For the next five days, I?ll be covering five college basketball teams a day. The rankings are based on the Preseason AP Poll that was released on November 6th. Fans can get their preseason fix with several notable tournaments this weekend, including the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
5. LSU Tigers: Glen “Big Baby” returns for his senior year. The SEC Player of the Year was an enormous part of LSU’s run to the Final Four. He’s also slimmed down in the offseason, losing 30 pounds. That’s only going to help as LSU plays its typically grueling SEC schedule. Losing Tyrus Thomas to the NBA Draft is going to hurt but Tasmin Mitchell was another key contributer as a freshman. He’ll be back, as will Tack Minor, LSU’s point guard that missed most of last year with academic issues. LSU also lost guard Darrel Mitchell, but will get contributions from a pair of transfers. LSU should again be an exciting team in the SEC; they’ll just have about five less blocked shots a game because of Tyrus’ departure.
4. Pittsburgh Panthers: I don’t buy it. Pitt may have a dominant big man in Aaron Gray, but they’ll be without the heart and soul of their team the last few years. Carl Krauser is gone and so are his 15 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. I’ve never liked Pitt because they’re simply ugly to watch. I’ve always preferred to watch Big East teams like Villanova or Connecticut over Pitt, mainly because they don’t win 47-45 games like Pitt has a habit of doing. Aside from Krauser, Pitt returns all their other contributers from last year. Ronald Ramon and Levon Kendall are veterans and many Pitt fans are thinking Sam Young has breakout potential. Gray should battle UNC’s Tyler Hansbrough for “Best Big White Guy” award.
3. Kansas Jayhawks: “Rock Chalk, First Round Exit” has been the anthem the last two years. These guys made me look like a jackass last season. They were eliminated in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament after I chose them to be a Final 4 team. Whoops. This was a young team that got better every time they took the court last season…until the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Bradley. The Jayhawks return five players that averaged over 8 points a game. The best on the team is Brandon Rush, who may be in the running for Big 12 Player of the Year. Bill Self is a hell of a recruiter and he’s put together a Final Four worthy team. Now it’s just a matter of beating those pesky 13 and 14 seeds.
2. North Carolina Tarheels: Tyler Hansbrough is back. That’s all that needs to be said. He was last year’s top ACC scorer and the best freshman in the nation. Now he may be the best player in the country period. There’s no reason to think UNC can’t win it all. Reyshawn Terry returns at a forward spot. The other three starting spots could go to any of the three McDonalds All-Americans that have come to Chapel Hill. They’re probably the deepest and most talented team in the country. Chemistry is going to be a major factor because of the insane talent UNC has at its disposal. That didn’t bode well for UConn last year. Can UNC keep everybody happy?
1. Florida Gators: You simply can’t vote for anyone else. The defending champs return all five starters and their two best reserves. They rolled through the NCAA Tournament with ease, culminating in a 16 point win over UCLA that made Joakim Noah into a household name. This guy would have been the #1 pick in the NBA Draft. But he’s back and is the frontrunner for National Player of the Year. Lee Humphrey and Taurean green make up one of the best backcourts in the country. The other two starters, Al Horford and Corey Brewer, are future first round picks. There hasn’t been a repeat national champion since Duke in 1991 and 1992 but the Gators have a great shot at repeating.
