Alright, the college hoops landscape just got rocked even harder! Our guys up north, Gonzaga, just lost Mario Saint-Supery to the Euro League, a huge move that’s sending ripples through the pre-season rankings. This is happening late in the offseason, and we're seeing multiple landscape-altering moves hitting the wire, which means Kevo's pre-season top 25 needed a whole new update, fast.
The Early Season Shake-Ups Are Wild
The rosters are in flux, big time. Beyond Gonzaga losing Saint-Supery, St. John's has to adjust to being without Donnie Freeman, who unfortunately tore his achilles. But it's not all losses. Texas just landed Marcus Spears Jr., the No. 1 recruit in the 2027 class, who reclassified to play for Sean Miller. That's a massive add! UCLA also brought in Nikola Kusturica, a player who could very well be a top-3 pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. These moves, along with Kansas and UCLA making the cut in the updated rankings, really show how much things are shifting before anyone even dribbles a ball in anger.Florida Still Reigns, Duke's Roster Is Insane
Down at the very top, Florida is holding steady at No. 1. Why? They're bringing back four of five starters from last season, including three national champions. Nobody else in college hoops can say that. Duke is sitting at No. 2, and their roster is absolutely stacked. Jon Scheyer stockpiled talent like crazy, bringing in Bryson Howard, Cam Williams, Maxime Meyer, Deron Rippey, Drew Scharnowski, John Blackwell, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, and Jacob Theodosiou. They've got three 5-star recruits and the second-ranked class in the country, plus returning guys like Dame Sarr, Caleb Foster, and Patrick Ngongba. The biggest get? Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, or "JBB," who's already an early leader for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. He has to play two seasons at Duke, so everyone better take notice. Texas moved up to No. 3 after adding Spears Jr. and retaining impact big man Matas Vokietaitis, proving Sean Miller with NIL resources is a dangerous coach. They added an all-star transfer class and two five-star high school recruits, building one of the best rosters in the country with newcomers like Austin Goosby, Bo Ogden, and Mantas Laurencikas. Rounding out the top four, Arizona, coming off a Final Four run, will feature one of the best "big threes" in the sport with Motiejus Krivas, Ivan Kharchenkov, and Caleb Holt. Man, with all these rosters in motion, this college basketball season is gonna be absolutely wild. Can Florida really hold that No. 1 spot with everyone gunning for them? Will JBB live up to the hype at Duke? You know we'll be glued to every single game, counting down the days until tip-off!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.