Welcome to Volume II of The Bilas Index for the 2015-16 season. Nowhere else on this planet, nah, the galaxy, will you find a more trustworthy accounting of the best teams across the college basketball landscape. The precise accounting of basketball accomplishment and skill, with all of it organized into a small, easily digested chronicle of basketball education. You're welcome.

The Bilas Index is reliability and trustworthiness all wrapped up in a neat package, ready for the holiday. Treat yourself and your loved ones to The Bilas Index, and guarantee yourself immediate basketball understanding and knowledge. The impeccable judgment of The Bilastrator provides incredible accuracy, and his unlimited genius and immeasurable brainpower will help increase your basketball intelligence.

As The Bilastrator told you in Volume I, this is a different season. We have some good teams with the opportunity to grow, and there is a much bigger pool of teams that are capable of making the Final Four. Last year, there were the same number of teams with this on-court capability, but there were six or seven teams ahead of them that simply were not going to be beaten before the Elite Eight. That is not the case this year. There are few teams that would surprise you by losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament. That will make for volatility in your bracket and some jockeying for position in The Bilas Index.

(Before unveiling the latest Bilas Index, a brief and necessary aside: Bo Ryan retired Tuesday night, effective immediately. He is one of the finest coaches college basketball has known. Wisconsin is a national brand in basketball because of Bo, and he should have been inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame last year. But, it is a near certainty that will happen. There is hardly ever a perfect ending in sports. Wooden had one, but most don't. So what? We won't remember the end for Bo, but the moments, and the entire body of work. Bo Ryan is one of the best ever, and the game was better after having him in it. Now, back to Bilastrator business ...)

The Bilastrator is pleased to provide you with this splendid omnibus collection of roundball acumen. As always, you're welcome.