7. Iowa
The Ben McCollum era is already in full swing, as Iowa is one of the slowest teams in the country and plays point guard Bennett Stirtz almost the complete 40 minutes, which were two staples of McCollum’s style while at Drake. The ability to put competent pieces around Stirtz will determine how far this team can go.
8. USC
Eric Musselman’s Trojans were the surprise champs in Maui, and it’s a testament to how good a coach he really is. This roster, built almost entirely through the transfer portal, has a lot of “Oh yeah, I remember that guy. He’s here now?” players on it, and they are all playing the best basketball of their careers in Musselman’s system.
9. Indiana
Good news: The Hoosiers are 7-2 in the first year of the Darian DeVries era. Bad news: they’re on a two-game losing streak, and it was the two best teams they have played so far. We still don’t know how good this Indiana team is, but their roster looks good on paper. They’re going to need to prove it by beating someone good.
10. Ohio State
The Buckeyes are 1-0 in the Big Ten, and their only loss overall was on an insane buzzer-beater by Pitt. Bruce Thornton is one of the best point guards in the conference, and this team is in good hands as long as he is healthy.
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