Well, ESPN's Andy Katz is putting that theory to the test, as he released his list shortly after Kentucky was crowned the 2012 NCAA Tournament champion.

And while Kentucky's Wildcats are ranked fourth, it's Arizona's version who may be a bit of a surprise to some, since Katz has them ranked 12th.

The Wildcats had to deal with a number of issues this season from injuries to attrition, but they were still close to mounting a Pac-12 regular-season title challenge and made the NIT. Arizona should lean heavily on Solomon Hill as a lead returnee (along with Kevin Parrom's return), but this will be a team heavy on newcomers. The recruiting class is currently ranked No. 1 in the country by ESPN, with Kaleb Tarczewski, Grant Jerrett, Brandon Ashley and Gabe York heading to Tucson. This team will be young in November but should make its mark in March.

Remember, this is a team that lost to Bucknell in the first round of the NIT after being ranked No. 16 to begin last season, so UA fans know all about how little preseason rankings matter.

And, after last year's much-heralded freshman class flopped, it should be noted that it would be unwise to expect greatness from this year's crop, even if it the top class in all of college basketball.

However, if it shows anything it's that there is still a strong belief in what Sean Miller is doing in Tucson, as this will be the first season where the team is made up entirely of players he recruited.

Figure in the return of Solomon Hill and a healthy Kevin Parrom, as well as improvements from Nick Johnson, Angelo Chol, Jordin Mayes and (if he returns) Josiah Turner, and there is reason for optimism heading into next season.

As it stands, that is apparently enough to spawn confidence that this team will not only return to the Dance, but be one of the better teams in the country, too.