Nightcap: Klee's Top 25 poll

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Illinois will be included in ESPN's College GameDay broadcast again - this time on the road. Illinois at Michigan State (Feb. 19) is one of thefeatured matchups this coming season. The Breslin Center game is a rematch of last season's UI-MSU game at the Assemby Hall.

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By Paul Klee

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 7:00 PM CDT

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-Who's your Big Ten basketball MVP? Click here.

7 p.m. each weekday leading up to the season opener, beat writer Paul Klee will have an update on the Illini or the 2009-10 basketball season:

Klee's Preseason Associated Press Top 25 ballot

1. Kentucky
2. Kansas
3. Michigan State
4. Texas
5. North Carolina
6. Villanova
7. Purdue
8. Butler
9. Duke
10. Washington
11. West Virginia
12. Connecticut
13. Ohio State
14. Tennessee
15. Minnesota
16. Oklahoma
17. Clemson
18. Dayton
19. California
20. Siena
21. Illinois
22. Vanderbilt
23. Michigan
24. Mississippi State
25. Georgia Tech

Preseason All-American team
G John Wall - Kentucky
G Willie Warren - Oklahoma
G Sherron Collins - Kansas
F Luke Harangody - Notre Dame
C Cole Aldrich - Kansas

Poll Thoughts
-The preseason AP Top 25 will be released Thursday. The News-Gazette has been awarded a Top 25 ballot for over a decade, and this is the fourth season I'll handle voting duties. I spend way too much every Sunday night on my Top 25 poll - and I'm always open to your thoughts and criticisms. Tell me I'm wrong via email (pklee@news-gazette.com) or on Twitter (/PKlee_IlliniHQ).

-The first Top 25 ballot is always tough. You're basing it on last season's results, roster losses and recruiting gains. The latter is why I have Kentucky at No. 1. I see more talent on the Kentucky roster than anywhere else, and I think talent is the ulimate factor in winning a national title. Kansas will be No. 1 when the first poll is released Thursday, and that's a great pick. Bill Self has more than enough in the stable to win his second title in three years.

-Even after watching countless workouts and pickup games this offseason, Illinois is tough to gauge. I think the Illini are worthy of a Top 25 ranking. But it's close. Demetri McCamey has been super. I'm surprised when Mike Davis misses a jumper. D.J. Richardson is fearless as a freshman. Bruce Weber is your coach. Those factors nudged the Illini into our first poll, despite another early exit in the NCAA tournament. I see an Illinois team that gets better as the season moves forward and roles are defined.

-Just missing the cut on our first ballot (in no order): Louisville, Xavier, Syracuse, UCLA, Wake Forest, Western Kentucky, Georgetown, BYU, Tulsa, Mississippi.

-Just missing our preseason All-American team: Gordon Hayward (Butler), Craig Brackins (Iowa State), Patrick Patterson (Kentucky), Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest), Kalin Lucas (Michigan State).

Comments

Great work as usual Klee.

Illini play ranked teams(per PK) in 6 of their last 8 games and the other two are against Wisky. Rough. We will be battle tested for the tourney. If we can get through that stretch 4-4 we should be in the Big Ten title chase until the end and secure a 3-5 seed in tourney.

Posted by Matt on October 28, 2009 at 8:12 PM | Suggest Removal

Dude larue brumby peetmoss feartheillini orangeblazer tempo and ilman gonna hate kansas behind kentucky

fear the rug!

hoopsnut and detlef hate that Illini are in any pole.

newsgazete needs to get rid of the loser message board!

Illini can play w / any of the teams in the top 25

Posted by larueisbrumby on October 28, 2009 at 8:12 PM | Suggest Removal

Talent may be the biggest factor but probably doesn't even make up a majority of the reason why teams win national championships. Kentucky has exactly one player coming back who's a proven above-average college basketball player (albeit one of the best in all of colle basketball, Patrick Patterson). How many national champions win with a roster makeup like that? '03 Cuse is the exception, not the rule.

National championship teams tend to:

1. Be led by veterans who could have entered the previous year's draft (Collins/Aldrich)

2. Have multiple future NBA players (Collins/Aldrich/Henry/Taylor, at least)

3. Get 40% of their scoring from their PF and C (Aldrich, the Morris twins, and Robinson figure to do this)

4. Have a big-time wing scorer

5. Be augmented by star freshmen, not led by them

6. Have a proven coach

7. Have good-to-great three point shooting (Collins, Morningstar, Reed, Henry and Taylor can all stroke it)

Think about title teams over the last decade save for '03 Cuse and these factors describe most of them to a tee. When you say Kentucky has more talent, it's maybe true, but it's just barely. But Kansas has loads more experience. Talent doesn't trump everything. It's a major part of the equation, but not the majority.

Posted by on October 28, 2009 at 9:11 PM | Suggest Removal

Nice work, Paul.

Posted by ax474 on October 29, 2009 at 7:48 AM | Suggest Removal

Kalin Lucas should replace either Wall or Warren.

Either Syracuse or Georgetown should replace Mississippi State.

Posted by Wenalway on October 29, 2009 at 11:49 PM | Suggest Removal