10. The Orange lose two key seniors from their Final Four team in Brandon Triche and James Southerland, and sophomore guard Michael Carter-Williams declared for the NBA draft. But no matter. Jim Boeheim finds ways to keep his team in the NCAA title picture every season, and 2013-14 shouldn't be any different. Leading scorer and rebounder C.J. Fair (14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds) will be back to lead the Orange's transition into the ACC
9. The Buckeyes would probably rank No. 2 on this list if leading scorer Deshaun Thomas had opted to return for his senior season. One of the top pure scorers in America, Thomas averaged 19.8 points for the Buckeyes' Elite Eight squad and finished with 1,630 points in three seasons. Still, Ohio State should be one of the top teams in America in 2013-14, as each of the other four starters return. It will be tough for point guard Aaron Craft to play much better on the defensive end than he did this season,
8. Derrick Nix (9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds) was the only senior on the Spartans' roster, so Michigan State should be the slight favorite to win the Big Ten next season over Ohio State. Tom Izzo scored huge victories by getting shooting guard Gary Harris and forward Adreian Payne to return for another season
7. The Gators lose their top three scorers in Mike Rosario, Erik Murphy and Kenny Boynton, but if UF takes a step back, it won't be a major one. Florida could have one of the better front lines in the SEC in rising senior Patric Young (10.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and incoming five-star freshman Chris Walker, a 6-foot-10, 195-pounder with a versatile offensive skill set. Transfers Demontre Harris (South Carolina) and Dorian Finney-Smith (Virginia Tech) have proven themselves at the Division I level and returning forward Will Yeguete was playing as well as any Gator at the end of the season.
6. The Blue Devils' top three scorers -- Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry -- were all seniors last season. Still, as much as their departures will sting, the Blue Devils' roster is far from bare. The biggest reason for optimism is incoming freshman Jabari Parker, a small forward who is the No. 2-ranked prospect in America by ESPN.com. Parker is good enough to make Duke the slight favorite for the ACC title and also a Final Four contender. Parker won't have to do it alone. Point guard Quinn Cook improved as much as any player in the ACC last season and should take it to an even higher
5. Before Wiggins committed, Kansas appeared as if it would enter the season as a fringe top 25 team after losing all five starters from a squad that went 31-6 last season. But with Wiggins in the mix, the Jayhawks may be good enough to contend for the NCAA title. It may take a while for them to jell: Wiggins will be one of six freshmen on the youngest team coach Bill Self has had at KU. But it also will be one of his most talented
4. Sean Miller's squad loses three of its top four scorers (Solomon Hill, Kevin Parrom and Mark Lyons) along with promising forward Grant Jerrett, but the Wildcats should still be the class of the Pac-12. Arizona's highly touted 2012 recruiting class started off slow, but post players Kaleb Tarczewski and Brandon Ashley made huge strides in February and March and should enter next season full of momentum. Shooting guard Nick Johnson (11.5 points) emerged as a leader on the perimeter.
3. Rick Pitino's squad will be favored to make a third straight Final Four appearance. Point guard Peyton Siva was the only senior on last season's roster. His leadership will be tough to replace, but Louisville signed two point guards (juco transfer Chris Jones and high school star Terry Rozier) who should more than make up for Siva's absence. Louisville received a huge boost when Siva's backcourt mate, Russ Smith, decided to return for his senior season. Smith, who averaged 18.7 points last season, is a big-time scorer who needs to improve his decision-making.
2. : Adonis Thomas, D.J. Stephens and Tarik Black are gone from a squad that went 31-5 overall and 16-0 in its final season in Conference USA. Still, there will be more than enough talent on the roster to make Memphis' transition into the American Athletic Conference a smooth one. The key is point guard Joe Jackson, who averaged 13.6 points as a junior and shot 45 percent from 3-point range. He will be joined in the backcourt by 3-point ace Chris Crawford and Geron Johnson, the Tigers' "energy guy" who sets the tone and keeps his teammates hyped on both ends of the court. Crawford was one of the nation's top sixth men last season. Pastner is hoping forward Shaq Goodwin, who averaged 7.4 points in 20.2 minutes as a freshman, has a breakthrough year. With so many departures, Memphis will rely heavily on its No. 2-ranked recruiting class for success. Look for power forward Austin Nichols and small forward Kuran Iverson to make a quick impact.
1. Could the Wildcats really go from first-round NIT losers to NCAA champions? Absolutely. Kentucky's 2013 recruiting class is already being hailed as the best in college basketball history. The haul includes five players (Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Julius Randle, Dakari Johnson and James Young) ranked among the nation's top 10 prospects by ESPN.com.
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