It is the last day of October; can you believe it? College basketball is right around the corner. After a controversial, and somewhat unentertaining, finish to an otherwise very intriguing NCAA Tournament last March, college basketball teams are primed and ready to go for a new season.

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There are some unexpected teams near the top of the preseason polls this year. The Wichita State Shockers are living up to their name, being ranked eighth overall in the Coaches’ Preseason Poll. The Shockers have a very favorable schedule this year, as they play in a fairly weak conference. They have a solid mix of youth and experience with seniors Darral Willis Jr., Shaquille Morris, and Conner Frankamp looking to lead new blood like sophomore Austin Reeves and freshman Brycen Bush to a strong season. USC is a relatively new addition to this year’s preseason rankings. They find themselves ranked 11th overall. Despite being a major cog in the NCAA’s recent bribery scandal, coach Andy Enfield believes that his team can make a forceful push onto the postseason, as he has all five of last year’s starters returning. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish cracked the top-20 of the power rankings this year. With senior leadership from seniors Bonzie Colson and guard Matt Farrell, Mike Brey and the Irish will look to avenge last year’s disappointing finish and make another run deep into the NCAA Tournament. One team that could really surprise people this year is the Providence Friars. Coming off of their fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the Friars retained all five starters from last year (who have drastically improved their respective games) and picked up a top 2017 recruit in Makai Ashton-Langford, who will add to an already stellar backcourt.

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What those teams will have to deal with this season are the usual powerhouses of NCAA Basketball. I speak of teams like Duke, Michigan State, Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky. Per the norm, these teams had some of the best recruiting classes of the year, and largely look to rely on these young guns to potentially lead them to another NCAA Championship. Duke’s Trevon Duval looks like he can be one of the best all around players in the country; Grayson Allen seems to be developing into the leader Duke expects him to be. And with Mike Krzyzewski still at the helm, the Blue Devils will likely stay at the top of the NCAA for the foreseeable future. The Spartans, as always, have a lot of depth and experience at every position. Star sophomore guard Miles Bridges has also returned, and he should put up big numbers this year.  Kansas is a bit of a question mark, especially with the increased Big 12 competition in the past year. Regardless, the Jayhawks, much like the aforementioned Wichita State Shockers, have a terrific blend of youth and experience. Guards like Devonte Graham and K.J. Lawson have made the Kansas offense tops in the country, which will likely continue this upcoming season. North Carolina is coming off their sixth national championship; they are only ranked ninth this preseason, likely due to their strength of schedule. UNC has overcome long odds in the past, and Roy Williams is still very capable of taking his team to another Final Four. Kentucky is coming off a 32-6 record and a trip to last year’s Elite Eight, where they were defeated by the eventual National Champion Tar Heels. Like Duke, they will likely rely almost solely on the talent of one-and-done players. They did obtain the services of top high school recruits like guard Hamidou Diallo, forward Kevin Knox, and forward Jarred Vanderbilt.

Like any other year, the 2017-2018 College Basketball season is bound to be full of twists, turns, highs, lows, surprises, and disappointments. Most of the aforementioned predictions may very well be wrong sooner or later. One thing is for sure, though, it will be yet another exhilarating college basketball season and I do not think college basketball fans can wait much longer until the action starts.