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Big East

Top team: Pittsburgh

It's hard to pick against a team that returns five starters and its star player, Brandin Knight, from a team that reached the Sweet 16 last year. The only thing that can stop Pittsburgh this year is overconfidence and injuries. It's much easier playing as an unknown then a favorite, but as along as Pittsburgh stays out of it own way, a return trip to the Sweet 16 is a virtual lock, and the Panthers have to be looked at as a legitimate national championship contender.

Top Challenger: Boston College

Troy Bell (21.6 ppg) is back, along with tough-minded guard Ryan Sydney (13.7 ppg, 4.2 apg) to lead the Eagles, who struggled through much of last season, yet fought their way to a second consecutive NCAA appearance. Their biggest weakness is youth on the interior, but with Bell and Sydney, they won't need more than some rebounding and defense form their big guys to make waves in the Big East.

Biggest mystery: Georgetown

Who knows what to expect from the Hoyas on a nightly basis? They feature big (okay, huge) man Michael Sweetney (19.0 ppg, 10 rpg), but have lost guard and team leader Kevin Braswell (14.0 ppg). There were times last year when the Hoyas looked unstoppable, but also times that it looked like the Braswell show on the court. Perhaps this is a case where addition by subtraction works, if it allows the Hoyas to pound the interior with their big men in a conference dominated by guards.

ACC

Top Team: Duke

I'm not going to say the ACC is down, but how many times does a team lose its three top players to the NBA, two of which were drafted in the top three picks, and can begin the next season as a favorite? Not many, but this year, the ACC does not look like the ACC of the past. Duke stays on top because of Chris Duhon, Dahntay Jones, and Mike Krzyzewski. Add in a great recruiting class, and it's hard to find another team with enough talent to challenge the Blue Devils this year. Talent does not win conference titles, though, and it will be up to Krzyzewski to blend the new with the old quickly this year if the Blue Devils are going to return to the top of the conference.

Top Challenger: Everyone else

This isn't meant as a slight to the rest of the teams of the ACC, but there are question marks galore at every program. I can't remember a conference in which every team seems to have lost it's best player from the previous year, but that seems to be the case in the ACC. Of course, I haven't seen a collection of freshmen talent like the ACC seem to have, and this could be a year where a freshman leads his team to a conference title, a rare feat in college basketball today.

Team on the hot seat: North Carolina

I understand the talent level wasn't where it was in previous years, but 8-20? Dean Smith was burned in effigy as a young coach, and while I don't condone the practice, I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen to Matt Doherty if the Tar Heels get off to a slow start. Like every other team in the ACC, the Tar Heels have a huge recruiting class that has to play now, and if Doherty can get them working together quickly, the Tar Heels have as good of chance as anyone to challenge Duke for the ACC title.

Big 12

Top Team: Texoklahomasas

I know, that's not a real team, but between Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, you can't go wrong. Like a team with a strong two-way guard and a big man combo? Pick Kansas and its duo of Kirk Heinrich (14.8 ppg, 5.0 apg) and Nick Collison (15.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg). Like a team with a terrific point guard and a balanced supporting class? Go with Texas and T.J. Ford (8.3 apg to lead the nation) and solid players at the four other spots. Like athleticism and toughness? Then go with Oklahoma. They return Hollis Price and Ebe Ara from a team that made it to the Final Four last year. If I had to pick one team right now it would be Kansas, but that will probably change four or five times during the year.

Best of the rest: Texas Tech

While I'm not a fan of Bobby Knight as a person, as a coach, he has few peers. He took over a struggling Red Raider program and gave it instant credibility and success. While I believe he will struggle with recruiting in upcoming years, he still has a veteran base of players that can produce an upset or two of the big three teams in the Big 12.

SEC

Top Team: Alabama

The Crimson Tide returns seven of its top eight players from last year's team, including SEC Player of the Year Erwin Dudley (15.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg) and point guard Mo Williams (10.4 ppg, 4.5 apg). If you saw Alabama play last year, you know two things: one, they play defense and two, they look like they are playing defense when they have the ball. The Crimson Tide looked downright miserable at times on offense last year (they scored less than 60 points in six of their eight losses.) If they can cut down the turnovers and keep up their intensity on defense, the Crimson Tide will be a team to watch for late into March.

Best of the rest: Florida

A week ago, it looked like Florida had the talent to play with anyone in the nation, but sophomore James White left the team, freshman Christian Drejer severely sprained his ankle, and top perimeter player Brett Nelson is also out with a stress fracture. Add these problems to a team that looked to struggle early as Billy Donovan mixed and matched another big-time recruiting class with Nelson and the versatile Matt Bonner (15.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 37% 3pt FG), and it makes you wonder if all of the pieces will fall into place. If health prevails, and Donovan can find minutes for all of his talent, another deep run into the NCAA tournament is highly possible.

Team on the hot seat: Kentucky

Remember last preseason when Kentucky was a fashionable pick for the Final Four? If you're a Kentucky fan, you might not since it seems like a decade since last year with the turmoil surrounding the Wildcat program. Keith Bogans couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat for most of the regular season, and he is the key to Kentucky's early season since point guard Cliff Hawkins is ineligible for the first semester and center Jason Parker was dismissed from the team. Add in another tough schedule, and Wildcat faithful may be asking for Tubby Smith's head earlier than usual.

Pac-10

Top Team: Arizona

Jason Gardner (20.4 ppg, 4.6 apg) was going to turn pro after his sophomore season, but changed his mind and now returns tow years to lead possibly the best team in the nation. He should be the poster child for why athletes should stay in school. Add in the unbelievably consistent Luke Walton (only four games with less than 5 rebounds, three games with less than 4 assists, seven games not in double-figures in scoring) and you have a team with two potential All-Americans. The Wildcats figure to get enthusiasm and athletics from the nine freshman and sophomores that fill out the roster. If the young players mature, pencil Arizona in for a Final Four return.

Best of the rest: Oregon

The Luke and Luke show (Ridnour and Jackson) returns, but the Ducks do not return leading scorer Fredrick Jones from last year's Elite Eight squad. The Ducks also lost 7-2 inch center Chris Christofferson, but they should still be the fun-and-gun team that they were last year. If returning starter Robert Johnson can bang inside and provide some interior defense, the Ducks should be able to outscore most of the teams they face.

Best California team: Anaheim Angels

Just kidding, but most pundits have the California teams bunched in the middle of the Pac-10 conference. UCLA returns the best California player in Jason Kapono, California returns its top three scorers from last year, Stanford returns the best coach not named Lute Olson in the conference, while USC returns the next All-Conference point guard (after Gardner graduates) in Erick Craven. UCLA is my early pick, but the other California team will make some noise throughout the year.

Big 10

Top Team: Michigan State

Top three reasons Michigan State will win the is year:

1) Tom Izzo
2) Tom Izzo
3) Tom Izzo

If I had to pick a preseason Coach of the Year, almost every year, I would select Tom Izzo. Since the Flintstones left, Michigan State has looked like a team that would fall in the middle of the pack in the Big 10 race, and while the Spartans did finish fifth last year, they finished fifth by playing three freshmen and a sophomore a majority of the time. The Spartans play defense as well as any team in the country and with those three freshmen returning with experience, this team should be a tough matchup come February and March. If only guard Marcus Taylor had stayed, I would be talking about a national title contender.

Best of the rest: Minnesota

There are a lot of question marks surrounding all of the teams in the Big 10 this year, but Minnesota gets the pick here because they have the fewest. They return Big 10 Freshman of the Year, Rick Rickert (14.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg), and will feature a starting five that contains three seniors. Add in possibly the best home court advantage in college basketball (if you get to see a game played at Minnesota on TV, don't adjust your brightness, it always look like the game is taking place in the dark), and it looks like the Gophers have a strong chance to challenge for the Big 10 title.

Final Four Picks

Arizona, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Kansas

I would love to pick a winner, but I would just make myself look silly in six months, so I'll let the season play out before I make a fool out of myself come tournament time.

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