Kansas Jayhawks – 23 years. Prediction: 98%
Yes, the Jayhawks lost T-Rob and Tyshawn Taylor, but they have plenty of star power returning. The only potential issue is how Elijah Johnson handles the point guard duties.
Duke Blue Devils – 17 years. Prediction: LOCK*
Duke is once again the class of the ACC. And this year they might even be able to play a bit of defense.
*lock, for the duration of this article, assumes no tragedies, no roster-wide high ankle sprains, no discovered scandals and no end-of-the-world Mayan prophesies coming true.
Michigan State – 15 years. Prediction: 95%
If Branden Dawson is fully recovered from surgery to repair his ACL, then go ahead and upgrade this one to a lock.
Gonzaga Bulldogs – 14 years. Prediction: LOCK
The Zags return a solid freshmen back court which should involve into a borderline-elite sophomore back court, and they have just enough depth in the front court to go ahead and pencil them in.
Texas Longhorns – 14 years. Prediction: 80%
Texas slipped in last season as an 11-seed, and then lost their star J'Covan Brown (who went undrafted). But they return four freshmen who played at least half the team's minutes. They're a young team, but they have plenty of talent.
Wisconsin Badgers – 14 years. Prediction: 90%
Replacing Jordan Taylor won't be easy, but Bo Ryan has a group of guys who fit his system, and his system works.
Marquette Golden Eagles – 7 years. Prediction: 85%
Losing Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom is huge, but he Golden Eagles still have five consensus top-100 recruits on their roster. They should be able to get it done.
Xavier Musketeers – 7 years. Prediction: 5%
They began by losing three starters to graduation, and then one (Mark Lyons) transferred, and one (Dezmine Wells) was kicked out of school. Their only hope is a return of Wells now that a grand jury is not pressing charges.
BYU Cougars – 6 years. Prediction: 25%
The Cougars are lucky their streak is alive. A No. 14 seed last season – a lot of other teams could have taken their place. And now they've lost two very important seniors in Noah Hartsock and Charles Obouo. Brandon Davies needs to be the man.
Louisville Cardinal – 6 years. Prediction: LOCK
About the only question for this team is whether or not they'll be a 1-seed.
Purdue Boilermakers – 6 years. Prediction: 20%
After losing three starters, it's probably not a great sign to be pointing toward D.J. Byrd as the one to carry the team.
Temple Owls – 5 years. Prediction: 80%
Fran Dunphy has missed the NCAA Tournament once while at Temple – in his first season. He has this program rolling along. Keep star Khalif Wyatt away from undercover cops, and everything should be fine.
West Virginia Mountaineers – 5 years. Prediction: 20%
West Virginia lost too much. With Darryl Bryant and Kevin Jones gone, where do they turn for offense? And let's not forget that this was already the worst defensive team of Huggins' career in Morgantown.
Florida State Seminoles – 4 years. Prediction: 50%
This could be FSU's most gifted offensive team since Al Thornton's senior year (2006-07) when they were No. 22 in the nation in offensive efficiency. The problem will come on the other end of the floor (did I just say that about a Leonard Hamilton coached team?)
Missouri Tigers – 4 years. Prediction: 95%
Michael Dixon, Phil Pressey and a host of transfers should be enough to Missouri fans to keep feeling good about Frank Haith.
Ohio State Buckeyes – 4 years. Prediction: LOCK
Don't worry about the Buckeyes losing Jared Sullinger or William Buford. They return five players who were consensus top-50 recruits and none of those five are named Aaron Craft.
Syracuse Orangemen – 4 years. Prediction: LOCK
Yeah, they're in.
