1. North Carolina 2. Notre Dame 3. Loyola 4. Syracuse 5. Stony Brook 6. Northwestern 7. Florida 8. Maryland 9. Michigan 10. Richmond 11. Penn 12. Denver 13. James Madison 14. USC 15. Duke 16. Dartmouth 17. Boston College 18. Virginia 19. UMass 20. Virginia Tech
Also considered (alphabetical order): Colorado, Hofstra, Navy, Penn State, Stanford
Although these polls really do not matter until May they are fun to discuss.
- North Carolina obvious choice for #1... - ND ?? Too high... - Loyola is always tough but not sure they are Final Four caliber... - Syracuse could certainly be Final Four Team... - Stony Brook is loaded and could finally make a run in the tournament... - Northwestern will be in the mix at the end... - Florida will be very good but don't think Final four, #7 about right... - Maryland... Never count them out... - Michigan ?? Not sure they will be Top 10 at the end... - Richmond, Very solid probably finish 10 - 15... - Penn at 11 might be a bit high for the Quakers this year... - Denver a little high... - JMU about right... - Could finish Top 15... - Duke? Will they finish in the Top 20? Been a while... - Dartmouth has been very tough in recent years but Ivy's at a disadvantage this year... - BC is probably ranked a little low... - Umass about right, They will finish in the Top 20
Hofstra and PSU will both be tough...
Any Team not listed that could surprise?
Pretty good list should be fun
After UNC and cuse and maybe a few others I think there is parity
Parity among the teams that are ranked between 5 -15, maybe between 5 - 20 annually. Teams outside of that group rarely compete with the top teams. The same 10 to 15 teams are there every year and then you have some that come and go. Although the sport continues to grow, it appears that the best players still end up at the best programs.
After UNC will be fun to watch Loyola cues SB NW FLorida MD shake out