2008-09 NCAA Division I Basketball Season [Archive]

April 7 - The North Carolina Tar Heels, at 34-4, have captured both the NCAA and Rogers Poll National Championships. With their incredible run through the tournament, notching them multiple signature victories, UNC finished comfortably ahead of everyone else.

#2 Memphis (33-4) had won 27 straight games prior to faltering against Missouri in the Sweet Sixteen.

#3 Connecticut (31-5) earned a top seed in the tournament and advanced to the Final Four, before falling to Michigan State. #4 Pittsburgh (31-5), also a top seed in the tournament, fell in the Elite Eight to Big East rival Villanova. #5 Michigan State (31-7), upset two top seeds in the tournament, #6 Louisville (31-6) and Connecticut, to advance to the NCAA championship game.

#7 Oklahoma (30-6) fell in the Elite Eight to North Carolina. #8 Duke (30-7) fell in the Sweet Sixteen to Villanova. #9 Missouri (31-7) fell in the Elite Eight to Connecticut. The nation's finest is rounded out by #10 Villanova (30-7), who lost in the Final Four to North Carolina.

The remaining Top 25 are: Kansas, Gonzaga, Utah State, Xavier, Butler, Wake Forest, LSU, Syracuse, Siena, Purdue, Washington, Dayton, UCLA, BYU, and Creighton.

In all, the Big East led the way with 5 teams in the Top 25. ACC and Big XII teams appeared 3 times. The Big Ten, Pac-10, and A-10 each placed two teams. The SEC, C-USA, WCC, WAC, Horizon, MAAC, Mountain West, and MVC each had 1 representative.

Check out the complete rankings here.

News

The North Carolina Tar Heels are the National Champions. They are followed by Memphis, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Louisville, Oklahoma, Duke, Missouri, and Villanova.

April 7 – Rankings

The ACC, with an 148-35 OOC record, is the top conference, followed by the Big XII, Big Ten, Big East, Pac-10, and SEC. The Mountain West, MVC, A-10, and C-USA round out the top 10.

April 7 – Conferences

Virginia, Michigan State, Duke, Oklahoma State, and Oregon played the nation's toughest schedules this season. Alabama State, Longwood, Alabama A&M, Prairie View A&M, and Southern played the easiest slates.

April 7 – Schedules

Remember the NCAA tournament, round by round, by reviewing projections, thoughts, and analysis.

April 7 – Blog | Bracket

Correctly predicted 31 of the 34 at-large selections (91%) for the NCAA tournament. A rebuttal to the selection committee is offered over those 3 spots.

March 16 – Rebuttal

Showcase Teams

  • Rogers Polldescription
    #1 North Carolina (34-4)
    Rogers Poll Champions
    NCAA National Champions

  • Rogers Polldescription
    #2 Memphis (33-4)
    NCAA Sweet Sixteen

  • Rogers Polldescription
    #3 Connecticut (31-5)
    NCAA Final Four

  • Rogers Polldescription
    #4 Pittsburgh (31-5)
    NCAA Elite Eight

  • Rogers Polldescription
    #5 Michigan State (31-7)
    NCAA Runner-Up