2008-09 Preview

Perhaps because they were reserves last season, or hidden in the shadows of bigger-name teammates, or simply not yet ready to shine.. these 10 Sleepers are ready to the steal the national headlines and emerge as legitimate NBA Draft prospects.

Don't like how CHN is ranking teams? Here's what the major annual preview magazines have to say, including a consensus average based on all three. Note some of the variance of opinions about teams like Duke, Michigan State, Texas, Oklahoma, and USC.

SN = Sporting News

- I'm taking a break from the State of '08 series today.. but I'll be back with some interesting states in Illinois and Indiana coming up.

- Instead of the State of '08, I'm spending the afternoon putting together an updated 2009 NCAA Tournament Projection* (here's the last version) & NCAA & NIT brackets that keep track of how our Top 144 teams fit into a projected field.

With the dust from the draft now settled, it's time to look at how some teams will be filling in the considerable holes left by draftees. Here's a look at some teams who need both returning players and incoming freshmen to step up in a big way.

UCLA
Early entries: Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Seniors: Lorenzo Mata-Real

College of Charleston Cougars

Overall Rank: #141

Conference Rank: #3 Southern Conference

2007-08: 16-17, 9-11, 3rd South

2007-08 postseason: none

Colorado Buffaloes

Overall Rank: #144

We'll be rolling out our annual 144 Teams in 144 Days preview in just a couple weeks.. so it seemed like a good time to throw out my offseason Top 50 picks. With Draft entries settled, we have a clearer look at what is already shaping up to be another wild and exciting season of college basketball!

One day after the National Title Game, I took an early stab at projecting the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Now that pro prospects have officially decided their NBA Draft fate, and with our 2008-09 Preview starting in a couple weeks, its a good time to once again take a look at next year's Dance.

A few days after the 2008 NCAA Championship game, I made an early projection of the 08-09 All-Americans to go along with Top 50 and All-Freshman projections. Now that players have officially entered or withdrawn from the Draft, we have a much better sense of how next year's landscape will look:
First Team
G - Brandon Jennings - Arizona
G - Stephen Curry - Davidson
F - Kyle Singler - Duke**
F - Luke Harangody - Notre Dame
F - Tyler Hansbrough - North Carolina