Top 25 polls

[PhDhawk]

Ranking every college basketball team from 1-353

1. Virginia Cavaliers

...



4. Kansas Jayhawks

Bill Self has a lot riding on varying degrees of new guys: Kansas lost three starters and was voted a preseason No. 1 anyway. Apparently, there's a consensus that some combination of transfers such as Dedric Lawson (Memphis) and Charlie Moore (California), erstwhile reserves such as Marcus Garrett and Silvio De Sousa (if the latter is eligible) and freshmen such as Quentin Grimes and Devon Dotson will step in right away and be great for a blue-chip program contending for a national title. That does indeed happen on occasion.

But is it really such a foregone conclusion? The safe bets are that returning starters Udoka Azubuike and Lagerald Vick will be excellent, and, further, that KU's defense will be much improved. It might come down to whether all of the above talent can really follow so easily in the footsteps of last season's outstanding offense and, not least, its outstanding shooting. (Again, Azubuike will be a big help on that last part.) If that answer turns out to be yes, the AP pollsters are correct and this is your national title favorite.

[jfish26]

Virginia is Bill before his small-ball, fast-paced, embrace-the-three revelation. They might well be the "best" team over the course of a season, but their shit is highly vulnerable to bad March results.

[Cascadia]

Gasaway is an idiot

[pdub]

Virginia lost to a 16 seed.

[PhDhawk]

SI's Preseason Expert Predictions: Final Four, National Champ, Breakthrough Team and More



National Champion

Max Meyer: Kansas has a NPOY contender (Dedric Lawson) and a potential one-and-done star that could end up as a top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA draft (Quentin Grimes). The Jayhawks’ bench unit alone could probably make the NCAA tournament. Key contributors from last year’s Final Four squad Udoka Azubuike and Lagerald Vick are back. This team is absolutely loaded with very few holes, so I’ll roll with Bill Self’s squad to cut down the nets.

National Player of the Year

Woo: Dedric Lawson, Kansas
Geary: Dedric Lawson, Kansas

A Bold Prediction

Greene: Kansas’s streak of at least sharing the Big 12 title ends. It has to happen sometime. And while this season doesn’t seem set up for it to happen—the Jayhawks are SI's preseason No. 1, and none of their conference colleagues are ranked in the top 10—well, that’s what makes it bold. With the program’s continued implication in the FBI probe via testimony linking it to alleged payments to recruits and the fact that Kansas State has a strong senior led-lineup, there might be enough out of sorts in Lawrence for the Wildcats or West Virginia’s daunting frontcourt or even Jamie Dixon’s ascendant TCU to make a run at the crown.

[PhDhawk]

Ranking Every Team in College Basketball, From Kansas (No. 1) to Delaware State (No. 353)

1. Kansas (1st in Big 12): Junior transfer Dedric Lawson, a 6' 9" forward who scored 19.2 points per game for Memphis in 2016–17, will team with 7-foot junior Udoka Azubuike (13.0 ppg) to give the Jayhawks the inside scoring they lacked on last year’s Final Four team.

[pdub]

I'm gonna make a bold prediction and say Dan Greene's bold prediction will be wrong.

[PhDhawk]

The 4 college basketball teams we think can be No. 1 seeds in March - and why

Kansas

The obvious choice. Kansas has won 14 Big 12 regular season titles in a row. If it wins its 15th straight, and there’s no reason to believe otherwise, the Jayhawks should snag a No. 1 seed.

Kansas has no obvious holes. Its defense should be tremendous. The Jayhawks have experienced, athletic, heady defenders and a coach in Bill Self who knows how to coach up his guys on that end. If they don’t lead the country in defensive rating, they’ll be close.

There may be some kinks to work out on offense, but Kansas has more than enough talent to thrive on that end. Dedric Lawson is a legitimate No. 1 option. Udoka Azubuike almost shot 80 percent from the floor last season. Lagerald Vick and K.J. Lawson are good complementary players who can hit 3s and attack a scrambled defense.

The point guard position is a potential question mark, but it shouldn’t be too much cause for concern. Transfer Charlie Moore only shot 39 percent from the floor in his lone season at California, but he’s talented and can create shots. If he falters, Quentin Grimes could take on more playmaking responsibilities. Neither is proven as a starter on a championship-caliber team, but it's likely at least one of them will be able to do what’s asked.

Kansas has had its NCAA tournament flameouts over the years, but it’s extremely reliable in the regular season. Look for the Jayhawks to earn yet another 1-seed.

[PhDhawk]

The 4 college basketball teams we think can be No. 1 seeds in March - and why

Kansas

The obvious choice. Kansas has won 14 Big 12 regular season titles in a row. If it wins its 15th straight, and there’s no reason to believe otherwise, the Jayhawks should snag a No. 1 seed.

Kansas has no obvious holes. Its defense should be tremendous. The Jayhawks have experienced, athletic, heady defenders and a coach in Bill Self who knows how to coach up his guys on that end. If they don’t lead the country in defensive rating, they’ll be close.

There may be some kinks to work out on offense, but Kansas has more than enough talent to thrive on that end. Dedric Lawson is a legitimate No. 1 option. Udoka Azubuike almost shot 80 percent from the floor last season. Lagerald Vick and K.J. Lawson are good complementary players who can hit 3s and attack a scrambled defense.

The point guard position is a potential question mark, but it shouldn’t be too much cause for concern. Transfer Charlie Moore only shot 39 percent from the floor in his lone season at California, but he’s talented and can create shots. If he falters, Quentin Grimes could take on more playmaking responsibilities. Neither is proven as a starter on a championship-caliber team, but it's likely at least one of them will be able to do what’s asked.

Kansas has had its NCAA tournament flameouts over the years, but it’s extremely reliable in the regular season. Look for the Jayhawks to earn yet another 1-seed.

Last sentence is trash...you could say that about any elite team. And really hasn't been the case recently...at least not how I'd define a flameout.

And I guess he forgot about Dotson.

[pdub]

Over the years is what - last ten years?
It's kinda fair.
Flameout 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015...maybe considering circumstances ( being up by double digits and then falling apart ) in 2013, then 2013.

That said, certainly no 'flameouts' in 16, 17, 18.

[PhDhawk]

Over the years is what - last ten years?
It's kinda fair.
Flameout 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015...maybe considering circumstances ( being up by double digits and then falling apart ) in 2013, then 2013.

That said, certainly no 'flameouts' in 16, 17, 18.

Does it need to be said? You could say it about every single good team. (I don't count '15...and '11 was in the elite 8.)

UNC, UVA, and UK have all had opening weekend losses more recently.

[Deleted User 89]

and...

robert morris

[PhDhawk]

Hell, UK lost to a 9 seed last year.

He talks about UVA's post season struggles, but if ever there was a flameout it was a 1 loosing to a 16.

Good Ole Roi lost in the second round as a 2 seed last year.

I'd say 3 of the 4 teams on his list flamed out LAST year, and we get the mention for flaming out?

[Deleted User 75]

Our streak will definitely not end this year.

Although I do agree that us being the top team is far from a foregone conclusion... I feel a lot better about certain things just after what we saw against Emporia St. Dotson will be fine, still a freshman obviously, but capable of being a starter in the role we will have him play....and grimes looks like he will be a good rebounder and defender from day 1.

Shooting is a concern. Scoring could be a challenge at times.

[Deleted User 75]

I had already forgotten Virginia lost to a 16 seed.

[PhDhawk]

Shooting is a concern.

I agree

Scoring could be a challenge at times.

I disagree

[Deleted User 75]

Outside of Dedric I'm a little nervous.

[pdub]

I had already forgotten Virginia lost to a 16 seed.

PhD and feral could probably explain why you have such a poor memory.

[Deleted User 75]

I had already forgotten Virginia lost to a 16 seed.

PhD and feral could probably explain why you have such a poor memory.

In memes?


...My memory isn't that bad, it's just Virginia feels pretty irrelevant on the national level...if that would have been Duke UNC UK or KU it would be a bigger deal imo.

[pdub]

It was the first 1 seed to loose to a 16.
And it just happened last year.