There have been about one million rankings published since the end of the college basketball season last year. Most titled “Way too Early Top-25!” or “Preseason NCAA Tournament Bracket” or something else of that ilk. Well, as of Sunday morning, the cream of the preseason rankings crop has come out. The KenPom.com rankings are probably the most prestigious analytic rankings out there (sorry, Bart Torvik, but even you know it’s true). And I don’t just say that because your favorite team is ranked 17th to start the season.
That’s right, the Marquette Golden Eagles team who lost two of their best players has actually moved up in the rankings from last year’s final rankings by 16 spots, from their 33rd place finish last year, as well as seven spots higher than their peak before the implosion that followed.