Late Summer Top 20

To quote the great Tom Petty, “waiting is the hardest part.” College basketball diehards like me sit and wait for the football hype to pass by and the pre-conference tournaments to get underway. These last months- September, October and the beginning of November- seem like an eternity. Soon enough though, the hardwood will be rocking and we’ll be enjoying another year of college basketball.

For now, here is my late summer Top 20. I wavered on choices ranging from the #1 seed to #20, but I feel like these are the most talented 20 teams in the nation entering the season barring any injury. Without further ado…

1. North Carolina- The best team from the second best conference. The Heels lost their Sam Perkins in Brandan Wright to the first round of the NBA Draft, but forwards Deon Thompson and Alex Stephenson will form quite a tough duo. Add in Tyler Hansbrough, who is a potential Player of the Year candidate, and a backcourt duo of Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson, you have the best starting five in the country.

2. Memphis- Calipari’s squad reached the Elite 8 last season and, instead of losing key parts, added the best freshman guard in the entire country in Derrick Rose. There’s no doubt they’ll go undefeated in the weak Conference USA, it’s the question of whether they can go undefeated for the season. I say no (the schedule is too hard out of conference) but most of their tough games- Georgetown, Tennessee, Arizona, Gonzaga, USC- are at the Pyramid in Memphis.

3. UCLA- Could they reach the Final Four for the third straight season? You can argue that the Bruins have the best point guard in the land in Darren Collison, who will have even more experience at the position under his belt, and the best incoming big man in Kevin Love. People are convinced Love could lead the Pac 10 in scoring and rebounding in his freshman season. If Aaron Afflalo had decided to stay in school, the Bruins would be the preseason #1.

4. Kansas- This team is loaded with talent and depth at every position. The backcourt of Russell Robinson and Sherron Collins will use the Elite 8 game vs. UCLA as motivation to go even further this season. Brandon Rush had a serious ACL injury in the summer but all signs point to this Big 12 Player of the Year contender to be at full strength when the Jayhawks season gets underway. The only thing stopping them from a Final Four berth might be Bill Self’s coaching.

5. Georgetown- Jeff Green departed and Georgetown is still my pick to win the Big East. If Roy Hibbert can resist the urge to get into foul trouble every game, the Hoyas possess a big man that can flat out dominate the post every night. They need players like Vernon Macklin and DaJuan Summers to blossom working under the guidance of the most underappreciated guard in the country, Jonathan Wallace.

6. Louisville- The debate will rage on into the season regarding the best team in the Big East, and the race is a dead heat. Edgar Sosa really stepped up as Rick Pitino’s leader in the NCAA Tournament as a point guard and a scorer. Don’t underestimate the Cardinals deep frontcourt, either. Derrick Caracter should begin to demand double teams sooner than later this season, and David Padgett will only see more scoring opportunities because of that.

7. Tennessee- Bruce Pearl won’t have to play underdog this season. He’s undoubtedly the SEC favorite going into this season and has to live up to very lofty expectations. Remember where this Tennessee program was just three years ago? Chris Lofton is a candidate to lead the nation in scoring and is my preseason pick for Player of the Year in the conference and in the country. If not for a collapse against the Buckeyes, Pearl could be welcoming back everyone from a Final Four squad.

8. Duke- Whether Duke can live up to this #8 ranking will depend on Brian Zoubek, a 7’2” center who disappointed last season out of high school. Instead of looking timid in the post, Zoubek needs to demand the basketball and lead the team in rebounding. The arrival of freshman talent like Taylor King and Kyle Singler will take some of the pressure off Greg Paulus, who improved greatly in the second half of 2006-2007.

9. Gonzaga- Mark Few may have the best Gonzaga team of his tenure. Add a packed freshman class in with the entire team returning and a top 10 ranking is justified. Oh, and shroom-user Josh Heytvelt is back, joining such talent as Micah Downs, Jeremy Pargo and Matt Bouldin. The losses for Gonzaga will be minimal and they’ll probably go undefeated in the WCC.

10. Indiana- I’ve already mentioned Love and Rose, but what about Eric Gordon as Newcomer of the Year? He’s the best pure scorer and outside shooter of the incoming class and Kelvin Sampson will greatly enjoy having this future lottery pick for a Final Four run this season. Gordon will see open looks like one of the best big men in the land, D.J. White, manning the paint. They’re my Big 10 pick…

11. Michigan State- …just edging out Michigan State. We all know about Drew Neitzel as the floor leader and battery that makes Tom Izzo’s engine run, but the Spartans also return their other top four scorers. This batch of talent includes big man Goran Suton, Raymar Morgan and Drew Naymick. Travis Walton is one of my favorite players in the conference. Michigan State and Indiana is a conference race to keep an eye on.

12. Washington State- I watched quite a few Wazzu games last season and found out early why Tony Bennett’s team was overachieving. This roster never makes mistakes, rarely turns the ball over, and runs their offense with perfection. Their point guard Derrick Low is back for another Sweet 16 run along with pretty much the entire team that brought Vanderbilt to the edge in a classic game last March.

13. Marquette- Everyone returns including point guard Dominic James who re-considered his entry into the NBA Draft and rightfully so. James has quite a lot of work to do improving a mediocre jump shot, but luckily he won’t have to carry the load by himself. Wesley Matthews and Jerel McNeal are just as valuable and arguably better overall players. Ousmane Barro is also returning to give the Eagles some inside help.

14. Texas A&M- Acie Law is gone so national pundits will overlook this squad. I will take the liberty of anointing them my Elite Eight sleeper. The addition of top 10 recruit DeAndre Jordan will strengthen an experience team containing such talent as Joseph Jones and three-point artist Josh Carter.

15. Oregon- Losing Aaron Brooks will put a dent in the team’s psyche, sure. But returning Tajuan Porter, Bryce Taylor and Malik Hairston will make the process much smoother. This team can play the slow game with Hairston or run and gun all day with shooters like Porter. They’re a very versatile team that gave Florida a run in the Elite 8. For the first half, at least.

16. Stanford- The Louisville game was an embarrassment for the program and extra motivation for 2007-08. The Lopez twins are back to man the post for the Cardinal and also return everyone from a team that knocked off UCLA, USC, Washington State, Oregon and Gonzaga last season.

17. USC- The Trojans are probably staring at a top 5 ranking if Nick Young and Boston Celtic Gabe Pruitt remained in SoCal, and instead they’ll have to settle for top 20. Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett are dynamic players that blossomed late last year and led USC to a run of almost knocking off #1 seed UNC. Oh yeah, that O.J. Mayo fella will also be playing for Tim Floyd. He’s good.

18. Texas- D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams showed me enough last year to award them a Top 20 ranking even without the one and only Kevin Durant. The backcourt is without a question. Can the inexperienced frontcourt hold up?

19. Villanova- Key players were lost following last season for Jay Wright. Still, I can’t help but really love their current roster. Scottie Reynolds became the Cats biggest weapon as a freshman last season and will only improve. Dante Cunningham and Will Clark are also back. I’ve also heard glowing reports about some of their newest additions and I trust Wright to get the job done.

20. Kentucky- Billy Gillespie inherits a team with a boatload of talent. The question is whether the pieces- Joe Crawford, Derrick Casper, Ramel Bradley, etc.- can mesh as a group and play well together. Adding Patrick Patterson late on the recruiting trail was a definite robbery.

Considered: Xavier, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Kansas State, Alabama