Normally, we would welcome the change a New Year brings--and we were particularly looking forward to ringing in 2018.

Let's just say 2017 could have ended better for a few of us here at Rotoballer College Sports HQ. And so, we found ourselves thinking, "It's time for some things to end and others to begin."

Except we didn't mean our health insurance.

Ah well. Hope you, dear readers, had a lovely Holiday Season. Here are the first Rotoballer college hoops rankings of the New Year, as of January 4, 2018 (won-loss records in parentheses).

NCAA College Basketball (CBB) Rankings

1. Villanova, (13-1)

We may have gotten ahead ourselves when we implied that the Wildcats would run the table this season but, unlike other pollsters, we're not going to drop them for a close loss at Butler. The biggest reason? We think Jalen Brunson (18.9 PPG/3.4 RPG/5.0 APG) may have the biggest upside of any point guard in the country. There we go... making mad pronouncements again...

2. Michigan State, (14-1)

Not that we don't like the Spartans, mind you. There's a lot to like about the consensus No. 1 team in the country--including their point guard, Cassius Winston (13.1 PPG/7.1 APG).

3. Xavier, (15-1)

Will this be the year the Musketeers finally beat the stomach, er, Villanova? Sorry. Dated movie reference. The answer is probably no. But guard J.P. Macura (13.3 PPG) might be "Spazz."

4. Arizona State, (12-1)

While everyone is talking about Trae (Young) we're still talking about Tra... as in Holder, who is averaging 22.0 PPG/5.1 RPG/4.5 APG/1.8 SPG. Yeah, the Sun Devils lost at arch-rival Arizona. So what? If they lose Thursday against Colorado, then you have a story.

5. West Virginia, (13-1)

Only on the Mountaineers would a guy like Daxter Miles Jr. (14.3 PPG/3.6 RPG/3.5 APG/1.8 SPG) be the second best guard on the roster. We've touted the best already.

6. Duke, (13-1)

Pollsters are back on the Duke bandwagon... zzzzzzz. Face it, they never really jumped off. Keep an eye on freshman forward Wendell Carter Jr. (13.7 PPG/8.9 RPG/2.0 BPG). He's got some growing to do, but the finished product could be something.

7. Virginia, (13-1)

Senior guard Devon Hall (11.6 PPG/4.1 RPG/2.9 APG) is the Cavaliers' second leading scorer, but he's got a more NBA-ready body than the top, uh, Guy (as in Kyle). Will that be enough for him to succeed at the next level?

8. Oklahoma, (12-1)

Much to the chagrin of the corporate overlords here at Rotoballer (okay, they're not really all that corporate... or overlord-ish), we don't like name-dropping for the sake of site traffic. But Trae Young, Trae Young, Trae Young, Trae Young, Trae Young. When you're a freshman averaging 29.4 PPG and 10.6 APG and getting shout-outs from Steph Curry, we'll name-drop you.

9. TCU, (13-1)

The Horned Frogs suffered their first loss of the season... to Trae Young and Oklahoma. Jaylen Fisher isn't Trae Young, and he's a sophomore, but since when is 11.3 PPG and 5.6 APG not a nice stat line for point guard. (Dear Boss, Please notice additional Trae Young references. Sincerely, Your Devoted College Hoops Maven)

10. Texas A&M, (11-3)

Two losses and the bloom may be off the Aggies' rose. We'd have dropped them entirely, but six spots is probably punishment enough.

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