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Preseason College Basketball Power Rankings
By Josh Herwitt Posted: 1 day ago
Six months after North Carolina cut down the nets in Detroit, it's time to welcome back the sound of basketballs bouncing, sneakers squeaking and nets swishing to hardwoods across the country. Yes, college basketball is back and so are our power rankings. But while there's bound to be plenty of twists and turns over the course of the 2009-10 season, it's 2008 national champion Kansas who sits at No. 1 in our preseason poll — and for good reason.
| CBK Power Rankings Week Of 11/04/2009 | |||||
| Rk | Team | Last Wk | Rise/Fall | High/Low | Comment |
| 1 |  Kansas |
- | - | 1/1 | With Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich returning to school, the Jayhawks are the clear favorites to cut down the nets in Indianapolis this April. Team: Home | Stats |
| 2 |  Kentucky |
- | - | 2/2 | In two months, John Calipari put the Wildcats back in the national spotlight by locking up the nation's top recruiting class. Team: Home | Stats |
| 3 |  Michigan State |
- | - | 3/3 | The Spartans have the coaching and experience to reach the title game again after last year's surprising runner-up finish. Team: Home | Stats |
| 4 |  Texas |
- | - | 4/4 | There isn't a deeper team in the country than the one Rick Barnes has in Austin this season. Team: Home | Stats |
| 5 |  North Carolina |
- | - | 5/5 | Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough may be gone, but the defending champs still have the weapons up front to send Roy Williams to his third straight Final Four. Team: Home | Stats |
| 6 |  Villanova |
- | - | 6/6 | A Final Four run may not happen again, but the 'Cats bring back one of the top backcourts with the return of Scottie Reynolds, Reggie Redding, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes. Team: Home | Stats |
| 7 |  Purdue |
- | - | 7/7 | With Robbie Hummel fully healthy and all five starters back for a second straight year, the Boilermakers have a shot at playing in Indy this April. Team: Home | Stats |
| 8 |  West Virginia |
- | - | 8/8 | Bob Huggins' team has a legitimate shot at winning a Big East title for the first time since arriving in Morgantown three years ago. Team: Home | Stats |
| 9 |  California |
- | - | 9/9 | A senior core made up of Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher, Jamal Boykin and Theo Robertson has the Golden Bears primed to win the Pac-10 this season. Team: Home | Stats |
| 10 |  Tennessee |
- | - | 10/10 | Bruce Pearl has almost everyone back from last year's Sweet 16 team, but the point guard situation remains a big question mark in Knoxville. Team: Home | Stats |
| 11 |  Washington |
- | - | 11/11 | The Huskies will compensate for the loss of Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon with the arrival of Abdul Gaddy, who should star at point guard alongside Isaiah Thomas and Venoy Overton. Team: Home | Stats |
| 12 |  Duke |
- | - | 12/12 | The Blue Devils are once again thin at point guard, meaning that Coach K's offense will sit squarely on the shoulders of veterans Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer. Team: Home | Stats |
| 13 |  Connecticut |
- | - | 13/13 | A lot will depend on the development of freshmen big men Ater Majok and Alex Oriakhi and the leadership of senior Jerome Dyson after the Huskies lost Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien and A.J. Price. Team: Home | Stats |
| 14 |  Ohio State |
- | - | 14/14 | The Buckeyes' season could be determined by how well 6-foot-8 senior Evan Turner adjusts to playing the point for Thad Matta. Team: Home | Stats |
| 15 |  Butler |
- | - | 15/15 | The Bulldogs could be a Sweet 16 team with all five starters back from last year, including junior big man Matt Howard and sophomore sharpshooter Gordon Hayward. Team: Home | Stats |
| 16 |  Georgia Tech |
- | - | 16/16 | There's no way Paul Hewitt's team finishes with only two wins in the ACC after the return of Gani Lawal and Iman Shumpert and the addition of highly touted big man Derrick Favors. Team: Home | Stats |
| 17 |  Illinois |
- | - | 17/17 | The Fighting Illini took a big hit losing Trent Meacham and Chester Frazier, but Bruce Weber brought in a prized recruiting class to fill the void. Team: Home | Stats |
| 18 |  Oklahoma |
- | - | 18/18 | With Player of the Year Blake Griffin gone, it'll be sophomore guard Willie Warren's job to keep the Sooners relevant in a loaded Big 12. Team: Home | Stats |
| 19 |  Michigan |
- | - | 19/19 | John Beilein has shooters galore in Ann Arbor this season, and that should equate to another trip to the Big Dance for the Wolverines. Team: Home | Stats |
| 20 |  Georgetown |
- | - | 20/20 | The Hoyas fell apart during Big East play last season, but don't expect that to happen again with Greg Monroe up front and Chris Wright and Austin Freeman in the backcourt. Team: Home | Stats |
| 21 |  Minnesota |
- | - | 21/21 | After putting the Gophers back on the map in his first year, Tubby Smith has everyone back from last season and adds a talented recruiting class to the roster. Team: Home | Stats |
| 22 |  Vanderbilt |
- | - | 22/22 | Kevin Stallings returns one of the nation's top big men in A.J. Ogilvy, making Vandy an instant contender in the SEC this season. Team: Home | Stats |
| 23 |  Siena |
- | - | 23/23 | Fran McCaffery lost his top scorer from last season, but the Saints still return four starters, including seniors Edwin Ublies and Alex Franklin. Team: Home | Stats |
| 24 |  Dayton |
- | - | 24/24 | It'll be up to junior forward Chris Wright to lead Brian Gregory's team back to the NCAA tournament for a second straight season. Team: Home | Stats |
| 25 |  UCLA |
- | - | 25/25 | If the Bruins can stay healthy, Ben Howland will have a team that can contend with Cal and Washington for Pac-10 supremacy. Team: Home | Stats |