Rk.

Team

Last Yr.

Conf.

Key player

Comment

1.

Duke

27-6

ACC

Shelden Williams

Krzyzewski has tools for his fourth national title

2.

Michigan State

26-7

Big Ten

Paul Davis

Spartans return four starters from Final Four team

3.

Connecticut

23-8

Big East

Rudy Gay

Despite offseason issues, UConn still class of league

4.

Louisville

33-5

Big East

Taquan Dean

Watch out when David Padgett gets healthy for Cards

5.

Texas

20-11

Big 12

Daniel Gibson

Frontcourt (and Gibson) could be ticket to Indianapolis

6.

Villanova

24-8

Big East

Allan Ray

Still good enough to contend after loss of Curtis Sumpter

7.

Kentucky

28-6

SEC

Rajon Rondo

Randolph Morris' eligibility the only question mark

8.

Boston College

25-5

ACC

Craig Smith

Eagles will be formidable in ACC debut season

9.

Oklahoma

25-8

Big 12

Taj Gray

Sooners will give Longhorns a run for Big 12 title

10.

Arizona

30-7

Pac-10

Hassan Adams

Wildcats still tough after losing Frye, Stoudamire

11.

Memphis

22-16

Conf. USA

Darius Washington

Tigers should mop up in the new C-USA

12.

Gonzaga

26-5

West Coast

Adam Morrison

Best team -- and player (Morrison) -- in West?

13.

Stanford

18-13

Pac-10

Chris Hernandez

Dan Grunfeld returns after late-season torn ACL

14.

West Virginia

24-11

Big East

Mike Gansey

Mountaineers are 3-point shooting terrors

15.

UCLA

18-11

Pac-10

Jordan Farmer

Return to glory? Howland's Bruins return four starters

16.

Iowa

21-12

Big Ten

Jeff Horner

Veteran Hawkeyes have the look of a Sweet 16 team

17.

Illinois

37-2

Big Ten

Dee Brown

Illini won't return to Final Four, but will challenge in league

18.

Syracuse

27-7

Big East

Gerry McNamara

Orange still smarting from NCAA loss to Vermont

19.

Alabama

24-8

SEC

Ronald Steele

Sweet 16 potential if team shows enough consistency

20.

Indiana

15-14

Big Ten

D.J. White

Watch Auburn transfers Marco Killingsworth, Lewis Monroe

21.

Nevada

25-7

WAC

Nick Fazekas

By March, nobody will want to face the Wolf Pack

22.

Texas Tech

22-11

Big 12

Jarrius Jackson

Bobby Knight has Red Raiders on the upswing

23.

Wake Forest

27-6

ACC

Justin Gray

Chris Paul is gone, but plenty of talent remains

24.

Iowa State

19-12

Big 12

Curtis Stinson

Will Blalock, Stinson form one of nation's top backcourts

25.

Miami

16-13

ACC

Guillermo Diaz

Hurricanes should move from NIT to NCAA Tournament