Fall is here, and school is back in session, which means the good times are almost here – the start of college basketball season! To get you ready for this upcoming season, The Hoops Manifesto presents to you its preseason top 25 team rankings, based on the input from our esteemed voting panel. Next up #1 Indiana Hoosiers
Big thanks to our voting panel: Jeff Fox (@HoopsManifesto) from The Hoops Manifesto, Perry Missner (@PerryMissner) from RotoWire, Ray Bala (@CanBallReport) who writes The Can Ball Report on Raptors HQ, Adam Francis (@RaptorsHQ) from Raptors HQ, Ian (@SoxAndDawgs) from SOX & Dawgs, and Alex Gallant (@SeaTownSports) from SeaTown Sports.
#1 – Indiana Hoosiers
2011/12: 27-9, lost NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Key Returning Players:
Jordan Hulls – Point Guard/Shooting Guard – Senior
11.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.1 spg, 72-146 3Pts
Cody Zeller – Center – Sophomore
15.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.2 bpg
Christian Watford – Power Forward – Senior
12.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.3 apg, 52-119 3Pts
Victor Oladipo – Shooting Guard – Junior
10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.4 spg
Will Sheehey – Small Forward – Junior
8.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 apg
Top Newcomers:
Kevin ‘Yogi’ Ferrell – Point Guard – #19 ranked recruit (Rivals.com)
Jeremy Hollowell – Small Forward – #41 ranked recruit (Rivals.com)
Hanner Perea – Power Forward – #43 ranked recruit (Rivals.com)
Ron Patterson – Shooting Guard – #131 ranked recruit (Rivals.com)
Top NBA Prospect:
Cody Zeller – top 3 pick in 2013 draft
Outlook:
When Tom Crean took over Indiana’s basketball team, he inherited a grand total of two players, both of them walk-ons. Now he has the Hoosiers on the brink of a NCAA title. All the pieces are in place this year for Indiana – they return all of their key players, minus one, from last year’s Sweet Sixteen team. They have perhaps the best player in the country in Cody Zeller. And they add to the mix one of the best incoming freshman classes in the nation. The Hoosiers are primed to exorcise the ghosts of the Bobby Knight era this season and create a new legacy.
Preseason Top 25
#2 – Louisville Cardinals
#3 – North Carolina State Wolfpack
#4 – Kentucky Wildcats
#5 – Michigan Wolverines
#6 – UCLA Bruins
#7 – Kansas Jayhawks
#8 – Ohio State Buckeyes
#9 – North Carolina Tar Heels
#10 – Duke Blue Devils
#11 – Missouri Tigers
#12 – Gonzaga Bulldogs
#13 – Syracuse Orange
#14 – UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
#15 – Arizona Wildcats
#16 – Wisconsin Badgers
#17 – Baylor Bears
#18 – Creighton Bluejays
#19 – Florida Gators
#20 – Kansas State Wildcats
#21 – San Diego State Aztecs
#22 – Saint Louis Billikens
#23 – Memphis Tigers
#24 – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
#25 – Texas Wildcats
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