I think in-season top 25 lists are silly. Losing one game doesn’t necessarily mean a team should drop from the top spot and that’s all the polls appear to measure. Offseason top 25 lists are even sillier. Why not let the teams play before you rank them? Yet, every major basketball writer is following the lead and trying to predict who are the best teams before a shot has been taken. Kansas is very good – on paper. While I won’t be submitting my own top 25 because I don’t care if teams win or lose, it is time to start sharpening my knowledge of the top player for fantasy college hoops. As such, please allow me to present my summer of 2009 top ten of Tier 1 players (with comments!) Feel free to tell me who I missed (and, by the way, Corperryale Harris was #11 – don’t think I’ve forgotten about my man).

1. F Luke Harangody, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Like any player who tests the draft process, I was surprised that Harangody came back to school. While I am pretty sure he wouldn’t have been drafted in the first round (although with Hansbrough going at #13 – who knows?), he’ll be similarly placed next year after he shatters all of the Notre Dame scoring and rebounding records. The 2007-08 Big East player of the year improved on his numbers as a junior and provided 23.3 ppg and 11.8 rpg. It’s true that his minutes went up (34.2 mpg) and his field goal percentage went down (45.9 percent) and he did not lift his team into the NCAA tournament. It’s hard to imagine he’ll get more shots (19.2 field goal attempts per game), but without Kyle McAlarney, it’s possible.

2. F Craig Brackins, Iowa State Cyclones
Was there a quieter big time performer than Brackins last year? Granted, the Cyclones were pretty lousy, but Brackins did average 20.2 ppg and 9.5 rpg. He decided to return to school early and was my pre-deadline top player (before Harangody returned). As a sophomore, he was very consistent and even exploded a couple of times. He scored 42 points on Kansas on January 24 in a loss and led the Cyclones to a win over Houstin with 38 points on December 28. Brackins finished the season with three straight double-doubles and had five in his last seven games. As a junior, Brackins should be able to garner some Big 12 Player of the Year attention.

3. G/F Evan Turner, Ohio State Buckeyes
Unlike the past two years, I don’t think we’ll see many articles this year about how the Big 10 is down. Purdue and Michigan State bring back many good players. Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois should be quite good and even Northwestern may achieve a .500 in-conference record. The conference will also boast its own superstar in the Buckeyes’ Turner. The 6-7 swingman came within one rebound and two assists of turning a triple-double in Ohio State’s first round, double overtime loss against Siena. It did take him 50 minutes to accrue his stats, but Turner averaged 17.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, and 4.4 apg. A triple-double is bound to occur during his junior season.

4. C Cole Aldrich, Kansas Jayhawks
While Sherron Collins was clearly the man – for good or ill – for the 2008-09 Jayhawks, I think the evolution of Aldrich will continue as he challenges Brackins for Player of the Year honors in the Big 12. The 6-11 center averaged a double-double (14.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg) and appeared to become more of a focal point of the offense as the season went on. In the game that I focused on, December 13 against Massachusetts, Collins dominated the ball and ignored Aldrich for much of the game (despite Aldrich’s size advantage). With superstar freshman Xavier Henry providing more perimeter help, Aldrich should have more room to operate and get a lot of easy buckets.

5. F Devin Ebanks, West Virginia Mountaineers
If this list has a sleeper, Ebanks is probably it. The former Hoosier recruit’s numbers are somewhat reduced because he played a minor role for Bob Huggins’ team in the first six games of the season. Once he established himself as a rebounding fool, Ebanks made the leap into superstardom. He’ll be paired with Da’Sean Butler, who will likely lead West Virginia in scoring again. Ebanks will also get more shot opportunities and will enhance his value with double-digit rebounding. As a freshman, Ebanks – who I consistently want to call Eubanks as if he is related to the host of the Newlywed Game – had nine double-doubles. I bet he averages that as a sophomore.

6. G Willie Warren, Oklahoma Sooners
My first game of the week last year featured Oklahoma against Davidson. Obviously, Warren wasn’t the focus of that game, but I did come away impressed by the 6-4 freshman. In 2009-2010, the Sooners will be his team and none of the members of the Family Guy family will be around. Even as the second option, Warren provided 14.6 ppg on 47.3 percent shooting and 3.1 apg. He’ll get many more opportunities as a sophomore and may be able to run the point more often with Austin Johnson gone. Warren will have plenty passing options as well, including senior Tony Crocker and incoming freshman Keith Gallon (a 6-9, 300 lb center from the Oak Hill Academy).

7. F Patrick Patterson, Kentucky Wildcats
John Calipari’s run of successful teams at Memphis have generally been guard-oriented. That may be because he hasn’t had a forward like Patterson. The 6-9 junior-to-be got off to a great start in his second season before injuries slowed him down. Patterson missed two games in the heart of the SEC schedule with a sprained ankle, but came back with five double-doubles in the team’s last nine games. He’ll have plenty of frontcourt help in the forms of DeMarcus Cousin and Daniel Orton, but Calipari is a smart enough coach not to ignore his big man. Whether John Wall hogs the ball will be another question.

8. F Kyle Singler, Duke Blue Devils
With Eliot Williams transferring to Memphis, Duke may be in for a season of change. Maybe Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer will run the point and the brothers Plumlee will patrol the paint. Even with all of the changes around him, Singler should be the singular focus of the Blue Devil offense and should have plenty of shot opportunities. The 6-8 forward did not play quite as many minutes in the first half of the season so that he could put the pedal to the metal in the second half. He ended up with 16.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.5 spg, and 1.0 bpg. If all of those numbers go up just a tick, he’ll be in for a monster fantasy season.

9. G Talor Battle, Penn State Nittany Lions
I have to admit that I often overlooked Battle last year. No, it wasn’t because he is short (although he is at 5-11). I just always seem to forget about the Nittany Lions when it comes to Big 10 basketball. That won’t be an issue this year. Battle provided a steadying force for the Penn State backcourt and played 37.4 mpg. He averaged 16.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 5.0 apg and provided three double-doubles (all with rebounds). Battle won’t have Jamelle Cornley to provide some frontcourt balance in 2009-10, but maybe F Andrew Jones III will continue to improve.

10. F Al-Farouq Aminu , Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
I don’t always believe in addition by subtraction, but it’s hard not to like Aminu’s potential with James Johnson and Jeff Teague having moved on. As a freshman, the 6-9 Aminu provided 12.9 ppg and 8.2 rpg and showed off a variety of skills. The Demon Deacons will still have plenty of muscle in Aminu’s fellow classmates Ty Walker and Tony Woods to keep opponents away from Aminu. Ish Smith will regain his point guard duties to provide pinpoint passes to set up Aminu as well. The freshman shot less than ten times per game last year, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him among the top scorers and rebounders in the ACC next year.