Stupidly Early Preseason Rankings

[DavidBenAkiva]

You know, cause I'm excited about college basketball, and I only have to wait 7 months for another game!

Here's a stupidly early look at what I think will be the top 25 next year:

1. Duke (Probably top 5 if Singler goes)
2. Michigan State
3. Purdue (Might be #2 if Hummel comes back 100%)
4. Butler (How big of a defensive drop-off will loss of Veasley be?)
5. Georgetown (assumes Monroe comes back)
6. Villanova (Reynolds is awesome, but will this be a better, more balanced team?)
7. Baylor (Dunn is that good)
8. Pitt
9. Kansas State
10. Xavier
11. Syracuse
12. Texas
13. Ohio State
14. Florida
15. Virginia Tech
16. Illinois
17. Memphis (I believe that juniors and seniors > potential freshman studs)
18. Kansas
19. North Carolina
20. Vanderbilt
21. Florida State (maybe should be higher...)
22. Minnesota
23. Wisconsin (has to be in any top-25 list)
24. West Virginia
25. Missouri

Obviously, much will change depending on who leaves early and which top recruits go where. The coaching carousel also should factor in...

Your thoughts?

[GoingFor#5]

If Singler stays, we could be a unanimous #1. If he goes, we are still probably top 3 (at least top 5) since everyone is so high on Irving and we don't really have any question marks in the starting lineup even with the departures.

[MarkD83]

Where's Kentucky?

[Clipsfan]

Where's Kentucky?

Based on the current recruits, appropriately placed. The question remains how many of the undecided recruits they'll get when all 5 starters declare.

[juise]

Based on the current recruits, appropriately placed. The question remains how many of the undecided recruits they'll get when all 5 starters declare.

Yeah, the current expectation is that 3-5 of their top players are gone. If they get Brandon Knight, one or two others, and keep Orton/Bledsoe, they become a contender again.

[DevilDawg]

Seth Greenberg is pissed that the Hokies were not considered one of the best teams for next season!

I think losing Zoubek, Scheyer, and Thomas might drop Duke down a few spots. Replacing three starting seniors isn't going to be easy.

[MChambers]

Where's Kentucky?

on probation?

[LSanders]

Where's Kentucky?

Hoping the NIT doesn't go away just yet? :cool:

[BigZ]

I would not rank UNC. Barnes is good but not that good, UNC is likely to lose its two big man if Davis goes pro. They will be better but not that good.

[tecumseh]

This person thinks the ACC will be the Big Two. Georgetown should be good they beat Butler and Duke and everyone should be back
http://www.onlinesportsfanatic.com/?p=2086

[tecumseh]

I have seen Mich St ranked very high but I am not so sure Lucas comes back near 100%. An Achilles tear can be a very bad injury speaking both as a physician and someone who has suffered this injury (playing basketball). You always lose some strength and it is highly possible even probable he will never return to his preinjury level of play.

Greg Monroe for Georgetown said right after the Gtown loss he was coming back but as one of the posters says don't believe what they say when they are upset after a loss. If he goes GTown takes a step back.

Where are the other ACC teams?

[strawbs]

unc had the talent this year to be good. With their recruiting class, even if ed davis goes pro they should still be a top 25 team. There luck can't be so bad that they have the same string of injuries two years in a row. They probably will cut down on turnovers too. I can't imagine roy will stuck with ld3 if he is still making the same mistakes next year as he was this year, especially if kendall marshall is as good of a passer as the people in chapel hill claim he is.
They will be a tournament team next year regardless of whether the field is 65 or 96 or any number in between.

[Big Pappa]

If Monroe comes back for Georgetown (which I don't think has any chance of happening) they need to be in the 2-3 conversation.

[TheBrianZoubekExperience]

Butler too high IMO. I think theres a good chance Hayward leaves.

UNC too low. Even if Davis leaves I think they are a top 20 or so team. If he stays I think they are top ten. If he stays they have guys with a ton of ability at each of the starting position Marshall I think is overrated but still solid, I think Bullock is great and is ranked close to Irving (people seem to forget that since Barnes is their higher rated recruit) Barnes will be very good and Henson and Davis would be a really good frontcourt. But whatever - we are champs.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Well let's hope singler stays.

[whereinthehellami]

I think UNC is top 10 at some point next year. They have alot of talent and should have better outside shooting next year which was a big weakness this past year (what an incredible run to the NIT title game:)). But they have to figure some things out and chemistry could still be an issue with some of the characters they have coming in. One of their problems this past year was effort. How do you get better at that? I just hope no one transfers. Keep the headcases. No addition by subtraction please.

Of couse I said the same thing about them last year and was totaly wrong. I never in a million years saw them sucking like they did this year. They were my favorite comedy on the tube this year. Watching Roy on the sidelines was like watching a one man comedy troupe.

[DevilHorns]

I will likely be in the minority here, but I think Duke is top 5 maybe, but not 1 or 2 (if we lose Singler of course... with Singler, clearly #1).

Hear me out:

We lose Zoubs and Lance. We will have to start Miles or Mason without the comfort of other bigs (either play them together, or one with Kelly or Hairston or Felix is yet to be decided). We lose much of our offensive rebounding prowess. I'm going out on a limb here, but I think that our team's potential success next year will be dependent upon the improvement of the Plumlees and to a lesser extent, Felix, Kelly, and Hairston.

I fully expect Kyrie, Seth, and Nolan to highlight the best guard trio in the country. I wonder if we go small and play these 3 at the same time.

In the end, it will be as this year, what will the Bigs bring. If they bring it, I smell a trip to the promise land once more...

[RoyalBlue08]

on probation?

Hoping the NIT doesn't go away just yet?

....I'm not sure which of these made me smile more, but thanks for the laughs!

[RoyalBlue08]

I will likely be in the minority here, but I think Duke is top 5 maybe, but not 1 or 2 (if we lose Singler of course... with Singler, clearly #1).

Hear me out:

We lose Zoubs and Lance. We will have to start Miles or Mason without the comfort of other bigs (either play them together, or one with Kelly or Hairston or Felix is yet to be decided). We lose much of our offensive rebounding prowess. I'm going out on a limb here, but I think that our team's potential success next year will be dependent upon the improvement of the Plumlees and to a lesser extent, Felix, Kelly, and Hairston.

I fully expect Kyrie, Seth, and Nolan to highlight the best guard trio in the country. I wonder if we go small and play these 3 at the same time.

In the end, it will be as this year, what will the Bigs bring. If they bring it, I smell a trip to the promise land once more...

I agree, and in particular the growth or lack thereof of Mason's game is going to be huge for us. If he lives up to the potential the coaching staff and a lot of us have seen in him, no reason to think we can't be a #1 team with the loaded backcourt we should have.

[juise]

The rebounding was huge for Duke this year. Obviously, the ability of next year's bigs to fill that gap will be a key story throughout the season.

One thing that I suddenly realized (and I feel stupid for taking so long to come to this realization) that we are really going to miss Lance's defense next year... even moreso if Kyle leaves. Duke will not have that kind of tall, versatile defender who can guard a variety of scoring threats... well, at least not one that is proven. It will be interesting to see how K compensates for this particular loss.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

The rebounding was huge for Duke this year. Obviously, the ability of next year's bigs to fill that gap will be a key story throughout the season.

One thing that I suddenly realized (and I feel stupid for taking so long to come to this realization) that we are really going to miss Lance's defense next year... even moreso if Kyle leaves. Duke will not have that kind of tall, versatile defender who can guard a variety of scoring threats... well, at least not one that is proven. It will be interesting to see how K compensates for this particular loss.

Yea I agree, hopefully, Felix can step into that role, or at least our Dre all day.

[tecumseh]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/sports/ncaabasketball/07duke.html

Garfinkel says Kyrie may have a John Wall type impact. You don't have to think too hard to remember freshman point guards who have dramatically elevated their teams. John Wall, Derrick Rose, even Kenny Anderson and Isiah Thomas years ago had big impacts right away.

Duke could be very, very good if this kid is awesome baby

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Also says he a two-and done kid, So i'm thinking three-peat. AHAHAH Too far ahead, but i'm just still pumped about last night

[dukelifer]

Next year will be interesting. For Duke, a lot will depend on how the new guards play defense. That is an unknown. They can all score and perhaps dominate on that end of the floor- but how will they play on the other end and how will playing all out on D affect their O. Big questions. If Singler comes back- that is a good core. If not, a bunch of guys will need to elevate their games- particularly Kelly. Kelly needs to have a great summer and get stronger. The Plumlees need to learn control and discipline- but they both got a lot of experience this year and will be better. Dawkins needs to work on his ball handling- night and day. Duke will again have the big bullseye on their back next year and love every minute of it.

[davekay1971]

If Kyle stays, this could be the best Duke team since 2001.

Kyle and Smith give us two proven scorers, already two of the best players in the ACC.

Dawkins has an amazing shot and, I think, spent all year seeing exactly what he could become at Duke with hard work. Curry is reported to have a great range and be a potent scorer and could supplement time at the point. Add in Irving as our point, also with scoring ability, to those two plus Nolan, and we've got an absolutely loaded backcourt.

I think we'll see some development of both Plumlees and Kelly over the summer. Even if Felix is raw, between Mason, Miles, Kelly, Singler, and Hairston, we'll have ability on our frontline and tremendous versatility.

As always in the offseason, there are a ton of questions. And Jumbo's item 1 on his phase posts will probably remain item 1. But, suffice it to say, as much as we'll miss this amazing senior class, we're definitely going to be looking promising next season.

Assuming Kyle comes back, I think we're preseason #1.

[tecumseh]

I was surprised to see predictions that the ACC will be so down except Carolina and Duke. Do posters agree there will be no other good teams?

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

I was surprised to see predictions that the ACC will be so down except Carolina and Duke. Do posters agree there will be no other good teams?

Ugh somewhat, Yeah, a lot of those teams lost a lot of talent.

[juise]

I was surprised to see predictions that the ACC will be so down except Carolina and Duke. Do posters agree there will be no other good teams?

Well, let's take a look. The top 7 ACC teams were:

1. Duke - We'll be OK. :)
2. Maryland - Loses it's heart and soul (Vasquez), plus Hayes and Milbourne.
3. Virginia Tech - Possibly loses Delaney. If not, they'll be decent.
4. Florida State - Loses Reid, should be near the top of the ACC if they keep Alabi.
5. Clemson - Loses T. Booker and more importantly, Purnell. Ouch.
6. Wake Forest - Loses Aminu, Ish Smith, McFarland, and L.D. Williams.
7. Georgia Tech - Loses Lawal, Peacock, and almost certainly Favors.

I'm not sure many of these teams have the firepower waiting in the wings to replace what they've lost.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Well, let's take a look. The top 7 ACC teams were:

1. Duke - We'll be OK. :)
2. Maryland - Loses it's heart and soul (Vasquez), plus Hayes and Milbourne.
3. Virginia Tech - Possibly loses Delaney. If not, they'll be decent.
4. Florida State - Loses Reid, should be near the top of the ACC if they keep Alabi.
5. Clemson - Loses T. Booker and more importantly, Purnell. Ouch.
6. Wake Forest - Loses Aminu, Ish Smith, McFarland, and L.D. Williams.
7. Georgia Tech - Loses Lawal, Peacock, and almost certainly Favors.

I'm not sure many of these teams have the firepower waiting in the wings to replace what they've lost.

Hey where are the Heels? Oh wait you said top 7 acc teams, got it.

[GODUKEGO]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p6RaV_2u1I&feature=sports-sm-TheLatest

[MChambers]

I think UNC is top 10 at some point next year. They have alot of talent and should have better outside shooting next year which was a big weakness this past year (what an incredible run to the NIT title game:)). But they have to figure some things out and chemistry could still be an issue with some of the characters they have coming in. One of their problems this past year was effort. How do you get better at that? I just hope no one transfers. Keep the headcases. No addition by subtraction please.

Of couse I said the same thing about them last year and was totaly wrong. I never in a million years saw them sucking like they did this year. They were my favorite comedy on the tube this year. Watching Roy on the sidelines was like watching a one man comedy troupe.

Hey, UNC was top 10 at some point this year: November. I think that's the way I like it.

[DukeBlueNV]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5059272&categoryid=2459792

dickie v has us at #1... thats with singler tho...

[MChambers]

If Kyle stays, this could be the best Duke team since 2001.

Kyle and Smith give us two proven scorers, already two of the best players in the ACC.

Dawkins has an amazing shot and, I think, spent all year seeing exactly what he could become at Duke with hard work. Curry is reported to have a great range and be a potent scorer and could supplement time at the point. Add in Irving as our point, also with scoring ability, to those two plus Nolan, and we've got an absolutely loaded backcourt.

I think we'll see some development of both Plumlees and Kelly over the summer. Even if Felix is raw, between Mason, Miles, Kelly, Singler, and Hairston, we'll have ability on our frontline and tremendous versatility.

As always in the offseason, there are a ton of questions. And Jumbo's item 1 on his phase posts will probably remain item 1. But, suffice it to say, as much as we'll miss this amazing senior class, we're definitely going to be looking promising next season.

Assuming Kyle comes back, I think we're preseason #1.

I'm assuming Kyle won't come back, not because I know more than anyone else here, but over the years I've learned that stuff happens. Just think of last year. If he stays, that's wonderful, but it will be a bonus.

Also, as others have pointed out, we're losing 3 or 4 starters. That's huge (esp. if one is Zoubs ;)).

I'm optimistic, so I think Nolan will be a great leader, and I expect Curry to work like mad. I also think that MP1, MP2, Dawkins, and Kelly will be inspired by this season to work like crazy in the off season to improve. I think Dawkins in particular will make a major leap.

But stuff happens, especially in this era of one and done, so I'm not counting on anything next year. We'll be talented, but young, and we have the best coach in America. I'm good with that.

[whereinthehellami]

Don't sleep on VT and FSU. Those teams retun alot. VT returns something like 3 of the top 7 returning scorers in the ACC (if Kyle goes pro and Delayney stays) IIRC. VT and FSU will have better team chemistry and consistency than Duke and UNC will have at the beginnning of the year. The rest of the ACC is U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi ugly.

[millerecu]

First let me start by saying I like everything to be symetrical....

Duke's first championship was in 1991 and won back to back in 1992. It took 9 years to get the third championship in 2001. Then in 9 more years we won the fourth championship in 2010. So my theory is we go back to back with a championship next year to make it perfectly symetrical!

Crazy I know....but thats just how my brain works.