Next year's top five teams

By John McManus Sports Central Columnist

With March Madness and the 2002 NCAA Tournament behind us, it is not too early to start thinking about next season.

October 15 will be upon us before you know it, and though the list may change several times between now and then, here are my top five teams for the 2002-03 season.

1. Kansas: Jeff Boschee will graduate, and it looks like Drew Gooden will make his move to the NBA, but fellow starters Kirk Hinrich, Nick Collison and Aaron Miles, and reserves Wayne Simien and Keith Langford should all return for Roy Williams' Jayhawks. Hinrich is a super guard and Collison has proven that he can be the "go-to guy" inside, especially after his performance against Maryland in the national semifinal.

2. Duke: The Blue Devils will lose graduating juniors Jason Williams and Carlos Boozer. The other three starters: Mike Dunleavy, Chris Duhon and Dahntay Jones should all be back. Like Texas Longhorn Chris Simms in football, Dunleavy can turn to his father in seeking the best advice on whether to turn pro early. And like Simms, Dunleavy will do right by coming back to school for what should be a stellar senior season. Duhon will be Duke's other superstar next year and Jones will again be the defensive stopper. But the one thing Coach Krzyzewski will have next year that not even the great Williams could provide is a deep bench, with five recruits who could join the rotation and contribute right away.

3. Arizona: Jason Gardner will probably test the NBA waters again and this time, I think he'll jump into the draft. That's okay, though, because a lot of other talent will return for Lute Olson. Luke Walton will get better and that's a scary thought for Wildcat opponents. What's even scarier is that multi-talented sophomore-to-be class led by Salim Stoudamire.

4. Connecticut: The Huskies will undoubtedly be No. 1 if Caron Butler returns, but I don't think he will. Still, Jim Calhoun has a lot coming back next season with Taliek Brown and Emeka Okafor. The next star of this program, though, is sharpshooter Ben Gordon. Connecticut will be the team to beat in the Big East, even without Butler.

5. Florida: Billy Donovan's team was a disappointment this season after being picked high in the preseason, but the Gators will be up there again as they have most of their nucleus back. Udonis Haslem moves on after a great four-year career, but everyone else should be back including seniors-to-be Brett Nelson, Matt Bonner and Justin Hamilton. Those three played significant roles as freshmen on that 2000 Final Four team. Now, it's their last go round in Gainesville and they'll get plenty of help from underclassmen Orien Greene, David Lee and James White, and a strong incoming freshman class, which includes highly heralded point guard Anthony Roberson.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.