How accurate is my projection of Michigan State, Kansas, Duke and Kentucky being the four best squads coming into the 2013-14 season?
The wait to ascertain it isn’t going to be long.
Tuesday night in Chicago, during as terrific a non-NCAA Tournament double-header as we will have seen in a long while, Michigan State plays Kentucky and Kansas takes on Duke.
The double-dip should prove a delight for college hoops fans across the world, as well as the general managers and scouting directors of all 30 NBA franchises.
I wouldn’t be at all startled if the two games produce 15 first-round selections next June – that’s right, one-half of the players, if not more, may be chosen in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft.
Get the DVRs fired up, folks.
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Rank (Last Week)
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2012-13 Record
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Comment
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1. Michigan St.
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27-9
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Coach Tom Izzo has a wonderful blend of leadership, veteran depth, post and perimeter strength, and “go-to” players. |
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2. Kansas
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31-6
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It might not be the case right now, but this could prove to be the most gifted – and best, period – team Bill Self has coached by March. |
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3. Duke
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30-6
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In Rodney Hood, Jabari Parker and Rasheed Sulaimon, Mike Krzyzewski has as good a trio of scorers as there are anywhere other than an NBA roster. |
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4. Kentucky
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21-12
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If freshman point guard Andrew Harrison can provide leadership, steadiness and playmaking from his point guard position, then the Wildcats will be in the Final Four minus a major calamity. |
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5. North Carolina
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25-11
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As much as is possible with a program of this stature, a lot of observers are sleeping a bit on the Tar Heels and their oh-so-underrated point guard, Marcus Paige. |
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6. Ohio State
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29-8
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The Buckeyes returned a whole lot from a team that came very close to getting to play in Atlanta on the final weekend of last season. |
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7. Louisville
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35-5
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We might not think so until sometime in March but this could prove to be a deeper squad than the one that one the national title last season. |
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8. Florida
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29-8
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There are those who would suggest that the Gators, and not the team located in Lexington, will prove to be the best squad in the Southeastern Conference this season. |
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9. Oklahoma State
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24-9
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Marcus Smart is the best all-around college player in the country. Enough said on that topic. |
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10. Arizona
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27-8
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Duquesne transfer T.J. McConnell may be an even more important piece to the “Can Arizona get to the Final Four?” question as is freshman Aaron Gordon. |
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11. Michigan
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31-8
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Trey Burke may have departed but no even begin to surmise that the Wolverines are no longer capable of making another Final Four run. |
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12. Syracuse
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30-10
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Jim Boeheim’s teams are so consistently good as to almost be taken for granted. |
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13. Virginia
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23-12
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Here is just another reason as to why the Atlantic Coast Conference has never been deeper in potential Final Four clubs. |
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14. Memphis
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31-5
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With all the hype surrounding the freshman classes of Kansas and Kentucky the one that enrolled at Memphis is quite impressive, indeed. |
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15. Connecticut
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20-10
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Do the Huskies have the best group of guards in the country this season? My inclination is to suggest “yes”. |
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16. Wichita State
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30-9
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Cleanthony Early – just let the name roll off the tip of your tongue. Cool, eh? He’s a heck of a player, as well. And he’s surrounded by a lot of other very good players and the whole crew is overseen by a terrific coach. |
THE NEXT 16 (alphabetically): Baylor, Colorado, Creighton, Gonzaga, Harvard, Indiana, Iowa, Marquette, New Mexico, Notre Dame, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Stanford, UCLA, Virginia Commonwealth and Wisconsin.
Frank Burlison has been covering hoops for 30+ years for a variety of publications.
Follow Frank on twitter @FrankieBur. Also make sure to follow his website at www.burlisononbasketball.com. College coaching staffs interested in Burlison’s scouting service should contact him at [email protected].
