With conference seasons finally under way, here's my college basketball top 10. It might not look the the lists on ESPN, but they don't pay me, so I don't care.
I think there's clearly three teams who have separated themselves.
1) Duke: This one is easy. The Blue Devils haven't lost in forever, and this spot is there's until they do. Kyrie Irving's injured toe will hurt in the long run, but it hasn't affected them much yet.
2) Ohio St.: The Buckeyes shoot over 50% from the field and can score with the best of them. And if you thought former Buckeye star Greg Oden was good, get this: Jared Sullinger is better.
3) Kansas: The Jayhawks have as much talent as anyone in the country, and are basically interchangeable with Ohio St at 2 and 3. KU shoots even better than OSU, and kenpom has them 1st in the nation in adjusted defense. (If you follow college basketball and don't read kenpom, you should. The guy is scary smart.)
After the top three teams, I see a giant cluster of 2nd tier teams who haven't separated themselves in my book.
4) Pittsburgh: I love the way the Panthers move the ball. They're 1st in country in assists, and their only loss was to a ranked Tennessee squad.
5) Syracuse: The Orange haven't really beaten anybody yet (Can Michigan St. be considered “anybody” this year? I say no) but they're still undefeated. Balance has been the key, with three guys averaging double figures.
6) Purdue: JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore are legit, getting 19 and 18 ppg, respectively. The Boilermakers will be in a fight with Ohio St. and Wisconsin for the Big 10 title all year.
7) Washington: 3 losses notwithstanding, I like the Huskies' offense here. They shoot 49%, they're top 10 in assists, and they're getting 88 points a game. Not to mention the 103 they just dropped on conference foe Oregon St.
8) Texas: If Rick Barnes doesn't screw things up, Texas has the potential to advance far in March. The talent is there, with Jordan Hamilton emerging as a Big 12 POY candidate while freshman Tristan Thompson is getting 12 ppg.
9) Uconn: I know. Uconn just beat Texas and the Huskies have one less loss, but I'd be worried if I were a Uconn fan. Kemba Walker is all they have, and anything resembling a cold streak from Walker will kill the Huskies this season.
10) Villanova: The Wildcats don't do anything that great, but they've done nothing but win since that November loss to Tennessee. Sunday's win over #25 Cincinnati improved the Bearcats to 3-0 in that rugged Big East.
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