Of the eight teams that received No. 1 or No. 2 seeds in the 2022 men’s NCAA tournament, four missed the Big Dance the year before. A team’s fortunes can change in a hurry in college basketball, and Sports Illustrated is on the hunt to find this year’s breakthrough programs. Which five teams have the best chance of putting together a special season and rising to the top of the sport? These clubs have returning talent, proven coaching and plenty to look forward to in the ’22–23 campaign.
Creighton
Creighton was clearly ahead of schedule in its rebuild last year, going to the NCAA tournament and winning a game there despite having to replace five starters from 2020–21 and relying heavily upon freshmen. The Bluejays withstood multiple significant injuries and saw young talent blossom as the season went on: Big man Ryan Kalkbrenner emerged as one of the best frontcourt players in the country down the stretch, Trey Alexander stepped up at point guard when Ryan Nembhard went down with a season-ending injury and Arthur Kaluma played his best game of the season in the NCAA tournament vs. Kansas.
