Well folks, that's all for the 2008-09 college basketball season. After five thrilling months of action, we head into the offseason with the same team finishing the season the way it started the year -- as the top team in our power rankings. With its title romp over Michigan State at Ford Field, North Carolina justified its No. 1 preseason ranking by becoming the country's newest national champion. So before we start thinking about next season, here's how the final 08-09 rankings shake out...

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CBK Power Rankings Week Of 04/13/2009
Rk	Team	Last Wk	Rise/Fall	High/Low	Comment
1	North Carolina	2	(+1)	1/6	With their second national championship in the last five years, the Tar Heels lived up to all the hefty expectations that were placed upon them prior to the season. And after waiting four years for his dream to come true, four-time All-American Tyler Hansbrough can finally leave Chapel Hill with his legacy officially complete. Team: Home | Stats
2	Michigan State	8	(+6)	2/19	Not many expected to see Tom Izzo's club in the national championship game after taking down two Big East No. 1 seeds in the Midwest Regional final and national semifinals. The Spartans, though, surprised plenty of people with their NCAA tournament run and gave the state of Michigan a sense of hope by reaching the Final Four in Detroit. Team: Home | Stats
3	Connecticut	4	(+1)	1/9	With the best shot-blocker in the country, a starting five as talented as any other team's and a bench as deep as North Carolina's, UConn could very well have won this year's national championship if Jerome Dyson hadn't suffered a season-ending knee injury in February and the Huskies played up to their potential against Michigan State in the Final Four. Team: Home | Stats
4	Villanova	9	(+5)	4/23	Jay Wright didn't have the most athletic players in the Big East, but he may have got more out of them than any other coach. With their thrilling Elite Eight win over Big East rival Pittsburgh, the Wildcats earned their first Final Four appearance since Villanova and Rollie Massimino stunned heavily-favored Georgetown and Patrick Ewing in the 1985 national title game. Team: Home | Stats
5	Pittsburgh	3	(-2)	1/7	Pitt managed to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in 35 years thanks to some late-game heroics from senior point guard Levance Fields, but its Final Four hopes were dashed when Villanova's own floor leader, Scottie Reynolds, went the length of the court in under five seconds and stunned the Panthers with a last-second floater in the lane. Team: Home | Stats
6	Louisville	1	(-5)	1/23	The Cardinals, who were named the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday, were capable of cutting down the nets after winning both the Big East regular-season and tournament titles. But Terrence Williams and Samardo Samuels forgot to show up against Michigan State, ending Lousville's season once again in the Elite Eight. Team: Home | Stats
7	Missouri	10	(+3)	/15	After winning the Big 12 tournament and then upsetting No. 2 seed Memphis in the third round of the NCAA tournament to reach the Elite Eight, the Tigers proved to be one of the most under-appreciated teams in the country this season thanks to a dynamic scoring duo featuring senior forwards Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll. Team: Home | Stats
8	Oklahoma	7	(-1)	3/11	Behind the offensive and defensive prowess of Big 12 Player of the Year Blake Griffin, the Sooners returned to the Elite Eight for the first time in six years. Jeff Capel's team, however, proved to be no match for a North Carolina team that was determined to reach the Final Four and cut down the nets in Detroit. Team: Home | Stats
9	Memphis	5	(-4)	/23	After coming so close to winning a national title the year before, the Tigers were a trendy pick to reach the Final Four for a second straight year. But without offensive playmakers like Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts, John Calipari's team got beat at its own game, falling to Sweet 16 opponent Missouri in what turned out to be a track meet in the desert. Team: Home | Stats
10	Kansas	14	(+4)	/25	Bill Self has to be commended for the job he did this season after losing five players to the NBA from last year's national championship team. But while the Jayhawks won a second straight Big 12 regular-season crown, they couldn't stop Kalin Lucas in the closing moments of their Sweet 16 game against Michigan State, losing out on a chance to repeat as champs. Team: Home | Stats
11	Xavier	18	(+7)	/22	The Musketeers didn't make it back to the Elite Eight like they did in 2008, but they did manage to reach the Sweet 16 and almost upset No. 1 seed Pittsburgh. Now the future for Xavier remains uncertain with head coach Sean Miller taking the Arizona job and leaving behind a program that had established itself as another mid-major power out of the Atlantic 10. Team: Home | Stats
12	Gonzaga	13	(+1)	/23	The 'Zags were a top-five team to start the season, but Mark Few's players didn't live up to the preseason hype down the stretch. Despite winning an eighth consecutive West Coast Conference regular-season championship, Gonzaga got outmuscled and outplayed in its Sweet 16 matchup against eventual national champion North Carolina. Team: Home | Stats
13	Syracuse	11	(-2)	/25	Coming off a spectacular run in the Big East tournament that included a six-overtime win over Connecticut, Jim Boeheim and his Orangemen were looking like a potential Elite Eight team out of the South Regional. The prospect of reaching that far in March, however, was squashed by Oklahoma's Blake Griffin and Tony Crocker when the two teams met in the Sweet 16. Team: Home | Stats
14	Duke	6	(-8)	1/14	The Blue Devils looked strong coming into the NCAA tournament after winning the ACC tournament title and finishing tied for second in the conference's regular-season standings. Yet when it came time to step their game up, Mike Krzyzewski's players disappeared, allowing Villanova to run right past them in the second half of their Sweet 16 game in Boston. Team: Home | Stats
15	Purdue	16	(+1)	9/25	Although Matt Painter's team had to deal with injuries for much of the regular season, the Boilermakers finished the year strong, winning its conference tournament and then edging Pac-10 regular-season champ Washington in the second round of the NCAA tournament. And with a healthy Robbie Hummel coming back next year, Purdue should battle with Michigan State for the Big Ten title in 2010. Team: Home | Stats
16	Arizona	-	-	/16	Many didn't think Arizona even belonged in the NCAA tournament, but interim head coach Russ Pennell got the most out of his team when it counted most. The Wildcats, which were handed a No. 12 seed on Selection Sunday, pulled off an upset of fifth-seeded Utah in the first round and then got a favorable draw against No. 13-seeded Cleveland State to advance to the Sweet 16 as the Pac-10's lone representative. Team: Home | Stats
17	Western Kentucky	-	-	/17	In just two years' time, the Hilltoppers have put together three NCAA tournament wins. That's quite an accomplishment for a team out of the Sun Belt Conference -- a league which gets little recognition during the regular season -- and Western Kentucky would have earned a second straight trip to the Sweet 16 if Gonzaga's Demetri Goodson didn't bank in a last-second shot in the two teams' second-round game. Team: Home | Stats
18	Washington	15	(-3)	/25	With a talented backcourt and a solid big man in Jon Brockman, the Huskies exceeded expectations by winning the Pac-10 regular-season championship. But Lorenzo Romar's squad came up short in its second-round matchup against Big Ten foe Purdue, largely because senior point guard Justin Dentmon struggled from the floor and finished with only five points and three assists. Team: Home | Stats
19	Marquette	24	(+5)	/25	The Golden Eagles looked to be one of the season's biggest surprises after starting Big East play at 9-0. But Buzz Williams' team took a major step back when senior point guard Dominic James broke a bone in his foot, leaving Marquette without a ball handler for the final two weeks of the regular season before losing to Missouri in a tight second-round contest in Boise. Team: Home | Stats
20	Arizona State	23	(+3)	10/23	Herb Sendek didn't have to worry about getting snubbed by the NCAA tournament committee this time around, but backcourt star James Harden forgot to show up when the Sun Devils got to the Big Dance. The 6-foot-4 first-team All-American scored just nine points in Arizona State's first-round win over Temple, and in the next round against Syracuse, Harden managed to score only 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting. Team: Home | Stats
21	LSU	19	(-2)	/24	At this time last year, LSU looked to be in a total rebuilding stage. But it took only one season for Trent Johnson to turn around the Tigers, as the former Stanford coach guided LSU to a SEC regular-season championship and into the second round of the NCAA tournament with a quality win over No. 9 seed Butler. Team: Home | Stats
22	Texas	-	-	/23	With as much talent returning to Austin as they had, the Longhorns should have contended with Kansas for the Big 12 regular-season title. But even with a close loss to No. 2 seed Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Rick Barnes' team never played up to the potential that it was capable of after reaching the Elite Eight the year before. Team: Home | Stats
23	UCLA	21	(-2)	4/24	After reaching the Final Four the past three seasons, the Bruins had plenty of pressure on them to make it back for a fourth straight year. But relying on a new class of freshmen and only three seniors, UCLA showed in the NCAA tournament that it didn't have the experience, athleticism or talent to compete with teams like Villanova out of the Big East. Team: Home | Stats
24	Siena	-	-	/24	In two years, the Saints have pulled off two stunning upsets in the first round of the NCAA tournament -- not bad for a team playing in the America East Conference during the regular season. This time, it was Ohio State who fell victim to Siena, which hung on for a double-overtime win before coming up short against top-seeded Louisville in the following round. Team: Home | Stats
25	Wisconsin	-	-	/25	It's been said plenty of times before, but Bo Ryan gets the most out of very little. Wisconsin finished the regular season at 19-12 and was the last team to get selected into the NCAA tournament, but the Badgers didn't let that faze them when it came time to play, upsetting fifth-seeded Florida State on a last-second shot and making it past the first round for a fourth straight year. Team: Home | Stats