Tag: NCAA.com

Ducks ranked among Andy Katz’s Top 36 college basketball teams for 2023 season

Andy Katz puts Oregon in his “way-to-early” rankings for 2023-24, suggesting the Ducks’ March Madness drought is about to end.

The men’s basketball season just ended and some are already thinking about next season.

NCAA.com and former ESPN reporter Andy Katz is one of those thinking about the 2023-24 season and he has put out his “way-too-early” Top 36 teams for the next year and Oregon is among those listed.

The Ducks have missed the last two NCAA tournaments, but with an incredible recruiting class coming in that will be mixed with some savvy veterans, it would be a shock if Oregon didn’t participate in March Madness in 2024.

Katz’s rankings include most of the usuals such as Kansas and Kentucky, but there are some surprises such as Florida Atlantic ranked as high as they are, suggesting the Owls weren’t a fluke during their deep tournament run in 2023.

While Oregon will have a lot of new pieces next season, there’s some early confidence that they can be among the top teams in the nation. Here’s where Katz had them ranked.

Michigan State at No. 12 in first 2020-21 Power 36 NCAA.com Basketball rankings

Michigan State is listed at No. 12 in the first Power 36 rankings of the 2020-21 season by Andy Katz of NCAA.com.

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College basketball rosters for 2020-21 aren’t even set yet, but it’s never too early for a good preseason ranking. Andy Katz of NCAA.com released his first Power 36 rankings for next season on Wednesday and Michigan State came in at No. 12 overall.

This ranking comes before we know the future of Xavier Tillman at Michigan State. With the graduation of Cassius Winston, Tillman would be the defacto top player on the roster, but with mock drafts already listing him as a first-round pick, it is currently unclear what this team will look like. There is also still a possibility that Aaron Henry could decide to head to the NBA, although it looks like Katz made his ranking with the assumption that Henry would return.

Here is what Katz said about the Spartans:

“No Cassius Winston. No Xavier Tillman for now (still a chance he could come back). But the Spartans have a slew of wings/forwards that will rival any roster with Rocket Watts, Gabe Brown, Aaron Henry, Malik Hall, Marcus Bingham Jr., and Marquette transfer Joey Hauser.”

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NCAA.com Releases Preseason Top 25, Ranks Texas Inside Top 15

NCAA.com has released their preseason top 25 for 2020. Once again, Texas is highly ranked in preseason polls, placing within the top 15.

Wayne Staats of NCAA.com has released his preseason top 25 for the 2020 season and once again, the Longhorns are highly ranked. Ranking Texas at No. 14 in the country, Tom Herman’s squad will begin another season with high expectations.

Here is what Staats had to say about Texas:

The Longhorns started in the top 10 and lost by only 7 to LSU but then fell to 6-5. Reason for optimism? the ‘Horns crushed Texas Tech and then No. 11 Utah in the Alamo Bowl by 28 to end the season on a positive note. And QB Sam Ehlinger will be back. However, a euphoric bowl win in the 2018 season didn’t exactly mean good things for 2019.

Much like the end of the 2018 season, a bowl win against a highly ranked Power 5 team is giving Texas optimism for the upcoming season. It ended poorly this past season and changes were made throughout the coaching staff. Now, the Longhorns must prove they deserve to be ranked so highly.

Here are the rest of the rankings:

  1. Clemson
  2. Ohio State
  3. Alabama
  4. LSU
  5. Georgia
  6. Oregon
  7. Oklahoma
  8. Penn State
  9. Florida
  10. Auburn
  11. Notre Dame
  12. Oklahoma State
  13. Texas A&M
  14. Texas
  15. Michigan
  16. Wisconsin
  17. North Carolina
  18. Minnesota
  19. USC
  20. UCF
  21. Cincinnati
  22. Utah
  23. Iowa State
  24. Iowa
  25. Arizona State

Staats controversially has Texas ranked below in-state rivals Texas A&M. While the Longhorns and Aggies have not played a game since 2011, the rivalry has continued off the field, mainly through preseason rankings and recruiting. Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M come in at No. 13, with hopes and dreams of winning the SEC West.

As for the rest of the Big 12, three other teams are ranked, starting with Oklahoma at No. 7. Oklahoma State comes in at No. 12, while Iowa State wraps up the conference at No. 23. Only the SEC and Big 10 have more ranked teams than the Big 12, with six teams each.

The Longhorns’ big-time non-conference opponent, LSU, is ranked No. 4, fresh off a national championship. Coach Orgeron and the Tigers will be playing host to Texas in week two of the season, set up to be one of the games of the season.

Being ranked inside the top 15 may be a stretch this early in the year. While the foundation is there for the Longhorns to be successful, there is a lot they must prove to deserve such a high ranking. Many tests will occur throughout the season, showing if Texas is legitimately worthy of being a top 15 team in the country, or if the same let down will occur.

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Michigan State Basketball named Team of the Week by NCAA.com’s Andy Katz

Michigan State has been named Team of the Week by Andy Katz of NCAA.com after wins over Iowa and Maryland.

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After a week in which the Spartans first beat Iowa at home and then knocked off a top ten team in Maryland on the road, Michigan State Basketball has been named the NCAA Men’s Basketball Team of the Week by Andy Katz of NCAA.com. This news comes the same day that Cassius Winston was also named the Big Ten’s Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Andy Katz awards weekly honors to both the Player and Team of the Week on behalf of the NCAA and the Spartans two big wins against top-25 teams, including a win over a top team like Maryland on the road earned them the honor.

Andrew Jones of Texas was Katz’s Player of the Week, for what it’s worth.

Michigan State has a chance to follow-up on their success if they can pull off another top-25 road win on Tuesday against Penn State.

WATCH: Rocket Watts chats about recent success with Andy Katz of NCAA.com

MSU Guard Rocket Watts recently talked to Andy Katz of NCAA.com about the Spartan’s recent hot streak. Watch the full clip here.

Rocket Watts is absolutely crucial to Michigan State’s recent success. The Spartans are on a three-game winning streak heading into tonight’s game against Penn State. Watts contributes on both the offensive and defensive end.

Andy Katz of NCAA.com had a quick chat with Rocket Watts. Watch this conversation below:

Rocket Watts is still confident in MSU’s ability to win the league but does not get ahead of himself. Note, Rocket is averaging 12.6 points over the last five games along with 2.4 assists per game. Watts shut down high-profile Maryland Guard Anthony Cowan Jr. in this past weekend’s matchup with the Terpins. He will have to display dominant defense for a deep tournament run this year.

Michigan State plays against Penn State tonight at 7 P.M. on ESPN.

Stay with us on SpartansWire for more coverage to come.