NCAA Mens Basketball Analysis

The 2009-2010 NCAA men's basketball season is just a few months away and predictions as to who will be the next national champion have already begun. Many of the top college players from last season were selected in the June NBA draft. Amongst them were Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet and Arizona State's James Harden. Here is a look at the NCAA College Basketball pre-season rankings, the schools that have experienced the biggest key player losses, and which new and returning players could make their mark on the college basketball scene come next season.

  1. 2009 NCAA Tournament Championship at a Glance

    • North Carolina (34-4) finished with a unanimous No. 1 ranking after defeating Michigan State (31-7), 89-72 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, to claim the school's fifth national championship. Tar Heels' junior Wayne Ellington was named the 2009 Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

    2009-2010 Preseason Top 10

    • The Preseason Top 10 for 2009-2010 according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com.

      Team--Conference ('08-'09 Final Ranking)
      1. Kansas--Big 12 (10)
      2. Michigan State--Big 10 (2)
      3. Texas--Big 12 (23)
      4. Villanova--Big East (4)
      5. North Carolina--ACC (1)
      6. Purdue--Big 10 (14)
      7. Kentucky--SEC (not ranked)
      8. Tennessee--SEC (not ranked)
      9. West Virginia--Big East (not ranked)
      10. Duke--ACC (11)

    Key Players Lost (by Team)

    • North Carolina: The Tar Heels lost the core group of players from their championship squad, including Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green.

      Connecticut: The Huskies parted with their dominant big man and 2009 National Defensive Player of the year Hasheem Thabeet, guard A.J. Price, and Jeff Adrien.

      UCLA: The Pac 10 champions lost freshman Jrue Holiday as well as seniors Darren Collison and Josh Shipp, two players who served as essential pieces to the Bruins runs to the Final Four in recent years.

      Arizona State: The Sun Devils lost sophomore James Harden and senior big man Jeff Pendergraph.

      Memphis: The Tigers have knowledge of losing standout freshmen to the NBA Draft. Last year it was Derrick Rose, who went first overall, and this year it was Tyreke Evans who left early. The Tigers also lost a core group of seniors in Robert Dozier, Shawn Taggart and Antonio Anderson.

      Oklahoma: The Sooners knew all season that AP Player of the Year Blake Griffin might be going to the NBA Draft because he likely would be the top selection, which was the case when the Los Angeles Clippers called his name in June. The Sooners also lost Blake's older brother, Taylor.

      Pittsburgh: The Panthers, who spent a good part of last season at the top of the national rankings, lost DeJaun Blair, Sam Young and Levance Fields.

      Davidson: Stephen Curry put the Wildcats on the map with his smooth stroke and a run to the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Curry decided not to come back for his senior season and will press his luck in the NBA.

      Louisville: The Cardinals parted with senior Terrence Williams and big man Earl Clark, who decided to leave a year early.

      Gonzaga: The Bulldogs are always in contention for a West Coast Conference title, but losing core players Austin Daye, Jeremy Pargo, Josh Heytvelt and Micah Downs could make things tough for the Zags.

      Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons were bounced early in last year's NCAA Tournament and next year will be without stars Jeff Teague and James Johnson, both of whom declared for the NBA draft as sophomores.

      Marquette: The Golden Eagles lost two keys players, Jerel McNeal and Dominic James, who was lost late last season due to injury.

      Kentucky: Jodie Meeks was unsure whether to return to Kentucky for another season but ultimately declared for the NBA draft. However, new coach John Calipari brings in a talented pool of freshman.

      Arizona: The Wildcats, who made a run to the Sweet 16 as a No. 12 seed, lost Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger.

      USC: The Trojans parted with DeMar DeRozan and Taj Gibson, both of whom join past USC players who left early, including NBA star O.J. Mayo.

    Power Conference Players to Watch

    • Now that we know who has been drafted by the NBA and who will be coming back to school or be welcomed as an incoming freshman, here are some players to watch during the 2009-2010 season:

      Big East:
      Luke Harangody--Notre Dame
      Kemba Walker--Connecticut
      Jerome Dyson--Connecticut
      Greg Monroe--Georgetown
      Scottie Reynolds--Villanova
      Da'Sean Butler--West Virginia
      Devin Ebanks--West Virginia

      ACC:
      Marcus Ginyard--North Carolina
      Kyle Singler--Duke
      Al-Farouq Aminu--Wake Forest
      Derrick Favors--Georgia Tech
      Gani Lawal--Georgia Tech
      Greivis Vasquez--Maryland
      Trevor Booker--Clemson

      Big 12
      Willie Warren--Oklahoma
      Sherron Collins--Kansas
      Cole Aldrich--Kansas
      Xavier Henry--Kansas
      Damion James--Texas
      Avery Bradley- Texas

      Big Ten:
      Kalin Lucas--Michigan State
      Raymor Morgan--Michigan State
      JaJuan Johnson--Purdue
      Robbie Hummel--Purdue

      SEC:
      John Wall--Kentucky
      Demarcus Cousins--Kentucky
      A.J. Ogilvy--Vanderbilt

      Pacific 10:
      Jerome Randle--California
      Nic Wise--Arizona

    Seasopn Tip-Off

    • The season will begin in November with the NIT Season Tip-Off, formerly known as the Preseason NIT, at New York's Madison Square Garden. The schedule of games will be named at a later date.