NGU Skyliner

Cory Guinn
Copy Editor

On Monday, Nov. 9, college basketball fans all around the country will tune into ESPN and sigh in relief as NCAA basketball returns to action. After a wild 2008-09 season, this upcoming season shows no signs of a letdown in terms of excitement.

Top players in the top conferences are returning and highly recruited freshmen provide excitement for all fans this season. The following is my ranking of the top five teams in the country and why I think they will do well this season.

1. Kansas Jayhawks
-Bill Self has point guard Sharron Collins and center Cole Aldrich both returning. Each player is in the running for Big 12 Player of the Year and has the ability to lead his team to the title for the second time in three seasons. If the Jayhawks can make it through a tough Big 12, the NCAA Tournament should be a breeze.

2. Texas Longhorns
-Explosive forward Damion James is in back for another season in Austin, which means the Longhorns will be putting pressure on Kansas all season long. Freshman Avery Bradley has unlimited range beyond the arc, while Dexter Pittman and Gary Johnson will solidify the defense inside.

3. Michigan State Spartans
-The Spartans were the top team in the Big East and one of the top teams in the country last season. After being knocked off by North Carolina in the championship game, Michigan State kept their core players in Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan which means this team has the chance to challenge for the top spot once again.

4. North Carolina Tar Heels
-The Tar Heels won the title last season but lost four of their five starters to the NBA. Roy Williams has a loaded frontcourt with Player of the Year candidate Ed Davis and Deon Thompson down low. Tyler Zeller should play well if he can stay healthy and incoming freshman John Henson is a versatile forward who can play inside or out. If the guards play consistently, watch out for a repeat of last season.

5. Kentucky Wildcats
-John Callipari comes to a team in desperate need of progress. Patrick Patterson is the main returning player for the Wildcats as he provides size and scoring in the post. Freshmen John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins will most likely turn pro after this season so they have a lot to prove in one year and should get the job done.

Tags: Fall 2009, Vol. 109 - Issue 8

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.