{
  "id": 8243969,
  "title": "6 men’s college basketball teams who got better this offseason, and 2 who got worse",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/6-mens-college-basketball-teams-who-got-better-this-offseason-and-2",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T12:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SB Nation",
    "slug": "sb-nation",
    "url": "https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/1127574/college-basketball-teams-improved-got-better-texas-marquette-miami-worse-michigan"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Miami Hurricanes, Texas Longhorns, and USC Trojans are set to be better teams this upcoming season, according to recent reports. The Hurricanes, led by Nigel James Jr., went from a 7-win team to a 26-win team under head coach Jai Lucas' guidance. Freshman guards Shelton Henderson and Acaden Lewis will bolster the roster, while McDonald's All-American Caleb Gaskins and Dante Allen provide depth and experience. Texas will have Matas Vokietaitis returning as a dominant center, surrounded by talented players in David Punch, Isaiah Johnson, Elyjah Freeman, Mikey Lewis, and Amari Evans. The USC Trojans, under new coach Eric Musselman, have returned key players Rodney Rice, Jacob Cofie, and Eric Reibe, along with a loaded incoming freshman class that includes Christian Collins, Adonis Ratliff, and Darius Ratliff. Missouri Tigers, led by Dennis Gates, should be good enough to secure a March Madness win. Providence transfer Jamier Jones and Bryson Tiller will join Jason Crowe Jr. and Jaylen Carey in strengthening the Tigers' front court.",
  "summary": "College basketball has never been more of a year-to-year sport than it is right now. The days of recruiting a high school player and slowly developing them over four years aren’t completely over, but they sure do feel like a relic of the past. In the NIL and transfer portal era, teams are trying to […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}