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This week, FanHouse is taking a way too early look at the top teams heading into 2007 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. It's a time-honored filler for the off-season, and who are we to buck tradition? Today we look at teams 26 through 21.If there was one defining person in college basketball last season, it was Kevin Durant. His unbelievable season in burnt orange won him unanimous player of the year honors and it also drew national attention to Texas basketball, something that the program is only now getting used to receiving. While Durant's presence alone wasn't enough to catapult Texas over Kansas to win either the Big XII regular season or conference tournament, last year is still one of the most memorable in Longhorn hoops history.
With Durant gone to the NBA, the focus for this season will be on two other members of the Longhorns great freshman class from last year - D.J Augustin and Damion James. Augustin quietly had a terrific season as a true freshman point guard last season, averaging 14.4 points and 6.7 assists per game. He will be the unquestioned leader of this year's Longhorns. Damion James is a widebodied bruiser with a soft touch around the basket who will provide the offensive punch in the paint. While Jones will have two incoming freshman forwards to assist him, he will be looked to carry a lot of front court load.
A.J Abrams returns for his junior season as one of streakiest and most dangerous shooters in the country. Those 3, along with Justin Mason and Conner Atchley, means Texas returns a fair amount of experience, if not anyone used to carrying a team.
Why they should be ranked here: D.J Augustin. He showed at times last year that he could be the type of elite level PG that can carry a team deep in the NCAA Tournament. Pairing him with A.J Abrams, Texas will have one of the highest scoring backcourts in the Big XII.
Why they should be ranked higher: If Augustin makes the jump from very talented freshman to superstar PG in his second season much like T.J Ford did a few years back, this could be an extremely dangerous team.
Why they shouldn't be ranked: How good are Augustin and Abrams going to look when Durant isn't around commanding double and triple teams? Can Damion James carry the load in the post all by himself if the youngsters aren't ready to help early in the season? If Texas doesn't get positive answers to both of those questions, this is a team that could fall out of the top 25.
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