College Basketball and the Madness to Come
Winter is finally here, which means that the fall sports seasons are coming to a close, the winter seasons are starting, and the new college basketball season has begun. Although many viewers just watch college hoops in March for the exciting March Madness, the true fans know that the regular season is equally exciting: the rankings change weekly, and the underdogs knock off the top teams on a weekly basis.
At the start of the season, the University of Kansas was nearly unanimously voted the best team in the nation, getting 27 of the 30 possible votes from the ESPN/USA Today poll, and 55 of 64 in the AP poll. The Jayhawks had an extremely impressive season last year, earning the third seed in the 2009 March Madness tournament and advancing to the Elite Eight before finally losing to the eventual national runner-up, Michigan State. This was very significant, seeing as the Jayhawks lost three of the five starters from their 2008 national championship team. Now, two years later, with players that gained a lot of much needed experience last year, Kansas looks poised to reclaim their crown and many college basketball fans regard them as the favorites.
Another team looking to reclaim glory is Michigan State, who lost in the national championship game to the University of North Carolina last season. In both the AP and USA Today polls, Michigan State was voted second in the country, and the team hopes to return to the national championship this year and leave as the victors. Last year’s champions, UNC’s Tar Heels, have a strong team every year. But after losing their star center and point guard to the NBA draft, they look unlikely to be a serious threat.
Unfortunately, local favorite Boston College does not look as strong this year as previously hoped, especially after the graduation of star guard Tyrese Rice. The team was left out of the Top 25 polls, but many believe that Boston can exceed pre-season expectations and become serious contenders in the ACC, hopefully earning a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Although March Madness is a long way away, the college basketball season looks to be promising and exciting throughout, with many teams looking to become the next champions of their world.
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