ESPN's Way Too Early Basketball Top 25

“The Sooners will be an NCAA team and hang around the top 25 all season, but if they are No. 5 at the end of the year, Capel will be getting another hefty raise.”

God bless Fraschilla.

Texas- Top 10-15 team in my mind to start the season, top 5 is a little high

Texas A&M – Meh, they’ll be about as good as they were last year, dont believe the hype about the recruits they are pullin in

Oklahoma – I honestly see them as a top 18-25 to start the season and then falling out of the top 25 maybe towards the end of the year. if they stay in the top 25, IMO itll only be because of the name they made for themselves this year.. they wont contend for the big 12 title.. itll be texas v. kansas fo sho

Kansas – Next years UNC… #1 with a bullet

I think we’ll be a top 5 team, but not at the beginning of the year. Much like Memphis two years ago, it took them a little while to find their rhythm, but once they (and most importantly Rose) did, they were a force.

Similarly, Jordan Hamilton hasn’t played in a league for over a year. AB will have to adjust some, and biggest of all, all of this talent has to gel. By tourney time, if this team gels and the recruits make the step to the college level well, we can win it all.

I also prefer starting off ranked a little lower, it typically means less pressure. Much like the Augustin team two years ago that was preseason 15 or so, and then shocked the nation with wins over Tennessee and UCLA.

This team will have a lot of talent, if Pittman continues to develope, and the new guys come in and gel with the group we could go a long way.

We are also going to be deeper with high level talent than we have been in a while I think.

I’m definitely looking to see how much more weight Pittman is going to drop and how he improves.

I don’t think a 3 spot is justified for next season. It’s just too high up and sets up the team too high when it did not do as well as it could/should have (on paper at least). They were ranked 7th to start off the year, but then had to fight a little to make sure we could compete in the NCAA tourney. Hopefully next season we can improve to where this great team should be.

Another top 25, this time from the highly regarded (by me, anyway) Luke Winn at SI.

Kansas at 1. Texas at 6. A&M at 24. Mizzou at 25.

His Texas write-up:

The ‘Horns weren’t in my original top 10; then I got another look at Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton last month and remembered how good they are. Top-20 recruits get hyped to death, but they aren’t all ready to contribute as freshmen (case in point: Ohio State’s B.J. Mullens was Rivals.com’s No. 1 last year, Tennessee’s Scotty Hopson was No. 5 and Wake Forest’s Ty Walker was No. 17). But I think Bradley, especially, can step into A.J. Abrams’ two-guard spot and score, albeit without the same shooting range; and Hamilton is a bullish small forward who can create his own shot. The ‘Horns’ perimeter offense was one-dimensional last season — Abrams was literally the only guard who could hit a three — whereas an eventual rotation of transfer Jai Lucas, Bradley, Justin Mason and Hamilton will be far more balanced.

Cats get 5* commit Eric Bledsoe.

This locks down the PG piece to the Calipari puzzle. IF Calipari can get John Wall to commit, Kentucky’s class may go down as the greatest of all time. As it stands, it’s assuredly top 5 and still competing for #1.

Moreover, if Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson come back, you’re looking at a legit championship contender. Good times in the Commonwealth…