The start of the 2013-2014 college basketball season is just a week away. With a lot of changes to conferences, it should shape up to be another wild ride this season. The pre-season top 10, however, has no surprises
Leading the pack is Kentucky with their top-ranked recruiting class, highlighted by the Harrison brothers. Like past teams assembled by head coach John Calipari, the team is mostly freshmen, with only four upperclassmen on the roster. The biggest threat to the Wildcats in the SEC will be the eighth-ranked Florida Gators. But the Gators will start off the season at a disadvantage: they have five players injured, sick, or serving suspensions. Look for the Gators to start slow and make a late run.
With the additions of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC, an already tough conference is now even tougher. Duke, Syracuse, and North Carolina are all in the top 11, with Virginia ranked 25th. Even though the Blue Devils lost three starters from last year’s Elite Eight team, Coach K restocked his freshman class with the no. 1 overall recruit, Jabari Parker. The Blue Devils will also add transfer Rodney Hood from Mississippi State to the mix. Look for Duke to have a fast-paced offense with a lot of possessions.
Eight miles down Tobacco Road, the North Carolina Tar Heels should have a solid squad to contend for the ACC title this year as well, with a solid core of talent returning, including Leslie McDonald, P.J. Hairston, and James Michael McAdoo. Coach Roy Williams will need his freshmen to make an impact early to set the tone for the season. Don't sleep on the Cavaliers of Virginia, though. With three starters coming back in Joe Harris, Akil Mitchell, and Justin Anderson, and with the addition of sophomore forward Mike Tobey to the starting lineup, the Cavs are ready to build on an impressive season last year.
In the American Athletic Conference (formally the Big East), it’s shaping up to be a two team race between Louisville and Connecticut. Louisville is ranked third in the pre-season top 10. The defending National Champions lost a few key pieces, but they return guards Kevin Ware and Russ Smith. And behind Rick Pitino's coaching, the Cardinals won't miss a beat. The Connecticut Huskies return all five starters, including Shabazz Napier. With a full year under new head coach Kevin Ollie, look for the Huskies to make a lot of noise this season.
The Big 10 has five teams in the pre-season top 25 and could be the best conference this year. Michigan State, Michigan, and Ohio State are all in the top 10. Michigan State is the front runner with three big contributors returning from last year’s team. Coach Tom Izzo will have his team ready for the challenge. Even though Michigan lost guards Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the draft, they still have Glenn Robinson, Mitch McGary, and Nik Stauskas, all of whom played a big role in their late-season run last year. Ohio State is not as reloaded as the other two teams are, but they bring back their best player in Aaron Craft. With his senior leadership, the Buckeyes will contend for a Big 10 title.
In the Big 12, the two powerhouses, Kansas and Oklahoma State, are once again the top teams in the conference. The Kansas Jayhawks have a really young team with Andrew Wiggins at the center. He is one of the top freshmen going into this year, but don't let this young team fool you. Coach Bill Self will have them ready to play as they have an early test against Duke. Oklahoma State returns three of its top four scorers from last year. The biggest concern will be replacing guard Marcus Smart. If the Cowboys can fill this void, look for them to have a chance to steal the Big 12 crown away from the Jayhawks.
The Pac-12 has three teams in the top 25; the Arizona Wildcats, the Oregon Ducks and the UCLA Bruins. The Wildcats will have to adapt a lot as they lost their top scorers from last season, but with a strong recruiting class (fourth overall), expect the Wildcats to start off slowly but finish strong. Oregon is in the same place as the Wildcats with new faces appearing in the starting five this year. With the basketball program improving the past couple of years, I expect they are still on the rise and ready to be a serious contender for the Pac-12 title. The Bruins will return the most experience with three of their starting five returning, but I don't see this as much of an advantage. The Pac-12 race is up in the air and could be won by any of these teams.
Some mid-major conference Cinderellas to pay close attention to are Virginia Commonwealth University and New Mexico. We all know VCU and Coach Shaka Smart, and you can expect him to continue to produce good teams. They have three starters coming back with the addition of five new freshmen. VCU should win the Atlantic 10 easily and make a run in March. The Lobos of New Mexico return four starters from last year’s NCAA tournament team. I wouldn't be surprised to see them make a run late into March this year. College basketball is the home for big upsets. Expect the madness to ensue long before the calendar turns to March.