Duke, Kansas rise in updated Way-Too-Early Top 25 men's rankings
The NBA draft withdrawal deadline cemented North Carolina's position and also saw Duke, Kansas and others make jumps.
Jeff Borzello
ESPN Staff Writer
After a whirlwind few months that saw thousands of players enter the transfer portal and hundreds enter the NBA draft, we finally have some roster stability across the men's college basketball landscape. The coaching carousel has long since stopped, the NBA draft is in the rearview mirror and the transfer portal has slowed down. Barring any surprises, the majority of rosters come early November are going to look very similar to how they look today, in late June.
Sure, there will still be additions and subtractions. There are a few international prospects expected to make the move to the U.S. in the coming weeks, and there are always a few unexpected reclassifications come August. But with Pete Nance (North Carolina) and Emmanuel Akot (Memphis) announcing their college decisions two weekends ago, only two players remain in ESPN's transfer rankings: Emoni Bates and Keyontae Johnson.
Since the last Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings update, there have been two big movers: Gonzaga and Oregon. The Zags rose all the way to No. 2 after the NBA draft withdrawals of Drew Timme, Julian Strawther and Rasir Bolton and the addition of Chattanooga transfer Malachi Smith. They make a strong case for the No. 1 spot, but North Carolina adding Nance gives the Tar Heels the edge. Meanwhile, Will Richardson announced he was returning to Oregon, pushing the Ducks from unranked to inside the top 20.
On the flipside, the big faller was Michigan, which dropped out of the rankings from No. 20. The Wolverines saw Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate keep their names in the NBA draft; combined with concerns about firepower on the wings, it was just enough to keep Michigan on the outside looking in.
1. North Carolina Tar Heels
Previous: 1While I initially moved the Tar Heels to No. 1 after the returns of Caleb Love, R.J. Davis, Leaky Black and, in particular, Armando Bacot, the program cemented the position with the addition of Northwestern transfer Pete Nance. Nance was a top-10 transfer all spring and the best available player in the portal when he committed to Hubert Davis' squad. He initially entered the draft but withdrew his name and visited Chapel Hill before announcing his decision.
Nance will fill the role vacated by Brady Manek. He's 6-foot-10, but shot 45.2% from 3-point range and averaged 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists. The Tar Heels had other options at the power forward spot -- Puff Johnson, Dontrez Styles -- but Nance is a proven high-major contributor with size and shooting ability.
Projected starting lineup:
Caleb Love (15.2 PPG)
R.J. Davis (13.4 PPG)
Leaky Black (4.9 PPG)
Pete Nance (14.6 PPG)
Armando Bacot (16.5 PPG)...................
