The NCAA basketball season is about to get started and excitement is already in the air. Who are the top teams you should be watching this season? Will Florida repeat? I thought it would be great to start off this year’s postings with a preseason look at what some of the top teams should be. Today, I’ll give you 25 teams that could very well be going at it in the big dance in March.

First, let’s get one thing out of the way. Florida will be good again. They’ve got the guys coming back and they will be making a run at back-to-back championships. Will they do it? No. Sorry Florida fans. I think the tournament is full of too many surprises. I’m not looking for the to repeat.

It may come as no shock to you, but many are predicting North Carolina as this season’s national champs. I’m going against the grain again. I think the Tar Heels will give it a good run, but they’ll come up short. I think they are good enough to get into the Final Four this season.

So, who’s going to win it all? I think the championship will come out west. I like the UCLA Bruins to take it all. The Bruins got a little younger this season, but coach Ben Howland will have them playing well.

Here are the top 20 teams to watch. I’m not listing them in any particular order.

- UCLA
- Ohio State
- Florida
- Syracuse
- Kansas
- North Carolina
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Gonzaga
- LSU
- Creighton
- Georgetown
- Duke
- Boston College
- Nevada
- Washington
- Memphis
- Lousiville
- Georgia Tech
- Marquette

There are plenty of teams on the fringe as well. For instance, I didn’t list Wisconsin. They could very well be in the middle of this pack or they could be towards the tail end. I’ve seen some publications that put them in the top 10. I’m not buying that.

As the season progresses, we’ll see who’s shaping up and who’s shipping out.