Louisville headlines preseason Power 24 rankings

Defending NCAA champion Louisville headlines our preseason Power 24 rankings.  The Cardinals return a host of talent from last year’s title team, and a third straight trip to the Final Four is certainly within reach.  Michigan State, Kentucky, Kansas, Duke and Arizona are the other early favorites to contend for No. 1 seeds.

Preseason Power 24

Great storylines await when the season tips-off on Friday, November 8.  Will ultra-talented Kentucky emerge as a dominant team?  Will Andrew Wiggins lead the Jayhawks to another title?  Will Tom Izzo guide Michigan State back to the Final Four?  Will we have another Final Four surprise?  We can’t sleep on Marcus Smart and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Throw in conference re-alignments, and we have a virtual re-make of the college hoops landscape.

The team in our preseason Power 24 that might surprise some: Iowa.  Call it a hunch, but the Hawkeyes were playing like an NCAA team at the end of the last season.  Some early stumbles and a poor non-conference schedule ultimately hurt their NCAA resume.  Most of their talent returns.  Iowa has the depth and talent to finish as a Top 4 team in the Big Ten.  Will it happen?  We’ll see.

The good news:  All of this will be settled on the court.  Preseason projections are fun.  They prompt discussions.  But none of us knows how the journey will develop.  That’s the beauty of college basketball.

Several teams – including Florida, North Carolina and Oregon (announced late Tuesday this week) have suspension and/or injury issues.  How those scenarios play out will impact each of those squads.  It’s just too early to know.

Those just missing the preseason Power 24?  Creighton, Notre Dame, New Mexico, Indiana, Baylor, Virginia, Saint Louis, and Harvard.  You could make a case for any of those teams to be included.  The season is almost here.  Let’s enjoy the ride.

 

 

Final results: Readers’ 2014 Preseason Power 24 Poll

You have voted.  And there were no huge surprises, although Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) at No. 10 might seem a little high to some.  That doesn’t mean there wasn’t some close voting – especially in the middle or lower portions of the poll.  As usual, there were a variety of opinions and that’s what makes it fun.  Here are the final results:

Readers’ 2014 Preseason Power 24 Poll …

1. Louisville   2. Michigan State   3. Kentucky   4. Kansas

5. Duke   6. Arizona   7. Oklahoma State   8. Syracuse

9. Michigan   10. VCU   11. North Carolina   12. Florida

13. Wichita State  14. Ohio State  15. Memphis  16. Colorado

17. Gonzaga   18. Marquette   19. Connecticut   20. Tennessee

21. Oregon   22. Creighton   23. Baylor   24. UCLA

Additional teams that received votes (in no order) … Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, New Mexico, Harvard, Villanova, Georgetown, Saint Louis, Virginia, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, La Salle, UNLV, St. John’s

Thanks for your interest.  Bracketville’s Preseason Power 24 will be released soon and our preseason Bracket Projection will be completed next week prior to the season-opening games on November 8.  Join us all season.  We’re ready for some college hoops!

2014 Preseason Fan Poll: Choose teams 21-24

We’re down to voting for the final four spots in our readers’ preseason Power 24.  Here is where we stand at this point.

1. Louisville  2. Michigan State  3. Kentucky  4. Kansas

5. Duke  6. Arizona  7. Oklahoma State  8. Syracuse

9. Michigan  10. VCU  11. North Carolina  12. Florida

13. Wichita State  14. Ohio State  15. Memphis  16. Colorado

17. Gonzaga  18. Marquette  19. Connecticut  20. Tennessee

As we’ve noted before, use the poll below to vote for teams 21-24.  Teams already voted into the Power 24 will not be listed.  Use “Other” to include a different team and please list the team in the space provided.

Thanks for your interest.

2014 Preseason Fan Poll: Choose teams 13-16

Michigan, Virginia Commonwealth, North Carolina, and Florida moved into the readers’ preseason Power 24 after voting yesterday.  Which means we’re ready for spots 13-16 on the list.  Here is where we stand thus far …

1. Louisville 2. Michigan State 3. Kentucky 4. Kansas

5. Duke 6. Arizona 7. Oklahoma State 8. Syracuse

9. Michigan 10. VCU 11. North Carolina 12. Florida

Time to vote again:  Here’s the poll (remember, we’ve removed teams that have already been included)

Thanks again for participating.  Share it with friends!

2014 Preseason Fan Poll: Choose teams 9-12

You have completed the first eight slots in the readers’ preseason Power 24 poll.  It’s time to move onto spots 9-12.  As before, teams already voted into the rankings will be removed from the poll voting and new teams will be added.  Here is how the preseason Power 24 is shaping up thus far:

1. Louisville  2.  Michigan State  3. Kentucky  4. Kansas

5. Duke  6. Arizona  7.  Oklahoma State  8. Syracuse

No real surprises thus far.  I’ll have the defending champion Cardinals atop the opening Power 24 – to be released later this month.  Anyway, here’s the next poll – for slots 9-12.  Thanks for your interest and tell your friends to participate.

Following voting on this poll, we’ll move to spots 13-16.  Thanks for your interest.  I’ll be updating more on the site in the next couple of weeks.