As we get ready to start another college basketball season, we decided to take a look back first, because nostalgia plays around here. And for good reason.

So we tasked our staff to put together the best starting lineups and a sixth man, starting from the 1992-93 season, for each of Indiana's 10 Division I men's basketball programs.

Naturally, there will be much debate.

► 25-YEAR ANNIVERSARY TEAMS:

INDIANA • PURDUE • BUTLER • NOTRE DAME • INDIANA STATE • VALPARAISO • IUPUI • EVANSVILLE • BALL STATE • FORT WAYNE

Matt Howard (2007-11)

The Connersville native is known as much for his unrelenting hustle as for his considerable production (1,939 points, fourth in school history). He played in a school-record 15 NCAA tournament games and for two national runners-up. As a sophomore, he was named Horizon League Player of the Year.

Gordon Hayward (2008-10)

His half-court heave nearly beat Duke for the 2010 NCAA championship, but his legacy extends beyond that. The Brownsburg native was most outstanding player of the West Regional and league player of the year, becoming the first Bulldog in the NBA since 1953. “He’s as good a player as this league has ever seen, or ever will see,” former Green Bay coach Tod Kowalczyk once said.

Rylan Hainje (1998-2002)

The Cathedral grad embodied the toughness that came to characterize Butler basketball. He and current coach LaVall Jordan were on the 2001 team earning the Bulldogs’ first NCAA tourney win in 39 years, and Hainje was league player of the year on the snubbed 26-6 team of 2002. “When you talk about the Mount Rushmore of Butler basketball, he’s a guy I’d put on there with Gordon Hayward and Matt Howard,” the late Joel Cornette once said.

Shelvin Mack (2008-11)

The Lexington, Ky., native followed Hayward into the NBA after leading the Bulldogs into another national championship game. His 43 career 3-pointers in NCAA tournament play (13 games) rank second in history. He averaged 20.3 ppg in the 2011 tournament, scoring 30 against Pittsburgh and 27 against Florida.

Mike Green (2006-08)

A transfer from Towson helped Bulldogs go 29-7 and 30-4, transforming the program after a three-year absence from NCAA tournament. The Philadelphia point guard was 2008 league player of the year and one of eight players in the nation to lead his team in points (14.6), rebounds (6.5) and assists (5.0). Winner of Chip Hilton Award and MVP of Great Alaska Shootout and league tourney.

Sixth man: A.J. Graves (2004-08)

The third of three Switz City brothers to play for Bulldogs and No. 5 scorer in school history (1,807 points). Clutch play characterized his junior season — one night after becoming MVP of the NIT Season Tipoff, he scored 22 of his 26 points after halftime in an 83-80 overtime home win over Kent State. He made 63 successive free throws, fourth-longest streak in NCAA history, and his .948 percentage in 2007 is 10th-best ever.

Also considered: Roosevelt Jones, Kelan Martin, Andrew Chrabascz, Kellen Dunham, Andrew Smith, Joel Cornette, Pete Campbell.

Analysis of lineup

It is no coincidence that three of these six were teammates on the 33-5 team reaching the NCAA title game at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2010. This would be a particularly hard group to defend because everyone is proficient from the 3-point line, including Green, who shot 37 percent from the arc as a senior. Howard actually made more 3s in his senior season (53) than Hayward did in his last year (47). Tough call to start Green over Graves, although the latter would be an energy source off the bench.

Close calls

All but Hainje are automatic selections. He beat out Roosevelt Jones, Andrew Chrabascz, Kelan Martin and two league players of the year, Brandon Polk and Jon Neuhouser. Hainje is a foundational figure, and he is a more prototypical forward than Jones, who also played guard, and Polk, a center. If this were a real team, the bench would benefit from forward Pete Campbell, who shot a record .584 on 3s in 2007 league games and was No. 7 nationally in offensive rating in 2008. Cornette and Andrew Smith were solid centers but cannot override Howard. Other guards considered were Thomas Jackson, Rotnei Clarke and Kellen Dunham — first-team selections in three separate leagues.

Call IndyStar reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.