Post-Decision Top 25
1.
Kentucky - 6 of their 8 best players remained at school. They are adding four McDonalds All-Americans. By far the favorites now.
2.
Wisconsin - As expected, the team remained intact. Another Final Four is now expected.
3.
Arizona - Losing Gordon was expected, but losing Nick Johnson hurt.
4.
Duke - I was starting to believe the rumors that Jabari Parker would stay. He didn't...
5.
North Carolina - Consider them a co-favorite to Duke now in the ACC.
6.
Texas - Myles Turner was a huge get for Rick Barnes. I like them to end Kansas's streak of Big-12 titles.
7.
Kansas - Lost out on Myles Turner, then Tharpe decided to transfer. Rough week.
8.
Florida - Added Michigan transfer Jon Horford to add depth inside. Eligible immediately.
9.
Louisville - Harrell's decision to return was shocking. Will allow Louisville to thrive in their new conference (ACC).
10.
SMU - Another loser of the Myles Turner sweepstakes, but will still put a great team on the floor.
11.
Villanova - I moved them up a few spots because of who they return (7 key players).
12.
Wichita State - Losing Early hurts, but all the underclassmen decided to stay put.
13.
Gonzaga - Officially added Sabonis, an international big man that will add size inside.
14.
Ohio State - Added Trevor Thompson via transfer, who may be eligible immediately.
15.
Virginia - They slid a few spots in my rankings, simply because I think they'll really miss Joe Harris.
16.
Iowa State - Hoiberg struck gold again with Bryce Dejean-Jones, who will transfer in from UNLV, and play right away.
17.
VCU - As I stated in my last rankings, the key for them was keeping Shaka Smart as head coach.
18.
Oklahoma - Highest they've been ranked in the preseason since Blake Griffin.
19.
Connecticut - They kept Boatright, but losing Daniels to the NBA was a serious blow to their frontcourt.
20.
Iowa - Hopefully their poor finish in 2014 will motivate them for 2015.
21.
Illinois - Have this squad higher than most, but I love what they have in their backcourt.
22.
Oregon - Speaking of great backcourts, Oregon has one of the best.
23.
Stanford - Continue to watch Reid Travis in high school events and come away impressed.
24.
San Diego State - Losing Thames and Davis was big, but they have some key players coming in (recruits and transfers). May be higher in my official poll come November.
25.
Kansas State - Did lose some starters, but have some replacements in mind.
By: The Sports Guys
I must have cursed Oregon after ranking them... Artis is transferring, while Austin/Dotson are suspended (rape investigation). Suddenly, things aren't looking good in Eugene.
ReplyDeleteHUGE blow to SMU as they are losing there star recruit Mudiay. He was having eligibility issues so he's going to play overseas. Likely a fringe top 25 team now (yes, he was that important), and they'll bump down at least ten spots in my preseason rankings.
ReplyDelete