Gus Johnson
Big 12 (predicted order of finish and records)
Kansas Jayhawks (28-2)
The Jayhawks return every relevant player from a 27-win team and bring in a top five recruiting class to assemble one of the best college basketball teams of the last decade.
Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich form the best inside-outside combo in the nation and are complemented by talented players to give the Jayhawks depth at every position.
In my opinion, this Kansas team is far more suited to win a championship than the team that did so in 2007-08, and it will take a mammoth effort from another team to even knock these Jayhawks off their game.
Texas Longhorns (26-4)
Similar to Kansas, Texas has possibly their best team ever, as this tops any roster that coach Rick Barnes has ever headed.
Their best player might be freshman Avery Bradley, who is looking at a top five pick next year. Surrounding this centerpiece are physical forward Damion James and senior center Dexter Pittman. The only problem will be finding minutes for the 11 or 12 players that will be in this rotation.
This conference has taken a big step forward, and a battle of the giants will ensue to determine its eventual winner.
Oklahoma Sooners (23-7)
There will obviously be a drop in the quality of this team after losing Blake Griffin, but it won’t be much of a decline as long as sophomore sensation Willie Warren can carry the load alongside a number of freshmen brought in by Jeff Capel.
The backcourt has enough experience to make the Sooners a competitive team, but the losses in the frontcourt will not allow Oklahoma to be a top two team in the Big 12.
They certainly have enough to get by and make it into the NCAA Tournament, but a deep run might be too much to ask for.
Iowa State Cyclones (20-10)
This conference has three really good teams, and then there’s a bit of a drop-off. I’d say Iowa State is probably the next best only because of their superstar big man Craig Brackins, the best player that no one’s ever heard of.
This program hasn’t been very good since the days that they were upset as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they return to the Big Dance this season. No player is good enough to carry his team over Kansas, Texas, or Oklahoma, but if one guy can do it, I’d put my money on Brackins.
Oklahoma State Cowboys (20-10)
Missouri Tigers (18-12)
Kansas State Wildcats (17-13)
Texas A&M Aggies (17-13)
Baylor Bears (16-14)
Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-14)
Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-17)
Colorado Buffaloes (12-18)
Pac-10 (predicted order of finish and records)
Washington Huskies (21-9)
The Pac-10 this year will be an absolutely miserable basketball conference, but Washington should be the best team in it. They lose a few top players, but the backcourt of Isaiah Thomas and freshman Abdul Gaddy should be extremely exciting to watch.
The team won 26 games and earned a No. 4 seed with a considerably better team last year, but as they’ve declined, so has the conference.
The way I see it playing out, the Pac-10 should only be able to get four teams into the tournament, with Lorenzo Romar’s team being the best.
California Golden Bears (20-10)
A lot of people like the Golden Bears to win this conference, but I’m not sure it makes much of a difference who wins it, as they will both be mid-level seeds.
Mike Montgomery returns the core of a 22-win team that was tournament-bound and brings back a great backcourt tandem of Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher.
They looked out of sorts down the stretch after losing five of their last seven and bowing out in the first round of the Big Dance, but they should be much improved this year, but with more pressure on them.
UCLA Bruins (20-10)
This program has lost so many players to the NBA over the past decade or so, but even as they have remained just shy of elite, the decline began last year as they only won one tournament game.
They’re depending on a bunch of guys that have never been relied on at all in the past, but there’s no denying Ben Howland will present a talented bunch to their competition.
Among their stars are Malcolm Lee, Nikola Dragovic, and Jerime Anderson, and if this threesome can get hot at the right time, they could make the Bruins a dangerous bunch.
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