With the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline having passed, it's not really "way too early" to start posting preseason Top 25s any longer.
So ESPN has put Arizona at No. 1, joining a number of other websites and publications that already had them there (with many presuming Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins would return) during the Final Four.
If nothing else, the Wildcats are in position to gain the sort of hype that surrounded Oregon last season.
ESPN had UA rated just 11 in early April but jumped the Wildcats after Trier and Alkins opted to come back and after five-star wing Emmanuel Akot opted to reclassify and play next season.
ESPN's Myron Medcalf wrote: "(Sean) Miller is still chasing his first trip to the Final Four, but his roster for next season presents a challenge for any opponent in the country, which means his season might end with a spot in San Antonio in 2018.
The Pac-12 mostly survived unexpected early draft departures (unlike a year ago at USC). Here's the full list of who left and who stayed among early entries in the draft pool:
ARIZONA
F Lauri Markkanen, IN
G Kobi Simmons, IN
G Rawle Alkins, WITHDRAW
C Chance Comanche, IN
CAL
F Ivan Rabb, IN
COLORADO
F George King, WITHDRAW
OREGON
F Dillon Brooks, IN
C Jordan Bell, IN
G Tyler Dorsey, IN
OREGON STATE
G Stephen Thompson, Jr., WITHDRAW
F Drew Eubanks, WITHDRAW
UCLA
F Ike Anigbogu, IN
G Lonzo Ball, IN
F T.J. Leaf, IN
C Thomas Welsh, WITHDRAW
G Aaron Holiday, WITHDRAW
USC
G Elijah Stewart, WITHDRAW (never formally applied for the draft)
F Bennie Boatwright, WITHDRAW
G Shaqquan Aaron, WITHDRAW
UTAH
F Kyle Kuzma, IN
F David Collette, WITHDRAW
WASHINGTON
G Markelle Fultz, freshman IN
