This is ONLY October.
Check below for our list of 5 teams that could overachieve during the 2024-25 college basketball season.
In no particular order:
Georgia: This looks like a bubble team. I’ll say that again: Georgia looks like a bubble team. Sophomores Silas Demary Jr. and Blue Cain played major roles on last season’s team that won 20 games and reached the Postseason NIT while Mike White also added two potential starters via the transfer portal in Tyrin Lawrence (Vanderbilt) and RJ Godfrey (Clemson). Former Kentucky commit Somto Cyril and five-star freshman Asa Newell — a five-star prospect — will also have major roles. The Bulldogs are the sleeper team in the SEC.
Butler: The Bulldogs were 16-8 on Feb. 10th and firmly in the bubble picture before finishing 2-6 down the stretch. Butler’s top two scorers from last season — Pierre Brooks (14.8 points, 4.0 rebounds) and Jahmyl Telfort (13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists) — are back and Thad Matta added three impact transfers in Kolby King (Tulane), Jamie Kaiser (Maryland), and Patrick McCaffery (Iowa). Don’t be shocked if this is again a bubble team in 2025.
UCF: The good? Johnny Dawkins returns two players on the perimeter — Darius Johnson (15.2 points) and Jaylin Sellers (15.9 points) — who averaged in double figures last season. The bad? The Knights still play in the Big 12. Nevertheless, UCF still added talented reinforcements in former Memphis commit Mikey Williams, JUCO transfer Dior Johnson, four-star big man Moustapha Thiam, and a slew of transfers who figure to play major roles in Keyshawn Hall (George Mason), Jordan Ivy-Curry (UTSA), Benny Williams (Syracuse), and Dallan Coleman (Georgia Tech). Dawkins coached his tail off last season and led the Knights to a 17-16 finish. This roster is significantly more talented.
Nebraska: Are back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in the cards for the Huskers? Don’t rule it out of the realm of possibility. Nebraska took a hit when sturdy big man Rienk Mast (12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds) was lost for the season with injury, but Fred Hoiberg still returns two starters in Brice Williams (13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Juwan Gary (11.6 points, 6.1 rebounds) from last season’s team that lost to Texas A&M in the first round of March Madness. The Huskers also added several potential starters — Rollie Worster (Utah), Connor Essegian (Wisconsin), Gavin Griffths (Rutgers), Berke Buyuktuncel (UCLA), and Braxton Meah (Washington) — from the transfer portal. Don’t sleep on Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Notre Dame: Returning personnel is always more important than incoming personnel in college basketball and the Irish have plenty of it. Do-everything guard Markus Burton (17.5 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds) has first-team All-ACC ability as a sophomore. Notre Dame also returns five other players — Braeden Shrewsberry, Tae Davis, J.R. Konieczny, Julian Roper, and Kebba Njie — who averaged 22 minutes or more last season. Princeton transfer Matt Allocco shot 42.7 percent from three-point range last season and should make an immediate impact with his ability to space the floor. Micah Shrewsberry led this team to 13 wins a year ago in his first season in South Bend. 18-19 victories feels like an attainable goal in 2024-25.
