Articles

Unlike the NBA, where most starting lineups are set in stone weeks before the season, NCAA starting fives are highly unsettled and constantly in flux.

Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Like civilizations, all great basketball programs eventually fall.. replaced by an upstart newcomer. In this week's Rise & Fall series, we'll take a look at which BCS programs are rising, falling, or merely treading water. Up today, the:

BIG EAST

This is the last of five Siegel's Take articles analyzing the 2008 NBA Draft prospects. Today's focus is surprisingly solid set of big men.

As I say every year, its important to note that I'm not as kind as most Draft analysts out there. The reality of the NBA Draft is that only a few guys will be stars, a handful more will be starters, a dozen guys will be career reserves, and the rest will all fizzle into nothingness within a couple of seasons.

Following my  2009 Field of 65 & Projected All-Americans, here is an early look at the 2008-09 All-Freshman Team.

First Team
G - Jrue Holiday - UCLA
G - Brandon Jennings - Arizona
G - Tyreke Evans - Memphis
F - Greg Monroe - Georgetown
F - Samardo Samuels - Louisville

Second Team
G - Demar DeRozan - USC

36 teams will feature at least one McDonald's All-American next year.  Some programs like Duke feature a starting five full of high school superstars, while others like Rutgers and FSU are welcoming their first Big Mac Maestros.  Here are projected starting lineups for all 36 teams with an All-American.

NBA Draft: Roy Hibbert