Sean Merriman, BTN.com web editor, March 22, 2016
We are smack in the middle of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, but that hasn't stopped college basketball publications from getting a step ahead of the game.
[ MORE: Indiana-UNC preview | @BTNStatsGuys crunch the numbers ]
College hoops guru Ken Pomeroy, who uses a statistical formula for rankings, released his Top 10 rankings for the 2016-17 college basketball season.
Pomeroy posted his rankings on Twitter early Monday morning.
He lists two Big Ten teams, Indiana and Wisconsin, in his Top 10.
The Badgers come in at No. 8 on his list, while Indiana is listed as the No. 9-ranked team in Pomeroy's preseason rankings.
Check it out here.
UPDATED top 10: 10) Virginia, 9) Indiana, 8) Wisconsin, 7) Oregon, 6) UNC, 5) Kansas, 4) Villanova, 3) Duke, 2) Kentucky, 1) Louisville
— Ken Pomeroy (@kenpomeroy) March 20, 2016
Pomeroy makes it clear that his rankings are based on all players in Draft Express' first round leaving school, and all other eligible players returning.
He has Louisville ranked as his No. 1 preseason team, while Kentucky is listed at No. 2.
My take: I am surprised to see both Michigan State and Maryland left out of the mix. The Spartans return an abundance of talent from this year's team, as well as a top-ranked recruiting class that is considered the best in the Tom Izzo-era. Deyonta Davis is listed in Draft Express' first round, which means Pomroy is expecting the Spartans to be without their star big man, in addition to the loss of Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes and Matt Costello. Still, with the likes Tum Tum Nairn, Eron Harris, and Marvin Clark returning, in addition to four of the top 50 freshman in the nation, this is puzzling.
Maryland is another one that surprised me. The Terps lose Jake Layman and Rasheed Sulaimon to graduation, and Draft Express lists Diamond Stone as a first round pick. Still, Melo Trimble is a sophomore and is not listed in the first round, which means by this formula, he would be included in the mix. Robert Carter Jr. returns as well. He looked great in big games this season and could be the best post man in the conference next season.
Purdue is another team to consider with the return of Caleb Swanigan, Isaac Haas and Vince Edwards.
Indiana and Wisconsin both make sense, especially since these rankings are based on the assumption that Troy Williams and Thomas Bryant return to Indiana, and Nigel Hayes returns to Wisconsin.
Enjoy, college basketball fans!