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1. Michigan State:\u00a0 <\/strong>Experience counts for a lot, and the Spartans will have a team full of guys that have been to two Final Fours already.\u00a0 Coaching and talent also count for a lot, and Tom Izzo will be pushing these guys all season to get back to the Final Four, and cut down the nets this time.\u00a0 Kalin Lucas will be back for his senior year, and he’ll be joined by the likes of Durrell Summers, Draymond Green, Chris Allen, Korie Lucious, Delvon Roe, and Derrick Nix.\u00a0 As if that’s not enough talent, they’ll also be joined by a solid recruiting class headed by PF Adreian Payne and SG Keith Appling.<\/p>\n2. Duke:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Dukies will have a solid shot to defend their title, with Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith leading the way.\u00a0 The Plumlee brothers should be really good down low, and Jon Scheyer’s point guard spot will be manned by incoming blue-chipper Kyrie Irving.\u00a0 Another nice recruit, PF Joshua Hairston, will add some depth to the frontcourt.<\/p>\n 3. Butler:\u00a0 <\/strong>No, they’re no George Mason.\u00a0 Maybe in a few years we’ll be calling Gonzaga the poor man’s Butler.\u00a0 The Bulldogs bring back Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, Ronald Nored, and Matt Howard (which is nice if he can learn how to play without fouling every 25 seconds).\u00a0 That foursome, as we all well know, is good enough to win a title.<\/p>\n 4. Purdue:\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes, it’s looking like the Midwest will be pretty loaded again next year.\u00a0 Purdue will have their Big Three (Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson, and E’Twaun Moore) back for their senior seasons.\u00a0 Johnson could potentially go pro, but probably not.\u00a0 They’ll need to replace their glue-guy, Chris Kramer, but they will be contenders if they can avoid injuries this time around.<\/p>\n 5. Georgetown:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Hoyas embarrassed themselves with a first-round loss to Ohio, but a lot of people expected them to go far in this tournament, and they’ll bring their whole team back next season, led by Greg Monroe, Austin Freeman, and 6.\u00a0Ohio State:\u00a0 <\/strong>It’s hard to know how much the loss of Evan Turner will affect this team, but there is still plenty to like.\u00a0 David Lighty, William Buford, and Jon Diebler will all be back for their senior seasons.\u00a0 Also, Thad Matta continues to bring in elite players, as their great recruiting class is led by PF Jared Sullinger (who some consider the top recruit in the country) and swingman Deshaun Thomas.\u00a0 The one question mark will be who handles the point guard duties.<\/p>\n 7. West Virginia:\u00a0 <\/strong>Like the Buckeyes, WVU will have to replace a superstar in Da’Sean Butler.\u00a0 The key will be whether or not Devin Ebanks sticks around for another year.\u00a0 If so, he’ll be joined by Kevin Jones, John Flowers, Darryl Bryant, Joe Mazzulla, and Deniz Kilicli.\u00a0 They’re also still in the running for excellent SG Doron Lamb.<\/p>\n 8. Villanova:\u00a0 <\/strong>A third straigt team that will be replacing a superstar, with the Scottie Reynolds era ending at Nova.\u00a0 Still, Jay Wright returns a boatload of talent, with Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Antonio Pena, Maalik Wayns, Taylor King, and Dominic Cheek among the returnees.\u00a0 They are still in the running for star Canadian PG Corey Joseph.<\/p>\n 9. Temple:\u00a0 <\/strong>You can call me a homer, but this team\u00a0should be really good.\u00a0 The inside-outside combo of Lavoy Allen and Juan Fernandez will be incredible.\u00a0 They’ll be joined by Ramone Moore, Michael Eric,\u00a0and Rahlir Jefferson.\u00a0 The Owls\u00a0should be in the\u00a0Dance for a 4th straight year, and looking to get over the hump with some wins once they get there this time.<\/p>\n 10. Xavier:\u00a0 <\/strong>Assuming Jordan Crawford returns, the Musketeers will be right there to challenge Temple for the A-10 crown.\u00a0 Coming off yet another Sweet 16 run, Crawford will be joined by Terrell Holloway and Dante Jackson.<\/p>\n 11. Baylor: <\/strong>Tweety Carter is gone, but if LaceDarius Dunn comes back for his senior season, the Baylor Bears may be the team to beat in the Big XII next year.\u00a0 Dunn will be joined by a fleet of big men that may be the most imposing frontline in the country, featuring returnees\u00a0Ekpe Udoh, Quincy Acy, and Anthony Jones.\u00a0 As if those three aren’t enough, coach Scott Drew is showing he can keep the talent coming, as he beat out Rick Barnes for the best player in Texas, 6-11 PF Perry Jones.<\/p>\n 13. New Mexico:\u00a0 <\/strong>Staying in the MWC, we have a team that earned a 3-seed in the tourney this year and will\u00a0only lose one player.\u00a0 They’ll be led by Darington Hobson, Dairese Gary, and Phillip McDonald.\u00a0<\/p>\n 14. Kansas State:\u00a0 <\/strong>Denis Clemente is a big loss, but Jacob Pullen will be one of the best guards in the country, and he’ll be joined by Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels.\u00a0 They’ll need to find a way to replace Clemente’s scoring, but Frank Martin has emerged as a really good coach, and you know these guys will get after it defensively and find a way to win a lot of games.<\/p>\n 15.\u00a0 Kansas:\u00a0 <\/strong>Trailing just behind their in-state rivals comes the Jayhawks.\u00a0 Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich are gone, but remaining are Xavier\u00a0Henry, the Morris brothers, Tyshawn Taylor, and Brady Morningstar.\u00a0\u00a0Also, one of the more interesting things to watch in the coming\u00a0months is the recruiting battle going on between\u00a0Kansas and Kentucky.\u00a0 PG’s Brandon Knight and Josh\u00a0Selby, as well as SF Terrence Ross are considering both schools.\u00a0 I have a feeling that Knight will go to Kentucky to be the next in line after Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, and John Wall, while Selby ends up manning the point in\u00a0Kansas.<\/p>\n 16.\u00a0 UNLV:\u00a0 <\/strong>That’s right, three Mountain West teams in the\u00a0Top 16.\u00a0 \u00a0The Runnin’ Rebels won 25 games and picked up an 8-seed this year, and they’ll have all of their best players back, led by Tre’Von Willis, Chace Stanback, and Oscar Bellfield.<\/p>\n 17. Illinois: <\/strong>The Illini just missed out on a tourney bid this year, but they got better as the season went along, and they’ll bring all of their key players back, assuming Demetri McCamey stays.\u00a0 McCamey will be joined by fellow seniors-to-be Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale, and incoming swingman Jereme Richmond could provide an immediate boost.<\/p>\n 18. Memphis:\u00a0<\/strong>This team should return to their normal spot atop Conference USA and in the tournament field next season.\u00a0 Their top three scorers return, led by Elliot Williams, and young coach Josh Pastner has another nice recruiting class coming in, led by SG Will Barton and PG Joe Jackson.<\/p>\n 19. Syracuse: <\/strong>A lot of talent is gone with the departures of Wesley Johnson, Andy Rautins, and Arinze Onuaku.\u00a0 Still, they’ll have Brandon Triche, Scoop Jardine, Rick Jackson, and Kris Joseph back, and joining them will be two top recruits, C Fab Melo (amazing name) and Philly’s top player this year, SG Dion Waiters.<\/p>\n 20. North Carolina:\u00a0 <\/strong>This team is impossible to figure out right now, but I’ll stick them here.\u00a0 Deon Thompson, Marcus Ginyard, and (probably) Ed Davis depart from a team that went to the NIT.\u00a0 BUT, they did win the NIT, they are coached by Roy Williams, they do have a lot of talent returning, and they have three top recruits coming in.\u00a0 I’m not sure what went wrong this year, but Williams should at least find a way to get the Tar Heels back into the rankings next season.\u00a0 The question will be: how good are the likes of Larry Drew, John Henson, and Dexter Strickland?\u00a0 Tyler Zeller and the Wear brothers will see more time in the post.\u00a0 And the three recruits to watch are SF Harrison Barnes,\u00a0SG Reggie Bullock, and PG Kendall Marshall.<\/p>\n Other teams to watch out for:\u00a0 <\/strong>Richmond (Kevin Anderson returns), San Diego State (another MWC team), Florida (especially if they win the Brandon Knight sweepstakes), St. Louis, Wisconsin, Mississippi, UCLA, Tennessee, Kentucky (recruiting class still coming together for Calipari)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is one of my favorite columns to write every year, even though it’s incredibly hard to do.\u00a0 Here it is, my VERY early forecast of next year’s college hoops favorites. 1. Michigan State:\u00a0 Experience counts for a lot, and … Continue reading ![\"monroe\"](\"http:\/\/strotty.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/04\/greg-monroe.jpg\")
Chris Wright (assuming Monroe stays).\u00a0 They could be the team to beat in the Big East.<\/p>\n12. BYU:\u00a0 <\/strong>Let me tell you this: the Mountain West was vastly under-rated this season, and the league will be even better next year.\u00a0 BYU will return four starters, including the unstoppable Jimmer Fredette.\u00a0\u00a0I’ll have to be ready to put in some late nights next year to catch him in action.<\/p>\n