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The strain on Kobe to carry a team that was supposed to lean more on Ron Artest and Lamar Odom has been evident down the stretch. The health concerns of Andrew Bynum will likely increase the burden on Bryant. For the Thunder to have a shot, they will need to have Russell Westbrook step up as it is likely that Kevin Durant will be slowed from the attention showered on him by the Lakers D.

Mack Brown has 14 starters returning. The Longhorns are long on defense with 48 sacks to lead the nation last year, but they also lost end Brian Orakpo who won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the country’s top collegiate defender. Veteran Sergio Kindle and newcomer on the end position, Alex Okafor, could cause a lot of disruptions to opposing offenses this year. No doubt their game against rival Oklahoma will have national title implications.