Top 25 in College Basketball

Rivals.com has come out with their latest preseason poll on the Top 25 team rankings in college basketball. This one is probably a bit more accurate since the draft deadline has passed.

I commented on how North Carolina would be a sure number one pick because Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson are all returning.

Was I right?

Here’s the Top 10

1. North Carolina
Duh?

2. Connecticut
“The Huskies have an abundance of talent, experience and size…” Um, the size thing is an understatement. These guys are HUGE! But size and talent alone will not get them where they want to be. Hopefully the experience part will come into play this season.

3. Pittsburgh
I was rooting for this team last year because of Levance Fields. He was brilliant in the NCAA tournament. I think with a good supporting cast, Pitt will be able to make a solid run at the Final Four this year.

4. Purdue
I was surprised at how high Purdue was ranked. It could be because of the way they finished the season. The freshmen talent they had will also be sophomores this year, so that little bit of experience could go a long way.

5. Notre Dame
Luke Harangody is a beast. I think the “fighting Irish” will have another solid year and go deep in the tournament.

6. Duke
Duke is my team. I’ve loved them since the days when Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Brian Davis and Thomas Hill were the starting five. And even I have to agree that the Blue Devils were overrated last year. Sure, they can shoot the lights out. But we’ve seen them get beat on the inside and crumble when their shots aren’t falling. They don’t have the strongest recruiting class coming in, therefore I may have even ranked them a bit further down the list.

7. Oklahoma
The Sooners might be the surprise team of the 2008-2009 season. They could fly under the radar quite easily with the talent and line up they have at their disposal and make a notable run at the end of the year.

8. Louisville
The Cardinals roster is going to be just as strong this season as it was last season thanks to Terrance Williams and Earl Clark. I’m actually surprised they are not ranked higher.

9. UCLA
The Bruins biggest lost was Kevin Love. But their biggest advantage is that Collison and Shipp will both be coming back next year. They will have the number one recruiting class this season, so even though they will be young they will have loads of talent. But Collison will be able to provide the experience and leadership the team needs.

10. Tennessee
The Vols took down Memphis last season in what was a great match-up and an amazing game to watch. I think they are ranked right where they should be at the 10 spot.

Get the rest of the Top 25

Read more about college basketball from B5 Media