ready to make some noise. There's so much going on, even I'm trying to keep track of all the drama.
But hey, I'm like a bear coming out of hibernation, and it's going to be nonstop hoops heaven for the next six months! Let's dive into 12 things I'm fired up about for the 2024-25 season, baby!
Jump to:
Diaper dandy alert | Can't-miss games
Mid-majors to watch | Legendary coaches
1. UConn's quest for the trifecta
Can UConn do it? The three-peat, baby! The Huskies have dominated with six titles since 1999. They're the team of this generation, no doubt. They steamrolled the tournament last season winning by an average of 23.3 points, but can they keep that mojo going under head coach Danny Hurley? Only UCLA under the legendary John Wooden has ever done it -- seven straight, baby! Buckle up, this is going to be a wild ride.
2. Prime-time players in power conferences
We're talking big-time stars like RJ Davis staying at North Carolina, and Hunter Dickinson anchoring Kansas. These guys can shift the balance of power like a wrecking ball!
Cooper Flagg at Duke -- the freshman phenom everyone's buzzing about -- can he live up to the hype?
And don't sleep on Purdue's Braden Smith or Rutgers' two projected NBA lottery picks, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, from the Big Ten.
The SEC is a monster league, and Alabama's Mark Sears returns from the Crimson Tide's first Final Four appearance.
Forget about getting anything by three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year in Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner. He gives the Bluejays a shot at overtaking UConn, which has its own star in Alex Karaban.
The star power in these conferences is through the roof!
3. Diaper dandy alert
Cooper Flagg is the diaper dandy of the year, no question! But don't forget about Rutgers' Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper; UConn sharpshooter Liam McNeeley; Maryland center Derik Queen, who boasts an outstanding big-man skill set; and Baylor's highest-ranked recruit in over a decade in VJ Edgecombe.
These young fellas are going to light it up, and I'll be watching every minute of it. It's going to be fantastic!
4. Where did he go?
The transfer portal is the Wild West, my friends. We've got stars such as Kadary Richmond heading to St. John's, AJ Storr bolstering Kansas, Oumar Ballo moving to Indiana, Johnell Davis taking over the guard spot at Arkansas and Norchad Omier anchoring the paint at Baylor.
With over 2,000 players running through the portal, it's like musical chairs out there. Chemistry is the key, and we'll see who jells first.
5. New coaches, new faces, new places
Oh, you got to love it, baby! John Calipari's taking over Arkansas, Mark Pope is at Kentucky, Dusty May at Michigan -- these guys are shaking up the landscape.
We've even got Eric Musselman moving cross-country to USC, and Steve Lutz, who has won at least 22 games in his three seasons as a head coach, taking his style to Oklahoma State in the powerful Big 12.
Other power conference teams with new sideline generals include Stanford with Kyle Smith, Vanderbilt with Mark Byington, Washington with Danny Sprinkle, SMU with Andy Enfield and West Virginia with Darian DeVries.
How will these new hires handle the pressure? I can't wait to see the drama unfold.
6. Can't-miss games, baby
The heavyweight matchups are stacked this season! North Carolina at Kansas on Nov. 8, Duke vs. Kentucky on Nov. 12 in Atlanta -- I'm going to be glued to my seat for those. These are the early-season games that separate the pretenders from the contenders in March, baby.
Nov. 9: Auburn at Houston
Nov. 9: Arkansas vs. Baylor (Dallas, Texas)
Nov. 22: Duke at Arizona
Nov. 25: Iowa State vs. Auburn (Maui, Hawaii)
Nov. 26: Alabama vs. Houston (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Dec. 4: Baylor at UConn
Dec. 7: Kentucky vs. Gonzaga (Seattle, Washington)
Dec. 8: UConn at Texas
7. Conference realignment madness
Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to the Big 12 -- these moves are shaking up rivalries and traditions! With three of the top five teams from the Big 12 in the AP preseason poll, it's going to be tough to rise to the top.
The Big Ten is getting stacked, too, with Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA, and the ACC is adding Stanford, Cal and SMU. I mean, how will these teams manage those cross-country road trips? It's a whole new ballgame.
8. Watch out for the mid-majors
Never forget about the Cinderella stories. McNeese, Grand Canyon, Saint Louis -- these mid-majors are loaded with talent and ready to steal one of the 37 at-large bids come March. I love a good underdog story.
9. Big Ten's title drought -- will it end?
Big Ten teams haven't won a national title since Michigan State in 2000, falling in eight chances since then. Purdue has a shot, Indiana and UCLA are in the mix, but can any of them finally bring a championship back to the conference? It's a bit of a long shot, but it's why we play the games!
10. Legendary coaches still doing their thing
Tom Izzo, Bill Self, Rick Pitino -- these Hall of Fame legends are still leading the charge. Izzo is a machine at Michigan State, Self has Kansas stacked, and Pitino is doing big things at St. John's.
And one of my good friends, Tennessee's Rick Barnes, runs a sharp program having guided the Volunteers to their highest finish in the AP poll at No. 5 last season.
I also can't forget about Gonzaga's Mark Few, who annually builds contenders on the West Coast, Houston's Kelvin Sampson, who has turned Houston into a powerhouse again, Oregon's Dana Altman, who has won 20 or more games in every season as the Ducks' head coach, and Arkansas' John Calipari, who tops the list for most wins by an active coach at 855.
Simply put, these guys know how to win.
11. NIL is a game changer
Players are making bank now with those NIL deals! The pressure, the opportunities, it's a whole new dynamic. Coaches are like general managers now, trying to balance everything. The talent pool is deep, and the stakes are high!
Even with all these changes in the college athletics landscape, I'm telling you, the product on the floor is as stronger as it's ever been! The talent, the competition, the excitement -- it's off the charts, baby! And guess what? The fans are tuning in more than ever. The TV ratings just keep going up, up, up! As long as the return on investment is there, the stock in college athletics is going to keep rising to the top. It's a slam dunk for everyone involved.
12. New metrics for Selection Sunday
More data, more drama! BartTorvik's metrics are in the mix, and we've got the "Wins Above Bubble" stat, baby! This will make Selection Sunday even wilder -- who's in, who's out -- it's always a nail-biter!
Buckle up, my friends. This season is going to be one for the ages! We've got storylines galore, talent everywhere, and I'm here for every second of it. LET'S GOOOOO!
