He sounds like me in regards to later in the season thinking...three 2014-2015 ACC schools in his Top 8 Title National Title Contender which has changed since his Preseason....

1. Arizona
2. Louisville
3. Syracuse
4. Michigan State
5. Florida
6. Duke
7. Wisconsin
8. Oklahoma State

Others in consideration: Kentucky, Ohio State, Kansas, Gonzaga, Oregon, Wichita State & Iowa.

From the article posted 17 December 2013:

In his College Basketball Opus, the seminal work of this hoops season, The Bilastrator gave you his top eight national title favorites: Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas, Arizona, Florida and Syracuse. After watching and processing over a month of college basketball games, one thing is clear: There is not a truly great or dominant team this season.

At least, it should be noted, not yet.

There is not automatically a "great" team or teams every season. There is a champion crowned every year, but that doesn't make a team historically great. "Great" is a term that is overused in sports, and when I say great, I mean the dictionary definition of the word. Great means to be "remarkable or truly outstanding in magnitude, degree or extent; superior in quality or character; to be of outstanding significance or importance; to be eminent, distinguished."

Because there are no dominant teams like there were in 2007-08 or 2008-09, it would not be at all shocking to see a team like Colorado, Iowa State or Oregon get hot and reach the Final Four in Dallas. It could be that kind of season, and those seasons can be all kinds of fun.

That said, while there is no great team yet, there are still prohibitive favorites to win it all. Here are the eight teams that The Bilastrator believes are the best so far, and the best-suited to reach Dallas and cut the nets down.

1. Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats are the most complete team The Bilastrator has seen, and have the size, athleticism, depth, lineup versatility, guard play, and mental and physical toughness to win the whole thing. And, this team can and will get better and better.

Where Arizona sets itself apart is on the glass. Sean Miller's team does a really good job of building a wall defensively and limiting opponents to one challenged shot. The Wildcats keep people off the foul line, and they rebound with length, great bounce and will. Opponents had better make their first shot, because there are few second ones. Aaron Gordon has gotten a lot of press, but his best contribution is as a defender and finisher. He can be one of the toughest individual defenders in the nation if he chooses to be.

But the difference between Arizona as a good team and Arizona as national champions rests with T.J. McConnell, Nick Johnson and Brandon Ashley. McConnell is a true point who is a terrific setup guy, Johnson is a hard-nosed scoring guard who is very efficient and Ashley is one of the tougher matchups in the country due to his length and versatility. Arizona won't hold on to the No. 1 ranking all season long, but may very well be the best team.

2. Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals miss Peyton Siva and Gorgui Dieng badly. Rick Pitino can replace their talent, but it is impossible to duplicate what "team-first" players and leaders they were. Still, Louisville has all of the pieces to get to another Final Four.

Right now, Louisville is the only team in the country that is ranked among the top six teams in both offensive (first) and defensive efficiency (sixth) by KenPom.com. In fact, the Cardinals and Oklahoma State are the only teams in the top 10 in offensive efficiency that are even in the top 15 in defensive efficiency.

When healthy, Louisville has the bodies and talent to beat anyone. Whether Louisville has the leadership is another matter. Usually, Rick Pitino's teams are at their best at season's end. He throws a lot at his teams and toughens them up considerably throughout the season. I don't doubt that this will be the case again this time around.

3. Syracuse Orange

I was really impressed with Syracuse in Maui, where the Orange won the yearly Invitational. Is this one of Jim Boeheim's best teams? No. But, it is a good one, and can get better.

Trevor Cooney is one of the best cutters and shooters I have seen this season, and his improvement is impressive. With freshman point guard Tyler Ennis, Syracuse has a terrific backcourt that does a very good job defensively of getting steals and getting out in transition. The Orange lack consistent scoring from their center position, but forward C.J. Fair is a really good player who has taken on a starring role, and forward Jerami Grant is a special talent who is continuing to improve. Their offense gets a boost from second shots as well.

Oddly enough, the biggest concern is the Syracuse defense, the most reliable attribute of last season's Final Four team. Syracuse forces a ton of turnovers, but allows opponents to shoot a high percentage, especially from deep. If Cuse can improve its defense, this is a Final Four-caliber team. But Syracuse cannot expect to keep outscoring teams on the offensive end.

6. Duke Blue Devils

Duke can score from a variety of positions, and is second in the nation in offensive efficiency. The Blue Devils have versatility on the offensive end, but have not scored as well in transition or off of their defense as I expected they would coming into the season.

Duke, as predicted, is not a great rebounding team and can have problems with bigger opponents, but if the Blue Devils continue to improve on the defensive end, this is still a team that can compete for the national title.

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/jay-bilas/post?id=284

That why I consistently say and the fact I am a Football guy first and foremost when it comes to Basketball especially with Louisville don't really focus on it until after the Super Bowl/College Football National Signing Day/last 10 Regular Season College Basketball Games Timeframe...that is when it starts....all bout Mid March to Early April in The Show...

I know the Tar Heels got off to a slow start, but the way they've been knocking off top teams I think you have to include them as title contenders.

(12-18-2013 07:56 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  I know the Tar Heels got off to a slow start, but the way they've been knocking off top teams I think you have to include them as title contenders.

I agree especially with the play of Marcus Paige...but the key is Kennedy Meeks for them IMO.

I agree without PJ and Leslie we have the potential to be title contenders with improved play by MEEKS, with Pj and Leslie back we SHOULD be title contenders

(12-18-2013 08:33 AM)westmc9th Wrote:  I agree without PJ and Leslie we have the potential to be title contenders with improved play by MEEKS, with Pj and Leslie back we SHOULD be title contenders

The UNC game was a huge help for Pitino...it help with the "Head Swelling" and gave CRP some valuable coaching points.

No doubt I think louisville, Syracuse and Arizona are probably the best teams in the country. Duke, UNC, Florida and Kansas could be near the end of the year and around March madness. Still don't know about Kentucky I'm personally rooting for another NIT bid for them! I never trust B1G teams come tournament time