The pre-season college basketball coaches poll revealed what everyone expected; the defending champion Florida Gators are near unanimous favorites to repeat. Billy Donovan's Gators received all but one of the first place votes and topped the first coaches poll ahead of a talented North Carolina team. Led by 2006 NCAA Tourney MOP Joakim Noah, the Gators return all five starters and introduce a strong freshman class. They are one of five SEC teams in the top 25, tied with the Big East for most conference teams in the poll.
So who can beat the Gators? It's really tough to imagine this team going down after watching them roll to the title a year ago, but there are some teams loaded with young talent that should be exciting to watch. A season ago the Tarheels of UNC made a surprising run to the NCAA's before being dropped by tourney Cinderella George Mason. They enter this season as the number two ranked team in the country. Super sophomore Tyler Hansborough will be the focal point, but should get a ton of help from possibly the strongest freshman class in the country. Lots of pepole are jumping on the Ohio State bandwagon with projected 2007 #1 NBA draft pick Greg Oden in the post, but a wrist injury has him sidelined until January. The Buckeyes grabbed the remaining first place vote and should benefit from what appears to be a down year in the Big 10. It is clear that Oden will be a one and done guy, but can he lead Ohio State to a championship? Aside from the Gators, there are a lot of inexperienced teams at the top of the polls which should lead for a very unpredictable season.
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