The Huskies of Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun ended up a solid choice
among four teams that all could have been ranked No. 1. Texas was No. 2,
followed by Duke and Oklahoma.
“This was our most spirited debate in years about which team should be
No. 1,” said Blue Ribbon editor Chris Dortch. “I think UConn, Texas, Duke and
Oklahoma all have excellent credentials. All have some question marks too, but
we thought UConn could get past its issues at guard in time to develop
momentum for March. And we always base our projections on how we envision a
final poll, after the NCAA Tournament.”
The Atlantic Coast Conference leads the way with five teams ranked in
Blue Ribbon’s poll. Besides Duke, ACC teams in the poll include No. 10 Boston
College, No. 15 N.C. State, No. 22 Wake Forest and No. 25 Maryland. Four
teams from the newly reconfigured Big East are among the top 15 teams in the
poll. Besides UConn, ranked Big East teams include No. 5 Louisville, No. 11
Villanova and No. 14 Syracuse.
Blue Ribbon’s 25th anniversary edition will be available in October through
mail order and in select bookstores. Order at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or by
calling 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
BLUE RIBBON COLLEGE BASKETBALL YEARBOOK PRESEASON TOP 25
1. Connecticut
2. Texas
3. Duke
4. Oklahoma
5. Louisville
6. Gonzaga
7. Michigan State
8. Arizona
9. Kentucky
10. Boston College
11. Villanova
12. Illinois
13. Memphis
14. Syracuse
15. North Carolina State
16. Iowa
17. George Washington
18. Wisconsin
19. Stanford
20. Iowa State
21. UCLA
22. Wake Forest
23. Washington
24. Alabama
25. Maryland