Biggest Storylines of the 2016-17 NCAA Basketball Season

Are you ready? Because here it comes. That glorious march to March has begun.

Sure, it's still early. But with that earliness come the introductions and the resetting of goals and expectations. This is the bench from which the benchmarking will occur.

Don't you want to be in on that level? You know, the ground level? People seem to enjoy getting in early on something. So here's your chance. I'm just soft-tossing it at you. Take advantage of this opportunity. Learn about the top storylines in college basketball as 2016-17 gets rolling.

College Basketball Constants Stay Constant

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Jayson Tatum

There are two certainties in today's college basketball world. No, not death and taxes. They are freshman stars and the continued, eternal dominance of the sport's signature programs. Was there ever a time when Duke did not top the AP rankings? I cannot conceive of such a state of affairs.

Duke, Kentucky, Kansas; that's exactly how they appear in the AP preseason poll. They were there last year, they're here this year, they'll be here when all the rest of us are dust in the wind, which is a song by Kansas. Coincidence? No chance.

The Blue Devils top the poll thanks to a good returning nucleus led by Preseason ACC Player of the Year Grayson Allen—oh, those Duke point guards—and the fresh freshman infusion of Jayson Tatum and power forward Harry Giles. (Both are recovering from injuries now, but coaches and fans are hoping they return sooner rather than later.)

But those aren't the only rich programs getting richer, or at least staying rich. Last year's national champ, Villanova, is No. 4 in the poll. This is unquestionably Josh Hart's team, and if he and the Wildcats meet expectations, he should be in the running for National Player of the Year.

Rounding out the top five is Oregon. Hey, speaking of Oregon...

Can the Pacific Northwest Break Through?

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Washington's Markelle Fultz

Every season, there are rumblings. It's the same in football. Oregon, being up on that Phil Knight money and all, has had big success but has never quite reached the promised land. Is this the season Oregon breaks through in basketball? 

As mentioned, the Ducks are fifth in the preseason poll and return several key pieces from last year's Elite Eight contingent. Chief among them is Dillon Brooks, the high-scoring wing player who you might remember getting under the skin of a certain Coach K in last year's tourney.

Joining Brooks in the backcourt is Tyler Dorsey, while Chris Boucher, Jordan Bell and JUCO transfer Kavell Bigby-Williams hold down the paint. 

Oregon's not the only Pacific Northwest team with big plans this season. Perennial postseason coquette Gonzaga is No. 14 in the AP preseason standings, while the University of Washington received votes in a preseason poll for the first time in three years.

The Huskies this year are led by superfrosh Markelle Fultz. Can you believe there's a superfrosh who didn't go to Duke or Kentucky or Kansas? I thought they would have closed that loophole by now. Rigged system!

Comparing Fultz to former Ohio State and current Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell, Luke Winn of SI.com noted that "it’ll be an upset if Washington’s Markelle Fultz (No. 1) isn’t the top freshman scorer. He’s in an optimal situation for big numbers: The Huskies play fast—they get nine more possessions per game than a D-I average team—and he’ll be relied on to carry their offense as a lead guard."

Pretty bold prediction, but maybe given the injuries plaguing the Duke youngsters, Fultz and Washington are ready to grab the freshman spotlight, which, as we know, is probably the most glaring of lights in the game today.

As the Coaching Carousel Turns

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Tubby Smith

Most of the nation's marquee programs held the line on coaching, but several big teams and names do have new captains at the helm.

Among them:

• Jamie Dixon, from Pitt to TCU
• Tubby Smith, from Texas Tech to Memphis
• Bryce Drew, from Valparaiso to Vanderbilt
• Josh Pastner, from Memphis to Georgia Tech
• Mike Dunleavy Sr., from retirement to Tulane
• Tim Jankovich, from SMU assistant to SMU head coach (replacing Larry Brown)
• Terry Porter, from semi-retirement to University of Portland

A Crowded House in the ACC

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Kennedy Meeks

Yes, Duke rules them all. But there's plenty more to the ACC than the blue bloods in Durham.

Lest we forget, North Carolina reached the season's final game and was pretty close to winning the darn thing before Kris Jenkins hit that incredible buzzer-beater for Villanova. Marcus Paige is indeed gone, but big man Kennedy Meeks, guard Joel Berry II and swingman Justin Jackson are all back for another run.

While we are not forgetting things, let us also not forget that Syracuse made the Final Four last year. Can you believe that? I still can't believe it. How did that happen? Well, it did. Despite losing the hot-shooting trio of Michael Gbinije, Malachi Richardson and Trevor Cooney, the Orange still have a solid frontcourt, and they still have Jim Boeheim. Maybe that's enough.

Pitt, which won 21 games and returned to the big dance last season, has a new head coach in Kevin Stallings.

"The most daunting thing is that it's probably the best league or has the potential to be the best league in history in college basketball, perhaps," Stallings said about playing in the ACC, per Craig Meyer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "That's daunting. What's daunting is I could have a really good team and play a really good game and get beat. That's daunting." 

I don't know about the best league in history, but his point is still well taken. And that's not all. Virginia reloaded after losing its senior core, Florida State may finally have some post presence to balance its dynamic guard play, Louisville will again be a tough out, and teams like Clemson and Virginia Tech are on the upswing. There could be plenty of drama up and down Tobacco Road this winter.

Veterans vs. Prodigies in the Big 10

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Nigel Hayes (right)

When you're talking about the Big 10, one thing needs to be made clear off the bat. Wisconsin's entire team is back from last year.

After shaking off the Frank Kaminsky-induced hangover that dragged them to a 9-9 start, the Badgers rallied to finish with a  22-13 record and a berth in the Sweet 16. And they're all back. Versatile big Nigel Hayes, guard Bronson Koenig, double-double threat Ethan Happ and all the rest. All of them.

They're the favorite to run away with the conference, right? Right, at least according to Athlon Sports. But as always, that road goes through East Lansing.

This season's Michigan State Spartans team is the anti-Wisconsin. They lost Denzel Valentine but gained top freshmen Miles Bridges and Josh Langford, among others.

Unless Melo Trimble and Maryland can pull off some surprises, this veteran-freshman dynamic will play out in a crucible in this conference.