New Decade, New Powerhouses?

We have reached a new decade, and what a decade 2000-2009 was for college basketball. From incredible players who have made big impacts in the pros such as Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade to incredible teams throughout the decade such as Florida and North Carolina, the first decade of the 21st century was definitely exciting. Can the second decade be the same? Six teams were undefeated in Division I basketball before the clock struck 12 on New Years Eve. Two days later, just four remain that way. Kansas, Texas, Kentucky and Purdue all have a zero in the loss category, while West Virginia and Syracuse suffered tough losses this weekend.

Once again, this is a new decade. Does this mean new teams will emerge as the perennial contenders? Out of the AP Top 25 as of midday Sunday, just seven made it to National Championship game from 2000-2009. 7 out of 25. Kentucky could be back as an elite team like they were in the '90s now that John Calipari is their coach. Maybe Texas is a team that could have a fantastic decade as well. All we know is that on January 3rd, 2010, four teams remain undefeated. As of right now, though, the four undefeated teams are not the teams I think will be the four #1 seeds come March. While Purdue has been very impressive, I think they will be Kentucky, Texas, Kansas and Syracuse.

Kentucky Wildcats - My pick to win it all in March, Kentucky has loads of young talent, a terrific frontcourt and a new, energetic coach in John Calipari. John Wall has impressed the nation, averaging 17.2 points per game and 7.3 assists per game as a freshman. Both Patrick Patterson and freshman phenom DeMarcus Cousins are averaging over 15 points and 8 rebounds per game as well.

Texas Longhorns - Texas, like Kentucky, has many exciting freshman, including Jordan Hamilton and Avery Bradley. Damion James is averaging 16.5 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game, second in the Big 12. Texas is very balanced, having talent from the point guard to the center position.

Kansas Jayhawks - The 2008 National Champions have been #1 all season long. They also have freshman who can play, such as Xavier Henry, who averages 16.3 points per game. Kansas definitely has what it takes to make it to the Final Four, it is just a matter of how well they play down the stretch.

Syracuse Orange - Now I thought Syracuse was good, but not good enough to win their first 13 games. The Orange have tons of depth: 7 players average 8.5 points per game or more, 3 players with 5.5 rebounds per game or more and two players with 5 assists per game or more. While I originally thought the Big 12 was the best conference because it had Kansas and Texas, I realized that the Big East has four teams in the Top 10 and five in the Top 13. I think that as of right now, Syracuse is the best team in the Big East. Junior Wesley Johnson is averaging a team high 17.1 points per game along with 8.8 rebounds per game after sitting out last year because he transferred from Iowa State the year before. If Syracuse can keep this up, they should be in great position to win the Big East tournament.