Andy Katz previews new college basketball season, work with Hoops HQ, TNT

The college basketball season officially starts next week. That means it’s Andy Katz’s busiest and favorite time of the year. You can catch the expert work of the longtime insider on several outlets and platforms, including TNT Sports, Big Ten Network, and NCAA.com.

Katz will be part of TNT Sports’ broadcast of the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas on Nov. 3. It’s a fascinating doubleheader, as defending national champion No. 3 Florida will face No. 13 Arizona, with the second game featuring No. 8 BYU vs. Villanova. Katz also has a new gig with Hoops HQ, a college basketball digital media company launched by Seth Davis in 2024.

We recently caught up with Katz to learn more about what to expect for the 2025-26 season.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: What is the big story for this college basketball season?

Andy Katz: “I don’t think there’s just one. You have Florida with a chance to repeat. You’ve got Duke and Houston with a chance to get back and avenge crushing losses. Then you’ve got Purdue, preseason No. 1, two years after playing for the title, with the Big Ten Player of the Year in Braden Smith. Michigan, arguably, has the best transfer portal class led by Yaxel Lendeborg, who could be the National Player of the Year. You’ve got St. John’s with Rick Pitino with a legit shot to get the Red Storm to the Final Four for the first time since ’85. It would be his fourth team to take to the Final Four. UConn, Dan Hurley’s got a team that could get back.”

There doesn’t appear to be a Cooper Flagg this year. Who is the hot freshman?

“I disagree with you. I think that in the Big 12 alone, (BYU’s) AJ Dybantsa and (Kansas’) Darryn Peterson are going to compete, not just for Big 12 Player of the Year, but possibly for the No. 1 pick (in the NBA draft). Are they as good as Cooper Flagg? I don’t know. Probably not at this point in their lives, but we’re going to have two freshmen who potentially could be the Player of the Year.”

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— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) October 15, 2025

Could you break down the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas?

“College basketball needs a headline opening night. This answers that call. We’ve got Villanova-BYU. You get a new head coach in Kevin Willard. We’ll see what he can do (at Villanova). BYU is going to be one of the hottest teams this season. AJ Dybantsa could be the number one pick in June. Rob Wright came over from Baylor. Richie Saunders is back. They’re going to be high-flying, running, and gunning. They’re gonna be a Final Four contender.

“Florida, you’ve got the reigning champs. The frontcourt is back, led by Alex Condon. They’ve got a new backcourt led by Boogie Fland, who was at Arkansas. Todd Golden’s trying to repeat like Billy Donovan did. And then you’re going against an Arizona team that is loaded again, with Tommy Lloyd having a legit team that could challenge in that top four in the Big 12, which will probably be the best conference in the country again. That’s gonna be a great matchup. I think it’s a great way to tip off the season.”

Last season, Florida was ‘only’ ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press preseason poll. Is there a team that could be this year’s version of Florida?

“I would say, if you’re looking for two teams that are in that range, that could make a run to a Final Four, I’m not ready to say they’re going to win it, but Oregon and NC State are going to, I think, over-perform their rankings, especially NC State. Will Wade’s got a team that certainly can do it. He’s a winner. I would not be shocked at all if they were able to pull that off.”

Who’s a coach who could have a significant first-year impact at his new school?

“Ben McCollum at Iowa and Buzz Williams at Maryland have got a great shot to get their teams to the NCAA Tournament in Year One. Buzz has won everywhere he’s been. And Ben, same deal, from Northwest Missouri State to Drake to now Iowa. He goes to Drake, and they win the Valley and win a game in the tournament. He’s bringing the (Missouri) Valley Player of the Year Bennett Stirtz with him. I fully expect them to be in the mix in the Big Ten right away to get a bid. The same thing with Buzz. Buzz brought a couple of core guys from (Texas) A&M, where he just was. So I think that’s gonna translate well for him there as well.”

Rick Pitino exceeded expectations last season. Why could this St. John’s team be better?

“They’re the favorite in the Big East. He did an amazing job in the portal, adding Bryce Hopkins (Providence), Dillon Mitchell (Cincinnati), Joson Sanon from Arizona State. Ian Jackson from (North) Carolina. Dylan Darling (Idaho State) was one of the best players in the Big Sky. Dillon Mitchell really has never reached his potential, but he’s got tons of talent. They’ve got loads of talent. They’re deeper. Zuby Ejiofor is the Big East Player of the Year. It’s not Final Four or bust, but they have Final Four expectations for sure.”

Who are the mid-majors to watch out for?

“Illinois State and Belmont in the Missouri Valley. San Francisco in the West Coast Conference. In the Atlantic 10, VCU’s the favorite, but I think we could see a host of teams, all bunched at the top, from Dayton to George Washington to George Mason. St. Bonaventure. I think there’s going to be a lot of different teams that will have a chance to go up there. That league is really balanced. Utah State’s gonna be good again out of the Mountain West. Those are some of the teams.”

Was the lack of upsets in last season’s NCAA tournament the start of a trend, or is that an overreaction?

“Overreaction. People have short memories. In 2023, it was Florida Atlantic and San Diego State in the Final Four, with Miami, which had never been to the Final Four, and then UConn. So that Final Four had three teams that hadn’t been there before. Two of those three were from leagues that are not (power conferences). There’s no reason to say that it won’t happen this year. We just don’t know. It’s cyclical.”

What can you tell us about your new gig with Hoops HQ?

“I’m thrilled to add that back. I wanted to get back to writing, and this was a great match to do that. Seth has always been a writer. He’s got great judgment, and I trust him implicitly. It’s getting back to sort of a weekly column, if you will, which is what I used to do for decades at ESPN. It could be features. It could be reactions. The anchor piece will be a weekly column, usually on Mondays, and then the rest we’ll sort of, we’ll figure it out as the season unfolds.”

With TNT Sports, what will be your role for the college basketball regular season?

“I’m going to be doing reporting/ sideline (work). I don’t have an exact number, but it begins with the opener Monday night on TNT. I’m thrilled to be a part of that, obviously. I’ve done the NCAA tournament for them for the last five years, and now that role will continue, hopefully for a long time, because I love working with them.”