There's a lot of debate as to which Division 1 conference is the best top-to-bottom this year. Here is my humble opinion:

1. The PAC-10. As much as I hate to admit it, the PAC-10 is the best conference in America. I knew teams like USC and UCLA were among the elite teams this year, but after watching Arizona and seeing Washington take on Pitt this weekend, I can honestly say I'm thoroughly impressed with the PAC-10.

2. The Big East. This conference is so big, it's always going to be loaded with superstar talent. This year is no exception with contenders Georgetown, Marquette, Louisville, and Pittsburgh. I haven't even mentioned the solid squads from Syracuse, UConn, and Villanova. The only problem is, with the tough physicality of this league, these teams beat each other up before the tournament even begins.

3. The Big 12. It might not be the best from top to bottom, but the top teams make up for the lack of wow at the bottom of this conference. Kansas, K-State, and Texas are all teams I wouldn't want to face in March. With Bob Knight's Texas Tech team, and A&M coming on strong, look for prime competition in the Big 12 this year!

 

I apologize for the absence of an article last week. Between travel woes and a nasty ear infection, I was not able to get my article posted.

That said, let's talk ball! This year college basketball fans have a lot of new faces to get used to. It's definitely a year of super freshman and I think as of now, two of these guys lead the pack , O.J. Mayo, and Michael Beasley.
 
Just think, these two would have been playing together had Mayo stuck to his commitment to attend K-State. Mayo decided to go to USC to gain more media exposure before going pro. What's the matter O.J., Ben Howland said no? I don't buy that he would ever chose USC over UCLA. I respect UCLA coach Ben Howland, and would not like to see a jerk like Mayo on his squad so Mayo at USC is a perfect fit!

I might dislike Mayo as a person, but I have to give him props for being an outstanding basketball player! Although he has a lot of growing up to do on and off the floor, he has the raw talent to make it big. But, because of his immaturity, I give the edge to Michael Beasley.

Beasley often looks like a man among boys when he's on the court. It's rare that a freshman comes in and makes it clear that he's head and shoulders above everyone else on the court. In my opinion, Beasley has started to prove this, and could be Player of the Year! Don't get me wrong, he has a lot more to prove and a lot of opponents that are going to test his skills, but this guy can flat out play! I can't wait to see him against the Kansas Jayhawks and Texas Longhorns!

These aren't the only fantastic freshman making noise early on however. Duke's Kyle Singler, UCLA's Kevin Love, and the Memphis Tiger's, Derrick Love are all looking to do more than just contribute this season!

These young guys are ready for their close-ups. Keep an eye on K-State's Michael Beasley, this kids special and is going to be a star!!!

I'm sorry but I have to say it... UNC is NOT the best team and they should not be #1 right now!

After watching the Tarheels struggle against a very good Davidson team last week, I was thoroughly unimpressed! Don't get me wrong they're a great team, a top 5 team for sure, but number 1? Are you kidding me?

First of all let me say that everyone knows early season rankings don't mean much. That said, UNC does not have the best talent. There are 4 teams in my opinion that would beat them if they played on a neutral court this week.

ESPN/USA Today                            Best Damn Sports Chick's Rankings
1.North Carolina                             1. Kansas
2. UCLA                                            2. Memphis
3. Memphis                                      3. UCLA
4. Kansas                                        4. Georgetown
5. Georgetown                                5. UNC

I watched the Coaches vs Cancer tournament very curious to find out two things. One, how does Memphis stack up to UNC? Two, is Derrick Rose that good? To answer my first question, Memphis is stronger and quicker than UNC. As far as Derrick Rose, he is super fast and strong but not a player of the year candidate at this point. He's a freshman though, and there's lots of time for him to improve and live up to expectations.

Douglas-Roberts has always been underrated and I truly believe this will be a break out year for him. Rose and Douglas-Roberts aren't the most important players for Memphis though, Joey Dorsey is. If he can keep his head in the game and make smart choices on and off the court, this might be the team cutting down the nets.

Memphis is not my number one however, the Jayhawks of Kansas are my top pick! Kansas is stacked this year with a mature team and a talent level that in my opinion is above Memphis or any other team for that matter. Robinson is as good a point guard as any in the country and Rush is a lottery pick. This team poses match-up problems for every team they're going to face. They're loaded in every position and ready to win it all!

But let's not forget UCLA. Look for their super freshman Kevin Love to do big things this year in a difficult Pac10. Ben Howland is underrated, his teams know how to play defense and how to win!

Georgetown is once again ready to dominate the Big East. This Thompson is a very different coach than John senior, but the results are the same! Georgetown has the size and shooting to go deep in the tournament. First though, they'll have to get out of the very tough Big East.

I'm sure the rankings will change today and Memphis will have moved up to #1, but UNC doesn't deserve to be 2, or 3, or 4.. Should I keep going?

What's going on in the Atlantic Sun league?? Maybe a better question would be who is in the A-Sun league? Well if you were lucky enough to catch the Kentucky, USC, or Cincinnati games this weekend, you know of at least three impressive teams that call the A-Sun home.

First, the much hyped #22 Kentucky wildcats fell to Gardner-Webb 84-68 in Rupp Arena. This was only Billy Gillispie's second game at Kentucky, and I was shocked to see his team lose at home this early in the season. More importantly, this was an early round game in the 2K Sports College Hoop Classic Tournament with the semifinals commencing in New York City at Madison Square Garden. This wasn't a nail-biter, this game was a spanking and will keep me watching Gardner-Webb the rest of the season!

Then on Friday night Belmont wanted to join the party, and beat Cincinnati 86-75. Belmont is the defending A-Sun champion and they dominated the Bearcats Friday night making six of their first seven shots to open the second half, including all four from behind the arc. This completed a 15-2 run that put the Bruins ahead where they stayed for the remainder of the game.

But wait, one more A-Sun team wanted to make a statement this weekend. Mercer beat #18 USC 96-81 on Saturday. The game that was supposed to be a coming out party for O.J. Mayo became a stunning upset for Trojan fans. The bears from Macon, GA shot 60 percent in their first game of the season. Mayo did have 32 points, but he could not single-handedly beat Mercer.

I'm sure many of you are familiar with names like Gardner-Webb and Belmont as being number 15 or 16 seeds on the bottom of your brackets in March. Something tells me, these teams will be known for something else now. Call me a sucker, but I love a good upset! What a weekend.

Games To Watch:

11/15 Gardner-Webb at Connecticut  7pm
11/18 Mercer at Boston College 2pm
11/19 Belmont at Alabama 6pm

I love November, and it's not because of Thanksgiving, my birthday, or the New York City Marathon. I love it because college basketball starts in November!  The teams have been practicing since the middle of October, but November is the first time we get to see our teams in action, and this fan can not wait for tip-off!

There's so much to talk about, but I'd like to get everyone up to speed on who will be leading your team from the sideline. There were a lot of coaching changes during the off-season and you better believe these top tier gentlemen are going to make an impact at their new schools:

- Kentucky Wildcat fans must be going nuts for Billy Gillispie! After watching the job he did at Texas A&M, there's no doubt Kentucky will be a contender in the next few years.

- Texas A&M is not going anywhere however! Mark Turgeon comes to the Aggies via Wichita State where led the Shockers to three consecutive 20 plus win seasons from 2004-2006.

- Kentucky's former coach Tubby Smith chose to take on rebuilding Minnesota's program. He's got his work cut out for him as the Gophers finished 9-22 last season, but if anyone can turn this program around it's a re-energized Tubby Smith.

- With John Beilein bolting West Virginia for the head coaching job at Michigan, former WVU alum Bobby Huggins received the opportunity to come home and coach his Mountaineers. West Virginia has been great year in and year out under Beilein and I expect this will continue with Huggins. Although his style is different, he knows how to win. You've been warned Big East.

- I have no doubt Beilein will restore Michigan's basketball tradition of excellence, so Wolverine fans rejoice! He is a fantastic coach, and his teams are always fun to watch.

- The Big 12 needs to keep an eye on Colorado. Jeff Bzdelik made quite an impression on the program at Air Force, and I expect he'll have continued success with Colorado. This guy teaches fundamentals and discipline, and his teams know how to win!

- Look for Iowa to make a comeback in the Big 10. With Steve Alford gone, the Hawkeyes picked up Butler coach Todd Lickliter. In his six seasons at Butler, he led them to the sweet sixteen twice. Expect big things from Lickliter in a big time conference.

- On a sadder note, Wake Forrest sidelines will not be the same without Skip Prosser. The Demon Deacons coach died of a heart attack in July at the age of 56. Dino Gaudo has tough shoes to fill in replacing Prosser, but the school has faith that he will do a fantastic job!

I look forward to an exciting season of college basketball! Be sure to check back for new postings every Monday!

~ Emily aka "The Best Damn Sports Chick"