The World of Wadley College Basketball Preseason Top 25

1. Duke Blue Devils (ACC)- The defending champs return key pieces in Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and the Plumlee brothers but what could be the difference maker is transfer Seth Curry (younger brother of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry) and freshman Kyrie Irving.

2. Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten)- After a Final Four appearance last year the Spartans want a title in 2011. Point guard Kalin Lucas will run the show again while Durrell Summers will be on the wing. Draymond Green and Delvon Roe should play larger roles this season.

3. Kansas Jayhawks (Big 12)- The Morris twins are back along with Tyshawn Taylor. Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed and Travis Releford will provide scoring but the Jayhawks season really depends on whether or not Josh Selby will be eligible.

4. Syracuse Orange (Big East)- No more Wes Johnson but Scoop Jardine, Rick Jackson and Kris Joseph is a pretty good core. Stud 7-foot freshman, Fab Melo, should see significant minutes.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten)- Jared Sullinger is the real deal and the Buckeyes could ride the freshman big man all the way to Houston. William Buford turned in a good sophomore campaign but will be relied on even more now that Evan Turner is gone. Reliable seniors Jon Diebler, Dallas Lauderdale and David Lighty are back as well.

6. Pittsburgh Panthers (Big East)- Four starters return for the Panthers who are always a tough, grind-it-out team. Sharpshooter Ashton Gibbs was voted the Big East's Most Improved Player last season after averaging 15.7 ppg and is back as a junior along with three key players in the frontcourt: Dante Taylor, Gary McGhee and Nasir Robinson.

7. Kansas State Wildcats (Big 12)- The beard is back! Jacob Pullen that is, the senior guard who averaged 19.3 points and 3.4 assists per game last year as K-State made it to the Elite 8 before falling to Butler. Pullen, along with forwards Curtis Kelly and Wally Judge, hope for a return trip to the Elite 8 and possibly a trip to Houston.

8. Kentucky Wildcats (SEC)- John Calipari is basically starting over after five of his players were drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft but he has a solid squad assembled for this year's run. Like Kansas, Kentucky's success will largely be based on whether or not freshman Enes Kanter is eligible. Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb are the backcourt of the future.

9. Villanova Wildcats (Big East)- Scottie Reynolds is gone but there is so much left at Nova that the Cats should have another deep tourney run come March. There is an abundance of talent at the guard spot, similar to the Final Four team from a few years back so it may come down to how well big men Mouphtaou Yarou and JayVaughn Pinkston play.

10. Illinois Fighting Illini (Big Ten)- This may be a little bit high but the Illini have all the pieces for a tremendous season. If the veterans (Demetri McCamey, Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis) can mesh with the super sophomores (Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson) and the stud freshmen (Jereme Richmond, Crandall Head and Meyers Leonard) then this could be a season like '05.

11. North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC)- Harrison Barnes is the scorer the Heels needed last season and he should light up Chapel Hill right away. Tyler Zeller needs to stay healthy and John Henson should be improved as a sophomore. UNC needs a reliable ball handler to have success.

12. Missouri Tigers (Big 12)- Mizzou will once again wreak havoc with their high pressure defense which should produce easy buckets for the backcourt duo of Marcus Denmon and Kim English. Michael Dixon, Laurence Bowers and Justin Safford all return as well but freshmen Phil Pressey and Tony Mitchell need to play well for the Tigers to go deep into March.

13. Florida Gators (SEC)- Five starters returning is never a bad thing and the Gators should challenge Kentucky for the SEC East crown. The backcourt duo of Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker is arguably the best in the conference. In the frontcourt the Gators have Vernon Macklin, Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons.

14. Gonzaga Bulldogs (WCC)- It's all about sophomore Elias Harris in Spokane. As a freshman he averaged 14.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. We're accustomed to seeing Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 and this year shouldn't be any different.

15. Purdue Boilermakers (Big Ten)- Yes, losing Robbie Hummel was a killer to a team that was going to contend for the national title but JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore won't go down easy. Johnson put up numbers of 15.5 points and 7.1 boards per game while Moore averaged 16.4 points.

16. Baylor Bears (Big 12)- The Bears were a great story last year but now it's time to show they are for real and not just a one year act. If LaceDarius Dunn is allowed to play then Baylor should challenge for the Big 12 title. Like last year, the frontcourt is scary with all the length. Freshman Perry Jones will have an immediate impact playing next to Quincy Acy and Anthony Jones.

17. Memphis Tigers (C-USA)- The Tigers return Wesley Witherspoon and Will Coleman, two upperclassmen who will need to gel with a host of incoming freshmen. It will be interesting to see how coach Josh Pastner does with a roster that he can truly say is his.

18. Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten)- Bo Ryan always gets the most out of his players and this year will be no different. Jon Leuer posted numbers of 15.4 points and 5.8 rebounds while Jordan Taylor was a solid point guard (10 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.6 apg). Keaton Nankivil is also back and freshman Ben Brust can fill it up.

19. Georgetown Hoyas (Big East)- Had Greg Monroe returned the Hoyas would be significantly higher but four starters return so the cupboard is not bare for John Thompson III. Austin Freeman, Chris Wright and Jason Clark all averaged double figures while Julian Vaughn started 34 games.

20. Butler Bulldogs (Horizon)- Last year was magical and this year could have been a repeat if Gordon Hayward had chosen to stay. However, Hayward is on the Jazz and the Bulldogs are adjusting to life without him. Matt Howard will man the post while Ronald Nored and Shelvin Mack will team up in the backcourt.

21. Washington Huskies (Pac 10)- The Huskies will run away with the Pac 10 and are the only team from the conference that will even be mentioned on the national scene. The conference is that bad but the Huskies actually do have some talent behind Abdul Gaddy and Isaiah Thomas.

22. Virginia Tech Hokies (ACC)- Malcolm Delaney chose to come back for his senior year and that meant the Hokies could make some noise in March. Delaney averaged 20.2 points per game along with 4.5 assists. Jeff Allen and Dorenzo Hudson are good complimentary pieces.

23. Tennessee Volunteers (SEC)- Who knows what will come of the Bruce Pearl situation but the Vols do have talent down in Knoxville. Scotty Hopson, Cameron Tatum and Renaldo Woolridge welcome the addition of elite recruit Tobias Harris.

24. Temple Owls (Atlantic 10)- The Owls have talent all over the floor but the two key pieces for a fourth straight NCAA bid are Juan Fernandez and Lavoy Allen. Fernandez averaged 12 points and 3 assists while Allen averaged a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

25. Texas Longhorns (Big 12)- The Horns had a terrible collapse last season after earning their first number 1 ranking in January. Hopefully some players have matured and the team can play consistent ball this year. J'Covan Brown and Jordan Hamilton are two players to keep an eye on.