|
|
HOOP SCOOP’S PRE-SEASON RANKING OF THE TOP 30 COLLEGE TEAMS FOR THE 2007-2008 SEASON
Published November 11, 2007
by Clark Francis, Editor & Publisher of the HOOP SCOOP
| Rank | Team | Returning Starters | 2006-2007 Record League/Overall |
Conference | Talent Rating | Comments |
| 1. | Memphis | 5 | 16-0/33-4 | Conference USA | 74.6 | Five returning starters, plus Derrick Rose make this the team to beat in college basketball! |
| 2. | North Carolina | 3 | 11-5/31-7 | Atlantic Coast | 85.0 | With Hansbrough & the plethora of great guards and wings, it's tough not to pick the Tar Heels #1. |
| 3. | UCLA | 4 | 15-3/30-6 | Pacific-10 | 63.7 | Four starters are back, but Kevin Love is the guy who will get Ben Howland back to the Final Four again. |
| 4. | Kansas | 4 | 14-2/33-5 | Big-12 | 81.9 | The Jayhawks are still two deep at every position, but the big key here is Brandon Rush being close to 100%. |
| 5. | Michigan State | 5 | 8-8/23-12 | Big-10 | 72.2 | Drew Neitzel provides the leadership & clutch play and a talent trio of freshmen provide added depth on the perimeter. |
| 6. | Louisville | 4 | 12-4/24-10 | Big East | 82.1 | Sosa, Smith, Caracter, & Clark averaged 33.4 ppg as freshmen a year ago and Padgett & Williams are also back. |
| 7. | Georgetown | 4 | 13-3/30-7 | Big East | 62.6 | Roy Hibbert is back in the middle, but it's the addition of Freeman & Wright that gets us excited. |
| 8. | Duke | 4 | 8-8/22-11 | Atlantic Coast | 87.4 | Best overall talent, more athleticism in the backcourt, & better perimeter shooting make the Blue Devils a contender. |
| 9. | Tennessee | 4 | 10-6/24-11 | Southeastern | 61.7 | Chris Lofton & Tyler Smith promise to be an absolutely lethal combination. |
| 10. | Indiana | 3 | 10-6/21-11 | Big-10 | 73.2 | Great freshmen class headed by Eric Gordon should provide the perfect complement to D.J. White's inside play. |
| 11. | Marquette | 5 | 10-6/24-10 | Big East | 66.7 | Another year of experience for James, McNeal, and Matthews should be all the Golden Eagles need. |
| 12. | Arkansas | 5 | 7-9/21-14 | Southeastern | 68.5 | The good news is that just about everybody is back. The bad news is that most of them will graduate after this season. |
| 13. | Oregon | 4 | 11-7/29-8 | Pacific-10 | 64.6 | The Ducks have all the ingredients necessary to be just as good as they were a year ago. |
| 14. | Gonzaga | 3 | 11-3/23-11 | West Coast | 61.3 | This could be the Zags year if Austin Daye turns out to be as good as we think he is. |
| 15. | Washington State | 4 | 13-5/26-8 | Pacific-10 | 35.4 | Nobody did more with less than Tony Bennett last season. And the smart money says he'll do it again. |
| 16. | USC | 2 | 11-7/25-12 | Pacific-10 | 67.2 | Tim Floyd is good at putting the pieces together in a hurry and he has plenty to work with Mayo, Jefferson, et al. |
| 17. | Texas A&M | 3 | 13-3/27-7 | Big-12 | 49.8 | The cupboard was full when Mark Turgeon & the new regime arrived last spring. |
| 18. | Arizona | 2 | 11-7/20-11 | Pacific-10 | 70.4 | Inside play is still a question, but the defense should be dramatically improved now that Kevin O'Neill is back. |
| 19. | Pittsburgh | 2 | 12-4/28-9 | Big East | 69.1 | A great mix of both youth and experience should more than offset the loss of Aaron Gray. |
| 20. | Connecticut | 5 | 6-10/17-14 | Big East | 77.5 | All of those freshman are now sophomores and a top five ranking in talent makes this a dangerous team. |
| 21. | Kentucky | 3 | 9-7/22-12 | Southeastern | 68.7 | We don't rank teams based on who they lost to in early November, especially when there is a new coach & system. |
| 22. | Texas | 4 | 12-4/25-10 | Big-12 | 59.9 | Now that Kevin Durant is gone, it will be time for all the other great sophomores in the program to step up. |
| 23. | N.C. State | 4 | 5-11/20-16 | Atlantic Coast | 63.8 | The key here is depth & it may be difficult to keep people like 6'9 Frosh J.J. Hickson out of the line-up for very long. |
| 24. | Stanford | 5 | 10-8/18-13 | Pacific-10 | 50.0 | The Cardinal has a well balanced attack, but they still will only go as far as the Lopez twins can carry them. |
| 25. | Syracuse | 2 | 10-6/24-11 | Big East | 74.5 | No expectations & a great freshman class. But, then again, this is when Jim Boeheim is at his best. |
| 26. | Kansas State | 2 | 10-6/23-12 | Big-12 | 57.5 | Michael Beasley & Billy Walker will provide one of the best one-two punches in the nation for day one. |
| 27. | UAB | 3 | 7-9/15-16 | Conference USA | 53.2 | Three starters return, but it's the transfers & recruits that should get Mike Davis & UAB fans excited. |
| 28. | Providence | 4 | 8-8/18-13 | Big East | 53.3 | The Friars are sleeper team & the big key here is the return of Randall Hanke, who averaged 13.0 ppg in 2005-06. |
| 29. | Clemson | 4 | 7-9/25-11 | Atlantic Coast | 43.4 | What Oliver Purnell lacks in big name players, he more than make up for with experience, chemistry, & coaching. |
| 30. | Xavier | 2 | 13-3/25-9 | Atlantic-10 | 54.0 | The addition of C.J. Anderson should be enough to offset the loss inside of Doellman, Cage, and Cole. |