Defending champs are back at No. 1; Big Ten teams close behind

By: Andy Katz (ESPN.com) -

The NCAA’s deadline to withdraw from the NBA draft was pushed up five weeks from its usual spot in mid-June. Thus, so too was our post-deadline top 25.

This is what we know about the 2010-11 season: There won’t be a truly great team.

Sound familiar? It was true last season.

And because of that, Duke has a chance to repeat as national champions. Not losing anyone early to the NBA draft after winning a national title is almost unheard of these days, unless you’re Florida’s 2006-07 team. So with Kyle Singler’s decision to return to school, the Blue Devils will almost certainly start the season where they left off — at No. 1.

As for conferences, the Big Ten should be loaded with highly competitive teams and at least two national title contenders in Purdue and Michigan State. The depth in the Big 12 shouldn’t disappoint either, with two teams in my top 5 and another pair ranked in the teens. The Big East may lack top seeds, but will get its share of bids. The ACC doesn’t have as much depth as usual. The SEC East may be the most competitive collection of teams of any group. The Pac-10 will be dominated by Washington and a group of nine others that will chase the Huskies. The Mountain West will be top-heavy again, with a very solid top four. And for a second straight season, the A-10 may have up to six contenders for NCAA bids.

There were tough choices here and as is always the case with such early rankings, there will be room to criticize. Wichita State is a Missouri Valley squad that could have made its way into the rankings. I also could have gone deeper in the ACC, and certainly the Big Ten. Northwestern should finally make the NCAA tournament for the first time ever and maybe even make cameos in the top 25.

There were plenty of other teams I considered for these rankings and plenty of worthy candidates were left off — not everyone can be included. But feel free to flood that comment section with where you think I went wrong. Have at it …

1. Duke: There’s no question the Blue Devils are the favorite with the return of Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Mason and Miles Plumlee and the addition to the backcourt of newcomers Kyrie Irving (freshman) and Seth Curry (transfer). Duke has a legit shot to win consecutive titles for the second time in program history (1991 and ‘92 was the first) and second time this century after Florida won in 2006 and ‘07. The questions will be how the Blue Devils handle being the target from day one, how much they will change defensively without Brian Zoubek (yes, that’s relevant) and how much they will miss Jon Scheyer’s 3-point shooting.

2. Purdue: You could go either way with Purdue or Michigan State at 2 and 3. I’m leaning toward Purdue here because of the big three — Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore. The drive of this squad to get to the Final Four after losing in the Sweet 16 in the post-Hummel period (ACL) will be relevant throughout the season. The issue will be how the Boilermakers replace Chris Kramer’s defense and his overall toughness.

3. Michigan State: The Spartans return the core of their team except Raymar Morgan. While Morgan was inconsistent at times, he was still a major part of the team. His absence is the reason I have the Spartans a peg below Purdue. I’d also like to see how Kalin Lucas responds to his recovery. A ruptured Achilles injury hasn’t been as common as an ACL, so let’s see if Lucas loses a step. But with the talent returning and a stellar recruiting class, there’s no reason to believe MSU won’t be in contention for a third consecutive Final Four berth. The run put together by Tom Izzo’s program since 1999 makes the Spartans, perhaps, the most consistent program in the country.

4. Baylor: Putting Baylor this high puts a lot on the shoulders of incoming freshman Perry Jones. Let’s see if he lives up to the hype of being not just better than Ekpe Udoh, but the best big man in the country. The Bears also lost Tweety Carter, but return LaceDarius Dunn and can legitimately claim to be the team to beat in the Big 12. I’m sure this pick will get criticized, but let’s not forget the Bears were an Elite Eight team that lost to the eventual national champion. This squad hasn’t had to deal with being the target, however, so let’s see how it handled this kind of prognostication.

5. Kansas State: I really could have flipped Kansas State and Baylor, and maybe I should have with Denis Clemente being the Wildcats’ only major loss. Jacob Pullen will need to find a partner on the perimeter as proficient as Clemente, but the role players on the Wildcats like Jamar Samuels, Dominique Sutton and Curtis Kelly continue to improve and the depth will be hard to match. This is certainly a Final Four contender.

6. Ohio State: The Buckeyes did lose the national player of the year in Evan Turner. That’s a fact. But they also brought in the top recruiting class in the country to join perimeter players like David Lighty, Jon Diebler and William Buford. The recruiting class, led by big man Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas, give the Buckeyes more balance and plenty of options offensively. The Big Ten was hyped as the best conference by some last preseason. It didn’t live up to it throughout the season, but it’ll be hard to dispute in 2010-11.

7. Pittsburgh: The Panthers aren’t going to wow you with their overall talent. But what they have is a solid core of players who grew into their roles and became winners again under Jamie Dixon last season, which has become expected with this program. Pitt loses Jermaine Dixon, but it had to play without him at times last season. Ashton Gibbs has become a big-shot maker and a quality lead guard, Gilbert Brown has grown into his leadership role and Brad Wanamaker will continue to shine. Nasir Robinson emerged as a better post option than McDonald’s All-American Dante Taylor, but that could shift as Taylor matures. Pitt might not have the most talent in the Big East, but the experience should lead the Panthers to the conference title…….