Top 10:

1. Kansas

Despite losing in the Sweet 16 last year to eventual runner-up Michigan State, Kansas returns four of its five starters and adds super freshman Xavier Henry to its lineup. With two Player of the Year candidates in point guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich, anything less than a Final Four will be a disappointment this year for coach Bill Self’s squad.

2. Michigan State

The Spartans were embarrassed in the championship game by North Carolina, but they too return four of five starters. These include outstanding, lightning-fast point guard Kalin Lucas and powerful forward Raymar Morgan, each of whom has a chance for an All-American season.

3. Texas

Coach Rick Barnes has had a squad loaded with talent for the last five or six years, but hasn’t advanced past the Elite Eight since 2003. Look for that to change this year, with Texas boasting perhaps the best front line in the nation. Big men Damion James and Dexter Pittman are both seniors who could have been first-round draft picks last year but chose to stay in Austin to play with top-ranked freshman Avery Bradley and chase a title.

4. North Carolina

The Tar Heels lost four starters from their dominating championship run last year, but the well is far from dry. Roy Williams has put together one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, and Carolina should have the best frontcourt rotation in the country, with six big men likely to be first round draft picks at some point. After UNC’s last championship in 2005, no one picked them to even make the NCAA tournament. But behind talented freshmen, including eventual National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough, they finished in the top 15 and made it to the second round. Look for a much better finish than that this season.

5. Villanova

Shooting guard Scottie Reynolds returns for what seems like his ninth season at Villanova for coach Jay Wright. Wright has always had guard-heavy, overachieving lineups, and this year promises to be the same. He’ll probably start three guards and the team has a great chance to go to a second straight Final Four. The Wildcats have only missed the Sweet 16 once since 2005, and don’t expect that to change this year.

6. Kentucky

Big Blue was just decent last year, finishing tied for fourth in the weak SEC, and was not selected for the NCAA tournament. So they ousted second-year head coach Billy Gillispie and hired John Calipari, who had taken Memphis to at least the Sweet 16 for four straight years and lost the national title game in overtime to Kansas in 2008. Calipari immediately put together the best recruiting class to come to Lexington in years, including John Wall, whom many project to be the top NBA draft pick in 2010, and DeMarcus Cousins, one of the best forward prospects out there. Kentucky will make a legitimate run at the Final Four this year if each player lives up to the hype.

7. Duke

Mike Krzyzewski and Co. have been a top-10 program for as long as anyone can remember, but they’ve been overshadowed by rival North Carolina for the last several years. Even with four returning starters and some long-awaited frontcourt depth arriving this year in the form of McDonald’s All-American forwards Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly and guard Andre Dawkins, the Blue Devils should finish behind UNC in the ACC yet again, but they should be able to make a run at the Final Four if they stay healthy.

8. Connecticut

The Huskies lost almost as much firepower as the champion Tar Heels from last season’s squad, including top 5 pick Hasheem Thabeet. But returning stars Kemba Walker, Jerome Dyson, and Stanley Robinson will have a lot to say about UConn refusing to fall off for coach Jim Calhoun.

9. Purdue

The Boilermakers may have two of the best players you’ve never heard of in juniors Robbie Hummel and E’Twaun Moore. They also return all of their starters and most of their key reserves and will almost definitely improve on their Sweet 16 finish last year. But Hummel has had problems with keeping his lower back healthy, and Purdue’s success will hinge on how well he holds up.

10. Ohio State

Evan Turner may be the best all-around player in college basketball. Last season, he averaged 17.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 0.8 blocks per game. This season, he will get lots of help from fellow juniors Jon Diebler and David Lighty (who missed all but seven games in 2008-09). Coach Thad Matta will look to return the Buckeyes to their Final Four form of 2007.

Three Players to Watch Outside the Top 10:

Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

Even though Harangody was Big East Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2008, he returned for his junior and then his senior seasons, bypassing a possible top-15 draft position each time. With his powerful inside game and improved outside shooting, look for him to lead the Fighting Irish as they try to improve on last year’s NIT berth.

Willie Warren, Oklahoma

Without power forward Blake Griffin, the number 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA draft, combo guard extraordinaire Warren will assume the spotlight. He can score from anywhere on the floor and is one of the strongest and fastest 6’4” guards in the country.

Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech

Favors is just a freshman, but he will almost certainly be one of the ACC’s best big men. The Yellow Jackets have been picked in numerous preseason top 25 polls almost solely because of Favors’ arrival, even though they went just 12-19 last season. Favors is a 6’10” power forward who is an athletic freak and even has some skills away from the basket and in the open court. Favors will likely win numerous national freshman awards and may even get All-American buzz.