2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
School Former conference New conference
Bryant NCAA Division II Northeast Conference
Gardner-Webb Atlantic Sun Conference Big South Conference
Houston Baptist NAIA NCAA Division I Independent
North Dakota NCAA Division II NCAA Division I Independent
Samford Ohio Valley Conference Southern Conference
SIU Edwardsville NCAA Division II Ohio Valley Conference
South Dakota NCAA Division II NCAA Division I Independent
Conference membership changes
These schools joined new conferences for the 2008–09 season .
The 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 10, 2008, and ended with the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 6, 2009, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The season saw six different teams achieve the AP #1 ranking during the year (just one shy of the NCAA record). Oklahoma sophomore Blake Griffin was the dominant individual performer, sweeping National Player of the Year honors. The season began with North Carolina becoming the first unanimous preseason #1 team, and ended with the Tar Heels dominating the NCAA tournament en route to their fifth NCAA title. UNC won its six NCAA tournament games by double digits, and by an average of 19.8 points per game. Junior Wayne Ellington was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.