HOOP SCOOP’S PRE-SEASON RANKING OF THE TOP 30 COLLEGE TEAMS FOR THE 2006-2007 SEASON

Rank

Team

Returning Starters

2005-2006 Record
League/Overall

Conference

Talent Rating

Comments

Florida

10-6/33-6

Southeastern

72.7

With five starters returning, including Joakim Noah, who is arguably the best player in college basketball today, the defending NCAA Champions have top be ranked #1 until somebody beats them.

North Carolina

12-4/23-8

Atlantic Coast

87.6

Best talent in college basketball & great coach should make this the team to beat by tournament time. Remember, four starters return, but, with three top five-ranked freshmen on the roster, a lot of positions will be up for grabs.

Kansas

13-3/25-8

Big-12

78.1

Five starters return from a team that lost only two games during the last two months of last season, plus the Jayhawks have three freshmen in Darrell Arthur, Sherron Collins, and Brady Morningstar who should impact right away.

Arizona

11-7/20-13

Pacific-10

71.1

Nobody has three better perimeter players than Arizona with Jawaan McClellan, Marcus Williams, & Chase Budinger, but, for Lute Olson to make his 6th NCAA Final Four appearance, he'll need to get more out of the inside players.

LSU

14-2/27-9

Southeastern

62.2

Glen Davis once again should be one of the top two or three players in college basketball this year, but the return of Tac Minor and the addition of transfers Dameon Mason & Terry Mason help off-set the loss of 6'9 Tyrus Thomas.

Kentucky

9-7/22-13

Southeastern

71.8

Losing Rajon Rondo should help Kentucky's chemistry dramatically. Remember, this is a team that won 22 games a year ago, has all the rest of its key players back, and adds three good recruits.

Ohio State

12-4/26-6

Big-10

69.6

The Buckeyes will be one of the youngest teams in college basketball this season, but 7'0 Greg Oden, 6'1 Michael Conley, & 6'5 Daequan Cook have already won a lot games together on the circuit in recent years....

Pittsburgh

10-6/25-8

Big East

64.7

Carl Krauser is gone, but Jamie Dixon still all of the other pieces necessary to make this his best team yet. And that's saying a lot when one remembers that Dixon has averaged 25.3 wins per season in his first three years on the job.

Marquette

10-6/20-11

Big East

72.8

Tom Crean's team won 20 games a year ago with three freshman guards in the line-up, but he must get more out of his inside players, if the Warriors are going to be one the surprise teams in college basketball this year.

10.

Alabama

10-6/18-13

Southeastern

50.0

Everybody who counts is back, including the best point guard in the league in 6'3 Jr Ronald Steele. Plus, this year's team should have more depth than it did a year ago, as Mark Gottfried welcomes a plethora of new young players.

11.

Duke

14-2//32-4

Atlantic Coast

84.0

The Blue Devils will be young, but Coach K is certainly capable of putting together the pieces quickly, as he goes to war with the second best talent in college basketball and four freshmen who should make an immediate impact.

12.

Connecticut

14-2/30-4

Big East

71.0

The Huskies are another extremely young team that could be dangerous if A.J. Price fills the bill at point guard and all of the good young players in the program live up to their press clippings.

13.

Georgetown

10-6/23-10

Big East

54.1

The Hoyas should have even more depth than they did a year ago, but it's the future that really has Hoyas' fans excited. Remember, they landed the two best recruits in the DC area this fall and there appears to be no end in sight.

14.

Texas A&M

10-6/22-9

Big-12

57.5

The Aggies return four starters, including Joseph Jones & Acie Law, from a team that won 22 games a year ago, but this team has a lot more depth and experience, which makes this potentially Billy Gillispie's best team yet.

15.

Wisconsin

9-7/19-12

Big-10

67.5

The Badgers should be good inside with Brian Butch & Jason Chappell, and terrific on the perimeter with Kammron Taylor & Alando Tucker. But the big key will be whether 6'2 Frosh Trevon Hughes can step in a run the show.

16.

Washington

13-5/26-7

Pacific-10

54.2

The Huskies are young, but Spencer Hawes and Jon Brockman provide a great one-two punch inside, nobody is more athletic than Quincy Pondexter, Ryan Appleby can shoot the lights out, & Justin Dentmon is good at the point.

17.

Gonzaga

14-0/29-4

West Coast

53.3

Adam Morrison & J.P. Batista are gone, but the well is not dry with players like Derek Raivio, Sean Mallon, Josh Heytevelt, Pierre Altidor-Cepedes, David Pendergraft, Micah Downs, Jeremy Pargo, & Matt Bouldin still in the program.

18.

Syracuse

7-9/23-12

Big East

67.6

Four starters return & Paul Harris is a potential super, but the big key will be what happens at point guard. They could be great if Josh Wright steps up and fills the bill, but go South quickly if Eric Devendorf ends up running the show.

19.

Louisville

6-10/21-13

Big East

82.8

Believe it or not, the Cardinals have the third highest talent rating among teams in college basketball. But for the Cardinals to live up to expectations Derrick Caracter has to step in immediately and be a star.

20.

Memphis

13-1/33-4

Conference USA

65.0

John Calipari lost his top three scorers, but he's got a stockpile of good young talent that includes Chris Douglas-Roberts, Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier, Willie Kemp, Pierre Niles, Doneal Mack, Tre'von Willis, Hashim Bailey.

21.

Creighton

12-6/20-10

Missouri Valley

42.6

With the return of 6'3 Nate Funk, who red-shirted last season; Anthony Tolliver inside, and the addition of Ty Morrison, who was one of the top junior college players in the nation; this should be Dana Altman's best team yet.

22.

Massachusetts

8-8/13-15

Atlantic-10

58.1

Four starters return, but the Minutemen's four best players may be Tiki Mayben, Gary Forbes, Etienne Brower, & Luke Bonner, all of whom sat out last year after transferring or in the case of Mayben for academics reasons.

23.

Nevada

13-3/27-6

Western Atlantic

41.1

All five starters are back from a battle tested team that won 27 games last year, plus the Wolf Pack added some valuable depth with newcomers like Tyrone Hanson, Matt LeGrone, JaVale McGee, & Brandon Fields,

24.

Florida State

9-7/20-10

Atlantic Coast

65.0

The Seminoles have a plethora of good guards & Al Thornton should be super at one forward spot, but the inside game is still a question mark as Leonard Hamilton must find a replacement for Alexander Johnson at the center spot.

25.

Xavier

8-8/21-11

Atlantic-10

43.2

The Muskeeters should be dramatically improved thanks to additional depth and 5'7 Andrew Lavender, who sat out last year after transferring from Oklahoma, ready to step in and run the show.

26.

UCLA

14-4/32-7

Pacific-10

56.6

The Bruins will be one of the teams to beat in college basketball a year from now, but, with no seniors, only two juniors, and no great point guard in the program, there are a lot of question marks for Ben Howland to overcome.

27.

San Diego State

13-3/24-9

Mountain West

47.7

The Aztecs won the league a year ago, but we think they will be even better this time around with a line-up that includes Brandon Heath, Mohamed Abukar, Jerome Habel, Kyle Spain, and Richie Williams.

28.

Texas Tech

6-10/15-17

Big-12

54.3

The Red Raiders only 15 games a year ago, but five junior college transfers, including 6'1 Charlie Burgess, who was one of the top junior college players in the nation a year ago, should help turn things around in a hurry.

29.

George Mason

15-3/27-8

Colonial

43.8

Only two starters return from the NCAA Final Four Team, but John Vaughn, who is back after being sidelined with a torn ACL, and recruits Darryl Monroe & Andre Smith were highly touted junior college players, should fill the void.

30.

New Mexico State

10-6/16-14

Western Athletic

58.5

Reggie Theus proved he can coach when he won 16 games a year ago, but it's all the transfers (Justin Hawkins, Martin Iti, Fred Peete, & Steward Trei) and recruits (Hatila Passos and Jonathan Gibson) that makes this a dangerous team.