By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

1. Connecticut

Emeka Okafor

Powerful center Emeka Okafor provides the essential superstar ingredient needed for a championship run, while a supporting cast of Ben Gordon, Denham Brown and Taliek Brown make this the best team in the country. Newcomer Charlie Villanueva can be counted upon to contribute but might find himself battling for playing time at Connecticut as much as he would have had he gone to the NBA.

2. Duke

Last season's 26-7 campaign was very unDuke-like, but coach Mike Krzyzewski has a more traditional Blue Devils team this season that can shoot, rebound and defend. Senior Chris Duhon must prove he's capable of handling the pressure of leadership or lose the role to a sophomore. That would be J.J. Redick, who shot his way to a sensational freshman season and could return this season ready to take over this team.

3. Arizona

Gone are Luke Walton, Jason Gardner and Rick Anderson, but the Wildcats are stocked with a fabulous freshman in Mustafa Shakur and a solid trio of returning starters. This group is short on experience, which might lead to frustration at times for Lute Olson, who is beginning his 31st season as head coach.

4. Michigan State

The Spartans need junior Kelvin Torbert to live up to his hype finally, because Tom Izzo's club is positioned to win the Big Ten and contend for the national title. Forward Paul Davis could be an All-American, and newcomer Shannon Brown will make a difference on the perimeter. But Torbert's success, particularly offensively, will be the most critical factor for this to be a great team.

5. Missouri

Rickey Paulding, F, Missouri

The Tigers are accustomed to high preseason expectations, but they've yet to back them up under Quin Snyder. This could be the year, with superstar guard Rickey Paulding set to explode on the national scene and big man Arthur Johnson controlling the paint in the Big 12. That said, each of the past three years began the same way, only to end with a feeling of underachievement.

6. Syracuse

At first it seems unthinkable that Syracuse could return to the Final Four without Carmelo Anthony. But coach Jim Boeheim brings back sophomore studs Gerry McNamara and Billy Edelin and junior All-America candidate Hakim Warrick. The only surprise will be if this team isn't better than last season's by February. Fittingly, Syracuse and Connecticut play each other in the final Big East regular-season game.

7. Gonzaga

Blake Stepp, Cory Violette, Ronny Turiaf. What's not to like? Oh, yeah, that mid-major conference. Well, this is hardly a mid-major team, as it has proven over the last half-decade, and this might be the best group of Zags yet. There's experience, size and great outside shooting, which should equal another postseason run.

8. Texas

The Longhorns are loaded up front, but who will get the ball to Brad Buckman, Brandon Mouton and James Thomas now that T.J. Ford is gone? Probably senior Royal Ivey, but that's not the point. The point is Texas has a wealth of returning talent, and just because Ford is gone doesn't mean this team isn't loaded.

9. Oklahoma

Five-foot-7 freshman Andrew Lavender will be fun to watch as he inherits the point guard role. He's a scoring and passing dynamo out of Columbus Brookhaven who can't do it all by himself but will make his teammates better. Sounds a bit like a former Big 12 point guard who had a breakout freshman season on the other side of the Red River.

10. Kentucky

Not last season's team, which was arguably the best in the nation, but this is still Kentucky, a college basketball factory. Gerald Fitch and Chuck Hayes lead a deep UK team that will rely as much on Tubby Smith's coaching as it does on its own talent. Smith needs Princeton High School product Erik Daniels to be more of a playmaker down low to go with a quicker lineup.

11. North Carolina

Roy Williams inherited plenty to work with at his alma mater. He has one of the best backcourts in the nation in Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants. Sean May and Jawad Williams provide a force down low that could drive the Tar Heels to an Atlantic Coast Conference title. Beyond that is uncharted territory for this team, which has been a disaster the past two years.

12. Kansas

The Jayhawks underwent a tumultuous end to last season, losing the national championship game and losing their coach to North Carolina shortly thereafter. New coach Bill Self won't have the senior leadership of past teams, but three juniors - Keith Langford, Wayne Simien and Aaron Miles - will keep KU in the Big 12 title hunt. Don't forget, Kansas has been to two straight Final Fours, which might be a confidence builder if things don't start well.

13. Stanford

Four starters, led by 6-8 Josh Childress, return to make the Cardinal a legitimate threat to Arizona in the Pacific 10. Coach Mike Montgomery has been there for 17 years and hasn't missed an NCAA Tournament since 1994. He won't miss one this year either, but he needs Childress to step up as a go-to guy to advance very far.

14. Wisconsin

Quick, name Wisconsin's head coach. It's Bo Ryan, and all he has done in two years at the Badgers' helm is win two Big Ten championships. Four returning starters who each averaged double figures in scoring last season are back, and Ryan added 6-11 McDonald's All-American Brian Butch. All of which means Wisconsin will continue to challenge for the Big Ten title under the national radar until the Badgers make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.

15. Illinois

Youth is on the rise in Champaign. Sophomore guard Dee Brown was the star of the summer for the USA Basketball Men's Junior team, and he probably will be the star of the Illini this season, along with classmates James Augustine and Deron Williams. That will make for an exciting brand of basketball and, if first-year coach Bruce Weber can get them to play together, a winning style, as well.

16. Florida

The 2000 national runner-up performance aside, it is difficult to have confidence in the Gators come March. There are too many past early exits to expect otherwise, regardless of the wealth of talent coach Billy Donovan has coming back, which could be the best in the Southeastern Conference. Invariably, Florida's effort on the court has failed to live up to its talent on paper.

17. Cincinnati

Cincinnati is coming off an ugly 17-12 season and a controversy-wrought summer, but Bob Huggins has reloaded and this group is bursting with playmakers led by Jason Maxiell and newcomers James White and Robert Whaley. In fact, the Bearcats' frontline is among the best in the nation, but consistent backcourt play could turn a good team into a great one.

18. Notre Dame

The good news is Chris Thomas stayed in school. Now he has to learn how to take the Irish to the next level. There is a lot of promise as Jordan Cornette and Torin Francis return down low, but the talent has to mesh to meet expectations. In other words, improve that assist-to-turnover ratio.

Jameer Nelson, G, St. Joseph's

19. Saint Joseph's

No backcourt in the nation will be relied upon more heavily, and no two guards are better equipped for that pressure than Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, who are every bit as clutch as they are talented. Everything is just right for the Hawks to reach the Sweet 16 or beyond if they stay healthy, an issue last season for West.

20. Louisville

Sharpshooter Francisco Garcia is the top returning scorer and will be even more of a focus offensively. But the Cardinals will need to find more scoring from the likes of Ellis Myles, incoming freshman Brandon Jenkins and junior-college transfer Nate Daniels. Coach Rick Pitino has turned this program around, and this could be a breakthrough year in getting back to the elite level.

21. Wake Forest

Skip Prosser's team lost a lot of heart when last season's Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, Josh Howard, graduated. The Demon Deacons will have to make up for that with playmakers in the backcourt, specifically sophomore Justin Gray and freshman Chris Paul. But Prosser has reason to be concerned about playing without seniors, who tend to display a greater sense of urgency.

22. North Carolina State

The Wolfpack have relied too much on Julius Hodge in recent years, but this team has the experience to win games together rather than by watching Hodge. Still, the 6-6 ACC first-teamer will be counted upon to score about 20 points a game. It's the inside game where questions persist.

23. Marquette

The Golden Eagles will carry last season's Final Four momentum into this season, but they'll have to pick up without Dwyane Wade. That won't be too hard with point guard Travis Diener and forward Scott Merritt returning. A high-profile freshman recruit, Dameon Mason, has drawn the assignment to replace Wade, but he might be wise to defer to his more experienced teammates.

24. Oklahoma State

The Cowboys lost three starters, but they have the right guys coming back in shooting guard Tony Allen and post man Ivan McFarlin, who are accomplished scorers and rebounders. Eddie Sutton's squad received a nice surprise in August when John Lucas III, who fled Baylor's program, transferred to OSU. Lucas is a coach's son (former NBA coach John Lucas), the type of heady player college coaches love to have on their rosters.

25. Xavier

Romain Sato, G, Xavier

OK, so David West is gone, but Romain Sato isn't. Neither are three other starters: Lionel Chalmers, Dedrick Finn and Anthony Myles. Three freshmen will make their impact felt and give coach Thad Matta another Atlantic 10 contender. There might be growing pains early, but by midseason, Xavier should have made the transition to playing without West.

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com