With the 2009-10 NCAA Men's Basketball Season on it's way, most people's concerns are if their fantasy football team has a winning record and will they win on sunday. But with a mere 16 or so weeks until the infamous March Madness, here's a look as to what you might expect to see this year. First, some big news regarding this season for college basketball... the North Carolina Tar Heels will make the NCAA Tournament. Not good enough for you? Well here is a list I have compiled of teams worth watching that have the capability of doing some damage this season. Not the UNC's and the Duke's, but the cinderella's and the teams who lost key players last year but can still make a come back. 

TEAMS WHO LOST PLAYERS BUT STILL CAN BE EFFECTIVE:

- Despite losing Duane Blair, Pitt's chances still look good heading into the season. With Guard's Chase Adams and Jermaine Dixon returning as experienced seniors, a productive bench that they had last year, and 7 highly rated freshman on the roster, the Panthers chances of still dominating in a tough Big East Conference are still high for 09-10.

- Number 1 draft pick Blake Griffin left Oklahoma in pretty bad shape, right? Not exactly. As a freshman last year, behind the spot light of Griffin, 6'4 Willie Warren averaged almost 15 points and 3 assists per game. As a Sophomore this season, backed with experienced teammate's and a good freshman class, he will look to help lead the Sooners back to the tournament and hopefully far into it.

My Not So Obvious Favorites:

-Wake Forest; with Al-Farouq Aminu returning, big man Chas Mcfarland and a talented freshmen class, expect the Demon Deacons to fair rather well in the competitive ACC. We may possibly even see them make a run in March.

- Washington; with Isaiah Thomas averaging 15.5 points and the 6'6 senior leader Quincy Pondexter scoring 12.6, don't be surprised if the Huskies pull some March upsets, after most likely clinching a border-line weak PAC 10.

- Florida State; Although they have a young team (with 1 senior who only contributes 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game), the Seminoles seem promising with a very well recruited freshman class for 2 consecutive years. Their biggest task will be making it in the ACC.

- Gonzaga; With the WCC extremely weak, the Bulldogs are almost a shoe-in. Add a 7 foot sophomore who should come into his own this year, a good back court in Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray, and you may very well see the Zag's make a run for it come tourny time. The only concern there is that they're banking on a couple of their 9 freshmen to step up.

- Villanova; with almost the same returning players, and two promising freshmen in Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek, the Wildcats 09-10 season looks to be almost equally as good as last years.

- Kansas; With Sherron Collins returning (18.9 ppg 5 apg 08-09) along with Tyshawn Taylor and Cole Aldrich, the Rock Chalk Jayhawks would have to be my pre-season favorite (outside of an obvious UNC). The three players mentioned above combined for almost 45 points per game alone last season. Add the fact that they have arguably one of the best back courts in college basketball and you have a championship type team. And remember this name, Elijah Johnson, because he is going to do big things for this Jayhawk team. Maybe not this season, but definitely in 10-11.