The biggest questions and top storylines for the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season

March is still months away, but the opportunity for madness persists on a nightly basis in men’s college basketball. There was even a court storm on the very first night of the season!

But there’s so much to look forward to the rest of the way, from high-profile nonconference matchups to new faces in new places. Plus, we’ve got a highly touted freshman class that’s already making its mark on the sport. (See: Cooper Flagg at Duke. Or Derik Queen, who posted a 20-20 stat line in his Maryland debut.)

Oh, and Dan Hurley’s Huskies will try to win a third consecutive NCAA title, while Kansas, Alabama, Duke and others try to stop ‘em from doing so — just one of many more storylines to follow as the season gets underway in earnest.

Here are the top storylines for the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season:

Can UConn three-peat?
No program has won three straight national championships in men’s college basketball since UCLA did it from 1971-73. That is the history that Connecticut is chasing this season and the pressure that Dan Hurley is facing. Fortunately, he’s very calm and rational and nonplussed. In all seriousness, the Huskies are certainly among the teams expected to contend for a title this season, but they’re not an overwhelming favorite. It would not be a failure of a season if they do not win it all. In fact, it would be quite an accomplishment if UConn does win it all after losing four starters from last year’s title team. The Huskies return star forward Alex Karaban and Big East Sixth Man of the Year Hassan Diarra, who will be expected to lead a team that has brought in some high-profile transfers and a five-star recruit in Liam McNeeley.

The last team that won back-to-back national titles — Florida, 2006-07 — didn’t make the NCAA Tournament the year after it repeated. Winning is hard. Winning six consecutive games in the NCAA Tournament is even harder, even when recent UConn teams make it look easy. We’ll see who ends up cutting down the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/biggest-questions-top-storylines-2024-170832849.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-06 17:08:00

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