Ellen Ozier / Reuters file

North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough drives to the basket against Illinois' Shaun Pruitt. Hansbrough will be one of the few bright spots for the defending champs this season, writes NBCSports.com's Ray Glier.

Q: After reading the section about the SEC and no mention of Florida. Was the emergence of those young kids a statement or did they simply play over their heads for two games?
Troy, Wichita, Kan.

A: I choked. The Gators have not played over their head. I missed 'em. Flat out missed 'em. Hit me over the head.

I saw Florida six times last year and Corey Brewer and Al Horford were players then. Taurean Green was a good guard, much better defensively then what the Gators had starting last year. Lee Humphrey is a shooter who can play off the strengths of the inside game when the double-team forces a kick-out.

Throw in Chris Richard, a bruising big man at 255, and Adrian Moss, a veteran inside guy, and you have a solid, deep team.

What makes my leaving them out of the SEC mix -- and Top 25 -- even worse is that this is the year a young, hungry team like Florida can make some noise in the SEC. The conference is down; Florida is in a prime spot to get some conference wins and get into the Top 15.

Here is another thing about Florida. The Gators have some passion. They play hard and help on defense. They aren’t as smooth as the 2005 Gators, who had a lot of offense from Matt Walsh, David Lee and Anthony Roberson, but this Florida club rebounds and plays defense.

I would say Billy Donovan, an over-achiever at Providence, is having a nice time coaching this bunch.

Q: I am curious as to why you believe that the University of Wisconsin is receiving so little respect nationally? I realize that they lost Mike Wilkerson to graduation, but otherwise, seem very much intact with Alando Tucker and Brian Butch among others in tow. They have been near the top of the Big Ten (if not winning it) and continue to receive NCAA bids yet are not even in the top 25. I mean, was anyone watching them compete against North Carolina in the big dance?
Jason Rudolph, Madison, Wisc.

A: Wisconsin lost four starters, but you might have a point. The Badgers should have received a little more respect.

The Wake Forest game proved that.

Wisconsin lost by three on the road to a team that is rated the third-best team in the ACC behind Duke and Boston College. Sure, UW had problems chasing Justin Gray (37 points) through screens, but this is a new team that needs some time to find itself defensively.

I wonder, privately, what coach Bo Ryan thought of his team getting picked seventh in the Big Ten?

The guy has a 46-18 record in the Big Ten and his teams have finished first twice, second and third, respectively. And now they are trashed as being the seventh best team in a football conference.

The Big Ten is a deep league this year with Indiana and Ohio State on the rebound, but Wisconsin looked good enough against Wake Forest to at least get a better preseason ranking than Michigan and Illinois.

I think when you have a star like Alando Tucker you're going to have some traction in a major conference. It will be interesting to see the development of the freshman Marcus Landry and just what this team gets out of junior guard Kammron Taylor.

Wisconsin will not get past Michigan State or Indiana, but Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa, and Illinois will have a hard time shoving Wisconsin to the backseat in the Big Ten, especially with the Badgers still playing half their conference games in the Kohl Center.

Q: What do you think about GW’s chances after winning the A-10 last year, returning 5 seniors and LSU transfer Regis Koundjia?
David, Washington, D.C.

A: Before the season, I thought GW would win the A-10 hands down. The Colonials should win the league, but Temple might be a little better than expected.

GW has an NBA-caliber talent in Pops Mensah-Bonsu, a 6-foot-9 senior. He is one of four starters returning.

The starter missing is guard J.T. Thompson, the team’s leader, so it will be interesting to see who steps into the hole left by Thompson’s departure.

Just don’t get too excited about GW when you see a gaudy 19-1 record, or something like that. The Colonials are good, but this schedule is a joke for a Top 25 team.

More news

Don Ryan / AP

VCU moving to A-10 in 2013

CBT: Days after intra-conference foe George Mason affirmed that it would remain in the CAA, Virginia Commonwealth is headed to the Atlantic 10.

Charles Rex Arbogast / AP

CBT: Top '13 recruit featured on SI cover

Headlines

• Label

CBT: Please! Get rid of the on-court stickers!

CBT: How much pressure can 1 player feel at ASU?

CBT: Cincinnati players reportedly involved in bar fight

CBT: Florida State confirms interest in Big 12

CBT: Kentucky adds depth in Wright St. transfer

CBT: Michigan State's Nix fined for DWI

CBT: At 70, Calhoun faces plenty of challenges

Irish's Scott Martin getting 6th season