10 sleeper teams to watch heading into 2023-24 season

NCAA Basketball Marquette Golden Eagles forward Oso Ighodaro (13) celebrates with guard Tyler Kolek Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

As the calendar turns to September, fall practices begin to start and the dust from the transfer portal has settled, it is time to start looking at 10 teams that seem to be flying under the radar heading into the 2023-2024 NCAA Basketball season.

Every year some teams start the year unranked and quickly catapult themselves into the Top 25. To name a few, the 2022-2023 National Champion UConn Huskies started unranked. Jerome Tang’s Kansas State Wildcats, who were projected last in the 2022-2023 Big 12 preseason poll, managed to get a three-seed and make a magical run to the Elite Eight while starting the season unranked.

Another one? Shaka Smart’s Golden Eagles, who were projected 9th in the 2022-2023 Big East preseason poll yet managed to go 17-3 in the Big East, win the Big East Tournament and get two seed in March.

Who will be this year’s teams, starting from unranked to quickly jumping into the national college basketball scene? Although many teams in college basketball seem to fit that mold, here are ten sleeper teams that all college basketball fans must keep an eye out for as November quickly approaches.