Previewing college basketball's top 100 teams for the 09-10 season (51-60)

November 2, 12:33 PMCollege Basketball ExaminerDave Ryan

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Brackins is key for the Cyclones to have a chance  (Jim Brown/US Presswire)

Over the next few months I'll be taking a look at the best that college basketball has to offer heading into this upcoming season. Starting with number one and working my way to the century mark, I'll rank each team based on a number of factors (returning players, departed players, incoming freshmen, coaching staff, conference strength, etc.). If you have any issues with these rankings then feel free to let me hear about it in the comments section.

1-10   |   11-20   |   21-30   |   31-40   |   41-50   |   51-60   |   61-70   |   71-80   |   81-90   |   91-100

51. Miami Hurricanes

Losing a pit bull scorer like Jack McClinton might hurt these guys offensively, but there's plenty of reason for Miami fans to be optimistic heading into the year. First of of all, last season's leading rebounder, the 6'8" Dwayne Collins, is back for his final year of eligibility. Collins only played about 25 minutes a game in 08-09, but his numbers were good enough for him to consider a leap to the NBA in the spring. He has the frame and athleticism to be a double-double guy as a senior. The big knock on his game is that he faded down the stretch in conference play last season. Since he is rarely in foul trouble, that could mean it's a conditioning issue. If Collins wants to hear his name called next June then he'll need to be on the court for 30+ minutes every single night Miami plays. The Hurricanes probably don't have a shot against teams like Duke and North Carolina without Collins on the floor.

52. Vanderbilt Commodores

The Commodores might not be able to recruit on the same level as some of the top SEC schools, but that doesn't mean they don't possess one of the most coveted commodities in the college game: an NBA caliber big man. That player, of course, is A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt's not-quite-seven-foot junior who can score, rebound and block shots with regularity. If the Commodores are going to make it back to the NCAA Tournament, Ogilvy will need to stay healthy and find a way to keep himself out of foul trouble. Bonus points go to head coach Kevin Stallings for organizing and also paying for the entire team to go on an offseason trip to Australia, which is Ogilvy's native country. Regardless of whether the bonding experience worked, a thing like this shows just how devoted Stallings is to his program. The bad news for Vanderbilt is that the SEC East is absolutely stacked this year, so it's very likely that Stallings finds his team on the bubble come March.

53. BYU Cougars

Four starters are back on a BYU team that had another productive season a year ago, but this is still a school that hasn't been able to get out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament since 1993. Head coach Dave Rose has been on the wrong side of some tough scheduling (Texas A&M x2), and that's a big reason why the Cougars have fallen in the first round in each of the past three seasons. Those were also three teams that blew through the Mountain West Conference and managed to win 25 games in the process, which are two things that Rose's current team should have no problem doing. Pencil me in for Jonathan Tavernari as the MWC's Player of the Year, but don't be surprised at all if BYU draws another quality opponent has to leave the dance early again.

54. Iowa State Cyclones

A blue chip recruit out of New Hampshire, ISU forward Craig Brackins was ranked as the fifth best power forward in the '07 signing class according to Rivals.com. Ironically, the player right behind him in those same rankings was none other than Blake Griffin, the most recent #1 NBA overall draft pick. Griffin was the only Big 12 player to average more points a night than Iowa State's lanky big man last season, and it was Griffin's draft hype that helped to push Brackins' solid 08-09 season under the radar. His decision to come back for another year could pay huge dividends for both Brackins and the Cyclones' program, and a trip to the Big Dance is definitely within reach.

55. Ole Miss Rebels

While most are focused on names like Pat Patterson, Devan Downey and Jarvis Varnardo as the SEC's top returning players, a deadly scorer named Chris Warren creeps in the shadows. Despite having numbers that would have ranked him fourth in the conference in scoring last year (19.5 ppg), a December knee injury prematurely ended Warren's season and limited him to only 11 games. The 5'10" junior appears to be healthy, which is a promising thing because he has always been a guy with All-SEC potential. Talented sophomore Terrico White will also provide a nice scoring boost, but Ole Miss might be stuck in neutral if Warren somehow isn't the bulk of their offense.

56. USC Trojans

After an interesting offseason, the Trojans are ready to move forward with a new coach (Kevin O'Neill from Arizona), and a depleted core (Daniel Hackett and Taj Gibson left early for the NBA). That means reaching the NCAA Tournament will be a tough task for O'Neill in his first year on the job. Thankfully there are some intriguing players (Dwight Lewis, Nikola Vucevic, Marcus Simmons) still around from the Tim Floyd era, and the Pac-10 is shaping up to be pretty bad this season. Still, the Trojans have what can only be called a brutal schedule, and getting off to a mediocre start before conference play kicks off could kill this team's chances. The crystal ball says that they end up on the wrong side of the bubble.

57. Creighton Bluejays

Kentucky, the team that Creighton lost to by two points in last year's NIT, is now one of top ranked teams in the country in the span of months. That just goes to show how easy it is for a powerhouse school to go from slightly above average to national title contender with the stroke of a pen. Creighton won a 27 games last year and still didn't get the postseason invitation they wanted after losing to Illinois State in the conference tournament. Three starters are back, but you always have to expect the Missouri Valley to be as tough as it always is from top to bottom. If P'Allen Stinnett can step up and become that go-to 17-20 point per game scorer that Booker Woodfox gave them on most nights, then Creighton should be right there at the end fighting for an NCAA bid.

58. Utah State Aggies

The Aggies were a single point away from knocking off Marquette in the opening round of the NCAA's last year, and with four starters back it's clear they are poised for a return trip. Remember, this team only lost five times last season, and three of those came at the hands of St. Mary's and BYU. For as productive as Gary Wilkinson was as the team's #1 scoring option, his departure isn't nearly as crippling as it could be with Jared Quayle and Tai Wesley still around to dropin points. Knowing the overall lack of strength in the WAC, the Aggies should be able to cruise through their schedule without much of an issue.

59. Missouri Tigers

First of all, the 31 win season that Missouri posted in 08-09 appears to be an unattainable goal for this current group of players. The Tigers' big three from a year ago (Leo Lyons, DeMarre Carroll and Matt Lawrence) were all seniors, so there really isn't enough talent here to compete for a conference title. Lockdown defender J.T. Tiller is back at guard, but he's never going to be a guy who can go out and get you very many points, and they really need that kind of help from that position. Keep an eye on Laurence Bowers, a budding post presence who the Tigers will need to count on heavily if they plan to make it out of conference play alive.

60. Arizona Wildcats

The big question here is whether a new coach and a handful of new players can help to revive a currently dormant powerhouse? As far as I'm concerned, not only was bringing aboard former Xavier coach Sean Miller an outstanding move by the athletic department, but it looks like Miller's '09 recruiting class could go a long ways towards getting the Wildcats back to a high level right away. Arguably the most important player that Arizona's signed is 6'10" big man Kyryl Natyazhko, a top 100 prospect who bonded with Miller when he was being recruited at Xavier. Natyazhko has the size and rebounding ability to step in and be a force from day one, and it will be interesting to see how quickly he gets acclimated to the college game. The bulk of the Wildcats' scoring has most likely fallen on the shoulders of Nic Wise, a senior point guard who scored 20 or more seven times last season. If Wise can assume more of a leadership role and some of the newcomers are able to help right away, then Arizona could definitely end up being the third best Pac-10 team by season's end.