NCAA Basketball: Rauf Report's Bold Predictions for All 31 Conferences

The Rauf Report kicks off the new NCAA Basketball season with one of our favorite yearly traditions: making one bold prediction for every conference in the country.

College basketball is perfect in its imperfection. You have very highly skilled athletes and some of the best coaches in the world working within a framework that allows for a variety of different styles, all fueled by the intense passion of local (and sometimes national) fan bases.

But trying to predict what will happen with any group of 18-23-year-olds is a fool’s errand.

And yet, here we are.

We dive headfirst into that chaos here at the Rauf Report, as each preseason we try to uncover some of the not-so-obvious happenings that the future may have in store for all 31 conferences (sorry, Pac-2, we’ll see you again soon enough). Last season, we nailed 12.5 of our 32 preseason predictions — a pretty dang good number, if you ask me! Even better considering there were only a few I was really wrong about.

Let’s turn our attention to this season, shall we? Below are bold predictions for every college basketball conference in 2024-25.

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America East

BRYANT BEATS VERMONT FOR REGULAR SEASON TITLE

Vermont has won at least a share of the last eight America East regular season titles, reaching the NCAA Tournament in five of those seasons — including each of the last three. That reign has to come to an end at some point, right? Bryant emerged as a force in its second season in the conference a year ago thanks to its lightning-fast pace and high-level defense. I expect this group to take another step forward.

AAC

PENNY HARDAWAY DOESN’T RETURN AS MEMPHIS HEAD COACH

There was so much apparent dysfunction within the Memphis program this offseason that, for the first time, it truly feels like Penny Hardaway is on the hot seat. If the Tigers miss the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, making a coaching change will become a real conversation. I think those rumblings start sooner rather than later thanks to a very difficult nonconference schedule.

ASUN

LIPSCOMB WINS LEAGUE, AUSTIN PEAY WINS ASUN TOURNAMENT

Let’s make it a double in the ASUN. Lipscomb returns five major contributors from last season, headlined by stars Jacob Ognacevic and Will Pruitt. This is a veteran group that nearly won the league title last season and is the clear favorite to do so this time around. But I have Austin Peay going to the Big Dance because of head coach Corey Gipson. In his two seasons as a head coach, Gipson has taken Northwestern State and Austin Peay to the title game of their respective conference tournaments, only to come up short. I think he will punch his ticket in 2025.

Atlantic 10

THE LEAGUE GETS THREE NCAA TOURNAMENT BIDS

The A-10 hasn’t sent three teams to the NCAA Tournament since 2018, which is also the last time the Final Four was held in San Antonio. The league is as strong as it has been in some time, with six teams — Dayton, George Mason, Loyola Chicago, Saint Joseph’s, Saint Louis and VCU — all sporting legitimate hopes of making the Big Dance. I think half end up punching their ticket.

ACC

LOUISVILLE FINISHES THIRD IN THE ACC STANDINGS

Duke and North Carolina are going to be very, very good this season. Outside of that, everything in the ACC is up for grabs. Louisville is primed to take advantage of that openness under new head coach Pat Kelsey, who assembled a team of transfer portal all-stars who all come from winning programs and will play an exciting brand of basketball. The Cardinals may even end up as a Top 25 team before all is said and done. That would be one heck of a way to start erasing the bad taste from the Kenny Payne era.

Big 12

HOUSTON FINISHES OUTSIDE TOP FOUR

The strength of the Big 12 is shown in the conference boasting five of the preseason AP Poll’s top 10 teams. While Houston is typically towards the top of that group, I think it’s clearly the fifth banana. Jamal Shead’s ability to create offense out of structure was vital to the Cougars’ success last season, and there’s no one with that ability on this year’s roster. Yes, they’ll still play great defense and be incredibly tough, but I think a lack of offense will keep them from being in the Big 12’s top tier.

Big East

PROVIDENCE FINISHES INSIDE TOP THREE

Every team in the Big East enters the 2024-25 campaign with significant questions — even UConn, given how many players the Huskies have to replace. I still think everyone is sleeping on Providence, however. The addition of Wesley Cardet Jr. (Chicago State) was one of the more underrated pickups of the offseason, and bringing in Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Georgia) and Bensley Joseph (Miami FL) as do-it-all perimeter players shouldn’t go unnoticed. If Bryce Hopkins is and stays healthy, this should easily be Kim English’s best team in Friartown.

Big Sky

WEBER STATE’S BLAISE THREATT WINS CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Blaise Threatt‘s projected breakout a season ago was somewhat thwarted by that of Dillon Jones, who took his game to a special level last season. Jones is now playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, setting the stage for Threatt to step into the lead role and have that breakout as a senior. He’ll have a new running mate in Idaho State transfer Miguel Tomley, who could also see all-league honors, but we’ll give the nod to Threatt as the heir apparent in Ogden.

Big South

HIGH POINT SWEEPS CONFERENCE TITLES, FINISHES IN KENPOM TOP 75

This High Point team quietly has the potential to be one of the very best mid-majors in the country. Head coach Alan Huss returns four starters from a team that won 27 games a season ago, headlined by All-Big South first-teamers Kimani Hamilton and Kezza Giffa, along with the reigning conference Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year, 7-footer Juslin Bodo Bodo. The Panthers finished last season at No. 114 in KenPom because of a top-40 offense. If its defense can go from being bad to just average (something ECU transfer Bobby Pettiford should help with), HPU should achieve that top-75 ranking with ease.

Big Ten

DYLAN HARPER IS AN ALL-AMERICAN

I don’t need to do much selling with this one, do I? Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are two of the most exciting prospects in the country this season, and the former could wind up being the bigger college star. Harper is electric with the ball in his hands, and Rutgers wants him to have the ball in his hands as much as possible. Here are some highlights for you to enjoy:

Big West

STEPHAN SWENSON WINS BOTH CONFERENCE PLAYER AND NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Swenson was awesome for Stetson last season, helping to guide the Hatters to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Now a projected starter for UC Santa Barbara, head coach Joe Pasternack should make the most out of Swenson’s blend of playmaking and offensive creation. Expect him to lead the Big West in assists while also being one of the league’s top scorers.

CAA

PAT SKERRY BREAKS THROUGH, TAKES TOWSON TO NCAA TOURNAMENT

This year is the year. Skerry has had Towson on the verge of the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1991 for a few years now, having won at least 20 games in each of the last three seasons. With eight returning rotation pieces, including its top four scorers from last season, I think the Tigers can break through this year.

Conference USA

LOUISIANA TECH WINS LEAGUE BY MULTIPLE GAMES, MAKES NCAA TOURNAMENT

Louisiana Tech loaded up on power conference transfers this offseason, landing three players — Amaree Abram (Georgia Tech), Kaden Cooper (Oklahoma) and William Jeffress (Pitt) — who project to play major roles. They will fit in next to returning stars Sean Newman Jr. and CUSA Preseason Player of the Year Daniel Batcho, giving the Bulldogs what is clearly the most talented roster in the conference.

Horizon

THERE IS A THREE-WAY TIE FOR THE REGULAR-SEASON TITLE

I don’t know if there are a lot of good teams in the Horizon or just a lot of average teams — beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose — but there isn’t much separating the top seven or eight teams in this league. That jumbled mess should make for a really fun conference title race, one I think will end up in a three-way tie. Let’s say Milwaukee, Fort Wayne and Youngstown State?

Ivy

YALE AND PRINCETON SPLIT TITLE, XAIVIAN LEE WINS PLAYER OF THE YEAR UNANIMOUSLY

Yale and Princeton have been running the Ivy for a few seasons now and both have won a postseason game over the last two NCAA Tournaments (Princeton in 2023, Yale in 2024). I think both teams go undefeated against the rest of the league and split against each other, setting up a split title to be decided in the Ivy League Tournament. That being said, there won’t be any doubt about Princeton’s Xaivian Lee being the very best player in the conference.

MAAC

QUINNIPIAC BREAKS THROUGH, EARNS NCAA TOURNAMENT BID

Quinnipiac has been building towards the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament bid, and it looked like it may have come last season after winning the MAAC regular-season title. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the team fell short in the conference tournament. While star Matt Balanc is gone, Tom Pecora’s squad returns the other four starters. Savion Lewis and Paul Otieno are the best inside-out duo in this league, and I think will punch that elusive ticket for Quinnipiac.

MAC

TOLEDO MAKES THE NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME UNDER TOD KOWALCZYK

Let’s keep breaking streaks, shall we? Toledo has won four consecutive MAC titles under Tod Kowalczyk, but the Rockets have yet to parlay that into an NCAA Tournament bid. That changes this season. I don’t know if they win another regular-season title, but the scoring punch provided by Isaiah Adams (Buffalo), Seth Hubbard (Western Michigan) and Javan Simmons will allow Toledo to experience the March success that has eluded it.

MEAC

HOWARD, NC CENTRAL AND NORFOLK STATE SWEEP CONFERENCE AWARDS

No one else from the MEAC wins any of the Player, Coach, Defensive Player, Newcomer — or Any Other Superlative — of the Year, and no one else has someone named to the All-MEAC First Team. Howard, North Carolina Central and Norfolk State might be head and shoulders above the rest of the league this year, and the end-of-season awards should bear that out. Look for the MEAC’s usual suspects to go out and prove it on the court once again.

Missouri Valley

MURRAY STATE WINS EITHER THE REGULAR-SEASON OR TOURNAMENT TITLE

Murray State’s first two seasons in the Missouri Valley have been rocky, but head coach Steve Prohm now has a team that looks capable of breaking out. Point guard JaCobi Wood is one of the best players in the conference, and a slew of transfers — namely, Terence Harcum (Appalachian State) and KyeRon Lindsay (Texas Tech) — will give the Racers the depth of high-impact options it hasn’t had in recent seasons. Expect Murray State to be in the upper tier of the Valley, resulting in at least one of the two league titles.

Mountain West

DEDAN THOMAS JR. WINS CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, ENTERS ALL-AMERICAN CONVERSATION

If you haven’t seen Dedan Thomas Jr. play for UNLV, do yourself a favor and watch the highlights below. The freshman averaged 17.5 points and 3.7 assists on 44.8 percent shooting over the regular season’s final 12 games, leading a late UNLV charge for a potential at-large berth. Now, the reigning Mountain West Freshman of the Year is expected to take another step forward and could put up truly eye-popping numbers. If the Rebels make the NCAA Tournament in 2025, Thomas will get the kind of national attention he deserves.

NEC

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT GETS TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

Central Connecticut tied with Merrimack for a share of the NEC regular-season title, the program’s first since 2007. Now, the Blue Devils are trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since then, too, and I think it happens. Point guard Jordan Jones might be the best player in the conference, and the top eight players in the rotation are all seniors.

OVC

SIU EDWARDSVILLE EARNS THE LEAGUE’S AUTO-BID

Like the Horizon League, there isn’t a lot separating most of the teams in this league, which will make for a very exciting and close conference season. In March, we often see the best players make the plays that ultimately determine who goes dancing. SIUE has that kind of star in Ray’Sean Taylor, and he and Desmond Polk might form the best backcourt in the league. Will that be enough for the Cougars to punch their first-ever NCAA Tournament ticket?

Patriot

AMERICAN ENDS COLGATE’S REGULAR-SEASON REIGN — BUT THE RAIDERS WIN THE LEAGUE’S AUTO-BID

I know, I know, it feels blasphemous to think anyone other than Colgate could win the Patriot League, especially with Matt Langel still in town. However, the Raiders have to replace their three leading scorers from last year’s team, while American should take another step forward with its core back for another run. Guard Elijah Stephens and big man Matt Rogers might be the best in the conference at their positions, putting the Eagles in position to pull off a shocker. But don’t worry — Colgate’s string of success in the Patriot League Tournament will continue.

SEC

ZAKAI ZEIGLER MAKES AN ALL-AMERICAN TEAM

The biggest question with Tennessee is how the Vols are going to replace Dalton Knecht. The first-round NBA Draft pick brought a level of scoring that the program hadn’t had under Rick Barnes, and that helped the Vols achieve their best season under Barnes. North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier is expected to take over the role, but Zeigler showed last season that he’s capable of taking some of that role, too. He averaged 14.3 points and 7.4 assists over Tennessee’s final 16 games next to Knecht. With a few more shots coming his way, Zeigler’s numbers could look very All-American-esque.

SoCon

SAMFORD MAKES THE NCAA TOURNAMENT AGAIN

Samford has to replace a lot of production from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, but Bucky McMillan added a lot of power conference talent to somewhat offset that. Trey Fort (Mississippi State), Collin Holloway (Tulane) and Isaiah West (Vanderbilt) all project to start, with point guard Rylan Jones returning to lead the charge. McMillan has emerged as one of the best coaches in the mid-major ranks, so it won’t be a shock to see “Bucky Ball” in the Big Dance again.

Southland

MCNEESE GOES UNDEFEATED IN LEAGUE PLAY, SPENDS AT LEAST ONE WEEK RANKED IN AP TOP 25

Speaking of elite mid-major coaches… hi, Will Wade! He has assembled a power conference-level roster and dropped it in the Southland, where his Cowboys were only defeated once last season on their way to a 30-win campaign. Last season’s success, coupled with another elite transfer haul, has created more national buzz about McNeese than there ever has been. The Cowboys received 11 votes in the AP preseason Top 25 — if they play to expectations and put up good showings against SEC foes Alabama and Mississippi State in nonconference play, the hype train will be going at full speed.

SWAC

KINTAVIOUS DOZIER LEADS GRAMBLING BACK TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

Another league that projects to be a jumbled mess at the top, Grambling gets the nod because of its quality guards. Antwan Burnett is an All-SWAC caliber player, but Kintavious Dozier might just be the best player in this conference. If 7-footer Samuel Onu (FGCU) provides a presence inside, Grambling could be on its way to a special season and a second-consecutive Big Dance after making its NCAA Tournament debut last year.

Summit

ST. THOMAS HAS US ALL QUESTIONING THE NCAA’S TRANSITION RULE AGAIN

The Tommies are in the final season of their four-year transition period to Division I, and they’ve gradually gotten better every season. A 10-20 overall mark in 2021-22 turned into a 19-14 record and then a 20-13 campaign last season. This is reflected in the program’s KenPom rating, which has jumped from 305 to 202 to 148. With five returning rotation pieces, St. Thomas will be in the mix at the top of the Summit. They may not win it, but they should get close enough to spark another debate about the merits of the transition rule, which makes the program ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. There has been ongoing discussion about reducing the length of the period, but the Tommies could make the latest argument in favor of eliminating it altogether.

Sun Belt

ARKANSAS STATE EMERGES AS LEAGUE’S DOMINANT FORCE, WINS NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME

Bryan Hodgson built a reputation as an elite recruiter while on Nate Oats’ staff at Alabama and has used that skill to attract high-level talent to Arkansas State. The Red Wolves are loaded in his second season at the helm, with three double-digit scorers returning, one of the Sun Belt’s best defenders in Izaiyah Nelson, and the addition of All-Sun Belt transfer Kobe Julien (Louisiana). Oh, that doesn’t mention a pair of power conference transfers in Joseph Pinion (Arkansas) and Rashaud Marshall (Ole Miss). Arkansas State found its footing once conference play started last season, picking up 20 wins despite a 4-9 start. That momentum, coupled with the talent on this roster and a fun style of play, should have the Red Wolves among the best mid-majors in the country.

WCC

SAN FRANCISCO FINISHES AHEAD OF SAINT MARY’S IN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Gonzaga runs the WCC — and will run the WCC until it leaves for the Pac-12. Saint Mary’s has always been there as the No. 2, but that changes this season. San Francisco has an elite slew of guards and a legitimate NBA Draft prospect in Ndewedo Newbury, putting the Dons in position to have a real breakout season. The Gaels do return key pieces, namely reigning WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis, but only three main rotation players. They also lack anyone who can create individual offense for themselves, something that limited Saint Mary’s in March.

WAC

GRAND CANYON WINS AT LEAST 30 GAMES AGAIN AND MAKES THE SWEET 16

Grand Canyon’s move to the Mountain West won’t happen until 2026, so there are still two more seasons for the Lopes to beat up on the WAC. Bryce Drew’s squad won 30 games and made the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend last season — and then Drew brought back two of the better guards in the country (not just the mid-major ranks) in Ray Harrison and Tyon Grant-Foster. TCU transfer JaKobe Coles will hold down the frontcourt with Duke Brennan, and with a deep bench, this team looks poised to hit that 30-win milestone again.