Labeling the “most talented” teams in college basketball can sometimes be misleading or reductive — it doesn’t always correlate with success, nor does it represent which programs are the best. It does, however, make a difference from the NBA’s perspective. Some teams are must-sees for scouts and, possibly, multiple NBA draft picks in June.
It’s perhaps a sign this season’s preseason No. 1 ranked team, the Kansas Jayhawks, don’t crack the list, with only one player (AJ Store) making ESPN’s Big Board of Top 100 NBA Draft Prospects. The Jayhawks are built heavily around older transfers, a recipe for success in the current college hoops landscape, but not necessarily a big draw for NBA scouts.
By that same token, Kentucky, once a factory, has three top-100 prospects in its first season under coach Mark Pope, with John Calipari taking the Wildcats’ roster and a commitment to Arkansas with him.
Even with transfer portals and the NIL shifting the balance of power in college basketball, there is plenty of talent this season. And whether you’re curious about which college teams are worth keeping an eye on, or NBA draft prospects to keep tabs on, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, Jonathan Givony and Jeff Borzello rank this season’s most promising schools.
To create this list, we used a simple formula attributing points based on their place on ESPN’s Big Board, which accounts for the appearances of the top 50 out of 100 ranked players.
Go to a group:
Alabama Arizona Arkansas Baylor | BYU
Duke Illinois Rutgers | UConn | UNC
