ESPN shakes up way-too-early Top 25 preseason rankings ahead of 2023 NBA Draft

College basketball programs across the country will be watching during the 2023 NBA Draft tonight to see if any of their former players are among the 58 who become pros tonight. Then, after that, the offseason race towards next season will continue. That’s why, ahead of tonight’s proceedings from the Barclays Center, Jeff Borzello at ESPN has dropped a new version of their ‘Way-Too-Early’ Top-25 for the ’23-’24 year.

Much of the list from Borzello remained the same since its last edition. The top four spots all stayed the same, led by the Kansas Jayhawks at No. 1, with the last spot in the top-five getting claimed by the reigning champions in this go around.

1. Kansas Jayhawks
2. Duke Blue Devils
3. Purdue Boilermakers
4. Michigan State Spartans
5. UConn Huskies
6. Tennessee Volunteers
7. Houston Cougars
8. Gonzaga Bulldogs
9. FAU Owls
10. Marquette Golden Eagles
11. Arizona Wildcats
12. San Diego State Aztecs
13. Creighton Bluejays
14. Arkansas Razorbacks
15. North Carolina Tar Heels
16. Villanova Wildcats
17. Miami Hurricanes
18. Alabama Crimson Tide
19. Texas A&M Aggies
20. Baylor Bears
21. USC Trojans
22. Saint Mary’s Gaels
23. Colorado Buffaloes
24. Texas Longhorns
25. Wisconsin Badgers

Again, not much, including the top, shifted by more than a few spots in ESPN’s rankings. Still, the four teams at the top all stake a claim as the best in college ball heading into next season because of the production that they brought back or added. Kansas, Duke, Purdue, and Michigan State all brought back some combination of vastly important stars or core pieces to go along with top-notch transfer portal talent or freshman classes.

From there is where UConn now finds itself after rising from No. 9 to No. 5 for ESPN. The champions did lose three prime contributors in Jordan Hawkins, Adama Sanogo, and Andre Jackson to the NBA. However, after keeping Tristen Newton, Donovan Clingan, and a highly-rated recruiting class locked in, the portal addition of former Rutgers guard Cam Spencer did enough for Borzello to bring the Huskies back towards the top of the top.

Much was also made about Kentucky’s offseason in Borzello’s rankings. To be fair, ESPN’s piece was published before the reported return of Antonio Reeves to Lexington as his indecision on where he’d play next obviously played a factor. Even so, the rest of the offseason’s issues, including the latest regarding a potential injury to Aaron Bradshaw, led him to drop the Wildcats out of his Top-25.

Other teams that just missed the overall cut were the Florida Gators, St. John’s Red Storm, Auburn Tigers, and Kansas State Wildcats.

We’re still four months out from things really ramping up for next year’s college basketball campaign. At this point, though, the Jayhawks, Blue Devils, Boilermakers, and Spartans still have a stranglehold of the top spots, and therefore the eventual narrative, at this point of the summer.