North Carolina, Kentucky top 2011-12 preseason power rankings

Eight months have passed since I wrote the final Power Rankings of the 2010-11 regular season, with the wrong team at No. 1, and right team at No. 21. (UConn's Big East tournament run hadn't even happened yet, so forgive me.) As a fan of unpredictability, I would be overjoyed if the next champ emerged from outside this top 16, but I fear that my preseason No. 1 has wire-to-wire potential. Alexander Julian's argyle tends to be en vogue on a 3-4 year cycle, and like 2005 and 2009, 2012 should be the Year of Carolina.

NCAA Basketball Preseason Power Rankings

The Next 24: 17. UCLA, 18. Memphis, 19. Arizona, 20. Florida State, 21. Belmont, 22. Michigan, 23. Purdue, 24. UNLV, 25. Gonzaga, 26. Temple, 27. Missouri, 28. Wichita State, 29. Marquette, 30. Texas A&M, 31. West Virginia, 32. Michigan State, 33. New Mexico, 34. Villanova, 35. Cal, 36. Texas, 37. Notre Dame, 38. Creighton, 39. Butler, 40. Washington