College Basketball Early Season Contenders

We’ve been given a small sample size of games so far but its pretty clear which teams look elite and on another level compared to their competition. In this article we’re going to cover our top 5 early season contenders who all seem like they could win it all come March. 

Purdue - this team was the preseason number 1 on our site and has proven why. They have the number 1 ranked KenPom offense and recently had a huge road win against Alabama. Trey Kaufman-Renn has only played in two games so far and they still are putting up this level of elite offense. This is because guards Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith have been off to spectacular starts to the season. Purdue is a contender as expected. 

Louisville - this team was the preseason number 2 on our site and comes into these rankings as the 2nd ranked KenPom offense in the country. With Mikel Brown Jr, Ryan Conwell, Issac McKneely and Adrian Wooley on this team, its been known how elite their guards were but to be able to put it all together this fast is truly impressive. Their top three scorers Brown Jr, Conwell and McKneely are all shooting above 36% from three and clearly puts them in contender status capable of winning it all. 

Duke - Coming in with the 3rd KenPom ranked offense, this team also has a top 10 defense which ranks 8th. When your team is this elite both ways you’re going to be a contender and they're the only team on our list here that's top 10 both ways.

 Illinois - with the 4th ranked KenPom offense and 15th ranked defense, Illinois is also excellent  on both ends of the court. They have four players averaging more than 17ppg and doing it so efficiently on offense makes them a real contender to make a deep run come March. 

UConn - a team that won back to back titles in dominant fashion just recently now has a team with the 5th ranked KenPom offense and 16th defense. These numbers may not be as elite as their title teams but its been known to not be surprised by a UConn run when March arrives. They had a big win against BYU in a game in which they were up by as much as 20.