College Basketball Rankings: Analyzing North Carolina and the Rest of the Top 5

The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for the 2011-12 college basketball season has recently come out, and we see a Top Five that seems to be head and shoulders above the competition (with the exception possibly being Syracuse being ranked over Duke).

The Top Five teams are set to impress this season, so why not introduce you to each of them individually? 

They all deserve the recognition they have been given, and here's why.

No. 5 Syracuse Orange

We all know Jim Boeheim is a mastermind, and he will be successful anywhere he takes his 2-3 defense. 

This season, he has a very balanced team that will allow him to mix and match his players for every situation.

Big man Fab Melo is going to be a sophomore this season, and he is bound to improve on a disappointing freshman campaign.  Scoop Jardine is going to be a senior this season, and he is going to provide leadership and bring the ball up for the Orange.

This team is going to be a typical Boeheim team, and the Orange are in for some serious success.

No. 4 Connecticut Huskies

The Connecticut Huskies won it all last season, but they have lost the heart and soul of their team: Kemba Walker.

Because of that, the Huskies were on the outside of the Top 25 looking in until they signed DeAndre Daniels, a very talented swingman.  Then, they were considered No. 20—until they signed surprise recruit Andre Drummond. 

Drummond is an absolute beast, and he has lifted this team 16 spots to No. 4 in the nation.

Daniels and Drummond join coach Jim Calhoun, guard Jeremy Lamb and big man Alex Oriakhi.  These four players (and one coach) make up a formidable starting lineup.

This UConn team is actually even better than last season, with Oriakhi and Lamb both being Wooden Top-50 players and Drummond being the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2011 class. 

While the Huskies improved, so did the competition, so I'm not quite ready to crown them the 2012 national champions just yet.

No. 3 Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes went 32-2 last season, and they are returning their best player: center Jared Sullinger.

The team lost David Lighty, but they still have Williams Buford and a new point guard in Shannon Scott, who is one of the top point guards in the class.

This Ohio State team may not be as good as last season, but being led by Sullinger makes them a Top Five team.

No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats

John Calipari has brought in his usual class of exceptional recruits, and these new guys will join three starters from last year's Final Four team.

Led by Terrence Jones, a sure-fire first round draft pick if there ever was one, this team is bringing in three top-eight recruits: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Anthony Davis and Marquis Teague.

This team has seven great players, and the Wildcats are head and shoulders above the first three teams on this list. 

Unfortunately, they are not No. 1 because of a stacked North Carolina team.

No. 1 North Carolina

Roy Williams has taken a different approach from Calipari, deciding to recruit players who stay multiple years.  He has returned all five starters from his Elite Eight team, and he has brought in two more NBA-ready recruits.

Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson make up a formidable frontcourt that will also be joined by freshman James Michael McAdoo. 

Kendall Marshall is the best true point guard in the nation and Dexter Strickland is a good shooting guard, while P.J. Hairston, arguably the best shooter in the class, will join them as well.

This is a star-studded team with at least five future first-round NBA Draft picks, and we will be shocked if they don't win it all. 

They have created a Dream Team in Carolina...remind anybody of the Miami Heat, Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles?