Midnight Madness came and went last month with nary a blip in South Florida, where fans tend to tune into college basketball right around Selection Sunday, just in time to fill out their NCAA Tournament brackets.

But in most places across the country, the sound of basketball shoes squeaking at midnight means Dick Vitale is clearing his throat and Coach K, Tom Izzo and Roy Williams are about to take center stage.

What can we expect from the 2009-10 season? Here's a peek:

1 | Kansas: Pencil the Jayhawks in your Final Four bracket now. OK, maybe that's a bit extreme, but certainly Kansas is a team to beat this year. All five starters are back from a Sweet 16 team that won 27 games. Point guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich lead the way, and freshman Xavier Henry should make an instant impact.

2 | Michigan State: The Spartans were not satisfied being the runner-up in the NCAA Tournament last season, losing to North Carolina, and Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas is back for a title quest. As usual, Spartans coach Tom Izzo is testing his team early, with games against Florida, North Carolina and Gonzaga.

3 | North Carolina: Yes, the Tar Heels lost four starters from their championship team, but they are the Tar Heels, which means there's another batch of McDonald's All-Americans waiting in the wings. But keep in mind that no champion since UCLA in 1972 has lost four starters and successfully defended its title.

4 | Texas: Longhorns fans everywhere are thrilled that Damion James opted not to enter the NBA Draft last spring and, chances are, this team will make a deep run in March.

5 | Villanova: Jay Wright's team already was loaded, and the addition of Duke transfer Taylor King, plus freshmen Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek, will make the Wildcats even better.

6 | Duke: It has been five years since the Blue Devils made the Final Four, and that seems an eternity to their fans. Gerald Henderson is gone to the NBA, and Elliott Williams transferred to Memphis for family medical reasons, leaving Kyle Singler as the focal point of the team. But never count out Coach K.

7 | Purdue: Junior forward Robbie Hummel's back is healed, which is great news for the Boilermakers. Hummel, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, averaged 12.5 points, a team-best 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists last season.

8 | Tennessee: The Vols have made two Sweet 16s under Bruce Pearl; is this the year they break into the Elite Eight? With five starters returning, anything is possible.

9 | West Virginia: Bob Huggins is beloved in Morgantown, and expectations are sky high. Devin Ebanks gained 30 pounds of muscle. But the Mountaineers will be without 6-9, 260-pound freshman Deniz Kilicki of Turkey, who was suspended for the first 20 games for violating amateurism rules.

10 | Kentucky: There are two reasons a team that didn't even make the NCAA Tournament last year is ranked as high as No. 5 on some national preseason polls -- and both are named John. Coach John Calipari had great success at UMass and Memphis, and Kentucky fans already have elevated him to God-like status. John Wall, a point guard, has yet to play a minute of college basketball and already is being called the best freshman in the country and a likely future NBA lottery pick.

TEN MORE TEAMS TO WATCH

Team 2008-09 record

Butler 26-6 (15-3 Horizon)

Washington 25-8 (14-4 Pac-10)

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