Top 50 NCAA basketball teams for 2008-2009

Here's my way-too-early top 50 for next season, no commentary attached at this time as I've got the usual reasons for choosing the order of these teams (losses, recruits, transfers), but it's not really worth talking about until it's known who's going pro and who isn't. I generally assumed most players who've not taken an agent up to this point will be back, but that's never 100% correct, so I've noted it where I could.

This generally reflects the NCAA tourney at-large bids as well as the top 16 or 17 conference winners, which I also noted(*). I do think Purdue will win the Big Ten next season, but I think Michigan State will go further in the Big Dance. MSU should be an actual Final Four contender in March 2009, but certainly they're no lock to get there.

1. North Carolina (w/Ellington, Green, & Lawson)*
2. Texas (w/Abrams & Augustin)*
3. Tennessee*
4. Duke
5. UCLA (w/Moute, Shipp, & Westbrook)*
6. Connecticut*
7. Michigan State
8. Memphis(w/Dozier & Anderson)*
9. West Virginia (w/Alexander)
10. Purdue*
11. Davidson*
12. Kansas (w/Chalmers)
13. Louisville
14. Gonzaga (w/ Pargo)*
15. Oklahoma
16. Notre Dame
17. Arizona State
18. Pittsburgh
19. Wisconsin
20. St. Mary's
21. Marquette (w/McNeal)
22. Florida (w/Speights)
23. Southern California (w/Jefferson)
24. Xavier*
25. Wake Forest
26. BYU (w/Cummard & Plaisted)*
27. Villanova
28. Drake*
29. Virginia Tech
30. Kent State*
31. Arizona (w/Budinger)
32. San Diego
33. Kansas State (w/Hoskins, w/ Walker)
34. Kentucky
35. UNLV
36. Ohio State (w/Koufos)
37. Charlotte
38. UAB (w/Vaden)
39. Baylor
40. South Carolina
41. Virginia Commonwealth*
42. Clemson
43. Creighton
44. San Diego State (w/Wade)
45. New Mexico State*
46. Alabama (w/Steele & Hendrix)
47. Washington
48. Cleveland State*
49. Miami (OH)
t-50. South Alabama*
t-50. Texas A&M (w/Carter)