It wouldn't shock me if three of the top five teams in the new Associated Press Top 25 Men's Basketball Poll were not included in the final rankings when they are released after the Final Four.

And it wouldn't surprise me if an unranked, unknown team or two creeps into the Elite Eight in March during the NCAA Tournament.

With the parity and continuous flip-flopping of the top squads in college basketball, the game that used to be top heavy and then level off has now turned into a mish-mash of teams vying for the coveted national championship.

Teams like Gonzaga and College of Charleston have made a mess of tournament brackets in past seasons and every team in the country has the talent to beat any other team on any given night.

Take for example the No. 1 high school basketball recruit in the country, Dajuan Wagner. Before Duke point guard Jason Williams put the rumors to rest about him skipping his junior year and entering the NBA Draft, one top high school talent evaluator said he would pick Wagner in the draft before the top ACC point guard.

Why not?

The Camden, N.J., product is averaging over 45 points per game and has scored more than 100 points in a single game this season. He is on pace to smash the New Jersey high school all-time basketball scoring record and has been mentioned to possibly be taken No. 1 in the NBA Draft if he decided to skip college.

Wagner didn't sign with defending national champion Michigan State, didn't dream of playing for the Carolina Blue or care to play in front of the Cameron Crazies down at Duke.

"Juanny" chose Memphis.

The school deep in the heart of Tennessee that is a mediocre Conference USA squad with little national television coverage. But first-year coach John Calipari, who is known for his coaching days at UMass, is in the process of rebuilding the program as he has inked Wagner and the No. 1 junior college player in the country.

Wagner could've chosen to play a year or two at Duke, North Carolina or any college he wanted. Any coach would want him, even if it were only for a year. But in the age of choosing a school not on prestige but on what the best situation is for each particular player, the predominantly second-tier programs are starting to sprout into major contenders.

"Kids want to go where they can play immediately," Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo said. "Kids that might be going to a Duke might now choose a school in the next level down."

In today's game it's all about the best situation. The No. 1 junior in the country has Memphis, Georgetown and South Florida as his final three. No Duke. No Michigan State. No Indiana.

The top-notch kids want to get in and get out. They want the year of college experience, the dormitories, the classes, and the freedom and then they want to move onto the League.

The second-tier teams are beginning to grab the players that used to be almost restricted to the top level schools, which makes the recruiting process and the college game so much better.

The Dukes, Michigan States and North Carolinas of the world will continue to pick and choose the players they want when they need to reload their programs.

Just remember to pick your upsets wisely come March Madness.