College Basketball Way Too Early Top 25 ... For 2035

Every year we get a barrage of Top 25 rankings right after the National Championship Game ends.  Though a ton is still in flux, it's fun to see rankings so early.  Still though, we here at BTP like to stay ahead of the curve.  Other sites are predicting next year's Top 25, but we want a real challenge.  We're going to predict 2035's Top 25 teams.

Yes, in a land where Jaden Smith is President, Justin Bieber has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and where there are 15 Star Wars movies, comes BTP's Top 25 list.  Things may look a little odd, but a lot of events led to these rankings.  Let's take a look:

The 2035-36 Preseason Top 25

#1 - Northwestern

The Wildcats were a Big Ten bottom-dweller in the past, but no longer.  After getting the union ruling, Northwestern now routinely pulls in the #1 recruiting class and is coming off a championship in 2034.

#2 - Michigan State

The Spartans struggled for a bit, but now that the team is fully healthy, they have a great shot at the title.

#3 - Duke

Coach K has retired, but his replacement (Roy Williams in an even more dramatic twist) has done a great job at getting the Duke tradition rolling.

#4 - USC

Yeah, so that Dunk City thing actually started to work out at USC. The Trojans have been a powerhouse.

#5 - Dayton

Dayton is now the premiere basketball school in Ohio.  They hold a yearly matchup with the Buckeyes now, but with a 7 year winning streak, now refer to OSU as "Little Brother."  It was pretty unexpected to say the least.

#6 - Michigan

The Wolverines were very consistent under John Beilein, but with Beilein retiring, Michigan brought in Tim Hardaway, Jr. to coach the team.  It was a swing for the fences and just happened to work.

#7 - West Virginia

The Mountaineers fired Bob Huggins, but in a surprising twist, brought him back just 2 years later.  Things have worked out pretty well since.

#8 - Kentucky

The Wildcats remain as 1 of only 2 decent teams in the SEC.  Calipari was run out of town long ago after 3 straight NIT 1st Round exits.  Surprisingly, all 3 losses were to Robert Morris ... again.

#9 - Montana

Nobody could steal Shaka Smart rom VCU until Montana finally did.  Nobody is quite sure how they did it, but there are rumors of something shady happening.

#10 - Indiana

The Hoosiers look like they might finally get back to the NCAA Tournament after an absence since the 2013 season.  Though Tom Crean is no longer coaching, they did land Larry Brown, which has been ... interesting to say the least.

#11 - Louisville

Pitino retired years ago, but his son took over the job here.  He has been pretty solid with the Cardinals and makes it a ritual to throw his coat during almost every game.

#12 - Wisconsin

Yes, Bo Ryan is still coaching.  He is now 87 years old.  Somehow, the Badgers still have their Top 4 Big Ten finish streak going.

#13 - Auburn

There were some doubters, but Bruce Pearl was an instant hit at Auburn.  He has still not missed the NCAA Tournament with the Tigers and boasts 4 Final Four appearances with the school.

#14 - Arizona

Sean Miller is still with the Wildcats.  They missed the Final Four against Wisconsin, but made it 3 times after.

#15 - Harvard

Tommy Amaker kept building up the Crimson for years.  He did eventually step down to take the Lakers job, but they moved up one of his assistants.

#16 - Kansas

The Jayhawks have stumbled in recent years and the team hasn't been quite as dominant lately.  Apparently, the 1 year legacy of Andrew Wiggins didn't revolutionize Kansas as much as some thought.

#17 - Rutgers

So yeah, everyone ripped on Rutgers, but apparently they have been pretty good.

#18 - North Carolina

The Tar Heels may have lost Roy Williams, but they did hire Tim Miles.  Things have worked out pretty well for UNC.  Not so much for Nebraska.

#19 - Virginia

The Cavaliers have been a very consistent program, but somehow keep falling in the Elite Eight.

#20 - UCLA

The Bruins have been solid, but Steve Alford was let go years ago.  Reaching the Final Four consistently just wasn't enough for UCLA.

#21 - Oregon

The Ducks have been a big school for attracting recruits.  They now switch uniforms at each TV timeout.

#22 - La Salle

The Explorers brought in the nation's top recruit (Anthony Davis, III) for this year, which has gotten them a lot of attention.

#23 - Syracuse

The Orange have been solid, but never as great as they were under Jim Boeheim.  Since Jason Kidd took over, things just haven't felt right.

#24 - UMass

The Minutemen built off their 2014 NCAA Tournament appearance and have been a mainstay in the Big Dance.

#25 - UConn

The Huskies have won 2 titles since their 2014 championship, but each came as a #13 seed.  Pretty incredible.