...to look ahead to next season. I had a feeling my Spartans would get pounded by North Carolina tonight. Unfortunately, I was right; they got pounded. However, I have to rank Michigan State among the (preliminary) top teams heading into next season. Here's a very early look, taking into consideration seniors leaving and logical NBA choices:

1. Michigan State - They will lose Goran Suton and Travis Walton, but everyone else should be back. Add to that incoming freshmen centers Derrick Nix and Garrick Sherman and the Spartans look to have the inside track back to the Final Four.

2. Duke - This is assuming they have virtually their whole squad coming back. I think Gerald Henderson is the only one that will consider the NBA, but if he returns, the Blue Devils should continue their climb back to the elite. Adding two of the top 12 recruits won't hurt either.

3. Louisville - They will lose a good chunk, particularly Terrence Williams, but will still have enough to compete for a National title. If Rick Pitino can bring Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings back for their sophomore seasons, the Cardinals should be in business.

4. Villanova - Losing Dante Cunningham will be tough, but Jay Wright will still have plenty coming back to work with. The Wildcats will also be welcoming two of the best guards in this year's recruiting class in Dominic Cheek and Maalike Wayns.

5. Missouri - Too high? Maybe. But I think they will build off a nice performance in this year's NCAA tournament. Adding point guard Michael Dixon helps as well.

6. North Carolina - This might be kind putting the champs this high, as they will lose Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Deon Thompson, among many others. But of course the Tar Heels have five blue-chip prospects on the way for next year, so if the kids play well, North Carolina should remain a threat.

7. Wake Forest - Jeff Teague is the key here. If he's back, then Wake should remain a top 10 team. Al-Farouq Aminu coming back for his sophomore year would also be nice. If he doesn't, Ari Stewart should be able to jump right in as a freshman.

8. Kansas - If Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich are both back, which I think they will be, Kansas could really emerge as a contender. Their freshmen this year were impressive, and they're adding two of the premier players in recruiting in power forward Thomas Robinson and point guard Elijah Johnson.

9. Pittsburgh - I'm under the impression Dejuan Blair will be back. If he's not, the Panthers will drop. Dante Taylor will be an impact freshman.

10. UConn - The Huskies will lose a strong group, including Hasheem Tabeet, but will return a great young sophomore in Kemba Walker. They are also adding Alex Oriakhi and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, a pair of studs from The Tilton School in New Hampshire. They will help ease the losses.

Congratulations once again to North Carolina. It was a heck of a season for a heck of a team. But I'm already pumped for the Spartans to go after it next year. They'll have a damn good chance.

Also, baseball opened today. Some people consider opening day a holiday, or at least one of the better sports days in the year. And I can't argue that. I love it. I signed up for the full season on MLB.tv, and promptly watched four games today (excluding the two on the tv at the same time). I'll get more into baseball by the end of this week, but tonight is all about college basketball.