Way too early 2008 NCAA preview

Looks like we got a little lazy here at WUWS. In case you hadn't heard there was this thing called the Final Four over the weekend. While most people were involved in the now, I'm always looking ahead to the future. Unfortunately, I'm not always looking very closely so with that in mind here are some teams of note for 2008 followed by my definitive top 5 teams heading into next season.

Teams of Note:

Texas
I'm going to assume that the Chosen One will be throwing lightning bolts and peeing gold in Memphis or Milwaukee or some other barren NBA outpost. The Longhorns will still return the bad decision making of DJ Augustin and the worse coaching of Rick Barnes. Still, they're talented and should be good enough to make a run at the Sweet 16.

Florida
The carnage will be tremendous as people jump off this bandwagon. Oh they'll still have good players I just can't name any of them. If Billy D goes, there will be a lot of drama surrounding this team.

Ohio State
Greg Oden is tall and in college hoops that counts for a lot. It only took 35+ games but we finally saw what all the hype was about against Florida. Being tall also counts for a lot in the NBA draft which is why he won't be around. No matter, Ohio St is bringing in five(!) 7-footers next year. At least it seems that way. If Conley sticks around, expect this team to be good. Plus they play in the Big Ten which has gotta be worth an extra 4 or 5 wins.

Indiana
What?!??!? I know, the Big Ten sucks but I like Kelvin Sampson's track record. Indiana showed improvement this year and actually looked like they cared. DJ White is a good player down low. The backcourt will be helped by the arrival of one the top 3 high school players in Eric Gordon.

USC
This team could be a soap opera with the arrival of OJ Mayo. He's a major talent. He also looks like he could be a major head case. Or a drama queen. Or a cancer in the locker room. Or all of the above. If he lets Tim Floyd actually coach him, this could be a very dangerous team. If he decides he needs 20 shots a game, this team could be one and done. I'll be pulling for the latter.

And now it's time for the Top 5. Drumroll please.

5.Louisville

Perhaps I smoke too much crack. Maybe I think too much of Rick Pitino's coaching ability. Whatever, I like this team. They're led by the fiery point guard Edgar Sosa who sounds like a rival to Tony Montana. Down low, they bring back David Padgett and Derrick Caracter. On the wing they have Terrence Williams who dunks hard and is one of the most athletic players in the Big East. This team has a lot of black guys, a trait of all of Pitino's most successful teams.

4.Kansas

These guys will break your heart every time. They also don't lose anyone to graduation. Sure somebody is bound to go pro but they'll be loaded regardless. Chalmers and Collins should be back and if Brandon Rush returns this will be the best backcourt in the Big XII. Julian Wright may take his long arms to the NBA but Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun are experienced and capable in the frontcourt. If Darrell Arthur sticks around then this team could be a threat to go the the Final Four. But they won't. They'll break your heart every time.

3.Memphis

This will be John Calipari's best team since his '96 UMass squad that went to the Final Four. The Tigers will be loaded. Nobody of import is graduating and they're adding one of the best prep point guards in Derrick Rose. I've seen him on TV and he's badass. If Chris Douglas Roberts and Joey Dorsey don't jump to the NBA then this team will be athletic as hell. They will buttfuck teams like SMU, UAB and Houston on the regular. They will win 30 some games and no one will really know if they are any good. Pretty much like this year, but better.

2.North Carolina

Is it possible to have too much talent? North Carolina made us wonder that at times this year. Brandan Wright is likely to be gone. That is not a problem. Reyshawn Terry and Wes Miller graduate. That is not a problem. Losing those players will free up minutes for all the 4 and 5 star kids on the bench. If Tyler Hansbrough leaves, then there might be a problem. Yes, he's overrated and annoying as hell to opposing fans. But he's an absolute Brockman-type beast that is hyper competitive. He gives Carolina an edge that they otherwise lack. He's Psycho-T!!!

1.UCLA

Does anyone really want to see them in the Final Four again? No, but it may not matter. The only question is if Aaron Afflalo returns. He's not that great an NBA prospect but he's a good college player. If he returns then we'll be treated to announcers once again saying that Ben Howland has UCLA playing the rugged east coast style of defense he brought from Pittsburgh. FYI, Howland is a west coast coach. Check out his bio sometime. Anyway, UCLA's glaring weakness was the lack of an inside game. Enter Kevin Love. The freshman is beefy. He rebounds. He can score. Bill Simmons will tell you that he throws the best outlet passes since Wes Unseld and Bill Walton. You will tell Bill Simmons to shut the fuck up and go back to talking about the NBA and NFL. The Bruins should cruise in a good but not great Pac-10 and will enter the tourney as the favorites. I will pick against them and be bitter when they knock out Louisville, Memphis or whatever other team who's bandwagon I've jumped on.

That's it. You now know who the best teams are for next year. Go ahead and pencil them into the Elite Eight and thank me later. Care to disagree? Think I'm overrating somebody? Tell me in the comments.