Under the current rules, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James would have played at least one season of college basketball before they joined the NBA.

Those two went straight to the pros. Potential had to be evaluated at the high school level.

But when the NBA changed the rules to require at least a year before entry into the NBA, the college game changed.

Suddenly, there were a rash of “one-and-done” players, guys who came into college as highly-recruited prospects and the intention of staying only one year.

Read all about how draft rules changed the game!

For the forth year in a row Harris Interactive released their poll of the top 10 most popular college basketball programs in the country.

Can you guess which team was number one out of the following?

Illinois, UCLA, Florida, Ohio State, Texas, UNC, Kentucky, Duke, Boston College and Connecticut.

Hints:

• The team has been number one on the Harris poll for four straight years.

• The team is in this year’s Sweet 16 but you won’t find them in any of these 8 amazing photos from last night’s games.

• The team is currently first in voting for our poll of Sexiest Cheerleaders of the 2009 Sweet 16.

Take a guess and check out the Top 10 Most Popular College Basketball Teams.

Just a short time ago, 64 teams entered into the March Madness tournament filled with hopes of NCAA basketball glory. But after a lot of sweat, tears and bracket-killing upsets, we’re down to the lucky bastards of the Sweet 16. And we could think of no better way to celebrate this than, you guessed it, cheerleaders! (What else?) Regardless of whether you’re team made the cut, Cheerleaders of the Sweet 16 will get you back in the game.

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Each spring, the NCAA holds its 65-team tournament to determine the nation’s top college basketball program. What began with little fanfare 70 years ago has since evolved into March Madness, one of the most anticipated annual events on the sporting calendar.

More than fun, it’s big business. Office pools and other tournament wagers total some $2.5 billion each year according to Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates, while the lure of buzzer-beating shots and unlikely upsets attract a TV and Internet audience to CBS (nyse: CBS – news – people ) of 140 million over the course of the tournament.

Check out the whole story, here!

There’s a fine line between building a championship team through hard work and building it by handing the keys for an SUV to a nineteen-year-old. These are the teams that have crossed that line.

1. UCLA, 1964-75: Wooden’s Little Helper

“If the UCLA teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s were subjected to the kind of scrutiny Jerry Tarkanian and his players have been, UCLA would probably have to forfeit about eight national titles and be on probation for the next 100 years.” Who would so slander UCLA, particularly during the era of saintly coach John Wooden? Their own legendary center, Bill Walton…

Check out the full list at Esquire.com, here!

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To celebrate us college dropouts I thought I would compile a list some of the top entrepreneurs who dropped out of college and then went on to make it big in the business world! [Retire At 21]

Student In Bogus Oil, Gas Bids Faces Prosecution

The last question on the final exam in economics was timely for Tim DeChristopher. It focused on a federal auction of oil and gas leases later that same December morning in downtown Salt Lake City. DeChristopher was planning to join protesters at the auction as soon as he finished the University of Utah exam.  [NPR]

Elbows And Weed: Disturbing Trends In College Basketball

Of course, the downside of watching young hoopsters mature is that they sometimes make mistakes and those mistakes can be mind-numbingly stupid mistakes. During the second half of this season, these mistakes seem to have fallen within two categories – smoking weed (off-court) and throwing elbows (on-court). First, let’s examine the recent off-court incidents. [Examiner]

In college basketball, when the home team wins a big game, possibly even an upset, the student section storms the court in celebration. It’s one of those unique college basketball traditions that bring the fans and players together in a moment of spontaneous jubilation. The students love it. The TV cameras love it. The winning players love it. It seems like everyone loves storming the court — except me. I don’t want to be a scrooge, but it’s time to put an end to one of the most sacred myths in college basketball. [Sports Illustrated]

12 College Classes We Wish Our Schools Had Offered

I once took a course called “Research Methods and Theory.” It was as exciting as it sounds. I would much rather have been taking one of these 12 classes. From pop culture to maple syrup, these aren’t your average lectures. [Mental Floss]

Data Show College Endowments Loss Is Worst Drop Since ’70s

The value of university endowments fell about 23 percent on average in the five months ended Nov. 30, according to two newly released reports. The steep declines are forcing colleges and universities across the country to contemplate wage freezes, layoffs and a halt to construction projects. The drop found by the reports is the biggest in the value of college and university endowments since the mid-1970s, said John S. Griswold Jr., executive director of the Commonfund Institute, which manages money for educational institutions and other nonprofits. [NY Times]

College Basketball 3-Point Line Pushed Back

The three-point line is being moved back one foot—to 20′9″—which will spread defenses, clog the middle, turn mediocre shooters into bad ones, turn decent shooters into legends, kill the mid-majors, keep underdogs in games, eliminate furious comebacks, and make the 6′10″ forward who likes to step out and take the long J obsolete. Or make him the most valuable player on the floor. You never really know with these things. [Dead Spin]

Larry Johnson Alleged Victim a Former “Women of KU” Calendar Girl?

If commenters on the Kansas City Star website are correct – and two bloggers seem to think so – then the latest alleged victim of Larry Johnson’s aggressive off-the-field issues, Ashley Stewart, was once in the “Women of KU” swimsuit calendar.

If you ask us, she kind of looks like a cross between Mya and Vanessa Minnillo.

In case you needed a refresher on LJ’s alleged courting of Stewart. [The Big Lead]

Binghamton University B-ball Player Busted Stealing 36 Condoms From Wal-Mart

What is up with athletes trying to rip off condoms?

C’mon brah, you can’t possibly be stupid enough to go five-finger discount on 36 condoms at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. That is exactly what authorities are claiming. [Busted Coverage]

Instant Impact Freshman of ‘09 College Basketball

It’s never too late to talk college basketball – Midnight Madness was last week after all.

Sport’s Illustrated: On Campus has analyzed all the high school prospects across the country to produce a list of the instant impact freshman that will dominate the 2009 college basketball season. [SI: On Campus]

“Monster Man” John Moffitt Scares Women

As if things couldn’t have gotten any worse after our fourth-straight loss at the hands of Iowa on Saturday … when we got back to Camp Randall that evening, I once again scared the living daylights out of a poor young woman just trying to get out of the McClain Center.

As most of you know by now, I’m a rather large guy and have a lot of intimidating facial hair. Even though both of these characteristics help me on the football field, they can be a hindrance in my daily life. [UW Badgers]

Suspended Frat Pokes Fun At Their Situation

Eight months after the university suspended Alpha Tau Omega for hazing pledges, former ATO members rolled through Saturday’s homecoming parade in a chicken float. A sign,  “Hungry like the pledge,” hung across the truck’s side and a man in a chicken suit ran around the float.

The University of Nevada, Reno no longer recognizes ATO as an official organization after it found them guilty of feeding pledges raw chicken and branding recruits on the buttocks with dry ice. The suspended fraternity is eligible to reapply for status in fall 2010. [Nevada Sagebrush]