Some things in life are certainties.

Like the ACC winning the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, for starters. That's two straight years of 8-3 in favor of the ACC. But…will the Big Ten be the one who grabs a Final Four bid? Or neither? Check back in March.

What else is certain? That John Gasaway writes an article that makes sense, then comes true. Like in North Carolina's win over Ohio State.

Here's what he had to say less than a week ago: "Here's how it will play out. North Carolina will win a lot of games. (A high-risk prediction, I know, but danger is my middle name.) Then they'll drop one, likely a high-scoring affair. The head-shaking and hand-wringing will then commence. The Tar Heels, it will be said from countless courtside tables during countless telecasts, are talented and can score points. But they will have to start playing defense if they want to get to the Final Four.

The only problem: the numbers will in fact show that Carolina plays very good defense."

Voila! The Tar Heels hold the Buckeyes to 27.1 percent from the field (.343 eFG% and .761 PPP. Ouch.) on 72 possessions. Underrated defense turns into top-notch defense. For one game, at least.

Granted, the game was bound to slant toward the defense without Ty Lawson running the Heels' attack. The Heels also were no great shakes on offense (. 415 eFG%, .934 PPP – both of which were far better, but below their usual standards), but give the defense some credit.

And give Ol' Roy some credit. That high-powered offense and its secondary break have been awesome for years. But the guy always talks about how important the defense is, even if his teams don't look like they're playing great defense.

(My favorite box score of the night? VMI's 156-91 win. The Keydets go for 1.33 PPP – on 107 shots!)

Some things never change. Another year, another stumble for the Big Ten to start their Challenge against the ACC. But the worst part was the game itself.

Wake Forest's first road win in nearly a year was a sloppy, offensive mess against a worn-out Iowa squad. The Hawkeyes (4-3) were playing their fifth game in nine days and it showed. They had a turnover every three possessions, made just 38 percent of their free throws and looked lost offensively.

Yet somehow, Wake Forest was just as bad. Both had about 70 possessions, (faster than the normal Big Ten game last season, and on the money for the ACC) which gives the Deacons a .796 offensive efficiency, and the Hawkeyes a miserable .676. Bad, bad basketball.

The good news? The rest of the games should be better. Should, because of the talent on the courts.

(After all, the ACC always starts off well. Only time the Big Ten started with a win was Ohio State in 2005. The typical response to this is "so what?" It's also the correct response. The conferences have the same number of NCAA titles and Final Four appearances. March matters, right?)

It's not that I think the Big Ten will split or even win more games than the ACC. This series of projections goes along my thinking, though Michigan should have a chance against Boston College. What's intriguing is getting to see the players involved during the next two days.

Tuesday has Eric Gordon, D.J. White, Sean Singletary, Kyle Singler and the underrated James Mays. Wednesday features J.J. Hickson, Brandon Costner, Drew Neitzel, Raymar Morgan, Geary Claxton, Kosta Koufas and the No. 1 ranked Tar Heels and its loaded roster.

I'm hopeful some of the games will be good, too. Wisconsin is No. 1 in the Pomeroy ratings, but doesn't have much room for error at Cameron. Especially with the Devils already in mid-season form. N.C. State vs. Michigan State should be a fine display of athletic big men and it'll be interesting to see how the Tar Heels handle Koufos.

Even during a hoops-happy week like this, I'll soon be spending the evening watching a college football game. Maybe you heard or read a little bit about Kansas-Missouri this week? Loser will be depressed until March.

On that note, I offer a pair of hoops links, both of which should inspire some hope for teams looking to make their mark.

The Duquesne basketball team was coming off a 10-19 season that started when five players were shot at an off-campus party and started this season with one of its players suing the school.

Needless to say, this season had to be better. It's off to a nice start.

The Dukes are off to a 5-0 starter after beating Niagara on Saturday, their best start since 1985-86. They averaged more than 100 points a game through their first four before only scoring 76 Saturday. Their defense isn't too shabby, either. They're second in eFG% and third in block percentage.

"Wow" line from one player? Shawn James has 19 blocks in his last two games. He led the nation two seasons ago with 6.53 a game as a sophomore at Northeastern. He would be the reason for that improved defense.

Duquesne has almost a week to prep for Cal St. Northridge, and then it gets back-to-back exposure games, home against Pitt on Dec. 5 and at West Virginia Dec. 8. Don't expect the perfect start to continue, but the Dukes could be a surprise team in the A-10.

Consider the Dukes a nice story that probably doesn't go anywhere in March. That doesn't apply to BYU.

The Cougars upended No. 6 Louisville on Friday, which does three things:

Established BYU as a mid-major to be reckoned with, much like Air Force and Butler did last season with impressive early wins. Don't be fooled by the fact that the last time BYU defeated such a highly ranked opponent was 1965. Trent Plaisted is a dynamite post player who is a nightmare for opponents to guard.

(Seriously. Regardless of what happens Saturday vs. UNC, the Cougars still have Michigan State and Wake Forest on the schedule. Don't be shocked if they win both games.)

It showed Louisville needs its entire talented roster to make a run to the Final Four. Without Juan Palacios and David Padgett, the "depleted" Cards don't have enough inside muscle, even with Derrick Caracter's huge game.

And it lets me watch the Kansas-Missouri game tonight without worrying about the marquee Louisville-North Carolina game. I'll catch the BYU-UNC highlights tomorrow. (What? A guy has to have priorities.)

Quick add on: Check out this box score from Washignton State's win. Not only did the Cougars hold Mississippi Valley State to 26 points (among the lowest totals since the three-point line was added), but Carl Lucas scored 18 of the Delta Devils' points.)

Go figure. On a day when two of the fab five freshmen play starring roles in UCLA winning a tournament title (over a game Michigan State) and helping Indiana flirt with the century mark, it's another freshman that upstages them both.

And this freshman wasn't even on most people's radar. And by most people, I mean mine. That's what I get for ignoring Australian hoops.

Saint Mary's freshman Patrick Mills (but you can call him Patty) notched a Gaels freshman record 37 points in an upset of No. 11 Oregon on Tuesday. The guard also had five assists, two steals and just one turnover in the school's first win over a ranked opponent in nearly three years.

Saint Mary's was expected to be Gonzaga's main foil this season. But few expected Mills to do this. "This is definitely my first time seeing Patty go crazy like that. He was on fire tonight," teammate Diamon Simpson said.

Ducks coach Ernie Kent, whose first coaching job was at small school in the East San Francisco 'burbs, the also was blown away by Mills.

"You don't get a feel for somebody on film. I liken (Mills) to Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs. He's that quick, he shoots well, and he makes good decisions. The difference in the game was Patrick. We had a hard time guarding him, and we ran out of answers tonight," Kent told the Contra Costa Times.

If I had paid closer attention to last summer's FIBA Championships, Mills' name would've rung a bell. He led the Boomers to a fifth-place finish, prompting high hopes for the Beijing Games this summer and a label as "the future of Australian basketball." A 37-point outing pretty much cements that's notion.

Guess I thought that was still Andrew Bogut. Oops.

It's time to give thanks. Thanks for the second-best time of year in college hoops.

Only the first few weeks of March can match the next 10 days (starting Monday) in college basketball for good hoops, amount of games and the chance to see random matchups we normally wouldn't get.

Eight tournaments this week, then the ACC-Big Ten challenge next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Seriously, let's all give thanks.

All done? Now how do you go about watching 63 games this week and find time for football, eating turkey and spending some time with the family? Unless you have multiple TVs or multiple screen capability, it's impossible. Also, not every game is on TV.

But the big ones are. Catch 'em while you can.

One story billed the College Basketball Experience Classic as "the big boys of the NCAA," though that seems like a bit of a stretch. Maryland is a NCAA Tournament team, but Missouri, the other semifinalist, probably is another year away from returning to the big dance.

Still, tune in for Tuesday's title game. UCLA still doesn't have point guard Darren Collison, but the Bruins are unbeaten and tougher than ever inside, thanks to freshman Kevin Love.

The Maui Invitational usually has a solid field. Rivals.com's Andrew Skwara says it's the best tournament going on this week, and he could be right. Duke gives the tournament its marquee team, but what makes it nice is how balanced the field is.

The Devils and Marquette should be playing for the title on Wednesday – if the bracket holds to form – which would give us a nice rematch from last year's CBE, when the Eagles forced Duke into 25 turnovers for a win. But any field that also includes Arizona State, Illinois, LSU and Oklahoma State deserves some scrutiny because we'll see some surprises. (Monday-Wednesday on ESPN, ESPN2.)

Wednesday also has the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals, the best of which should be Syracuse vs. Ohio State (9 p.m., ESPN2). The Orange's star freshmen, Jonny Flynn and Donte Green have been crucial to a 3-0 start, and their bench will be just as important this week.

The Buckeyes are 2-0, but are still adjusting to life without three of the Thad Five. Never been sold on Jamar Butler, who's been thrust into the point guard spot with Mike Conley Jr. gone, which should give 'Cuse the edge.

Expect them to face Texas A&M in Friday's finals. (7 p.m., ESPN2). The Aggies may not have Acie Law anymore, but they have more than enough to handle Washington's Jon Brockman inside.

Somehow, the Great Alaska Shootout (always my personal favorite, maybe because it was the thought of trekking north in late November to play hoops; then again, it's not any stranger than going to Hawaii to play hoops…) has lost some its prestige, both in TV times and in quality of the field.

Only two games are on ESPN2, the rest are ESPN360 or ESPNU or not on the tube. (ESPN, for its part, says being on ESPN360 isn't giving the tourney short shrift because anyone can watch on the Net. Uh huh. Having your game in 90 million is preferable to being on the net. Ask any hoops viewer.)

It makes sense, though. Gonzaga and Butler are the only ranked teams in the field, both of which are mid-majors. Texas Tech and Michigan also are there, but the hoops quality isn't up to the level of other tourneys.

(One last not on the Shootout, which began in 1978. Did you know that Billy Packer is believed to have named the tourney?)

For example, the Old Spice Classic, which runs from Thursday-Sunday, features Kansas State and its fabulous freshman, Michael Beasley, an underrated Villanova squad, N.C. State and its powerful frontline with sophomore Brandon Costner and "Beast" J.J. Hickson and Penn State, which could be a Big Ten surprise. It's at least as good as the Shootout.

A smaller field in the Legends Classic is just as good, too. Tennessee is a national title contender, Texas is proving it doesn't need Kevin Durant and then there's West Virginia with Bob Huggins. That's a solid Friday-Saturday field.

Almost forgot about the Las Vegas Invitational. Shame on me. Any event that has North Carolina vs. Old Dominion, BYU vs. Louisville, with a potential UNC-Louisville final deserves some special mention. That's a game we could be watching again in April. Somehow, tickets were still available a week ago.

Then, there's the Anaheim Classic. There are only two potential matchups worth watching (Miss. State vs. Southern Illinois on Friday and the winner vs. USC in Sunday's title game), but five of these games are on ESPN2. Call it the Mayo effect.

Phew. Once all this is over, it'll be time for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, though that doesn't start in earnest until Tuesday. Wonder if this is the year the Big Ten "wins?"

Call it Year of the Freshmen, part II.

We've already seen plenty of star freshmen (Eric Gordon, Derrick Rose, etc.) showcase their skills this season. But in the post Durant & Oden Era, get ready for even more freshmen to step into the spotlight. Those fab five freshmen may be the best of this year's class, but they're far from the only ones to watch.

To start, another Big 12 freshman put his name in the record books and it wasn't Michael Beasley. Texas A&M DeAndre Jordan apparently can't miss a field-goal attempt. You'd expect as much from a recruit the Aggies and Longhorns spent the last two years fighting over.

N.C. State's Brandon Costner was one of the nation's top freshmen last season, but J.J. Hickson may be even better. He had 31 points and 7 rebounds in his debut, and followed that with a double-double in an upset loss to New Orleans. If there's one ACC player who's tougher along the front line than UNC's Tyler Hansbrough, it could be Hickson. His teammates already think "he's a beast."

It's strange to think that the best freshman in the state of Arizona may be playing in Tempe. Sun Devil freshman James Hardin is the most complete player to come to ASU in the last 25 years, who can score, pass and defend. He may be a little undersized at 6-4, but he has the athleticism to compensate.

Arizona does have a pair of fab freshmen, though. Point guard Jerryd Bayless will be an improvement over Mustafa Shakur's four-year reign. He kept the Wildcats close before finally losing to Virginia, and should benefit once Lute Olson returns. Jamelle Horne struggled in their opener and was benched against Virginia, but will be counted on to produce later this season. Until Jan., Arizona's inexperience will probably be evident.

Kyle Singler has been everything Duke had expected – a solid scorer who can help on the boards. The preseason ACC rookie of the year will get his biggest test this week in the Maui Invitational, though. The Devils open with Princeton, will play the winner of ASU-Illinois and likely end up against Marquette in the finals.

Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair had a fast start to the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in a rout of Houston, and just missed two more double-doubles in wins over NC A&T and Saint Louis. He bruised his tailbone in a fall against Miss Valley State, though, which will slow his stacking of the stats for the next few games.

Need one more? With Josh Heytvelt nursing an injury, 6-10 Austin Daye has thrived. He has nine blocks in the last three games, including six against Idaho and has led the team in scoring in all three.

• "We really don't need another meaningless postseason tournament. The NIT already exists."
• "New college basketball rallying cry: We're No. 98!"
• "Has anyone actually been clamoring for another post-season tournament?"
• "That will bring the number of teams competing in the postseason in three tiers of tournaments to 113. Why? So more teams get to hang a banner for competing while grumbling about being excluded from the Big Dance?"

It's a funny thing about Florida. The 2004-05 squad won 24 games, won one NCAA Tournament game and 58 percent of their offense left for the NBA. That forced coach Billy Donovan to start four sophomores and one junior – two of whom were returning starters – and little was expected of the 2005-06 version.

Then again, nobody knew just how good Joakim Noah – who played sparingly as a freshman – would be, or that Lee Humphrey would turn into a 3-point specialist nonpareil. So when the Gators won 33 games, steamrolled its way to a national title and the whole group returned to try for back-to-back crowns, they were the consensus pick to do just that.

Of course, some wiseacres did not. They were/are foolish as Florida cemented its spot as the best team in the past 15 seasons.

And now, with those five starters gone and a team of seven freshmen, three sophomores and one junior (Walter Hodge, the only returning player with any real playing experience), little is expected of Florida. The Gators were picked to finish third in the SEC East, (some think fourth) and struggle to make the NCAA Tournament.

As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend." Florida's going to be an SEC contender and a scary team in March.

This season is quickly turning into another season that revolves around impact freshman. Michael Beasley, Eric Gordon, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, to name four, have already made their mark. And Florida is no different.

Freshmen Nick Calathes, Adam Allen, Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus and Jai Lucas are all top-flight players who, as the nation's top recruiting class, should play key roles this season, if not starring ones. This class, unlike that title group, doesn't have the luxury of watching and learning from any upperclassmen.

But playing is a pretty good substitute when one can't watch from the bench…

Maybe Florida doesn't have an elite freshman – though most would say Calathes or even Parsons are darn close – but that never seems to matter with Billy Donovan's teams. The last two seasons, each of his starters took turns making the big play or taking the clutch shot. I expect this group to develop into the same type of well-rounded, team-oriented group that can still shoot the lights out.

And Florida, thanks to an incredibly soft schedule (a Dec. 22 game against Ohio State is the only real non-conference matchup of note), won't lack for wins. By the time a trip to Columbus rolls around, Florida should be 12-0. Throw in a 10-6 SEC record (not a reach for a talented team with a Hall of Fame caliber coach), and the Gators should be 24-7 by the time the SEC Tournament begins.

That makes Florida a 4 or 5 seed in the Big Dance, depending on how the RPI shakes out. And when I think about what the Gators have done the last two seasons, their caliber of coach and talent, it makes me leery of ever going against the Gators again.

Things keep looking up for the Atlantic Sun.

Just days after Gardner-Webb stunned Kentucky in Lexington, the conference snagged two more marquee wins. Belmont, coming off its second-straight NCAA Tournament berth, ripped Cincinnati at home, while Mercer turned O.J. Mayo's USC debut into one big debacle in Los Angeles.

(Ignore Mayo's final point total. It includes three late field goals, he missed 15-of-27 shots and had four turnovers.)

It was a stark contrast to the other two high-profile freshman debuts on Friday. Kevin Love scored 22 points, grabbed 13 boards and was brutally efficient (1.66 PPWS). In short, he was exactly what the Bruins expected. Coach Ben Howland was pleased with the center's defense and his ferocity on the boards.  

Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley may be the closest thing to this year's version of Kevin Durant, but few thought he'd pull off a Durant-like performance in the Wildcats' opener. Guess we can now raise expectations for Beasley, too.

With Memphis Derrick Rose already off to a fast start and Indiana's Eric Gordon set to make his debut, it's a bit surprising Mayo is already behind the fab freshman curve.

Then again, the season just started.

As if the players' debuts weren't enough, a bevy of coaches took to the court with new teams for the first time Friday, too.

Michigan breezed past Radford (not that Tommy Amaker's squads ever had much trouble during their non-conference schedule), Arkansas made it easy on John Pelphrey (no surprise considering the talent the Razorbacks return), while Mark Turgeon's Aggies shrugged off their early jitters for a blowout win of their win.

The three most interesting debuts took place in two games, though.

Colorado's Bz-Ball" stumbled out of the gate to Steve Alford's New Mexico Lobos. This was despite a horrid game from star J.R. Giddens. The Buffs, coming off years of Ricardo Patton, were "out of sync" and will probably continue to struggle. For another year at least.

Rick Majerus has his hands full in St. Louis. "You can see our size, athleticism, lack of depth, lack of practice, we've got a lot of problems," Majerus told the St. Louis Dispatch. The former Utah coach remains one of the game's premier X's and O's men, but even he will have a hard time ensuring the Billikens win more than 15 games this season.

The sky isn't falling in Lexington, Kentucky fans. A loss to Gardner-Webb just feels that way.

There's no glee or Schadenfreude behind that sentence, either. I may think Tubby Smith got the short end of the stick, but that doesn't mean I can't empathize with an unexpected, frustrating loss. Every fan can. Just last season, my Jayhawks lost at home to Oral Roberts, Old Dominion handed Georgetown its first on-campus loss since 1982, and Missouri State shocked Wisconsin.

And those were all losses by Top 10 teams. To have No. 22 Kentucky lose -- even at home -- is surprising, but only because Kentucky's tradition. If No. 25 Kansas State loses its opener on Friday, there won't be the same reaction.

Also, this was a week where Michigan State and Ohio State lost to D-II schools, remember. There are always worse levels of embarrassment.

(Seriously, this happens every season, and usually in November. Just yesterday I was reminded of a 2003 Kansas loss at Nevada. That was Bill Self's first season at Kansas and me and my buddy Jeff were ready to drive to Chapel Hill and force Roy Williams to return to Lawrence, no questions asked. But I digress.)

The Wildcats, to quote coach Billy Gillispie, "got our tails whipped," and ruined any chance Kentucky of showing off its new coach and fab freshman Patrick Patterson in NYC next week, but maybe it's a good thing. Losses like this help a team focus.

After all, Gillispie won his Kentucky debut, then said UK had plenty of work to do, particularly on defense. Senior Joe Crawford played sparingly in the opener vs. Central Arkansas. Same with stud freshman Alex Legion. A loss like this never sits well with fans or coaches, but in different ways.

Fans can be outraged, while Gillispie is only concerned about the program as a whole, not just one game. He'll play whoever earns the time.

In the long run -- we're talking NCAA Tournament titles here, not early season rankings -- that'll pay off, and Gillispie knows it.

Andy Lyons / Getty Images

Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie couldn't get his team to play enough defense vs. Gardner-Webb.

More encouraging is that initial message board fan reaction leans that way. (Except for one comment on this game thread. This wasn't Chaminade over Virginia and Ralph Sampson.) Some blame the players, some blame Tubby for leaving the cupboard bare. And some do blame Gillispie.

Mostly, the loss shows Kentucky can't have a bad night and still win, like some Wildcat teams have in the past. As March Madness has shown in recent years, that gap between majors and mid-majors closes more each season. Gardner-Webb may not make the NCAA Tournament (the Atlantic Sun doesn't have a Davidson or VCU that'll dominate, but the Bulldogs will have their work cut out for them), but the only real loss out of Wednesday is Kentucky's NCAA Tournament seed.

This is still a team that will play in the Big Dance. The 'Cats may not beat North Carolina, Indiana, Louisville or even Houston, but they'll be at least .500 in SEC play and probably end up as a 6 or 7 seed.

Even in future seasons when Gillispie molds Kentucky into a legitimate Top 25 team, more losses like this may occur. That's life in college hoops nowadays.

But wait for March. That's all that really matters, right?

Who's the face of college basketball?

That's the question by from ESPN's Andy Katz. Without the fab five at Florida, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Katz wonders who will be this year's face of college basketball. It's a far cry from two years ago when one couldn't escape the J.J. Redick and Adam Morrison highlights.

This year the focus is on guys like Tennessee's Chris Lofton, UNC's Tyler Hansbrough, Georgetown's Roy Hibbert or Michigan State's Drew Neitzel, all preseason All-Americans and upperclassmen.

At least that's where the hard-core fan focus is. Odds are casual fans -- the ones who pay attention after the NFL season ends and the bubble talk begins -- don't know those names, except for possibly Hansbrough (because the Heels play on TV so often) and Hibbert (as one of the biggest names back from a Final Four team).

If last season was any indication, the freshmen will be the most well-known players. O.J. Mayo has already played games on ESPN. Eric Gordon's name is known throughout Big Ten country as the guy who spurned Illinois. And then there's Memphis' Derrick Rose, who looked NBA-ready in his debut on Monday.

The 6-4 point guard is supposed to be the reason the Tigers finally reach the Final Four after back-to-back Elite Eights. After seeing him play two games, I'm a believer, as are others. Don't believe me? Watch for yourself.

Still, as good as Rose was/is, odds are he won't be back for his sophomore season, thus making this topic relevant again next season.

So who are the biggest stars in college hoops? Easy: the coaches.

Check out this fabulous story from the Washington Post about the Big East's elite group of coaches. I happen to agree that coaches, not players, are the stars of the college game. Any school that has a marquee coach would be foolish not to emphasize that coach when they're the ones who stay in the college game, not the players.

Need more proof? Kentucky moved on from Tubby Smith to Bill Gillispie this season. And all the preseason talk about the Wildcats isn't about their players, but about Gillispie. (For the record, the 'Cats are a solid Top 25 team, but a Final Four is a longshot.)

Gillispie's Kentucky debut was a breeze, though he wasn't overly pleased despite Central Arkansas hitting just 20 percent of its shots. "Their 20 percent wasn't enough us. It was more them. We set pretty high standards." Sounds like standard fare from a guy who eats, sleeps and breathes college hoops…

North Carolina snagged itself a big man for the future in Indiana schoolboy Tyler Zeller. Did Kelvin Sampson's recent NCAA infractions scare him off or was the Chapel Hill allure too great?

Washington State was the surprise team last season and returns four starters this year. But something tells me that despite the attention Tony Bennett's team is receiving, the Cougars won't match last season's 26-7 performance…

Which story was more timely Tuesday? This preview of Ohio State's exhibition against D-II Findlay (a game the Buckeyes lost that night) or a feature on Maryland senior James Gist and his desire to be "that guy" for the Terps? I go with the former, even if Maryland did announce a one-game suspension for Gist on Tuesday…

OK, maybe the Internet isn't perfect. Maybe watching a game online can be choppy. But it's still preferable to scouring a box score the next day or hoping for random highlights on SportsCenter…

Jeff Green never put up big stats for Georgetown last season, but everyone knew how integral the junior swingman was to the Hoyas' Final Four run. The Big East player of the year was arguably the nation's best defender, Georgetown's go-to guy in the clutch and set the tone for efficient, solid play that typified a 30-7 Georgetown squad.

But was Green so good that his early departure to the NBA is scaring off supporters for another run to the Final Four? The Hoyas are slated by a few outlets (Blue Ribbon, Athlon) to reach the Final Four, but none of the bigger media like SI.com, CBS, FOX (and, to be fair, msnbc.com) favor the Hoyas to return to the Final Four.

Seems a little crazy to me.

Green was indeed one of college hoops' best players last season, but that shouldn't make Georgetown any less dangerous this season. The beauty of coach John Thompson III's system is how it relies on every player, not just one. Center Roy Hibbert may be the focal point, but guards Jonathan Wallace, DaJuan Summers and standouts Patrick Ewing Jr., Vernon Macklin, and Austin Freeman should make up for that absence.

And I think that consistency and ruthless efficiency – not to mention stellar defense – Thompson's teams have become known for make them the team to beat in San Antonio.

And the other contenders? Here's a list of who should be playing after the NCAA Tournament's first weekend. Submit your own in the comments field below.

Champion: Georgetown

Final Four: Kansas (runner-up), North Carolina, Memphis

Out in Elite Eight: Indiana, Louisville, Tennessee, UCLA.

Out in Sweet 16: Arkansas, Davidson, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State , N.C. State, Texas, VCU.