Total System Failure's Preseason Top 25 Basketball Rankings (Part 1)

It's hard to believe, but the start of the college basketball season is already upon us. This past Friday evening, college basketball practices across the country began as over 300 plus D-1 teams started on the Road to the Final Four.

As many readers of the Inside the Auburn Tigers message boards already know, college basketball is a passion of mine, and the rest of the world will get a small test of that passion as I blog about the 2006-2007 college basketball season. And what better way to start the season with the inaugural Total System Failure Top 25 rankings. Over the next few days, I'll be ranking the teams in 5 team increments. So to start the season off right, here are teams 20 to 25.

25. Villanova - Last season, Coach Jay Wright rode a potent three guard attack to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a deep tourney run that ended in the Elite 8 with an loss to eventual national champion Florida. Unfortunately, for Coach Wright, Randy Foye, Kyle Lowry, and Allen Ray are all known contributing to the preseason camps of various NBA franchises. So how does Villanova recover from losing approximately 63 percent of its offense to the NBA? The burden will surely fall on a highly regarded recruiting class (lead by McDonalds All-American Scottie Reynolds) and returning veterans G Mike Nardi and Fs Curtis Sumpter and Will Sheridan. Sheridan has the most potential of the returning players to blossom into a major force for the Wildcats. With the talent level in the Big East dropping off this year, the Wildcats should be able to challenge for an upper division finish and mid-range seed (#6 to #9) in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

24. Nevada - The day that Nick Fazekas announced that he would be returning to Reno for his senior season must have been a happy day for Coach Mark Fox. While Fazekas is a good college player, it's readily apparent from his body type and his skill set are not ready for the NBA, so his decision is not only a good one for the Wolfpack, but for Fazakas himself. The return of Fazekas, Marcelus Kemp, and Ramon Sessions give the Wolfpack a solid nucleus on which to build going into the 2006-2007 season. 6'11" newcomer JaVale McGee should provide more inside presence for the Wolfpack, and that could bode well for Nevada in the NCAA Tournament. It is doubtful that Nevada can duplicate the success of their 2004 NCAA Tournament run keyed by Kirk Snyder, but the Wolfpack should be dancing for the third season in a row....and a run to the Sweet 16 is not out of the question.

23. Hofstra - I love mid-majors...any of my friends that have had the pleasure of listening to my "Bubble Watch" ramblings over the past 10 years know that there is a special place in my analysis of the college basketball landscape for mid-majors. Heck, I'm the guy that sends his wife out of town each weekend on "Bracket Buster" Saturday so I can closely watch all the mid-majors play against one another. This year, I'm on the Hofstra bandwagon. Hofstra got robbed last year and should have been an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament. If Villanova had the best 3-guard attack in the country last year, the Pride of Hofstra could earn that title this year with Loren Stokes, Antoine Aguido, and Carlos Rivera. What could prevent Hofstra from being a special mid-major like George Mason was last year is their frontcourt after the graduation of Aurimas Kieza and Adrian Uter. Chris Gadley, Leon Washington, and Mantas Leonavicius are going to have to step up in the paint for Hofstra this year. A NCAA Tournament berth is very likely...and it's also very likely that Hofstra is going to be a popular Cinderella choice when folks starting filling out their brackets in March.

22. Florida State - I have to admit...placing the Seminoles in the Total System Failure Preseason Top 25 pains me, and the reason for that is that I have to give some love to former Auburn guard Toney Douglas. After sitting out a year as a transfer, sophomore Douglas will see if he is the point guard his proud daddy thinks he is. Having watched Douglas play significant minutes in both high school and in college as a freshman, I can honestly say that he is NOT a true point guard, and for the Seminoles' sake, I hope that Coach Leonard Hamilton can figure that out for himself rather quickly. In addition to the quickness and scoring punch provided by Douglas, the 'Noles will another lethal weapon in 6'8" forward Al Thornton. Between Douglas and Thornton, there is a good chance that Florida State will be able to score with any team, and Leonard Hamilton teams always play stout defense. I believe that the Seminoles could surprise some folks in the ACC this year, and a Sweet 16 appearance could be in the cards.

21. Southern Illinois - Coach Chris Lowery has taken the program he inherited when Bruce Weber left for Illinois and has made the Salukis an even more formidable opponent. The 2006-2007 version of SIU should be just as determined, just as tough, and just as fierce as last year's team. This year, the Salukis return their top eight players from last season, including Missouri Valley Conference tourney MVP Randal Falker and Missouri Valley Conference freshmen of the year Bryan Mullins. What I love most about the Salukis, besides returning such a deep, experienced team, is that they had the fourth best scoring defense in the country last year, and that should only improve with a more experienced roster. The Salukis have size, toughness, depth, and experience on their side this year, and Coach Lowery could be posed to lead SIU on a NCAA Tournament run much like George Mason went on last year.

20. Georgia Tech - Yes, I attended the 2004 Final Four when Paul Hewitt took one of my alma maters to the the promised land. And yes, I was in Nashville in 2005 when Louisville ended the career of my boys BJ Elder and Jarrett Jack. But last year proved to be a long year of the flats of Atlanta, but I see a return to glory for Hewitt's program this season....maybe not a trip down the road to the Georgia Dome for the Final Four, but certainly an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Yellow Jackets return almost everyone of substance from last year's team, except Theodis Tarver and Zam Frederick, and also bring in a potent recruiting class lead by McDonald's All-Americans Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton. Crittenton will immediately start at point guard to replace the departed Zam Frederick and will have an experienced Anthony Morrow next to him in the backcourt. My personal favorite Jacket Mario West is back for his senior season to provide solid defense and energy off the bench...but the key to this season will be 6'9" center Ra'Sean Dickey. Dickey must step up and prove that he has the skills to dominate in the post, and with better backcourt play this year, I believe that he will. Look for the Jackets to swarm the ACC the year and return to the NCAA Tournament with a team posed to make a Sweet 16 run. Of course, we'll be able to learn a lot about the Jackets as they open the season in Maui.

Coming up later...the #15 to #19 ranked teams in the Total System Failure Preseason Top 25...stay tuned!