Saturday, April 9, 2011

Pre-Preseason 2011-2012 NCAA Basketball Top 25



















1. Duke (32-5) - Coach K and his returning players know how to win
Returning Starters: 3
Top 50 Recruits: 4

2. Kentucky (29-9) - Coach Cal brings in another loaded recruiting class
Returning Starters: 2
Top 50 Recruits: 4

3. Ohio St. (34-3) - If Sullinger sticks to his word, OSU will be Final 4 contenders
Returning Starters: 2
Top 50 Recruits: 3

4. Syracuse (27-8) - The Orange return most, and add a couple talented freshmen
Returning Starters: 4
Top 50 Recruits: 2

5. North Carolina (29-8) - If Harrison Barnes returns look for them to move to #1
Returning Starters: 4
Top 50 Recruits: 2

6. UConn (32-9) - Kemba will likely leave, but the cupboard is far from bare
Returning Starters: 4
Top 50 Recruits: 0

7. Michigan St. (19-15) - the Spartans will be free of distractions and thrive off it
Returning Starters: 3
Top 50 Recruits: 1

8. Gonzaga (25-10) - The Zags will compete with Butler as the top mid-major program
Returning Starters: 4
Top 50 Recruits: 0

9. Louisville ((25-10) - The Cards will seek vengeance from their early Tourney exit
Returning Starters: 4
Top 50 Recruits: 2

10. Butler (28-10) - There's enough talent to believe they can make a 3rd Final 4 run
Returning Starters: 3
Top 50 Recruits: 0

11. Vanderbilt (23-11) - Vandy could return all 5 starters and wreak havoc in the SEC
Returning Starters: 5
Top 50 Recruits: 1

12. Texas (28-8) - A team full of Canadians could win the Big 12
Returning Starters: 2
Top 50 Recruits: 2

13. Pittsburgh (28-6) - Jamie Dixon has built an annual contender in Pittsburgh
Returning Starters: 2
Top 50 Recruits: 1

14. Michigan (21-14) - All starters could return to a team that got much better down the stretch
Returning Starters: 5
Top 50 Recruits: 0

15. Florida (29-8) - The Gators return enough talent to make another Tourney run
Returning Starters: 2
Top 50 Recruits: 1

16. UCLA (23-11) - The Bruins should be Pac-12 favorites
Returning Starters: 4
Top 50 Recruits: 1

17. Kansas (35-3) - The Jayhawks will find it hard to repeat this year's success
Returning Starters: 1
Top 50 Recruits: 1

18. Wisconsin (25-9) - Bo Ryan always has a Top 25 team in Madison
Returning Starters: 3
Top 50 Recruits: 0

19. Arizona (30-8) - Sean Miller is leading a reemergence of the Arizona program
Returning Starters: 3
Top 50 Recruits: 2

20. Xavier (24-8) - Tu Holloway will lead the X-Men back into the Top 25
Returning Starters: 2
Top 50 Recruits: 1

21. Villanova (21-12) - Nova needs to forget about a collapse in 2011
Returning Starters: 2
Top 50 Recruits: 0

22. Baylor (18-13) - Baylor has the talent to be a Top 25 program
Returning Starters: 3
Top 50 Recruits: 1

23. Memphis (25-10) - If the Tigers grow up they could be ranked much higher
Returning Starters: 3
Top 50 Recruits: 1

24. Marquette (22-15) - Tourney success will provide needed momentum
Returning Starters: 2
Top 50 Recruits: 0

25. Missouri (23-11) - If Lawrence Bowers and Kim English return this rank will climb
Returning Starters: 2
Top 50 Recruits: 0

Others to watch: Texas A&M, Alabama, Washington, Purdue, Cincinnati, Florida St., Notre Dame, West Virginia, St. John's, Arkansas

1 comment:

  1. Good call on Michigan State. Distractions and poor point guard play killed what looked like a championship season at the start of the year. Kalin Lucas became over-hyped; they won't miss him. He had such a great sophomore season because he could play off the ball on offense. Back then, they had Travis Walton who could run the point offensively, and despite his small size, was a good enough on-the-ball defender to switch over to the two on defense.

    With Lucas running the point these last few years, he's been selfish, turnover-prone, and an all-around bad decision maker. It was if he was playing for his draft stock (ironically, doing so dropped him out of the draft). If anything, giving Appling, a true point guard, the reigns will help the Spartans out, and for the first time in a while, MSU will also have a solid, experienced, frontcourt rotation. This is the year they snap back.

    I also like your call on Memphis. They have all the talent in the world, but like MSU last year, I think they'll run into distractions (history repeating itself). They'll run over C-USA again, inflating their seeding come tourny time, but some of these early rankings overestimate what they're capable of by throwing them in the top ten. It's all about chemistry, and they don't look like they have it.

    If there's one thing I'd disagree with though, it's Gonzaga. I'm a Harris fan, and I think with Sacre's physical tools, he COULD finally be a dominant presence this year, but #8? I'd switch them with Xavier in a heartbeat.

    Also, I don't see what the big deal is with Kentucky. They have a lot of talent. Every Calipari team does every year. However, the SEC is looking to be the best it's been maybe all decade next season, and they just don't have the experience to stand out from the pack in my opinion. Things like experience, frame of mind, and chemistry are huge in college basketball. That's what has always hurt teams like Memphis and Kentucky in the long run and what hurt Michigan State last year (but probably won't this year with all the problems having moved on).

    ReplyDelete