College basketball is quietly on the verge of an all-time season, and the once-maligned sport might be as healthy as could be. The influx of cash is a big reason why, and some of the top talents are taking notice. A large chunk of the top hoopers in the world will play college basketball next season.
Freshmen have taken their licks from veteran-laden teams in the past, but five-stars like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, Liam McNeeley, VJ Edgecombe and plenty of others are expected to have major roles in 2024-25. Some of the top international talents like Egor Demin and Kasparas Jakucionis are flocking to the United States looking to cash in on the bundles of money to be had in college basketball. Demin, who committed to BYU, and Jakucionis, who committed to Illinois, aim to be integral pieces of their respective teams before chasing their NBA dreams.
G League Ignite, once thought to be a prime antagonist of the college game, has quickly shut its doors. Overtime Elite has evolved into more of a pivotal, trustworthy program to develop the next college stars rather than some hefty archrival.
Oh, and numerous big-name college stars eschewed the 2024 NBA Draft to return to school. Great Osobor‘s $2 million, NIL-laced payday with Washington is not the standard for everyone, but it’s an example of the serious money to be had in the college game, especially after a buzzy coaching carousel buffed up NIL budgets at multiple schools throughout the country.
RELATED: The fall-out from the top stay-or-go, NBA Draft decisions
Let’s rank the best 25 teams in the country with most of the rosters pretty much set. There are a few stragglers in the transfer portal, but the NBA Draft stay-or-go decisions are finalized and dozens of rosters are set for the 2024-25 campaign.
Spoiler: This season is about to be real fun.
