Oct. 5, 2007

Bigs: Hansbrough's No. 1 -- then start the debate

By Gary Parrish | CBSSports.com Senior Writer
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I have one final plea before concluding the CBSSports.com annual position rankings.

If you're going to e-mail and insist Hasheem Thabeet should be on the list of the top 25 Bigs in the nation, fine, that's a reasonable statement to make. But you can't just tell me Thabeet has been snubbed. You have to also tell me who to drop from the list to make room for him, otherwise you're merely telling me to add a 26th, 27th -- or 44th, in some cases -- player to a list that has only 25 spots.

Tyler Hansbrough could be a national champion as a junior. (Getty Images)

To be clear, I enjoy the back-and-forth.

It should make for an interesting mailbag next week.

But let's be certain we all understand you can't add somebody to any list without taking somebody else off. So if you must argue, please argue under those guidelines ... though you shouldn't bother arguing about the No. 1 spot on the list of Bigs. Honestly, placing North Carolina's star junior at the top was the easiest thing I've done all week.

1.Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina): Hansbrough is on his way to a possible national title, which would solidify this Missourian as one of the great college basketball players of his era.

2. Michael Beasley (Kansas State): If you're looking for this season's Kevin Durant -- i.e., a big-time scorer who can dominate around the rim and sink a jumper -- this would be a good place to start.

3. Roy Hibbert (Georgetown): He doesn't rebound that great or block shots too well for a man his size. Still, Hibbert is probably the best true center in college basketball, one who is good enough to lead the Hoyas back to the Final Four.

4. D.J. White (Indiana): With White in the paint and Eric Gordon on the perimeter, Indiana has one of the best inside-out combos in the country.

5. Aleks Maric (Nebraska): Maric is the latest in the growing line of talented big men from Australia.

6. Kevin Love (UCLA): The only thing the Bruins have been missing the past couple of years is a true post presence who demands the ball. Now they have one, and a third consecutive Final Four is likely.

7. Brook Lopez (Stanford): This half of the Lopez twins will be a lottery pick whenever he opts to make himself available for the NBA Draft.

8. Darrell Arthur (Kansas): A stress fracture limited his ability this summer. But Arthur should be healthy for his second season at Kansas, and he's capable of helping Bill Self reach the Final Four.

9. Brandon Costner (North Carolina State): Costner averaged 16.8 points per game last season while returning N.C. State to prominence much quicker than anyone expected.

10. Josh Heytvelt (Gonzaga): If the Zags could make the NCAA Tournament without Heytvelt following last season's suspension, there's no reason to think they won't return to the Big Dance this season given how he's expected to be formally reinstated soon.