What to Look For in 2009
SI.com's experts forecast the biggest story lines of next year on the court, field and ice
College BasketballThe national player of the year race will come down to two big men: North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and Oklahoma's Blake Griffin.By Seth Davis
The NFLWith franchise quarterback Tom Brady back after his season-ending, left-knee injury, will the Patriots return to dominance in the AFC?By Don Banks
BaseballPitcher Matt Garza and the Rays are coming off a stunning turnaround. Now comes the hard part: playing with expectations.By Tom Verducci
The NHLDevils goalie Martin Brodeur will likely recover from biceps surgery before the playoffs. Will the 36-year-old All-Star be back to his old self?By Michael Farber
College FootballTexas quarterback Colt McCoy (who has completed 77.6% of his passes this season) will return to try to win the Heisman Trophy.By Stewart Mandel
The NBANext year's Hall of Fame induction class will be filled with headliners: Michael Jordan, David Robinson and John Stockton.By Steve Aschburner
NFL:One hit altered the course of a season. By Don Banks
College football: A game -- and play -- to remember. By Stewart Mandel
Baseball: A night of redemption at Yankee Stadium. By Tom Verducci
NBA:The Truth went down and then stepped up when it mattered most. By Steve Aschburner
College Basketball: Mario and the Miracles come through in the nick of time. By Seth Davis
NHL:A Swede becomes the first European to captain a Cup champion. By Michael Farber
Golf:Azinger leads the Americans back to glory. By Alan Shipnuck
MMA: A Slice of reality. By Josh Gross