College Basketball Rankings: 10 Underrated Teams and 10 Overrated Teams

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With the AP Top 25 being announced, we are ready for the 2011-12 college basketball season to begin.  Since the poll has come out there has been quite a bit of controversy about the rankings of each team, and not without reason.

These 20 teams have all been ranks too high or too low, and while the preseason poll does not mean much, it would still be nice to see them ranked where they belong.

These teams will all take their deserved places soon, but these are the botched rankings from the AP Top 25.

Overrated: Gonzaga

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The Gonzaga Bulldogs are ranked No. 23 in the country, but they don't belong in the top 25 conversation.

The Bulldogs will dominate in the WCC again, but that doesn't say much.  They are relying on Elias Harris to make up for the loss of Steven Gray, who was the team's leading scorer last season, but Harris was incredibly disappointing, and there's no guarantee that he will help them at all.

Center Robert Sacre is dangerous inside, but he can't do it alone and he needs Harris to improve if their frontcourt can be successful.

The Bulldogs also do not have a solid option in the backcourt.  There is no obvious choice to take Gray's position, and if they can't find a replacement they could be in some serious trouble.

Underrated: California

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California is one of the most experienced teams in the nation.  The Golden Bears return Jorge Gutierrez, who will easily be the team's best player.

Gutierrez averaged nearly 15 points per game.  Gutierrez would have been the team's leading scorer if power forward Harper Kamp (who is also returning) did not average the same exact number of points.

The Bears add new weapon Justin Cobbs, who will take over the point guard position, allowing Gutierrez to focus on scoring.

This Cal team is very dangerous, and their good inside-outside combo will surely help them.

Overrated: Marquette

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This Marquette team shares the ball well and play tenacious defense.  With that being said, their offense is horrible.

The offense is now entirely Darius Johnson-Odom's, now that Jimmy Butler has left.  While DJO is a great player, he needs to get help from his teammates.  Butler was the team's leading scorer, and losing his 16 points per game is huge for a Marquette team that struggles to score.

Underrated: Cincinnati

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The Cincinnati Bearcats are ranked No. 21 in the nation, but they should be higher.  The Bearcats have an incredible defense that was displayed at the end of last season.  They can shut down most teams, and that will always make them dangerous.

The questions for Cincy is their offense.  Yancy Gates can do it all in the post, but they are going to need some good guard-play if they want to climb higher on this list.

Dion Dixon is a good scoring threat, while Cashmere Wright can feed the ball to Gates.  This team's backcourt is underrated, and their defense coupled with their big men will surely help them rise on this list.

Overrated: Alabama

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For a team that didn't even make the NCAA tournament last season, the Alabama Crimson Tide should not be ranked No. 19.

The team returns most of its players, including star JaMychal Green.  They have a good recruiting class, but the class focuses around the shooting guard and power forward positions; positions that the Crimson Tide do not need.

While they are a very talented and belong in the top 25, the Crimson Tide should be around No. 24 in the nation.

Underrated: Texas A&M

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Khris Middleton leads this Texas A&M team, and he is my preseason pick to win Big 12 Player of the Year.  Middleton plays tight man defense, as do the rest of the Aggies.  Texas A&M can shut down most teams, and that will always keep them in the game.

Unlike overrated defensive teams on this list like Marquette, this Texas A&M team returns its top two scorers in Middleton (14.3 points per game) and forward David Loubeau (11.9 points per game).

The Aggies couple their incredible defense with the ability to score, and they should be ranked higher in the preseason top 25.

Overrated: Michigan

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The Michigan Wolverines were given the No. 18 spot in the AP Top 25, but without guard Darius Morris, they are going to fall down the rankings.

Morris was one of the best passers in the nation, and he set the tempo for the Wolverines.  While Michigan returns Tim Hardaway Jr. and Zack Novak, it doesn't look like anyone on the team will be able to keep things moving for Michigan.

Considering how bad their defense is, this team can't afford to lose key offensive pieces like Morris, and the point guard role will be a big question mark throughout the season.

Underrated: Wisconsin

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Even though they're both Big Ten schools, the Wisconsin Badgers are completely different than the Michigan Wolverines from the previous slide.

Where Michigan can't stop a nosebleed, the Badgers have a stifling defense that was one of the best in the country last season.  Where Michigan has no true point guard, the Badgers have Jordan Taylor, who can pass well and will be their leading scorer now that Jon Leuer is gone.

Taylor was a force, averaging 18.1 points per game, and he also had an incredible assist to turnover ratio of almost four.

The Badgers aren't going to be winning a lot of high-scoring games, but their defense and Taylor will certainly help them win a lot of games.

Overrated: UCLA

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The UCLA Bruins were somehow given the No. 17 spot in the nation.  The team has lost two of its best players in guards Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee, but they've moved up the rankings from the end of last season.

While having leading scorer and rebounder Reeves Nelson will certainly help, he can't make up for the loss of this team's entire backcourt.

UCLA also has the Wear twins coming in after they transferred from North Carolina.  These two 6'10" monsters can help the team, but they do not address the need of guards.

A formidable frontcourt will not be helped by guards, and this UCLA team will fall down the rankings.

Underrated: Xavier

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The Xavier Musketeers are joined by Third-Team All-American Tu Holloway once more, and he will be one of the best guards in the country.  The combo guard averaged 20.2 points and 5.5 assists per game last season, and he will lead this team again.

Leading rebounder Jamel McLean is gone, but the team returns its top three scorers in Holloway, Mark Lyons and Kenny Frease.

This team is going to dominate the A-10, and they are going to show that they belong with the big boys throughout the season.

Overrated: Arizona

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The Arizona Wildcats made it to the Elite Eight last year before losing to eventual-champion Connecticut.  They return the majority of their starters and they bring in one of the top point guards in the 2011 recruiting class: Josiah Turner.

So what's missing?

Oh yeah, the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft: Derrick Williams.  Williams was an absolute monster, controlling the lane and shooting around 60 percent from the three.  He was an absolute force and he led this Wildcat team through the NCAA tournament.

While the supporting cast will be better, even with them stepping up this team should be around No. 20, not No. 16 in the country.

Underrated: Baylor

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The Baylor Bears should be insulted by their No. 12 ranking.  This team has two incredibly talented big men who will lead them through the season, and I honestly believe that they could be a top five team.

Perry Jones is an athletic 6'11" forward-center.  He is an NBA-ready forward but his size allows him to play center in college.  He runs the floor well and he can elevate.  Despite being the best weapon on this team as a freshman he averaged 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season.

Now the Bears have Quincy Miller joining them.  Miller is a 6'10" forward who is the No. 7 recruit in the 2011 class.  He is also very versatile and combines his size with his athletic ability.  Remind you of anyone?  Like his teammate Jones?

The Bears have two trees who could play guard on their team because Jones and Miller are so versatile.  These two make up one of the best frontcourts in the nation, and they are going to be able to hang with any team because of these two.

Overrated: Pittsburgh

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Pittsburgh can still play great defense, but they have a big question mark on the offensive end.  This is a team that's lost a lot of talent since last season, and they might not be able to score enough against good defenses, something the Big East is full of.

The team's main source of pints will be Ashton Gibbs, but if he goes cold they don't have another go-to-guy.

Gary McGhee and Brad Wanamaker are both gone and they leave gaping voids. Wanamaker led this team to be ranked fourth in assists per game, and McGhee helped them reach eight in rebounds per game. Freshman Khem Birch can fill the lane and Gibbs can play point, they will not be nearly as good as McGhee and Wanamaker.

This team has lost 45 points per game in the form of Wanamaker, McGhee and Gilbert Brown, who is also gone.

This team was barely in the top five when they had these three, and now that their offense is lacking 45 points per game they don't belong in the top 15, let alone No. 11.

Underrated: Florida

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The Florida Gators have the best backcourt in the nation with Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton, who combined for 28.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, seven assists and two steals per game.  These two are incredibly talented and they are going to be the backbone of this team.

The Gators are also being joined by Bradley Beal, who has the best shot in the 2011 recruiting class.  He draws favorable comparisons to Ray Allen, and with Walker, Boynton and Beal lighting it up from three this team is going to be tough to beat.

While they don't have a stellar frontcourt, the Gators are good enough to negate other big men and leave games up to guard play.

That will allow them to beat most teams, and their backcourt will lead them through the season.  They deserve to be No. 8 in the country, so they are slightly underrated at No. 10.

Overrated: Louisville

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This Louisville team returns point guard Peyton Siva, who is one of the best in the nation.  He averaged 5.3 assists per game last season to go along with 9.9 points per game.

However, you can't record assists if you don't have anyone to pass to, and this team doesn't have a go-to option.  They didn't have a true leader last season, and they lose scoring-leader Preston Knowles.

While they have shooting guard Wayne Blackshear joining them it is inadvisable to rely so much on a freshman, especially one that isn't even in the top 25 in the class.

This is going to be a good, solid team, but they shouldn't be ranked No. 8 in the country.

Underrated: Vanderbilt

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After returning just about everyone from last year's 23-11 team Vanderbilt is set to challenge Kentucky for the SEC crown.

This team is led by the best shooting guard in the country: John Jenkins.  Jenkins led the SEC in scoring last year with 19.5 points per game, and because there are so few talented point guards this year, Jenkins is the best.

The Commodores also have third-leading scorer and defensive expert Festus Ezeli in the paint, and second-best scorer Jeffrey Taylor, who averaged 14.7 points per game.

This is a deep, experienced team that brings in two Top 100 recruits who will make immediate impacts in Dai-Jon Parker and Kendren Johnson.  They are going to be a top five team soon enough, and they deserve to be even higher than No. 7.

Overrated: Duke

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After losing Nolan Smith, Kyrie Irving and Kyle Singler who totaled 55 points per game, it'd hard to imagine that a Duke team that was ranked No. 4 at the end of last season would only fall two spots to No. 6. Oh wait, that just happened.

Sure they have a great recruiting class coming in, but Austin Rivers, Michael Gbinije, Quinn Cook, Alex Murphy and Marshall Plumlee aren't going to make a big enough impact to make up for the three stars they have lost.

This Duke team has no true leader, and while they are deep they aren't as talented as the teams that surround them.

While I hope I'm wrong about this, I don't see the Blue Devils staying a top 10 team for long.

Underrated: Syracuse

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Jim Boeheim's crew loses Rick Jackson, but he is the only member who they lose.  This team will still run the 2-3 zone, and that allows Fab Melo to replace Jackson inside.

The team also has point guard Scoop Jardine and small forward Kris Joseph coming back, both of whom will fight to be All-Americans.

This is a deep, balanced team just like the Blue Devils, but unlike Duke they have true leadership.  They are more talented and they deserve to be No. 4 in the country.

Overrated: Ohio State

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The Ohio State Buckeyes are ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25, but that is almost entirely because of the return of center Jared Sullinger.  While Sullinger is a monster and my preseason pick to win National Player of the Year, he is not good enough to bring this team higher than No. 5.

The Buckeyes lost David Lighty who was their best three-point-shooter by far, and that could spell trouble.  They also lose Jon Diebler, and these two were some of their top scorers.

The Buckeyes only lost twice last season, but because there is a much better field than last season they should be no higher than No. 5.

Underrated: Connecticut

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Ranked No. 4 in the country, there is little room for improvement for this team, yet they could easily win it all again.  The Connecticut Huskies have an incredible lineup of players, and this team is everything you could possibly want.

The Huskies lose Kemba Walker but return two Wooden Top 50 Players in Jeremy Lamb and Alex Oriakhi.  They also have Shabazz Napier coming back, and they are bringing in swingman DeAndre Daniels and big man Andre Drummond, who are both top 20 recruits with Drummond being ranked No. 2.

This team has one of the top three starting fives in the nation, and their bench is led by fifth-leading scorer on the team from last season Roscoe Smith.

This team has to be ranked higher than Ohio State, but they will earn their high ranking soon enough.