College basketball early top 25 for 2016-17

As usual, the Wildcats are set to reload. They're expected to lose Tyler Ulis, among others, to the NBA, but John Calipari has another No. 1 recruiting class that includes five top 30 recruits, according to Rivals.com.

Star freshman guard Brandon Ingram declared for the draft and could go No. 1. However, Grayson Allen has turned into a star in his sophomore season and could be back. If he's back, the Blue Devils have three top 10 recruits to help him.

Top scorers Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige will graduate, but North Carolina could still make plenty of noise with guard Joel Berry back along with a strong recruiting class. Roy Williams has three top 100 recruits.

The Jayhawks were disappointed to not make the Final Four, and they stand to lose significant talent with at least Perry Ellis and Cheick Diallo gone. Still, Kansas had arguably the deepest team in college basketball this season, and Bill Self has proved better than any coach that he can handle player turnover.

Coach Steve Alford gave back his bonus after a terribly disappointing season. The good news is that the team only had one senior and will bring in a top five recruiting class led by point guard Lonzo Ball and power forward T.J. Leaf. The Bruins are expected to make a big jump, and they probably need it for Alford to stay in town.

The Ducks were consistently seven deep in 2015-16, and only two of those seven were seniors. If Dillon Brooks remains in school, the Ducks bring a strong recruiting class ranked in the top 15 to help him.

Points were fairly evenly distributed among UConn's top four in 2015-16, and among that group the team loses Shonn Miller and Sterling Gibbs. There's still plenty of talent behind them, along with a top 10 recruiting class orchestrated by coach Kevin Ollie.

Maryland will lose key seniors Rasheed Sulaimon and Jake Layman, but the team should be OK if Melo Trimble doesn't declare for the NBA Draft. Coach Mark Turgeon also has a strong recruiting class ranked in the top 20.

Unfortunately, the accomplishments of Michigan State's senior class will be partially remembered by the loss as a two seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Losing Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes and Matt Costello will be terribly damaging, but there's talent behind them along with four top 50 recruits.

Shaka Smart made more progress than many fans expected in his first season at Texas. He had an incredibly young team that didn't even include a senior, and the Longhorns have a strong recruiting class coming in that includes his lankier-style players. With a full year in the system, the Longhorns should be expected to make an even bigger jump.

Yogi Ferrell will finally be going pro, though he's not the only key loss for the Hoosiers. They can lean on Troy Williams and James Blackmon, if they stick around, and Tom Crean has yet another top 20 recruiting class arriving.

Top scorer A.J. Hammons left on a losing note in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but fellow center Isaac Haas should step in for him. The Boilermakers were a relatively young team, which speaks well for their chance of a bounce back.

Rick Pitino's squad wasn't eligible for the postseason in 2016 or it might have challenged for some hardware. Losing Damion Lee and Trey Lewis will be tough, but Pitino's team still has plenty of depth.

Coach Tony Bennett's senior stars, namely Malcolm Brogdon, will be gone next season, but the Cavaliers are just reloading. His strong recruiting class from last year will earn more playing time, and Bennett has a top 10 recruiting class arriving.

Caris LeVert is no small loss for the Wolverines, but the rest of 2016's impact players should return. John Beilein's squad has plenty of athleticism and offensive ability to improve.

Replacing Kyle Wiltjer and most likely Domantas Sabonis won't be easy, but the Zags have talent behind them. In addition to a good recruiting class, they'll have two impressive transfers in Nigel Williams-Goss and Johnathan Williams III eligible to play.

The Mountaineers got an awful draw in the NCAA Tournament, but they should have a chance for revenge in 2017. They're losing two key players in Jaysean Paige and Jonathan Holton, but the rest of the roster should remain intact.

Jim Larranaga is set to lose plenty from his senior-laden team, including his two top scorers, Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez. The Hurricanes still have talent left over, including Davon Reed, and will have a top 10 recruiting class arriving.

Nova has seen tournament success now, but the Wildcats will lose the heart and soul of their team in senior Ryan Arcidiacono, along with Daniel Ochefu and possibly Josh Hart. Jay Wright has a strong recruiting class led by power forward Omari Spellman, but the losses will be difficult to replace.

Finally, Kentucky has some company in the SEC. The Bulldogs have a top five recruiting class arriving, with six recruits in the top 100. Former UCLA head coach Ben Howland has really outdone himself going into his second season.

Billy Kennedy has built a program with staying power, even with top scorers Danuel House and Jalen Jones graduating. The Aggies will still bring excellent size and now a much-needed point guard in top recruit J.J. Caldwell.

The Orange overcame a disappointing year to make a Final Four run. Losing seniors Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije will have a big impact, but coach Jim Boeheim is bringing in two top 40 recruits to replace them.

The Seminoles are turning the page on a disappointing season, hoping freshmen Dwayne Bacon and Malik Beasley return next season. Regardless, the team has a top 10 recruiting class led by power forward Jonathan Isaac.

With Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler gone, next year's Sooners will be Jordan Woodard's team. The fall could be steep, but coach Lon Kruger has a top 25 recruiting class and an incredible track record.

Bruce Pearl's Tigers took a step back in his second season, but they're looking to build around leading scorer Kareem Canty with a top 15 recruiting class. Pearl was able to develop his previous teams much faster but should still be expected to make a nice jump in a weak conference.