Early Season College Hoops Top 10 & All Americans
Since I’ve now had a chance to see at least a little bit of most the top teams and players in college hoops, I figured I’d go ahead and rank who I think are the best teams and players in the country at this early point in the season. I’m sure things will change quite a bit once we get into conference play, and I’ll make updates as the season goes on, but here’s my New Year’s Eve 2009 edition of the top 10 teams in the nation as well first and second team All Americans.
Top 10
1. Kansas – Talent wise I think it’s close with Kansas, Texas, and Kentucky, but I give the Jayhawks the advantage for being solid on both ends of the floor and being able to play at a fast or slow pace.
2. Kentucky – I love the inside out combo of Patterson & Wall, but they’re a little sloppy with the ball and don’t play with the maturity that Kansas does.
3. Texas – Loaded with talent and great defensively, but they aren’t a great shooting team and can struggle to score a bit in the halfcourt.
4. Syracuse – Not quite as talented as the top 3, but they’re a well rounded squad with size, shooting, a solid zone, a balanced 7 man rotation, and a star in Wesley Johnson.
5. West Virginia - Their size on the perimeter, and the versatility of their bigs make them tough to defend, but they lack a real point guard.
6. Duke – They’re really tough at the 1,2, and 3 with Scheyer, Smith, and Singler, and then Dawkins off the bench. They lack inside scoring again this year, but they do have size and depth there, and they really get after it defensively.
7. Purdue – Another really solid defensive team with a nice offensive trio of Moore, Hummel, and Johnson. They really lack an extra big when Hummel or Johnson has to sit though, and they miss Lewis Jackson too. His penetration helps the other guys get easier shots.
8. Villanova – Their defense has been weak but getting Redding back should help with that. Mouphtaou Yarou can help there too, as well as give them the extra size they need once he’s able to get himself back into playing shape. They’re already really good on the perimeter and can attack the basket and shoot the 3 ball.
9. North Carolina – Although they already have 3 early lossses, they were against numbers 2,3, and 4 on this list. Their guards are weak, but they’re loaded with talent across the frontline, and they should improve as the season goes on.
10. Michigan St. - I didn’t know who to put here, so I gave it to the Spartans, maybe just because I believe in Coach Izzo. They’re thin inside, but they’re solid and experienced on the perimeter. We’ll see if they can get things figured out, otherwise, they’ll be off my next rankings.
1st Team All American
John Wall (Kentucky) - Living up to the hype
Evan Turner (Ohio St) – He was incredible to start the season and Buckeyes are really missing him while he’s out with a back injury. Too good to leave off though.
Wesley Johnson (Syracuse) – He’s been great so far as a transfer and has made Syracuse much better than expected this season
Damion James (Texas) – Maybe not a top pro prospect, but definitely one of the best players in college hoops this year
Patrick Patterson (Kentucky) – Under the radar a bit, because Wall gets so much attention, but he is a stud
2nd Team All American
Sherron Collins (Kansas) – His numbers aren’t huge so far due to all of the talent around him, but he’s just a really solid all around guard
Xavier Henry (Kansas) – He’s leading the nation’s number 1 team in scoring as a freshman
Gordon Hayward (Butler) - The Bulldogs are struggling so far, but Hayward is one of the best all around players in college basketball
Da’Sean Butler (West Virginia) – He does a bit of everything for West Virginia and causes mismatches with his ability to play inside and out
Luke Harangody (Notre Dame) – Another guy who may not be a great pro prospect, but he’s been a dominant college player for a few years now
ADB IV
January 1st, 2010 at 1:56 pm #
Does the Boliers strong home W pull them ahead of WVU? Too many close lsses for WVU to be rated so highly? And how close to Heyward is Hummel?
The Hoops Junkie
January 1st, 2010 at 5:54 pm #
Great win by the Boilers today has to put them ahead of WVU. I mentioned before that West Virginia has point guard issues, and Purdue did a great job exposing that with their ball pressure. WVU was having trouble just passing and catching around the perimeter. JaJuan Johnson killed them inside today too. They don’t really have anybody to matchup with a true big man like that. I’d say Purdue is in the second tier of teams right now with Syracuse and Duke just behind the top tier of Kansas, Kentucky, and Texas. West Virginia is probably tier 3 with a large group of teams.
And I love Robbie Hummel, but I think Hayward is the better basketball player. He’s a bit more athletic and is better creating his own and making plays off the dribble. The last 2 spots on my 2nd team All American went to Hayward and Butler, but I could’ve went with about 20 other guys who would all be deserving.
Updated College Hoops Top Teams & All Americans - The Hoops Junkie
January 30th, 2010 at 9:48 pm #
[...] a month ago I did my early season top 10 and All American teams, so I figured now would be a good time to update them. There’s still plenty of time for [...]