Predictions from various organizations and publications are starting to surface with the Oct. 12 beginning of college basketball season rapidly approaching.

One of the most respected of all the preseason magazines – Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook – taps the Jayhawks seventh in the country, tops in the Big 12 Conference.

North Carolina is No. 1, followed by UCLA, Georgetown, Tennessee, Memphis and Michigan State. After KU, Louisville, Indiana and Marquette complete the Top 10. At No. 19, Texas is the only other league team in the top 25.

Lindy’s Magazine has KU No. 8 in its preseason poll. UCLA is No. 1, followed by UNC, Tennessee, Memphis, Louisville, Georgetown and Washington State. Michigan State is No. 9 and Indiana 10. Mark Turgeon’s Texas A&M team garners a No. 14 ranking and Texas No. 20. Lindy’s also claims KU will win the Big 12.

Athlon Sports says KU will reach the Elite Eight. It predicts a national title game of North Carolina versus UCLA. According to Athlon, KU wins the league title, followed by Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Missouri, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Texas Tech, Colorado and Iowa State.

ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla, meanwhile, predicts KU will win the conference title, followed by Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado and Iowa State.

¢ Recruiting: Marcus and Markieff Morris, 6-foot-7 and 6-8 forwards from APEX Academy in Pennsauken, N.J., tell Rivals.com they are considering six schools: KU, LaSalle, Rutgers, St. John’s, Villanova and West Virginia. … KU coach Bill Self recently traveled to Cowley County CC to visit with 6-6 sophomore Montrell McDonald, who recently transferred to the Arkansas City junior college from George Washington University. He is a native of Fort Worth, Texas. … J’Mison Morgan, 6-10 from Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High tells Rivals.com he will make an official visit to Alabama. He’s already visited KU, LSU and UCLA. Kentucky remains on his list. He will announce his college choice on his birthday, which is Nov. 2. … Mario Little, 6-5 from Chipola (Fla.) CC, will visit Illinois this weekend. His other finalists are KU and Kansas State. The Chicago native told Rivals.com he’ll pick a school within a week of his U of I visit. … KU’s Self was at South Kent High in Connecticut on Wednesday recruiting 7-foot senior center Assane Sene, who hails from Senegal. UConn, Syracuse and Virginia are three of the many schools recruiting Sene.