Way too early top 25 for 2018-19

The Badgers were uncharacteristically bad this past season, putting little pressure on them next year. They did win five of their last eight games of the season with their losses coming to Michigan and Michigan State (twice). Wisconsin nearly returns everyone — though Andy Van Vliet is transferring and star Ethan Happ could head to the NBA — and should go back to being a tournament staple. If Happ bolts, the Badgers could end up struggling to get their normal invite to the dance once again.

UCLA had an uneven season in 2017-2018. The Bruins lose their best players, Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh, but bring in a very good freshman class. Moses Brown, Shareef O'Neal, Jules Bernard and David Singleton bring some much needed energy to a program that needs some good news. The pressure is on Steve Alford to contend in a Pac-12 that lacks any power team. 

The Gators will have a tough time replacing Chris Chiozza and Egor Koulechov, but Mike White is building a program that can absorb inevitable graduations of star players and the possible early entrants (like Jalen Hudson). KeVaughn Allen, Keith Stone and Kevarrius Hayes will be back, and Florida will add freshman guards Andrew Nembhard and Noah Locke to replace the departing backcourt. 

The SEC should be loaded next year, and Ben Howland's squad wants to make that leap to conference contender. Quinndary Weatherspoon and his brother Nick will anchor the backcourt with Aric Holman holding down the paint. The Bulldogs will also bring in McDonald's All-American Reggie Perry to a team that went to the NIT's Final Four. 

Clemson loses Donte Grantham and Gabe DeVoe and will rely on player development to replace their production. Marcquise Reed (15.8 points per game) and Elijah Thomas (8.1 rebounds per game) will have to be even better next year. The Tigers may take a slight step back from their 25-win campaign this year but should still be a solid tournament team. Brad Brownell is building a good program, and consistency is a must for Clemson to stay in the top third of the ACC. 

We all know what kind of season Louisville had this past year. It was a top 10 team that collapsed from the weight of the issues bearing on it. Moving forward, Chris Mack takes over a team that (hopefully) brings back a solid core of Deng Adel, Raymond Spalding and V.J. King. There's talent there now, though nothing new on the way this year. It's a building year for Mack to show recruits, fans and everyone else that the dark skies will be clear again.

Obviously, replacing the leadership of Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles will be tough, and no player will be expected to become what they've meant to the Mountaineers' program. However, West Virginia isn't empty-handed. Brandon Knapper missed his freshman season with a knee injury and will join incoming frosh Jordan McCabe to form the next backcourt for Bob Huggins. Sagaba Konate will be back to man the paint defensively as well.

Kansas State's unlikely run to the Elite Eight should be the catalyst for another good year in 2018-2019. The Wildcats had no seniors in their rotation, and even if anyone tests the draft waters, it isn't likely they will stay in the draft. As of now, K-State should be loaded and could challenge rival Kansas for the Big 12 crown. Dean Wade, Barry Brown and Xavier Sneed could make another huge tournament run.

Cincinnati enjoyed one of its better regular seasons in over a decade but ended in an epic meltdown. The Bearcats will lose Gary Clark and could lose Jacob Evans, but Mick Cronin's program is built on tough defense and physical play on offense. That won't leave. They will need guys like their backcourt of Justin Jenifer and Jarron Cumberland to pick up the scoring load. The American Athletic Conference should fall back a bit next year as the Bearcats, Wichita State and Houston lose some key players, but Cincinnati may have the goods to win it again.

Buzz Williams certainly has this team headed in the right direction. This past year his Hokies beat Virginia, Duke and North Carolina, and seven of the eight top scorers will be back next year. Justin Robinson is their leader on the court and statistically (leading scorer and assist man) and will helm an experienced roster that also welcomes in a very talented freshman class. Williams is an underrated coach who gets a lot out of his players, especially in big situations. The Hokies are looking for their third straight tournament bid and hope to stick around a bit longer this time. 

The Terps will return what could be the Big Ten's best backcourt next season of Kevin Huerter and Anthony Cowan. Those two shouldered a huge load as injuries ravaged the team. They will lose Justin Jackson to the draft after playing just 11 games last season and guard Dion Wiley to a transfer. If freshman big man Bruno Fernando stays to join incoming big man Jalen Smith, Maryland could possibly realize the potential that alluded it last year. 

The SEC should be fun next year. Will Wade's second season should see the Tigers take that jump into conference contender status. The incoming class is great, led by Nazreon Reid, Emmitt Williams and Darius Days. Add them to Tremont Waters and Skylar Mays, and LSU should get back to the NCAA Tournament and be dangerous once the team gets there. 

Auburn had one of its best seasons in years and is stocked for another run. Both Austin Wiley and  Mustapha Heron declared for the NBA Draft, but both could (and are expected to) pull their names out and return to school. If that happens, the Tigers will return a full lineup to go alongside the services of forward Danjel Purifoy, who will have to serve a nine-game suspension to begin the season, and VCU transfer Samir Doughty.

If everyone stays, Nevada will welcome back a trio of rising seniors that led the Wolf Pack to the Sweet 16 this past year. The Martin twins, Caleb and Cody, along with Jordan Caroline, were the three leading scorers and the catalysts for the Pack's tourney run. Five of the seven guys in the main rotation will be back if Lindsey Drew (coming off a Achilles injury) can play next season. Still, this is a top 15 team next year and could make a deeper run in the tournament.

Oregon missed the tournament a year after getting to the Final Four. Payton Pritchard, Elijah Brown and Troy Brown will be joined by two top prospects in big man Bol Bol (Manute Bol's son) and forward Louis King. Bol will make the Ducks' defense so much better while their high-scoring and diverse offense will be intact. In a down Pac-12 with a lot of turmoil in Arizona, Oregon could rise back to the top of the league very quickly.

It will come down to who sticks around Ann Arbor. Charles Matthews, Zavier Simpson, Jon Teske, Jordan Poole and Isaiah Livers should all return. Mo Wagner has one year of eligibility left, but the NBA could come calling. Even if he (or a couple of others) leaves, the Wolverines have a lot returning. John Beilein's defensive pressure will carry over, and his offense will allow for those guys to step into the roles that Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Duncan Robinson leave behind. 

We already know Miles Bridges is leaving, Jaren Jackson Jr. could leave (he just declared), and Nick Ward has declared for the draft but hasn't hired an agent. Cassius Winston will be relied on for his playmaking while Matt McQuaid and Joshua Langford will take on much bigger roles. Incoming freshmen Marcus Bingham, Gabe Brown and Foster Loyer will need to grow up fast if the Spartans want to win the Big Ten regular season again. 

Rick Barnes did a bang-up job with the Volunteers this past season. The SEC regular-season co-champions will pretty much have everyone back (Admiral Schofield declared for the draft but won't hire an agent). We know what they are, and that is a team built on the physical play of Grant Williams with the skill of Schofield and a balanced attack from their bevy of role players. They won't sneak up on anyone, but they also know how to win in the SEC.

North Carolina will lose two of its most important leaders in Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson. The Tar Heels do return All-ACC player Luke Maye as well as a great freshman crop that includes McDonald's All-American Game MVP Nassir Little and Coby White. Their young bigs need to develop, and someone needs to take over the all-important point guard role in Chapel Hill, which Seventh Woods should get the first crack at. There are some huge questions coming into next season, but Roy Williams' stable is filled quite nicely.

One question coming out of Spokane is what conference will Gonzaga play in? There were rumblings that the Bulldogs have talked with the Mountain West about moving there, which prompted the WCC to revamp its schedule and conference tournament to entice the Zags to stay. On the floor, the Zags already lose seniors Johnathan Williams and Silas Melson and could lose Killian Tillie and/or Rui Hachimura as early draft entries. Josh Perkins and Zach Norvell Jr. will be back, and they add San Jose State transfer Brandon Clarke. If the two bigs resist the temptation to leave for the NBA, this team will be loaded.

The Wildcats expect to have yet another mass exodus of players to the NBA, and they will continue to bring in quality replacements. They've already netted Immanuel Quickley, Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson and are in the mix for a few other undeclared players. The key is who stays from last year's squad. The 2017-18 team was so young and inexperienced but improved as the year went along. If a few players, such as Quade Green, Nick Richards and Sacha Killeya-Jones, do stick around, this Kentucky team could finally have a veteran squad to go along with its big dreams.

Tony Bennett's system has been highly successful for years now. The Cavaliers won 20 of their 21 ACC games, reached No. 1 in the rankings and were the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Of course, they became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed so there is a lot of pressure on this program. Devon Hall, Isaiah Wilkins and Nigel Johnson all graduate, but cornerstones Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter will return. Plus that pack-line defense will still annoy the rest of the ACC so the Cavs should be back at or near the top of the league. Hopefully they can go a bit further in the tournament. 

The past three seasons have been historically great for the Wildcats. Next year should be more of the same despite some talented players leaving. Right now, we don't know what decision Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Omari Spellman will make. If they stick around for another shot at a title, this team could be the favorite to win it again. If all three leave, Villanova has turned into the program that has a next-man-up mentality and recruits big-time replacements. Guys like Phil Booth, Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Paschall and Collin Gillespie will take over if need be. 

The Jayhawks' season ended rather unceremoniously in San Antonio, but there should be a lot to look forward to next season. Losing Devonte' Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk will be tough, but they will welcome in a super freshman class of Quentin Grimes, Devon Dotson and David McCormack to join Udoka Azubuike, Silvio De Sousa and the Lawson brothers, K.J. and Dedric, who transfered in from Memphis. Add in Cal transfer Charlie Moore, and Kansas has a lot more experience than any incoming freshman class. If Malik Newman comes back, the Jayhawks will challenge Duke for the top spot in the rankings. Even if he doesn't, Kansas is set up for yet another Final Four run. 

Duke will lose Grayson Allen and Marvin Bagley III to the NBA Draft and could lose others. Even if there is more leaving, the Blue Devils will welcome in one of the best freshman classes ever assembled with the top three ranked players (R.J. Barrett, Cameron Reddish and Zion Williamson) heading to Durham. Mike Krzyzewski has done pretty well for himself since he's gone all in on the one-and-done trend. The key will be if Tre Jones, brother of former Duke player Tyus Jones, can take over the point guard spot.