These programs play in major conferences. They have the talent to win immediately but require strategic coaching to beat the elite tier. SEC & Big Ten
(high prestige, deep recruiting budgets):
The CAA in 2007–08 was a rising mid-major with George Mason still basking in its 2006 Final Four glow. Full list:
The true soul of College Hoops 2K8 lies in its mid-major and low-major conferences. These teams are perfect for the popular "Open Legacy" mode, where you must start your coaching career at a small school and earn job offers from bigger programs. Notable Mid-Major Conferences Xavier, Dayton, Saint Joseph's, UMass.
: Elite physical toughness, rebounding, and interior defense. ACC & Big East college hoops 2k8 teams list
Here is the complete list of 349 teams featured in College Hoops 2K8:
Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Loyola Maryland, Manhattan, Marist, Niagara, Rider, Saint Peter's, Siena.
One exception: The did not exist yet (it formed in 2008), so those schools were either independents or in other conferences.
For true Legacy Mode enthusiasts, the real magic of College Hoops 2K8 lies in the mid-major and low-major conferences. Starting an "Open Legacy" often forces you to take a job at one of these smaller schools, battling low budgets and poor school prestige to build a Cinderella program. America East Conference Binghamton Boston University New Hampshire Stony Brook Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) George Washington Massachusetts (UMass) Rhode Island Saint Joseph's Saint Louis St. Bonaventure Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun) East Tennessee State (ETSU) Gardner-Webb Jacksonville Kennesaw State North Florida Big Sky Conference Eastern Washington Idaho State Montana State Northern Arizona Northern Colorado Portland State Sacramento State Weber State Big South Conference Charleston Southern Coastal Carolina High Point UNC Asheville VMI (Virginia Military Institute) Big West Conference Cal State Fullerton Cal State Northridge Long Beach State UC Riverside UC Santa Barbara Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) George Mason Georgia Georgia State James Madison (JMU) Northeastern Old Dominion (ODU) UNC Wilmington VCU (Virginia Commonwealth) William & Mary Conference USA (C-USA) East Carolina (ECU) Southern Miss Horizon League Cleveland State Detroit Mercy Loyola Chicago UIC (Illinois-Chicago) Valparaiso Wright State Youngstown State Ivy League Penn (Pennsylvania) Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Loyola Maryland Saint Peter's Mid-American Conference (MAC) Ball State Bowling Green Central Michigan Eastern Michigan Kent State Miami (OH) Northern Illinois Western Michigan Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Bethune-Cookman Coppin State Delaware State Florida A&M Morgan State Norfolk State North Carolina A&T South Carolina State Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Evansville Illinois State Indiana State Missouri State Northern Iowa (UNI) Southern Illinois Wichita State Mountain West Conference (MWC) Colorado State New Mexico SDSU (San Diego State) Northeast Conference (NEC) Central Connecticut State Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU) Long Island (LIU Brooklyn) Mount St. Mary's Quinnipiac Robert Morris Sacred Heart St. Francis (NY) St. Francis (PA) Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Austin Peay Eastern Illinois Eastern Kentucky Jacksonville State Murray State Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) Tennessee State Tennessee Tech Patriot League Holy Cross Southern Conference (SoCon) App State (Appalachian State) Chattanooga Georgia Southern Greensboro (UNC Greensboro) College of Charleston Western Carolina Southland Conference Central Arkansas McNeese State Nicholls State Northwestern State Sam Houston State Southeastern Louisiana Stephen F. Austin (SFA) Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Texas State UT Arlington Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Alabama A&M Alabama State Alcorn State Arkansas-Pine Bluff Grambling State Jackson State Mississippi Valley State Prairie View A&M Texas Southern Sun Belt Conference Arkansas State FAU (Florida Atlantic) FIU (Florida International) Little Rock (UALR) Louisiana-Lafayette Louisiana-Monroe (ULM) Middle Tennessee New Orleans North Texas South Alabama Western Kentucky (WKYU) Summit League Oral Roberts North Dakota State South Dakota State Southern Utah UMKC (Kansas City) Western Illinois West Coast Conference (WCC) Loyola Marymount (LMU) Pepperdine Saint Mary's San Francisco Santa Clara Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Boise State Fresno State New Mexico State Louisiana Tech San Jose State Utah State Independents Chicago State Presbetyrian Savannah State Texas-Pan American Special, Historical, and Unlockable Teams These programs play in major conferences
69 of these were player-for-player re-creations, such as Michael Jordan’s 1982 UNC squad and the high-octane 1990 Loyola Marymount Lions.
: Teams from conferences like the CAA (VCU, Old Dominion, George Mason), West Coast (Gonzaga, St. Mary's), and Atlantic Sun (Florida Gulf Coast).
The SoCon had a rich history and included both North and South divisions. All teams:
Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (NY), St. Francis (PA), Wagner. Full list: The true soul of College Hoops
For many basketball fans, College Hoops 2K8 represents the last truly great college basketball video game. The EA Sports NCAA Basketball series continued for a few more years (ending with NCAA Basketball 10), but 2K’s offering had deeper legacy features, more authentic presentation, and a more challenging gameplay engine. The sheer number of teams—341—means that even the smallest, most obscure schools are represented. You can take a team like the Maine Black Bears or the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders to a national championship.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest sports video games of all time, remains a staple for basketball enthusiasts nearly two decades after its release. A major reason for its longevity is the sheer volume of teams available, offering a level of depth that modern sports games rarely match.
The A-10 was a strong basketball conference with several perennial NCAA tournament contenders. The full list: