Summer must be over. College football began last week. And now the college basketball preview issues are starting to hit the newsstands.
I was just out running some Labor Day errands and was surprised to find The Sporting News college basketball yearbook at my local CVS. UConn guard Ryan Boatright is on the cover of our regional edition.
Who’s in the preseason Top 10? Where are the defending national champions from UConn?
Well, the Huskies come in at No. 15 in the Sporting News preseason Top 25, just behind Iowa State – a team the Huskies eliminated in the Sweet 16 on the way to championship in Dallas. That should a fairly typical pick for UConn with the Huskies trying to replace Shabazz Napier and DeAndre Daniels.
The Top 10 shakes out like this:
1. Arizona
2. Kentucky
3. Wisconsin
4. Duke
5. North Carolina
6. Kansas
7. Louisville
8. Virginia
9. Florida
10. Wichita State
The only other team from the American Athletic Conference picked in the Top 25 is SMU at No. 25. UConn is picked to win the AAC, followed by SMU, Cincinnati, Memphis, Tulsa, Houston, East Carolina, Tulane, Temple, UCF, and South Florida. Ryan Boatright is the only UConn player on the all-conference team but Daniel Hamilton and Rodney Purvis both make the all-newcomer team.
The UConn women, of course, are the No. 1 team in the women’s Top 20, followed by Notre Dame, South Carolina, Stanford and UCLA in the top 5.
We’re not too far from First Night festivities, at UConn. The public practice and fun is set for Oct. 17.
Other preseason lists will coming out soon. Keep your eye out for the most comprehensive preview, The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Editor Chris Dortch is doing his job to put the bible together right now. I wrote the UConn preview. The Huskies are in the Top 25, but that’s all I know at this point.
Pre-order here.
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