26. Ohio State Buckeyes

27. Xavier Musketeers

28. BYU Cougars

29. Maryland Terps

30. St. John’s Red Storm

31. UCLA Bruins

32. Oregon Ducks

33. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

34. Florida Gators

35. Ole Miss

36. USC Trojans

37. Grand Canyon Lopes

38. Providence Friars

39. Mississippi State Bulldogs

40. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

41. Memphis Tigers

42. McNeese Cowboys

43. Michigan State Spartans

44. Michigan Wolverines

45. VCU Rams

46. Dayton Flyers

47. St Mary’s Gaels

48. Washington Huskies

49. UCF Knights

50. Louisville Cardinals

51. Boise State Broncos

52. Clemson Tigers

53. New Mexico Lobos

54. Arizona State Sun Devils

55. Utah State Aggies

56. Colorado State Rams

57. Seton Hall Pirates

58. SMU Mustangs

59. South Carolina Gamecocks

60. Nevada Wolfpack

61. TCU Horned Frogs

62. Villanova Wildcats

63. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

64. Saint Louis Billikens

65. Syracuse Orange

66. Nebraska Cornhuskers

67. Pittsburgh Panthers

68. Iowa Hawkeyes

69. NC State Wolfpack

70. Butler Bulldogs

71. Princeton Tigers

72. Virginia Cavaliers

73. Saint Joseph’s Hawks

74. Oklahoma Sooners

75. West Virginia Mountaineers

76. Georgia Bulldogs

77. UAB Blazers

78: Wisconsin Badgers

79. San Diego State Aztecs

80. Missouri Tigers

81. Northwestern Wildcats

82. Loyola Chicago Ramblers

Here is where our analysts have the U ranked:

Steven	Maxwell	Kam	Cody
26	25	34	29

Miami entered last season coming off a Final Four appearance and an Elite Eight performance the year before that. They couldn’t live up to the expectations, as they went 15-17 overall and 6-14 in the ACC. However, it should be anticipated that the Hurricanes bounce back to a March Madness team and an ACC contender this season. First off, Miami played 12 of its 20 ACC games with at least one starter out of the lineup, per Blue Ribbon Yearbook. The Hurricanes went 2-10 in those games and 0-8 on the road.

The Hurricanes will go as far as Nijel Pack can take them. Pack underwent knee surgery this offseason and should be 100% for this season. Pack averages 14.3 points per game in his career and has shot over 40.5% from 3 for his career. Last year, Pack shot a career low 35.7% from three this year. Alongside Pack in the backcourt is 5-star freshman Jalil Bethea, the highest recruit to ever commit to Miami. Bethea is not only a shot creator, but also a tough shotmaker. Additionally, the key returner aside from Pack is Matthew Cleveland. Cleveland, a 3 and D wing with a long wingspan, averaged 13.7 points per game last year and was the Hurricanes second leading scorer a year ago. There’s also Brandon Johnson who averaged 14 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for East Carolina last season. He’s another 3 and D big time defender who can score. There’s a possibility he could end up being the best player on this team. The starting big man for this team is 6’11” Lynn Kidd from Virginia Tech. Kidd had a breakout season last year and shot a whopping 67% from the field last season. While last year’s Florida team was undersized due to playing Norchad Omier at center, this roster is a lot bigger.

Kidd’s back up is Kirk Huie, a transfer from Idaho who stands at 6’9″ himself. The sixth man of this team is former Samford standout, AJ Staton-McCray. McCray averaged 11.5 points last season and shot 41% from 3. The first guard off the bench is Jalen Blackmon, who averaged a whopping 21.3 points per game Stetson last season. He also shot 38% from three. If there’s anything a Jim Larranga coached team can do, it’s shoot. That trend should be expected to continue this season.

Overall, this Miami team has everything. They have size, they can shoot, they can defend and rebound, and they have a scoring punch in their backcourt. They even have a projected NBA lottery pick. Honestly, they’re probably one of the more underrated teams in the country coming into this season. Miami will not be projected in the top four of the ACC preseason poll, but they should be. They have the starters and they have the depth, especially in the backcourt, necessary to succeed. While last year’s season was disastrous, most of those players aren’t returning and it had more to do with injuries than the play on the court. There’s plenty of reasons for Miami fans to be excited heading into this season.