Men's Basketball Ranked 55th in Pre-Season Poll

While the football season is (thankfully) just around the corner, it is never too late to start thinking about our basketball team. That being said, here is a link to a Rivals.com article that puts the Commodores in the 55 spot in a national preseason poll.

I think that their analysis is dead on- the team will high on talent but short on experience and will need to push to stay off of the NCAA tournament bubble. As the article states, I think it is safe look for most of the newcomers to step up in a big way, especially redshirt freshman Festus Ezeli. I cannot wait to see the look on the face of the opposing team when the big man and A.J. Ogilvy step onto the court at the same time.

My prediction? Assuming that all of the freshman play as expected and the veterans step up, the team will play in a third straight NCAA tournament, this time as an 8 seed. A 55 ranking is fair, but a little low in my opinion.

What do you think? Will the team prove the Rivals editors wrong and sneak their way into the top 25? Or will they tank with the absence of Shan Foster and company?

The Rivals Article