29. Marquette

[radome]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/391030-2010-11-mens-basketball-preseason-top-50-post-nba-draft-deadline

2010-11 Men's Basketball Preseason Top 50 (Post-NBA Draft Deadline)
by Etan Kaplan Written on May 12, 2010  

1. Duke

Kyle Singler is returning. Duke will finally have a true point guard running the show in Mr. Irving. Transfer Seth Curry and the return of SG Nolan Smith makes this Duke team number one.

2. Purdue

The big three of Robbie Hummel, E'twaun Moore, and Jajuan Johnson is back.

3. Kansas State

Yes, Dennis Clemente is gone, but Jacob Pullen and his three-headed monster front-court of Samuels, Kelly, and Sutton make the Wildcats the deepest team in the country.

4. Michigan State

Only losing Raymar Morgan, who in my opinion under-produced. The Spartans will be back in the Final Four discussion with star Kalin Lucas back at the point and key role players Korie Lucious and Draymond Green.

5. Washington

Isaiah Thomas at PG, Abdul Gaddy at SG, Terrence Ross at SF, and Terrence Jones at PF..can't argue against that.

6. Baylor

Ekpe Udoh and Tweety Carter leave but many believe incoming Freshman big man Perry Jones could be the best big man in the country. He, together with returning starters Lacedarius Dunn and Quincy Acy will be tough to take down.

7. Florida

Frankly, Florida could even be higher. Their back-court is as solid as any other in the country with Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker. They have Alex Tyus coming back after spurning the draft. They have Chandler Parsons and his late game heroics. Not to mention an incoming freshman by the name of Patric Young who may be stronger than any other incoming Freshman.

8. Ohio State

This team lost a lot from Turner's departure but they are hoping that the arrival of star Freshman Jared Sullinger will equalize what they've lost. Sullinger is mainly a low-post threat, but OSU can afford Turners departure with their returning guards. David Lighty, William Buford, and Jon Diebler.

9. Villanova

Scottie Reynolds is gone, but honestly who cares? Reynolds was invisible in the NCAA tournament and his leadership lacked for much of the season. Sophomore Maalik Wayns should fill in for Reynolds and the Wildcats have the rest of their core returning in Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Antonio Pena, and Sophomore-sure to be stars Taylor King and Mouphtaou Yarou.

10. Kentucky

When you're starting five leaves, just simply reload. Kentucky will sport an entirely new starting lineup next year, once again consisting of mainly Freshman.

Brandon Knight replaces John Wall at PG. Deandre Liggins steps in at the 2. Doron Lamb replaces Eric Bledsoe as the third guard. Dairus Miller starts at forward and Enes Kanter will start at center.  

11. North Carolina

Two Words: Harrison Barnes

12. Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Panthers who exceeded expectations all of last season, return almost all of their players. The matured core will continue to flourish under head coach Jamie Dixon. Sophomore Dante Taylor could blossom into the big time recruit we was sought out to be. Ashton Gibbs will continue to lead the team in scoring.

13. Tennessee

With Chism and Prince gone, Tennessee will lose two of their top three scorers from last year. No problem. Incoming Freshman Tobias Harris looks to be the answer, while Scotty Hopson will help out with the scoring. Look for sophomore Kenny Hall to step up his game.

14. Gonzaga

Elias Harris will be the new face of the Zags. His near triple-double performances will put opposing teams into defensive meltdowns nightly.

15. Georgetown

I don't see how the Hoyas won't be relevant this upcoming season, being that they return two future guards in Freeman and Wright. Throw in Julian Vaughn down low and emerging Sophomore Hollis Thompson and you got a Big East contender once again.

16. Illinois

I hate this team, but they're going to be good. Mccamey returns at PG. His fellow guards Mike Davis and Brandon Paul return too. Incoming Freshman Jereme Richmond should help their front-court problems (Mike Tisdale was a bum last year.)

17. Georgia

Sleeper. Sleeper. Sleeper

Travis Leslie is college basketball's most exciting and talented player. Look him up on Youtube if you don't believe me. Oh, also Trey Thompkins, their leading scorer from last year has decided to come back for another season. Should be a fun one in Athens.

18. Syracuse

'Cuse lost a lot with the departures of Wesley Johnson, Andy Rautins, and Onuaku. However, they do have an emerging star in Kris Joseph and the backcourt duo of Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine. Their recruiting class should fill in the holes pretty nicely with C Fab Melo and G Dion Waiters.

19. Kansas

2009-10 favorites minus Aldrich, Collins, and Xavier Henry plus Josh Selby = a top 25 team.

The Morris Brothers will be beastly in the paint and Selby will put the team on his shoulders. Tyshawn Taylor will finally get the opportunity he's wanted. This team could be dangerous.

20. Virginia Tech

Malcom Delaney is back, and I, like many other college basketball fans besides V Tech fans, know nothing else about Virginia Tech. So, yeah take the top twenty ranking, but this time don't miss the NCAA tournament.

21. San Diego State

Kawhi Leonard is nasty. D.J Gay is lethal from behind the arc. I like this team. They should win the MWC.

22.Texas

They could be a mystery again this upcoming year. So much talent, but will it all click?

Incoming top-10 Freshman Tristan Thompson should fill in for Pittman, but they need Brown or Balbay to step up. Jordan Hamilton will get increased playing time and could turn out to be a star.

23. Missouri

Kim English is a leader. This team is too good at home and too good defensively to ever doubt. They also have a nice recruiting class

24. Memphis

Star: Will Barton

25. North Carolina State

Star: C.J Leslie

26. Butler

Star: Shelvin Mack

27. Temple

Star: Lavoy Allen

28. UCLA

Star:

29. Marquette

Star: Jimmy Butler

30. Providence

Star:

31. Seton Hall

Star: Jeremy Hazell

32. Dayton

Star: Chris Wrightt

33. Texas A&M

Star: David Sloan

34. West Virginia

Star: Kevin Jones

35. Vanderbilt

Star:

36. Wake Forest

Star: Ishmael Smith

37. Ohio

Star: D.J Cooper

38. Richmond

Star: Kevin Anderson

39. Colorado

Star: Alec Burks

40. Wisconsin

Star: Trevon Hughes

41. Mississippi State

Star: Ravern Johnson

42. Connecticut

Star: Kemba Walker

43. Louisville

Star: Peyton Siva

44. St. John's

Star: D.J Kennedy

45. Murray State

46. Xavier

47. Indiana

Star: Maurice Creek

48. Florida State

49. Maryland

Star: Jordan Williams

50. Texas Tech

[DJO's Pump Fake]

Looks like Bucky has Trevon for another year haha

[Lighthouse 84]

Looks like Bucky has Trevon for another year haha

That's justs wrong.  Not even a mention of J-May in No. 13.

[KipsBayEagle]

29 is very reasonable, maybe even favorable.  providence at 30 though?

[ATWizJr]

+1  Team is about to implode at PC, methinks.

[goodgreatgrand]

I completely dismissed this list after I read "Scottie Reynolds is gone, but honestly who cares?"

Chil' Please.

[JWags85]

Not to mention St Johns at 44.  I also dismissed it when I saw the Trevon Hughes comment.  Meh...

[jaybilaswho?]

As with any preseason ranking order, I am taking this with a grain of salt.

[KipsBayEagle]

Not to mention St Johns at 44.  I also dismissed it when I saw the Trevon Hughes comment.  Meh...

St. Johns at 44 sounds reasonable

[DiaperDandy]

Also, that list says Dayton will have Chris Wright back again.  I thought he declared for the draft and hired an agent.  If so he is gone!

[jmayer1]

IU will prolly end up closer to the 47th worst team in the nation than the 47th best.

[OhioGoldenEagle]

What a WASTE of my time!  The Scottie Reynolds comment is laughable.  Wasn't Reynolds one of the finalists for POY in all of college basketball?  This guy writes him off because he has a couple of poor or mediocre games in March?  What little credibility this guy had just went down the drain with that craptastic preseason ranking.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

#1 #3 #14 and #29 in K.C. in November.  Not bad.

[Hards Alumni]

http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog?name=ncbexperts&id=5182826

I realize it is insider, but this is Fran's rebuttal.

[Lighthouse 84]

and can you post what he says for us non-insiders?

[ChicosBailBonds]

St. Johns at 44 sounds reasonable

St. John's will make the NCAA tournament this year

[SaintPaulWarrior]

and can you post what he says for us non-insiders?

It's that time of year to debunk some of my friend Andy Katz's top-25 selections. He's obviously done his homework, but here are six teams on which I will take issue with him:

Baylor

Andy's Take: Baylor at No. 4
My Take: A little too high


No one has more respect for the Bears than I do. I've been on this bandwagon since the beginning of the Scott Drew era. But the loss of Ekpe Udoh will be huge. It's not often that your team's "glue guy" is a potential lottery pick, but Udoh's effect on Baylor's Elite Eight run transcended statistics. Tweety Carter's leadership will be missed as well. Baylor will be a top-25 team, however, because LaceDarius Dunn is an enormous offensive weapon and Drew has stocked the cupboard with fresh talent. Multiskilled 6-foot-10 forward Perry Jones has as much pure talent as any incoming freshman in the country. If he develops a killer instinct, he'll affect the Big 12 race single-handedly.

Kansas

Andy's Take: Kansas at No. 16
My Take: Don't disrespect the Jayhawks like that!


I realize Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich and Xavier Henry are gone, but there is enough talent on the roster to make a customary run to the Big 12 title (although Andy is right about Missouri being in the top 15). The Morris twins should only get better as juniors, and Tyshawn Taylor's junior season should have less drama than his sophomore season. Freshman point guard Josh Selby has Bill Self's kind of toughness, and senior Mario Little, who redshirted last season, was one of the nation's best junior-college players two seasons ago. The roster is still stocked with talent, so the Jayhawks won't fall off as much as Andy thinks.

Northwestern

Andy's Take: No Northwestern
My Take: The Wildcats crack the top 25


Maybe I am going out on a ledge here, but the Wildcats return all five starters from an NIT team that won 20 games. The Wildcats also return their best player, Kevin Coble, from a foot injury that sidelined him all last season. While Coble led Bill Carmody's club in scoring and rebounding his first three seasons, 6-8 junior John Shurna stepped out of his shadow last season to finish third in the Big Ten in scoring (18.2 points per game). The backcourt of Michael Thompson and Drew Crawford is quietly one of the Big Ten's best. The league should have at least three teams in the top 10 all season, and that should bode well for Northwestern's RPI and ultimately its opportunity to make its first NCAA appearance. Who needs a 96-team field?

Gonzaga

Andy's Take: Gonzaga at No. 9
My Take: Too high


Don't worry, Zags fans. Your team will be back at its customary place at the top of the West Coast Conference this season, especially with rivals Portland and Saint Mary's depleted by graduation. Elias Harris and Robert Sacre certainly will dominate conference opponents, but in order to justify a high ranking, guard play will be critical for Mark Few's club. Ultimately, the loss of Matt Bouldin will be huge, especially since returning backcourt mates Steven Gray and Demetri Goodson have been more up-and-down than a roller coaster at Six Flags. This is a top-25 team for sure, but I think top-10 is too high.

Florida

Andy's Take: Florida at No. 10
My Take: Too high


Five starters return to the Gators, and many of the SEC East's stars are off to the NBA, so there is a golden opportunity to get back into a prime position to win a conference title. The problem, for me, is that the same five starters who return struggled to defend and make a lot of perimeter shots this past season. Remember, they squeaked into the NCAA tournament before being ousted in the first round by BYU. Andy is correct when he writes that there might not be a future NBA player on the roster, but I am not sure any of the five starters realizes that. Billy Donovan has added nice depth up front, but the backcourt is thin. That ultimately could be an Achilles' heel.

Ohio State

Andy's Take: Ohio State at No. 6
My Take: The Buckeyes are a precarious pick


I love the overall talent of this Ohio State roster. It easily merits a No. 6 ranking. There is a great combination of experience returning (David Lighty played in the 2007 Final Four) and a monster recruiting class heading to Columbus. Freshmen Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas will punish opponents inside. Here's the issue Thad Matta's team must overcome: the lack of a proven point guard. Freshman Aaron Craft will get the first crack at it, and if he succeeds, the sky is the limit for Ohio State. If not, Matta will have to think creatively and come up with a Plan B. Moving Evan Turner to point guard was a stroke of genius. Lighty, get ready.

[PGsHeroes32]

Washington is 5th, clearly someone is drunk