5 college basketball teams who are top contenders for NCAA tournament title in 2025 ft. UConn
The 2023-24 college basketball season recently concluded with the Connecticut Huskies earning their second consecutive title. The next season might be months away, but the Huskies already have their sights set on a historic three-peat.
But UConn's path to a third straight title will not be easy, with many other programs bringing in loads of talent for next season. Here is a look at the five college basketball teams that are early top contenders for the 2025 NCAA championship.
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5 college basketball teams who are top contenders for the NCAA tournament title in 2025
#5. Alabama
The Alabama Crimson had a great run to the Final Four in 2024 under head coach Nate Oats. Alabama had the most lethal offensive attack in college basketball last season, averaging 90.1 points per game.
They will be losing some key players from last season, including Mark Sears, Rylen Griffen, Davin Cosby Jr., and Nick Pringle. However, Alabama had some success in the transfer portal, bringing in four-star recruits Chris Youngblood, Houston Mallette, and Aden Holloway.
They will also have key contributors Grant Nelson, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., and Mo Dioubate returning to the team next season. Jarin Stevenson is another player who could potentially return to the Crimson Tide if he chooses to withdraw from the NBA Draft.
#4. Houston
The Houston Cougars are coming off one of the best seasons in program history, going 32-5 and making the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. They boasted the top defense in college basketball last season and will have a number of key players returning next season.
Emanuel Sharp, L.J. Cryer, and J'Wan Roberts are among the players expected to return to the team, along with an incoming transfer from Oklahoma, Milos Uzan. The Cougars will also bring in top freshman recruits Mercy Miller and Chase McCarty.
Losing their defensive leader, Jamal Shead, will be a huge loss for Houston, but they have all the pieces necessary to once again be one of the top teams in college basketball next season.
#3. UConn
The UConn Huskies are among the favorites to make history and win a third straight NCAA title next season. However, Dan Hurley's team is expected to lose standout players Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, and potentially Alex Karaban.
The Huskies are hoping they can rely on their incoming transfers and recruits to continue the program's recent college basketball success. Tarris Reed Jr. and Aidan Mahaney are big names that UConn has brought in through the transfer portal so far. Meanwhile, incoming freshmen Liam McNeely, Ahmad Nowell, and Isaiah Abraham all rank inside the top 60 in ESPN's top 100 recruits.
Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson will be the biggest returning pieces for UConn next season and will be expected to take on an elevated role.
#2. Kansas
Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks seem to always find themselves as contenders for a national title.
Kansas will be losing Kevin McCullar Jr., Nicolas Timberlake, and potentially Johnny Furphy this season. Those are big losses for Kansas, but the Jayhawks will have some capable replacements on their way to the program.
South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo was one of the biggest transfer portal pickups for Kansas this offseason. They also managed to bring in Florida's Riley Kugel, Wisconsin's AJ Storr, and Alabama's Rylan Griffen. Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris, K.J. Adams Jr., and Elmarko Jackson are all expected to return as well.
The Jayhawks also have two of ESPN's top 100 college basketball recruits joining the program in Flory Bidunga and Rakease Passmore.
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#1. Duke
The Duke Blue Devils are one of the leading contenders to win the NCAA title in 2025, largely due to their freshman recruiting class. Duke will bring the top overall recruit, Cooper Flagg, along with Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, Pat Ngongba, and Darren Harris.
A large number of Blue Devils' players will be departing the team, including Kyle Filipowski, Jared McCain, Jeremy Roach, Mark Mitchell, Ryan Young, and Sean Stewart. But Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster will both be returning to Jon Scheyer's for another season.
Duke will also have Syracuse's Maliq Brown and Purdue's Mason Gillis joining the team this season through the transfer portal.
Which team do you think is most likely to win the 2025 NCAA championship? Let us know in the comments below.
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