2009-2010 College Basketball Preseason Rankings

To me it's never too early to speculate about next season. Sure, we don't know who is officially in and out of the draft yet, but that's what revisions are for... I'll try my best.

Preseason Top 25:

1. Michigan St.- Sure they lose Suton and Walton, but Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen, and Raymar Morgan are back. Look for the in-coming 6-10 recruits to make an impact.

2. Kansas- It looks as all five starters will return, add in some solid recruits that could potentially include Xavier Henry or Lance Stephenson.

3. Syracuse- The Orange will likely return everybody. Johnny Flynn will arguably be the best PG in the country.

4. Duke- They become a title threat again if Gerald Henderson returns. Look for frosh Mason Plumlee to finally give them a valuable inside presence.

5. Purdue- Will Purdue be 2009's Spartans? The 2010 Final Four is in home state Indianapolis and return 7 of their top 8 scorers.

6. Villanova- Nova will once again have a dominant backcourt lead by Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher.

7. North Carolina- This will be a totally different Heel team but there will still be plenty of talent.

8. Texas- The Longhorns were a PG away from being an elite team, Florida transfer Jai Lucas should help fill that void.

9. West Virginia- If Devin Ebanks returns they will be one of the best in the Big East. Da'Sean Butler, Darryl Bryant, Joel Mazzula, and Kevin Jones are back.

10. Kentucky- The Cats are on the rise once again with John Calipari taking over. Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson will likely return. Add-in recruit DeMarcus Cousins too.

11. Connecticut- Kemba Walker, Jerome Dyson, and Stanley Robinson will be back. A decent recruiting class is coming in as well to help fill some voids.

12. Clemson- 3 of the top 4 scorers are back including ACC POY Trevor Booker. Plus star recruit Milton Jennings should help.

13. Wake Forest- Wake could go from a top 15 team to nothing. They already lost James Johnson, but look for Jeff Teague and Al-Farouq Aminu to return.

14. Louisville- They lose Terrence Williams and Earl Clark, but still have plenty in the stable. Samardo Samuels should have a breakout year.

15. Butler- This past season was supposed to be a rebuilding year after losing a lot. All five starters are back.

16. Illinois- With another year of experience under sophomores Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, and Mike Tisdales' belts, they'll improve.

17. Xavier- Sure, they lose salty veterans CJ Anderson and BJ Raymond, but they'll reload with Derrick Brown (assuming he stays), Dante Jackson, Terrence Holloway, and IU transfer Jordan Crawford.

18. Washington- Look for Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter to keep the Huskies atop the Pac 10.

19. Gonzaga- The Zags will reload with Demetri Goodson, Matt Bouldin, Stephen Gray and potentially Austin Daye all back.

20. Siena- A nice nucleus (5 of Top 6 scorers) returns for the Saints.

21. Ohio St.- The Buckeyes will be good and I mean that.

22. Tennessee- the Vols had some problems last year, but there's still too much talent to go around.

23. Minnesota- Keep an eye on the Gophers. Royce White is a top recruit who will make the Gophers a top contender in the Big Ten.

24. Dayton- I will probably have this team higher in my next rankings. The Flyers are flat-out athletic and talented.

25. California- This will be a senior-laden team that has been scratching the surface waiting to break open. Next year will be that year...

Just missed the cut:
Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas A&M, Oklahoma St., Michigan, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Mississippi St., Florida, Georgetown, Creighton, UNLV, UCLA, Oakland