5. Villanova will unquestionably miss Reggie Redding's presence this fall. The leadership and experience that the 6-foot-5 senior from Philly brings won't be able to be replaced solely by Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes. With Redding out for the first month of the season after a marijuana possession arrest in July, Jay Wright will be hoping that highly-touted 6-foot-10 freshman Mouphtaou Yarou can fill a void down low for the Wildcats, who are expected to contend for the Big East title this season with Connecticut and West Virginia.
 
4. Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury is halfway there to having Renardo Sidney officially on his team for the 2009-10 season. The 6-foot-11 freshman, who played his high school ball at Fairfax High in Los Angeles and was eventually passed up by UCLA and USC (after originally being offered scholarships by both schools) in the recruiting process, got cleared by the NCAA eligibility center and enrolled in classes on Monday. But Stansbury still needs the NCAA to clear Sidney from any amateurism questions, which could pose a problem in getting the Mississippi native out on the court in the next three months.

3. How about Denis Clemente's H-O-R-S-E shot off the Bramlage Coliseum scoreboard and floor? I guess word travels fast because the shot, believe it or not, has already generated more than 5,000 views on YouTube. "I just started laughing," Kansas State coach Frank Martin said after seeing the video. "I couldn't believe it. But, coming from him, I wasn't surprised." Clemente, after all, knows how to put the ball in the basket. A second cousin of Roberto Clemente (so you know he's got some athletic ability in him), the 6-foot-1 sharpshooter torched Texas -- in Austin no less -- for 44 points last January and led the team in scoring with 15 points per game. And though Kansas and Texas are undoubtedly the favorites in the ultra-competitive Big 12 this season, with incoming freshman Wally Judge and backcourt mate Jacob Pullen back for his senior year, the Wildcats might just surprise a few folks.
 
2. At the age of 18, Jeremy Tyler doesn't think he needs an education any more. To him, he's better off playing basketball as a full-time job. So last week, the 6-foot-11, 260-pound manchild finalized his jump from high school to professional basketball by signing a one-year, $140,000 contract with Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli Premier League. For Tyler, there's no question in his mind where he belongs. "I think I made the right decision," he said. "I think this team is a good fit for me and it's the right country." He even took it a step further, saying, "I feel good. I feel blessed. I got past the easy part. Now the hard part is to perform and show the world I got a contract for a reason. Now I can play against grown men." With many critical of the decision, the expectations will be high for Tyler, who will be under pressure to perform at an All-Star caliber level while learning how to live on his own in a foreign country (although they do speak in English in Israel). Of course, if basketball doesn't work out for him, he'll always have enough money to buy himself an education back home.
 
1. There weren't many out there that thought Greg Paulus would end up as the starting quarterback in his hometown college after playing four years of basketball at Duke, but that's just what's happening to the Syracuse native at the moment. Paulus, who's only been on campus for only a few months, has suddenly regained the form under center that he once had at Christian Brothers Academy, winning the starting job less than a month before the Orange face Big Ten foe Minnesota in the Carrier Dome on Sept. 5. Syracuse, though, isn't exactly the program it used to be, with the years of Jim Brown and Larry Csonka long in the past. The Orange may still play in the Big East, but there are very few Division I programs that would start a quarterback who hasn't had game experience in four years -- even if he were one of the best talents coming out of high school. But the 'Cuse happens to be one of those programs right now, and with the way things have gone recently in upstate New York, Doug Marrone needs any kind of spark in a league that often doesn't play favorites to anyone.

Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt is well aware of the circumstances that lie before him coming into 2009-10.
 
Contend in the ACC with the likes of North Carolina, Duke and Clemson, or face the harsh reality of possibly being unemployed by season's end.
 
Because after finishing last in the ACC at 2-14 a year ago, there's no question that Hewitt is one of several coaches sitting high on the hot seat this fall.
 
It doesn't matter that the 2001 ACC Coach of the Year took the Yellow Jackets to the national title game five years ago -- only to get crushed by Emeka Okafor and a loaded Connecticut team.
 
It doesn't matter that he signed a contract extension to stay at Georgia Tech through the 2010-11 season, either.
 
Instead, the 46-year-old Hewitt will be relying on an incoming recruiting class, which ranks among the best in the nation and includes local product Derrick Favors, to turn around a program that has fallen on hard times since freshmen stars Thaddeus Young and Jarvis Crittenton bolted for the NBA after the 2006-07 season.
 
That highly-esteemed recruiting class of Hewitt's, however, took a hit this week when it was announced that freshman Kammeon Holsey will miss all of 2009-10 after tearing his ACL during a pick-up game earlier this month.
 
"This is obviously a blow to Kam getting started in his college basketball career, and our team will miss him on the court," Hewitt said in a school release. "But I'm confident he will get through this and have a full recovery."
 
Even though there was a chance Holsey would have redshirted the season with Gani Lawal and Iman Shumpert returning and Favors a lock to be in the Yellow Jackets' starting lineup, this wasn't what Hewitt had in mind with arguably the most important season of his coaching career three months away and counting.
 
Holsey, after all, was among Scout.com's top 100 recruits in 2009 after averaging 27 points and 10 rebounds as a senior at Hancock Central, and the 6-foot-8 forward from Sparta, Ga., was also the 2009 Class A state player of the year.
 
Still, the addition of Favors, Mfon Udofia, Glen Rice Jr., Brian Oliver and Daniel Miller this year should more than enough to complement Georgia Tech's veterans. 
 
But most importantly, it will be Hewitt's job to ultimately transform a team with loads of potential into an instant conference contender within a couple of months. 
 
It's no easy task, but it's one that's attainable for Hewitt -- even with the pressure to win at an all-time high right now. 
 
Remember, there are always worse positions to be in. 
 
Just look at Rick Pitino right now.

For the past three seasons, the Big East has dominated college basketball as the sport's premiere conference. While there have been upswing years from the Big Ten, Pac-10, Big 12 and SEC during that time, perennial powers like Connecticut, Louisville, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Georgetown and Syracuse have carried the league’s name to the top of the charts more recently. But with the conference losing a considerable amount of talent to the NBA after last season, the Big East's reign on college basketball may have to take a year off. So as we start to gear up for the upcoming 2009-10 season, here are the top 10 conferences in the country.

10. Mountain West

Any time a conference loses the majority of its top scorers, it's going to struggle the following season. That could very easily be the reality in 2009-10 for the Mountain West, which will see BYU contend for a fourth straight regular-season conference championship. The Cougars, after all, have an excellent scoring duo in junior Jimmer Fredette, the league's top returning scorer, and senior sidekick Jonathan Tavernari, who tested the NBA Draft waters in the spring but decided to return after averaging 15.7 points and leading his team with 85 3-pointers last season. But don't think Dave Rose's team will run away with things so easily during conference play. UNLV, for one, has a solid recruiting class coming in to complement an experienced veteran like junior Tre'Von Willis, who finished second on the team in scoring last year while managing to also grab 4.3 rebounds and dish out 3.3 assists. Surprisingly enough, with the amount of talent gone from last year, Croatian big man Zvonko Buljan (12.3 pgg, 7.8 rpg) could even make TCU a factor in the MWC title picture. Of course, there is always San Diego State, too, but with the Aztecs losing their top two scorers, it certainly puts BYU right back in the driver's seat next season.

9. West Coast Conference

There has yet to be a better display of dominance within a conference than what Mark Few and Gonzaga have done over the last decade. The Bulldogs have owned the WCC for nine straight seasons, winning conference titles year after year with better than your average "mid-major" talent. Next season, though, could be more of a challenge for Few and company. The 'Zags will desperately miss Jeremy Pargo, Josh Heytvelt, Micah Downs and Austin Daye, who all played significant minutes and attributed for much of the team’s scoring last season. But there’s still hope for 'Zags fans in 2009-10 with Matt Bouldin and Demetri Goodson in the backcourt and junior guard Steven Gray able to fill up the basket on the offensive end. Even so, Gonzaga may have trouble stopping Saint Mary's big man Omar Samhan, who returns for the Gaels after a productive junior season that saw him average 14.1 points and 9.4 rebounds. Portland's Nik Ravio (16 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Santa Clara's Kevin Foster (14.7 ppg, 2.5 apg), meanwhile, are two guards that could also carry their teams through conference play and into title contention, particularly with a hot stretch of play in the WCC Tournament. But in the end, it’s still Few's conference to lose, and with the way the last nine years have gone for him, there's no counting out the 'Zags ever.

8. Conference USA

John Calipari carried Memphis' and Conference USA's name a long ways during his nine years in Graceland, but that’s about to change with the two-time Naismith College Coach of the Year coming to Kentucky's rescue after the firing of Billy Gillispie. Now C-USA will be heavily dependent on what first-year Memphis coach Josh Pastner can bring to the table after a year-long apprenticeship under Calipari. But with the amount of talent the Tigers lost during the offseason, it's unfair to expect Pastner to keep the conference relevant on a national level — or keep the Tigers' Conference USA win streak of 61 games going very much longer — all by his lonesome. An experienced Houston squad that features a backcourt starring seniors Aubrey Coleman and Kelvin Lewis is one contender who can challenge the Tigers. Coleman returns as the conference's top scorer after leading the Cougars with 19.4 points per game. And with Lewis showing his own set of offensive abilities with his 18-point scoring average last year, it might not be that long before we see a Tom Penders' squad finally dancing again in March. The other big surprise in the league, in the meantime, could be Tulsa. With 7-foot big man Jerome Jordan in the middle and this year's conference tournament in their backyard, the Golden Hurricane have just as good of a shot as anyone to wear the C-USA crown and earn a trip to the NCAA tourney.

7. Atlantic 10

Over the past four years, Xavier has become the cream of the crop in the Atlantic 10 thanks to the leadership and coaching of now-Arizona coach Sean Miller. So with Miller in Tucson and the Musketeers starting a new era under Chris Mack, the conference picture becomes a little more wide open in 2009-10. While Mack and company could still very well win a fourth straight A-10 title in the spring, UMass has a chance to contend with a big-time scorer in Ricky Harris, a 6-foot-2 senior guard who averaged a team-high 18.2 points per game last season. Fordham also has a star offensive weapon returning to the Bronx in sophomore point guard Jio Fontan, and Richmond has an experienced one-two punch with Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez back for Spiders coach Chris Mooney. But if there's one team that could knock Xavier off its perch, it's most likely Dayton. The Flyers return 6-foot-8 senior Chris Wright, who led Brian Gregory's team in scoring and rebounding last season at 13.3 points and 6.6 boards per game, and if Xavier's Jordan Crawford or even La Salle's Rodney Green doesn't manage to out-do him over the course of the season, he could very well end up winning the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award.

6. Pac-10

Sending six teams to the Big Dance the last two seasons, the Pac-10 has made its voice heard amidst the traditional East Coast power conferences with young, talented recruiting classes at Washington, UCLA, Arizona State, USC and even Washington State in recent years. But with few veteran stars remaining in the league other than Arizona's Nic Wise, the conference will be younger and more unpredictable than ever. Though Washington and Lorenzo Romar should remain the favorite to win a second straight conference title, Mike Montgomery will have Cal right there with the Huskies. That's because the former Stanford coach will have his top two scorers back in seniors Jerome Randle (18.3 ppg) and Patrick Christopher (14.5 ppg). Down in Southern California, meanwhile, Ben Howland will be attempting to rebuild a UCLA program that saw the final pieces of its previous Final Four teams — Darren Collison, Josh Shipp and Alfred Aboya — leave and highly-touted point guard Jrue Holiday jump for the NBA after a pedestrian freshman season. But knowing the kind of coach Howland is, the Bruins might not be down for long, with the same fortune also applying to Arizona and first-year coach Sean Miller.

5. Big East

Unlike last season, it won't be a typical year for the Big East in 2009-10. With the absence of such stars as Hasheem Thabeet, DeJuan Blair, Terrence Williams, Jonny Flynn and Jerel McNeal, the conference certainly won't be sending eight teams to the Big Dance on Selection Sunday next March. There still remains some quality returning talent scattered throughout the league, however. Connecticut lost an imposing frontline that included the 7-foot-3 Thabeet and power forward Jeff Adrien, but Jim Calhoun will welcome back speedy point man Kemba Walker and even more importantly, senior guard Jerome Dyson, who missed the Huskies' Final Four run after tearing his lateral meniscus in February. Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards also give UConn a nice one-two punch inside, and if Ater Majok ends being as good as advertised, the Huskies could be on their way to winning another Big East title. Bob Huggins and West Virginia will be there to make it difficult for UConn to run away with things and highly-touted freshman Lance Stephenson might even show some flashes of greatness at Cincinnati, but Villanova, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Marquette and Syracuse all lost a lot from last year and won't have the firepower to contend with the Huskies or Mountaineers down the stretch in conference play.

4. SEC

There was little debate last season over which BCS conference ranked the worst among the six. That honor undoubtedly went to the SEC. But the arrival of former Memphis coach John Calipari at Kentucky this past spring has quickly changed the conference's outlook in 2009-10. While Jodie Meeks' decision to bolt for the NBA hurt the SEC’s star power to some degree, the return of Kentucky big man Patrick Patterson and the last-minute signings of John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins have Calipari and the Wildcats back on the national radar once again. Tennessee and Mississippi State, meanwhile, also has some big-time talent to showcase next season. The Vols, for one, return senior wingman Tyler Smith, who has a knack for scoring and brings a sense of leadership to a program that's transformed under Bruce Pearl's tutelage. And for Rick Stansbury and the Bulldogs, getting Jarvis Varnado, the nation's top shot blocker the past two seasons, to return along with a commitment from top-five recruit Renardo Sidney, has fans in Starkville, Miss., anxious to see what could transpire.

3. ACC

Long considered by many to be college basketball's deepest and toughest conference, the ACC hasn't lived up to that billing with the Big East sending seven and eight teams to the NCAA tournament bids the past three seasons. But even with the Big East down from last year, the ACC isn't back on top like many might expect it to be. That's largely due, however, to the departure of North Carolina's powerful trio of Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson, Wake Forest's inside-outside tandem of Jeff Teague and James Johnson and Florida State's do-it-all scorer Toney Douglas. Meanwhile, Gerald Henderson of Duke, K.C. Rivers of Clemson and Tyrese Rice of Boston College have also moved on from the college ranks, leaving the league's few remaining veteran stars — Duke's Kyle Singler, Wake's Al-Farouq Aminu and Maryland's Greivis Vasquez — a chance to finally stand as the elite players in the ACC next season.

2. Big Ten

The Big Ten made considerable strides from previous down years several seasons ago with seven teams earning invitations to the Big Dance in 2008-09. This year, believe it or not, that number could actually increase. The conference, in fact, has a chance to send eight teams to the NCAA tournament in March, which would match the Big East's record of eight in 2006 and 2008. While Michigan State, Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan should all be locks to earn bids next March, Penn State and Wisconsin could also find their way into the tourney mix with some quality non-conference wins and a .500 record in Big Ten play. The league, however, doesn't have as strong of a freshmen class coming in as the Big 12's. Therefore, veterans like Evan Turner (Ohio State), Kalin Lucas (Michigan State), Robbie Hummel (Purdue) and Manny Harris (Michigan) will be relied upon to carry the conference's name nationally on their way to competing for this year's league title.

1. Big 12

With two of the nation's top five teams, including next season's national title favorite and potential preseason No. 1, the Big 12 makes a convincing argument to be the top conference in 2009-10. While Kansas and Texas will be among the country's elite teams and could even meet in Indianapolis when April rolls around, the conference also features two of the top big men in Kansas' Cole Aldrich and Iowa State's Craig Brackins. Throw other big-time returning players like Kansas' Sherron Collins, Oklahoma State's James Anderson, Oklahoma's Willie Warren, Texas' Damion James, Kansas State's Jacob Pullen and Texas A&M's Donald Sloan into the conversation, along with highly-touted freshmen Xavier Henry (Kansas), Avery Bradley (Texas) and Keith Gallon (Oklahoma), and there's no question that the Big 12 has the strongest crop of talent on the hardwood next year.

To see the full list in photos, click here.

Not all of the schedules for next season have been officially released yet, but there's several quality non-conference games already slated for December and January. While one of them happens to be a rematch of last year's national championship game and three others appear on Texas' 2009-10 slate, here are a few other non-conference contests that will piqué the interest of any college hoops fan. Reminder: This list features only games that have been officially announced by the school to date.

Dec. 1: Michigan State at North Carolina (ACC/Big Ten Challenge)

North Carolina had the pleasure of dominating the Spartans twice last season, especially the second time in Detroit for the 2009 national championship. But things will be quite different when these two teams square off in Chapel Hill during the third week of the season. The Tar Heels, for one, won't have Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson or Wayne Ellington on the floor while Goran Suton and Travis Walton have both left East Lansing. Instead, it will be UNC's powerful interior game featuring Tyler Zeller, Ed Davis and newcomer John Henson going up against a Michigan State frontline composed of Raymar Morgan, Durrell Summers and Delvon Roe. Prediction: Michigan State wins.

Dec. 2: Illinois at Clemson (ACC/Big Ten Challenge)

There's no question that the Michigan State-North Carolina matchup is the best game the ACC/Big Ten Challenge has to offer next season, but this could also provide some thrills in early December. While the Tigers' backcourt will suffer greatly after losing K.C. Rivers and Terrence Oglesby, Clemson coach Oliver Purnell will have to turn to senior big man Trevor Booker for offensive production and some much-needed team leadership. Illinois coach Bruce Weber, meanwhile, will have his own issues on the perimeter with the departures of guards Trent Meachem and Chester Frazier, but Demetri McCamey and a talented recruiting class could be the difference for the Fighting Illini. Prediction: Illinois wins.

Dec. 12: Mississippi State vs. UCLA (Wooden Classic)

First, Renardo Sidney committed to UCLA. But when Ben Howland and his staff refused to sign the local Fairfax High product, he went across town to sign with USC. The Trojans, though, did just the same as their Pac-10 foes, pulling their offer off the table as well. With time running out quickly, Sidney sat down with Rick Stansbury and made up his mind that it was time to go back home to Mississippi. Now coincidentally, if the 6-foot-11 big man manages to pass his SAT — and that is a big "if" still — he'll have a chance to return to Southern California to face a program that didn't want any part of him because he had yet to take the exam. And the Bruins could be in for a real slugfest considering that Howland's team doesn't feature a lot inside, with 6-foot-8 Drew Gordon serving as UCLA's primary big. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, could have one of the best frontcourt tandems in Sidney and 6-foot-9 senior Jarvis Varnado, the nation's leading shot blocker the past two seasons. Prediction: Mississippi State wins.

Dec. 19: North Carolina at Texas

The Tar Heels will have already faced a quality Michigan State team by the time they arrive in Arlington to take on the Longhorns, and that should certainly help a rather inexperienced UNC squad that returns only two starters in power forward Deon Thompson and defensive-minded Marcus Ginyard. The real battle, though, will be on the interior, where Texas big men Dexter Pittman and Damion James will look to match up against a young, yet extremely talented frontline for Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams. Prediction: North Carolina wins.

Dec. 22: Michigan State at Texas

Tom Izzo's team has had the Longhorns' number the past two seasons, but Rick Barnes and company will be looking to change that trend when they welcome last year's Big Ten champs to town right before the holidays. Though Michigan State should have the advantage in the backcourt with speedy playmaker Kalin Lucas running the show, Texas' size and depth on the interior could prove to be too much for the Spartans' frontcourt to handle for 40 minutes. Prediction: Texas wins.

Jan. 1: West Virginia at Purdue

After two solid seasons in Morgantown, Bob Huggins might finally have a team that could contend for the Big East title in 2009-10. A lot could be revealed about the Mountaineers' season on New Year's Day when they travel to Mackey Arena to face one of most experienced teams in the nation. That's what Matt Painter will have next season, as all five starters — including forwards Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson — will be back for the Boilermakers. Prediction: Purdue wins.

Jan. 9: Kansas at Tennessee

With games at UCLA and Temple along with home games vs. California and Michigan, Bill Self and his players aren't taking things easy in the first two months of the 2009-10 season. But playing the Volunteers in Knoxville could be the toughest challenge the Jayhawks face before meeting Big 12 foe Texas at the Frank Erwin Center, and the Tennessee faithful will be ready to welcome a Kansas team that many are predicting to cut down the nets in Indianapolis. Prediction: Kansas wins.

Jan. 23: Texas at Connecticut

It doesn't get much better than a Big East-Big 12 showdown between two potential top 10 teams in the middle of the conference season. The veteran Longhorns, who will have prior non-conference battles against North Carolina and Michigan State (both in the state of Texas), will travel to the Northeast for a date with the legendary Jim Calhoun and a UConn team that will be talented despite losing their frontcourt duo of Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien along with steady point guard A.J. Price. Prediction: Connecticut wins.

Other notable non-conference games already announced: Wake Forest at Purdue (Dec. 1); Kansas at UCLA (Dec. 6); Arizona at Oklahoma (Dec. 6); Xavier at Kansas State (Dec. 8); UCLA at Notre Dame (Dec. 12); Georgetown vs. Washington (Dec. 12); Connecticut at Michigan (Jan. 17); Michigan at Kansas (Dec. 19); California at Kansas (Dec. 22); Texas A&M at Washington (Dec. 22).

Over the past three years, college basketball has seen some of the nation's top talents come and go after one season due to the NBA's minimum age requirement. And with many of the game's big names heading to the pro ranks after last year, the 2009-10 college hoops season will witness a new group of stars shining between the months of November and April. So as the summer wears on and the recruiting trail heats up, here are the top 10 players returning to college basketball next season.

Honorable Mention: Ed Davis, North Carolina

Davis didn't get a lot of opportunities during the Tar Heels' national championship run to show how talented he is, but the sophomore from Richmond, Va., did show some promise in the NCAA tournament with strong performances against Radford (15 points and five rebounds) and Michigan State (11 points and eight rebounds). After averaging 6.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in only 18.8 minutes per game, the 6-foot-10 forward will become the focal point of North Carolina's offense this fall and could easily earn All-America honors by season's end.

10. Willie Warren, Oklahoma

Playing with the nation's best player gave Warren a chance to get acclimated with college basketball during his freshman year, but he showed at times last season that he can take over a game with his offensive dexterity. Ranking second in scoring for the Sooners at 14.6 points a game, the 6-foot-4 Texas native also dished out 3.1 assists to go along with his 47.3 shooting percent from the floor and 37.2-percent mark from behind the 3-point line. 

9. Evan Turner, Ohio State

Turner had to wait a year before he could show Thad Matta what he's really capable of, but after a sophomore season in which he posted 17.3 points and 7.1 boards each time out, Buckeye fans should be excited to see the 6-foot-7 wing return to Columbus for his junior campaign. While Turner's efficiency shooting the ball (50.3 percent from the field and 44.0 from three) is as good as anyone's, the First Team All-Big Ten selection can also pass the ball, averaging four assists per contest last year.

8. James Anderson, Oklahoma State

Anderson got some heads to turn with a strong freshman campaign, but it was his second year in Stillwater that put him on the map as a big-time scorer. The 6-foot-6 Arkansas native, for one, knocked down over 40 percent of his 3-point attempts in 2008-09 - best of any Oklahoma State player last season - and his 18.2 points ranked among the best in a Big 12 Conference that included Naismith Player of the Year Blake Griffin.

7. Kyle Singler, Duke

At 6-foot-8 and 235 pounds, Singler may be undersized against other power forwards, but he's proved in his first two collegiate seasons at Duke that his physical limitations have yet to hurt his overall game. Draining 38.3 percent of his 3-pointers last year, the junior forward possesses a sweet stroke from the perimeter and has shown that he can also get after it on the defensive end with an average of 7.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 2008-09.

6. Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

Patterson was expected by many to declare for the NBA Draft this past June, but the 6-foot-9 power forward thought otherwise with former Memphis coach John Calipari and top recruit John Wall arriving in Lexington early this offseason. Coming off a sophomore season that saw him score 17.9 points, grab 9.3 rebounds and block 2.1 shots a game, Patterson has the offensive and defensive skills to take over as the SEC's Player of the Year next season.

5. Sherron Collins, Kansas

The best point guard returning to college basketball next season, Collins can shoot the rock (37.6 percent from three in 2008-09) while leading an offense loaded with talent on the wings and down low. With a junior season that saw him average 18.9 points and 5.0 assists now in his back pocket, the diminutive floor leader out of Chicago should be an even better playmaker for the Jayhawks this fall.

4. Craig Brackins, Iowa State

Brackins didn't get a lot of national attention playing for the 15-16 Cyclones last season, but he certainly knows how to put up big numbers on both ends of the floor. While the 6-foot-10, 230-pound native of Palmdale, Calif., averaged 20.2 points and 9.5 rebounds as a sophomore, he managed to drop 42 points and 14 boards on Kansas, 38 and 14 on Houston and 32 and 16 on Northern Iowa during the 2008-09 campaign.

3. Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest

Aminu has as much ability and athleticism as any other player in the country, and though the sophomore forward could have been a first-round pick in this year's draft, he still has plenty of room to improve. After posting 10 double-doubles and finishing his freshman campaign at Wake with 12.9 points and 8.2 rebounds, the ACC All-Freshman selection could turn into the conference's top talent with teammates Jeff Teague and James Johnson now playing in the NBA.

2. Cole Aldrich, Kansas

The 6-foot-11 big man from Bloomington, Minn., only scratched the surface as a sophomore last year, averaging a double-double at 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. But after not even entering his name in the 2009 NBA Draft, Aldrich should star with teammate Sherron Collins on a loaded Kansas squad that will be highly favored to win the 2010 national championship in Indianapolis.

1. Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

Harangody might not be an All-Star at the next level, but after two stellar seasons at Notre Dame - including last year's All-America line of 23.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game - the 2008 Big East Player of the Year is undoubtedly the top returning player in college basketball next season. Though he's a tad undersized at only 6-foot-8, the senior forward has shown - in addition to his offensive versatility and commitment to defense - that he's one of the hardest workers in the game today.

Other notable returning players: Greg Monroe, Georgetown; Kalin Lucas, Michigan State; Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia; Tyler Smith, Tennessee; Greivis Vasquez, Maryland; Manny Harris, Michigan; Jerome Randle, California; Solomon Alabi, Florida State; Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas; Jerome Jordan, Tulsa; Kemba Walker, UConn.

To see the full list in photos, click here.