johnathan-loyd-oregon-ducks.jpg

Oregon Ducks' Johnathan Loyd averaged 5 points, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals in 22.1 minutes per game.

(Thomas Boyd, The Oregonian)

College basketball practice can start in late September this year, which means it's the ideal time now to look at our preseason Top 25.

Not much has changed since our last Top 25 examination, but at least we know P.J. Hairston will be playing for North Carolina this season. But in the words of Tar Heels AD Bubba Cunningham, he won't play "all the games."

Even if it's not "game on" immediately for Hairston, it is for us. Off we go.

No. 1) Kentucky Wildcats

Archie Goodwin turned pro but Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress are back. Losing Goodwin is not without its costs, but what the Wildcats really needed in order for their overwhelming influx of young talent—the No. 1 prospect in the 2013 class at four of the five positions—to help the team confidently challenge for an NCAA championship was physical maturity in the frontcourt along with at least a hint of veteran leadership. And they’ve got that now.

No. 2) Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans hung onto shooting guard Gary Harris and power forward Adreian Payne, who were essential ingredients. What needs to be improved in order for the Spartans to win a championship is the team’s playmaking. They finished with more turnovers than assists last season. That’s not going to get it done. The team that eliminated them from the NCAAs, Duke, was plus-132. The team that won the tournament, Louisville, was plus-89.

No. 3) Louisville Cardinals

All-American shooting guard Russ Smith made a surprising decision to play his senior season—surprising in that he (actually his father) had announced he would move on to the NBA Draft. The likelihood that Smith would be undrafted whether he left college this year or in another 10 perhaps convinced him it was wiser to burnish his legacy as a collegian. Louisville probably will use Montrezl Harrell in the middle—and he is prepared for a stellar season—but you have to plunge deep into the NCAA record book to find the last champ with a 6-8 center.

No. 4) Duke Blue Devils

If there were some certainty about how the Blue Devils would handle the big-man spot it might even be tempting to pick them to win it all. They will be as talented as they’ve been in probably a decade.

, Rodney Hood, Rasheed Sulaimon—who wants to guard all of them at once? Plus point guard Quinn Cook has a full year’s experience as a starter and there’s an army of tough, veteran reserves to fill in whatever gaps develop. But we’re still wondering if Marshall Plumlee can play even 20 minutes a game. If he can, well, look out.

Perhaps the silliest early entry decision of this season—in fact, maybe the silliest in years—robbed Arizona of an additional frontcourt weapon. Grant Jerrett had the chance to grow into a lottery prospect. Without him, though, the Wildcats still have four major talents up front: Kaleb Tarczewski, Brandon Ashley and freshmen

and Rondae Jefferson, as well as a point guard transfer T.J. McConnell, to get them the ball in dangerous positions. Interestingly, Jerrett was likely to be the team’s best perimeter shooter. That’s what this team lacks most.

No. 6) Kansas Jayhawks

Just how good is freshman

? If we’re right, he’s good enough to carry a team with no returning starters, a wealth of talented young players but no other immediate star and a just-OK point guard to the brink of the Final Four. If Vegas oddsmakers are right, he’s good enough to carry the Jayhawks into a fistfight for the national title. Essentially, we’re saying he’s worth three NCAA Tournament wins, and the wise guys are saying he’s worth five. Either way, the answer is: He’s pretty doggone good.

No. 7) Michigan Wolverines

We figured the Wolverines would be wiped out by the championship-game hangover that figured to send everyone into the NBA Draft. No program had greater cause to celebrate when the declarations were done, though, because Michigan retained two talents with All-America potential: center Mitch McGary and forward Glenn Robinson. McGary is going to be a star. Robinson might have to manage the transition to small forward, and that could be problematic. The Wolverines also need incoming freshman Derrick Walton to be a big-time point guard.

No. 8) Syracuse Orange

The Orange were delighted to discover reliable forward C.J. Fair will be back for his senior season. The question they’ll need to answer is whether there is enough perimeter shooting. Syracuse's best point guards have always leaned more toward playmaking than scoring, but freshman Tyler Ennis will have to ring up some buckets.

No. 9) North Carolina Tar Heels

While everyone wondered if P.J. Hairston would leave for the NBA Draft, Reggie Bullock slipped out the side door and left a year of eligibility unspent. That removes a productive shooter from the squad, but Hairston’s return to the perimeter (at least when his suspension ends) should erase any concern about that. For Carolina to be this good, or better, it needs reliable play inside from James Michael McAdoo and point guard Marcus Paige to progress nicely into his sophomore season.

No. 10) Oklahoma State Cowboys

We had no reason to believe

would be back for a second season. He was projected as a high-level pick in the draft, and certainly wouldn’t have gone outside the draft lottery. But he was not pleased with how his freshman season ended and wanted a chance to write another chapter. So here it is: key players intact, Smart to lead them. But is there enough size to get all the way to Dallas?

No. 11) Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes expected to lose DeShaun Thomas to the NBA, and so did we. Our belief in OSU is based on the presence of veteran guard core and the expected development of F LaQuinton Ross.

No. 12) Florida Gators

If there’s a team outside the top 10 that could challenge for the title, this might be the best choice. Fellow freshman Kasey Hill didn’t shine at the McDonald’s game, but we still believe he is a difference-maker.

If there’s a team outside the top 10 that could challenge for the Final Four, this might be the best choice. The Ducks’ addition of grad transfer

and the expected development of some terrific freshmen makes them a legit Pac-12 title challenger.

No. 14) Wisconsin Badgers

This is the coolest stat in college basketball: Every season Bo Ryan has coached the Badgers, they’ve finished no worse than fourth in the Big Ten. Incredible. And likely to continue.

The team’s lack of depth very well could become an issue. We’re talking like nine scholarship players now, and that includes the new coach’s son, Bryce Alford. Will Kyle Anderson have to/get to play the point?

No. 16) Memphis Tigers

The Tigers finally broke through to win an NCAA Tournament game in 2013, after twice falling just short of that. With the talent left over and all that’s coming in—considerable on both counts, led by guards Geron Johnson and Joe Jackson on the veteran side, and Mizzou transfer Michael Dixon—there ought to be enough to win two.

If the Zags had held onto

, and it was close, they’d have been in our top five. If they’d gotten grad transfer Josh Davis from Tulane, and it was close, they’d be in the top 10. With neither, the frontcourt is capable but thin and there’s more pressure on guards Kevin Pangos and especially Gary Bell to score every night.

No. 18) VCU Rams

The Atlantic-10 favorite and reigning NCAA steals champ returns four starters from a 27-9 team that made the round of 32, including chief thief Briante Webber (2.7 steals per game), and add 6-8, 240-pound Florida State transfer Terrance Shannon to go with 6-9 senior Juvonte Reddic inside. Expect more Havoc than ever from Shaka Smart and Co.

No. 19) Tennessee Volunteers

What the Vols needed was a new point guard, and that's exactly what they got. Grad transfer Antonio Barton, coming over from the Memphis Tigers, isn't an enormous upgrade over Trae Golden. But he's a change. That matters most.

No. 20) Marquette Golden Eagles

Losing Vander Blue was a blow to a team whose offense never was dynamic, but there are a lot of strong, tough guys left and coach Buzz Williams to make them into a cohesive unit.

No. 21) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

An already-terrific backcourt gets another weapon when Demetrius Jackson enrolls to join Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant. Atkins averaged 38.3 minutes last season, Grant 36.3. Think they can't use a break?

No. 22) Connecticut Huskies

If the game is about guard play as much as some coaches insist it is, the Huskies should be in excellent shape with Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright and Omar Calhoun.

No. 23) Iowa Hawkeyes

This is the next step for the Hawkeyes in Fran McCaffery’s reconstruction of the program. Or maybe it’s skipping a step, to say they’ll go from out of the tournament to a top-tier seed. But they didn’t miss by much, and transfer Jarrod Uthoff will deepen an already rich frontcourt led by junior Aaron White.

No. 24) Virginia Cavaliers

Is there a point guard in the house? Because if there is, UVa has everything else to take a significant step forward in the ACC. Joe Harris was becoming a star by season’s end, and there’s lots of young talent around him.

No. 25) Indiana Hoosiers

The toughest thing to account for in compiling a Top 25 list this season is how the league changes will affect everyone. Butler managed the jump to the A-10, but what about the Big East? IU isn’t going anywhere, so perhaps the magic of point guard Yogi Ferrell will quickly bring along a young but talented team.

-- Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News | This article originally appeared on SportingNews.com