1.) Louisville is still one of the best teams in the country
Don't expect the losses of Gorgui Dieng and Peyton Siva to slow down the Cardinals much this year. Rick Pitino is more than just a animal at life. He also happens to be one of the best coaches in college basketball, something that he's proven time after time for the last couple decades. Look for Junior guard Wayne Blackshear to step up and take on more of a scoring role this year in addition to being an already solid wing defender. With Siva gone, Russ Smith is going to run the point more than he used to. The Cardinals offense might look a little out of rhythm at the beginning of the season, but expect them to make another run in the tournament.
2.) Kentucky is absolutely stacked. Believe the hype.
Hey John, how many rings will you have after this season? It's amazing to think that as good of a team as the reigning champion Louisville Cardinals are, they still are not even the best team in the state of Kentucky. Unbelievable. Some people hate John Calipari because of the way he runs his team, recruiting studs to come play for a year and then blow out of town come time for the NBA draft, but honestly he recognized a way to win games and it's already brought him a championship ring. It also puts a ridiculous amount of basketball talent on the floor together, which only means I'm going to see a show. Definitely not about to get mad about that. On top of keeping Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein, Coach Cal managed to bring in 6 of the top 25 players in the 2013 class, and 5 OF THE TOP 10. Among those are the Harrison twins, both guards; Andrew is a 6'5 PG with a ridiculous handle for a big guy and he has very strong court vision. His identical twin brother Aaron is a 6'5 SG that can slash and finish at the rim. He's fairly strong from mid-range but his outside shot could use some work. Andrew is the better of the two, lottery pick for sure. And then there's Julius Randle who is an absolute manchild. A 6'9 250 lb. PF, he's athletic, he's physical, and he's learning about the finesse of the game and becoming a better jump shooter. Kentucky just has too much. Too much talent, too much depth, too much swagger. National champs or bust. Anything less than a second ring for Coach Cal is an utter disappointment.
3.) The Big Ten is Going to be stacked with good teams, deal with it
ESPN has 5 Big Ten teams in the top 25 preseason but honestly I see 7 good teams, 6 of which I see finishing ranked. The only problem with the Big Ten this year is going to be the fact that all these teams will be beating up on each other all year. Iowa is better than people are giving them credit for. They brought in Peter Jok for extra scoring and already have an established cast that is very comfortable playing together. The Hawkeyes are a top 20 team, book it. And on top of that, I'm saying that they will make a run at the Big Ten championship. Michigan State is the undisputed leader, Ohio State always seems to disappoint, Wisconsin is Wisconsin and is good enough to finish ranked 15-25 in whatever sport because they have a smart, predominantly white team that works well within their specific system, basically being boring as fuck like always. Indiana lost a lot with Oladipo and Zeller leaving, something I doubt they can overcome.
That's basically what I've got so far, I'll have more once the season gets started.
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