A Look Toward the 2009-10 NCAA Men's Basketball Season

Now that college basketball has come and gone, we look towards the 2009-2010 season.  Everyone is talking about who the top-five teams will be, who could be the surprise teams and who will cut down the nets at the end. 

There is way too much to be determined before next season's predictions can begin.

Three teams that will likely be in the top five to begin next season are Syracuse, Kansas and Duke. With the players they have coming back from this year, they seem to be the leading contenders.

Jonny Flynn is testing the NBA waters, but I believe he will make it back to school to lead the Orange and what should be a fairly potent offense. They also have some key additions that will round them out and make them the Big East front-runner.

Kansas has some key pieces returning and seems to be in the lead for the services of Xavier Henry and Lance Stephenson. If Bill Self is able to add those two to what he already has in place, they should be a force to be reckoned with next season.

Duke may have all of their starters back from last year, should Gerald Henderson pass up the NBA money to return for his senior season. The addition of Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly will also help. Additionally, they are in the conversation for John Wall, who, if added, makes this team a Final Four contender.

So, who are the teams that might be overlooked at this point?  I think you have to look at Washington, North Carolina, Purdue, Louisville and Kentucky.

Washington will have to replace Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon, and that won't be easy. However, this team returns leading scorer Isaiah Thomas and a host of underclassmen, along with the addition of Abdul Gaddy. This team will be dangerous in the Pac 10.

North Carolina has to be on the list because they are North Carolina. They will lose Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough, as they were seniors, and Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson are sure to at least test the NBA waters as they did last year.

Even if they were to lose those four players, they will return Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller, and Deon Thompson to man the middle. 

Larry Drew seemed to be shaky at times this year, but the move from freshman to sophomore, alone, should provide adequate improvement.  Also, incoming freshmen Henson and Strickland should provide a strong boost to the backcourt.

Purdue returns almost everyone, including Robbie Hummel, Chris Kramer, and Keaton Grant. If those players can avoid the injuries they battled through this year, Purdue could emerge as the favorite to win the Big Ten.

Louisville is interesting. They will lose their everything player in Terrance Williams and McGee to graduation. Even with Earl Clark declaring for the draft, Louisville returns an extremely deep team. Peyton Siva headlines another strong recruiting class for Rick Pitino, and he should give them the stability at the point that they lacked.

Then, there's Kentucky.

Exit the beat-down, exasperated Billy Gillespie, enter the savior, John Calipari. 

Jodie Meeks has put his name in the NBA hat, but there's a chance he doesn't find what he's looking for and returns for his senior season. Either way, Patrick Patterson headlines a list of underachieving blue chippers that have to get swept in the emotion of the changing winds and perform much better. 

DeMarcus Cousins, the first superstar signed to Kentucky by Calipari, will provide immediate help by providing another scoring option.

There are still a few players out there to decide that will change the landscape dramatically. 

John Wall is rumored to be interested in Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky.  Whomever is able to gain his services will have a huge addition immediately. 

Also, Lance Stephenson and Xavier Henry haven't made a final decision for Kansas, and a last minute switch on their part could make someone a contender for next years' crown.

This year's college basketball season is two days old, and that means that the slate is wiped clean and the hopes and dreams of next year can begin—again.