No. 1: Hunter Dickinson – Michigan to Kansas
Kansas had a solid title defense last year with Jalen Wilson leading Bill Self’s team to another No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Arkansas knocked off the Jayhawks in the Round of 32.
Now, it’s an entirely new era of Kansas basketball with only Dajuan Harris Jr. and K.J. Adams Jr. still on the roster from the 2022 championship team.
This version of the team will be built around the 7-foot-2 center who spent three seasons at Michigan and was named the nation’s best transfer this season. Hunter Dickinson averaged 18 points and about nine rebounds in each of the last two seasons.
For his career, he’s averaged 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.6 blocks on 57% shooting. The hype isn’t just in Lawrence, Dickinson was named a preseason All-American and preseason Big 12 Player of the Year.
A year ago, Dickinson even shot 42.1% from three, but Kansas will likely build their team from the inside out. In No. 1 Kansas’s exhibition loss to No. 25 Illinois, Dickinson finished with 22 points and nine rebounds on 9-20 shooting. He was 1-3 from deep.
If the Jayhawks can develop their backcourt throughout the season, then Bill Self could have another championship team on his hands.