"I was in a no-win situation. I was either going to be the guy who threw the ball to Henry Aaron for the record breaker or the guy who shot Bambi."

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo after losing to Duke. It was the 903rd career victory for Mike Krzyzewski, who broke the all-time men’s Division I record for wins.

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Dick Vitale Previews 2011-2012 College Basketball Season

Dick Vitale sat down with us for an exclusive interview to discuss college hoops

There’s no greater ambassador and evangelist for college basketball than Dick Vitale, who was on the mic for ESPN’s first college hoops broadcast on Dec. 5, 1979 (DePaul 90, Wisconsin 77) and has been sharing his passion for the game with appreciative audiences ever since. Athlon Sports sat down for some preseason analysis, banter and bombast in an exclusive Q&A with Vitale

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2011-12 Athlon Sports College Basketball Preseason Top 25

Team previews for our top teams entering the 2011-12 season

2011-12 Athlon Sports Preaseason Top 25

Click on each team for their preview

1. North Carolina

2. Kentucky

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2011 College Basketball Preview: Syracuse Orange

Kris Joseph leads experienced Orange squad that adds three standout freshmen

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim will bring one of his most experienced teams into his 36th campaign. The Orange will feature four returning starters along with several reserves who played key roles off the bench last season. In addition, Boeheim has added three standout freshmen, including two McDonald’s All-Americans, into his rotation.

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College Basketball 2011 Preview: Ohio State Buckeyes

Jared Sullinger's return makes Buckeyes a national title contender

Everything was in place for the most memorable Ohio State basketball season in half a century until the Sweet 16 left a very bitter taste in the mouths of the Buckeyes and their title-hungry fans.

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Vanderbilt Commodores 2011 College Basketball Preview

John Jenkins leads experienced, talented Commodores team hoping to make deep NCAA Tournament run

There was no press conference. No proclamations on Twitter. Nothing fancy. Just a simple press release. On April 20, Vanderbilt sent an email to announce that Festus Ezeli, John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor would be back in school for the 2011-12 season.

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College Basketball 2011 Preview: Connecticut Huskies

Can Jeremy Lamb lead a young Huskies team back to the Final Four?

Expectations remain the same as previous seasons for the defending national champion UConn Huskies. “To make the NCAA Tournament and go as deep as we can,” coach Jim Calhoun says. “That’s exactly what I said last year. Actually, we went pretty deep.

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Big East 2011 College Basketball Preview and Predictions

We look into our crystal ball and predict how Big East basketball will turn out in 2011-2012

It's prediction time as we look into our crystal ball for the Big East's 2011-2012 season and predict who will come out on top and get individual honors.

BIG EAST 2011-12 PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

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ACC 2011 College Basketball Conference Preview

We look into our crystal ball and predict how the ACC will turn out in 2011-2012

It's prediction time as we look into our crystal ball for the ACC's 2011-2012 season and predict who will come out on top and get individual honors.

ACC 2011-12 PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. North Carolina
Tar Heel fans are already reserving spots in New Orleans for the Final Four.

2. Duke
Blue Devils have depth in the frontcourt, youth on the perimeter.

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2011 College Basketball Preview: Louisville Cardinals

Few programs reflect the way the expectations game works in college basketball today better than Rick Pitino’s University of Louisville program. Big East coaches picked the Cardinals to finish eighth last season. They came in third. Twice, Louisville defeated Connecticut, the team that won the NCAA title. The Cards were the Big East Tournament runner-up.