Who's the 1? (Part 1)
Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2007 7:23 PM
Filed Under:
Rankings, Season previews
Everyone’s got an opinion when it comes to who’s No. 1 in men’s basketball. And it’s one of those season when it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a consensus.
But after a season where Florida rolled to its second-straight NCAA Tournament title, a little variety at the top will be refreshing.
Our preseason Top 25 is available here. Ken Davis has tabbed North Carolina (the 2005 champs in one of those season where most everyone picked the Heels to win before everything started), as the team to beat, followed by UCLA, Louisville and Memphis. Not bad.
(If you disagree, cast your vote here and check in here to see what our readers think of the Heels’ chances during the season.)
And, because it’s still two weeks before the polls come out, not everyone has tabbed their champion yet. FOX Sports’ Jeff Goodman rolled out No. 23 in their season preview on Saturday. CHN is doing the same thing, though UCLA was No. 1 in its preseason top 50 that was published in June.
But ESPN’s Jay Bilas also likes UNC, as does SI.com’s Luke Winn, who places the Heels atop their power rankings. CBS Sports.com’s Gary Parrish, however, likes Memphis.
Sporting News writer Mike DeCourcy thinks it’s UCLA, after back-to-back Final Fours, are ready to cut down the nets, mostly because of fab freshman Kevin Love.
Me? I’m still working my way through all the season preview material (including at Basketball Prospectus, which has two of my favorite tempo-free writers -- Ken Pomeroy and John Gasaway -- doing the previews) and will probably settle on a favorite later next week.
Kansas could be the 1, but that’s just the fan in me talking. For now.
