1. Pre-season ratings tell us nothing - Other than putting unreasonable expectations on teams to begin the year, the ratings are no help to us. Already we have seen two teams in the top 10 lose (Arizona and Kansas), and others throughout the top 25 struggling. While pre-season rankings don't bias the final rankings and the championship race like in football, perhaps it would be a good idea to wait a few weeks until we have a better idea of team strength.
2. Mid-majors aren't going away - The names might change but the mid-major push we saw last year isn't over. With Oral Roberts taking out Kansas, Winthrop playing North Carolina to within six minutes of a big win, and Vermont taking out Boston College, we are in for another season of the smaller teams getting a leg up on the big boys. While we might not see another George Mason run to the Final Four from those teams, we will definitely see a few unfamiliar faces in the Sweet 16 again this year.
3. Kevin Durant - I think I said enough about him last night. He is the real deal.
4. Florida - The Gators shot 23 for 27 in the first half last night against Jacksonville and led 52-20 at halftime. The Gators are back from last season and are by far the best team out there right now.
5. Savannah State - They moved to 4-0 last night. Four wins is twice as many as they have had in two season combined. While I don't expect them to be shocking any major players, this is a huge improvement for a team that a lot of people questioned after they made the jump to Division I.

That's it for 5 Things. If you have any tips from a day of basketball, be sure to send them on.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com