It’s never too early to start looking ahead!
Check below for our list of five teams on the rise entering the 2024-25 college basketball season.
In no particular order:
Cincinnati: The Bearcats return 75.6 percent of their scoring from last year’s team that won 22 games and was firmly in the bubble picture for the majority of the 2023-24 season. Wes Miller also added reinforcements through the transfer portal in Dillon Mitchell (Texas), Connor Hickman (Bradley), and Arrinten Page (USC). Cincinnati is primed to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, which was Mick Cronin’s final year with the Bearcats before he left for UCLA.
St. John’s: Rick Pitino won 20 games in his first season with the Red Storm and just narrowly missed March Madness. St. John’s current roster has a significantly higher ceiling. Thanks to the nation’s top-ranked transfer class, Pitino now boasts an elite backcourt of Deivon Smith (Utah) and Kadary Richmond (Seton Hall), who could both be All-Big East players in 2024-25. Add RJ Luis (10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds), North Texas transfer Aaron Scott (11 points, 5.6 rebounds), and sophomores Simeon Wilcher and Brady Dunlap and the Red Storm have the requisites to be extremely potent on the perimeter. If Pitino can get a combined 12 points and 12 rebounds from his three options at center — Zuby Ejiofor, Vince Iwuchukwu (USC), and Rubin Prey — then St. John’s will be a team that will have an excellent chance to advance in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Wake Forest: Are the Demon Deacons the third-best team in the ACC behind North Carolina and Duke? It’s definitely within the realm of possibility. All-American guard Hunter Sallis (18 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists) anchors what should be Steve Forbes’ best team since he arrived in Winston Salem in 2021. Wake Forest also returns three other key pieces — Cam Hildreth (13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds), Efton Reid (9.6 points, 7.9 rebounds), and Parker Friedrichsen (5.1 points) — who averaged 18 minutes or more on last season’s team that won 21 games and advanced to the Postseason NIT. A trip to March Madness in 2025 feels inevitable for the Demon Deacons.
Rutgers: A pair of five-star freshmen — Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey — are set to headline what is unequivocally the most anticipated season that this program has had in recent memory. Both are projected to be lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. If the Scarlet Knights can get quality mileage out of their ancillary pieces like Jamichael Davis and Jeremiah Williams, a return to national relevance will be imminent. Steve Pikiell has completely augmented the talent level in Piscataway.
Ole Miss: Five fifth-year seniors — Matthew Murrell, Dre Davis (Seton Hall), Jaemyn Brakefield, Ja’Von Benson (Hampton), and Mikeal Brown-Jones (UNC Greensboro) — are on the Rebels’ roster along with a pair of traditional seniors — Jaylen Murray and Sean Pedulla (Virginia Tech) — who will anchor Chris Beard’s backcourt. Experience wins in college basketball and there won’t be many teams in the sport that are more seasoned in 2024-25 than Ole Miss. After going 20-12 a year ago in his first season in Oxford, Beard should have this program right in the thick of things in the top tier of the SEC.
