Heading into Week 1 of the 2024-2025 men’s college basketball season, Andy Katz offers his top six stories to watch.

MORE KATZ: Alabama leads Andy Katz’s preseason power rankings

1. UConn three times? The Huskies are trying for the first three-peat since UCLA won seven in a row from 1967 to 1973. The Huskies don’t have the rim protection without Donovan Clingan, the multiple lottery picks, but they have the depth, the scoring ability and the momentum to win a third consecutive title. Alex Karaban, Samson Johnson, Liam McNeeley, Solo Ball, Hassan Diarra, Jayden Ross and Aidan Mahaney should end up being the leaders of this team.

2. Are the top three freshmen competing for the top three NBA Draft picks? Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Rutgers’ Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper could finish 1-2-3 in June’s NBA Draft. Duke is a legitimate title contender with Flagg and a loaded roster, while the Scarlet Knights will be cited on television. The two freshmen have elevated Rutgers into an offensive force, something that has been severely lacking lately in Piscataway.

3. Will Alabama return to the Final Four? The Tide made their first Final Four appearance in 2024, and Bama is a favorite to not only return but also win it. Alabama returned Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Chris Youngblood and Jarin Stevenson. Add Cliff Omoruyi, Houston Mallette and Derrion Reid to make the Tide the deepest contender in the country.

4. Multiple Big 12 Final Four teams? The Big 12 has consistently been one of the deepest leagues and should be the toughest to win this season. An argument can be made for Kansas, Iowa State, Houston or Baylor to win the league and compete for the national title. But expect Cincinnati, Texas Tech and Kansas State to also be in the NCAA tournament with decent seeds. The bubble will be filled with the rest of the league.

5. The SEC with the most offers? Alabama is a favorite for the national title, but the league is the deepest it has ever been. The SEC will likely have NCAA tournament teams in Auburn, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. That’s 10 teams with legitimate bubble teams from South Carolina and Georgia as well.

6. The race for National Player of the Year is wide open! There is no favorite for the first time since 2017, when Frank Mason III of Kansas won the award. Will a freshman like Flagg, Bailey or Harper win it? Will Sears, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson or North Carolina’s RJ Davis win? The race is very open.