I will give it a shot. Mine is likely to be more radical than most, but this is the most middle-heavy year of college basketball I can remember in all my time following the sport (in other words, if I rank one team #2 and one #21, it doesn't necessarily mean I think one is way better than the other). This is just a rough copy that is likely to be changed quite a bit between now and November, but it isn't without thought - I literally went back and looked at the Rivals top 150 from the last five years and distributed the various players to different teams in an excel document (with their kenpom ranking from last next to it). I've been trying to come up with a formula to weigh all the different variables but I'm not exactly the mathematical type - if somebody on the boneyard wants to give it a try I'll gladly send them the information. Anyway, here goes:
1. UNC - Easy pick in my opinion, they're loaded with talent and experience.
2. UConn - Call me a homer, I try as hard as I can to eliminate bias when I do these things. But this team is loaded.
3. Virginia - If Anderson hadn't declared, they're likely #1.
4. Gonzaga - They might be the only team in the country with two potential first team all-Americans, their front court is nasty.
5. Villanova - Josh Hart might be one of the most underrated players in America.
6. Kansas - A lot of this hinges on how good Diallo is. I think Perry Ellis is overrated.
7. Kentucky - Ridiculously talented, lost a ton of players...just kind of threw my hands up in the air on this one.
8. Duke - Ditto.
9. Oklahoma - Not entirely sold on the coach, but great infrastructure in place.
10. Iowa State - They would have been higher if Hoiberg was back.
11. Wichita State - Strong argument for them to be higher.
12. Michigan - I'm a huge John Beilein fan, this roster reminds me a lot of our 2014 team.
13. Syracuse - Get ready for a bounce back year.
14. Maryland - As you can see, I'm a lot lower on them than most. I don't think Stone is a huge difference maker right away, Sulaimon comes with a lot of baggage, and Turgeon gives me pause. They also lost Dez Wells from a team that wasn't as good as people thought last year.
15. California - Lot of talent, Cuonzo Martin has shown some stuff.
16. Georgetown - Point guard play is the one question.
17. Cincinnati - Keep an eye on Gary Clark to have a big year. You know the defense is going to be really good.
18. Texas - There is a lot of talent on this roster, I'm interested in seeing how Shaka Smart uses it.
19. Michigan State - Denzel Valentine has a lot of Draymond Green 2012 potential.
20. Arizona - Possibly the most talent in the country after Kentucky and Duke, but I think they take a step back.
21. Butler - They return a lot from a team that was an eye lash from the sweet sixteen.
22. Baylor - Scott Drew is quietly decent despite the rep.
23. Indiana - They could be higher, but Blackmon's injury gives me pause, and they played playground basketball last year.
24. Notre Dame - There may not be a tougher two man game in the country to stop than the one Demetrius Jackson and Zach Aguste will have going. As usual, the question will be on the other end.
25. SMU - I would have them higher if I was confident Brown was healthy.
There are a whole bunch of teams who just missed the cut who could dance beyond the first weekend.
Of course mine differ greatly!
