Group Rankings: Trios

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In addition to a solid inside-outside combo, which many teams have, the thing that sets apart the elite from the also-rans is that third option. Opponents can set up a game plan to shut down the top two players, but it is nearly impossible to contain a solid troika. When teams that have three outstanding players are hitting on all cylinders, they usually don't lose. Here are the top trios heading into the season:

1. North Carolina: Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Tyler Hansbrough
2. Connecticut: A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien, Hasheem Thabeet
3. Pittsburgh: Levance Fields, Sam Young, DeJuan Blair
4. Gonzaga: Jeremy Pargo, Austin Daye, Josh Heytvelt
5. UCLA: Darren Collison, Jrue Holiday, Josh Shipp
6. Syracuse: Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris, Arinze Onuaku
7. Duke: Greg Paulus, Gerald Henderson, Kyle Singler
8. USC: Daniel Hackett, DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson
9. Georgetown: Jessie Sapp, DeJuan Summers, Greg Monroe
10. Tennessee: Scotty Hopson, Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism
11. Texas: A.J. Abrams, Damion James, Connor Atchley
12. Memphis: Tyreke Evans, Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier
13. Marquette: Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, Lazar Hayward
14. Notre Dame: Tory Jackson, Kyle McAlarney, Luke Harangody
15. Saint Mary’s: Patty Mills, Diamon Simpson, Omar Samhan

Others to Watch:

Baylor: Curtis Jerrells, LaceDarius Dunn, Kevin Rogers
Alabama: Ronald Steele, Alonzo Gee, Jamychal Green
Michigan State: Kalin Lucas, Raymar Morgan, Goran Suton
LSU: Marcus Thornton, Tasmin Mitchell, Chris Johnson
Siena: Kenny Hasbrouck, Edwin Ubiles, Alex Franklin
Purdue: E’Twaun Moore, Keaton Grant, Robbie Hummell
Virginia Tech: Malcolm Delaney, A.D. Vassallo, Jeff Allen