As the 2020-21 college basketball season approaches with games slated to tip off starting Wednesday, it's finally time again to evaluate which schools are doing it best on both the men's and women's sides.
The Baylor Bears and Lady Bears look like they will continue much of the success they found last season, but what other schools made our first combined rankings of the season?
1. Baylor
Previous rank: 1
Rankings: No. 1 (men), No. 5 (women)
Men: A Baylor squad that won 23 games in a row last season should sustain that momentum with Jared Butler and MaCio Teague, who withdrew from the NBA draft, coming back to lead one of the best programs in America. While there are concerns in the paint with the departure of Freddie Gillespie and the medical retirement of Tristan Clark, Baylor has the depth and talent to win the program's first national championship. -- Myron Medcalf
Women: Baylor is in remarkably good shape for a team that lost Lauren Cox and two others to the WNBA draft. Junior NaLyssa Smith is a star in waiting, and there are high hopes for recruits Sarah Andrews and Hannah Gusters. With a small roster, Baylor needs a quick return from reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year DiDi Richards, who suffered a spinal injury in preseason. -- Graham Hays
2. Kentucky
Rankings: No. 5 (men), No. 11 (women)
Men: The Wildcats have as much talent as anyone in the country -- but it's mostly young talent, not that that's anything new to John Calipari. He brings in the nation's No. 1 recruiting class, while also adding impact transfers Olivier Sarr (Wake Forest) and Davion Mintz (Creighton). They should have it humming in Lexington by the time the NCAA tournament rolls around. -- Jeff Borzello
Women: Coach Matthew Mitchell's abrupt retirement last week leaves a huge void in a program he led for 13 seasons. Having the nation's best player in junior Rhyne Howard (23.4 PPG) will help interim head coach Kyra Elzy navigate the competitive SEC. -- Charlie Creme
3. Gonzaga
Rankings: No. 3 (men), No. 22 (women)
Men: The AP pollsters voted Gonzaga the No. 1 men's team in the land in the preseason, and it's easy to see why. Corey Kispert, Joel Ayayi and Drew Timme return from a rotation that likely would have earned a NCAA tournament No. 1 seed last season. Newcomer Jalen Suggs is projected as a 2021 lottery pick. Mark Few has all the pieces. -- John Gasaway
Women: Gonzaga returns many of the key assets from a team that was set to host NCAA tournament games as a top-four seed a season ago. Reigning WCC Player of the year Yill Townsend is the most important of those, but two sets of twins -- forwards Jenn and LeeAnne Wirth and guards Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong -- also played important roles a season ago. The Bulldogs should have enough to offset losing key nonconference showcases to the schedule crunch. -- Graham Hays
4. Oregon
Rankings: No. 17 (men), No. 10 (women)
Men: -- Somewhat surprisingly, the Ducks fell behind UCLA and Arizona State in the Pac-12 preseason poll. Then again, their best player, Payton Pritchard, is now a member of the Boston Celtics. Pritchard is a major loss, but Oregon remains the top program in the conference until proved otherwise. -- Joe Lunardi
Women: A new era hits Eugene. Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally, who put the Ducks on the national map, turn it over to Sedona Prince, Taylor Chavez and the country's best recruiting class. Senior Erin Boley and the addition of Maryland transfer Taylor Mikesell give coach Kelly Graves experienced players to rely upon during the early stages of the transition, not to mention two exceptional shooters. -- Charlie Creme
5. UCLA
Rankings: No. 19 (men), No. 9 (women)
Men: Through 17 games last season, UCLA had an 8-9 record overall and a 1-3 tally in league play. The season ended with UCLA threatening to earn an at-large berth and Mick Cronin securing Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors following one of the nation's most impressive in-season turnarounds. That's why there is excitement about a UCLA team that's anchored by experienced contributors, such as Tyger Campbell and Jalen Hill. -- Myron Medcalf
Women: Quantity could become an issue for the Bruins after multiple players opted out of the season, but the quality of what remains will never be a concern with All-American Michaela Onyenwere as the centerpiece. After an up-and-down freshman season, sophomore Charisma Osborne's development as the complementary star could determine how high UCLA flies this season. -- Graham Hays
6. Texas
Rankings: No. 20 (men), No. 25 (women)
Men: Shaka Smart brings back every point scored from last season -- and also adds five-star forward Greg Brown, who opted to stay home for college rather than play for a blueblood. So talent and depth won't be an issue. But the Longhorns have struggled to find consistency under Smart, and Smart will have to figure out his best lineup and rotation to get the most out of this team. -- Jeff Borzello
Women: Vic Schaefer comes to Austin from Mississippi State for one reason: to get the Longhorns back to contending with Baylor in the Big 12. That's unlikely to happen immediately this season, but the speed with which he built the Bulldogs into a national power indicates that the Big 12 will be more competitive fairly soon. -- Charlie Creme
7. Louisville
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 6 seed (men), No. 4 overall rank (women)
Men: Chris Mack lost four seniors plus first-team All-ACC performer Jordan Nwora in the offseason, but don't count out the Cardinals in 2021. Laptop-based rating systems were intrigued by a rotation that should include Malik Williams, David Johnson and Radford transfer Carlik Jones, the reigning Big South Player of the Year. Williams is currently sidelined with an injury, but if Louisville gets healthy, the Cards could make some noise. -- John Gasaway
Women: Louisville's status as a championship contender was set as soon as reigning ACC Player of the Year Dana Evans passed up the WNBA draft to return for her senior season. Freshman Hailey Van Lith represents one of coach Jeff Walz's biggest recruiting wins and she is part of the reason Walz is calling this the deepest team of his 14 years in charge. -- Graham Hays
8. Stanford
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 8 seed (men), No. 2 overall rank (women)
Men: Stanford is a worthy sleeper pick this season. Senior Oscar da Silva is as good as any big man on the West Coast, and coach Jerod Haase has methodically built the Cardinal back into NCAA tournament contention. Losing freshman Tyrell Terry to the NBA draft was a blow, but ESPN No. 7 recruit Ziaire Williams is in the fold to keep things moving forward. -- Joe Lunardi
Women: Injuries were a big issue a season ago, but if the Cardinal are healthy, they could be the deepest team in the country. Sophomore Haley Jones is back from a knee injury and senior Kiana Williams is a topflight point guard. Tara VanDerveer, on the cusp of becoming the sport's all-time winningest coach, also has all-Pac-12 guard Lexie Hull, sophomore forwards Fran Belibi and Ashten Prechtel, and top recruits Cameron Brink and Jana Van Gytenbeek at her disposal. -- Charlie Creme
9. Indiana
Rankings/Seeds: No. 7 seed (men), No. 13 overall rank (women)
Men: Archie Miller hopes to make his first NCAA tournament appearance during his tenure at Indiana. To achieve that feat, he'll need even more from standout Trayce Jackson-Davis (13.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG last season), while also calling on five-star freshman Khristian Lander to be a backcourt playmaker who can be effective and efficient. It will be a tall task in a tough league. -- Myron Medcalf
Women: With just six all-time NCAA tournament appearances, Indiana has long been a distant third in the state behind former national champions Notre Dame and Purdue. But a wealth of returnees, led by the backcourt of Grace Berger and Ali Patberg, means the preseason Big Ten favorites have aspirations well beyond the border of the state. -- Graham Hays
10. UConn
Rankings/Bracketology Seeds: No. 10 seed (men), No. 3 overall rank (women)
Men: The Huskies are back in the Big East, and they should have their best team since Dan Hurley took over in Storrs. They bring back most of their key pieces from last season, including breakout candidate James Bouknight, and also welcome several impact newcomers. Keep an eye on Howard transfer R.J. Cole at the point guard spot and athletic freshman wing Andre Jackson. -- Jeff Borzello
Women: All eyes will be on Paige Bueckers as she begins her college career as the presumed next Huskies legend, but junior guard Christyn Williams is a former No. 1-rated recruit who appears ready to be a star now. UConn hasn't won a national championship since 2016, hardly much of a span for most programs, but a bona fide drought in Storrs. -- Charlie Creme
11. Arizona
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 9 seed (men), No. 7 overall rank (women)
Men: After losing all five starters from last season's team, the Wildcats will be counting on transfers James Akinjo (Georgetown), Jordan Brown (Nevada) and Terrell Brown (Seattle) to lead the way in 2021. Akinjo earned 2019 Big East Freshman of the Year honors, the 6-foot-11 Jordan Brown was ranked in the top 40 nationally in the 2018 ESPN 100, and Terrell Brown averaged 21 points a game at SU last season. -- John Gasaway
Women: Thanks to the cancellation of this past spring's NCAA tournament, the Arizona women's basketball team still hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 2005. Don't expect the drought to last. With a returning core of All-American Aari McDonald, Cate Reese and Sam Thomas, a Pac-12 title and Final Four trip are viable goals. -- Graham Hays
12. Arizona State
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 16 overall rank (men), No. 7 seed (women)
Men: Bobby Hurley has turned Arizona State into an extremely relevant program. The Sun Devils play a great schedule, are pushing players into the NBA and they can absolutely win the Pac-12 in 2021. All that's missing is a deep NCAA tournament run, and you have to think Remy Martin & Co. will check that box in March. -- Joe Lunardi
Women: The Sun Devils have reached six straight NCAA tournaments and will have to successfully replace their top four starters to make it seven. Charli Turner Thorne signed a six-player recruiting class, one of the best in school history, replenishing the depth that has come to define Arizona State over the past few years. -- Charlie Creme
13. Ohio State
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 6 seed (men), No. 4 overall rank (women)
Men: Chris Holtmann has won 66% of his games during his time at Ohio State, a mark that speaks to his consistency and progress in Columbus. To take the next step this season -- Ohio State has two second-round exits under Holtmann -- Harvard grad transfer Seth Towns will have to be the star he was in the Ivy League, and CJ Walker must control the ball and play with poise for a team that committed turnovers on nearly one-fifth of its possessions last season. -- Myron Medcalf
Women: The Buckeyes have struggled to regain their national footing since Kelsey Mitchell left, but Hungarian forward Dorka Juhasz gives this season's team a bona fide star around whom to build. Both the coaches and the media had Ohio State fifth in the Big Ten preseason poll, which along with a return to the NCAA tournament would represent a successful season. -- Graham Hays
14 Tennessee
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 11 overall rank (men), No. 9 seed (women)
Men: I'm high on the Volunteers, and I think they're a legitimate SEC title threat and Final Four contender -- despite being likely to miss the NCAA tournament last season. Four starters are back, including two-way star Yves Pons, and Rick Barnes will welcome a loaded incoming class. The buzz coming out of Knoxville about freshman Keon Johnson has been strong this fall, and he could be a one-and-done lottery pick. -- Jeff Borzello
Women: Kellie Harper's tenure as Lady Vols coach will be defined by how her teams do in big games, so something will have to change this season. Tennessee won just one game against a top-50 RPI opponent last season and was not a sure thing to make the NCAA tournament field in March. Having All-America candidate Rennia Davis back will help, but not as much as a big improvement from sophomore Jordan Horston. -- Charlie Creme
15. LSU
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 22 overall rank (men), No. 7 seed (women)
Men: Javonte Smart, Trendon Watford and Darius Days return from a team that was cruising toward a second consecutive NCAA bid in the spring. Through a combination of good ballhandling and ferocious offensive rebounding, the Tigers excel by earning (far) more chances to score than their opponent. -- John Gasaway
Women: LSU didn't receive a vote in the AP preseason poll and must replace all-conference forward Ayana Mitchell, meaning we're not talking about the Final Four juggernaut of the early part of the century. But the second tier of the SEC is wide open, and returnees Faustine Aifuwa and Khayla Pointer provide reason to hope LSU can turn the potential of a spate of wins against ranked teams in 2019-20 into greater consistency this season. -- Graham Hays
16. Syracuse
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 7 seed (men), No. 23 overall rank (women)
Men: The forecast for Syracuse is all over the map, and that was before Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim tested positive for COVID-19. Then again, the last time Boeheim had an forced absence -- an NCAA suspension during the 2015-16 season -- the Orange made the Final Four. That might be a bit ambitious, but this is an NCAA team. -- Joe Lunardi
Women: Getting Tiana Mangakahia back after a battle with breast cancer gives the Orange a whole different dimension at point guard. Senior Kiara Lewis, junior forward Emily Engstler and 6-7 freshman Kamilla Cardoso form the rest of the core that could compete for an ACC title after going 16-15 last season. -- Charlie Creme
17. Michigan
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 7 seed (men), No. 24 overall rank (women)
Men: On a recent conference call, Michigan associate head coach Phil Martelli praised Juwan Howard's growth as a leader entering his second year with the program that raised him as a member of the Fab Five. During his debut as Michigan head coach, Howard landed wins over Creighton and Gonzaga, and with Isaiah Livers back after flirting with the NBA and Franz Wagner set to take the next step, you'll see more of that growth in 2020-21. -- Myron Medcalf
Women: Kim Barnes Arico has somewhat quietly turned Michigan into a program that can be expected to finish in the top half of the Big Ten and play in the postseason. But the expectations don't stop there this season. Preseason Big Ten Co-Player of the Year Naz Hillmon leads a team with a real chance to win the school's first conference title in women's basketball. -- Graham Hays
18. Arkansas
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 10 seed (men), No. 15 overall rank (women)
Men: Stop me if you've heard this before: Eric Musselman will lean heavily on a big group of talented transfers and newcomers this season. Only a couple of pieces from last season return, but four top-100 freshmen and six transfers enter the fold. Moses Moody is the most promising of the freshmen, but Justin Smith (Indiana) and JD Notae (Jacksonville) are going to make noise right off the bat, too. -- Jeff Borzello
Women: Since Mike Neighbors' arrival in 2017, the Razorbacks have been one of the country's most exciting teams. This season they could also be one of the best. Fifth-year seniors Chelsea Dungee (16.9 PPG), Amber Ramirez (44.7 3-point percentage) and Destiny Slocum, who joined Arkansas as a graduate transfer from Oregon State, will lead the way for an offense that averaged 83.4 points per game a season ago. -- Charlie Creme
19. Florida State
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 23 overall rank (men), No. 9 seed (women)
Men: If you painted a sign reading "Florida State will exceed preseason expectations" and held it above your head for the past five years straight, you would have looked like a forecasting genius. Leonard Hamilton lost a lot of scoring from last season's outright ACC champions, but he does return M.J. Walker and Anthony Polite. He's also bringing in a potential ACC Freshman of the Year in Scottie Barnes. -- John Gasaway
Women: The Seminoles will be without longtime coach Sue Semrau, who stepped away for a season to care for her parents, but interim coach and former Seminoles standout Brooke Wyckoff provides continuity. That matters for a team that needs to replace almost all of its scoring and blend in transfers like Tiana England, eligible immediately, and Bianca Jackson, who sat out last season. -- Graham Hays
20. Rutgers
Bracketology seeds: No. 6 (men), No. 10 (women)
Men: When Rutgers makes the 2021 NCAA tournament, it will be the school's first Selection Sunday call in 30 years. Credit coach Steve Pikiell for doing what so many others could not: win at the state university of New Jersey (and in the Big Ten, no less). The Scarlet Knights are a genuine success story. -- Joe Lunardi
Women: C. Vivian Stringer enters her 50th year of coaching with potentially one of her best teams in years. Arella Guirantes (20.6 PPG) led the Big Ten in scoring last season as a junior, while senior Tekia Mack, one of the league's best defenders, also returns. The X factor could be freshman Diamond Johnson, who has the potential to be an elite point guard. -- Charlie Creme
21. BYU
Bracketology seeds: No. 11 (men), No. 10 (women)
Men: When Matt Haarms was on the floor for Purdue last season, the Boilermakers held opponents to just 92 points per possession, according to hooplens.com. That's why the coveted graduate transfer's arrival is such a promising development for a BYU team that lost a collection of veterans. The team also adds a variety of new players who must quickly bond in Mark Pope's second season in a tough West Coast Conference. -- Myron Medcalf
Women: Leading scorer Paisley Johnson Harding returns, as does NCAA shot-block leader Sara Hamson (whose sister, Jennifer, led BYU to the Sweet 16 in 2014). Best of all for the Cougars, redshirt sophomore Shaylee Gonzales returns after missing last season with an injury. She led the team in scoring and assists (and was second in rebounding) as a freshman. -- Graham Hays
22. South Dakota State
Bracketology seeds: No. 13 (men), No. 12 (women)
Men: The Jackrabbits have a tradition of success, and new head coach Eric Henderson continued that tradition last season. They've now earned at least a share of the Summit regular-season title five of the past six seasons -- and they won the conference tournament in the lone season without a regular-season title. Oh, and all five starters are back from last season. They're loaded once again. -- Jeff Borzello
Women: Getting Myah Selland (13.8 PPG) back after she missed all but nine games last season with a knee injury could be enough to push the Jackrabbits back to the top of the Summit League. Conference supremacy should once again come down to beating rival South Dakota, so another big season from all-league selection junior Paiton Burckhard is a must. -- Charlie Creme
23. Stephen F. Austin
Bracketology seeds: No. 15 (men), No. 14 (women)
Men: SFA supplied arguably the signature moment of the 2019-20 season when it beat No. 1 Duke at Cameron Indoor in overtime on Nathan Bain's length-of-the floor buzzer-beating drive. Now Bain is gone, and so too is reigning Southland Player of the Year Kevon Harris, but the Lumberjacks return Gavin Kensmil, Cameron Johnson and Roti Ware from a team that posted a 28-3 record. -- John Gasaway
Women: Stephen F. Austin came up a game short of the Southland regular-season title a season ago and placed three players on this season's preseason all-conference teams: Aiyana Johnson, Zya Nugent and Stephanie Visscher. In all, the team returns its five leading scorers. -- Graham Hays
24. West Virginia
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: No. 18 overall rank (men), "First Four Out" (women)
Men: Bob Huggins loves this team, and who are we to argue with a coach who has won 881 games in 38 seasons? With the likes of Derek Culver, Oscar Tshiebwe and Miles McBride returning, this could be a Final Four team. It's quite a statement about their league that the Mountaineers were only picked third in the Big 12. -- Joe Lunardi
Women: Coming off a disappointing 7-11 Big 12 record, the Mountaineers return three of their top four scorers, led by senior guard Kysre Gondrezick (15.3 PPG) and junior forward Kari Niblack (10.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG). A bigger season from junior point guard Madisen Smith might be the key to West Virginia competing for a top-three spot in the conference. -- Charlie Creme
25. Maryland
Rankings/Bracketology seeds: "Next Four Out" (men), No. 14 overall rank (women)
Men: It's not easy to reset after losing talented players such as Anthony Cowan Jr. and Jalen Smith. To prevent a free fall, Mark Turgeon will count on Darryl Morsell, Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala to anchor a program that will need consistent production from that trio to have a shot at the NCAA tournament. -- Myron Medcalf
Women: While this is a season of more uncertainty than normal for the Terrapins, all things are relative -- they were still ranked second and third by the Big Ten coaches and media, respectively, in the preseason poll. Although they're hurt by transfers leaving the program, incoming transfer Chloe Bibby's immediate eligibility is a big win. She joins highly touted freshman Angel Reese. -- Graham Hays