The game of college basketball is still good.

We know this to be true because we saw it from spots across the country over the past two months. The NBA didn't take everyone, and neither did the NBDL, ABA, CBA or any other fledgling league that will take any underclassman who didn't make the NBA cut after leaving college early.

FIELD OF 65

Here is ESPN.com's preseason projection of the NCAA Tournament field: America East (1): Boston University ACC (5): Duke, Maryland, Virginia, Wake Forest, North Carolina Atlantic Sun (1): Georgia State Atlantic 10 (3): Saint Joseph’s, Temple, Xavier Big East (6): Connecticut, Boston College, Syracuse, Georgetown, Providence, Miami (Fla.) Big Sky (1): Weber State Big South (1): Winthrop Big Ten (5): Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana Big 12 (6): Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Colorado Big West (1): UC Irvine Colonial (1): UNC Wilmington C-USA (4): Cincinnati, Charlotte, Memphis, South Florida Horizon (1): Butler Ivy (1): Brown MAAC (1): Iona MAC (2): Marshall, Kent State Mid-Continent (1): Valparaiso Mid-Eastern (1): South Carolina State MVC (1): Illinois State MWC (2): Wyoming, New Mexico Northeast (1): Wagner Ohio Valley (1): Tennessee Tech Pac-10 (5): UCLA, USC, Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State Patriot (1): Holy Cross SEC (6): Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Alabama Southern (1): UNC Greensboro Southland (1): Northwestern State SWAC (1): Alabama State Sun Belt (1): Western Kentucky WCC (1): Gonzaga WAC (1): Fresno State

Yes, there is a void of big men, the traditional kind that dominate in the low post. But that's true in the NBA, too. But, unlike the NBA, the position of choice in college basketball is at the point.

The Point Guard. The Playmaker. The Floor General. Call 'em what you want, but this season might be the best lot the game has seen in one season.

Jason Williams (Duke), Chris Duhon (Duke), Frank Williams (Illinois), Dan Dickau (Gonzaga), Jameer Nelson (Saint Joseph's), John Linehan (Providence), Troy Bell (Boston College), Brett Nelson (Florida), Dajuan Wagner (Memphis), Cedric Bozeman (UCLA), Lynn Greer (Temple), Marcus Taylor (Michigan State), Steve Blake (Maryland), Jason Gardner (Arizona) ... the list goes on and on. Each the headliner on his respective team.

There are plenty of guys who stuck around four or even five years, as well. The kid who can anchor a program like Illinois' Cory Bradford, Iowa's Luke Recker and Maryland's Lonny Baxter or Juan Dixon. Players who can lead a team to the national title.

Coaches? Sure, they still dominate the game from sidelines. And the cast keeps getting better with the return of Rick Pitino (Louisville) and Bob Knight (Texas Tech), not to mention the continuity of John Chaney (Temple), Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State), Lute Olson (Arizona) and Jerry Tarkanian (Fresno State).

The NCAA kept tinkering with rules off the court, trying to limit exempted non-conference tournaments. The biggest change comes in March when the selection committee altered where teams will be sent in the first two rounds to "regionalize" the NCAA Tournament. But didn't dare touch the overall format. It is and still remains the best three weeks in the sporting calendar.

There are problems, plenty of them, especially in recruiting and academic performance. But, at the heart, the game is still going strong. And, as the season starts with Thursday's and Friday's IKON Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer with Arizona-Maryland and Florida-Temple, there is one certainty ...

Duke is still the team to beat.

Some things never change.

Reflections from ESPN.com's two months on the road:

Best team: Duke
Taking into account catching teams on a lazy day at practice or a day when they were taking it a bit lighter, the fact remains Duke still has the best starting five. Duke can put five players on the court who can all score facing the basket and would be a tough matchup for any team (yes, Maryland included).

Jason Williams and Chris Duhon are two of the best guards to play together in the past decade. They're confident and they're good, so good that leaving them open is simply foolish. Mike Dunleavy Jr. as a third option? Come on. He burned Arizona in the title game and will do the same to anyone this season. Carlos Boozer shed his selfish label, took care of his body and will be a dominant low-post player in college (not the NBA). Dahntay Jones is the defender, the slasher and the glue guy in this five.

OK, they don't have Shane Battier but they've got No. 1 talent, and will be hard to take out.

This isn't a shill for Duke, or a weak move to go with the favorite. This is a fact: The Blue Devils were the best team we saw in practice. Oh, and they've now got a Hall of Fame coach (Mike Krzyzewski) who looks like he's running a major corporation. This program is so well run it's scary.

	No Battier, isn't around any longer, but Frank Williams and Mike Dunleavy may just run into each other in Atlanta.

Second Tier
Maryland, Illinois, Iowa, Memphis, Florida, Kentucky, Saint Joseph's ... each of these teams have the pieces to beat Duke in a one-game playoff, but they've got flaws.

The good with Maryland is the balance the Terps have with Juan Dixon and Steve Blake shooting from the perimeter and the inside power game of Lonny Baxter, Tahj Holden and Chris Wilcox. The bad could be the stigma of not being able to beat Duke in three games they could have won last season.

Illinois is hard to judge until the Illini get a consistent presence in the post, whether that's Brian Cook or Robert Archibald. The perimeter can match the Blue Devils on a game basis with Frank Williams and Cory Bradford.

Iowa has the most experienced two players in Luke Recker and Reggie Evans, but the Hawkeyes have to be more consistent next to Evans inside and at the point for them to be a serious contender.

Memphis has top-five talent and Kelly Wise as a third option makes the Tigers even better. But Dajuan Wagner and Chris Massie still haven't played Division I, and it's hard to anoint them a favorite until they start competing at this level.

Florida can press and run with the 10 players it has left and is still trying to decide how to use David Lee and James White. Once they do, Brett Nelson understands how to play without the ball and they find reliable 3-point threats then they'll be a contender.

Kentucky has the most depth of any team in the country, much more than Duke. But getting the ball to the frontline will still be an issue (see: point guard) and keeping everyone happy could be Tubby Smith's toughest coaching job.

Saint Joseph's has the intangibles to make a Utah-like run from 1998. The Hawks have the dominant point in Nelson (Utah had Andre Miller) and have the balance that Utah had on the perimeter (the Hawks' Marvin O'Connor and Na'im Crenshaw) and inside (Damian Reid and Bill Phillips) with five-year players in the frontcourt.

Group 2A
Missouri and Kansas ... but, the Tigers and Jayhawks could easily be in the list above in a few weeks.

Missouri has one of the most athletic teams and, we still say, the best scorer in junior swingman Kareem Rush. But they've got to ensure that they all get along. Wesley Stokes and Clarence Gilbert need to coexist at the point. If they don't get Uche Okafor back then will they have enough in the post next to Arthur Johnson? Can Najeeb Echols and Travon Bryant play mostly inside if they have to? Missouri has the athletes to pose matchup problems but they've got to have answers at the defensive end.

Kansas has the game's best bookends in Drew Gooden and Nick Collison. The guards will be more athletic with Aaron Miles and Keith Langford pushing Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Boschee for playing time. But who will come off the bench inside? Wayne Simien and who else? Depth could slow Kansas. The starting five isn't a question.

Underappreciated UCLA
Scheduling got disrupted like most of Americans and we weren't able to get out to Southern California prior to the season. Steve Lavin reports that this is his most talented team since he became head coach. If that's the case then the Bruins should be in the second tier.

They've got the inside presence in Dan Gadzuric and T.J. Cummings. Jason Kapono gives them a deep threat and Rico Hines, Billy Knight, Matt Barnes, Ray Young, Dijon Thompson and Andre Patterson give the Bruins a deep and athletic team of wings. The key will be point Cedric Bozeman, a freshman, and how well he'll handle being as much a disruptive defender in the Bruins' press as he will be a table setter for Kapono and Gadzuric.

The Bruins will have plenty of chances to impress in Maui and against Alabama, Georgetown and Kansas in non-conference games.

Biggest Top 25 Question
Boston College is on shaky ground. The Eagles should get Troy Bell back for the start of the season. Check that, the Eagles better get Bell back for the season.

BC had great chemistry last season with three seniors who were the backbone of that team. BC will be younger this season, but has last season's end-of-the-year expectations placed on them. It's not fair but the reality is the Eagles have nowhere to go but down after last season's dream season. Scoring inside and defending in the post will be an ongoing problem.

Mid-Major to Watch
Western Kentucky: We know all about Chris Marcus now, but Dennis Felton has more than just the 7-footer. He's got the size waiting in Caleb Holcomb, a 6-10 sophomore and a tough, hard-nosed shooter in Patrick Sparks. If Felton sticks around Bowling Green, Ky., then he does have a shot to become a mini-Gonzaga in the Sun Belt and consistently get to the NCAAs. But to be Gonzaga -- and all the lower profile teams want that -- the Hilltoppers have got to win games in the tournament.

Most Improved Player
Wesley Wilson, Georgetown: Granted this is a category based on what we saw, but Wilson could become a big-time Big East threat in the post. He finally has a move where he can catch the ball in the low-post, put his rear on a defender, spin and dunk. If he can do that, draw attention away from Michael Sweetney and Victor Samnick or Harvey Thomas then the Hoyas will have a feared frontline.

Most Impressive Newcomer
Chris Massie, Memphis: Massie is a man-child. He's one of those players who you hear about for months, think he can't be that wide, that strong or as imposing and then he turns out to be the truth. Massie is 24 and brings his 6-foot-9, 260-pound frame into the lane when it's his time to make a move. He hasn't played at this level before, but if he gets into a groove then the Tigers do have the best JC transfer in the country and a chance for the Final Four.

Breakout Newcomers: Not Named 'Wagner'
Ryan Randle, Maryland: Will fit into the rotation behind Lonny Baxter, Tahj Holden and Chris Wilcox but has the post skills to be productive reserve.
Luther Head, Illinois: Gives the Illini an athletic wing, backup to Frank Williams and one of the best dunkers in the Big Ten.
Pierre Pierce, Iowa: The point guard question will be moot by midseason once he gets comfortable at the position. He's long, rangy and doesn't look scared.
Delonte West, Saint Joseph's: The Hawks needed a scoring guard off the bench to relieve Na'im Crenshaw and Marvin O'Connor and the slashing, sharp-shooting West could be the answer.
Duane John, Missouri: He doesn't get the pub but he could be the best rebounding freshman guard in the nation. He's all over the glass and will demand playing time because of his board work.
Brian Polk, Temple: The Owls need a freshman guard to make shots and handle the ball with David Hawkins out for the first semester. Polk should fit the criteria and possibly be a starter soon enough.

	Iowa fans aren't the only ones happy to see a healthy Luke Recker.

Best Sight
A healthy Luke Recker and Justin Hamilton: Recker has been through so much the past five seasons that it would have been sad to see him not play his final season because of a knee injury. But he's back, moving laterally defensively, dunking and putting Iowa in position to challenge Illinois for the Big Ten title. Hamilton gives Florida a chisled, sturdy and experienced point guard to allow Nelson to roam freely. His season was cut short by an ACL tear last winter and the Gators could ill afford to go through a season without him after the Teddy Dupay debacle.

Recker's and Hamilton's return show how fragile a career can be in college as Majestic Mapp (Virginia) and Jason Parker (Kentucky) sit out the season and Lucas Johnson (Illinois) tries desperately to come back for what will be the final month of his season in February. All three had torn ACLs.

Best Facility
Florida: Every school seems to be putting together the practice facilities to woo recruits. The basketball-only venues are becoming for colleges what the extravagant setups are for the NBA -- major recruiting tools. But Florida's is extremely plush and shows that the administration is committed to basketball and Billy Donovan -- something not too many departments are willing to do for the sport.

Most Unheralded Talent
Reece Gaines, Louisville: Pitino inherited one of the best, most astute and productive guards in Gaines. He'll be the anchor of Pitino's program the next two seasons. Gaines can score in bunches, plays decent defense and doesn't slack on his work ethic. The Cardinals will be competitive largely because of Gaines.

Welcome Back
Jules Camara, Kentucky: Banished for the season because of a drinking incident, Camara is back and better than ever for his junior and likely last season in Lexington. He seems more relaxed on the court, has a better sense defensively of when to block shots and when not to foul and he's more of an offensive threat. He changes the game for the better for the ‘Cats.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.