Early 2005-06 NCAA Rankings <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> By Benjamin Egger and Aran Smith 9/6/05 Last year, the NBADraft.net Preseason Top 10 turned out some solid predictions, with all of the Final Four participants included in the 16 teams (including honorable mentions), and 6 of the Elite 8 teams included: Early 2004-05 NCAA Rankings This year's college ranks has a lot of quality teams, and here is a preseason top 10 for the 2005-2006 year (with 6 teams making honorable mention for a sweet projection looking ahead to next year's Big Dance). 1. Duke -- Mike Krzyzewski had one of his best coaching performances last season with an undermanned Duke squad going undefeated until halfway through the year. Entering his 25th season at Duke, his team now has a legit bench and an increase in talent. With Josh McRoberts and Shelden Williams up front, J.J. Redick will have plenty of room to play on the perimeter. Helping outside will be SR Sean Dockery, SO Demarcus Nelson, and FR Greg Paulus and Lithuanian import FR Martynas Pocius. It's just a matter of time before Paulus beats out Dockery for the starting PG job (think assistant Steve Wojciechowski with more natural athleticism and talent). Pocius (a fiery competitor) will be Redick's understudy this year, and gives Coach K another shooter off the bench, while Nelson hopes to fill the slashing, shooting, and defensive presence role that Daniel Ewing leaves behind. Losing Shavlik Randolph is minimal, especially considering he was going to lose a lot of time to the top recruit in the country McRoberts. With rebounding, shot blocking, and an improving offensive game, Williams is the top bigman in the country, and McRoberts passed up potentially being a lottery pick and has one and done talent. FR Jamal Boykin and Eric Boateng give Duke uncommon depth up front, while Lee Melchioni has proven a valuable player all over the floor. If Nelson and/or the FR can step up big to help Williams and Redick, Krzyzewski may be crowning his 4th champion in Indianapolis come April. 2. UConn -- Jim Calhoun's club has a lot of talent, but some major question marks as well. First, F Charlie Villanueva declared for the NBA, which may have been expected, but then C Andrew Bynum decided to go with him, as both ended up being top 10 picks. PG Antonio Kellogg was dismissed from the team, and the Huskies' other PGs, Marcus Williams and AJ Price are waiting to find out just how long they will have to sit after being accused of pawning stolen laptops. UConn returns plenty of experience, talent, and depth with SR big men Hilton Armstrong and Ed Nelson, and SR wings Denham Brown and Rashad Anderson, along with All American candidates SO SF Rudy Gay and JR C Josh Boone. Everyone is just waiting for Gay to explode into an out of this world player. Will he make that happen is the question. Energetic FR Jeff Adrien will help down low, FR Marcus Johnson should provide depth on the wings behind Gay, Brown and Anderson, and FR PG Craig Austrie may be called upon at PG a lot more than Calhoun originally envisioned. This team has the potential to be derailed by off court issues to their top two point guards. If the situation with Price and Williams turns out for the better, than this team could easily be challenging for their second national title in 3 years. Without them they should be able to make due and be strong, but they wont have nearly the fire power to get to Indy. But look for the punishments to ultimately allow the two PGs to play when it matters this season. 3. Texas -- Rick Barnes is slowly turning Texas into a basketball school, thanks to becoming one of the top recruiting teams in the country over the past several seasons. Most recently they received a commitment from consensus top 3 high school senior recruit Kevin Durant. SO PG Daniel Gibson took over the team when fellow SO LaMarcus Aldridge and JR PJ Tucker were lost midway through last season. The experience Gibson gained shouldering that load should make him especially dangerous this year. Getting those two back up front along with SR Brad Buckman, as well as redshirt FR Connor Atchley and SO Mike Williams, and the Longhorns have quality up front to pound away on anyone. Look for Gibson to blossom in his second year with added confidence with familiarity. The main question for Texas is whether or not Kenton Paulino or Tucker can provide the outside shooting and scoring to help Gibson on the perimeter. Sophomore swingman Dion Dowell's progress should be key. Get used to seeing Texas high in the polls in both big money sports. 4. Gonzaga -- Adam Morrison gives the Zags arguably the nation's best player this winter. He's proven to be a clutch performer, and along with point guard Derek Ravio, who is a cerebral decision maker and excellent shooter, the Zags should be right back in the thick of things. SR forward Erroll Knight gives them a shut down defender and athleticism with the versatility to play inside and on the perimeter. The biggest question facing the Zags is how they replace Ronny Turiaf up front? Look for the group including Brazilian SR J.P Batista, FR Josh Heytvelt, SO Sean Mallon, and FR Mamary Diallo to step up. Local product Heytvelt was a top 50 prospect coming out of high school a year ago, after redshirting last season and growing another inch or two look for him to come in and be a factor. 5. Michigan St -- Tom Izzo's team knocked Duke out of last year's tournament in the round of 16 (the first time in five tries against Krzyzewski for Izzo, and may be challenged to do so again this year on the road to Indianapolis. Paul Davis and Maurice Ager are back for their senior seasons to help do the trick. Shannon Brown and Drew Neitzel look to lead the way outside. Ager and Brown form an extremely athletic tandem on the wings and played very well in the tournament last year. With good depth, and some solid veterans to rely on, the Spartans are the favorites to win the Big 10, and have what it takes to make it back to the Final Four. 6. Villanova -- All-American candidates and SRs Allen Ray, Curtis Sumpter, and Jason Fraser are all back to go along with SR Randy Foye and JR Mike Nardi from last year's squad that gave eventual champion North Carolina a 67-66 scare in the Sweet 16. Sophomore fireplug Kyle Lowry could push Mike Nardi for the starting point guard duties and is a difference maker with his tenacity and quickness. JR Will Sheridan bolsters the frontcourt with steady play. If Sumpter and Fraser can remain injury free late in the season, this team has a real shot to make noise. The ACC and Big East have been trading off national championships lately, and with great experience, the favorite for the Big East is easily a strong contender for their first national title since assistant Ed Pinkney was suiting up. 7. Arizona -- Lute Olsen loses Salim Stoudamire and Channing Frye, but returns an awful lot to a Wildcat crew that lost a heartbreaker to Illinois in the Elite 8. Hassan Adams provides explosiveness on the wing, but the biggest need for Zona is Mustafa Shakur fulfilling his potential and becoming more consistent. He'll look to find a presence inside. Joining Shakur and Adams outside will be SR Chris Rodgers, who wisely decided to wait on the NBA, SO Jawan McClellan, and FR J.P. Prince, Marcus Williams and Fendi Onobun. Onobun has the strength to help down low at times, something they may need if Olsen is going to bring this team to Indianapolis. Kirk Walters and Isaiah Fox will battle it out to see who starts at C next to Ivan Radenovic. Walters looked impressive in spurts last season, and is the more talented player, it's just a question of whether he's ready. If Fox is healthy, he should be able to provide some of the defensive and rebounding presence this team needs to unleash its speed and athleticism outside. 8. Kentucky -- The pride of SEC basketball has taken a hit or two recently, as has SEC hoops as a whole. The conference looks to bounce back this year, and Kentucky has plenty of talent to get back to where they expect to be, competing for Final Fours. PG Rajon Rondo looks to build upon one of the better FR campaigns in the country last year after setting the Wildcat record for steals in a season. SR G Patrick Sparks will join him in the backcourt, with SO Ramel Bradley and SR Ravi Moss adding quality depth. A solid shooter, Sparks needs to improve his consistency for Tubby Smith to do what he normally does, make it to the Sweet 16 and beyond. Joe Crawford may step into the starting SF role after flirting with a transfer due to playing time midway through last year. JR Sheray Thomas and incoming JUCO Rekalin Sims will battle it out for the PF spot, with the first team junior college All-American Sims seeming the front runner for the job. With Randolph Morris' return to school, that gives the team another option up front, either pairing Alleyne and Morris in a big frontcourt, or Morris and Sims for more athleticism. this team has weapons, but must gel together or they may fall short of Indianapolis. JRs Shagari Alleyne and Lukasz Obrzut give Smith a pair of big men both over 7' tall. Both have battled inconsistency and poor play for two years, but both have shown some flashes of talent for development, especially Alleyne. Both also have the excessive length that can't be taught, especially the 7'3 Alleyne. 9. Louisville -- Losing Francisco Garcia, Ellis Myles, Otis George, and then incoming FR Amir Johnson to academics/the draft may prove a lot for Rick Pitino to overcome. But the Cardinals add/return a good bit too. Juan Palacios looks to improve upon his FR season and become a force in the frontcourt thanks to his strength and quickness. He'll have transfer David Padgett (who was named co-captains this season with Taquan Dean after redshirting last year) to help at C, giving Slick Rick a frontcourt worthy of their new membership in the Big East. Dean returns to carry the load outside, but he'll need help if da 'Ville is to make it back to the Final Four. FR Terrance Williams, Bryan Harvey and Chad Millard look to provide that help on the wings. Millard is an excellent spot up shooter, while Williams is a physical marvel with good handles. The club will get back top 30 recruit Brian Johnson who sat out the season after a knee injury. If Padgett and Palacios stay healthy down low, and Pitino can find a PG in Brandon Jenkins or Andre McGee, the Cardinals may be ready to explode with their run and gun offense in the historically slow Big East like Steve Spurrier did to the SEC in football 15 years ago. 10. Memphis -- The Tigers should be a surprise team. John Calipari has been recruiting top notch talent to the Mississippi delta since he arrived. Darius Washington, Jr. had a phenomenal FR campaign marred by his missed FTs at the end of the Conference USA tournament. He hit 23 of 26 from the charity stripe during the NIT, so hopefully the young man with NBA lottery caliber talent will be ready to explode as a SO. Last year's leading scorer, SR SF Rodney Carney adds another highly skilled athlete to Calipari's crew. SO Joey Dorsey will be expected to step up from his bench role last year and be the man in the middle after averaging 6 rebounds in a mere 15 minutes per game as a FR. Filling in the roster around the big 3 will be a highly talented FR class, most of which spent last year destroying their competition at prep school national champion Laurinberg (N.C.) Institute. Wing Shawne Williams flirted with the NBA draft this spring, but will join Washington and Carney on the perimeter, adding a solid defender and ball handler. G Antonio Anderson, F Robert Dozier, and big man Kareem Cooper also make the trip from eastern North Carolina to western Tennessee, Cooper will likely be the one needed to produce the most, as the Tigers need big men. G Chris Douglas-Roberts is the one member of incoming class who didn't play at Laurinburg last year, and the Detroit native will help Anderson back up Washington at PG. If the talented FR step up and the big 3 produce, an elite 8 or better finish is easily within the Tigers' reach. Honorable Mention: Iowa -- When Pierre Pierce went down last year, everyone counted the Hawkeyes out. Steve Alford led them to the NCAAs anyway, and returns most of what got him there in tough and crafty big man Greg Brunner, JR G Adam Haluska, and PG Jeff Horner. Haluska is a tremendous shooter and scorer, while Horner is a competitive floor general. This experienced bunch just understands the game and plays within the team concept. Iowa should be Michigan St.'s main competition for the Big 10 crown, along with an up and coming Ohio St. Oklahoma -- The Sooners have one of the best frontcourts in the nation led by SR Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout but could be somewhat shorthanded in the backcourt. They will rely on SR Terrell Everett taking over the PG duties, as well as a number of talented but unproven transfers. Kelvin Sampson will put together another formidable Sooner team, but the losses of Lawrence McKenzie and Drew Lavender in the backcourt may prove too much to overcome. Arkansas -- Stan Heath has had little to work with since taking over the mess Nolan Richardson left behind, but he now has a legit potential top 10 team on his hands. JR G Ronnie Brewer brings great versatility with the ability to play any position on the floor. Dontell Jefferson played solid at the point in his first year out of JUCO, and SR Jonathon Modica though coming off a terrible year is a proven scorer on the wing. Eric Ferguson will battle Jefferson for the starting PG job. The backcourt should be solid, but the difference will be down low, and you can bet Heath is loving his big men after having current Jacksonville Jaguar 1st round pick, the school's then starting QB in football, Matt Jones, starting at C just two years ago. Look for a huge year from Darian Townes, who had an impressive FR season, earning freshman All America honors. SO Charles Thomas is also an impressive sophomore. FR Cyrus McGowan and SO Steven Hill add depth behind them, and they'll need it in the SEC West against teams like LSU with Glen Davis and Alabama (with Richard Hendrix, Chuck Davis, Jamereo Davidson, Evan Brock, and others composing possibly the best and deepest frontline in the nation). The loss of Olu Famutimi hurts depth on the wings, but with Modica and Brewer, that shouldn't be a problem. UCLA -- Ben Howland's defensive philosophies are beginning to take shape in Westwood. The sophomore trio (Jordan Farmar, Aaron Afflalo and Josh Shipp) should become lethal after a year under their belts. Farmer is an extremely cerebral floor general who makes others better. Look for Shipp, the less heralded of the three, in particular, to have a breakout season. Disappointing red shirt SR Cedric Bozeman will be back for one last go round, and could be a dark horse for a big year if he can mesh well with the other younger Bruins. Inside they have Senior bigmen Michael Fey and Ryan Hollins, plus SO Lorenzo Mata and FR Ryan Wright. Syracuse -- Gerry McNamara is back for his SR season, with Terrance Roberts, Darryl Watkins, and Demetris Nichols to help up front. The toughest spot to fill on the roster may not be Hakim Warrick, as the Orangemen return plenty of big men, but who replaces Josh Pace's ball handling, decision making, and defense for Jim Boheim? Louie McCrosky will try, as will FR Eric Devendorf, but someone will need to step up as the Big East will be loaded once again with Villanova, Georgetown, Boston College, and West Virginia all look strong. Kansas -- Kansas is extremely young, but also extremely talented. Kansas will hope for quick development from their horses inside (Sasha Kaun and CJ Giles) as well as their talent on the perimeter (Mario Chalmers, Julian Wright, plus forwards Brandon Rush and Micah Downs). With arguably the top recruiting class in the country (along with Duke and Oklahoma St.) Kansas has the talent to compete with almost any team in the country. It all depends how quickly Bill Self can bring this young group together. Others: Alabama, Iowa St., Stanford, West Virginia, Nevada, Ohio St., Wisconsin, Georgetown, Boston College, Illinois, Old Dominion, Wake Forest, California, North Carolina St., Texas Tech, Washington, Maryland, LSU, Texas A&M </div>
No way UConn should still be in the top three after losing their top two point guards. Other than that these ratings I would say are pretty good. Nice work by Benjamin Egger and Aran Smith.
Pretty good, but UConn should not be #2 considering we don't know what's up with their PGs. Boston College...where are they? They are a top 10 team. Zaga at #4 is bold. I like them as a top 10 team, pretty close to the top 5 even. But 4 just feels high to me.
