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Last season was an excellent NCAA tourney, and despite the departure of first year superstars Greg Oden and Kevin Durant to the NBA, this upcoming season promises to still be one heck of a year for college basketball. Will traditional powerhouses step back up? Can Texas A&M, Texas, and Ohio State bounce back from their losses? Is the Big Ten back, or once again a pretender? Here is my pre-season top ten, along with three sleepers to watch out for once the season begins.

#1: Memphis:

Memphis played extremely well last year, beating very tough Nevada and Texas A&M teams before falling to Ohio State in the elite eight. This is a very well coached team with incredible support from the city. John Calipari is one of the best coaches in college basketball, and has built a power at Memphis. They were 33-4 last year without a single conference loss, and with all five starters returning, it’s easy to see why I have them ranked #1.

#2: North Carolina:

North Carolina is always one of the best teams in the nation, and their basketball tradition is hard to compete with. They were a very good, very solid team last year that did well in the tourney, losing in the elite eight to a very good Georgetown team. They have great returning experience out of the top teams, and their depth is excellent. With several good pro prospects who work together as a team, this team is poised to make a serious run again at the national title.

#3: Kansas:

This Kansas team is one to watch out for. They went 33-5 last season and return a remarkable 4 starters. Brandon Rush needs to get healthy, as his injury hurt them down the stretch, but this is a strong Big 12 team that knows how to play defense and hit the three. They lost to UCLA in the elite eight last year, but made one heck of a game of it. They’ll be hungry this season, and like any team in the top five here, they’re all capable of making it all the way to the title game.

#4: UCLA:

UCLA has back to back final four appearances, and they only lost to eventual national champion Florida, who sent their entire starting line up into the NBA. It’s kind of hard to hang your head after that. UCLA plays in an extremely good Pac-10 conference and yet proved they are the best of that competitive group. The players gel well with the coaches, and I just can’t see who’ll knock these guys off, so give them an early prediction into the final four once again.

#5: Michigan State:

I told myself I wouldn’t do it, that I wouldn’t put support behind a Big Ten team, which proved itself incredibly mediocre in the tourney last year to the point where even Bill Simmons on ESPN was making fun of them before continuing his man crush on Tom Brady. But this team was one of the best in the Big Ten, and they return ALL five starters, as well as several strong recruits. As much as I’m wary about mentioning any Big Ten team, I just can’t ignore that.

#6: Louisville:

A strong Big East team who made a strong statement last season. They were 24-10 and gave Texas A&M a very serious run for their money in the tourney, eventually losing to the three seed by only three points. This team has one of the best front courts in the country, and can match up with almost anyone. This is a very strong defensive team, and that aggressiveness will pay off big time for the Cardinals this season.

#7: Duke:

One of the most impressive streaks in NCAA basketball ended last season when after ten years of great tourney success, Duke was bumped in the first round. Mike Krzyzewski is still an excellent coach, and he’s not going to let this program fall into mediocrity. The one big mark against this team is they don’t have a lot of big men, so expect to see a fast paced high shooting team that takes advantage of Duke’s abundance of outside shooters to score early and often. This team has a history of success, and I’d be stunned if they didn’t at least make the sweet sixteen this season.

#8: Tennessee:

Chris Lofton is returning, and that’s the key to this team. Many coaches believe this player is the best pure shooter in college basketball. This team has two quality guards, and with transfer Tyler Smith from Iowa, these guys could be the best in the SEC. With a year more experience, this team should mesh right away and be able to make a strong statement early in the season and ride that momentum into the tourney.

#9: Georgetown:

This is an extremely well coached team that is always disciplined on both offense and defense. Especially defensively, this team knows how to harass superstars (just ask Greg Oden) and how to keep a game tight and ugly to the very end. Not a lot of basketball teams are capable of consistently winning these games, but Georgetown is. Their December 22nd game against Memphis will test them to see how good they really are, and how good they could be.

#10: Washington State:

It was a tough call between this team an Oregon, but Washington State gets the nod. The core of this team remains together after a very strong season that included a 26-8 record and #2 seed in the tourney. This is a well coached team that knows basketball is still a team sport. This attitude will allow them to beat teams that might edge them in talent.

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