This should be one hell of a college basketball season. There is no clear favorite to win the national championship – Memphis has taken over the top spot on the odds list at 9-2, edging North Carolina at 5-1 and UCLA at 6-1.

The fact that a team outside the major conferences could win it all is intriguing enough; the last to do so was UNLV, coming out of the Big West in 1990. But the Tigers also have one of this year’s hot freshmen: point guard Derrick Rose. Two other new names you should hear a lot about in 2007-08 are USC’s O.J. Mayo and Indiana’s Eric Gordon.

The Kentucky Wildcats (30-1) fans are looking forward to their first year under coach Billy Gillispie. Billy Donovan is back with the Gators after reversing his decision to go pro, and Kevin O’Neill is coaching Arizona while Lute Olson takes a leave of absence. Buckle your seat belts.