Transition is the name of the game in the 2012-2013 NCAA basketball season. Most of the good players from last year either graduated or transitioned to the NBA. It's Missouri and Texas A&M's first year in the SEC. West Virginia's first year in the Big 12. Butler and VCU move to the Atlantic-10, while Temple is in its last year before going to the Big East. It's the last year of the great Big East conference as we know it before Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame move to the ACC. Memphis is leaving C-USA for the Big East, which will basically be the original Conference USA in 2013 plus some Catholic schools in the northeast. The B1G has transitioned from a football powerhouse to a basketball conference with terrible football. And the Pac 12 makes it's transition from Division II back to Division I this year.
The likely contenders
Your defending national champions.* Kentucky has been hit hard by the NCAA luxury tax and they were not able to outbid UCLA & NC State for several elite recruits. But they still should be pretty dang good with another stellar, albeit not ridiclous class. Check out Nerlens Noel' elite offensive skills
Indiana returns Best Zeller and the rest of the team that nearly got embarassed by VCU & can't play defense. If Tom Crean can pull himself away from recruiting 8th graders this team has a chance to be special.
Quick Rick returns most of Louisville's Final Four team from last year since they weren't good enough to get drafted. And they could actually be healthy. Maybe at least for the Kentucky game?
Bill Self has Elijah Johnson and Jeff Withey coming back alongside elite recruit Perry Ellis. Kansas's future would look really bright if the Big 12 was stable
NC State choked in nearly every close game last year, but finally seemed to figure it out at the end of the year. They have nearly everyone coming back as well and a great recruiting class.
Michigan brings most of their team back which includes various sons of star NBA players and they add 27-year old True Freshman Mitch McGary.
Ohio State has Aaron Craft & Deshaun Thomas returning, and should have the state's attention once Urban Meyer finishes with his football coach's show in late November.
Unskewed Polls
USA Today Sports Information Directors' Poll
Rank School (first-place votes)
1 Indiana (21)
2 Louisville (5)
3 Kentucky (5)
4 Ohio State
5 Michigan
6 North Carolina State
7 Kansas
8 Duke
9 Syracuse
10 Florida
11 Arizona
12 North Carolina
13 UCLA
14 Michigan State
15 Creighton
16 Memphis
17 Missouri
18 Baylor
19 UNLV
20 San Diego State
21 Wisconsin
22 Gonzaga
23 Notre Dame
24 (tie) Florida State
24 (tie) Texas
Others receiving votes: Saint Louis (26-8) 58; Virginia Commonwealth (29-7) 40; Cincinnati (26-11) 33; Murray State (31-2) 30; Kansas State (22-11) 13; Saint Mary's (27-6) 11; New Mexico (28-7) 10; Tennessee (19-15) 10; Minnesota (23-15) 9; Pittsburgh (22-17) 9; Marquette (27-8) 8; Stanford (26-11) 7; Butler (22-15) 6; Oklahoma State (15-18) 6; Colorado State (20-12) 4; Middle Tennessee (27-7) 3; Drexel (29-7) 2; Georgia (15-17) 2; Miami (Fla.) (20-13) 2; St. Joseph's (20-14) 2; Marshall (21-14) 1.
AP Poll of Journalists soon to be laid off copying the Sports Information Director's poll
Record - Pts - Prv
1. Indiana (43) 27-9 - 1,592 - 16
2. Louisville (20) 30-10 - 1,568 - 17
3. Kentucky (2) 38-2 - 1,453 - 1
4. Ohio St. 31-8 - 1,292 - 7
5. Michigan 24-10 - 1,290 - 13
6. NC State 24-13 - 1,270 - NR
7. Kansas 32-7 - 1,210 - 6
8. Duke 27-7 - 1,094 - 8
9. Syracuse 34-3 - 1,062 - 2
10. Florida 26-11 - 936 - 25
11. North Carolina 32-6 - 904 - 4
12. Arizona 23-12 - 902 - NR
13. UCLA 19-14 - 840 - NR
14. Michigan St. 29-8 - 789 - 5
15. Missouri 30-5 - 664 - 3
16. Creighton 29-6 - 622 - 19
17. Memphis 26-9 - 539 - NR
18. UNLV 26-9 - 488 - 23
19. Baylor 30-8 - 486 - 9
20. San Diego St. 26-8 - 463 - 22
21. Gonzaga 26-7 - 384 - NR
22. Notre Dame 22-12 - 297 - NR
23. Wisconsin 26-10 - 285 - 14
24. Cincinnati 26-11 - 120 - NR
25. Florida St. 25-10 - 101 - 10
Others receiving votes: Murray St. 59, VCU 58, Saint Louis 46, Texas 46, Minnesota 40, Butler 33, Pittsburgh 32, Saint Joseph's 25, Marquette 23, Tennessee 15, Oklahoma St. 14, Kansas St. 12, Georgetown 9, New Mexico 9, Ohio 9, Miami 8, Saint Mary's (Cal) 6, West Virginia 6, Davidson 5, Drexel 5, N. Iowa 5, Valparaiso 3, Lehigh 2, Stanford 2, Colorado St. 1, Oral Roberts 1.
Non-Conference Games to Watch in November:
Syracuse vs. San Diego State (November 9)
Duke vs. Kentucky (November 13)
Michigan State vs. Kansas (November 13)
BYU vs. Florida State (November 16)
Minnesota vs. Duke (November 22)
Saint Mary’s vs. Drexel (November 22)
North Carolina at Indiana (November 27)
NC State at Michigan (November 27)
Ohio State at Duke (November 28)
Michigan State at Miami (November 28)
Tennessee at Georgetown (November 30)
* (Editor's Note: Kentucky had not been stripped of their national championship at the time of this post)
