We have seen how college basketball works when a deep, talented, confident freshman class enters and does its best to take over the entire sport.

(For only one year, of course.)

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In those years, we have champions such as Duke in 2015 or Kentucky in 2012, contenders such as 2007's Ohio State team or 2008 UCLA, and All-America teams where the biggest argument is whether there’s room for any upperclassmen among the likes of Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley or Jared Sullinger.

It’s not always like that, though. Some years, the freshmen who arrive in college are very good, maybe essential to their teams, but not dominant. And dominance may not be necessary in the pursuit of an NCAA championship – at least not over the course of the entire season – but it’s hard to be an All-American without it.

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So you won’t find a freshman on our preseason All-America first team – not because we don’t believe in featuring a player before he’s played a game, as many contend we should not — but because we don’t entirely believe in the Class of 2015. There are some excellent players among the freshmen, some of whom might play a major role in how the season develops, and you’ll see them sprinkled throughout this list. But the guys who figure to be 2015-16’s best have been around a while.