College basketball rankings: Arkansas moves up after adding Indiana transfer

Eric Musselman built Nevada into a nationally relevant program in almost no time by largely relying on the transfer market. And though his approach at Arkansas is more focused on high school prospects, and for good reason, Monday’s commitment from Indiana grad transfer Justin Smith served as a reminder that Musselman still values experience.

The Razorbacks added a starter Monday.

Smith is a 6-foot-7 forward who averaged 10.4 points and 5.2 rebounds for an Indiana team that was projected to make the NCAA Tournament. So this a big get for the Razorbacks, who will actually have six eligible transfers joining next season’s roster alongside a recruiting class that features four four-star high school prospects. And that’s among the reasons Arkansas is up to No. 24 in Version 18.0 of the 2020-21 CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 And 1.

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If you’ve been following the updates to the Top 25 And 1, you should know that what I do is assume all consensus projected first-round picks will remain in the NBA Draft, make educated guesses about other underclassmen, and omit (for now) all traditional sit-out transfers. Needless to say, when I need to adjust, I’ll adjust. Version 19.0 is likely right around the corner. But, at this moment, Gonzaga is No. 1 based on the idea that everybody who can return from a team that finished 31-2 will return from a team that finished 31-2. If that happens, the Zags will be led by All-American Filip Petrusev, have three of their top five scorers back, and benefit from a top-10 recruiting class highlighted by five-star guard Jalen Suggs.

Updated Top 25 And 1 rankings

Updated Top 25 And 1 roster analysis

1. Gonzaga

Coach: Mark Few

2019-20 record: 31-2

Notable players definitely gone: Killian Tillie, Ryan Woolridge, Admon Gilder
Notable players expected to also leave: N/A
Notable players expected to return: Filip Petrusev, Corey Kispert, Joel Ayayi, Drew Timme, Anton Watson, Pavel Zakharov, Martynas Arlauskas, Will Graves, Matthew Lang
Expected additions: Jalen Suggs, Julian Strawther, Dominick Harris, Oumar Ballo, Aaron Cook 

2. Baylor 

Coach: Scott Drew

2019-20 record: 26-4

Notable players definitely gone: Freddie Gillespie, Devonte Bandoo
Notable players expected to also leave: N/A
Notable players…