Ken Pomeroy's preseason rankings have Ohio State #2

You're crazy for this one, Ken Pomeroy. The college basketball stats standard bearer's preseason 2013 Pomeroy College Basketball ratings has Ohio State as the second best team in the country behind only Kentucky. Indiana, Michigan State, and Wisconsin follow 3rd, 4th, and 5th, giving the Big Ten a full on monopoly on the top of the rankings. Michigan checks in 12th.

Given the recent zeitgeist to question objectivity, how would stats play a roll, in say, projecting something when you don't exactly have a ton of input data at this juncture in the season? Well as a matter of fact, KenPom himself believes you do:

The logic goes like this: If you could have one thing to predict a team's offense, what would it be? It turns out last season's offensive efficiency would be that thing. It does a good job of predicting offense the following season. After that, the previous season's offensive efficiency is the next best predictor, and after that, last season's defensive efficiency helps a bit. (Flip the script for the defensive predictors.) Those three things are the foundation of the system.

Even losing Jared Sullinger, the Buckeyes' seem to return a crew that if nothing else are statistically strong with respect to offensive and defensive efficiency ratings and that's certainly worth something.

It also seems like Ohio State fans aren't the only ones feeling Pomeroy's high praise for the Buckeyes:

In @kenpomeroy we trust.

— Jeff Boals (@JeffBoals) October 30, 2012