NCAA Basketball Top 30: Preseason Edition

It seems like I say this before every season, as I await the football and baseball seasons as well, but thank God it's this time of year again.

There's something absolutely magical about college basketball, beginning with non-conference showdowns and escalating into a tremendous tournament in March. College basketball is flawless, and this season looks to be one of the best in recent memory.

With the NBA in lockout, many of the world's best players did not declare for the NBA Draft, leaving their talents in the NCAA.

Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones, Terrence Jones and many other greats will return for another season, making the start of the season more exciting than ever.

I've been doing a weekly top 30 for the last few years and figured I'd share it publicly this season. Enjoy!

Just Missing the Cut: #s 35-31

This slide will honor those who deserve to be honorably mentioned. A good start to the season could get these guys into the Top 30 immediately.

No. 35 California Golden Bears (No. 24 Coaches Poll):

Four starters return from a team that was quite solid a season ago. Jorge Gutierrez will be one of the best players in the Pac-12, while Allen Crabbe is poised for a break-out season.

No. 34 New Mexico Lobos (No. 32 Coaches Poll):

The Lobos will have to find a way to make up for the loss of team leader Dairese Gary, but have the talent to win the MWC. Drew Gordon is an NBA-level talent who may be poised for a huge season, and is probably the leading contender for MWC player of the year.

No. 33 George Mason Patriots (No. 38 Coaches Poll):

George Mason was the best team in an incredibly underrated Colonial league (remember VCU???), and should be in that same position this year. Top 100th recruit Erik Copes should help make up for the loss of star Cam Long.

No. 32 UNLV Runnin' Rebels (No. 36 Coaches Poll):

I watched the core of this team play last year and trust me, they have loads of talent. The Rebels graduate their best scorer, Tre'Von Willis. His off-the-court issures and injuries may not have made him as beneficial as it might seem on paper.

Chace Stanback is a tremendous talent, who could challenge Gordon for MWC player of the year.

No. 31 Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 39 Coaches Poll):

You'll see as we go that I think very, very highly of the SEC this year, a conference that has struggled of late in the basketball category.

Dee Bost returns for a full season. He will be a leader to a team that has two NBA-caliber talents in the front-court in UTEP transfer Arnett Moultrie and former blue chip recruit Renardo Sidney.

No. 30 Kansas Jayhawks

No. 30 Kansas Jayhawks (No. 13 Coaches Poll)

Really, Coaches? You think this Kansas team is the 13th best team in the country? That's a joke.

I'm actually very reluctant in even placing them on this top 30.

They make the cut partially because they are Kansas and partially because everyone else has them ranked much higher.

PG Tyshawn Taylor is the only returning starter, and while he is a good player, he is not someone who will win games in the Big 12 by himself.

The Morris twins and Josh Selby are all gone to the NBA, and Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar, who's impact on last year's team was drastically underrated, are gone too.

Thomas Robinson and Elijah Johnson are good athletes, but haven't been given the opportunity to show they are elite players.

To make matters worse for the Jayhawks, their top recruit, Ben McLemore, who would have made an impact this season, is ineligible for the year.

No. 29 Michigan State Spartans

No. 29 Michigan State Spartans (No. 28 Coaches Poll)

Last season was an epic fail for the Spartans, who were expected to be among the nation's elite.

Much of the problem was Kalin Lucas' ineffectiveness, and despite his brilliant career, his loss shouldn't really impact the team in a negative way.

This year's Spartans team comes in with little expectation, but could surprise many.

Draymond Green is a fantastic all-around player who should be All Big-10, while this year could be the year for Super Sophs Keith Appling and Adriean Payne to break-out.

The team took a major setback a few weeks ago when defensive master Delvon Roe went down with a season ending injury.

They could recover to be one of the more talented teams in the Big 10.

No. 28 Cincinnati Bearcats

No. 28 Cincinnati Bearcats (No. 22 Coaches Poll)

First of all, Yancy Gates may be one of the best players in the country who not many people have heard of.

He is as much as a man as there is in college basketball. He showed his brute force in the tournament last season.

That being said, the Bearcats, who put together a quite solid season last year, have a high quality supporting cast around Gates.

This includes Sean Kilpatrick who showed glimpses of brilliance last season as a pure scorer off the bench.

The back-court duo of Dion Dixon and Cashmere Wright both return as well to provide experience.

Freshman Shaquille Thomas could make an immediate impact with his athleticism.

No. 27 Arizona Wildcats

No. 27 Arizona Wildcats (No. 16 Coaches Poll)

This is another team in which I'm sort of confused as to why they are ranked so high in the coaches' poll.

True, they were very good last year. But, most of that was because Derrick Williams was possibly the best player in the country.

Also true, that they have a very solid and deep recruiting class.

But, as good as Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson are supposed to be, it's not like they are quite on the levels of the big boys such as Andre Drummond and the Kentucky "3". 

Kyle Fogg is an experienced player, who combined with the freshmen will make this team quite competitive. But Top 20 in the country? I don't think so quite yet.

No. 26 Texas A&M Aggies

No. 26 Texas A&M Aggies (No. 19 Coaches Poll)

The Big 12 is wide open this season.

If the more talented teams such as Baylor and Kansas don't live up to their potential, the Aggies could potentially slip into a conference title.

Khris Middleton is a very good player. If he improves as much this season as he did last, he will be among the nation's elite.

David Lobeau and Dash Harris return as starters from last year's successful team. They will have to make up for the major loss of G B.J. Holmes.

Jamal Branch is a highly recruited PG who should get considerable minutes. Naji Hibbert will be a player who will look to step his role up with the loss of Holmes.

The Aggies are always a consistently good team, and this year should be no different.

No. 25 Miami (FL) Hurricanes

No. 25 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (Did not receive ANY votes in the Coaches Poll)

Sleeper team alert No. 1: the Miami Hurricanes will compete in the ACC this year.

People often underestimate the power of returning five starters, which Miami will do this season.

While they were not able to stay consistent in conference play last season, the Hurricanes were quite a solid team who won 21 games.

With everyone from that team last year returning, they will be nothing but considerably better this year.

Which means they should be getting Top 25 votes (St. John's, who is not even a top 10 team in their own conference and has like one returning player period, got 11).

It's not like Miami has mid-major caliber mediocre players either.

Durand Scott is a superstar who can score with the best of them, while Malcolm Grant is a good point guard transfer from Villanova who can fill up the scoreboard as well.

Reggie Johnson is one of the most underrated players around. The 6'10" 300 lbs center can play physical with the best of them in the paint.  

No. 24 Temple Owls

No. 24 Temple Owls (No. 29 in Coaches Poll)

I'm a student and a huge fan of the St. Joseph's Hawks.

While I tend to despise the Temple University Owls when it comes to basketball, I can't help but see and appreciate how good of a team they are (There will be another example of this soon).

Lavoy Allen was the all-time rebounder in school history, a second round NBA Draft pick, and a heck of a good player. Obviously, he will not be easy to replace.

But they still will be able to light it up from the back-court, as sharpshooters Juan Fernandez and Ramone Moore both will return.

If the strength of their backcourt can make up for a slight weakness down low, the Owls could contend with Xavier for the Atlantic-10 Championship.

No. 23 Gonzaga Bulldogs

No. 23 Gonzaga Bulldogs (No. 23 in Coaches Poll)

Finally! The coaches poll and I finally agree on something, and I think they've hit Gonzaga right on the head.

This is a good team, who will return arguably the two best players in their conference, Elias Harris and 7-footer Robert Sacre, who is incredibly underappreciated. 

They'll have to make up for the loss of four year quality player Steven Gray, as well as point guard Demetri Goodson.

With Harris and Sacre they are bound to win almost every game in the WCC (Good thing BYU is over there now, there should be some good contests between the schools from Provo and Spokane.)

No. 22 Xavier Musketeers

No. 22 Xavier Musketeers (No. 15 in Coaches Poll)

Starting center Kenny Frease's recent indefinite suspension moved the Musketeers down for me, but they still remain the team to beat in the Atlantic-10 thanks to superstar Tu Holloway.

Barring a down season, Holloway will be the best player in the league, and should carry his team to another great season in Cincinnati.

Justin Martin is a player that interests me here. He is a 6'6" Redshirt Freshman who was heavily recruited as a part of last year's freshman class.

Martin has to sit out the season because of eligibility issues, but will start the season this year. He should make an immediate impact as an athlete from the wing.

No. 21 Michigan Wolverines

No. 21 Michigan Wolverines (No. 18 in Coaches Poll)

Michigan was definitely one of the biggest surprise teams throughout the course of last season.

Now that they have four starters returning from that team the expectations will no longer be low.

The Wolverines are now considered one of the elite in the Big 10, and anything less than a Sweet 16 big will be disappointing.

The teams' success will depend on how they react to the loss of Darius Morris to the NBA Draft.

Tim Hardaway Jr. was All-Freshman in the Big-10 and should have a bigger role with the loss of Morris.

Zack Novak and Stu Douglass provide sharp shooting touches and a veteran presence.

Evan Smotrcyz was a player I really, really liked every time I watched him play last season. 

No. 20 Villanova Wildcats

No. 20 Villanova Wildcats (No. 34 in the Coaches Poll)

As I mentioned earlier in my analysis of the Temple Owls, I am a big Saint Joseph's Hawks fan.

I would love to trick myself into believing that this year's Villanova team is going to be down like everyone expects. 

That being said, I see a lot of the National Champion 2011 Huskies in Villanova, especially with dynamic point guard Maalik Wayns.

He will finally be able to be in control of his team, similar to Kemba Walker last season, because of the losses of Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher.

Wayns was the best NBA prospect on his team, but was overshadowed by the experience of the Corey's.

Mouphtaou Yarou, Dominic Cheek and Maurice Sutton return as part of their terrific Junior class with Wayns, for a team that could be out to prove something after last season's disaster.

No. 19 Washington Huskies

No. 19 Washington Huskies (No. 30 in the Coaches Poll)

The Huskies lose three starters, including superstar Isaiah Thomas, as well as key players Matt Bryan-Amaning and Justin Holiday.

They should still have enough talent to remain among the top of the Pac-12 standings this season.

Abdul Gaddy should be healthy this season and is primed to have a breakthrough season with the loss of Thomas to the NBA Draft.

Joining him in the back-court will be one of the nation's top prospects in Tony Wroten Jr., so as good as Thomas was, the back-court remains quite strong.

Terrance Ross and C.J. Wilcox will see increased roles in their sophomore seasons while last year's JUCO transfer Aziz N'Diaye will continue to be a force defensively down low.

No. 18 Marquette Golden Eagles

No. 18 Marquette Golden Eagles (No. 21 in the Coaches Poll)

Marquette will remain quite competitive in the strongest league in college basketball this season despite the losses of starters Jimmy Butler and Dwight Buycks.

Darius Johnson-Odom does return and will be one of the best scorers in the Big East.

Jae Crowder is a physically gifted player from the JUCO ranks who emerged as a star last year as well.

Wing player Juan Anderson will lead a pretty decent recruiting class, while Oregon transfer Jamil Wilson should see minutes too.

No. 17 Missouri Tigers

No. 17 Missouri Tigers (No. 25 in the Coaches Poll)

I'm not quite sure why the Tigers aren't ranked higher in the Coaches' Poll, despite returning four of their five starters from a 23-win team a year ago.

This years Missouri team could very well be the team to beat in the Big 12.

Kim English didn't quite step up like we anticipated last year but he is still a star and should be all-conference in the Big 12.

Ricardo Ratliffe and Marcus Denmon will round out the front court because of a preseason injury to Laurence Bowers, while the Pressey brothers and Michael Dixon Jr., will be the main guards.

No. 16 Florida State Seminoles

No. 16 Florida State Seminoles (No. 26 in the Coaches Poll)

Florida State always seems to be one of my big sleeper teams every year. I haven't quite figured out if they are underrated by the polls or overrated by me.

Most likely, it is some sort of combination of both, but I really think this years team is bound for some great things, thanks to the great story of Bernard James.

Bernard James didn't even play basketball in high school because he wasn't good enough. He finally became good while playing in a rec league while serving in the military overseas.

Well after two fantastic years in community college and a solid rookie season at Florida State, James showed the skills, athleticism and leadership needed to make the Seminoles a quality team in the tournament last season.

Chris Singleton is gone to the NBA, but he was injured for much of last season anyways and never really returned to full strength.

Deiveidas Dulkys and Michael Snaer return as starters who can score the ball. Jon Kreft is a former blue-chip recruit who is looking to resurrect his career with a bigger role this season.

No. 15 UCLA Bruins

No. 15 UCLA Bruins (No. 20 in the Coaches Poll)

I originally didn't have the Bruins in my Top 25, and I'm not even sure I had them cracking the Top 30.

I was quite confused when people would tell me that this was going to be a resurrection year for UCLA basketball.

I also was under the false assumption that bruiser Reeves Nelson had graduated.

Seriously, though? Doesn't it seem like the tattooed wonder has been there forever? I must have missed his name on the roster, and just assumed he had graduated because it made sense to me.

Turns out he is only a junior, and because of that the Bruins are clearly a Top 20 team. Point Guard Lazeric Jones and big-man Joshua Smith return for their second season as starters as well.

No. 14 Baylor Bears

No. 14 Baylor Bears (No. 12 in the Coaches Poll)

Baylor used to be my favorite team in the Big 12 because two years ago, as one of my annual sleeper teams, they made me look like a genius.

They reached the elite eight behind Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn.

Last year, I was stupid enough to put them as my preseason No. 3 team in the country thanks to the addition of Perry Jones III, a projected lottery pick in the NBA Draft.

I could say quite frankly that I am not quite on the Baylor bandwagon anymore.

That being said much of the issue last season was because of LaceDarius Dunn. He never seemed to get into the rhythm that he showed his previous three years.

That was partly due to some off the court instances which happened in the preseason.

The Bears were also thankful that Perry Jones, one of the Nation's elite talents, decided not to risk the lockout in the NBA and return to school, and have a fantastic recruiting class arriving in Deuce Bello and Quincy Miller.

No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide

No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 17 in the Coaches Poll)

This is another example that shows how good I think the SEC will be as a conference in 2011-12.

Alabama is my No. 13 team in the country, and I think they are clearly no better than the fourth best team in the conference.

Since when have there been three Top 10 caliber teams in the SEC at the same time, let alone four Top 15's?

Anthony Grant worked wonders with Eric Maynor at Virginia Commonwealth. He is both a terrific recruiter and a great coach who has given Tuscaloosa something more than football to be proud about.

JaMychal Green will be the team's go to player, providing Senior leadership as well as NBA level athleticism in the front court. He will be joined their by Tony Mitchell, who showed glimpses of his potential last year as well.

Heavily recruited sophomore Trevor Releford will begin his second season as the starting point guard for Grant. Judging by the work Grant did with Maynor at VCU, Releford is bound to be a tremendous player in the near future.

Wing players Trevor Lacey and Levi Randolph headline a fantastic recruiting class that will make an immediate impact for the Tide as well.

No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers

No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers (No. 14 in the Coaches Poll)

I was originally somewhat skeptical of putting the Badgers this high in my preseason ranking.

It caved due to the fact that Wisconsin basketball is somewhat of a strange thing.

Looking at their roster, Wisconsin's talent is really no better than the mid-level teams in the Big-10, outside of Conference Player of the Year Candidate Jordan Taylor.

Losing NBA Draftee Jon Leuer, as well as veterans Keaton Nankivil and Tim Jarmusz doesn't help that either.

But Wisconsin basketball manages to consistently have great seasons, despite not always being the flashiest team around.

The talent of Taylor should make Wisconsin just as good, if not better, than they have been in past years.

No. 11 Louisville Cardinals

No. 11 Louisville Cardinals (No. 8 in the Coaches Poll)

Last year, I think everybody thought that Louisville was going to be good but no one expected them to be as great as they were throughout the regular season.

A bracket-busting first round lost to Kenneth Faried and Morehead State last season left a lot to still be accomplished for the Cardinals. Nobody is going to be sleeping on them this year.

Preston Knowles is gone, and this will be the biggest thing that Rick Pitino will have to figure out as the season progresses.

Knowles was always the guy who would make the big shot last year. Whether it's Kyle Kuric, Peyton Siva, or Freshman stud Wayne Blackshear, someone will need to step up and want the ball in crucial situations. 

That being said, plenty of quality players return for Pitino. Blackshear and Chane Benahan headline a strong recruiting class.

They will be right up at the top of the Big East again this year, even though there are three teams that are better.

The Top 10

Figured I'd give you all a breakdown of the conferences represented in the Top 10 so you can guess the teams. No big surprises. All the teams in my Top 10 are in the Top 11 of the coaches poll.

Big East: 3

SEC: 3

ACC: 2

Big Ten: 1

C-USA: 1

No. 10 Memphis Tigers

No. 10 Memphis Tigers (No. 9 in the Coaches Poll)

Memphis returns all five starters and just about every key player from last years' team.

They also return extremely talented players who, for a few of them, may be seeing time on NBA floors in a few years.

While they were not as good as a typical Memphis team, the Coaches Poll has every right to place them this high.

Josh Pastner and the Tigers have no excuse not to roll over the C-USA like they did with John Calipari as their coach.

Wesley Witherspoon, who is a 6'9" shooting guard (talk about versatile), has never quite lived up to his full potential. Tigers fans hope that this year could be the year he finally does.

Will Barton slowly lived up to his top recruit status last year and should be a superstar going into this season. His brother Antonio will provide a spark off the bench.

And despite all the great returning talents, Memphis brings in a 5-star recruit in athletic combo forward Adonis Thomas. Things are looking up in Southwestern Tennessee this year in terms of College Hoops.

No. 9 Pittsburgh Panthers

No. 9 Pittsburgh Panthers (No. 11 in the Coaches Poll)

Of course Pitt is going to crash and burn in the National Tournament again and bust a whole lot of brackets.

That doesn't mean they won't be a force to be reckoned with in the regular season like they always are.

The main reason they sit this high in my preseason rankings is because of superstar combo guard Ashton Gibbs.

Gibbs is one of the best returning players in the Big East, and one of my first choices out of anyone in the country if I needed someone to take a big shot.

Someone will need to step up and be a second scoring option to replace Brad Wanamaker and Gilbert Brown. Jamie Dixon will find someone because he always does.

No. 8 Florida Gators

No. 8 Florida Gators (No. 10 in the Coaches Poll)

If Florida had a consistent scoring threat last season, they would have been a serious national title contender. So what do they do?

They go out and pick up probably the best true scorer in the 2011 recruiting class in SG Bradley Beal.

With Chandler Parsons, Vernon Macklin and Alex Tyus all gone, the Gators will have to replace their entire front court.

That shouldn't be hard with big-time athlete Patric Young waiting ready for an increased role.

Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton will be the returners in arguably the best back-court in the country.

Former Rutgers star Mike Rosario will be eligible to play as a transfer, making offense much less of an issue for this year's Gators.

No. 7 Duke Blue Devils

No. 7 Duke Blue Devils (No. 6 in the Coaches Poll)

Forget about name that Molina. Name that Plumlee is a much more fun and challenging game.

Mason, Miles and now Marshall Plumlee will all be key members of the Duke front-court this season, making play-by-play announcers jobs more difficult overnight.

I'm not sure what to think about the Blue Devils this season. The losses of Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith to the NBA Draft are going to have their negative impacts for sure.

It all depends on just how good Austin Rivers is, and whether he can live up to the intense hype.

There seems to be no doubt in his mind that he is the best player on this team, which may help and hurt Duke's chances at the same time.

The Blue Devils, if thing click for them, are surely a candidate for another National Championship. But, they could also just as likely be a massive disappointment.

No. 6 Vanderbilt Commodores

No. 6 Vanderbilt Commodores (No. 7 in the Coaches Poll)

If you haven't noticed, there seems to be a common thread in this list when it comes to teams that return all five of their starters.

They are most likely going to be quite good this season, especially when you have the guys returning that Vandy does.

John Jenkins is probably the best shooter I the country, and I can say that quite confidently.

Jeffery Taylor is an NBA-level talent on the wing who may be poised to break out and become one of the nations best. Fesus Ezeli is was the most improved post player in the country last year.

Point Guard Bad Tinsley and Forward Lance Goulbourne round out the returning starters. Rod Odom and Steve Tchienchiang will continue to provide athleticism in the front court off the bench.

With a little added toughness the Commodores are a serious National Championship contender.

Hopefully they have learned from their poor showing in the tournament last year and are ready to play up to their potential this winter.

No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes

No.5 Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 3 in the Coaches Poll)

Yes, Jared Sullinger is a man-child and there is pretty much no one that can stop in the country, let alone the Big Ten.

But, the losses of David Lighty and Jon Diebler may be a bit more crucial than some people are giving them credit for.

Lighty and Diebler provided a level of leadership and experience that can not be coached, while both being consistent shooters from the outside.

DeShaun Thomas will need to step up and take the place of Lighty from last year. William Buford, as good as he was, will need to elevate his game to a whole another level.

There's no doubt that the Buckeye's have the talent to contend anyone in the country, but they will have to find some leadership and outside shooting to get to the end.

No. 4 Syracuse Orange

No. 4 Syracuse Orange (No. 5 in the Coaches Poll)

Syracuse, as they usually are, seems to be the great team that everyone is sleeping on this year because they don't quite have the big names that the other elite teams do.

But outside of the team I have ranked No. 1, I think Syracuse at this moment is the next best team in the country. There's really nothing that the Orange don't have.

Jim Boeheim probably has the deepest team in the country, led by experienced veterans Kris Joseph, Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine.

Rick Jackson may be a considerable loss in the post, but a year of aging each from C.J. Fair, Baye Moussa Keita and Fab Melo should make up for it.

Adding a Blue-Chip prospect in the post with Rakeem Christmas will help as well.

No. 3 Connecticut Huskies

No. 3 Connecticut Huskies (No. 4 in the Coaches Poll)

I'm a Connecticut fan so I'll try to keep this write-up as unbiased as possible.

If you watched the Slam Dunk contest last Friday night you would understand why the defending National Champs could very well repeat this year.

You should know about Jeremy Lamb by now and how his freakishly long 7'5" wingspan will be earning huge paychecks in the NBA very soon.

Most casual college basketball fans have yet to see the freak of nature that is Andre Drummond.

Even less know what the winner of the dunk contest, PG Ryan Boatright is capable of. The third freshman DeAndre Daniels was ranked as high as No. 10 in the country from rivals.com.

Connecticut is as talented as they come. They also have a Hall-of-Fame coach and some serious momentum from last year's run. Kemba Walker, who?

No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats

No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats (No. 2 in the Coaches Poll)

When I first looked at their roster about a month or two back, I thought to myself that this Kentucky team may have the most pure talent as any college basketball team has ever had.

Granted the freshman (they have three of the Top 10 and four of the Top 20) needs to be as good as advertised for this to come close to being the case.

With Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller returning it is quite possible. 

While they might have the most talent, there is no guarantees that the team is going to be all that great.

John Calipari's recent all-freshman model's have been good but even with John Wall and Demarcus Cousins they weren't good enough.

This year's team may be even better than that one, but Marquis Teague, Michael Gilchrist and especially Anthony Davis will need to be great.

No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels

No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 1 in Coaches Poll)

As bad as the 2009-10 season was for the young Tar Heels, Roy Williams has quickly gotten his team back on top of the National rankings.

I think it is quite obvious that they are the team to beat this year.

As soon as Kendall Marshall, who will be an excellent NBA Point Guard, was inserted into the starting line-up when Larry Drew transferred, Carolina quickly developed into one of the nation's best last season. 

Just about everyone coming back, including NBA Prospects John Henson, Tyler Zeller and the most likely candidate for 2011-12 National Player of the Year, Harrison Barnes.

Carolina is now alone as the nation's best.

Similar to Marvin Williams back in the day, UNC's best pro prospect outside maybe Barnes, is probably James McAdoo.

He's a freshman post player who will likely come off the bench with Henson and Zeller ahead of him.

On nbadraft.net, McAdoo, who is the nephew of former great Bob McAdoo, is compared to another UNC great named James, James Worthy. 

UConn, Syracuse, Ohio State and a few others could contend in the long run, but I'd put my money on the Tar Heels to be holding up the trophy at the end of the tournament in April.