Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated had Kansas No. 1 and Michigan State No. 2 in his preseason Top 25.
Of course, both teams lost on opening night to No. 3 Duke and No. 4 Kentucky, respectively.
Here’s what he said about each time prior to last night’s games:
1. Kansas: From pole dancers to the pole position, what better No. 1 team for our times than the Jayhawks? Talented, experienced and with a major NCAA infractions case looming over their heads. Kansas will get this season in before any potential sanctions come down, then we’ll find out what (if anything) gets vacated.
2. Michigan State: The consensus No. 1 makes me hesitate to join the coronation for three reasons: the Josh Langford injury is a big one, with an iffy timetable for his return; the Spartans are always very good, but rarely good enough to win it all (2000 was a long time ago); the same goes for the Big Ten (no titles since Michigan State’s last one).
3. Duke: Zion Williamson isn’t walking through that door, or soaring through the ACC. This freshman class isn’t like the previous one, but it’s still really good and will be buttressed by the return of two-way star point guard Tre Jones and some solid role players. Duke has a bit more depth than it did last year, when the Blue Devils were low on reliable bodies by season’s end.
4. Kentucky: Here is the existential question for John Calipari: if the best pieces of this team suggest a Small Ball lineup, will he do it? Cal’s preferred lineups at Kentucky have been big, bigger and ginormous. The current bunch of Wildcats look more guard-centric and perimeter oriented. Expect the usual season arc: shaky early, fans despairing, grumbling about the Cal recruiting paradigm, then they coalesce into the best team in the SEC.
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