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Posted 05/03/2007 at 04:04 PM
It's a little premature to stroll out a Top 25 in early May. For starters, we don't know what players will choose not to sign an agent and possibly opt to come back to school by the June 18 deadline.
Furthermore, several of the nation's top prospects -- most notably Jai Lucas and Patrick Patterson -- haven't decided where to lace 'em up during the 2007-08 campaign.
With that in mind, we'll give it a shot nonetheless. However, we should mention that these rankings are subject to change based on personnel adjustments in the coming months.
1-Louisville
2-Memphis
3-North Carolina
4-Kansas
5-UCLA
6-Georgetown
7-Washington State
8-USC
9-Michigan State
10-Tennessee
11-Arizona
12-Syracuse
13-Indiana
14-Gonzaga
15-Davidson
16-Mississippi State
17-Oregon
18-Pittsburgh
19-Kentucky
20-Southern Illinois
21-Maryland
22-VCU
23-Florida
24-Marquette
25-Arkansas
Just missed the cut: Duke, Stanford, Alabama, Vanderbilt and North Carolina State
**B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets**
--The aforementioned Lucas, the son of former NBA player and coach John Lucas, is ranked the sixth-best point guard in the country (coming out of high school, that is) at Rivals.com. He has reportedly narrowed his choices to Florida and Kentucky.
--Patterson is down to three schools -- Florida, Kentucky and Duke. The Huntington, W. Va., product is ranked the No. 2 power forward and No. 15 overall prospect by Rivals.
--South Alabama's leading rebounder (9.0 rebounds per game) and second-leading scorer (13 PPG), Ernest Little, has probably played his last game for the Jaguars. The junior forward, a transfer from UAB, was arrested in mid-April and charged with first-degree robbery stemming from a hold-up at a motel in Monroe County. In addition, Little is facing three counts of possession of stolen property, including an SUV stolen in December.
--Georgetown is ranked sixth, but the Hoyas will leave the top 10 if Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green both stay in the draft. Then again, they may move up to No. 1 if both players return.
--Florida made the Top 25 based on the probability that the Gators will sign either Lucas or Patterson -- or both. If UF fails to get either, it will get pink-slipped from our rankings.
--Surprised to see Davidson ranked? Don't be, the Wildcats return their entire nucleus after winning the Southern Conference and losing a nail-biter to Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Most importantly, Stephen Curry will be back for his sophomore season. Curry, the son of Del Curry, one of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history, broke the NCAA's single-season record for most 3-pointers by a freshman (122).
--Michael Jordan's son, Jeff Jordan, will walk-on at Illinois.
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