Duke

Poll: Who Will be the National Player of the Year?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:29:02 -0500

Duke Basketball Preview: #8

Joel Welser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:28:20 -0500

Overall Rank: #8

Conference Rank: #2 Atlantic Coast Conference

2008-09: 30-7, 11-5

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (760-215 at Duke, 833-274 overall)

Duke continues to do what Duke has been doing lately. They finish in the top two in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beat the teams they should beat and lose a couple times to North Carolina. Then they make a run in the conference tournament before bowing out earlier than Blue Devil fans hope in the NCAA Tournament. Expect more of the same this time around.

Key Losses: G Gerald Henderson, F David McClure, G Greg Paulus, G Elliot Williams

Key Newcomers:

The lack of guards in this recruiting class is painful. Andre Dawkins is not the highly touted recruit one would expect to step foot in Cameron Indoor Stadium and make a huge impact. He will have to play some minutes due to lack of options, but he will not be a game changer as a freshman. Power forwards Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee are the highly touted recruits. Kelly is a big man at 6-10 and 220 pounds, but he also is a superb outside shooter who can stretch out the defense. Plumlee is a skilled player, but he might need some time to add some strength before he can effectively battle under the basket in the ACC.

Backcourt:

Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer are the only two returning guards who will make an impact. Unfortunately, neither are point guards. Smith can try, but he almost committed as many turnovers last year as he did assists. While Smith could turn into a decent scorer and is not a bad defender, he is not a point guard. Neither is Scheyer, but at least he can take care of the ball. Last season Scheyer tallied 14.9 points, 2.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per contest. He may not be as effective of a scorer with the ball in his hands, but if Smith does not get his act together, Coach Krzyzewski will not have much choice.

Frontcourt:

The strength and depth of this team has moved into the frontcourt. Kyle Singler can finally play at the small forward spot and that leaves Brian Zoubek, Miles Plumlee and Lance Thomas to battle it out with the newcomers for playing time under the basket. Zoubek will be the man in the paint after starting 17 games there last season. The 7-1 senior is a massive presence under the basket and, while his numbers may not reflect it, he is an important player on this team. Miles Plumlee, brother of incoming freshman Mason, will at least add some depth, but it is Thomas who could be in for a surprisingly decent senior season if given the opportunity.

Who to Watch:

Singler is the star of this team after averaging 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists during his sophomore campaign. Singler was forced to spend most of his time at the power forward position last year due to lack of frontcourt options. The exact opposite is true this year and the 6-8 junior could play some shooting guard in a pinch. But no matter where he plays, Singler has proven that he can score and do everything his team needs him to do to win.

Final Projection:

The lack of depth on the perimeter could be a huge problem for the Blue Devils. After Smith and Scheyer, the pickings are slim. Singler is athletic enough to play the two guard spot and this would suddenly turn into a team that is very large, athletic and has a surprising amount of outside shooting. There are not many shooting guards out there that Singler cannot shoot over. But Scheyer and Singler cannot play 40 minutes per game without tired legs in March. This might be a great team on any given day, but they will rely on the outside shot too much and get tired by the end of the year. That means another early NCAA exit for Duke.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Jon Scheyer, Senior, Guard, 14.9 points per game

Nolan Smith, Junior, Guard, 8.4 points per game

Lance Thomas, Senior, Forward, 5.3 points per game

Kyle Singler, Junior, Forward, 16.5 points per game

Brian Zoubek, Senior, Center, 4.1 points per game

Next Top 144 Teams
9		10		11		12

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

ACC Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:23:02 -0500

ACC 5-YEAR STANDINGS

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: How do ACC teams stack up over the last five years?

Teams get points for league wins, making the postseason (NIT or NCAA) and winning games in the Big Dance. NIT wins are meaningless here, as are non-conference wins. Also, league tournaments wins are not taken into account. (An original trial-scoring system included points for conference tourney wins. But the flukish nature of these tourney's did more harm than hurt: ie, 2008 Georgia, 2006 Syracuse, and 2004 Maryland ended up getting too much credit despite the reality that they were mediocre to sub-par teams.)

100 total points is set up to be the equivalent of batting .300 in baseball.. anything above and beyond is all-world stuff. 50 points is mediocre and you only start to get bad below 40 points.

Pos.	Was	Team	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Wins	Gms.	Points

1	1	UNC	14	12	11	14	13	64	80	80	Win %
			Champs	NCAA 32	Elite 8	Final 4	Champs			46	Post Pts.
										126

2	2	Duke	11	14	8	13	11	57	80	71	Win %
			Sweet 16	2nd Round	1st Round	2nd Round	Sweet 16			22	Post Pts.
										93

3	3	BC	13	11	10	4	9	47	80	59	Win %
			2nd Round	Sweet 16	2nd Round	X	1st Round			16	Post Pts.
			*Big East							75

4	5	MD	7	8	10	8	7	40	80	50	Win %
			NIT	NIT	2nd Round	NIT	2nd Round			11	Post Pts.
										61

5	7	Wake For.	13	3	5	7	11	39	80	49	Win %
			2nd Round	NIT	X	X	1st Round			7	Post Pts.
										56

6	11	Clemson	5	7	7	10	9	38	80	48	Win %
			NIT	NIT	NIT	1st Round	1st Round			7	Post Pts.
										55

6	8	VA Tech	8	4	10	9	7	38	80	48	Win %
			NIT	X	2nd Round	NIT	NIT			7	Post Pts.
										55

8	10	FSU	4	9	7	7	10	37	80	46	Win %
			X	NIT	NIT	NIT	1st Round			5	Post Pts.
										51

9	6	NC State	7	10	5	4	6	32	80	40	Win %
			Sweet 16	2nd Round	NIT	X	X			11	Post Pts.
										51

10	12	Miami	7	7	4	8	7	33	80	41	Win %
			NIT	NIT	X	2nd Round	NIT			7	Post Pts.
										48

11	9	Virginia	4	7	11	5	4	31	80	39	Win %
			X	NIT	2nd Round	X	X			5	Post Pts.
										44

12	4	GA Tech	8	4	8	7	2	29	80	36	Win %
			2nd Round	X	1st Round	X	X			6	Post Pts.
										42

Was = Last year's rankig

-Ties are broken by favoring conference winning %

ACC Thoughts

- UNC has officially blown past Duke in terms of ACC dominance.

- BC is solidly in 3rd. They're the only other team besides UNC & Duke to have won 9 league games in 3 of the last 4 years.

- Georgia Tech plummets like a stone now that a dismal 2 win season comes onto the books, and their surprising 2004 Finals run comes off.

- Georgia Tech has won the least amount of ACC games over the last 5 years.

- NC State's slow demise continues, and with their 2005 Sweet 16 trip coming off the books this year, they could fall even farther.

Postseason Points

NIT = 1

NCAA 1st Round = 2

NCAA 2nd Round = 4

Sweet = 6

Elite 8 = 8

Final Four = 10

Final = 11

Champs = 12

Other 5-Year Rankings

Poll: Who Will Win the ACC?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:59:38 -0400

ACC Preseason Basketball Poll

Press Release — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:54:58 -0400

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Everybody knows that coaches and fans can’t agree on anything. When it comes to predicting the order of finish in ACC men’s basketball, the media can’t seem to get on the same page, either.

For the first time in the 41-year history of preseason voting, there is a tie for No. 1. Duke, chosen first on 25 of 48 ballots cast, and North Carolina, recipient of 20 picks for the top spot, each finished with 545 points. Media members attending the ACC’s Operation Basketball on Sunday event cast the ballots.

While the tie is unprecedented, the selection of the Tar Heels and Blue Devils is far from rare. Either UNC (18 times) or Duke (12) had been chosen first in 30 of the previous 40 years of the informal (and non-binding) survey.

A similar oddity occurred in the voting for Player of the Year. Duke’s Kyle Singler, named on 19 ballots, is the predicted winner of the honor even though two other players outpolled him in the All-ACC selection process. Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez was an all-conference choice on 45 of the 48 ballots and Clemson forward Trevor Booker garnered 44 votes. Singler secured 43 votes for All-ACC but won the Player of the Year voting over Vasquez 19-15.

Booker’s Tigers (409 points) are the choice to finish third in the league standings. They edged Georgia Tech (387) and Maryland (378). Wake Forest (315) took sixth by a single point over Florida State and Virginia Tech (273), Boston College (251), Miami (135), Virginia (116) and N.C. State (76) rounded out the totals.

Georgia Tech forward Derrick Favors, considered by some as the top freshman in the nation, was the runaway winner in the Rookie of the Year contest. He earned 40 votes; UNC forward John Henson was named on the other eight ballots.

Voting was conducted by media members attending the league’s Operation Basketball event at the Grandover Resort, a conference, hotel, spa and golf facility located less than two miles from the site of the ACC’s founding in 1953.

Singler, a junior forward Medford, Ore., won the Rookie of the Year award in 2008 and earned second-team all-conference honors last year as the Devils won the ACC Tournament title for the eighth time in the past 11 years and the 17th overall.

Vasquez placed in the ACC’s top seven in five major statistical categories in 2008-09 while joining Singler on the second-team all-conference group.

Booker is the ACC’s top returnee in rebounds and blocked shots and another second-teamer from last year.

Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney, the league’s top returning scorer from last year, also made the All-ACC team in Sunday’s preseason selections. North Carolina forward Ed Davis, who averaged 14 rebounds per 40 minutes played as a rookie, completed the squad.

The Blue Devils won or shared the regular-season title in seven of the 12 previous seasons in which they were predicted to do so. UNC’s success rate is 11-for-18 in that department.

All in all, media representatives have accurately predicted the winner in 20 of the 40 previous years and in five of the past six.

Favors would join a long line of Yellow Jackets to earn the Rookie distinction. Georgia Tech has produced 10 of the award’s first 24 winners.

Singler would be the 12th Blue Devil to win Player of the Year. The previous 11 have combined for 13 citations. Both totals are tops in the league.

2009-10 ACC Preseason Poll:
1. Duke, 545 (25)
1. North Carolina 545 (20)
3. Clemson, 409
4. Georgia Tech, 387 (2)
5. Maryland, 378
6. Wake Forest, 315 (1)
7. Florida State, 314
8. Virginia Tech, 273
9. Boston College, 251
10. Miami, 135
11. Virginia, 116
12. NC State, 76

ACC Basketball: Fantasy Preview

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:22:57 -0400

This is the first of six fantasy stats projections of BCS conference starters. One of my favorite series of the year, and a helpful guide when drafting for fantasy college basketball leagues. For an idea of whether I know what I'm talking about, check out last year's ACC Stats Projection. As always, some teams were nailed better then others.. Clemson was particularly solid, Virginia was a bit off.

Keep in mind stats are highly dependent on minutes, and freshmen are obviously the hardest to predict. I try to note places below where other starters not listed may emerge. Stats are listed by ppg, rpg, and then apg.

ACC

Boston College

G Biko Paris - 7, 2, 4
G Reggie Jackson - 11, 6, 3
F Rakim Sanders - 16, 6, 2
F Corey Raji - 12, 7, 2
6 Joe Trapani - 13, 8, 2

Notes: The departure of Tyrese Rice should open up more scoring opportunities for the likes of Jackson & Sanders. Trapani shouldn't see much of a boost from last year however.

Clemson

G Demontez Stitt - 12, 3, 5
G Tanner Smith - 9, 3, 2
F David Potter - 9, 5, 2
F MIlton Jennings - 10, 5, 1
C Trevor Booker - 15, 11, 2

Notes: The freshman Jennings could be hit or miss. Andre Young and Jeria Grant should also see substantial time and could find themselves in the starting lineup depending on how things go.

Duke

G Nolan Smith - 11, 4, 3
G Jon Scheyer - 16, 4, 4
F Lance Thomas - 8, 5, 1
F Kyle Singler - 19, 9, 3
C Brian Zoubek - 7, 5, 1

Notes: Outside of Singler, minutes in the froncourt are up in the air as newcomers Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly should see substantial time and either could win a starting spot. I'm

Florida State
G Michael Snaer - 11, 4, 2
G Derwin Kitchen - 14, 5, 4
F Chris Singleton - 13, 6, 2
F Ryan Reid - 8, 6, 1
F Solomon Alabi - 10, 7, 1

Notes: Without Toney Douglas, Derwin Kitchen should become a much more dangerous offensive weapon. The freshman Snaer is a solid talent but FSU doesn't have the best track-record developing big-time freshmen.

Georgia Tech

G Maurice Miller - 8, 3, 5
G Iman Shumpert - 13, 5, 5
F Gani Lawal - 15, 10, 2

F Derrick Favors - 17, 8, 2
C Zack Peacock - 10, 6, 1

Notes: Favors is a monster talent, but Georgia Tech has other weapons and doesn't necessarily need to force him shots. Don't expect Lawal's numbers to jump very much now that Favors is around.

Maryland

G Greivis Vasquez - 19, 6, 6

G Adrian Bowie - 12, 4, 3

G Sean Mosley - 8, 5, 2
F Landon Milbourne - 11, 6, 1
F James Padgett - 8, 5, 1

Notes: Maryland has some options in its starting 5. Jordan Williams could usurp fellow freshman Padgett from the post. Eric Hayes and Cliff Tucker will also push for minutes, and Mosley may very well be the 6th man.

Miami

G Malcolm Grant - 10, 3, 4
G Durand Scott - 9, 3, 2
F James Dews - 11, 3, 2
F Dwayne Collins - 14, 8, 1
F Cyrus McGowan - 8, 6, 1

Notes: Collins has the potential to put up 15 & 10 if he sees 30+ mpg. The transfer Grant will start at the 1, although the 2 spot is not guaranteed to go to Scott.

NC State

G Javier Gonzalez - 10, 3, 3
G Julius Mays - 8, 3, 3

G CJ Williams - 10, 2, 2
F Tracy Smith - 15, 8, 2
F Dennis Horner - 11, 4, 2

Notes: Smith is the only player to get excited about in terms of fantasy. It's conceivable he even exceeds these projections. The only other guard to see major minutes will be Farnold Degand.

North Carolina

G Larry Drew - 7, 2, 3
G Marcus Ginyard - 9, 5, 2
F John Henson - 14, 6, 2
F Deon Thompson - 13, 7, 1
F Ed Davis - 15, 10, 1

Notes: Dexter Strickland will also see major minutes at guard and could approach double-digit scoring as well so long as he gets 20+ mpg. You also have the talented Tyler Zeller at forward, who would score 12+ ppg on most teams easy.

Virginia

G Calvin Baker - 8, 2, 4

G Sammy Zeglinski - 9, 3, 4
G Sylven Landesberg - 17, 8, 4
F Mike Scott - 10, 8, 1
F Jamil Tucker - 11, 6, 1

Notes: As good as Landesberg is, his stats might not improve from last year because Virginia is expected to play at a slower pace. Assane Sene is an improving option at center, and will haul in boards and block shots if given minutes.

Virginia Tech

G Malcolm Delaney - 18, 5, 6
G Dorenzo Hudson - 8, 3, 1
F JT Thompson - 10, 5, 1
F Jeff Allen - 16, 10, 1
F Victor Davila - 9, 5, 1

Notes: Delaney averaged 5 ppg more than I predicted last year, and could conceivably approach 20 ppg this season. I overestimated Davila last year, and perhaps am doing the same again.

Wake Forest

G Ishmael Smith - 9, 3, 5
G LD Williams - 10, 4, 1
F Al-Farouq Aminu - 16, 9, 2
F Ari Stewart - 10, 4, 2
C Chas McFarland - 10, 7, 1

Notes: Smith hasn't come close to matching his freshman year assist totals, but he could bounce back in that category this year. The freshman Stewart is the big wild card here, as his minutes could be lost to the likes of Tony Woods or Ty Walker.

Projected ACC Leaders

Top PPG
1) Kyle Singler (19)
2) Greivis Vasquez (19)
3) Malcolm Delaney (18)

Top RPG
1) Trevor Booker (11)
2) Ed Davis (10)

3) Jeff Allen (10)

Top APG
1) Greivis Vasquez (6)
2) Malcolm Delaney (6)

3) Maurice Miller/Iman Shumpert/Ishmael Smith/Demontez Stitt (5))

Fantasy Stats Preview Archive

ACC Basketball: High-Low Preview

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:23:26 -0400

Everybody loves a prediction. People that claim to hate sports predictions are just jealous that no one cares what they have to say or that their predictions are never right. But sometimes when making predictions, certain teams or groups of teams are truly to close to call. On CHN or in preview mags, we do our best to slot teams into specific spots, but sometimes you just want to say honestly, teams A, B, and C are virtually the same and luck will determine how they finish. You can't say that in a Top 144 ranking, but I'm saying it here in a series of High-Low predictions. Instead of plugging teams into specific spots, I'll give a range for each team's finish and a few reasons why.

(How about the high production values with that picture?..)

ACC HIGH-LOW

* my projected finish in yellow

BOSTON COLLEGE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
BC is tailor-made for this type of article. A team with a legit shot at making the Big Dance, but also one that could slip deep into the ACC race if Biko Paris fails or one of Sanders & Trapani gets injured.

CLEMSON
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Opinion is mixed about Clemson depending on who you ask, but expect the Tigers to be a tournament team that either goes home early or wins no more then a game.

DUKE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
With Singler (due for a monster season) & Scheyer back, Duke will still be right there in the ACC race. 2nd seems like the likely finish.

FLORIDA STATE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Despite losing Toney Douglas, it's not all doom and gloom for FSU. Michael Snaer joins a roster full of young and talented players. Whether this talent meshes or not will determine which side of the Tourney bubble they fall.

GEORGIA TECH
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Overrated by many in my opinion, but still extremely dangerous, Tech can push UNC & Duke for the title, but also find themselves on the Bubble if the young talent doesn't mesh into a cohesive whole.

MARYLAND
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
If Vasquez plays at his best every time out, it's not crazy to think Maryland could push for 2nd in the league. 3rd-5th is more likely however, with the Terps making the tournament for the 2nd season in a row.

MIAMI
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Miami loses McClinton and 2 other key contributors and could certainly end up in a battle with State for the ACC cellar. But the cupboard isn't bare, and Frank Haith welcomes one of the U's best ever classes. How it all adds up, I'm not sure.

NORTH CAROLINA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
We could talk all day about the players leaving the program, but with NBA prospects like Davis & Zeller returning along with a monster recruiting class, it's hard to fathom a finish below 3rd in the conference.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
It's hard to imagine NC State finishing higher then 11th.. the talent just isn't there to justify a higher prediction.

VIRGINIA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
With the likes of Landesberg and Scott, UVA has some quality emerging talent. The real key though is how well the team takes to Tony Bennett's system and whether it can stand up to a full ACC schedule.

VIRGINIA TECH
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Most consider VT a bubble or NIT team, but with Malcolm Delaney and an improving Jeff Allen, the Hokies have enough talent to win games in a league that is perhaps as wide-open as ever. VT could be a major surprise..

WAKE FOREST
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
You can't lose the likes of Jeff Teague and James Johnson and not regress somewhat, but Wake's 09-10 demise is being overdone by some. .

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Editor's Predictions: 2009-10 All-Americans

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:17:59 -0400

Back in April, the day after CHN announced its 08-09 All-Americans, I took a stab at projecting the 2009-10 squads. I made a good amount of guesses about who was returning to school.. many of which I was wrong about (see ya later Steph Curry and Jeff Teague, welcome back Patrick Patterson). Now that rosters have settled in and I've recently updated my preseason Top 50, its a good time to update my 2009-10 All-America picks. (Note that this is not CHN's official list, but my own).

2009-10 Player of the Year:

G - Sherron Collins - Sr, Kansas

2009-10 First-Team All-America
G - Sherron Collins - Sr, Kansas
G - Kalin Lucas - Jr, Michigan St
F - Evan Turner - Jr, Ohio St
F - Kyle Singler - Jr, Duke

F - Luke Harangody - Sr, Notre Dame

* originally included Stephen Curry & Jeff Teague. Lucas moves up from 2nd team to replace Curry, while Harangody has returned to school.

2009-10 Second-Team All-America
G - Scottie Reynolds - Sr, Villanova
G - Manny Harris - Jr, Michigan
F - Patrick Patterson - Jr, Kentucky
F - Craig Brackins - Jr, Iowa St
C - Cole Aldrich - Jr, Kansas

* originally included Jonny Flynn & Nick Calathes. Patterson returned to school unexpectedly, while Reynolds & Harris move up from the 3rd team.

2009-10 Third-Team All-America
G - Greivis Vasquez - Sr, Marlyand
G - Talor Battle - Jr, Penn State
F - Tyler Smith - Sr, Tennessee
F - Robbie Hummel - Jr, Purdue
C - Greg Monroe - So, Georgetown
* Smith returned to school unexpectedly. Vasquez moves up from the Fourth Team.

2009-10 Fourth-Team All-America
G - Willie Warren - So, Oklahoma
G - Matt Bouldin - Sr, Gonzaga
G/F - Damion James - Sr, Texas
F - Ed Davis - So, UNC
C - Jarvis Varnado - Sr, Mississippi St

* James returned to school unexpectedly. Warren moves up from Honorable Mention.

2009-10 Honorable Mention
Al-Farouq Aminu - So, Wake Forest

James Anderson - Jr, Oklahoma St
Luke Babbitt - So, Nevada
Trevor Booker - Sr, Clemson
Kenny Boynton - Fr, Florida
Da'Sean Butler - Sr, West Virginia
Devan Downey - Sr, South Carolina

Derrick Favors - Fr, Georgia Tech

Jon Scheyer - Sr, Duke
Sylven Landesberg - So, Virginia
Tasmin Mitchell - Sr, LSU
E'Twaun Moore - Jr, Purdue
AJ Ogilvy - Jr, Villanova
Dexter Pittman - Sr, Texas

Jerome Randle - Sr, California
Larry Sanders - Jr, VCU

Isaiah Thomas - So, Washington

John Wall - Fr, Kentucky
Nic Wise - Sr, Arizona

Chris Wright - Jr, Dayton

* Originally included DeMar DeRozan & Jrue Holiday who went pro. Aminu added to list as he returned to my surprise. A couple changes to the freshmen on the list as well.

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Updated Top 50 Ranking: Kansas #1

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:24:52 -0400

This has certainly been one of the more eventful off-seasons in recent college basketball memory with big-time coaching changes, scandals, NBA Draft decisions, and last-minute decisions by big-name recruits.

Thus my "Super-Early Top 50 Ranking" back in April is almost obsolete by now, and an updated ranking is sorely needed.

In the list below you'll see my original April ranking as well as the team's final 08-09 CHN Top 50 ranking. Note that these picks are purely my own opinion and do not reflect CHN's official 144 Teams in 144 Days preseason ranking.

Post your thoughts in the comments section whether you agree or disagree.. there's certainly many debates to be had.

2009-10 Updated Top 50 Ranking: September 15th

by Shawn Siegel: Collegehoops.net Editor

	Team	April	08-09
1	Kansas addition of Xavier Henry solidifies the former sg hole..	2	10
2	Villanova lose Cunningham, but loaded in the backcourt	3	8
3	Michigan State nothing new since april, Roe & Green need to step up	5	3
4	Kentucky added Wall & got Patterson to return since april ranking	20	NA
5	UNC superior frontcourt talent, but are young guards legit?	4	1
6	Duke lost Henderson & Williams since i originally had them #1	1	9
7	Texas get boost from James's return. some like texas #2	14	26
8	Purdue improving every year, serious final four threat	6	16
9	West Virginia with a healthy set of guards, Huggins team will be solid	9	27
10	Tennessee had disappointing season, but will be underrated	8	41
11	Butler formidable trio of Howard, Hayward, and Mack	10	22
12	Michigan perhaps Manny Harris is big ten's 2010 poy?	11	37
13	Washington have guards and wings, but who can replace Brockman?	15	17
14	Ohio State have one of the game's biggest talents in Evan Turner	18	34
16	California Bears have core back and pac-10 is wide open	16	47
17	Illinois Weber did a great job in 09. i like this team more than most	12	23
18	Minnesota in Tubby I trust.. everyone relevant returns	23	45
19	Dayton Chris Wright should be even better. a-10's top team.	19	25
20	Georgetown loss of Summers no biggie. Monroe, Wright, Freeman return	22	NA
21	Clemson Oglesby has left since april ranking	7	20
22	Xavier new coach should be no issue for this solid program	17	14
23	Mississippi St on rise with Varnado, Bost, (Sidney?). overrated by some	26	NA
24	Connecticut lose Adrien, Price, Thabeet.. but its still uconn	29	2
25	Texas A&M Bryan Davis improves every month. Sloan is no slouch	28	33
26	Kansas St coming off solid season. Wally Judge is serious recruit	30	NA
27	Siena Hasbrouck is major loss, but still many of the same pieces	33	28
28	Maryland only senior loss is Neal, so can't forget about Gary's guys	35	NA
29	UCLA lose 3 senior contributors, but still a lot of emerging talent	32	18
30	Ole Miss return of Chris Warren is huge. underrated in my opinion	27	NA
31	Gonzaga Daye went pro, but don't discount the WCC's best	13	12
32	Oklahoma State lose Eaton & Harris, but loading up on solid d1 players	36	32
33	Florida lose Calathes since April, but Boynton is super frosh	24	48
34	Georgia Tech top notch recruiting class, plus Shumpert is back	40	11
35	Memphis will obviously take step back, but still best of CUSA (barely)	31	7
36	Louisville hard to overcome loss of Williams & Clark	34	6
37	South Carolina Downey leads a fringe tourney squad from 08-09	NA	NA
38	Tulsa Jordan's return solidifies Tulsa's CUSA title hopes	45	4
39	Wisconsin there's no reason to ever discount a Bo Ryan squad	38	30
40	Wake Forest with Teague returning, would have been top 25	25	15
41	BYU outside of Cummard, everyone important is back	37	36
42	Pittsburgh success depends on how good freshman are	46	4
43	Florida State Douglas is huge loss, but Snaer joins talented youngsters	39	29
44	Creighton Woodfox is the big loss. But always a contender	48	49
45	Nevada look for Babbitt & Johnson to ~~dominate~~ conquer the WAC	49	NA
46	Oklahoma deep recruiting class joins backourt of Warren, Crocker	41	5
47	Penn State couple sizeable losses, but Battle gives them a chance	42	39
48	Boston College play of pg Paris will be key. wide open opinions on this team	43	43
49	Seton Hall will new & old talent mesh to form tourney team?	NA	NA
50	Old Dominion top dogs in CAA ready to make a splash	NA	NA

Dropping Out


21	Syracuse
44	Davidson
47	USC
50	Missouri

During the season, don't forget to check out the CHN Top 50 Power Ranking every Sunday night! Check out past week's rankings and this week's AP Top 25.

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews