Jim Quist @ACCTheQ -

Covering any sport is far more daunting than one might imagine. Even with the resources of say, ESPN or Sports Illustrated. You'd be hard pressed to find just one person involved in any of these efforts. But there are those outside the inner circle who dig into their field of endeavor with a fury. We're fortunate enough to know a handful of those individuals. Among them, Ken Cross who goes that extra step in covering a large chunk of college basketball.

The number of people in media who provide coverage from coast-to-coast, who are talking with coaches from the Power 5 to the Mid-Majors is slim. This is what always leads us back to Ken as a guest. Because, as the men's college basketball season nears we want to get more than just a look at the ACC. After all, many of the teams we talk about in the podcast will be woven into the fabric of this season for conference teams. Whether it's a scrimmage or when March Madness rolls around.

There's never enough time in the day to talk about a topic that you enjoy. So for future reference, we'll have guests (including a return trip by Ken) on to talk basketball as the year progresses.

Ken Cross

A look at the AP Top 10 teams beginning with:

* Villanova *Scrimmage with USC results, Jay Wright has more depth to work with this season.* North Carolina *Roy Williams has excellent depth, players that will make an impact (and there are lots of them).* Gonzaga *High-end West Coast team, who's the potential WCC Player of the Year?* Does the East Coast media underplay/under cover West Coast teams?* Maryland *Question marks regarding 'grit', second best in the Big Ten.* Florida *The team to watch in the SEC, keeping an eye on Lewis.

Coastal Chaos: Will's World Of Football

* Louisville *The team to watch in the ACC, keeping an eye on Nwora and Kimble.* Duke *Early scrimmage challenges the Blue Devils raw talent, next year roster moves?* Kansas *Challenging conference, developing the bench.* 'Balderdash' - Thoughts on the NCAA* Kentucky *Prepping players for the NBA, watch the middle.* Michigan State *Feels like a number one team but as for a national championship...., Winston looks like a Preseason Player of the Year.* Who does win the national championship?* Why is college basketball the greatest game?

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The ACC Out Of The Top 10

* Will the ACC be 8 deep in the NCAA?* Virginia *How the Cavaliers upset the apple cart winning the championship.* Syracuse, Florida State, NC State, Notre Dame.* A Hall of Fame coaching candidate.* Teams to keep an eye on.

Find out who Ken thinks is the national sleeper team in men's college basketball this season.

Jim Quist is Managing Editor of ACC Nation and Co-Host of ACC Nation Podcast. He’s a member of NSMA (National Sports Media Association), FWAA (Football Writers Association of America) and USBWA (U.S. Basketball Writers Association). He is enrolled in the Beer Brewer Professional Certificate program at the University of Richmond. Follow him on Twitter @ACCTheQ