5 Storylines 25 Days Out From College Basketball

Football season is very much still in full swing. The weather is starting to change and we are getting some perfect fall weather over the last week or so. However, basketball is right around the corner. In fact, the college basketball season officially tips off in just 25 days. Monday, November 6th will be here before you know it. Several Top 25 programs begin their seasons on that opening Monday including each of the preseason Top 5. It will be a massive slate of games to tip off the season before Baylor vs. Auburn really gets things going on Tuesday, Nov. 7th.

In honor of hitting the 25-day-out mark, let’s begin by taking a look at five of the biggest storylines entering the 2023-2024 season. Every five days we will release five more headlines and ultimately reach a total of 25 when the season begins on the 6th of November.

As Jon Rothstein would say: And Here. We. Go.

The Reigning National Player of the Year Returns…Again

College basketball went 26 seasons between Ralph Sampson returning to Virginia and Tyler Hansbrough returning to North Carolina as the reigning National Player of the Year. Then, we went another 15 years before Oscar Tshiebwe did it at Kentucky last season. However, we didn’t have to wait long for a fourth player to spurn the NBA Draft for another year of college as Zach Edey will be back in West Lafayette in 2023-2024.

Edey, a 7’4″ 285-pound behemoth, produced one of the most dominant college basketball seasons we’ve seen in some time for the Purdue Boilermakers as a junior. He put up eye-popping numbers of 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. However, after sweeping the national awards, Edey decided to return for his senior season. The remaining hurdle for Edey will be leading Purdue to a Final Four. In the past three NCAA Tournaments, the Boilermakers have had their season ended by a #13, #15, and #16 seed respectively.

New Faces in New Places – Coaches Edition

When we wrote this section last season we were saying goodbye to legends Mike Krzyzewski and Jay Wright. This time around we say goodbye to Jim Boeheim following his 47 years at Syracuse. After 1,116 victories and the 2003 national title, it won’t be the same watching games at the Carrier Dome without Coach Boeheim’s patented 2-3 Zone defense. Coach Bob Huggins was ousted at West Virginia too, but that came under much more unfortunate circumstances. On the positive side, we are seeing the return of a polarizing Hall of Fame coach to the high-major level. Welcome to the Big Apple, Rick Pitino.

Coach Pitino quickly righted the ship at Iona, leading them to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and a 64-22 record in his three seasons. Now, he is back on the big stage at St. John’s with a borderline Top 25 roster. Can Coach Pitinio return the Red Storm to their glory days? The better question may be just how quickly can he do so.

While St. John’s made the biggest splash with their offseason hire, there were other high-profile coaches to land in new places. Here are five of the other biggest coaching changes heading into the 2023-2024 college basketball season.

• Mark Madsen to California. Mark Fox’s tenure at California couldn’t have gone much worse. He went just 38-87 in four seasons ending with a dreadful 3-29 season. Meanwhile, Coach Madsen built Utah Valley into a winner going 70-51 with a pair of WAC championships. He is now tasked with turning things around for the Golden Bears.
• Ed Cooley to Georgetown. The Patrick Ewing experiment did not work as the former Hoyas national champion went just 75-109 at the helm. Enter Coach Ed Cooley who built Providence into a perennial Big East contender. In 12 seasons leading the Friars, Coach Cooley went 242-153.
• Micah Shrewsberry to Notre Dame. The end of the Mike Brey era in South Bend is probably the bigger story here than the beginning of the Coach Micah Shrewberry era. However, in just two seasons at Penn State, Coach Shrewsberry got the Nittany Lions to a 23-14 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in year two.
• Chris Beard to Ole Miss. It was just a matter of time before someone took another chance on Coach Chris Beard after an ugly exit from Texas. However, landing at a high-major program without even a full season away was probably quicker than many expected. There is no denying that Coach Beard is one of the best basketball minds in the business.
• Grant McCasland to Texas Texas. In seven seasons as a head coach, Coach McCasland has only won fewer than 20 games one time. Oddly enough though, that was the one season he made the NCAA Tournament in 2021. He went 155-77 at North Texas culminating in a 31-win season last year. Now, Coach McCasland gets a shot back in the Big 12 where he spent his playing days at Baylor.

March Madness Hangover

In 2022, North Carolina made an improbable run to the national championship game as an eight-seed. However, despite entering 2023 ranked number one in the country, the Tar Heels failed to even make the NCAA Tournament. The year prior, 11-seed UCLA busted brackets on their way to the Final Four and was lauded as a top contender the following year before falling in the Sweet 16 as a 4-seed. Recent history has not been overly kind to the Cinderella Final Four team.

This season, three of the four reigning Final Four teams could be considered as potential case studies. Miami (FL) and San Diego State were each 5-seeds while Florida Atlantic was a 9-seed. Can any of these three programs return to postseason success, unlike their predecessors? All will be highly ranked in the preseason with plenty of expectations going into the 2023-2024 season. However, recent history would suggest that these would be teams to fade this year.

Huskies Seek a Repeat

Since UCLA’s historic run in the late 60s and early 70s, only two programs have repeated as college basketball national champions. Duke snapped the nearly 30-year drought by cutting down the nets in 1991 and 1992. Then, in 2006 and 2007 the Florida Gators went back-to-back. The UConn Huskies will be the next team with a chance to accomplish the feat after winning it all in 2023 as a number four seed.

Their quest for a repeat title will require replacing several key departures, but there are still high expectations in Storrs. Gone is NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Adama Sanogo and NBA lottery pick Jordan Hawkins. 7’2″ sophomore center Donovan Clingan should pretty seamlessly step into Sanogo’s shoes as a trendy preseason All-American candidate. Redshirt senior Tristen Newton returns as a double-digit scorer as well and could be ready to take on a larger role. Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer and incoming freshman Stephon Castle should be immediately inserted into Coach Hurley’s starting lineup.

A starting five of Castle, Spencer, Newton, Alex Karaban, and Clingan gives the Huskies one of the better lineups in the country. Depth will be a concern as freshmen will be heavily relied upon, but there is no denying this group will enter the season among the favorites to win it all.

Coach Calipari’s Season of Reckoning

We’ve gone long enough without talking about the Kentucky Wildcats. This is, after all, Kentucky Sports Radio dot com. For the Big Blue Nation, every season begins with pretty much the same expectations. Making the Final Four and competing for a national championship is really all that matters in Lexington. Whether or not that is fair, that is how a lot of the fanbase thinks. The pressure surrounding those expectations does nothing but heighten with each season that falls short. Kentucky hasn’t made a Final Four since 2017 and hasn’t cut down the nets since 2012. Missing the NCAA Tournament all together in 2021 followed by losing to 15-seed Saint Peter’s in 2022 brought unrest to a fever pitch.

However, 2023-24 brings a new season full of the same expectations. The Wildcats brought in the top-ranked recruiting class featuring a laundry list of five-star prospects and McDonald’s All-Americans. Additionally, Antonio Reeves returned for a fifth season of college basketball and Coach Calipari landed Tre Mitchell in the transfer portal. There are serious question marks in the front court though as Kentucky’s three 7-footers are not ready to play currently. Zvonimir Ivisic just arrived in the United States on Thursday, October 12th. Meanwhile, Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso aren’t expected to be available until after the start of the season.

Big Blue Nation is ready for postseason success to become the norm once again. When you throw in the lost 2020 postseason, the ‘Cats haven’t reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019. In that same time span, Kentucky is only 1-3 in the SEC Tournament. Those outcomes simply are not acceptable in Lexington. With a number one recruiting class and the return of Reeves, this is the season where Calipari can get back in the good graces of fans across the state. However, if the team falls short once again, things could get very ugly around one of college basketball’s most storied programs.