College Basketball Power Rankings: Buying or Selling Each Preseason Top 25 Team

With the 2011-12 college basketball season less than three months away, we are already looking at preseason Top 25 lists to speculate about who is ranked too high or too low.

We all put faith in the preseason Top 25 because it usually tells us who is going to be good enough to make a run in the NCAA tournament in March. The rankings are usually pretty similar to the rankings at the end of the season, but there can be exceptions.

Remember that a preseason Top 25 selection does not guarantee anything. The 2011 Championship Game was between the Connecticut Huskies and the Butler Bulldogs, neither of whom were in the preseason Top 25 polls last season. Also, Michigan State ranked in the Top Five, but they were only a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament and barely made it in, losing in the first round.

With the preseason Top 25 subject to change, we must now rank each team higher or lower than where they are. In other words, we must buy or sell them.

25. Arizona Wildcats

Now that the Arizona Wildcats have lost their star player in Derrick Williams, and of Momo Jones, they are no longer an elite team. They still have Kevin Parrom, Kyle Fogg and Solomon Hill to help the team, but these three do not make up for the loss of Williams.

The Wildcats are bringing in Angelo Chol, Sidiki Johnson, Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson, who make up an excellent class that helps strengthen their backcourt.

The loss of Williams will weigh heavily on the team and most people think that the No. 25 ranking is too high for them, but this team has something to prove. They won't be quite as good as last year in the tournament, but I think that they will maintain a Top-25 ranking for most of the season.

Buy/Sell: Buy...slightly.

24. UCLA Bruins

Ben Howland's UCLA Bruins have lost Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee since they were a No. 7 seed in the 2011 NCAA tournament, yet they are ranked in the Top 25.

The team still has several key players including Tyler Lamb and their newcomers are Travis and David Wear, De’End Parker and Norman Powell. They are going to be about the same as last year if not a bit worse without Honeycutt and Lee, but they continue to be ranked in the Top 25.

I don't see a team that lost its two best leaders competing in the NCAA tournament, but they will still compete in a weak Pac-12.

While the team does have an easy schedule due to a lack of competition in the Pac-12, they will still struggle out of conference and will lose their Top 25 ranking.

Buy/Sell: Sell

23. George Mason Patriots

George Mason has found itself a new head coach in former Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt. Hewitt has had a knack for landing great recruits, but he won't have played a part in this year's class.

The Patriots have lost Cam Long and Isaiah Tate, but they still have Andre Cornelius, Mike Morrison, Vertrail Vaughns and Ryan Pearson. They will also be joined by Sherrod Wright, who was injured last season.

Their two recruits are Corey Edwards and Vaughn Gray, who should help the team immediately.

The team still has four of their top five scorers from last season, all with even more experience than before. They will be an experienced, dangerous team who will easily win the Colonial Athletic Association and should be taken seriously.

Buy/Sell: Buy

22. Cincinnati Bearcats

The Cincinnati Bearcats essentially have the same level of talent as last year, losing only two players and being joined by four.

The Bearcats lost Rashad Bishop and Ibrahima Thomas, while gaining Shaquille Thomas, Jermaine Sanders, Jeremiah Davis and Ge-Lawn Guyn. They have kept several key players, including Yancy Gates and Dion Dixon.

The team is still a good, but they are not worthy of being in the Top 25 and will probably disappoint like they did last season.

Buy/Sell: Buy

21. Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide did not even make the NCAA tournament last year, but they are ranked in the Top 25 this season.

The Tide loses Senario Hillman, Charvez Davis and Chris Hines, but they retain their three best players in JaMychal Green, Tony Mitchell and Trevor Releford. The team is looking better than last year with some experience.

Alabama also has four new faces in Rodney Cooper, Nick Jacobs, Moussa Gueye and Levi Randolph. The team looks slightly better than last year's team, but I don't see them maintaining a ranking around No. 20.

Buy/Sell: Sell

20. Florida State Seminoles

The Florida State Seminoles have lost Derwin Kitchen and Chris Singleton since their Cinderella run in the 2011 NCAA tournament as a No. 10 seed, who were their top two scorers.

Singleton and Kitchen held this team together, but the Seminoles still have Michael Snaer and Bernard James who will look to step up.

The team is joined by Aaron Thomas, Antwan Space, Kiel Turpin and Terry Whisnant this season. These freshmen are going to help the team, but they are not going to be as beneficial as Singleton and Kitchen were.

The team's ranking seems to be helped by their run in the NCAA tournament and while they are a good team, they are not in the Top 20 in the nation.

Buy/Sell: Sell

19. Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers were a No. 4 seed in the last NCAA tournament, but lost in the Sweet 16 to the No. 8-seeded Butler Bulldogs.

The team has lost their best player, Jon Leuer, along with Tim Jarmusz and Keaton Nankivil. They still have good players like Jordan Taylor and Josh Gasser. The team needs Taylor to step up.

Losing Leuer is huge for the Badgers and newcomers like Jarrod Uthoff, Frank Kaminsky, George Marshall and Traevon Jackson will not completely heal their wound.

The team is not going to be as good as last season, but will not fall out of the Top 25 either.

Buy/Sell: It's close, but I am going to say sell just because I think they should be No. 22.

18. Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Gonzaga Bulldogs were a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament in March, but they have climbed the rankings to No. 18.

The Bulldogs have lost studs like Steven Gray, but they still have Elias Harris and Robert Sacre. Their newcomers are Gary Bell, Ryan Spangler, Kyle Dranginis and Kevin Pangos. Pangos will be the key because he needs to step up and play point guard.

The Bulldogs are relying on a freshman and I don't think that they have gotten much better since last season. They certainly do not belong in the Top 25.

Buy/Sell: Sell

17. Missouri Tigers

The Missouri Tigers lost their NCAA tournament game to the Cincinnati Bearcats by 15, but have improved immensely.

The team has only lost Justin Stafford, but they have kept Kim English, Laurence Bowers, Marcus Denman and Phil Pressey. They are all getting better and this young team from a year ago looks much better.

The Tigers do not have any commits or new faces yet, but they are heavily recruiting two good prospects.

New coach Frank Haith has a skilled roster with older players and he is going to be very successful there.

Buy/Sell: Buy

16. Michigan State Spartans

The Michigan State Spartans have lost a lot of talent since last season, including Kalin Lucas. The team has lost Lucas, Durrell Summers, Mike Kebler and Garrick Sherman.

The top 5 team from the preseason polls fell to a No. 10 seed that lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They lost a lot of their key players, but they still have Delvon Roe and Draymond Green.

The Spartans are bringing in Branden Dawson, Brandan Kearney, Travis Trice and Dwaun Anderson this season.

The Spartans are fine in the frontcourt, but they need to replace Kalin Lucas. The team disappointed last season and I can't see them remaining in the top 20 for long.

Buy/Sell: Sell

15. Kansas Jayhawks

The Kansas Jayhawks finished the regular season as the No. 2 team in the nation, but they have lost a lot of talent.

The team loses the Morris twins, Tyrel Reed, Brady Morningstar, Mario Little and Josh Selby from last year, yet they are still a great team.

The Jayhawks still has several key players, including Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson, and they are now joined by Naadir Tharpe and Ben McLemore.

Bill Self is a crafty coach who is bound to win and I see Kansas surprising us this season and getting into the bottom-half of the top 10.

Buy/Sell: Buy

14. Florida Gators

The Florida Gators missed out on a trip to the Final Four because of a loss to the Butler Bulldogs, but they are looking to bounce back this season.

The loss of Chandler Parsons hurts, of course, and it is not made easier by Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin also leaving, but the team turns to Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker (pictured) to lead the team this year.

The Gators have Bradley Beal and Walter Pitchford coming to them from high school and Mike Rosario is transferring from Rutgers.

The Gators may not get another No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, but they are going to remain around No. 14 this season. I agree with this ranking.

Buy/Sell: Buy

13. Texas A&M Aggies

The Texas A&M Aggies may not have B.J. Holmes and Nathan Walkup anymore, but they still have a nice core of scorers in Khris Middleton, Kourtney Roberson and David Loubeau.

The Aggies also have recruits Jamal Branch and Jordan Green, and Elston Turner is transferring from Washington.

The Aggies still have a good team and I wouldn't be surprised to see them make it to the Top 10 at some point this season. Some people may say that the Aggies will struggle, but they have enough talent to be very successful.

Buy/Sell: Buy

12. Pittsburgh Panthers

The Pittsburgh Panthers were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but the losses of Brad Wanamaker, Gary McGhee and Gilbert Brown hurt them.

The Panthers are clinging to Nasir Robinson, Dante Taylor and Ashton Gibbs to lead the team, and a core of these three isn't half-bad.

The Panthers will be joined by four excellent recruits in Khem Birch, Malcolm Gilbert, Durand Johnson, Jaylen Bond and John Johnson. These four will definitely help ease the loss of their stars.

The Panthers are going to be good in the regular season and appear to be deserving of their No. 12 ranking.

Buy/Sell: Buy

11. Baylor Bears

The Baylor Bears' only loss is LaceDarius Dunn (pictured), and they still have Perry Jones III, Quincy Acy, A.J. Walton and Anthony Jones.

The Bears were not incredibly successful last year, but the additions of Deuce Bello, Brady Heslip, Pierre Jackson and Quincy Miller greatly help the team.

The Bears are going to be a Top 25 team, but to jump to No. 11 in the country is too big of an improvement for a team that only has two Top-100 recruits.

Buy/Sell: Sell

10. Xavier Musketeers

The Xavier Musketeers are the first team in our top 10, losing only Dante Jackson and Jamel McLean from a year ago.

The team still has its top three scorers, Tu Holloway, Mark Lyons and Kenny Frease, who combined for 45.0 points per game last season. Xavier also adds new faces like Travis Taylor (Monmouth transfer), Justin Martin (sat out), Dezmine Wells, Jalen Reynolds and Dee Davis.

The Musketeers are even better than they were last season, when they went 15-1 in conference and a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Musketeers are going to be a good team, but they will not finish in the top 10 in the nation, however.

Buy/Sell: Sell

9. Memphis Tigers

With Will Coleman being their only loss, the Memphis Tigers are back in the Top 10 for the first time in years.

The Tigers still have Will Barton, Joe Jackson and Tarik Black, and added new faces in recruits like Stan Simpson and Adonis Thomas, plus Seton Hall transfer Ferrakohn Hall.

The Tigers are experienced, balanced and have a new stud in Thomas. They are looking to make a deep run in the tournament this season and I don't see why they won't do so.

While some question the ranking of the Tigers, I agree with it completely.

Buy/Sell: Buy

8. Vanderbilt Commodores

The Vanderbilt Commodores did lose Andre Walker from last season, but this team has kept John Jenkins, Jeffery Taylor and Festus Ezeli.

The Commodores are also bringing in recruits like Dai-Jon Parker, Kendren Johnson and Shelby Moats.

This team did well last season and by losing only one player, they are now a legitimate top 10 team.

Buy/Sell: Buy

7. Connecticut Huskies

The Connecticut Huskies are the reigning champs in the NCAA and are ranked No. 7. The Huskies lost the heart and soul of their team from last season: Kemba Walker.

The Huskies are returning Jeremy Lamb, Alex Orhiaki and Shabazz Napier, with Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels being their only new faces.

While Lamb, Orhiaki and Napier were successful last season, an improvement from each of them can hardly make up for Walker.

Some people forget that the Huskies were around No. 10 at the end of last season and this ranking would say that they are even better than last season, despite losing Walker and three other players.

The Huskies showed us that preseason rankings can be incredibly off and they will do so again this season by falling out of the top 20.

Buy/Sell: Sell

6. Duke Blue Devils

The Duke Blue Devils have lost their three best players from last season: Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler.

Mike Krzyzewski has his work cut out for him. The team only has one senior: Miles Plumlee, and they will rely on freshman Austin Rivers to lead them.

A young, deep team that has all three Plumlee brothers, Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins, Ryan Kelly, Quinn Cook, Alex Murphy and Michael Gbinije, Krzyzewski will try to balance the team and get every good player some playing time.

Duke is a good team, but they are not great. Relying on an 18-year-old kid like Austin Rivers will not work for the Blue Devils, and we could see them falling out of the top 10 soon.

Buy/Sell: Sell

5. Louisville Cardinals

The Louisville Cardinals lost Preston Knowles and Terrence Jennings, but they are still a top five team.

The Cardinals still have Kyle Kuric, Peyton Siva, Chris Smith, Jared Swopshire, Mike Marra and Rakeem Buckles, and these six will be joined by four great recruits: Chane Behanan, Angel Nunez, Wayne Blackshear and Zach Price.

The Cardinals are a deep, balanced team, and Rick Pitino is going be to busy making lineups for any type of opposition.

This team is much better than last season, when they were a Top-20 program, and their top five ranking is well-deserved.

Buy/Sell: Buy

4. Syracuse Orange

Syracuse is still a great program, and the Orange have more than made up for the loss of Rick Jackson.

The Orange have returned nine good players: Scoop Jardine, Kris Joseph, Brandon Triche, Dion Waiters, James Southerland, Mookie Jones, Fab Melo, Baye Moussa Keita and DaShonte Riley.

To make up for the loss of Jackson, Jim Boeheim has brought in three big-time recruits: Rakeem Christmas, Trevor Cooney and Michael Carter-Williams.

The Orange are a strong team and I wouldn't be surprised to see Boeheim lead this team to the Final Four once again. Being ranked No. 4, it's hard to live up to expectations, but the Orange will do so.

Buy/Sell: Buy

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes were supposed to be decimated after last season, with five good players (David Lighty, Jon Diebler, Dallas Lauderdale, Jared Sullinger and Williams Buford) going to the NBA, but they were not.

Sullinger and Buford decided to stay in college, and they will lead the Buckeyes to at least the Elite Eight once again.

Sullinger and Buford will be joined by returning players Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft, who will play bigger roles this season, and recruits Amir Williams, Sam Thompson, Shannon Scott, Trey McDonald, Evan Ravenel and LaQuinton Ross.

The Buckeyes have more talent than most programs, probably second to only North Carolina. The team is going to be stacked, and they could have 3-6 NBA players on their roster.

Look for the Buckeyes to come out and avenge an early exit in the NCAA tournament last season.

Buy/Sell: Buy

2. Kentucky Wildcats

The Kentucky Wildcats have a completely new team, but they are still very dangerous. The revolving door for John Calipari has brought in a lot of talent, including three Top-10 recruits.

The Wildcats have lost Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins, Josh Harrellson and Enes Kanter (who never played). The team lost three players to the NBA, and Harrellson because he is a senior.

The Wildcats have kept three good players in Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller, but it is their recruiting class that will make them great.

Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist, Marquis Teague and Kyle Wiltjer will join the Wildcats, all of whom are in the Top 20 for recruits. Davis is No. 1, Gilchrist is No. 3, Teague is No. 7 and Wiltjer is No. 18. Davis is the No. 1 power forward, Gilchrist the No. 1 small forward, and Teague the No. 1 point guard.

The Wildcats have an incredibly good, young team, but can they hold the No. 2 spot in the nation?

Without experience and leadership, this team is destined for an early exit in the NCAA tournament. They are also going to lose several regular season games, pushing them toward the bottom-half of the top 10. No, this team is not going to be No. 2 for a long time.

Buy/Sell: Sell

1. North Carolina Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels are the clear-cut favorite to win the NCAA tournament, and I don't see how they won't do so.

The Tar Heels did not lose a single player from their Elite Eight team from a year ago, and they also brought in two top-15 recruits in NBA-ready James McAdoo and shooter P.J. Hairston.

The team has Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Tyler Zeller and Dexter Strickland coming back, all of whom could play in the NBA. They also have point guard Kendall Marshall, who put on a show in the later stages of last season, getting more assists than most other point guards.

The Tar Heels are unbelievably talented, and they seem destined to win the NCAA tournament. Though it is near impossible for a team to live up to No. 1 overall expectations, the Tar Heels very well could do it.

Buy/Sell: Buy