The Associated Press is scheduled to release the pre-season college basketball top 25 today.
Here is my initial ballot:
1. North Carolina (29-8) – Three Tar Heels’ players would have been first-round 2011 NBA Draft picks. They didn’t come back to celebrate a Sweet Sixteen appearance. Roy Williams knows how to handle jumbo expectations – and talent like Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Kendall Marshall …
2. Kentucky (29-9) — Elite Eight in 2010. Final Four in 2011. Hmmm. What’s next? John Calipari has all the necessary ingredients to take the next step – and give the coach and his fan base a memory that will be more celebrated than the first round of the NBA Draft.
3. Ohio State (34-3) – Buckeye sophomore Jared Sullinger admits that he was so perturbed by his team’s loss to Kentucky in the 2011 East Regional semifinal that he broke a couple of doors. Sullinger and William Buford will be breaking more hearts in the Big Ten this winter. Watch for the emergence of DeShaun Thomas, who loves to score.
4. Connecticut (32-9) – Only one item is missing from the Huskies’ remarkable 2011 national title run, but it’s the heartbeat – point guard Kemba Walker. Freshman center Andre Drummond will make UConn more inside oriented, if Shabazz Napier gets him the ball.
5. Syracuse (27-8) – Some people are whispering that the Orange have more talent than the 2003 national championship team. Kris Joseph, Scoop Jardine and Fab Melo are good. But they’re not Carmelo Anthony-good.
6. Duke (32-5) – Austin Rivers is supposed to be the best freshman guard in the country. He’d better be because the Blue Devils are going to miss Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Kyrie Irving.
7. Vanderbilt (23-11) – The Commodores have been waiting forever to have a team as talented as this one. There’s no way John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor should lose their first NCAA Tournament game, but they have the last two seasons. Can Vandy deal with expectations?
8. Florida (29-8) – The Gators would be my pick for the national three-on-three champs. Nobody has a better collection of guards, especially with the arrival of freshman Brad Beal. But who is going to score inside? There’s no Al Horford in this group.
9. Louisville (25-10) – One national web site said the Cards had only one of the Top 100 players in the country – point guard Peyton Siva. Could be. But Louisville did the team thing awfully well last season – and has added a nice group of freshmen.
10. Baylor (18-13) – Texas is down. Kansas is a bit depleted. Texas A&M changed coaches. With players like Perry Jones and Quincy Miller, Scott Drew has positioned the Bears to win the Big 12.
11. Pittsburgh (28-6) – Jamie Dixon has stockpiled his usual collection of grinders and bangers – headlined by Big East player of the year candidate Ashton Gibbs and top freshman Khem Birch, the post player Pitt needs.
12. Memphis (25-10) – In three seasons, Josh Pastner has the Tigers thinking Final Four again. And it’s not a silly thought with Joe Jackson, Will Barton and dazzling freshman Adonis Thomas around.
13. Arizona (30-8) – Wildcats’ fans are thinking Arizona would have started this season in the top four if Derrick Williams would have returned. He was the second pick in the NBA Draft. But Sean Miller still has plenty of working parts, led by powerful Solomon Hill.
14. UCLA (23-11) – The Bruins have not been able to withstand losing a string of underclassmen to the NBA. The current optimism is based on the return of a trimmer Josh Smith and the addition of the Wear twins, who transferred from North Carolina.
15. Xavier (24-8) – The Musketeers remain the class of the Atlantic 10, especially when guard Tu Holloway is playing like a first-team all-American.
16. Wisconsin (25-9) – It’s always dangerous to disregard one of Bo Ryan’s teams. It’s irresponsible to disregard one when Ryan has Jordan Taylor, the nation’s best point guard.
17. Michigan (21-14) – It took four seasons for John Beilein to get the Wolverines crackling again, but his funky, perimeter-oriented style works with players such as Tim Hardaway Jr. and Stu Douglass.
18. Alabama (25-12) – Yes, everybody, there is a heartbeat in the SEC West. Anthony Grant has demanded it. JaMychal Green could start for any team in the league. He’ll get help from Tony Mitchell.
19. Cincinnati (26-9) – Mick Cronin finally quieted his skeptics by directing the Bearcats to an NCAA Tournament victory last season. If Yancy Gates ever decides to dominate, they could win more than one tournament game.
20. California (18-15) – Mike Montgomery is a coaching wizard, making the same kind of magic at Cal that he did across the bay at Stanford. Jorge Gutierrez could be the best guard in the Pac-12, which is fitting because he was Montgomery’s first recruit.
21. New Mexico (22-13) – Kendall Williams and Drew Gordon give Steve Alford a chance to win the Mountain West and do something even better in March.
22. Marquette (22-15) – The Golden Eagles won’t win many beauty contests, but they’ll win their share of street fights. Look for Vander Blue as a breakout player in the Big East.
23. Florida State (23-11) – Leonard Hamilton has quietly built a consistent winner in Tallahassee, a trend that should continue with Bernard James, an Air Force veteran, in the middle.
24. Texas A&M (24-9) – No wonder Billy Kennedy left Murray State to take this job. The Aggies: Forward Khris Middleton is earning love as the top player in the Big 12.
25. Temple (26-8) – Four starters return, including the underrated backcourt tandem of Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez.
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