68 things to watch this season

— -- Since Connecticut cut down the nets outside of Dallas in April, we've waited patiently to begin again. As the 2014-15 college basketball season tips off and teams set their eyes on being one of the 68 teams in the NCAA tournament, here are 68 facts to get you ready:

Back to the future

• Auburn's Bruce Pearl and Houston's Kelvin Sampson both returned to college basketball after NCAA show-cause penalties led to their departure. Pearl was out for three years and Sampson was an assistant coach in the NBA for six.

• Trey Lyles is the first player named Mr. Basketball in Indiana to play for Kentucky since Roger Harden did in 1982.

• UCLA freshman center Thomas Welsh is the Bruins' first 7-footer since Ryan Hollins played the 2005-06 season.

• UTEP will observe its first 100 years of hoops by naming the program's Centennial team: Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Jim Barnes, Randy Culpepper, Antonio Davis, Tim Hardaway, Bobby Joe Hill, Jeep Jackson, Stefon Jackson, David Lattin and Nolan Richardson.