The leaves are turning and the air is getting crisp, it's time to start thinking about NCAA basketball. The AP has just released it's preseason basketball poll and the Georgetown Hoyas crack the top 20, while the Maryland Terrapins are not ranked. Duke comes in at number one, but on a blog that covers Maryland (written by a guy who attended it) we won't delve very deep into that subject.
Georgetown lost Greg Monroe to the NBA, but is returning a majority of their difference makers from last year including preseason Big East Player of the Year Austin Freeman. It will be interesting to see how the Hoyas replace Monroe's production, and more importantly his presence, in the post. Georgetown came in second at the Big East tournament last year before a disappointing performance in the NCAA tournament.
As for the Terps, it's no surprise that they aren't ranked even after sharing the ACC Regular Season title with Duke last year. The Terps lost much more talent then Georgetown (Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, and Landon Milbourne), and will rely heavily on Sophomore big man Jordan Williams. It's not surprising that the Terps are not part of the initial poll, but it is surprising that they received zero votes.
We'll update the polls as they change in this StoryStream.