CollegeBasketballTalk.com way too early top 25

[MUMBA]

Includes 5 Big East teams...including Marquette at 20?!?!?

[Warrior Code]

HOUSTON

[brewcity77]

While I could see is getting there, I don't think we deserve preseason ranking.

[Tugg Speedman]

1. North Carolina

    Who's back: Everyone. Marcus Paige, Brice Johnson, Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks.
    Who's gone: Desmond Hubert.
    Who they're getting: Luke Maye
    Why they're here: Marcus Paige is going to be healthy, the Tar Heels return their entire front line and Joel Berry and Justin Jackson will have a full offseason to turn into the complimentary players they showed flashes of being at the end of the season.

2. Iowa State

    Who's back: Georges Niang, Monte' Morris*, Naz Long, Jameel McKay, Matt Thomas, Fred Hoiberg*
    Who's gone: Bryce Dejean-Jones
    Who they're getting: Hallice Cooke, Deonte Burton, Chieck Diallo*
    Why they're here: Assuming that Hoiberg is back in Ames next season, it looks like he's going to have the best team of his coaching career. Morris and Niang will be back with Burton, a Marquette transfer, getting eligible in December and McKay back to control the paint. Even if they miss on Diallo, the Cyclones are looking at being a top five team.

3. Maryland

    Who's back: Melo Trimble, Jake Layman*, Jared Nickens, Michal Cevosky
    Who's gone: Dez Wells, Richaud Pack
    Who they're getting: Robert Carter, Diamond Stone, Jaylen Brantley
    Why they're here: Getting Trimble to announce that he will be coming back to school is huge, as would the return of Layman, because the Terps are going to have plenty of firepower up front. Georgia Tech transfer Carter and top ten recruit Stone will headline one of the better front lines in the Big Ten.

4. Kentucky

    Who's back: Tyler Ulis*, Marcus Lee*, Alex Poythress*, Dakari Johnson*
    Who's gone: Karl Towns*, Willie Cauley-Stein*, Aaron Harrison*, Andrew Harrison*, Trey Lyles*, Devin Booker*
    Who they're getting: Isaiah Briscoe, Skal Labissiere*, Charles Matthews
    Why they're here: So much of Kentucky's 2015-2016 team is in the air. Who is returning to school? Who is going pro? Will they get any of the McDonald's All-Americans that have yet to commit to a school? Will Labissiere be eligible? We'll have a much better idea by the end of the month.

5. Virginia

    Who's back: Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey, London Perrantes
    Who's gone: Darion Atkins, Justin Anderson*
    Who they're getting: Jarred Reuter
    Why they're here: The Cavs return essentially their entire roster from the 2015-2016 team with the notable exception of Anderson. Without him, they really struggled to score at times. If Anderson does actually return to school, UVA would probably shoot up as high as No. 2.

6. Kansas

    Who's back: Perry Ellis*, Frank Mason, Devonte' Graham, Wayne Selden*, Brannen Greene*, Svi Mykhailiuk
    Who's gone: Kelly Oubre, Cliff Alexander*
    Who they're getting: Carlton Bragg
    Why they're here: Bill Self. Beyond that, there's not a lot that I love about this team next season beyond Bill Self. Mason and Graham will be a very good back court, and getting Selden back will be a key. How much does Mykhailiuk develop, and will Bragg turn into a low-post hoss?

7. Villanova

    Who's back: Ryan Arcidiacono, Josh Hart, Daniel Ochefu
    Who's gone: JayVaughn Pinkston, Darrun Hilliard
    Who they're getting: Jalen Brunson, Tim Delaney, Donte Divincenczo
    Why they're here: Losing Hilliard and Pinkston is really going to hurt, but there are two things that make be feel really good about this Villanova team: Hart is going to be an all-Big East player this season, and Brunson is the real deal.

8. Baylor

    Who's back: Rico Gathers*, Taurean Prince*, Jonathan Motley, Lester Medford
    Who's gone: Kenny Chery, Royce O'Neale
    Who they're getting: King McClure, Jake Lindsey, Wendell Mitchell, Joseph Acuil
    Why they're here: Assuming that Gathers and Prince return, the Bears will have one of the best front lines in the country. The big issue for them is going to be their ball-handling. Can Lester Medford handle full time point guard duties?

9. Michigan State

    Who's back: Denzel Valentine, Lourawls Nairn, Bryn Forbes
    Who's gone: Travis Trice, Branden Dawson
    Who they're getting: Eron Harris, Deyonta Davis, Matt McQuaid
    Why they're here: West Virginia transfer Harris is going to have a chance to be a very, very good player in this back court. They need Nairn to take a significant step forward, particularly offensively, but Valentine may end up being the Big Ten Player of the Year.

10. Arizona

    Who's back: Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Elliott Pitts, Dusan Ristic, Gabe York
    Who's gone: Stanley Johnson*, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson*, Brandon Ashley, T.J. McConnell, Kaleb Tarczewski*
    Who they're getting: Justin Simon, Ray Smith, Chance Comanche, Allonzo Trier, Ryan Anderson
    Why they're here: Sean Miller is once again bringing in a loaded class, which he'll need as the Wildcats will likely end up losing their entire starting lineup from a season ago. There will likely be a learning curve here, but there is enough talent — on the roster and the coaching staff — to make some noise.

11. Georgia

    Who's back: Charles Mann, Kenny Gaines, Yante Maten, J.J. Frazier
    Who's gone: Marcus Thornton, Nemanja Djurisic
    Who they're getting: Jaylen Brown*, William Jackson, William Ogbeide, E'Torrion Wilridge
    Why they're here: If they don't get Brown — which is probably more likely than them landing him — we're looking at a top 20-25 team.

12. N.C. State

    Who's back: Trevor Lacey, Cat Barber, BeeJay Anya, Kyle Washington
    Who's gone: Ralston Turner, Desmond Lee
    Who they're getting: Terry Henderson
    Why they're here: The Wolfpack have enough talent on their roster to compete for an ACC title next season.

13. Xavier

    Who's back: Trevon Bluiett, Jalen Reynolds, Myles Davis
    Who's gone: Dee Davis, Matt Stainbrook
    Who they're getting: Kaiser Gates
    Why they're here: We're expecting Bluiett and Reynolds to take a big step forward.

14. Duke

    Who's back: Matt Jones, Grayson Allen, Marshall Plumlee, Amile Jefferson
    Who's gone: Tyus Jones*, Jahlil Okafor*, Justise Winslow*
    Who they're getting: Brandon Ingram*, Luke Kennard, Chase Jeter, Sean Obi
    Why they're here: If Jones comes back, they'll be a top ten team. If they don't end up getting Ingram, they're probably closer to No. 25.

15. Louisville

    Who's back: Quentin Snider, Shaqquan Aaron, Mangok Mathiang
    Who's gone: Terry Rozier, Montrezl Harrell, Wayne Blackshear
    Who they're getting: Trey Lewis*, Donovan Mitchell, Ray Spalding, Deng Adel
    Why they're here: Part of it is loving their freshmen class, part of it is faith in Rick Pitino and part of it is the assumption that they have more additions coming.

16. Cal

    Who's back: Ty Wallace*, Jabari Bird*, Jordan Mathews, Kameron Rooks
    Who's gone: David Kravish
    Who they're getting: Ivan Raab*, Caleb Swanigan*, Stephen Domingo, Davon Dillard

17. UCLA

    Who's back: Bryce Alford, Tony Parker, Isaac Hamilton*, Thomas Welsh
    Who's gone: Kevon Looney, Norman Powell
    Who they're getting: Jonah Bolden, Prince Ali, Aaron Holiday, Alex Olesinki

18. Georgetown

    Who's back: Isaac Copeland*, L.J. Peak, Tre Campbell, Paul White
    Who's gone: D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Josh Smith, Mikael Hopkins
    Who they're getting: Marcus Derrickson, Jessie Govan, Kaleb Johnson

19. Wisconsin

    Who's back: Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig
    Who's gone: Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker*, Josh Gasser, Traevon Jackson, Duje Dukan
    Who they're getting: Brevin Pritzl, Charlie Thomas, Alex Illikainen, Jahlil Iverson

20. Marquette

    Who's back: Duane Wilson, Sandy Cohen, Jajuan Johnson, Luke Fischer
    Who's gone: Juan Anderson, Matt Carlino, Derrick Wilson
    Who they're getting: Henry Ellenson, Matt Heldt, Traci Carter, Haanir Cheatham, Sacar Anim

21. Notre Dame

    Who's back: Zach Auguste, Demetrius Jackson, Steve Vasturia, Bonzie Colson
    Who's gone: Jerian Grant, Pat Connaughton
    Who they're getting: Rex Pflueger, Elijah Burns, Matt Ryan

22. Gonzaga

    Who's back: Kyle Wiltjer*, Przemek Karnowski, Domas Sabonis, Josh Perkins
    Who's gone: Kevin Pangos, Gary Bell, Byron Wesley
    Who they're getting: None as of right now (Jesse Wade will be on his LDS mission)

23. Vanderbilt

    Who's back: Damian Jones, Riley LaChance, Wade Baldwin
    Who's gone: James Siakam
    Who they're getting: Camron Justice, D'jery Baptiste, Samir Sehic, Joseph Toye

24. Oregon

    Who's back: Dillon Brooks, Jordan Bell, Dwayne Benjamin, Elgin Cook
    Who's gone: Joseph Young
    Who they're getting: Tyler Dorsey, Kendall Small, Trevor Manuel

25. Butler

    Who's back: Kellen Dunham, Roosevelt Jones, Andrew Charbacsz, Kelan Martin
    Who's gone: Alex Barlow, Kameron Woods
    Who they're getting: Nate Fowler, Sean McDermott

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Choo choo. Everybody aboard the Marquette bandwagon.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/106805/bold-predictions-for-2015-16

[tower912]

Singing Wojo's praises and predicting a turnaround?    Love the optimism....but I still am not buying the turnaround will be that complete in one season.     However, these are many of the same people that predicted MU for the bottom of the Big East this season.    Respecting the process.

[Norm]

Would be shocked if MU finishes in top 25. Look at the teams coming back in the Big East - Nova, Butler, Xavier, Providence, and Georgetown will all be tough again next year, with fewer new additions than MU will have.

[PGsHeroes32]

Like I've said I'm optimistic for next year getting things back on track as a possible tourney team.

But we are still a added player or two away from being top 20 material

[GoldenZebra]

Love the optimism, but quite frankly, Myron is a clown.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Love the optimism by this author....but I don't see the Big East with 5 top 25 teams

[Mobot]

1. North Carolina

    Who's back: Everyone. Marcus Paige, Brice Johnson, Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks.
    Who's gone: Desmond Hubert.
    Who they're getting: Luke Maye
    Why they're here: Marcus Paige is going to be healthy, the Tar Heels return their entire front line and Joel Berry and Justin Jackson will have a full offseason to turn into the complimentary players they showed flashes of being at the end of the season.

Is Tokoto coming back?  I can't remember if he was a Jr or Sr this year.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Is Tokoto coming back?  I can't remember if he was a Jr or Sr this year.

Jr.

[Groin_pull]

Feels awfully optimistic, but I'll take it. Always nice to have MU recognized. Much better than being overlooked.

[Badgerhater]

Always good to be in these conversations when you have a few open schollies available.

[fjm]

Always good to be in these conversations when you have a few open schollies available.

True! And hopefully we can get a "Rent-a-player" to help us out for a quick year!

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

True! And hopefully we can get a "Rent-a-player" to help us out for a quick year!

Im all about the rent a players. See, Jackon, Rob and Lockett, Trent.

[brandx]

Always good to be in these conversations when you have a few open schollies available.

Agreed. Good to be in the conversation.

But I doubt that even 15 of his picks will be in the actual Top 25 at the end of next year.

[willie warrior]

Includes 5 Big East teams...including Marquette at 20?!?!?

I'll have what he is ingesting.

[willie warrior]

Lunardi has his early 2016 bracket out already. 5 BEast teams with no sniff for MU. Of note:
Villanova 1 seed
Wiscy 4 seed
Ia. State (McKay, Burton) 2 seed
Indiana 2 seed
Dayton (who everybody here bashed as not belonging in BEast) 6 seed.
If this holds out, that would be 3 straight years with no dance ticket for us. Not a good sign.

[GGGG]

I think MU will make it next year as a 7/8 seed. 

[wadesworld]

Lunardi has his early 2016 bracket out already. 5 BEast teams with no sniff for MU. Of note:
Villanova 1 seed
Wiscy 4 seed
Ia. State (McKay, Burton) 2 seed
Indiana 2 seed
Dayton (who everybody here bashed as not belonging in BEast) 6 seed.
If this holds out, that would be 3 straight years with no dance ticket for us. Not a good sign.

THE SKY IS FALLING!

[wadesworld]

I think MU will make it next year as a 7/8 seed. 

+1.  I think a 7 next year then 2 or 3 the year after if players develop as I am expecting.

[Benny B]

Singing Wojo's praises and predicting a turnaround?    Love the optimism....but I still am not buying the turnaround will be that complete in one season.     However, these are many of the same people that predicted MU for the bottom of the Big East this season.    Respecting the process.

I think we're being trolled by the troll himself.... just can't figure out exactly how yet.

[Shark]

I was hanging out with my badger fans a week ago. One of them asked me "so what's your prediction for Marquette next year?" I said 7 seed and a few of them were appalled. We'll see I guess.

[Galway Eagle]

Lunardi has his early 2016 bracket out already. 5 BEast teams with no sniff for MU. Of note:
Villanova 1 seed
Wiscy 4 seed
Ia. State (McKay, Burton) 2 seed
Indiana 2 seed
Dayton (who everybody here bashed as not belonging in BEast) 6 seed.
If this holds out, that would be 3 straight years with no dance ticket for us. Not a good sign.

Would Dayton be as good with temple xavier and butler still in the A10? I doubt it. Id still stand that they don't belong in the BE