Who you callin' small? Butler best of non-BCS

Butler is the best of the non-BCS schools this season.

"You mean the projected best," Butler coach Brad Stevens said. "You don't learn who the best is until the season is over."

Yes, that's technically true. But the end of the season is April; this is October. So now's the time for projecting, and I'm here to project Butler as not only the best of the non-BCS, but as one of the best in the nation. The Bulldogs can make the Final Four, I think. But Stevens swore it isn't a goal or even part of the conversation inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.

"I've never talked to one of our players about it, and I've never heard one of our players talk to anybody on our staff about it," Stevens said. "I think it's just one of those things where because we have a good group coming back and because the Final Four is in Indianapolis, they've been asked about it from a media standpoint. But we don't ever talk about March."

But Tom Izzo talks about March.

He drove an Indy car at Midnight Madness!

"He's been there before," Stevens said with a laugh. "He has a lot more room to talk."

Fair enough.

Anyway, here are the best of the non-BCS.

1. Butler

Stevens is careful with his words, and that's probably the right approach. But deep down he must know this has the potential to be a once-in-a-generation team for a small school like Butler. Gordon Hayward is a future pro, and Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard are high-level college players. I can't promise the Bulldogs will make the Final Four, but I can assure you they're good enough to do it.

2. Dayton

The Flyers are the pick in the A-10 because they have four starters returning from a 27-win team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The star is Chris Wright, a 6-8 junior who averaged 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds last season. Those numbers should improve this season. If so, Wright will be the A-10 Player of the Year, Dayton the A-10 champ.

3. Siena

One NCAA tournament victory in one season can be a fluke. But a school must be taken seriously when it wins consecutive NCAA tournament games, meaning it's time to give Siena the benefit of the doubt and rank the Saints accordingly. Sure, the loss of Kenny Hasbrouck will hurt; he averaged 14.6 points last season. But the other four starters from that team that gave Louisville a scare in the second round of the NCAA tournament are back -- including Edwin Ubiles, who averaged 15.0 points and 4.9 rebounds as a junior.

4. Gonzaga

The Zags should win another WCC title, but there are question marks considering four of the top five scorers are gone. Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray are the lone Bulldogs back who averaged at least 15 minutes last season. So Mark Few needs role players to emerge as focal points, among them Demetri Goodson and Robert Sacre.

5. Xavier

There was only one reasonable candidate to take over at Xavier when Sean Miller left for Arizona, and credit athletic director Mike Bobinski for recognizing it and making the correct hire. The promotion of assistant Chris Mack will keep Xavier at or near the top of the A-10 and nationally relevant, which should be the goal. The addition of Indiana transfer Jordan Crawford will help do that, too.

6. Western Kentucky

Speaking of smart hires, Western Kentucky hit a home run when it brought former WKU assistant Ken McDonald back to campus to replace Darrin Horn. McDonald led the Hilltoppers to the NCAA tournament last season and nearly upset Gonzaga. Likely Sun Belt Player of the Year A.J. Slaughter headlines a solid core that should return WKU to the NCAA tournament despite the loss of Orlando Mendez-Valdez.

7. Northern Iowa

Ben Jacobson returns his top six scorers, including Adam Koch (12.1 ppg) and Kwadzo Ahelegbe (11.8 ppg). That's why the Panthers are the favorites in the Missouri Valley and why they should make the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season. UNI lost to Purdue in the first round last March. A Sweet 16 is possible this season if the Panthers get a decent seed.

8. BYU

The Cougars have won three straight Mountain West titles, and another should be on the way. They received 23 of 24 first-place votes in the league's official media poll, this despite the loss of Lee Cummard. It's a testament to the type of program Dave Rose has built and the talent of Jimmer Fredette, a 6-2 guard who averaged 16.2 points last season. He's the obvious pick for MWC Preseason Player of the Year.

9. Tulsa

The Golden Hurricane seem best positioned to take advantage of John Calipari's departure from Memphis. They're led by Ben Uzoh and Jerome Jordan, two of the better players in C-USA. Both are seniors. So this is the season Tulsa must break through. Otherwise, it might not happen given the way Calipari's replacement (Josh Pastner) is recruiting.

10. Creighton

It's unclear whether Dana Altman could have a bad team even if he tried. Under his guidance, the Bluejays have won at least 20 games 11 consecutive seasons and made seven NCAA tournaments. They'll be led this season by P'Allen Stinnett, who averaged 12.5 points as a sophomore. He's one of three returning starters for a team that could challenge Northern Iowa in the MVC.