BTI's Rants and Ramblings:

by:Bryan1304/08/10
We have seen a couple Top 25 predictions for next season from the major websites and some other blogs, but I wanted to combine the ones I could find to see if there was a consensus.  Thanks to CNNSI, ESPN, Fox Sports, Rush the Court, MSNBC, and the Online Sports Fanatic for their projections.   1. DUKE: 147 points (3)  2. MICHIGAN STATE: 142 points (2)  T-3. PURDUE: 135 points (1) T-3. BUTLER: 135 points  5. KANSAS STATE: 117 points 6. OHIO STATE: 104 points 7. PITTSBURGH: 100 points 8. GEORGETOWN: 89 points   9. VILLANOVA: 79 points 10. MEMPHIS: 75 points 11. KANSAS: 67 points 12. XAVIER: 64 points 13. NORTH CAROLINA: 60 points 14. FLORIDA: 56 points T-15. TEMPLE: 53 points T-15. GONZAGA: 53 points 17. ILLINOIS: 51 points T-18. KENTUCKY: 50 points T-18. BAYLOR: 50 points 20. SYRACUSE: 47 points 21. BRIGHAM YOUNG: 44 points 22. WEST VIRGINIA: 32 points 23. VANDERBILT: 31 points 24. WASHINGTON: 26 points 25. VIRGINIA TECH: 26 points Couple notes from this combined Top 25: 1) I know Memphis has the top ranked recruiting class coming in next year, but they better be damn good to jump the Tigers all the way to 10th.  Remember this was an NIT team, and not one of the Final Four in the NIT either.  Josh Pastner is a "hot" name in the business, but he took what was a very talented team all the way to the NIT.  So I am not sold on his coaching abilities.  2) With having no clue who will be on Kentucky's roster next season, I think 18th is actually a pretty good judge of the team.  You know that UK will be good because Coach Cal won't bring in average talent.  But just how good is the question.  I like the muted expectations for the Cats. 3) Teams that are annually overrated: Florida, Georgetown, Illinois.  We all watched the Gators this season, right?  Were they impressive to you, because they sure as hell were not to me.  And so the fact they bring back their starting backcourt is not necessarily an advantage.  Georgetown has been a constant disapointment since their 2007 Final Four run.  And Bruce Weber does less with more talent than any coach in the country.    4)  Initially I wouldn't think Butler would have a chance to repeat what they did next season.  I thought they hit a hot streak in the tournament, caught a couple teams on some bad nights, and defensively stepped it up.  But when you look at next years top teams, I think it is going to be another WEAK year in college basketball.  As much as it pains me to say, Duke probably SHOULD be the preseason #1 team.  On paper, they are likely the best.  And they lost their All-American guard, so that tells you something.  I look for another WIDE OPEN season, which is good for Kentucky, which will certainly have some rough spots throughout the season due to youth. BTI: Always Convinced, Rarely Correct. 

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