College Basektball: Pre-Preseason Top 25

Senior Analyst Written on April 18, 2008

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Levance Fields, Sam Young, and DeJuan Blair should all be back next season for a run at the Big East crown. The Panthers played well above expectations last season after Mike Cook went down with a season-ending injury, so this team should be just as good, if not better. The departures of Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin hurt the backcourt's depth, but Jamie Dixon seems to always get the most out of his players.

4. UCLA: I believe Kevin Love, Darren Collison, and Russell Westbrook will all be on NBA rosters next season, so UCLA shouldn't belong here, right? Wrong. If I've learned one thing in the past few seasons, it's that a team shouldn't be dropped just because freshmen will be getting a lot of minutes. UCLA brings in four of the top 51 recruits to play with Josh Shipp and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute for a Pac-10 title.

3. Purdue: Every player returns to a Boilermaker squad that opened some eyes this past season. Robbie Hummel will be one of the favorites to win Big-Ten Player of the Year. This team will probably be the favorite to take the Big Ten, so Matt Painter will have to prevent his team from national distractions.

2. Notre Dame: Rob Kurz's career is over, but the Irish return Big-East Player of the Year Luke Harangody and sharp-shooter Kyle McAlarney to lead one of the top teams in the league. Tory Jackson should step up to be one of the top point-guards in the league as well.

1. North Carolina: Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and Wayne Ellington have yet to decide on their futures. So for the moment, the Heels are No. 1. Bobby Frasor will be back to add depth to the point guard position, and a top-notch recruiting class will help significantly for a run at the ACC.

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written on April 18, 2008 Preview/Prediction