Rankings rhetoric

A couple of rankings came out involving LSU's men's basketball team today.

First, there was the AP preseason poll. The AP voters - media members - have LSU ranked No. 5 in the nation. That signals some respect for a program that reached the Final Four last year and returned three starters from that team.

Will LSU finish in the top five? Who knows? Did anyone expect LSU to finish in the Final Four last year?

Still, the AP ranking is a show of respect for the LSU program and one that John Brady should embrace.

Another ranking came out later in the afternoon from Scout.com. This one involves the recruiting service's rankings of men's basketball classes.

Scouthoops.com has the Tigers ranked as the No. 22 recruiting class in the country.

Now in football, a No. 22 recruiting class doesn't sound like much. In basketball, it's a whole different matter.

Florida is the highest-ranked SEC team at No. 9 with South Carolina next at No. 18.

Also, LSU made the Final Four last year with a team built of players not always highly ranked in recruiting circles. So maybe a No. 22 class is just what the Tigers need.

By the way, the early signing period begins Wednesday.