College Basketball: Top Seeds for the 2012 NCAA Tournament

While many thought last season was a dud in college basketball, there is great hope that the upcoming season can be one of the better years in recent memory. 

And while the NCAA tournament is always a great spectacle and was its usual thrilling self least season, if we are all being honest then we have to admit that the tournament was a bit lacking in terms of there being any great teams.

Starting with Jared Sullinger's surprising return to Ohio State, it was a good offseason for college basketball as stars all over the country decided to give it the old college try one more time. 

With more stars and near stars coming back and joining all of the exciting new talent about to enter the sport, next year should be awesome.

There will be power teams and heavy favorites next season but also extremely capable second tier teams, who probably would have been near Final Four locks in past seasons, waiting to take them down. 

I know the last season is still pretty fresh in our minds and that the NBA draft hasn't even happened yet, but I truly cannot wait for next season to get here.

So excited in fact, that I couldn't wait until next year to start thinking about who will likely be the top teams at the end of next season.  No, this isn't an early Top 25.  Instead, I'm going to tell you all today who will be the top four seeds in each region of next year's NCAA tournament.

Boston Regional

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NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 27: Harrison Barnes #40 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a play during the second half of the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the east regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Prudential Center o

1. North Carolina

With Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Tyler Zeller, Kendall Marshall, Dexter Strickland, Leslie McDonald and Reggie Bullock all coming back from an Elite Eight run, Carolina easily has the most talent coming back next year.  And with a good class coming in, they are rightly considered one of the favorites for next season.

2. Syracuse

Should be a tough draw for UNC playing in Boston, and Syracuse may have the talent to give the Heels fits next year with their zone defense and athletic ability.  Fab Melo should improve, and I really like their guards coming back as well as freshman Rakeem Christmas.

3. Vanderbilt

This is probably too low considering how much talent Vandy will have next year with great size such as Festus Ezeli on the inside and the terrific duo of John Jenkins and Jeff Taylor manning the perimeter.  But Vandy seems to always under perform, and I think they will again next year.

4. Pittsburgh

Ashton Gibbs should have a great season leading Pitt once again in the rugged Big East, but Pitt won't be quite as good as they were this past season and the conference as a whole will be tougher next year...so their seeding will suffer. 

But they will be a dangerous 4-seed, and I really like incoing freshman Khem Birch.

Atlanta Regional

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HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 02: Terrence Jones #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats goes to the hoop against the Connecticut Huskies during the National Semifinal game of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Reliant Stadium on April 2, 2011 in Housto

1. Kentucky

UNC has the most talent coming back, but overall Kentucky may be the most talented team in the nation including the incoming freshman classes.  Kentucky got a huge lift when Terrence Jones came back to Lexington, and he and Doron Lamb will try to lead the newcomers such as Anthony Davis back to Kentucky's second straight Final Four.

2. Louisville

Many have said, accurately, that Louisville did better last year than they probably should have, but please don't think that the cupboard was really that bare.  That was a talented squad that has a lot of talent coming back this season, including point guard Peyton Siva. 

I also think two Louisville freshman, Wayne Blackshear and Chane Behanan, will have two of the best freshman years in the country.

3. Memphis

Memphis isn't bringing UNC level talent back from last season's team that lost a heart breaker to Arizona in the tournament, but they are bringing back a lot.  Will Barton and Joe Jackson lead a bevy of really good players back for Josh Pastner's third year as the Memphis head man, and incoming freshman Adonis Thomas is one of my favorite guys coming into college basketball.

4. Cincinnati

Yancy Gates was a breakout star for the Bearcats last season and I expect him to have a monster year next season as he competes for Big East Player of the Year honors.  The Bearcats are also bringing in a super athletic class that should help the veterans quite a bit next year. 

And Cincy still has one of the more underrated coaches in all of America in Mick Cronin, who seems to have the Bearcats on the rise.

St. Louis Regional

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NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 25: Jared Sullinger #0 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts after a point against the Kentucky Wildcats during the east regional semifinal of the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Prudential Center on March 25, 2011 in Newark,

1. Ohio State

Ohio State probably brings back the best core of returning players outside of UNC.  And with Jared Sullinger and Aaron Craft being two of those returning players, Ohio State will have two of the best players in America at their respective positions. 

Last year's overall No. 1 seed, I see the Buckeyes as the third overall seed next year.

2. Baylor

I think Baylor could be the class of the Big 12 next year.  They return the amazing Perry Jones as well as Quincy Acy, Anthony Jones and others.  But the big thing for Baylor is that they have two of the best recruits in the country waiting in the wings to join those guys. 

Deuce Bello is great, but I just love Quincy Miller's game.  If he is fully healthy from his ACL injury, then he will be one of the best freshman in the nation next year.

3. Wisconsin

You know what you are going to get with Wisconsin, and this year will be no different.  Disciplined offense and terrific team defense.  Jordan Taylor is back and surrounded with the typical Wisconsin team of really good big guys with a few offensive threats mixed in.  And they will likely get what seems to be the typical Wisconsin seed, a three.

4. Florida

Florida loses SEC Player of the Year Chandler Parsons, but they bring back their dynamic backcourt of Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton.  Patric Young and Erik Murphy bring back some much needed size to what will be a smaller Florida roster. 

The Gators also add a couple of really good scorers to the mix next year in freshman Brad Beal and Rutgers transfer Mike Rosario.

Phoenix Regional

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ANAHEIM, CA - MARCH 24: Ryan Kelly #34 of the Duke Blue Devils looses control against Kevin Parrom #3 of the Arizona Wildcats during the west regional semifinal of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Honda Center on March 24, 2011 in Anaheim

1. Duke

For starters, doesn't Duke always seem to get a one seed?  Well, this year will likely be no different.  The Plumlee brothers are back, along with another brother, to give Duke some very talented size down low.  And they also bring back sharpshooter Seth Curry and the mercurial Andre Dawkins. 

That's a good team in itself.  Add in scoring machine Austin Rivers and you have the makings of another one seed for Coach K.

2. Arizona

This is a bit higher than I think they may deserve, but the fact of the matter is that there aren't going to be that many good teams in the west and the PAC-12 specifically to keep Arizona from getting a bit of a gift two seed. 

But make no mistake, Arizona will be a very good team and will be dangerous playing in Phoenix.  They have good talent coming back and good talent coming in (Josiah Turner), and a great coach in Sean Miller.

3. Kansas

I think Kansas will finally cede control of the conference to someone else, if only for a year, but they will still be a very good team.  Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson are back to lead the way and a very good, if not normal Kansas level, recruiting class will be joining them. 

Also, look for some addition by subtraction with Josh Selby no longer being in Lawrence.

4. Alabama

JaMychal Green, Tony Mitchell and Trevor Releford are back for the Crimson Tide, and they will look to make the NCAA tournament after being snubbed last year even after they won the SEC West.  And they will definitely do that and much more, getting a very good seed in the process. 

Anthony Grant is one of the best young coaches in America, and his team will continue to play great defense and feed the post to their big man Green.  This Alabama team will be more talented than last year and will be motivated to prove that they were robbed last year.

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