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  Three “usual suspects” and a squad that may be primed for a program breakout season make up the next tier of my preseason Top 16 college hoops squads.

So, without further adieu . . .

No. 8 PITTSBURGH

Why: Jamie Dixon’s Panthers lost three starters (accounting for 30 points and 17 points per game) but could still be improved after winning 28 games – 15 in the Big East – and losing that gut-wrenching, third-round NCAA Tournament game with Butler. Dixon has never had a deeper backcourt.

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I continue the systematic four-day march to my projected Final Four field today, with Nos. 12 to 9 of my preseason Top 16 . . .

No. 12 BAYLOR

Why: The Bears are loaded with big and gifted frontcourt talent, the most notable of those players being Perry Jones III, and have a cluster of “impact” newcomers who will help on the perimeter, including JC All-American point guard Pierre Jackson and deep-shooting freshman Quincy Miller.

Why not: What if those touted newcomers can’t jump-start a program that underachieved (at 7-9) in the Big 12 last season?

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And the countdown begins – so to speak . . .

The 2011-12 college hoops season is top heavy with squads that are more than capable earning one of the four reservations in New Orleans for the final weekend of the season.

In a few days I’ll unveil the teams I believe fall into that category.

For now, it’s time to unveil my preseason choices as the best 16 teams in the country.

I’ll give you four teams a day, starting at  . . .

No.

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GILBERT, Ariz. – What was I able to cull from watching 15 Arizona Preps Fall Showcase games in the Premier Courts facility over a Saturday-Sunday stretch of a little more than 28 hours?

For one, there are several Arizona prep seniors that have the ability to make major impacts a year from now on the college programs they’re expected to sign national letters of intent with early next month.

For another, there were a handful of other in-state seniors that haven’t yet received the kind of regional and national recruiting attention they’re deserving of.

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GILBERT, Ariz. – Ten games and just about as many hours later, I stumbled out of the Premier Courts facility, and into my rental car, and drove the three miles into Mesa to check into my hotel room, bleary-eyed, Saturday night.

My quest to see the Anthony Ray/Arizona Magic-fronted Arizona Preps Fall Showcase meant I was up at 4 a.m. for a 7 o’clock flight out of John Wayne Airport in south Orange County, so you’ll understand if I don’t catch all of my typos.

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