Dick Vitale at ESPN.com has the Cats at #2 in his Top 40 poll.
Here is the Top 5.
[B][I]DICK VITALE: PRESEASON TOP 40[/I][/B]
[B][I]1. [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/153/north-carolina-tar-heels”][I]North Carolina:[/I][/URL][/B][I] With Barnes, [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/41465/tyler-zeller”][I]Tyler Zeller[/I][/URL][I], [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/45531/john-henson”][I]John Henson[/I][/URL][I] and [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/51383/kendall-marshall”][I]Kendall Marshall[/I][/URL][I] back, Hall of Famer Roy Williams has the favorite entering the season. The injury to [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/45532/leslie-mcdonald”][I]Leslie McDonald[/I][/URL][I] is a blow, but this team is still loaded. [/I]
[B][I]2. [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/clubhouse?teamId=96″][I]Kentucky[/I][/URL][I]:[/I][/B][I] John Calipari has Terrence Jones and [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/51543/doron-lamb”][I]Doron Lamb[/I][/URL][I] back, plus the top incoming class led by Michael Gilchrist and Anthony Davis. The SEC will be tougher this season, but the Cats are still the team to beat. [/I]
[B][I]3. [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/41/connecticut-huskies”][I]Connecticut[/I][/URL][I]:[/I][/B][I] The addition of Andre Drummond in the middle makes Jim Calhoun’s squad a legitimate Final Four contender. Look for [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/51453/jeremy-lamb”][I]Jeremy Lamb[/I][/URL][I] to be one of the premier scorers in the Big East. Guys like [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/45946/alex-oriakhi”][I]Alex Oriakhi[/I][/URL][I], [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/51455/shabazz-napier”][I]Shabazz Napier[/I][/URL][I] and [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/51456/roscoe-smith”][I]Roscoe Smith[/I][/URL][I] will also be heard from! [/I]
[B][I]4. [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/194/ohio-state-buckeyes”][I]Ohio State[/I][/URL][I]:[/I][/B][I] Thad Matta is happy, as Sullinger will be the BMOC in Columbus. It also helps to have [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/41744/william-buford”][I]William Buford[/I][/URL][I] and [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/51402/aaron-craft”][I]Aaron Craft[/I][/URL][I] back in the lineup. The Buckeyes are the best of the Big Ten. [/I]
[B][I]5. [/I][URL=”http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/183/syracuse-orange”][I]Syracuse[/I][/URL][I]:[/I][/B][I] Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim has a good class of newcomers plus he welcomes back [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/41523/kris-joseph”][I]Kris Joseph[/I][/URL][I], [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/36584/scoop-jardine”][I]Scoop Jardine[/I][/URL][I] and [/I][URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/46156/brandon-triche”][I]Brandon Triche[/I][/URL][I] to a team that should contend in the competitive Big East.[/I]
[URL=”http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/dickvitale/story/_/id/7095899/dick-vitale-preseason-top-40″]Complete Top 40[/URL]
