Here is my list of the top 10 teams for the 2010-2011 college basketball season. It is hard to look that far ahead into the future but I gave it my best shot. I tried to account for players leaving early and possible impact recruits joining the team next year.

1. Michigan State- The Spartans bring back everyone besides Raymar Morgan from last year’s Final Four squad. Morgan will be missed but the Spartans have plenty of firepower to fill that void with Draymond Green, Delvon Roe, and incoming highly touted recruit Adrian Payne. In the backcourt Kalin Lucas returns along with guards Korie Lucious, Chris Allen, and Durrell Summers. You can also not dismiss the fact that Tom Izzo has been taken the Spartans to the final four in six of his last twelve seasons in East Lansing.

X factor- Michigan State has two highly touted recruits coming in next year in Payne and point guard Keith Appling. If they can contribute and provide some scoring it would give the Spartans even more depth and firepower than they already have.

NBA watch- I do not see any Michigan State players leaving early for the NBA draft.

?- How will Kalin Lucas return from his ruptured Achilles? It will be interesting to see how effective Lucas is next year and how much time it will take for him to feel comfortable again on the court coming off that injury/

2. Butler- Butler will not drop off after their special run to the NCAA tournament championship game. Starting point guard Willie Veasley and reserve Avery Jukes are gone, but besides that the rest of the crew is coming back. Yes, Shelvin Mack, Gordan Hayward, Matt Howard, and Ronald Norad are all returning in hopes of finishing the job this time and cutting down the nets. The Bulldogs don’t have any big time recruits coming in but none of the aforementioned players were McDonald’s All Americans either. Finally, Brad Stevens just signed a contract extension today that would keep him Butler till 2022.

X factor- Matt Howard was in foul trouble a lot lost year and it cost him valuable minutes on the court. If he can improve his game and stay out of foul trouble it will give the Bulldogs a great low post presence.

NBA watch- There was some talk about Gordan Hayward leaving early for the NBA but it looks as though he will return to Butler next year.

?- Willie Veasley was an experienced mainstay at the point guard position and needs to be replaced. Also, Avery Jukes departure leaves the Bulldogs somewhat thin in the frontcourt.

3. Duke- Duke loses Lance Thomas, Brain Zoubek, and Jon Scheyer from last year’s National Championship team. The cupboard is far from bare for the Blue Devils though. Nolan Smith is back to break down defenses from the point guard position and the Plumlee brothers should see increased minutes in the frontcourt to make up for the loss of Smith and Zoubek. There has been no word yet as to whether Kyle Singler will bolt for the NBA draft but I have him staying. Finally, Duke will welcome newcomer Seth Curry (younger brother of Stephen Curry), Curry averaged 20.2 points per game in his freshman season at Liberty.

X factor- Curry had an excellent season at Liberty his freshman season, but the Flames are in the Big South conference while Duke is in the ACC. How will Curry adjust to the increase in competition? If he can contribute immediately his play could elevate the Blue Devils.

NBA watch- Kyle Singler is the only Blue Devil who would make the early jump to the NBA; as of yet there has been no word of Kyle leaving early for the league.

?- Can Miles and Mason Plumlee make the transition from being role players to potentially starters? The loss of Thomas and Zoubek will put a lot of pressure of these young men’s shoulders as nobody of significance comes to mind that will be joining them in the frontcourt.

4. Georgetown- I am going to catch a lot of heat for this one after the fiasco that was the Hoya’s first round loss to Ohio University in the NCAA tournament. The Hoyas though do not lose a single player from last year’s team. That was a team that won 23 games last year and was a trendy pick before the tournament started to make a deep run. The Hoyas also have two highly rated recruits coming in with guard Markel Starks and power forward Nate Lubick. I don’t expect either of those freshman to be dominant in their freshman seasons but if those two players can add depth to the Hoyas rotation that would be a big boost.

X factor- When Chris Wright plays well the Hoyas are usually successful and when he does not play well Georgetown struggles. Wright’s play at point guard will go a long way in determining how good Georgetown will be.

NBA watch- Greg Monroe has not made a decision as to whether he will enter the draft or not. ESPN’s Andy Katz reported Monday that Monroe is considering returning to Georgetown. If Monroe leaves that will be a huge hit to the Hoyas and drop them out any preseason top 10 discussion.

?- How will Georgetown respond after losing by 14 points to the 14 seed Ohio Bobcats? Was that game a one game apparition or is this team even with all of their returning talent not as good as we thought?

5. Purdue- Senior guards Chris Kramer and Keaton Grant are gone from last year’s sweet sixteen team. The Boilermakers do return center JaJuan Johnson and forward E’Twaun Moore. Robbie Hummel also returns next year after he was sidelined at the end of last season with a torn ACL. Purdue showed toughness in making to the second weekend of the tournament last year with Hummel before falling to eventual champion Duke. That experience will be vital next season and expect them to do big things with their “Big 3” back intact.
X factor- Guard Lewis Jackson averaged 5.9 points per game in his freshman season before being sidelined with an injury in the first half of his sophomore season. If Jackson can regain the promising play he was showing in his freshman season that could be a big help to Purdue.
NBA Watch- No Boilermakers are considering leaving early for the NBA
?- Will Robbie Hummel come back from his torn ACL as the same player he was before he got injured. Hummel will have had an ample amount of time to recover by the time next season starts but those are always tough injuries to return from.

6. Pitt- The Panthers return everyone besides Jermaine Dixon from a team that won 25 games last year. Players such as Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wannamaker, and Gilbert Brown should continue to develop under talented head coach Jamie Dixon. Incoming point guard Isiah Epps should also provide help in the backcourt. Pittsburgh along with Georgetown and Villanova has to be an early favorite to win the Big East next season.

X factor- Dante Taylor came in last season as a McDonald’s All American and one of the most highly decorated freshman to come to Pitt. He averaged 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in his freshman. With Gilbert Brown gone in the frontcourt it will be interesting to see if he can make a huge leap in his sophomore and live up to the hype he came in with.

NBA watch- No Panthers are considering leaving early for the NBA.

?- Pittsburgh has only been to one Final Four in the program’s history in 1941. While they have had great teams recently, they have no history of making it to the Final Four or playing for a National Championship. Will this finally be the Pittsburgh team that takes the Panthers back to the round of 4?

7. Kansas State- The Wildcats will remain amongst the nation’s elite next year. Guard Jacob Pullen is back along with inside players Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels. Wally Judge and Rodney McGruder will also make the transition from freshman to sophomores. Kansas State does lose Denis Clemente who along with averaging 16.6 points per game was the heart and soul of the team. Frank Martin though has instilled toughness and a commitment to defense in Manhattan, Kansas that should keep the Wildcats competitive for a long time.

X factor- Much like Dante Taylor with Pittsburgh if McGruder and Judge can make strides in the offseason and take that big leap between their freshman and sophomore years it will elevate K-State.

NBA watch- No Wildcats are considering leaving early for the NBA

?- Clemente was the team leader and always seem to come up with big plays when Kansas State needed them. Who will fill that void now that he has graduated?

8. Baylor- I have the Bears at number eight even though they will have to deal with losses from last year’s Elite Eight team. Point guard Tweety Carter and big man Josh Lomers have graduated. Epke Udoh has not decided whether or not to enter the NBA draft; while guard Lacedarius Dunn is likely to stay at Baylor. The Bears also welcome back forwards Quincy Acy and Anthony Jones. Baylor also has 6-11 Perry Jones coming in next year who is rated the 6th best player in the class of 2010 by rivals. A nucleus of Dunn in the backcourt and Acy paired with incoming recruit Anthony Jones makes the Bears a formidable team next year. If Udoh decides to stay then that would elevate them even further.

X factor- Quincy Acy played well in his sophomore season, but he now has the opportunity to step in the spotlight in his junior season. Acy played well last year but that got overshadowed sometimes by the play of Udoh. If Acy can continue to give Baylor a strong post presence that will make things a lot easier on Lacedarius Dunn.

NBA watch- Lacedarius Dunn and Epke Udoh are both considering leaving early for the NBA. It is a strong possibility that Dunn will return to Baylor since he is not projected to be drafted in the first or second round. Udoh is considered a strong possibility to leave early since he is projected to be a first round pick.

9. Villanova- Villanova loses do it all guard Scotty Reynolds and the reliable Reggie Redding. Coach Jay Wright will still have plenty of firepower for next year though. Cory Stokes and Cory Fisher were big parts of the offense last year (Fisher averaged 13.3 points per game and Stokes averaged 9.5 points per game) and should continue to shine next year. Maalik Wayns should promise in his freshman campaign and will return to assist Fisher and Stokes in the backcourt. In the frontcourt Antonia Penâ returns along with Taylor King and underclassman Mouphtaou Yarou. The Wildcats will also hope to get increased production from Dominic Cheek as the graduation of Reynolds and Redding could mean more minutes for the sophomore guard. Villanova will also welcome James Bell an aggressive slasher who I was able to watch play on ESPN a couple times recently in national high school tournament. From what I saw I think Bell will fit into Villanova’s offensive scheme just fine.

X factor- Dominic Cheek will be counted on to step in and contribute more now that Reynolds and Redding are gone. Strong backcourt play from Cheek would take pressure off of Stokes and Fisher.

NBA watch- No Wildcats are considering leaving early for the NBA draft.

?- Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher showed last year that they are good players and they complimented Scotty Reynolds nicely in the backcourt. Can one of them if not both together step up and make those timely shots and show poise when things get tough as Reynolds always did.

10. Ohio State- I realize that Evan Turner is leaving early for the NBA but there is still plenty of talent to go around in Columbus. Jon Diebler, David Lighty, and William Buford all averaged over 12 points per game last season and will be returning to hold down the frontcourt. Dallas Lauderdale at 6-8, 260 lbs will be the anchor in the paint next year for the Buckeyes. Lauderdale averaged 6.5 points and 5.2 rebounds last year and will play a bigger role in the Bucks scheme this season. The Buckeyes also bring in a recruiting class that is one of the best in the nation with three prospects ranked in the top 40 by rivals. The class is headlined by 6-8, 260 lb Jarred Sullinger out of Columbus, Ohio. Sullinger is rated the number three prospect in the country by rivals and will complement Lauderdale in the paint.

X factor- Jon Diebler is an excellent three point shooter that makes plays and needs to be accounted for by defenses. If he can continue to play well and stretch the defense it will make Ohio State a lot harder to stop.

NBA watch- Evan Turner has declared for the NBA draft.

?- Putting stock in high school recruiting rankings and the potential of players who haven’t played college basketball yet is a dangerous thing. Ohio State earns a spot in the top ten based on how strong their recruiting haul looks. An amazing recruiting class by itself can elevate a team to the top of the rankings as it did for the Bucks in 2007 and Kentucky last year. The Buckeyes have a good team based on who they have returning but if their freshman can live up to the hype then they could really be something special.

That is my top 10 for next year. Obviously players will declare for the draft, recruits will sign, and unexpected things will happen in the offseason. Right now though that is who I see having the best looking squads for next year, three days after the national title game.

Thoughts, disagreements, comments let me know.