College Basketball Reference

By Adam Kiefaber

Every Thursday or Friday during the season, I will release the top 25 poll and below that I will list the AP top 25.

This site is a baby and I commend those who are following the start of what could be a special site.

On each conference page, I plan having a link to a blog for each team in the standings (standings will be updated during the week and not during the weekends). Also, I’m working on the each team’s history. However, I’m still thinking about how I’m going to do it.

In the mean time, since the season is starting, here is the first CBR Top 25 of the 2007-2008 season.

1) Memphis 2-0
This team has eight college superstars in Derrick Rose (Fr.), Chris Douglas-Roberts (Jr.), Antonio Anderson (Jr.), Robert Dozier (Jr.), Joey Dorsey (Sr.), Willie Kemp (So.), Andre Allen (Sr.) and Doneal Mack (So.).
2) Kansas 0-0
This team will be scary in Dec. when Brandon Rush (Jr.) comes back. Currently, this team has the best backcourt in the nation w/o Rush with Sherron Collins (So.), Mario Chalmers (Jr.) and Russell Robinson (Sr.).
3) North Carolina 0-0
Brandon Wright is gone, but the team still has Tyler Hansbrough (Jr.). Fans are expecting a lot from Wright’s replacement, Deon Thompson (So.). PG Ty Lawson (So.) is lighting quick.
4) Georgetown 0-0
Jeff Green is in the NBA, but the nation’s best center, Roy Hibbert (Sr.), is back. Guards Jesse Sapp (Jr.) and Jonathan Wallace (Sr.) make up a classic college basketball backcourt (smart/clutch players).
5) UCLA 0-0
Arron Afflalo departs, but G Darren Collison (Jr.) will be the new superstar. C Kevin Love (Fr.) could be the next great big man. F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Jr.) is due for a big season. G-F Josh Shipp (Jr.) is a great scorer.
6) Marquette 0-0
The Golden Eagles might have had the best 2005 recruiting class. Juniors Dominic James (14.8 ppg, 5.0 apg), Jerel McNeal (14.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.8 apg) and Wesley Matthews (12.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg) could led this team to great things.
7) Washington State 0-0
This team plays great defense and has a one of the nation’s better backcourts with seniors Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver.
8) Indiana 0-0
F D.J. White (Sr.) opted out of the NBA Draft. G Eric Gordon (Fr.) will be a superstar.
9) Louisville 0-0
UL returns a lot of talent including strong frontcourt with F Juan Palacios (Sr.), F Terrence Williams (Sr.) and F-C David Padgett (Sr.). PG Edgar Sosa (So.) is a great player.
10) Michigan State 0-0
G Drew Neitzel (Sr.) could be the best player in the Big Ten. MSU and IU should provide a good show when they compete for the Big Ten crown.
11) Tennessee 0-0
SEC Player of the Year Chris Lofton (20.6 ppg - left) is the nation’s best shooter. This team is loaded with talent, but lack size in the frontcourt.
12) Gonzaga 0-0
F Josh Heytvelt (Jr.) isn’t suspended anymore and is a force inside. I expect guards Matt Bouldin (So.) and Jeremy Pargo (Jr.) to have breakout seasons.
13) Oregon 0-0
Aaron Brooks is gone, but the Ducks should still be able to score in bunches with Malik Hairston (Sr.), Bryce Taylor (Sr.) and Tajuan Porter (So.)
14) Texas A&M 0-0
The Aggies lose a lot with Acie Law and Antanas Kavaliauskas leaving, but the loss of head coach Billy Gillispie could hurt more. However, this team returns 10 players.
15) Texas 0-0
Kevin Durant was unreal, but is gone. Sophomores PG D.J. Augustin and F Damion James come back from Durant’s recruiting class. Also, SG A.J. Abrams (Jr.) is a great three-point shooter.
16) Southern California 0-0
A lot is expected from O.J. Mayo (Fr.). F Taj Gibson (So.) put up big numbers as a freshman last year (11.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg). G Daniel Hackett (So.), F Davon Jefferson (Fr.) and G Angelo Johnson (Fr.) are expected to play big roles on this young team.
17) Villanova 0-0
This team is inexperienced, but G Scottie Reynolds (So.) is one of the better scorers in the nation. Junior forwards Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham give Nova a solid frontcourt. Also, the incoming freshman class could be special. Watch out for the Coreys (Fisher and Stokes).
18) Arkansas 0-0
All five starters return from a team that went 21-14. I expect G Patrick Beverley (So.) to have a great season. Also, C Steven Hill (Sr.) could have a big year.
19) Duke 0-0
Duke is No. 13 in the AP and No. 11 in the coaches’ polls. The Blue Devils are always overrated. Young players on this team will have to step up for them to move up CBR’s Top 25.
20) Arizona 0-0
Zona keeps bringing in the talent. Last year, it was F Chase Budinger (15.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg). This year it is G Jerryd Barless. The biggest news this offseason might be the addition of assistant coach Kevin O’Neill, who should help the defense and eventually take over for Lute Olsen.
21) Pittsburgh 0-0
The Panthers lose three solid players in Aaron Gray, Levon Kendall and Antonio Graves. Junior G Levance Fields will have to stay out of trouble and have a big season for Pitt to stay in the Top 25.
22) Ohio State 0-0
OSU played great w/o Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook in the 2005-2006 season. PG Jamar Butler (Sr.) is a good leader. SF David Lighty (So.) should have a breakout season and C Kosta Koufos (Fr.) is a special player.
23) Kentucky 1-1
UK lost to Gardner-Webb, but this team is talented and has a great coach. Eventually, F Patrick Patterson (did have 12 points and 12 rebounds in Gardner-Webb loss) will start to dominate the paint. Seniors Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford have NBA talent. Also, G Jodie Meeks (So.) was inconsistent last year, but has the most talent on this team.
24) Xavier 0-0
The Musketeers are well coached and have three great seniors in SG Stanley Burrell (13.1 ppg), PG Drew Lavender (11.2 ppg, 4.7 apg) and F Josh Duncan (9.3 ppg, rpg 3.5). Lavender really started to play well at the end of last season and at 5-foot-7 he is one of the more quicker PGs in the country.
25) Connecticut 2-0
This team really underachieved last year. A.J. Price (Jr.) is a scoring machine, but needs to stay out of trouble. G Jerome Dyson (So. - right) is super quick and will have a great season. PF Jeff Adrien (Jr.) is a force inside and C Hasheem Thabeet (So.) will improve over the course of the season.

AP Top 25
No. School Record Points Prev
1 North Carolina (29) 0-0 1728 0
2 UCLA (24) 0-0 1710 0
3 Memphis (18) 2-0 1680 0
4 Kansas 0-0 1568 0
5 Georgetown (1) 0-0 1504 0
6 Louisville 0-0 1380 0
7 Tennessee 0-0 1371 0
8 Michigan State 0-0 1296 0
9 Indiana 0-0 1145 0
10 Washington State 0-0 1103 0
11 Marquette 0-0 1002 0
12 Oregon 0-0 918 0
13 Duke 0-0 868 0
14 Gonzaga 0-0 711 0
15 Texas 0-0 638 0
16 Texas A&M 0-0 623 0
17 Arizona 0-0 499 0
18 Southern California 0-0 480 0
19 Arkansas 0-0 468 0
20 Kentucky 1-1 372 0
21 North Carolina State 0-0 338 0
22 Pittsburgh 0-0 293 0
23 Stanford 0-0 290 0
24 Southern Illinois 0-0 222 0
25 Kansas State 0-0 216 0
Others Receiving Votes: Villanova(0-0) 144; Ohio State(0-0) 128; Butler(0-0) 114; Syracuse(0-0) 103; Clemson(0-0) 83; Xavier(0-0) 73; Connecticut(1-0) 50; Davidson(0-0) 50; Mississippi State(0-0) 38; Florida(0-0) 35; West Virginia(0-0) 20; Virginia Commonwealth(0-0) 19; Virginia(0-0) 19; Notre Dame(0-0) 18; Wisconsin(0-0) 15; Alabama(0-0) 14; Missouri(0-0) 8; Maryland(0-0) 6; Nevada(0-0) 6; Vanderbilt(0-0) 6; Washington(0-0) 6; New Mexico State(0-0) 4; Utah State(0-0) 4; Brigham Young(0-0) 3; Providence(0-0) 3; Akron(0-0) 2; Illinois(0-0) 2; Southern Miss.(0-0) 2; George Mason(0-0) 1; Houston(0-0) 1
Updated: (11/08/2007) at 12:39 EST

This entry was posted Friday, November 9th, 2007 at 3:05 am and is filed under CBR's Top 25 rankings. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.