1. UCLA – All but one player returns from the talented rotation that made it to the finals last year. Throw in 6’9” 260 Kevin Love, one of the nation’s best freshmen and the Bruins look to come out on top. With coach Ben Howland’s disciplined approach and PG Darren Collison running the show, the Bruins will see their third straight final four
2. North Carolina – Tyler Hansbrough is back to anchor an exciting young roster. Deon Thompson shares the load in the post and should have a breakout season. The transition play of Ty Lawson is critical. If Coach Roy Williams can teach an effective fast-break approach, as he did with Kansas, few in the country will be able to keep up.
3. Memphis – Coach John Calipari welcomes freshman sensation Derrick Rose to a loaded backcourt. The post remains solid with Joey Dorsey and Robert Dozier. Expect Memphis to approach 35 wins.
4. Georgetown – Despite losing Big East POY, Jeff Green, Georgetown welcomes back all the other key ingredients of their Final Four team a year ago. A strong recruiting class will help offset the loss of Green.
5. Michigan State – Tom Izzo welcomes everybody back from last year’s 23-win squad. The new freshmen guards will play well enough to keep Drew Neitzel and Travis Walton fresh at the ends of games.
6. Tennessee – All five starters return and Chris Lofton leads an extraordinary perimeter group. Bruce Pearl’s squad is one of the best shooting teams in the country. If the defense keeps pace, they may play on the final weekend.
7. Kansas – Injuries are a concern (Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur) but depth is a strength. New recruits Cole Aldrich and Tyrel Reed will contribute to a squad that won 33 games last season.
8. Washington State – Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver make-up one of the smartest backcourts in the nation. A pair of 6’10” players, Aron Baynes and Daven Harmeling, is poised for breakout seasons. Despite a loaded Pac-10, 30 wins may not be out of reach.
9. Marquette – Hoops mastermind, Tom Crean will get his stockpile of guards to take better care of the ball and take better shots. Last season’s roster is still intact and key recruits will fill some depth concerns at forward.
10. Louisville – Rick Pitino has plenty of depth and experience to work with. The consistency and health of post players David Padgett and Derrick Caracter will determine how close to the Final Four they get. Shooting was a concern last year and may be again.
11. Texas A & M – New coach Mark Turgeon will make magic with a collection of veterans (Joseph Jones and Josh Carter are highly effective) and one of the nation’s best recruiting classes. Freshmen DeAndre Jordan, Nathan Walkup, Denzel Bowles, and B.J. Holmes will all get chances to prove themselves.
12. Gonzaga – With top playsmith Jeremy Pargo running the show, Coach Mark Few will be confident when they meet Top10ers Memphis, Tennessee and Washington State this year. Josh Heytvelt, Matt Bouldin, Micah Downs and JC transfer Ira Brown round out a very impressive starting 5.
13. Stanford – Every key player is back from a team that had a slew of impressive victories last year, UCLA included. 6’8” Lawrence Hill is for real and look for the lesser Lopez brother, Rubin, to greatly improve after seeing the NBA attention his twin received after last season.
14. Connecticut – Last year’s team was mega-young (started 3 freshmen and 2 sophomores) and missed the tournament. Don’t count on seeing that again for a while. Everyone’s back and these kids are going to sneak up and never look back on a lot of teams in the cutthroat Big East Conference.
15. Xavier – Sean Miller can flat out coach and he could drive this team deep into the tournament. In 2007-2008, he’s got the perfect mix of veteran talent and explosive youth. While there’s no clear cut best player, it’s quite clear the Musketeers could crack thirty victories.
16. St. Joseph’s – Phil Martelli has a team quite similar to one that almost went undefeated a few years back. The front court trio of Ahmad Nivins, Pat Calathes, and Rob Ferguson is very good but must stay healthy as the team lacks interior depth.
17. Indiana – A lot of hype is surrounding the All-American duo of D.J. White and Eric Gordon after Kelvin Sampson’s first season. However, four starters are gone from last season’s 21 win team. Health will be vital to this season’s success.
18. Davidson – Sophomore Stephen Curry is one of the best shooters in the country but here’s all you need to know – they won 29 games last season and every contributor is back.
19. Oregon – Another 29-win squad from last season but unlike Davidson, they lost their top scorer. However, Tajuan Porter can run the ship which is stock full of senior starters.
20. Southern Illinois – The best defense in the country will make life miserable for Missouri Valley opponents. The Salukis won’t match up well with major conference height.
21. Duke – Another All-American recruiting class will be a big boost to an other wise average Duke squad. Will Krzyzewski’s time with the national team take its toll on his endurance? Greg Paulus must cut down his turnovers and get the ball to his more talented teammates.
22. Providence – The loss of Herbert Hill from an average team a year ago, have a lot of people down on Tim Welsh’s team. However, plenty of size remains, Weyinmi Efejuku is a force, Dwain Williams is an electric general off the bench, and PF Geoff McDermott and PG Sharaud Curry are perfect compliments.
23. California – A young and talented team led by 6’9” super sophomore Ryan Anderson gets a year older after breaking in on a competitive Pac-10 last season. However, center DeVon Hardin will be the real story this year and is a dark horse all-conference big man.
24. Arizona State – Jeff Pendergraph and Christian Polk will help turn around a disastrous 8-win season a year ago. Freshman stud James Harden will make it a lot easier and will likely push one of the five returning starters to the bench. Duke transfer Eric Boateng will see plenty of minutes at center.
25. North Carolina State – These kids can play, but the real problem is do they have a true PG or C in the rotation? Sidney Lowe has done great to recruit, but the team looks a lot like the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks of last season.