Jayhawks top offseason rankings (cont.)

THE BOTTOM FOUR

1. USC

This has a been a catastrophic offseason in Trojanland. Floyd resigned June 9 by giving a brief statement to the Clarion-Ledger -- that's in Mississippi, mind you -- and not telling anyone at USC first. Floyd's presence will continue to be felt in the form of an NCAA investigation into a cash payment he allegedly made to O.J. Mayo handler Rodney Guillory, and the program could face heavy sanctions. The turmoil sparked a mass exodus of current players (DeMar DeRozan, Daniel Hackett, Marcus Johnson and Taj Gibson) and recruits (Solomon Hill, Lamont Jones and Derrick Williams) that leaves the roster decimated for whoever's willing to take over. Had everything gone right this spring, the Trojans would've been a Pac-10 title contender. Instead, they're in shambles.

2. MEMPHIS

The empire that John Calipari was building in Memphis fell quickly once he left for Kentucky: Recruits John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Darnell Dodson all followed to Lexington, and Xavier Henry (as well as his brother, Tigers walk-on, C.J.) went to Kansas. Forward Shawn Taggart decided to turn pro. Details surfaced of an NCAA investigation into Derrick Rose's SAT score, which could result in Memphis' 2008 runner-up finish being vacated -- and then there was the strange revelation that athletic director R.C. Johnson had sat on the information since January, despite the fact that its unveiling could have kept other schools from pursuing Calipari. All has not been lost at Memphis, though: Johnson gambled by hiring a coach with upside, 31-year-old Josh Pastner, whose tireless recruiting efforts have already yielded Latavious Williams for '09-10 and five-star guard Will Barton for '10-11. Whether the empire can be rebuilt remains to be seen.

3. WAKE FOREST

The Demon Deacons' prospects for '09-10 just keep diminishing. In January, there was talk of how Wake could enter next season at No. 1 if its talented nucleus of freshman Al-Farouq Aminu and sophomores James Johnson and Jeff Teague remained intact. Aminu kept his name out of the draft despite being projected as a lottery pick -- a major score for the Deacons -- while Johnson and Teague declared. The initial expectation, stated in the press by coach Dino Gaudio, was that Johnson would stay in and Teague would come back.

Teague was the key: With his scoring power in the backcourt, the Deacons could've still contended for the ACC title; without him, they're doomed. He remained squarely on the fence until deadline day, looking for a first-round promise, and was comfortable enough with his standing to stay in the draft. What was once a potential No. 1 team will now be unranked to begin the season.

4. THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE

Had St. Mary's point guard Patty Mills and Gonzaga forward Austin Daye gone back to school, the WCC would have been by far the most visible mid-major league in the country, with two top 25 teams and (at least) two first-round prospects for the 2010 draft. With Mills gone, St. Mary's is likely to fall off the national radar; with Daye gone, Gonzaga is likely to fall out of any top 15 preseason rankings. Seeing Daye turn pro must've been painful for the Zags' staff because he -- more than any frontcourt underclassman in the draft -- needed an extra year of college to prepare himself for the physicality of the NBA. Gonzaga can still make the dance without him, but the WCC may once again be a one-bid league.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Xavier (for losing Sean Miller, Derrick Brown and recruits); Florida (losing Nick Calathes and missing out on John Wall); Duke (losing Gerald Henderson and missing out on Wall); UCLA (losing Jrue Holiday before he could make any impact on the program).