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A surprising number of returning stars, a freshman class that's been salivated over for years and a bevy of national title contenders has us already counting down the days until the 2013-14 season.

Sunday will mark the first time since The Shot that Rick Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski have faced each other in the NCAA tourney. Can their teams -- arguably the two best left in the field -- re-create the magic? We can only hope.

Everyone is talking about what Nerlens Noel's injury means for the one-and-done rule and Kentucky's tourney chances. How about we pause to think about the 18-year-old kid and the arduous and tedious process he now faces?

Duke and North Carolina loyalists might disagree; Yankees and Red Sox devotees have a decent argument, too. But aside from maybe Alabama and Auburn football, it is hard to find such yearlong enmity breeding and cultivating within the state borders like Kentucky.

After Baylor ended Kentucky's 55-game home win streak, UK has already lost more games this season than all of last. Time to panic? Maybe not yet, but John Calipari certainly has his hands full with this disjointed young group.

Kentucky could have expected growing pains with a new group of freshmen, so no, it's not time to panic in the Commonwealth. UCLA, on the other hand, has much to worry about. Dana O'Neil gauges the panic meter for those two plus Baylor, NC State, Memphis, Texas and Villanova.

When Duke, Kansas, Michigan State and Kentucky all take center stage at the Champions Classic, elite freshmen will be featured. As Dana O'Neil writes, it's another reason why we should honor Jan. 8, 1972.

Great basketball will be played across the country this season, but no region will beat Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Dana O'Neil maps out the perfect road trip for hoops fanatics, ending in Rising Sun, Ind.

Dana O'Neil had a front-row seat to the abrasive behavior that led to the downfall of Billy Gillispie at Kentucky, but she thought he could successfully bounce back at Texas Tech. But some people just don't change. Lesson learned.

Frustration levels are at a fever pitch with several elite basketball recruits facing increased NCAA scrutiny as the fates of their freshman years hang in the balance. What's behind these delays and why are more high-end recruits being held up?

John Calipari's task at Kentucky was difficult, but not complicated: Win a national championship. Try as he might to brush aside the significance of Monday night's win, it's a milestone achievement for one of the game's most ambitious and maligned coaches.

Both young and old will love Monday's blue blood title game between Kentucky and Kansas.

No one expected Kansas to be facing Kentucky for the national title. Which is precisely why Bill Self is having so much fun.

Kansas did against Ohio State what it was done all season -- defy the odds and explanation. These not-so-ordinary Jayhawks are the unlikeliest of national title game participants.

This Final Four has been billed as a battle of the big men, but it's the point guards who make the teams go.

This is not a Final Four for the meek or mild. With Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville and Ohio State involved, it's as big as it gets. And New Orleans is the perfect host for this party.