SLAM Preseason College Top 25
We crank out the best 25 teams and explain why we’re holding the Mayo. For now.
by Ben Collins
OJ Mayo is good at basketball. We know this.
We’ve seen the high school all-star games. We’ve seen the Youtube videos, and not just the ones of him “bumping” a referee that we’re now certain is related to Tim Donaghy. He’s 6’4” — maybe 6’5” — has a jumpshot and has some of the best point guard skills we’ve seen in a big guard since Gilbert Arenas.
We’ve heard the hype. The buzz could knock out all of the power in Los Angeles. (This may or may not be a bad thing.)
So we implore you to go ahead and do what’s natural: flip out! Everybody! Come on! Make a life-sized OJ Mayo cut-out, dress it up all pretty-like and tango with it on your front lawn. Drape a USC flag around your shoulders like a shawl and wear only that to work every day. Slather yourself in red and yellow facepaint. When you feel the facepaint isn’t expressive enough, set yourself on fire.
For the sake of hype, we should be doing these things, too. We should make OJ Mayo the next LeBron James or the next Sebastian Telfair and immediately throw him and the USC Trojans at the top of everything.
If he swims, we were right, and we knew it all along. All those hours being ridiculed for the facepaint and the flag-wearing and the six days in intensive care were worth it. Now we get a book deal! I’m pretty sure this is how Charlie Rosen did it.
If he sinks, we blame it on character issues. “All the talent in the world,” we’ll say, “he just couldn’t go to class/share with his teammates/get past himself/lay off the (fill in hampering applicable illegal or inappropriate activity or substance here).” And we’ll be fine because we never could’ve predicted all of these readily predictable character flaws of those put on a too-tall pedestal. No, never.
But we’re not going to put this USC team at number one. We’re not going to place them out of the top 25 like some want either. Because, on paper, there’s a reason we shouldn’t be so polar.
You can say this: USC is the preeminent team in the Pac-10 because OJ Mayo is on USC.
But you must also say this: OJ Mayo is on USC because USC was not the preeminent team in the Pac-10.
You’ve heard this story already: OJ Mayo walks into Tim Floyd’s office and tells him that he wants to create the USC basketball legacy on his own terms. Or maybe he came down through the chimney. I don’t know, something like that. The story is one year old and it has already been destroyed by the telephone game.
Regardless, OJ Mayo walked into a situation where he knew that a collected assortment of talent, like UCLA, UNC, Memphis or even Arizona, wouldn’t hamper the minutes he needs to survive as the best player in his class. Thus it would be completely illogical to put them atop the top 25, even though Tim Floyd was still able to squeeze a Sweet 16 appearance out of last year’s team.
So we’ve leveled off Mayo and the Trojans at number seven in our Preseason Top 25. This, too, may even be a little high. Because this team is very combustible. And we’ve already been burnt too many times before.
SLAM College Top 25
| Rank | Team | Last | Conf. | Eliminated | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNC | 1 | ACC | by Georgetown 96-84, Elite 8 | For a top-seed whose only contention last year was that they were too young to compete, it's surprising the buzz machine hasn't exploded by now. Terry and Wright were key pieces, but the Lawson-to-Hansbrough combo is suddenly both seasoned and horrifying. |
| 2 | UCLA | 2 | Pac-10 | by Florida 76-66, Final Four | Kevin Love is "the best outlet passer since Wes Unseld." Fantastic! So was Rafael Araujo. Whatever. Love is the real deal and he joins a loaded, NBA-ready starting five that only lost Afflalo. |
| 3 | Kansas | 3 | Big 12 | by UCLA 68-55, Elite 8 | Would've easily been #1 with a Julian Wright return, but now they're lucky to be in the top 3. But Self has a cast of unproven and underrated sophomores to win over again and turn the media into mush. |
| 4 | Memphis | 4 | Conf USA | by Ohio St. 92-76, Elite 8 | Derrick Rose! Chris Douglas-Roberts! John Calipari! Sunset! Riding off into it! If by "sunset" you mean "second-round knockout!" |
| 5 | Georgetown | 5 | Big East | by Ohio St. 67-60, Final Four | Roy Hibbert is the only dominant center left on an established program. Every game against a mid-major is going to be like the last level of Mike Tyson's Punchout: terribly unfair to the little white guys who were wondering when they signed up for this. |
| 6 | Tennessee | 6 | SEC | by Ohio St. 85-84, Sweet 16 | Chris Lofton and the Volunteers almost runned-and-gunned (ran and gan?) their way through the tournament, long before any pro team from the Bay Area stole their idea. If Chris Lofton can do that Hero thing all the way through the regular season, they're a one-seed. |
| 7 | USC | 7 | Pac 10 | by UNC 74-64 , Sweet 16 | Ow. Sorry, we can't put them any higher. Please stop hitting us. We tried, but we realized -- ow -- this would cause a stir. Quit it! And we don't want to do that. Not on the Internet. No no! Okay. That one hurt. |
| 8 | Louisville | 8 | Big East | by Texas A&M 72-69, Round 2 | So it turns out Derrick Caracter was hurt all last season and that's why he didn't tear up the Big East. Not sure I believe his bad knee is, as the French say, "la raison pour sucktitude," but they lose no one and Pitino loves him a good cast of seniors. |
| 9 | Arizona | 9 | Pac 10 | by Purdue 72-69, Round 1 | Could be #5. Could be #22. Depends on how much confidence you have in Chase Budinger and if you think Jerryd Bayless is next in the line of great Arizona point guards. And I have a lot of it. |
| 10 | Stanford | 10 | Pac 10 | by Louisville 78-58, Round 1 | The Pac 10 is thin up front and the Cardinal isn't. The legit 7' twins Brook and Robin Lopez could make the noise West Coast media is projecting (and then go straight to the WNBA!). Or they could crumble and still get a gift from the at-large Gods like last year. Either way. |
| 11 | Marquette | 11 | Big East | by Michigan State 61-48, Round 1 | Are they too high? Absolutely! But they return Dominic "Tim-Hardaway-before-the-bigotry" James, who hopefully won't shoot 20% for most of the season again. And we think he's, um, pretty good. |
| 12 | Washington St. | 12 | Pac 10 | by Vandy 78-74, Round 2 | Are they too low? Absolutely! But we just don't really buy the hype that least year's success is all that sustainable. They don't lose any major pieces, but, other than Derrick Low, can you actually name me a major piece off the top of your head? No peaking. |
| 13 | Indiana | 13 | Big 10 | by UCLA 54-49, Round 2 | This is the year that D.J. White and Kelvin Sampson are supposed to make Indiana the college hoops epicenter again. They may be a big man away from anything like that, but at least they're a bubble-contender again. |
| 14 | Kansas St. | 14 | Big 12 | by Depaul 70-65, Round 2 (NIT!) | We were going to say something about the top-15 showing not just being about manchild du jour Michael Beasley; it's about depth and coaching and Bill Walker's potential. But we would lying to you. |
| 15 | Michigan St. | 15 | Big 10 | by UNC 81-67, Round 2 | Drew Neitzel is coming back to a Michigan State team that was starting to get its swagger back at the end of last year. Someone get that kid one of Mateen Cleaves' velour, forest green sweatsuits! |
| 16 | Gonzaga | 16 | WCC | by Indiana 70-57, Round 1 | I hate this. So much. They're going to hack their way through the WCC with Heytvelt and Pargo and we're going to believe that they're a contender again. Refer me to this post in late-February. |
| 17 | Alabama | 17 | SEC | by UMass 79-71, NIT Round 1 | Even with Jermareo Davidson off to some foreign land, Richard "I acknowledge that my name is extremely similar name to that of a Nascar driver and have come, begrudgingly, to accept that fact" Hendrix and Alonzo Gee can power an experienced and outright enormous Alabama team through the SEC. |
| 18 | Arkansas | 18 | SEC | by USC 77-60, Round 1 | This is the same exact team as last year but a year older. They made the tournament last year. Blah blah blah. As if Arkansas wasn't boring enough. |
| 19 | Butler | 19 | Horizon | by Florida 65-57, Sweet 16 | I know that you think that last year was an abberation and, yeah, it probably was. But this is the same exact team as last year and it's AJ Graves' senior season. So 19 might be low. Even for a novelty midmajor. |
| 20 | UConn | 20 | Big East | DNP in Tourneys | After the first Jim Calhoun rebuilding year since the Industrial Revolution, the Huskies could surprise in the Big East. We've heard Hasheem Thabeet is becoming polished and this thought scares us a little. |
| 21 | Clemson | 21 | ACC | by West Virgina 78-73, NIT Final | Hey, maybe this team will actually beat a ranked opponent after the first week of the season next year? Considering they only lost one rotation player and added two actual, breathing, top-100 recruits for the first time in forever (Demontez Stitt and Jerai Grant), they may not have a reason for the selection committee to snub them again. |
| 22 | NC State | 22 | ACC | by West Virginia 71-66, NIT Quarters | This team got Lebron-in-Game-6 hot in the ACC tournament last year because of some quirky coaching from Sidney Lowe and almost took one of the deepest conferences in the country after a .500 season. They only lose one rotation player. Yes, that is a bandwagon you hear. No, I don't know why they still make those. |
| 23 | Virginia | 23 | ACC | by Tennessee 77-74, Round 2 | I'm just going to write down Sean Singletary and 2008 ACC Player of the Year so we can move on. |
| 24 | Cal | 24 | Pac 10 | DNP in Tourneys | DeVon Hardin returns healthy and will fill out a Youtube video full of some healthy posterizations so that he will be a lottery pick. I have no idea where that leaves Cal as a team, but, 24 seems like a good number, I guess. |
| 25 | Texas | 25 | Big 12 | by USC 87-68, Round 2 | The Kevin Durant Hangover will be awful and there will not be enough black coffee in the world for them to take the Big 12 from either of the teams from the Sunflower State. But D.J. Augustin has to have a little valor left in him, right? |
| So | Close | Oh | So | Close | Mississippi State, Ohio State, Kentucky |
109 Responses to “SLAM Preseason College Top 25”
Aug.16 at 4:26 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Thanks to your intro, Ben, I can totally stop what I was working on and take a nap. G’night.
Aug.16 at 4:34 pm
Ben Collins says:
Yeah, I agree. That length was totally uncalled for.
Aug.16 at 4:35 pm
Ben Collins says:
Wait, let me fix it so Penn State is number one and then you can comment again. Go.
Aug.16 at 4:36 pm
H to the izzo says:
Ben,How dare you leave out Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Aug.16 at 4:38 pm
Ben Collins says:
Roll Islanders! Or something.
Aug.16 at 4:40 pm
Whodoneit says:
And Oregon…? An elite 8 appearance last year, and the fact that theyve got everybody but Brooks coming back isn’t good enough to crack the top 25 huh? Wierd.
Aug.16 at 4:43 pm
JZ says:
“ran & gan”…hahahaha
wash st. at 12?? that’s just bananas!
Aug.16 at 4:47 pm
jbn74sb says:
I’m currently more pumped for college football, but this is a good little primer nonetheless. As for WSU, I can name another contributor. Taylor Rotcheskie (spelling?), a lefty combo guard from Santa Barbara who transferred from Tulane. Played pick-up hoops against him last week. He’s maybe 6′0″, and was throwing himself alley oops off the backboard and throwing down one-handed. Seemed like a cool kid.
Aug.16 at 4:49 pm
slamrules!!!! says:
duke? florida?
Aug.16 at 4:58 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Very nice rankings. The table looks great! When I think of how much more user-friendly this site is now than when I wrote the Dirty 30…
Ah, but back to Collins. Great work!
Aug.16 at 4:59 pm
lawrence moten says:
Duke?? Florida?? Slamrules!!!! have you been drinking already son? I will send you 65 bucks and a Duke Lacrosse shirt if you can explain why either of those teams should be in the top 25.
Aug.16 at 4:59 pm
Ben Collins says:
Florida lost its top-six players. Duke sucks. No, really, they do. And they lost their best player.
Aug.16 at 5:07 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Duke will probably be better than they were last year. Unfortunately.
Aug.16 at 5:12 pm
miguel024 says:
OREGON? Top 8 finish, Bryce Taylor, a healthy Malik Hairston? Maybe when we beat your #14 Kansas State on Nov. 29 you’ll listen
Aug.16 at 5:21 pm
lawrence moten says:
Duke has many problems. The best shooter and playmaker are both freshman, but K wants to play Paulus, ScheyerFaces and Demarcus Nelson. Gerald Henderson is probably their all around best player, but he looks like one of those guys that K puts in his doghouse. Singler might be ok, but he will probably be a bust like most all Duke players. Plus after they all get done sucking and crying to K they can get asst. coach jobs. Well only the floor-slapping guards.
Aug.16 at 5:23 pm
Ben Collins says:
I thought about Oregon, Miguel, and they should probably be in that group of 26s instead of Ohio State. But do you think Tajuan Porter and Hairston are better than Augustin and size? More likely to dominate than Hardin? Maybe they’re in there instead of UConn — that’s completely hit-or-miss — but without Aaron Brooks, who is to say they’re better than those last five teams?
Aug.16 at 5:39 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Don’t think you’re granted immunity from being called a hater just because you wrote a long apology before hand. Just kidding. Don’t play wit it.
Aug.16 at 5:41 pm
Jesus Shuttlesworth says:
nobody care miguel. kansas will win it all. i swear. sherron collins might be p.o.y. shady arthur will be killing everyone. brandon rush will be dropping panties and snactching hearts on a nightly basis
Aug.16 at 6:12 pm
DWADE says:
Im not saying Florida should be in the top 25 but somebody tell me where they should be
Aug.16 at 6:19 pm
JayLynch says:
UNC all the way, there wont be any choking this year.
Aug.16 at 7:10 pm
Ben Osborne says:
This was the longest I’ve ever awaited a college preview. Thankfully, it was worth the wait.
Aug.16 at 7:35 pm
chiqo says:
slam pays attention to college ball enough to get an online write up? new. still awesome though.
Aug.16 at 7:41 pm
whitechocolate says:
oj mayo, demar derozan and romeo miller! Oh Baby!
Aug.16 at 8:07 pm
miguel024 says:
The Ducks only loss comes in the form of Brooks which will actually end up freeing up the rest of our incredibly deep team offensively This is the second preview I’ve read of that has had no mention of Bryce Taylor despite the fact that he’s probably our most promising return. This guy can shoot, slash, and rise just wait by the end of next year you’ll be hearing his name called in the first round, possibky even lottery. Hairtson is back and will finally be healthy, this guy played all of last season injured and still had people mentioning his name in last years draft. And Porter, this guy constantly gets slept on because of his height but you got to remember that he was only a freshman last still earning PT at the begining of the season and still managed to break Kopono’s (NBA 3PT Champ) single season record. Not to mention we handled Cal and Washington State last year, along with Zona, USC, Georgetown, and UCLA. Not to mention that we too have a couple of incoming freshman whereas Cal and W State add nothing, and as good as USC’s incoming class is they are still frosh and they lost two of their leaders, Cal loses their point. Oh and we’ve got a ton of seniors, leadership and wisdom baby
DUCKS SHOULDA BEEN SOMEHWERE 10-20
Aug.16 at 9:01 pm
Phila says:
Im pretty sure UCLA wasnt eliminated “by Florida 76-6″
Aug.16 at 9:04 pm
Phila says:
and where da Badgers at? im Wisconsin born and resident in Madison, show Bucky some love
Aug.16 at 9:05 pm
Phila says:
and where da Badgers at? I know we just lost Tucker but c’mon show Wisconsin some love
Aug.16 at 9:06 pm
Ben Collins says:
Yes they did. It was a horrible, horrible blowout.
Aug.16 at 9:24 pm
OJ Mayonnaise says:
Nice 559 word explaination on OJ
Aug.16 at 10:14 pm
ty akins says:
look out for syracuse they already have talent with paul harris and eric plus a nice incoming class with donte and company
Aug.16 at 11:28 pm
Jukai says:
Are we looking out for them to actually make the bracket this year, Akins?
Aug.16 at 11:29 pm
Ben Osborne says:
White Chocolate, Romeo Miller is not all that.
Aug.16 at 11:31 pm
Jukai says:
Also, I still don’t get Marquette at 11.
Aug.17 at 12:04 am
chris prov says:
“The pac-10 is thin up front.”
Wait.
Did I miss something.
Im so confused.
Aug.17 at 12:19 am
Ben Collins says:
I’m talking about height, Chris. There’s Love and Hardin, but neither of them aren’t close to 7′. Hawes manhandled the conference last year and bolted for the lottery.
Aug.17 at 12:38 am
Simon Fuller says:
Best point guard skills in a big guard since Gilbert Arenas? If I was an NBA player and Gilbert Arenas was my point guard, I’d probably want to kill myself…
Aug.17 at 12:41 am
Boing Dynasty says:
I cant wait ’till OJ Mayo shows up at the SLAM office to announce that hes going to be writting the ‘09 rookie diary. Before asked.
Aug.17 at 12:45 am
Boing Dynasty says:
Simon, if Gilbert ever felt like he had to prove he was the best PG in the leauge i wouldnt bet against him leading the league in assists. Maybe even assists and dimes.
Aug.17 at 12:51 am
Boing Dynasty says:
One more, for the road. I think what steph meant by that 10-11 assists and 3-4 dimes a game comment was that dimes are really only pretty passes that get your teamamte wide open looks. If you pass it, and your team-mate his a 3 with a defender right up on him, its not a dime. But you still get an assist.
Aug.17 at 1:09 am
chris prov says:
@ ben: 2 legit 7 footers on a college team is a rarity these days no matter what conference. the pac-10 may be a little on the short side, but with the depth and quality of the other posts in the league its not exactly like their thin up front. Maybe just a little short and stocky.
Aug.17 at 2:36 am
Kene says:
…i’ll put 20 up against 10 that Duke ends up better than USC this year. They had a down year last season and still won 20 games. There’s no way they aren’t one of the top 25 teams in the country this year. No way.
Aug.17 at 6:42 am
E.J. says:
You will live to regret you prediction for the Indiana Hoosiers. Just wait until the ball is tipped. Stanford at #10? Sure.
Aug.17 at 7:16 am
Hisham says:
how come everybody’s name is derrick all of a sudden?
Aug.17 at 7:34 am
H to the izzo says:
Also look at for Vanderbilt,they’ve got a legitimate future 7′ Australian lottery pick whose names escapes me at the moment.
It might be a bad year for Not Duke.
And lets hope that Pitt hand the team to LeVance Fields,if nothing else it’ll be fun to watch
Aug.17 at 7:39 am
The Big Cheese says:
Um…Gilbert Arenas is a “big guard”? Compared to most junior high-schoolers, I suppose. Even if we’re talking about the college level, I remember Gil’ as a seemingly small two for ‘Zona in his day.
The average height for guards these days has to be over 6′4″, which would mean Gil’ is below average even if you believe he’s as tall as the 6′4″ he’s listed at.
Regardless, Gil’ hits big shots on the big stage so he’s a big guard in the “most valuable” sense of the word. Let’s see if Mayo’s as effective once he gets his chance.
Aug.17 at 7:43 am
H to the izzo says:
Gil is a big point guard
Aug.17 at 8:03 am
three stripes says:
Wouldn’t say anyone is actually “looking out” for Vanderbilt really, but that Australian is supposed to be pretty good. Andrew Ogilvy is his name.
Aug.17 at 8:27 am
Ryan Jones says:
Demar Derozan will be a high school senior this year. And Romeo Miller is a non-issue.
Aug.17 at 8:28 am
Ryan Jones says:
Also, Ben C., I just read an article about how the Pac 10 probably has the best collection of big men in the nation this season. So, obviously, you’re stupid.
Aug.17 at 9:40 am
H to the izzo says:
Demar Derozan is talented
Aug.17 at 11:22 am
Lovethysneaker says:
its nice to see NC State in the top 25, with the work they did in the ACC tournament last year led by Sidney Lowe, and the fact that they only lost one good player while picking up JJ Hickson to more than replace him…i think they’ll earn that ranking
Aug.17 at 11:55 am
Ric Bucher says:
Go Spartans. Michigan State all the Way Baby. Get you Neitzel on Big 10 MVP and College MVP
Aug.17 at 1:12 pm
Jesus Shuttlesworth says:
sherron collins and shady arthur
Aug.17 at 3:48 pm
three stripes says:
UNC and Roy Williams
Aug.17 at 5:26 pm
Bran says:
Kentucky will be up there half way through the season. Untapped talent will shine through and bring home some upsets!!
Aug.17 at 6:23 pm
KyBoy says:
No Kentucky? New Coach, New Attitude, 2 great new players…This team is going to tear it up!
Aug.17 at 7:32 pm
lordgefroh says:
milk carton: oregon
Aug.18 at 4:23 pm
whodoneit says:
…and Oregon? you guys didn’t watch the tourney last year huh. Returning everybody but Brooks, plus the fact that they gave the eventual champs a run for the money in the elite 8 isn’t enough to crack the top 25???
Wierd.
Aug.19 at 12:23 am
WHATTTT says:
why didnt you put up syracuse. they have 5 top recruits and paul harris’s teammate all on one team!
Aug.19 at 1:30 am
Phil B says:
KENTUCKY!!!!!!!! Oregon!!!! Mostly Kentucky though!!!!!!!!!!
Aug.19 at 10:06 pm
Steve says:
syracuse?
Aug.20 at 10:29 am
Ryan Jones says:
I like Kentucky.
Aug.20 at 12:40 pm
Driveby says:
It’s Slam Online. Don’t take their writing or opinions too seriously.
Aug.20 at 1:00 pm
Mike J says:
wow, I really can’t believe y’all dropped Duke out of the top 25. Worst season since 95 and they still won 20 games. Add ANOTHER star-studded class of freshmen to an already experienced and talented core, throw in a hall of fame coach and…still no top 25? Oh wait, this is slam. Home of the writers that think year in and year out that this is Kansas or Memphis’s year to win it all, when they do nothing but choke. Enjoy the season fellas, keep riding the hype machines into the ground. USC? yeah…add them to the list.
Aug.20 at 2:02 pm
HoosyourDaddy?! says:
The Hoos and $ean $ingletary will go for back to back ACC champions. Here we come UNC!
Aug.20 at 3:00 pm
UNCfan says:
Yea Carolina is the gratest teams ever, You all cannt be seriaous not makin thems the nuber 1 team with out quesion.
Aug.20 at 4:52 pm
Bball fan says:
Where the HECK is Oregon? And Gonzaga will not “hack” but absolutely annihilate the WCC this year (see Memphis vs CUSA last year)
Aug.20 at 6:00 pm
Matt says:
This is a horrible ranking done by an obvious idiot.
Aug.20 at 8:10 pm
dukeroxx says:
first off
UNC is clearly gonna suck
no recruits
lost 27 PPG with the departure of 3 players and stop hatin on duke
just cuz there gonna be nasty doesnt mean u guys gotta bitch cuz ure team usually sucks
Aug.20 at 8:56 pm
urwrong says:
Are you smoking crack? Duke has one off year and now they aren’t even top 25? We will see come march. Wishful thinking though!
Aug.20 at 10:40 pm
chris says:
As much as I like oregon, good god they will not be a top 25 team. A. Brooks saved their ass so many times last year.
Aug.21 at 1:31 pm
Jason says:
No Duke? What a joke. Duke returns 4 starters plus a healthy Paulus who played on a broken foot all of last year. Add to that Singler and Nolan Smith. Duke is easily a top 25 team.
Aug.21 at 3:38 pm
PG27 says:
I think that UCONN could be a little higher rated.There team just needs to grow up a little.Someone needs to step up and be the leader.Dyson(one of my favorite college players)wil probably be that leader.I saw him attempt to do so on some occasions last year.
Aug.21 at 5:50 pm
Wally Sexybiak says:
Where are those blue devils? come on I thought Coach K had Taylor King, Kyle Singler, and a sophmoric Gerald Henderson JR. Would it have helped if white boy McRoberts stayed?
Aug.21 at 5:59 pm
Wally Sexybiak says:
I think Coach K’s new recruiting pipeline is in Orange County considering they got two sick white kids.
Aug.21 at 6:51 pm
greg says:
duke is a legit top 10 team……i have lost all respect for Slam….we return 4 starters on top of the best class in the ACC. A healthy Paulus will make a world of difference plus a breakout year Henderson….Nolan Smith, Singler and Taylor King are all capable of being regular contributors……this top 25 is a joke!!!!
Aug.21 at 9:51 pm
roypaysplayers says:
“I think Coach K’s new recruiting pipeline is in Orange County considering they got two sick white kids.” Coach K should recruit more of these types…. http://carolinasucks.com/images/uncrapsheet.htm …more “street cred” an’ all. That seems to be important around here.
Aug.21 at 11:52 pm
dukeispuke says:
paulus a broken foot all year? ok, u sure about that? he was hurt beginning of the season, he’s slow and white and got pawned by vcu and md’s vasquez…their star studded classes of recent years consisted of that dud in josh mcroberts(who really sucks) so dont go with that star studdedness when coach k will put all white players on the court if he has to. your 5 will be slow, even moreso with coming off a broken foot, mcclure is coming off surgery and will be out 6-8 weeks prior to the season so he wont be in shape in time, singler is on crutches as we speak and nelson broke his non shooting hand. they’ll struggle to get .500 in the acc and struggle to get a 10-11 seed in the tourny
Aug.22 at 4:24 am
Jeanne says:
To not see Duke in the top 25 is laughable. Yeah, I know there’s a lot of Duke haters out there. Bring them on! Get real!!
Aug.23 at 12:58 am
EMac says:
All Im Saying is watch out 4 my man Terrence roderick of U.A.B. just signed letter of intent its a wrap look him up
Aug.27 at 11:50 am
Bluemetro says:
I think it is a good list but I truly believe that Duke will be about #22 by the end of the year. Arkansas, UConn, and even though I like them a lot, I think K-Stae will be behind the Blue Devils.
Aug.27 at 3:47 pm
08.27.07 Fast Breaks « Rush the Court says:
[…] SLAM put out its early top 25 last week. Intriguing omissions - Duke, Florida, Oregon. Say what inclusions? - Clemson, Alabama, Cal. […]
Aug.28 at 6:30 pm
rusty says:
what about SIU?
Aug.30 at 10:43 am
soox says:
No Duke? What hack published this ranking?
Aug.31 at 5:01 pm
DecaturHeel says:
No way Duke should be on this list. If they get into it at some point, they’ll deserve real credit. They’ll have a mediocre season (by usual dook standards). But he Heels on top…yeah, baby! http://www.duckfook.com
Sep.2 at 4:03 pm
kellen says:
how can this site say gonzaga will only be good cause they will kill in the wcc did anyone remember their playing conneticut,tennesee,wsu,memphis,possibly michigan and butler. they are in the top ten toughest nonconferences this year. give them a little cheer for making a tough schedule even with the wcc.
Sep.3 at 6:12 pm
adam says:
Indiana will be in the top 10 all year long. DJ White is one of the best post players in the country and with the #2 ranked player coming in (Eric Gordon), Indiana has the inside/outside combo that very few have. Duke probably should be ranked somewhere between 17-24.
Sep.6 at 11:04 am
Pittfan says:
And Pitt, the leader in winning pct over the last 7 years, isn’t on this list…mkay.
Sep.8 at 12:36 pm
Bob says:
Nice to see Cal mentioned. They definitely have some talent, especially up front, though I think a #24 rating is a bit premature. The real quesion is whether Braun is talented enough to produce results with the very good players that he has.
Sep.9 at 9:38 pm
C.J says:
what about florida!!!did they get any good recruits
Sep.10 at 10:10 pm
John says:
It cracks me up to think Duke wasn’t included in the top 25, the reason “Duke sucks” Good reason…Mcroberts their best player last year? i doubt it. Duke is a top 25 team, and has better players than 3/4 of the teams in the country. Anyone with any basketball knowledge at all knows that Duke will be a good team, maybe not great, but good.
Sep.12 at 12:52 pm
Carlos says:
I got to see O.J Mayo play down in Mexico this past labor day wknd. If you havents seen usc play you will become a fan once you see them play. I think O.J Mayo has the complete game defense, sharp shooting, speed and Jumping ability. The thing most impress me is that he can go down low with the big guys and bang. I got to see him dunk on a 7 footer that plays for Caballeros from Culiacan Mx man did he impress me. I think they will make it to the ncaa tournament.
Sep.13 at 1:31 am
Nigel T says:
Oregon didn’t just lose Brooks they also lost Chamberlain Oguchi who would have been a lock to start this year if Kent hadn’t jacked him around all last year. They also should automatically be dropped a few spots just because Kent is still their coach! That said Taylor, Hairston and Leunen were really good and clutch as Juniors and maybe with Champ gone the 5th starter will be a big guy- giving them more balance. Should be top 20- as should Duke just cause they’re Duke!- My hatred for them and their coach doesn’t guarantee they’ll suck again!!! /Also why would Florida be ranked? Is Billy D gonna coach and play guard?…and forward….and Center…….
Sep.13 at 1:17 pm
Dave says:
Pitt should definitely be ranked in the top 25. They lost gray and kendall, but they got some good young talent coming in and a whole lot of great experienced guards who know how to win (Fields, Ramon, Cook) along with Sam Young who is gonna settle into the starting lineup this year. Young was hurt much of last year and once he got healthier he became a big time point scorer and defender. DeJuan Blair will probably come in as a freshman starter and be the bulk inside with a nice scoring touch Pitt will be contending for the big east championship again this year, because of the fact that they are still the deepest team in the league, and they have experience in winning
Sep.14 at 4:53 pm
bulldogdude says:
unc is #1 because their young players are now more experienced. duke is not ranked at all even though they had only 1 junior and no seniors last year, and actually beat a final 4 team in georgetown. did dukes young players get worse? nc state is ranked because they got hot like lebron in the acc tournament? they beat duke in overtime and duke didnt have henderson. the same duke team that isnt ranked. nc state also lost to duke by 25 at home last year, beat an ecu team that won 3 games against division 1 teams by 7 at home, and finished 5-11 in the acc, and also lost their pg. this is the most racist ranking ever.
Sep.16 at 11:31 am
perrks says:
Syracuse? bringing back eric devendorf and paul harris and then adding that top recruiting class. this is a horrible top 25. and to think you leave out florida
Sep.18 at 4:28 pm
Tom R. says:
No way Butler, Stanford, or Gonzaga have the atheleticism to be ranked that high. Especially Standford, Ohio State should be ranked higher with Kosta Koufous and Eric Wallace coming in
Sep.19 at 4:45 pm
Eric says:
MSU at 15? Best guard in the conference. Check. Plethora of Big men. Check. Top 10 recruiting class. Check. This will be a high flying team of old, watch out.
Sep.21 at 9:54 pm
marcus hanley says:
gonzaga will be sweet sixteen remember this name micah downs he will be on the slam one day.
Sep.21 at 9:55 pm
marcus hanley says:
watch out for micah downs of gonzaga they will be in the sweet sixteen and uw could surprise i am looking forward to this year tho
Sep.24 at 7:59 pm
nic says:
What about the oregon ducks? look out for baby t porter from the d.
Sep.25 at 3:42 pm
dferg18 says:
dont forget about Missouri
Oct.3 at 8:32 pm
Thack says:
Don’t Forget Ky or Cinn the cats will be in.
Oct.17 at 11:43 am
SLAM ONLINE | » Charlotte Bobcats Season Preview says:
[…] What type of respect does the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine get around here? Based on the fact that I was assigned the Bobcats preview, not very much. I have no connection to them, save for a childhood love of Michael Jordan and a lifelong obsession with college hoops, both of which are facts only somewhat connected to the Bobcats (MJ is the team’s Managing Member of Basketball Operations, and, I can tell you from experience that North Carolina is the college basketball capital of the world). In fact, if SLAM’s top-ranked college team hadn’t lost Brandan Wright to the NBA, I’d say the Heels could’ve given the Bobcats a tough game this season. I guess I need to stop giving my two cents to Sam on running the website… […]
Oct.20 at 12:08 pm
jonathan Ashworth says:
were is WVU 4 of the starting 5 return, and Huggins runin the show!! its going too be a fast runin gun kinda year!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Nov.8 at 6:07 pm
Bigeasy says:
i am sick and tired of the usc football because they are overrated every year back in the day that have it but now it all about lsu
Nov.12 at 5:47 pm
G says:
hey wheres Duke in all of this.
Apr.2 at 10:47 am
Adam Fleischer says:
Nice call.
Apr.3 at 1:21 pm
SLAM ONLINE | » Final Four Preview says:
[…] Rarely do we find ourselves with a Final Four comprised completely of teams who have been thinking “national championship or disappointment” since last season came to a close. That’s what we’ve been blessed with for this Saturday. This year’s tournament has had its share of not so exciting games, so we deserve this. Each of these four teams has been considered among the country’s upper echelon (if not the top four) since this year’s Day 1 and we’ll take credit for some of that here at SLAM. Say what you want about the current impurity of college basketball because of the NBA age limit, but all of these number one seeds have key veterans (Hansbrough, Collison, Douglas-Roberts, and Rush, for instance) in addition to their younger talent. With the state of college ball as it is, it’s rare that we see a group of core guys grow together over multiple years, and it’s no coincidence that these squads, each of who can claim rights to such a feat, ended up in San Antonio. […]