ESPN Andy Katz Blog

EDITOR'S NOTE: On Sunday, Outside the Lines aired a segment on the Renardo Sidney situation. That can viewed by clicking here.

Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury is understandably worried this week about Renardo Sidney's capacity to handle the unknown.

Every day, Stansbury said, Sidney comes to practice and asks the same question: Any word? The answer has been no for quite some time. No word on his eligibility -- and even though it was changed recently to being "under review" -- there is no guarantee that a decision about his eligibility is forthcoming.

Earlier this year, the L.A. Times reported that there were questions about how the Sidneys, who moved from Jackson, Miss., to the Los Angeles area, could afford housing in the area for the two years they lived there. The story detailed the connections between sneaker sponsorship and Sidney's odyssey to Southern California.

Sidney's attorney, Montgomery, Ala.-based Don Jackson, said the lack of a decision is in essence a suspension. Mississippi State leaves later in the week for South Padre Island, Texas. Sidney won't be able to attend if he's not cleared to compete.

Sidney's attitude apparently fluctuates. He isn't in great shape yet, because it's hard for him to push himself to the maximum without knowing whether he'll play. The coaching staff has similar feelings since they can't count on using him at this juncture. Through a variety of sources, the school is under the impression that the NCAA hasn't found a violation yet to hang the case on. The school is hoping to hear more early this week, but with the Thanksgiving holiday, this could drag on into December.

Stansbury said it's hard to ignore the cloud that is over the program because no one has an answer. The Bulldogs have been dealing with other issues recently. Stansbury suspended forward Kodi Augustus for two games after Augustus publicly questioned Stansbury's playing-time decisions after the loss to Rider. The schedule also starts to get tougher when the Bulldogs play Richmond in South Padre on Friday.

Meanwhile, from a variety of sources with knowledge of the situation, if no decision occurs then Sidney is essentially ineligible. The NCAA knows that Mississippi State isn't going to run the risk of playing Sidney, even if Jackson were to get a court injunction. Why? Because if he's ultimately ruled ineligible, the Bulldogs would have to vacate games -- and it's not worth doing that.

Sources said that the NCAA legal counsel has been in the loop and it would defy logic from the NCAA's standpoint if the organization purposely used this as a stall tactic to help a legal case that could be forthcoming. If Sidney were to sue to force an injunction, then the NCAA could use that lawsuit as a way to use discovery to get some of the information that it still covets. The case has been completely tossed upside down with it moving from the enforcement wing to the eligibility center, which the head of that operation, Bill Saum, has been removed from his post. This has slowed the case down by forcing others to get involved who haven't worked on the case from the outset. The NCAA won't say anything about Saum's departure except that it was a personnel matter.

As for Jackson, he said he continues to provide information. This is the latest missive of what he has provided (in his own words):

1. NCAA Eligibility Center staffer Alex Hammond personally reviewed deposit records for every family bank account since the family's move to California. Notably, bank deposits matched information previously provided to the NCAA regarding payments from boarders, loans from family members, payments from Reebok and loan proceeds from a FDIC-regulated financial institution. NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER STAFF ARE NOW REQUESTING THAT THE SIDNEY FAMILY PROVIDE "RECORDS" TO ESTABLISH THE SOURCE OF EACH OF THESE DEPOSITS. I was advised by an attorney for the NCAA that the family should be able to get information from their bank establishing the source of every check that was deposited into their accounts. For example, if John Doe wrote Patricia Sidney a check in 2007, the NCAA Eligiblity Center staff is under the mistaken belief that the financial insitution should have records containing John Doe's name. This is an intentional effort to seek production of records that are non-existent and is nothing more than an effort to establish a foundational basis to deny his certification. Records of this nature do not exist.

2. Canceled checks for every Reebok payroll check and team sponsorship payment to Renardo Sr. were provided to the NCAA Eligiblity Center staff. These payments totalled in excess of $200K over a three year period. Sidney Sr. had specific duties under the terms of his agreements with Reebok.

3. Deposit records for the Dream Team Foundation and the predecessor foundation (that sponsored the summer league team) were provided to NCAA Eligibility Center Staff.

4. Records documenting team travel expenses, including airline purchases, were provided to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

5. IRS and State of California filings for Dream Team Foundation and predecessor non-profit corporation.

6. Sponsorship and supply agreement between Reebok and the Dream Team Foundation. The Dream Team summer league team was coached by Renardo Sr.

7. Bank records outlining ALL payments for travel expenses for the Dream Team Foundation were provided to the NCAA. This included numerous airline tickets, hotel and restaurant payments for members of the Dream Team. This also included identical information for the predecessor non-profit corporation.

8. Notwithstanding the fact that cellular telephone records were previously produced to NCAA staff, a demand was made that the Sidney family execute a records release allowing the NCAA to access additional cellular telephone records for the Sidney family. This request was made to seek access to EVERY cellular telephone call that was made by the family over a period of several years.

9. Payment history documenting each payment made to Renardo, Sr. under his consultant agreement and the sponsorship and supply agreeement.

10. Checkbook register carbon copies and canceled checks from "boarders who resided in the Sidney home and contributed to monthly rental payments."

Demands have been made that the family provide tax records for Sidney's maternal grandmother, maternal grandfather and maternal step-grandfather. The maternal grandfather is a retired automotive industry employee who made in the mid-six-figure income range. The maternal step-grandfather is a deputy sheriff and retired military serviceman.

Jackson said that the NCAA has put the burden of proof on the Sidney family without giving them a violation to defend. Why does he say that? Because he's convinced there are no violations. It will be interesting to see if the NCAA puts forth a violation or simply doesn't make a decision based on the circumstantial evidence.

The Bulldogs aren't worried about Sidney leaving at the end of the semester to go overseas since he's not that marketable at this juncture without any game competition.

• Kentucky coach John Calipari spent Sunday afternoon in Cancun, Mexico, thinking of ways to tinker with his lineup. The Wildcats have displayed shaky defense in two of their four games. Miami (Ohio) and Sam Houston State combined for 162 points and 33 3-pointers.

"It's the biggest team I've coached, including the New Jersey Nets," Calipari said by phone from Cancun, referring to his Wildcats. "We finally played some defense against Rider, shutting someone down. That's a very good Rider team [that beat Mississippi State]."

Calipari said the recent play of freshman forward Daniel Orton may mean more minutes for him in the lineup. Orton played only 10 minutes against Sam Houston and didn't score. But he played 23 against Rider and he put up 14 points and grabbed six boards.

"I may have to play Orton and DeMarcus Cousins together because Orton is playing so well," Calipari said. "I'm going to have to steal some minutes from somewhere."

The dilemma for Calipari is that he has to keep Patrick Patterson on the floor, so if he also has Cousins and Orton, that's quite a big lineup. Patterson can hit the face-up jumper or 3-pointer, which could mean he would be the more likely of the three players to be off the block.

Meanwhile, Calipari also may need to tweak his backcourt. Freshman John Wall isn't an issue with his 20.3 points and 7.3 assists (and 4.3 turnovers) average in three games. But suddenly fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe has to play sound fundamentally. Bledsoe has a team-high 22 turnovers (and 14 assists) in four games.

"They've been sloppy turnovers," Calipari said. "I told him he's got to raise the bar."

Calipari said he wants him to be aggressive, but without turning the ball over so much.

Kentucky plays Cleveland State in Cancun on Tuesday and then either Virginia or Stanford on Wednesday.

• I completely understand the new format of these tournaments that start on campus and then head to a neutral site. The Gazelle Group has it right by locking in the finalists, regardless of what happens on campus. It's somewhat of a bowl-like scenario for the organizer. The CBE Classic pits Texas and Iowa and Pitt versus Wichita State. Iowa lost to Duquesne and Texas-San Antonio. I'm not sure Iowa will bring a ton of fans to Kansas City, Mo., but it will be more than either of those two teams.

Locking in Syracuse, Cal, North Carolina and Ohio State avoided any kind of Gardner-Webb situation like the event had a few years ago with Kentucky. The NIT Season Tip-Off, run by the NCAA, would've been burned had Hofstra upset Connecticut. If that had happened, the coveted UConn-Duke final and a likely huge fan turnout at Madison Square Garden would not have occurred.

With that said, Gazelle misfired on the Legends Classic matchups. In order to ensure Michigan State played Florida, the game was set up as a semifinal Friday in Atlantic City, N.J. The other matchup is between Massachusetts and Rutgers, two teams that are struggling right now, losing home games to Cornell and Vermont, respectively. That's great to get MSU-Florida. But don't call this a tournament with a championship trophy. Whoever wins the MSU-Florida game should be handed the trophy, not who then goes on to beat UMass or Rutgers. There is no way either of those teams should be playing in a title game. In this instance, it's simply a round-robin tournament that shouldn't have a true champion.

Devin Ebanks' unexplained leave of absence for personal reasons is serious enough that West Virginia coach Bob Huggins won't even drop a hint at what his star sophomore player is going through, when he'll return or what the long-term effects are on the team.

Huggins has to be trusted on this one. He sounds genuine that the issue with Ebanks isn't for public consumption. Not everything is when it comes to deeply personal issues. And if his absence falls under that category, then he must be left alone.

Huggins said Friday afternoon he had no idea when Ebanks would be back. He wouldn't commit to Tuesday's game against The Citadel in Charleston, W.Va. He wouldn't say whether Ebanks would be with the Mountaineers in Anaheim, Calif., next week for the 76 Classic. He wouldn't confirm or deny that Ebanks was in Morgantown or back home in Long Island, N.Y.

The 6-9 Ebanks was one of the two main reasons for West Virginia being picked in the top two in the Big East. (The other was senior forward Da'Sean Butler.) Ebanks is coveted by NBA personnel as a possible first-round pick and would have had plenty of interest had he declared in June.

The Mountaineers have played only one game, a 23-point win over Loyola (Md). Butler scored 26 points, making 11 of 17 shots. Forward Kevin Jones scored 14. Huggins said forward Wellington Smith will certainly help as well. So, too, would John Flowers, who has been hampered by an ankle injury.

Point guard Darryl Bryant scored 15 in the first win and dished out five assists. But it's not the same team without Ebanks, not even close.

Apparently, this will be the norm for the Mountaineers this season. Joe Mazzulla has had to deal with rehab from his shoulder injury. Turkish center Deniz Kilicli was suspended for the first 20 games of the season because of amateurism issues. He'll be eligible to play for the Mountaineers on Feb. 3 against Pitt. Kilicli can't redshirt because the suspension has to be served before he can play. So if he were to sit he would then have to sit 20 next season. So he'll play and Huggins said he'll help quite a bit for those final 10 regular season games and into the postseason.

But how far the Mountaineers go will ultimately depend on Ebanks' availability. He averaged 10.5 points and 7.8 rebounds a game as a freshman. The 6-9 forward would likely do even more if he were playing right now.

But again, why Ebanks is out has to be treated with respect at this juncture. Huggins seems sincere that this is no joke. If that's the case, then Ebanks deserves space to figure out whatever is going on with him. If he can clear up his issues and return, then and only then, will we see the ultimate potential of West Virginia in the Big East and in the NCAA tournament.

NEW YORK -- The Cal we saw Thursday night was not the Cal we picked to win the Pac-10. No way.

No Theo Robertson or Harper Kamp means no chance for California to win the Pac-10, at least until those players are back from a stress reaction (Robertson) and a knee injury (Kamp).

"Those two guys, along with [then-senior] Jordan Wilkes were key guys for us last season," Cal coach Mike Montgomery said. "All of a sudden we're picked with all the hype."

The Golden Bears were the best 3-point-shooting team in the nation last season and did return Robertson, along with senior guards Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher. Robertson was averaging 18 points in the first two games, but suddenly couldn't practice when the team got to New York because of his bum right foot. Kamp stayed back in Berkeley because he's not ready to consistently practice after offseason knee surgery.

"They're the glue," Montgomery said. "They're the best thinkers and the people that really know what's going on now."

Cal could never catch Syracuse on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, losing 95-73 in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

Randle said he assumed Robertson was going to play.

"Then I saw he wasn't going to suit up and saw him in a boot," Randle said. "We had to have a different mindset for the game."

Montgomery said the Bears will know about Robertson's situation when they return to Berkeley on Saturday after Friday's third-place game against Ohio State. He said Robertson was "really, really sore and there was no way we were going to risk it at this stage in the season." Montgomery said Robertson wore a boot to keep his foot from flexing and to isolate where the pain was on his foot.

As for Kamp, Montgomery noted that he'd been practicing well but can't string together a few in row without discomfort.

"He wants to get to the point where he can practice hard and play the next day," Montgomery said. "He doesn't want to play, sit out and then play again."

Against the Orange, Randle had to take on much more of the scoring load with 25 points on 17 shots. Christopher struggled against Syracuse's zone by going 6-of-20 from the field and 0-of-7 from the 3-point line. The Bears were forced to play some big men that haven't had as much time like 7-foot-4 Max Zhang and 6-9 freshman Bak Bak.

"We need Theo, we need Harper, but until we get them back we have to pick up the slack," Randle said. "Missing Theo or missing Harper, we still have to win."

Senior Jamal Boykin got more involved without Robertson and Kamp with 14 points on 12 shots. Foul issues (four) limited the effectiveness of starter Markhuri Sanders-Frison.

The good news for the Bears is that the rest of the Pac-10 is in a state of flux, too. Washington, the other preseason favorite, hasn't been challenged yet. But UCLA fell flat to Cal State-Fullerton, Oregon State dropped two of three at a tournament at Texas Tech, and it's hard to say how good Oregon or Arizona are just yet. The likelihood of Arizona State having staying power is probably unrealistic with such a young team.

"I don't know if Syracuse is a great gauge to say if we're any good," Montgomery said. "They're big and we're not. I knew the zone would be a problem, and they had a lot of run-outs on us."

• Ohio State junior guard Evan Turner started the season with a triple-double against Alcorn State with 17 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds. He got his second triple-double of the season Thursday night against North Carolina -- although this one wasn't nearly as nice: 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 turnovers.

"It was a rough night, obviously," Turner said after the 77-73 loss to the Tar Heels. "I just have to come out [Friday]. The game is over and I just have to make sure it never happens again. Sometimes I might have thought about the situation too much, whether I should shoot or pass, so I traveled here and there."

• The tournaments on the ESPN family of networks get plenty of pub. But there is one tourney not on ESPN's air that is flying too far under the radar. The Paradise Jam begins Friday in the Virgin Islands and could provide a stellar final four of its own this weekend.

If the seeds hold, the semifinals in this event could feature four teams that are destined for the NCAA tournament.

Tennessee, which needs to beat East Carolina in the first game, would match up against Northern Iowa in one semifinal, assuming the Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite beats DePaul.

The Volunteers are coming off an otherworldly 124-49 win over UNC Asheville in which Scotty Hopson came out of his shell and scored 25 points.

The Panthers beat a solid Denver squad 71-65 in their opener with a balanced effort, led by Kwadzo Ahelegbe's 18 points and 13 from Adam Koch.

On the other side, assuming Purdue gets past South Dakota State (which upset Wyoming on the road last week), the Boilermakers could face Boston College. The Eagles have to fly past a Saint Joseph's team that opened up with wins over Drexel and Holy Cross. But BC gets suspended starters Rakim Sanders and Corey Raji back for the opener against the Hawks. Boston College found a new scorer in their absence, as senior Tyler Roche has gone for 30 and 19 in the two games. The Eagles already knew they had a stable set of guards in Reggie Jackson and Biko Paris.

Purdue will enter this tournament minus point guard Lewis Jackson, who is out indefinitely with a foot injury. Coach Matt Painter said he expects Kelsey Barlow to get more minutes in the rotation, even though Barlow doesn't play the same position. The Boilermakers will still lean on Keaton Grant at the point and have veteran leadership up front with Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore with D.J. Byrd (13 ppg) and Chris Kramer (11 ppg) more than holding their own.

So don't sleep on this weekend's Paradise Jam. A final four in St. Thomas of Tennessee-Northern Iowa and Purdue-BC would probably be one of the better semifinals of any of these early-season events.

You can't stress enough how much John Thompson III has changed the culture of scheduling at Georgetown.

The Hoyas' opener at Tulane, a decent Conference USA team, was better than scheduling some weak 250-plus power-rating puff. Taking on reshuffling Temple, which is always a drain, was next on the schedule. Georgetown won both of those games.

On Saturday, the Hoyas will face a road game at Savannah State. Then it's a supposedly easy stretch of games against Lafayette, Mount St. Mary's and American at home before the brutal part of the schedule hits with Butler in New York at the Jimmy V, Washington at the Wooden Classic in Anaheim and home against CAA favorite Old Dominion. "I put this schedule together because I wanted this team to be tested,'' said JT3. His Hoyas were hot early last year (defeated Maryland in Orlando, Memphis at home and won at Connecticut), but they flamed out in the Big East by finishing with a 7-11 record.

"I wanted to see who we were,'' JT3 said. "It's not the normal opening stretch. What we didn't do at Tulane is better ourselves. The game against Temple was ugly as both teams played good defense. We had to hold on to win. I wanted to see how this team would handle adversity, grow from these situations and how they'd deal with it. This schedule is by design to give us adversity since that's the way our league works.''

What we learned about Georgetown against Temple is that sophomore center Greg Monroe can take over the game when he needs to -- which may be every time out.

Monroe deposited the winning bucket on a drive to the hoop. On the ensuing Temple possession, he snuffed out Luis Guzman's attempt at winning the game with 1.3 seconds left.

Monroe finished with 11 points and nine boards in the 46-45 victory over the Owls. "That's what we can expect,'' JT3 said of Monroe being the guy for the Hoyas on both ends of the court.

The Hoyas had to play defense for 35 seconds and had to be disciplined and patient as points were at a premium.

But that was against Temple. Now, if for some reason the Hoyas can't score more than 50 points when they're not as handcuffed, then there is an issue. Butler could pose that threat, but Washington won't. So, we'll learn more about the Hoyas in the coming weeks. That's something that might not be the case with other contenders in high-major leagues if they're not testing themselves like Georgetown is doing the first month.

• Gonzaga lost five games prior to the NCAA tournament last season. If Robert Sacre was healthy, the Zags may have lost only three.

That's Mark Few's opinion. The Gonzaga coach said Sacre's impact on last season's team, as a complimentary player to Josh Heytvelt, was understated. "People have selective memories,'' Few said Wednesday, following the Zags' near miss at Michigan State the previous night. "We rolled through Orlando last year with him when he was healthy. I really think there were a few games we wouldn't have lost with him last year. We had the counter punch to Heytvelt with him.''

Heytvelt is gone, but Sacre has returned and has more than held his own as the next Zag big man who can handle any assignment. Sacre scored 17 points, made 7 of 12 shots,and grabbed four boards in competing against the rotation of bigs for the Spartans. "He's always been a physical entity who has worked really hard,'' Few said. "The post moves come natural to him. He's a physical entity who we didn't have last year.''

Sacre is a third-year sophomore. German national Elias Harris is a 20-year old freshman. The two "experienced" and new fulltime players in the rotation are making this team seem less green next to senior guard Matt Bouldin. Harris was smooth in scoring 17 points, grabbing nine boards and making 6 of 16 shots against Michigan State. "He's as good as we have had,'' Few said of Harris. "He's a good, tough, hard-nosed competitive dude.''

This Gonzaga team isn't in the Top 25 and is not nearly as hyped as previous teams.

Yet, this one looked like it played harder and smarter than previous ones. I was down in Orlando last year, and that Zag team was more physical than Tennessee (which wasn't as great a claim to fame since last season's Vols team faded).

But the Zags' physicality at the Breslin Center was at another pitch. We'll see if they can sustain that next week in Maui, where they will be, along with Maryland and Vanderbilt, one of the favorites to win the Maui Invitational championship (I wouldn't count out Arizona or Cincinnati, either).

• After watching Butler's 67-54 win at depleted Northwestern, it's hard not seeing the Bulldogs as a legit Final Four contender. They don't get rattled, have veteran leadership and simply make shots. For the Wildcats, scoring is going to be a strain at times without Kevin Coble (out for the year with a foot injury).

• Yet another reason why I don't buy that NC State coach Sidney Lowe is in trouble: His recruiting class is No. 12.

• It's impressive that Cornell won at UMass with Ryan Wittman going 1-for-8 from the floor. The Big Red got a big night from Louis Dale (24 points) in the 74-61 win. Cornell has now won at Alabama and at UMass.

• Memphis coach Josh Pastner couldn't have been happier on Wednesday after his team's near miss against Kansas on Tuesday. Pastner said Elliot Williams has been a solid leader. That was clear in his performance against the Jayhawks. He led the Tigers by making -- and taking -- the big shots. Pastner said Williams' game-winning attempt was a great look. But the coach couldn't get over how much of a load Cole Aldrich was in the middle. If the Tigers are to be successful this season, they must use their speed and quickness to survive because they are depleted up front. It worked for all but one shot on Tuesday night.

• Rough start for Holy Cross' Sean Kearney. The Crusaders' two losses are against Harvard and Saint Joseph's, two teams that might be better than advertised.

• Some new stars emerged Tuesday:

• Michigan State's Durrell Summers: 21 points and 11 boards in win over Gonzaga.

• Elliot Williams as a dominant player, now with the Tigers instead of Blue Devils (21 points against Kansas).

• Louisville guard, and former Mississippi State transfer, Reginald Delk (20 points vs. Arkansas).

• Freshman Brandon Paul continues to lead Illinois (20 points vs. Northern Illinois).

• Boston College's Tyler Roche, who scored 30 in one game and 19 in the next, as the Eagles played the first two without three suspended players.

• Pitt's Ashton Gibbs (22 points vs. Binghamton), who led the Jamie Dixon-coached Under 19 team to Olympic gold in New Zealand.

• Iowa State's Lucca Staiger goes for 32 (including 10 3s) in a win over Drake. If Staiger is a scorer, then the Cyclones have three legit options on offense (including Craig Brackins and Marquis Gilstrap.

• Arizona State's Eric Boateng (21 points and 12 boards in a win over TCU).

• Xavier's Jordan Crawford, the former Indiana guard, scored 24 in a blowout win over Bowling Green.

• New Mexico's Phillip McDonald scored 27 in the win at New Mexico State.

• Iowa lost at home to Duquesne to fall to 0-2 in the CBE Classic (the Hawkeyes also lost to UT-San Antonio). It doesn't matter. Iowa is going to Kansas City next week to play Texas, while Wichita State plays Pitt in the semifinals.

Editor's note: Andy Katz doesn't sleep. And neither should you. In an attempt to keep college basketball's most dedicated reporter awake and active during our 24-hour Tip-Off Marathon, he (and some of his colleagues) will provide periodic updates from some of the action that you might have missed. All times are ET.

Updated: 1:12 a.m.

By Doug Gottlieb

Here are some final thoughts at the end of this wild marathon:

• Is it me, or is the whole setup at the Hall of Fame Classic strange? First, the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame is in Kansas City, Mo., not St. Louis. Anyone care to answer why the tournament was in the Lou? Secondly, how many sponsorships can be placed on one basketball floor? Reese's owned the paint, PNY had the coaching box, Bud Light, Spider Tech and O'Reilly Auto Parts all over the floor … wow.

• I am not sure what, if anything, Memphis was running on offense, but the Tigers spread you out, use their speed and quickness, and attack you. I also think Memphis is in great shape, whereas KU's point guard cramped up early and often by the second half.

• I was really impressed with the last offensive possession by Georgetown's Greg Monroe. He got outplayed by Lavoy Allen of Temple. Monroe could not even get a clear post-up position against the Temple guards on a switch on the next-to-last possession. But on the final possession, Monroe demanded the ball, pump-faked and drove to his right for the game-winning layup. Chad Ford wrote that Craig Brackins might have hurt his draft stock by coming back, but I would contend Monroe is the guy whose stock has fallen hardest since he destroyed Hasheem Thabeet last December in Storrs, Conn.

• I do not believe all is lost for the Bruins, but UCLA has not evaluated talent well enough in recent years. Granted, top recruit Tyler Honeycutt wasn't available during the double-overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton. But the Bruins shot 5-of-29 from the 3 against the Titans. That's not good. After three straight Final Fours, the drop-off is due to Jrue Holiday's leaving early and the staff's misjudgment of the West Coast talent it has missed on -- the Wear twins, Klay Thompson, Deon Thompson and Larry Drew II among others.

• In case you are wondering where Saint Mary's got another great guard, the answer is not Australia. Mickey McConnell is from Mesa, Ariz., by way of New Mexico. McConnell and ASU guard Ty Abbott were all set to play for the Lobos before UNM fired Ritchie McKay. Credit Randy Bennett and his staff yet again for finding a diamond in the rough. Oh, and how good was McConnell off the ball screen against the Aztecs? Wow. San Diego State has some talented parts, but that team was just crushed by the Gaels, who look like they will challenge Gonzaga and Portland in the WCC.

• Speaking of the Zags, was it me, or were they tougher and more physical than Michigan State for much of the game? Robert Sacre had a field day against the young bigs of Sparty. Kalin Lucas had great body control off the ball screens, and Durrell Summers took his game to another level. Still, I walked away impressed by the new-look Zags.

• Lucca Staiger hit 10 3s as Iowa State pummeled Drake by 20 on Tuesday night. I know it was not a Tip-Off Marathon game, but with Iowa a complete disaster (a home loss to Texas-San Antonio followed by another to a Duquesne team without its best player), it looks like ISU and Northern Iowa are set to clash as undefeated teams Dec. 2 at the Hilton Coliseum. Staiger played with both the A and B teams of the German national team, and Iowa State coach Greg McDermott told me that the junior guard looks lighter on his feet and much sharper due to all the hoops he played this summer.

Updated: 10:29 p.m.

By Dana O'Neil

ST. LOUIS -- Finally the ball went up.

That, perhaps, was the best news for Rick Pitino and John Pelphrey.

Both welcomed the tweet of the whistle to start a new season, hoping basketball would be the elixir to erase a troubling offseason. The balm worked better for Pitino, to the tune of a 96-66 drubbing, but there is surely something reassuring in just coaching the game.

Pitino and Pelphrey are digging out from under the rubble of shame, although for completely different reasons: Pitino's wound is self-inflicted, the result of a ridiculously foolish dalliance in a Louisville restaurant. Pelphrey, too, made a choice, opting to suspend five players just before the season started. But he did it because he is trying to build a culture in Arkansas not just a team. To do that, he knows, sometimes baskets and winning have to take a backseat to principle and discipline.

"I've been very fortunate to have been around great coaches and to have two great parents," Pelphrey said. "Those people believe some of the greatest acts of caring for somebody else is to discipline them. I want all of our fans and our recruits to understand, if you come to Arkansas, you're going to get coached, you're going to get mentored, all that looking after, but you're also going to get people who care enough to tell you when you're doing wrong. That's our job."

Technically, coaching is their job, and in that there is relief. Pitino still has a pending appearance on the witness stand as part of a federal trial against Karen Sypher, the woman accused of extorting him, and visits to opposing gyms where hostile and nasty crowds surely await.

But at least between the lines Pitino can find the cure. The Cardinals are the sort of team the coach loves. They aren't great yet, but the potential is there. It showed up and disappeared in frustrating flashes against the Razorbacks, but it's there. Louisville hit nine of 20 3s over Arkansas' zone in the first half, then went stone cold to start the second, letting the Hogs back in with a 14-0 run. But there was no panic, a big sign for a fairly young team.

If Louisville learns to play defense, it could become the quintessential Pitino team: ugly in December, terrifying come March.

"We're going to be a team of runs," Pitino said. "The passing, the pressing and the shooting are terrific. The defense is going to catch up."

Unfortunately for Pelphrey, the same salve probably won't come anytime soon for him. He is down to eight players, including Brandon Mitchell, a backup QB on loan from the football team, and Stephen Cox, a golfer turned hoopster.

Help comes back in the way of freshman Glenn Bryant in the next game and Marcus Britt after four more. But Courtney Fortson and Stefan Welsh, the two best returning players, are gone indefinitely.

But if Pelphrey knows anything, it's that hard times don't last forever. He started his playing career on a Kentucky team mired in embarrassment, arriving in Lexington on the heels of NCAA probation.

Today, his jersey hangs in the Rupp Arena rafters, where he is one of the "Unforgettables," the players who launched Kentucky back into national prominence.

"We know exactly what we're up against," Pelphrey said. "My whole thing has always been, both as a player and a coach, that who shows up to the ballpark with their uniform on, that's who we're going with. We're not making excuses. We're not worried about what we don't have. This is our opportunity."

Updated: 3:55 p.m.

Rider struck first for the MAAC, beating Mississippi State.

Saint Peter's and Niagara had near misses against Seton Hall and Auburn, respectively. Both won, as expected, earlier Tuesday at home against Monmouth and Drexel.

But if the MAAC is to be the multiple-bid league that the rest of the members anticipate then the top-rated team in Siena had to deliver.

The Saints were down 20-6 early to Northeastern and it looked like they were destined for an early-season flame out like a year ago when they whiffed on three chances in Orlando at the Old Spice Classic. Siena recovered to win an NCAA tournament first-round game for the second consecutive season, but they had to re-earn the trust of the college basketball populous.

"It is important to keep our name out there to show that you deserve what everybody is saying about you," Siena coach Fran McCaffery said after the Saints came back to beat Northeastern, 59-53, Tuesday in Albany, N.Y. "We're getting votes in the 25-26 range for the Top 25. We have to win to prove we belong, but we can't become obsessed with that."

McCaffery said the Saints still need to develop a bench that is inexperienced if they're going to make another March run.

"It's a long season and we have to win games like this," McCaffery said.

The Saints play at Temple, St. John's and Georgia Tech in the next three weeks and go to Northern Iowa on Dec. 12.

Having Rider, Saint Peter's and Niagara playing well early is only going to benefit Siena if the power-rating is up.

"I know how good the players in this league are," McCaffery said. "I know how difficult it was to go 16-2 [in conference play last season]. We're going to have to rev it up every night in this league. Our conference RPI is going to go way up and it will take the pressure off."

Updated: 3:30 p.m.

Memphis coach Josh Pastner is feeling no pressure going into a matchup against top-ranked Kansas on Tuesday night in St. Louis.

Why? Pastner is giddy over the conclusion of what might turn out to be the top recruiting class in the country. Ames, Iowa, forward Harrison Barnes, who chose North Carolina, is the top player but the deepest class might go to the Tigers with seven newcomers all in the top 62 in the ESPNU top 100:

Will Barton (No. 1 SG), Brewster Academy (N.H.)

Joe Jackson (No. 5 PG), White Station HS (Tenn)

Jelan Kendrick (No. 4 SG), Wheeler High (Ga.)

Tarik Black (No. 14 PF), Ridgeway HS (Tenn.)

Chris Crawford (No. 34 SG), Sheffield HS (Tenn.)

Hippolyte Tsafack (No. 41 PF), The Miller School (Va.)

Antonio Barton (No. 62 PG), Notre Dame Prep (Mass.)

"All the credit goes to the assistant coaches," Pastner said hours before Tuesday's tipoff. "The current players and the fans did a great job. They all made them feel comfortable."

While Pastner doesn't have even close to the same team that John Calipari had the past few seasons, the Memphis coach needs the Tigers to play just as hard as past teams to have a chance. Duke transfer Elliot Williams must be large for the Tigers to be in the game.

"We know Kansas is really good and they've got pros at a lot of positions. It's going to be a tough matchup for anyone."

Pastner said he is humbled by the opportunity to coach Memphis and is appreciative of the opportunity. And he knows everyone will be watching him Tuesday night.

"I can only be me," Pastner said. "I learned from the best in Hall of Famers Lute Olson and [possible future HOFer] John Calipari and spent a year with Kevin O'Neill [during an interim season Arizona]. I've taken all this stuff and I'll be Josh Pastner. All of this happened so fast since I got the job that I've just been in survival mode. I've just tried to keep the unit together."

How much he has will be on display against the Jayhawks.

Updated: 3:25 p.m.

How much can you read into Clemson's dominating performances against Presbyterian and Liberty?

What you can tell is that Clemson is willing to test itself with a road game at a Big South school, and there will be more like that to come when the Tigers play at UNC Greensboro before three games in Anaheim, Calif., at the 76 Classic next week.

Awaiting Clemson on the return is Illinois and South Carolina.

Criticizing this Clemson team for a soft slate isn't applicable. Not with the Tigers playing Texas A&M in Anaheim and the possibility of a game against West Virginia in the semifinals.

"I just think it helps us," Tigers coach Oliver Purnell said. "We're going to have to play on the road and go through adversity and in hostile environments. Our freshmen needed to see what it was like and have to settle down a bit ... so that the next time the type of situation won't be a big deal."

Clemson forced Liberty into 28 turnovers, a stable of previous Tigers' teams that Purnell said should continue.

"There's no question that we can be a better pressing team and create more pressure and defend the drive better," Purnell said.

The Tigers also needed to get freshman Noel Johnson into positions of duress to see how he responded. Johnson went 2-of-7 against the Flames.

"He's learning that on certain nights the shots won't go in," Purnell said. "We've got to be tough defensively, whether you make shots or not."

Clemson will learn a lot about how much of an ACC contender it will be over the next two weeks. Taking a road game to a Big South school was the first step.

Updated: 11:55 a.m.

Niagara coach Joe Mihalich is still a bit flustered by the Purple Eagles' letting a true SEC road win slip away at Auburn on Friday night.

Beating Drexel early Tuesday morning took away some of the sting, but Friday's missed opportunity will linger. The Purple Eagles will have to find a different way to stand out come March if they're in the mix. They're expected to contend with Siena and Rider (and who knows, maybe Saint Peter's) for the MAAC title.

Niagara won't play another game against a power-six school this season.

"We're going to have to win a lot of road games," Mihalich said after Niagara's 76-69 victory over Drexel in a game that tipped off at 8 a.m. in upstate New York.

"We led the country in road wins last season," Mihalich said. "We can't get teams to come up here and play us. If we take care of business, we could have a good RPI."

Niagara plays 16 games away from home, including MAAC games. So far, the Purple Eagles' road record is 0-1.

"Last year we finished with an RPI of 49, and we tried to do the same thing," said Mihalich, whose Purple Eagles lost to Siena in the MAAC tournament title game in Albany last season. "Shame on us for not taking care of business against Auburn, because that would have been two wins against SEC teams on the road [after Rider beat Mississippi State] for our league. We have a good league. We don't have to apologize to anyone."

Updated: 9:25 a.m.

Saint Peter's coach John Dunne walked into the locker room at Yanitelli Center at 4:15 a.m. with trepidation.

He had no idea if he would find his players there, let alone if they would be awake and not slumped over in their chairs, dozing off.

Instead, the Peacocks were dancing to music.

"I was like, 'Oh my god, if they're this hyped at 4:30 a.m., what are they going to be like at 7:30 a.m.? They'll be wiped,'" Dunne said. "I was actually concerned about it. But the home game helped and having our crowd there. It just kept our guys energy home. We don't get on ESPN a lot."

Saint Peter's thrived in the 6 a.m. start, dominating Monmouth from the outset and blistering the Hawks 58-34 early Tuesday.

The Peacocks were coming off a buzzer-beating loss at Seton Hall.

"That's two games in a row where we've been pretty locked in defensively and on the glass," Dunne said. "But we're turning the ball over too much."

Dunne already had a full day before 9 a.m. He said he was going to stick out watching fellow MAAC schools Niagara (against Drexel) and Siena (against Northeastern at noon) and then head home.

But the recent run by the MAAC -- the near miss by St. Pete's, Rider's win over Mississippi State, Niagara's late loss to Auburn -- should prove the depth of the conference. Siena hasn't been tested yet, and the Saints are the favorite.

"The Rider win was no fluke," Dunne said. "They're really good. I'm feeling really good about our league right now."

Updated: 6:32 a.m.

• Let's play a November game of "what if?"

What if Saint Mary's knocks off Vanderbilt on Friday night?

What would you think of the Gaels then?

Well, Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett doesn't necessarily need a win over the Commodores on their way to the Maui Invitational to believe in his squad. Beating New Mexico State by 32 in the season opener and then dominating San Diego State 80-58 early Tuesday morning has served notice that the Gaels aren't going anywhere in the WCC.

Saint Mary's is a potential threat to Gonzaga and Portland, even though the Gaels were overlooked as a WCC title contender after the departures of Patty Mills to the NBA and senior forward Diamon Simpson.

"You never know what's going to happen, and so far we're doing a good job," Bennett said by phone as he was about to get into a postgame hot tub to relax in the wee hours early Tuesday morning.

"I thought the first three games were risky, but they were also great opportunities for us," Bennett said. "New Mexico State is going to be good once it has its full team. They'll compete in the WAC. San Diego State will compete in the Mountain West once they figure out how to play together. Vanderbilt returns 14 players from last year. They're real good, a great test for us. But these wins [so far] will have shelf life for us at the end of the season when they look at our résumé. They'll see we're trying to play some teams."

What's even more unique is that Saint Mary's is getting quality home games in Moraga. The Gaels will also get a shot to win two quality road games when they play at Utah State on Dec. 5 and at Oregon on Dec. 12 in consecutive games.

"I've been impressed with what we've done so far," Bennett said. "We've got pride here. These players think they're good and want to be a part of a good program, not just what Patty and Diamon did."

The key for the Gaels may be point guard Mickey McConnell and big man Omar Samhan. McConnell, who is replacing Mills, made six 3s against the Aztecs. He keyed a 22-4 run. Australian newcomer Matthew Dellavedova is only going to become more important to the Gaels as the season continues, but if McConnell is the leader then this team has a shot.

Bennett said McConnell played well on a summer tour of Australia and gained confidence and respect.

"As long as Patty was here and ahead of him, Mickey wasn't going to feel like he was the starting point guard or that this was his team," Bennett said. "He was playing a smaller role and he was OK with that and never complained. But he knew he had to step up and be a leader. He knew this was his deal."

Samhan is a load inside, and while it seemed like he needed Simpson to flourish, Samhan held his own against the Aztecs' active frontcourt with 12 boards in the first half. Samhan finished with 16 boards and 17 points while McConnell scored 24 and Dellavedova scored 17. The Gaels outrebounded the Aztecs 40-36, too.

"Last year, there were times when Omar was our most important player because he's such a low-post presence," Bennett said. "He's turned into a good defender and can do a lot of things for us."

Samhan is now playing off Ben Allen instead of Simpson. The Gaels' frontcourt might be better overall facing the basket this season.

The diversity in scoring is in place, and if the Gaels can board and defend, they will be a player in the WCC race. And yes, if they can beat the Dores, they can be a possible NCAA at-large team in a season when they weren't supposed to be in the conversation. They were a game or two short last year after Mills broke his hand. How upside-down would it be if the Gaels made it in 2010 and not 2009?

Updated: 4:25 a.m.

Monmouth coach Dave Calloway got up at 2 a.m., roughly four-plus hours after he finally got to sleep.

"I can honestly say I've gotten home more times in my life at that hour than gotten up at that time," Calloway said as the Monmouth bus was getting closer to St. Peter's Jersey City campus for this morning's 6 a.m. tipoff.

Calloway tried to ensure that his players stayed busy Monday with a morning practice, an appearance at a men's soccer selection show for the NCAA tournament and a women's basketball game.

"I didn't want them sleeping all day," Calloway said.

It must have worked. Calloway said the team was all smiles as they boarded the bus this morning. He said the players ate some bagels and fruit and have been hanging out on the bus, some taking a cat nap and others listening to music.

How much sleep did they get? Calloway is guessing no more than four to five hours.

"I think this will be a lot more fun than running sprints at 6 a.m.," Calloway said.

That seemed to be the prevailing theme at St. Peter's, too. Coach John Dunne pulled into the parking garage at 4 a.m. after getting up at 3:30 a.m. He said he went to bed at 10 p.m.

A light continental breakfast of bagels and fruit awaited the players in the locker room. The team practiced at 8:30 a.m. Monday to get them ready for the early tipoff.

"I figured that would be early enough," Dunne said. "I didn't want to crush them too much."

St. Peter's has embraced the early tip time by offering up free tuition to someone who can make a half-court shot at halftime. Dunne said he anticipates a strong student turnout.

St. Pete's lost to Seton Hall in its opener on a buzzer-beater. Monmouth lost to the Pirates by 15.

"I feel good about us being extremely competitive this season," Dunne said. "I feel good about our potential and what we can become."

Updated: 4:01 a.m.

• Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Burton said he is indebted to Ben Howland for giving the Titans a game to tip off the hoops marathon.

The Titans wanted to play on ESPN. Howland made it happen.

"I know the only reason we were on ESPN was to play UCLA," Burton said by phone as he was heading back to campus on the team bus after the Titans' double-overtime 68-65 victory early Tuesday morning at Pauley Pavilion.

"I feel bad for Ben," Burton said. "We've been talking about four times a week. I don't think I'll talk to him for a few days."

Burton knew this was the perfect time to play UCLA since the Bruins were hit hard by injuries during practice, and given the inexperience on the roster due to the departure of three key seniors as well as freshman Jrue Holiday to the NBA.

"I didn't know how this would play out," Burton said.

Burton said he knew the Titans couldn't play UCLA man-to-man. So he went zone and the Bruins shot just 5-of-29 on 3s.

"I was hoping they wouldn't make shots and they didn't," Burton said. "I think our zone defense will be pretty good. It's an advantage to play zone because not many teams are ready for it at this point."

Still, Fullerton was picked seventh in the Big West -- a league that may be undervalued if Fullerton is legit.

"There's so much balance in the Big West," Burton said. "We feel we've got a chance to be real competitive. I didn't know where our team was. But I think people will pay attention to us now. This is a great win for us. Maybe we are better than seventh."

A lot of that has to do with the combination of guard Jacques Streeter and big man Bryce Webster, who grabbed 14 boards. Streeter was 2-of-10, but he made a huge 3-pointer. He also drew a critical foul late.

"He's got a chance to be really good," Burton said. "Once he figures out how to play at a fast speed, he's got a chance to be really good. We cleared it out for him on that drive late and he got fouled and knocked down free throws."

Webster was a find for Fullerton. He originally signed with Dan Monson at Minnesota, but once Monson was out, so too was Webster. Burton said Webster was slated to go to Utah State but something fell through there, too.

"He hasn't played in a year, but I was amazed how well he played," Burton said. "He'll be a dominant guy for us on the boards. He made a big difference for us."

Fullerton isn't going to recruit against UCLA, but there is a pride factor in SoCal that now rests with the Titans after knocking off UCLA for the first time in nine tries in the history of the meetings between the two schools.

"It's going to be huge for us on all stages," Burton said. "Ben [Howland] knew this could happen. I'm happy we won, but I feel for him. I hope the publicity we get out of this is great. Kicking off this whole thing and being able to do this is really exciting for us."

Let's assume Mississippi State will be fine and win the SEC West and earn at the very least an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

If that happens, come March, Rider will have a true road win at an NCAA-bound SEC team.

Remember that. Rider's 88-74 win Friday in Starkville, despite being so early in the season, will have shelf life for the next four months.

The Broncs aren't done, either. If they don't slip where they're not supposed to (like, say, against Lehigh on Monday night) and possibly steal a road game Thursday at Virginia, even if they lose Saturday at Kentucky, they already will have done a lot to keep them in the at-large discussion come March. All this might sound a bit premature in November, but it's not that far fetched, especially if the MAAC continues to be as strong as it is showing so far.

Siena should be in the top 25 or 30 this season, and splitting with the Saints during the conference slate would do wonders for Rider's profile. Auburn, a lower-level SEC West team, needed an 11-0 run to beat fellow MAAC favorite Niagara on Friday. Siena and Niagara will have to be outstanding this season for the league's power rating to be high enough for Rider to look good in comparison if it were to split the games with them.

Rider coach Tommy Dempsey is well aware the MAAC tournament is in Albany, N.Y., giving Siena a decided advantage. Getting to that game is a long way away, though. But being in that game with quality wins would put Rider in a better position with easily the best nonconference road schedule of any of the MAAC contenders (Siena plays at Georgia Tech, but Niagara doesn't have another power-six road game).

"If you get to that championship Monday, you could be in a position to talk about two teams from the MAAC as the profile of the league continues to get better," Dempsey said. "I know it's early talking about this, but we knew that we had a chance this year to have a special year. We don't want this to come down to just one weekend in March."

Dempsey made it clear that Friday night's win at Mississippi State wasn't close.

"We didn't only win the game; at the last media timeout, we emptied the place out," Dempsey said. "We controlled the game. Now, when you see that -- and you don't want to get ahead of yourself -- but you start to think that maybe this team is special. We have a special player, and we're a good, big, physical, athletic team that can shoot the ball well. We have a lot of ingredients."

Rider isn't just Ryan Thompson, either. The younger brother of current Sacramento Kings center and former Rider star Jason Thompson scored 16 points in the win over the Bulldogs. Dempsey said Thompson had a lot of "hockey" assists -- the type of play that helps set up the pass that leads to the basket. Having both Mike Ringgold and Novar Gadson go for 21 points with Justin Robinson adding 15 was significant for the Broncs. The Broncs made 10 of 16 3s and committed just six turnovers. More importantly, they were not intimidated by Bulldogs center Jarvis Varnado (seven blocks) and limited the Bulldogs to 37 percent shooting on 3s (10-of-27) while beating them on the boards (36-34). All were major reasons for joy in Lawrenceville, N.J.

"[Thompson's] still the guy, and he's the one that takes pressure off everybody else," Dempsey said. "We do have that special player. Having him out there changes everybody else's space. He's drawing two or more when he has the ball."

Rider does have a brutal slate with games that won't be easy against Saint Joseph's at home and surging La Salle in the next few weeks before a six-game road trip from Dec. 12 to Jan. 4 that includes a rivalry game against Big East neighbor Rutgers.

"We'll need Mississippi State to go and have a great year," Dempsey said. "When [Renardo] Sidney and [John] Riek get eligible, they're only going to get better. Kentucky will be a great RPI game no matter what happens. La Salle is going to have a good year. We need a lot of things to fall into place."

Rider hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 1994.

"You've got to start somewhere," Dempsey said. "We sit here at 1-0 with an SEC-ranked road win on our résumé. That's as good a place to start as you can have."

• Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez froze as Eugene Harvey's buzzer-beating shot was leaving his hand.

"Time stopped," Gonzalez said. "I looked at the ball and said, 'Oh my God, there's a chance it will go in,' and it went in. It was one of those things that may help carry us this season."

Harvey's 28-footer allowed the Pirates to beat St. Peter's 53-51 on Friday night in their season opener. Had Harvey's shot not gone in and the result went the other way, it could have had disastrous consequences. The Pirates already were reeling a bit from Keon Lawrence's being suspended after he was charged with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. Losing to St. Peter's at home would have dented the Pirates' preseason good vibes with their fan base.

Seton Hall still has a tough nonconference matchup this coming Friday at Cornell in a game that looks more dangerous after the Big Red won at Alabama.

"We got lucky," Gonzalez said. "I told Eugene to drive, and then he pumps and launches up that shot. If you lose, then everybody brings that back up in your face. You lose that game, and you might not recover from it. People don't understand how tough our next game is with Cornell. They're a top-25 team. They're really good."

Gonzalez said the Pirates' confidence and momentum would have been stifled with a loss to St. Peter's. He said New Mexico State transfer Herb Pope showed serious signs of rust in the first game, scoring just six points, but showed progress in a win over Monmouth on Sunday with 15 points and 17 boards. Jeremy Hazell's breakthrough game in the Monmouth win with 26 points also was a major plus.

Still, the Pirates won't be the same until a decision is made on Lawrence. He was scheduled to get 18 to 20 stitches removed from the inside of his lip after he drove the wrong way on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey in the early hours of Nov. 9 and his car collided with another. Luckily, no one in the crash suffered life-threatening injuries. Lawrence's legal issues have to be sorted through before a decision can be made on his reinstatement.

Gonzales said Memphis transfer Jeff Robinson will be eligible in a few weeks.

• The Illinois coaches aren't hiding their glee now that they have returned to the talent level they had in 2005. It's still early, and no one is ready to predict that Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson can duplicate what Dee Brown and Deron Williams did for the Illini. But to see the freshmen race up the court has brought some flashbacks for the staff.

"Paul is so athletic, and if we can get him to go hard, he'll be really good," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "He's like Dwyane Wade; he's so athletic and has that shot fake. He can go from the 3-point line with one dribble and lay it in. D.J. goes hard all the time."

Weber said the Illini need guard Demetri McCamey (who Weber said is the true point guard on the team) to play well for the Illini to win. And having Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis complement the guards is a must. The latter two were the key players last season, and after one game, the Illini already leaned heavily on the freshmen. Paul scored 22 and Richardson 14 in the Illini's season-opening win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

"Our coaches were saying that's the best we've played," Weber said. "I know it was SIU-Edwardsville, but that was the best we've played in a long time both physically and athletically. Our juniors have to play well for us. McCamey has to be the consistent guy for us."

The Illini remain my Big Ten sleeper to cause fits near the top of the conference.

• A few quick hitters from the weekend:

• Washington's Isaiah Thomas might lead the Pac-10 in scoring. He was averaging 24.6 points after three games.

• Iowa State beat Chicago State by 22 points Sunday with Marquis Gilstrap and Craig Brackins going a combined 4-of-23. That's a good sign.

• West Virginia better get Devin Ebanks back from his personal leave, or the Mountaineers won't win the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif.

• Wake Forest's Ishmael Smith is a more than capable point for the Demon Deacons with his solid 14-point, four-assist and one-turnover performance in a win over East Carolina.

• Tulsa isn't about just Jerome Jordan. Wing Ben Uzoh was stellar with 20 points, making 13 of 14 free throws in a win over Florida International.

• Hartford is a better team this season than the one that won just two games in the America East last season after the Hawks lost to Baylor at the buzzer. But I'm not sure what that says about the Bears. (I know Tweety Carter didn't play due to a suspension.)

• Love it when the first weekend produces studs who weren't discussed in the preseason like Eastern Michigan's Brandon Bowdry, who scored 26 points and grabbed 13 boards in the Eagles' season-opening win over Oakland.

• La Salle has a rookie stud in Aaric Murray, who started his career with 16 points and 11 boards in a win over Hampton.

• There already have been two triple-doubles in the Big Ten. Ohio State's Evan Turner had the first, and Michigan's Manny Harris had the second.

• Cornell will win a first-round NCAA tournament game. Did I just write that? That's just my feeling after one game, with the Big Red's road win at Alabama and Ryan Wittman's making five 3s.

• Dayton has the Atlantic 10 player of the year in Chris Wright (25 in the Flyers' win over Creighton). That shouldn't come as a shock.

• Rotnei Clarke. Can he keep up this pace? No way. But scoring 51 points and making 13 3s will be hard to beat this season.

• Idaho won at Utah for the first time since 1938.

• How important was Elliot Williams' transfer from Duke to Memphis? He led the Tigers in scoring in their opening win with 19 points.

• Eric Bledsoe will be a star for Kentucky this season. That means the Wildcats will have three of them: John Wall, Patrick Patterson and Bledsoe.

• OK, can everyone now see why Kansas is even better with Xavier Henry? He scored 27 in his first game.

• Michigan State coach Tom Izzo kept saying how much he needed a post player to rebound this season. He found one in Derrick Nix, who proudly shed 50 pounds to get down to 280 and grabbed 14 boards.

• Boston College's Tyler Roche scored 30 after the Eagles suspended three players -- Rakim Sanders, Cortney Dunn and Corey Raji -- for the first two games. Roche has never been more than a role player for the Eagles but finally let the game come to him.

• Bradley lost to BYU and then beat Idaho State. But the Braves found out that senior guard Dodie Dunson, who was the third-leading scorer last season with 10.1 points a game, is out for the season with two broken bones in his left forearm.

• Wichita State already is 1-0 without leading scorer senior guard Clevin Hannah, who was suspended for the first three games because he wasn't properly certified last season. The error was deemed to be administrative. That's too bad for the Shockers. Hannah misses the Arkansas-Moticello game and will have to sit out the CBE semifinal against Pitt in Kansas City, a game the Shockers would (and maybe still can) have a shot at winning.

• The word of the weekend? Jackrabbits. Love the nickname. South Dakota State won at Wyoming for a significant Summit League victory over the Mountain West.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- As John Wall ran up court during Friday's shootaround at the University of Kentucky's Craft Center, an NBA scout turned to me and said he wasn't going to write up a report.

There is no need, the scout said, since all Wall needs to work on is his shooting. That's it.

Eric Bledsoe, who showed no signs of an ankle injury that kept him out of an exhibition game last week, took the next drill and raced upcourt to finish a play.

A scout to my left turned, rolled his eyes and smirked about Bledsoe's speed, as well.

Fast-forward to Friday night at Rupp Arena. Wall was in a blue sweat suit, sitting out the final game of his two-game NCAA suspension for extra benefits totaling nearly $800 (unrelated to his Kentucky enrollment), and Bledsoe was running the point for 37 minutes in Kentucky's 75-59 season-opening win over Morehead State.

What the Big Blue Nation saw with Bledsoe was only half as good as it'll get once Wall is cleared to play for Monday's second game, against Miami (Ohio). What they'll see is a lightning-quick guard tandem that will be extremely difficult to catch.

Bledsoe finished with 24 points against the Eagles, making 7 of 14 shots from the field and 9 of 10 from the free throw line. He dished out four assists and had seven of UK's 24 turnovers.

"It will be people just running back and forth, back and forth," said Kentucky junior forward Patrick Patterson of what it will be like to play with the freshman backcourt of Wall and Bledsoe. "People will get winded from trying to chase them down. We'll get layups and dunks. It's going to be pretty much a show."

John Calipari, coaching in his first regular-season game for Big Blue, didn't mince words about who will start once Wall is back.

"Eric Bledsoe will start, duh," Calipari said. "John Wall will start, and Patrick Patterson will start."

Calipari said the other two spots are still open for competition, but those three shoo-ins he rattled off are three players who will garner national attention all season. The backcourt alone is going to be a heck of a lot to fun to watch. There are plenty of great guards in the SEC, including Ole Miss' Terrico White and Chris Warren and South Carolina's Devan Downey, but it might be hard to put together a quicker backcourt than Bledsoe and Wall.

Bledsoe said Friday that he felt some pressure to play, score and stay on the court without Wall available. He was fretting about his ankle, too. That didn't seem to be an issue when he had an athletic block on a shot from behind or when he made an acrobatic layup as he was falling down that surely will be the top highlight of the first full night of college hoops. Bledsoe is, as one scout described, a Kyle Lowry type of player, a piston of a man who powered his way to the basket Friday, taking the contact and finishing.

"Nobody can stop me from playing," Bledsoe said. "Coach told me to push it. I could see they were getting tired and fatigued so I pushed it."

When Wall is on the court Monday and beyond, Bledsoe said that whoever has the ball will push it and that he and Wall will be in attack mode at all times.

Calipari said he's hoping the rest of the players start to fully understand the commitment they'll need, especially on the boards and rebounding. He didn't hesitate to call out those who didn't play well. But it was easy to praise Bledsoe.

"I love him. I love his courage on the floor," Calipari said. "I think he's a very intelligent player, even though he had seven turnovers without John Wall on the floor and I tried to play him every minute. What I expect from him is six and two, that is six assists and two turnovers and 10, 12 or 15 points a game. What about the blocked shots he made with one ankle? He blocked guys with one ankle."

Yes, it was quite something. Morehead State zoned, and Calipari said he expects more teams to do that. He said there will be plenty of sagging defenses, too, to force the Cats to shoot. Kentucky made just 4 of 19 3s; that could be an ongoing problem. But scoring won't be the issue if Bledsoe and Wall push the ball and find Patterson (20 points and 12 boards) in the post. The issue will be defending and rebounding.

But if there was any uncertainty about what Bledsoe's role would be once Wall signed, that should be erased from the memory. Bledsoe is here to stay in the starting lineup and will be a major player in this team's future.

"He's just a gamer," Calipari said. "I said to the team, 'Who on this team takes the game winner and knows it's going in?' and I pointed to Eric. Some guys hope it goes in, and he knows it's going to go in. One of the guys said to me, 'He's tired' and I said, 'I know, but he's better than most guys that are fresh, so I'll leave him in.'"

A few teams have gotten a head start on the action, but for most of the country, this weekend marks the official beginning of the new season. The slate of games doesn't move the meter much, but there is significance with a number of tipoffs this weekend.

Friday

Morehead State at Kentucky (ESPNU, 6:30 ET): UK won't have star freshman John Wall (serving the second of his two-game NCAA suspension) during the debut of of the John Calipari era in Lexington. But the rest of the Wildcats' heralded freshmen class will be on display, including DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, Darnell Dodson, Eric Bledsoe and Jon Hood. Perhaps more important for Kentucky will be whether potential SEC Player of the Year Patrick Patterson can prove himself to be a leader of this crew. Expect the atmosphere to be rocking from the opening tip.

Wright State at Washington: Coaches in the Horizon League expect Wright State to challenge Butler for the league title. The Raiders have experienced guards in Vaughn Duggins and Todd Brown to mess with Washington's backcourt, which includes heralded newcomer Abdul Gaddy, Isaiah Thomas and Venoy Overton. With Jon Brockman gone, how well Quincy Pondexter rebounds in this first game could determine not just this outcome but the Huskies' season going forward.

Rider at Mississippi State: Renardo Sidney won't play since he hasn't been cleared to compete for Mississippi State. But that shouldn't slow down the best shot-blocker in the country, Jarvis Varnado. How well the Bulldogs contain Rider's Ryan Thompson, perhaps the best player in the MAAC, could determine this outcome. And while the Bulldogs' frontcourt gets a lot of play, this is a huge test for guards Dee Bost, Barry Stewart and Ravern Johnson.

Harvard at Holy Cross: The Crusaders have their best team in years under new coach Sean Kearney. Harvard has one of the more underrated guards in Jeremy Lin. This is a game the Crusaders should win but one that Harvard could make quite interesting. If the Crimson hope to do something in the Ivy this season, a win in Worcester would be a telling sign.

Drexel at Saint Joseph's: Former Saint Joseph's guard Bruiser Flint, now the head coach at Drexel, agreed to be the first opponent at the Hawks' new digs at Hagan Arena. This is a long time coming for one of the more storied programs on the East Coast. Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli has worked tirelessly under what would be deemed squatter-like conditions in the higher-major Division I college basketball world.

Bradley at BYU: This is the first game in the new Missouri Valley/Mountain West Conference challenge to get the two conferences some early-season buzz as well as help out in scheduling. But the most significant aspect of this game is that BYU coach Dave Rose will be on the sidelines. Rose got a second shot at life when his rare form of a pancreatic tumor was surgically removed and he received a clear cancer scan in September. Everyone should celebrate Rose standing along the sideline at the Marriott Center. His presence and the Cougars' core returning talent make BYU the MWC favorite again.

Northern Illinois at Northwestern: The Wildcats open the season after the disappointing news that senior forward Kevin Coble is out for possibly a month with a sprained left foot. Northwestern still has the talent to survive this hit in many of its early-season games. This is one they can't afford to lose.

Saturday

Davidson at Butler: This is a return of a BracketBusters game for the Wildcats, who are playing their first game without Stephen Curry in four seasons. It's a new era for coach Bob McKillop but one that should still see Davidson among the elite teams in the Southern Conference, even if the Wildcats aren't picked to win it in the preseason. Butler, meanwhile, starts the season as a top-10 team. Winning home games like this will be expected of the Bulldogs from this point forward.

Creighton at Dayton: This is a classic case of a game that could get lost in the shuffle over a packed weekend, but it might be one of the more significant games for each team this season. Creighton fancies itself as a Missouri Valley Conference title contender, along with Northern Iowa. Dayton is the clear favorite of the Atlantic 10 and should be a Top 25 team throughout the season. If Creighton were to win a road game like this, it would have shelf life throughout the season. Conversely, if the Flyers are who they are projected to be, then they need to win a game like this at home for credibility and their season-long power-rating standing.

Sunday

Oregon State at Texas Tech: The Beavers conclude a round-robin exempted event against the Red Raiders. A year ago, Oregon State lost games early in the season because it didn't know how to win. The Beavers figured it out once they got into the Pac-10 and won seven games (up from zero the season before). Texas Tech is picked to finish in the bottom four in the Big 12. If the Beavers are an NCAA tournament team, they should win games like this.

• Three Big 12 coaches made their way to the Bristol car wash at ESPN earlier this week and shared some interesting tidbits on their teams.

Missouri's Mike Anderson said sophomore forward Laurence Bowers has been a highlight. He's rebounded well and will likely be the guy who replaces DeMarre Carroll inside. Don't dismiss Keith Ramsey from contributing quite a bit inside, either. The Tigers lost their "junkyard dog" in Carroll but return the backcourt's "heart and soul" in J.T. Tiller. Tiller returns as part of a loaded and frenetic backcourt, along with Zaire Taylor, Kim English and freshman Michael Dixon. They will be hard to contain in the Big 12.

"They are underrated," Anderson said of his backcourt. "It's a helluva backcourt that led the nation in assists [138 for Tiller and 128 for Taylor] and was second in steals [123]. We're going to beat some people."

• Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford had high praise for Kentucky transfer Matt Pilgrim, who was jettisoned from the Wildcats but was granted immediate eligibility without having to sit out a year. Pilgrim scored 18 points and 12 rebounds in an exhibition game earlier in the week. "He's the most athletic and quickest player I've ever coached," Ford said of the forward. "Pro scouts come to watch James [Anderson] and say, 'Wow, this kid is unbelievably raw offensively but has extremely high energy.'"

The big question for the Cowboys will be if Ford can find a point guard to replace Byron Eaton to help feed players like Pilgrim and take a bit of pressure off All-Big 12 wing Anderson. Ford said he'll play Keiton Page at the point but anticipates freshman Ray Penn will gravitate to major minutes. "He's a helluva talent and he'll be one of the best in the Big 12 in two years." Ford said of his team, "We've got a chance. I'll put our first group against anyone."

• Baylor coach Scott Drew isn't packing in on this season, not with the return of guards LaceDarius Dunn and Tweety Carter. Drew is one of the most optimistic coaches and only he could spin the Bears' Top 25 ranking at the start of last season and its NIT final appearance after a disastrous 5-11 Big 12 season. Still, the reason for his giddiness on Wednesday was the signing of ESPNU No. 3 player Perry Jones out of Duncanville High (Texas). The 6-11 center could be a one-and-done and will make Baylor a stopping point for NBA scouts next season.

"When you bring in a person like that, it opens doors," Drew said. "He's going to be a great player. We've recruited top-20 classes but haven't been able to sign that consensus top-five pick in the country. Most NBA drafts have him as a lottery pick. We'll be viewed in a whole new light because kids will say, 'I want to play with that guy' or, 'He went there so I can play there.'" Drew has gone after high-profile talents with NBA potential like C.J. Miles (who opted for the NBA draft out of high school after turning down Texas), Darrell Arthur (who chose Kansas over Baylor and LSU) and most recently John Wall (who chose Kentucky even after Drew hired Dwon Clifton, a coach with ties to Wall, as a summer-league coach).

"We go after the best and we feel like if we get them on campus, and they see the academics and they see the facilities, we've got a chance," Drew said.

Drew said that with the return of Dunn, Nolan Dennis (who will be a sophomore) and Michigan transfer Ekpe Udoh, the Bears will have the right pieces around Jones in 2010-11 to make a significant run.

"We'll have have talent around him and it will be great to have somebody that, night in and night out, everyone out there knows who that guy is," Drew said.

Here are 10 programs that will jump within their respective conferences after a disappointing 2008-09 season:

Georgia Tech
2008-09 record: 2-14 ACC, 12-19 overall

Reason for optimism: The Yellow Jackets brought in arguably the best freshman center in Derrick Favors. He'll team with Gani Lawal to form a formidable frontcourt. Georgia Tech is healthy on the perimeter and deeper than it was a year ago. The Yellow Jackets also should finally know how to close out games. (Yes, I know they needed overtime to hold off Indiana of Pennsylvania in an exhibition game.) They're the only team in the ACC that will play North Carolina and Duke twice, so they should have the best power rating of any of the 12 ACC teams.

What could happen: Georgia Tech could win the ACC. Yes, the talent is in place for the team to go from two wins to the league title.

What's likely to happen: The Yellow Jackets should win nine to 11 games in conference play. That would be at least a seven-win swing, good enough to get them into the NCAA tournament.

Iowa State
2008-09 record: 4-12 Big 12, 15-17 overall

Reason for optimism: Craig Brackins returns to the Cyclones, and he has the potential to be a Big 12 Player of the Year candidate and All-American. Add junior college transfer Marquis Gilstrap, and the Cyclones could have one of the best one-two scoring punches besides Kansas and Texas in the Big 12. Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum also is one of the best home courts in the country. Don't be surprised if the Cyclones knock off one of the big boys at home this season.

What could happen: The Cyclones could pluck off a few key wins -- perhaps winning at least one game among Duke, Kansas (twice) and Texas to earn an NCAA tournament berth.

What's likely to happen: Iowa State should improve to at least a nine-win team in the Big 12 and be squarely on the tourney bubble in March.

Oregon
2008-09 record: 2-16 in the Pac-10, 8-23 overall

Reason for optimism: Coach Ernie Kent is billing Jamil Wilson as one of the top freshmen he has coached. If Wilson is as good as advertised, the Ducks have a real shot to climb in what should be a shaky Pac-10. The return of senior point guard Tajuan Porter and the likely improvement of a sophomore class that underachieved last season should give this team hope. Adding assistant Mike Dunlap should help in game management, too.

What could happen: The Ducks have enough talent to finish third in the Pac-10, jumping from two wins to 10 or 11.

What's likely to happen: Oregon probably will be in a tussle with Oregon State, UCLA and Arizona to finish in some order of 3 through 6 in the conference and be on the NCAA tournament bubble. The problem is the Ducks' nonconference slate might not be ranked high enough to earn a bid.

St. John's
2008-09 record: 6-12 Big East, 16-18 overall

Reason for optimism: The Red Storm are the only Big East team that returns all five starters. Coach Norm Roberts has focused on this season to be his best. Losing Anthony Mason Jr. for the start of the season hasn't hurt as much because Mason didn't play last season or on the team's trip to Canada during Labor Day weekend. This team already has learned how to play without him. The other thing going for St. John's -- if the Red Storm are ready to handle the pressure -- is the Big East is open to change this season. Plenty of moves could happen, with teams such as Marquette and Providence sliding to the bottom of the league, and that should allow the Red Storm to climb. That challenge will be daunting but nowhere near as imposing as it was a year ago.

What could happen: This is still the same group of players who finished 6-12 in the Big East, albeit in a stronger conference. Moving ahead of Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Pitt, Notre Dame and Syracuse would be quite a feat.

What's likely to happen: The Red Storm will be in the mix for a top-10 finish in the Big East and could move into the eight- or nine-win range in the league. But even that is likely to mean more of an NIT berth than an NCAA one.

Indiana
2008-09 record: 1-17 in the Big Ten, 6-25 overall

Reason for optimism: The carnage of the Kelvin Sampson era has finally subsided, and under the leadership of coach Tom Crean, the Hoosiers finally can begin to rebuild. Indiana adds an experienced transfer in former Georgetown guard Jeremiah Rivers, who will team with sophomore Verdell Jones III. The Hoosiers still will be one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten, but there is plenty of fight in this group.

What could happen: The Hoosiers could move past Iowa and Penn State to finish at least ninth in the Big Ten with possibly five wins in the league.

What's likely to happen: The problem is the league may be the best it has been this decade. The Hoosiers draw tough road games at Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue and Minnesota. The only break is that Michigan State will visit Indiana, but the Hoosiers won't make a return trip to East Lansing. Indiana probably won't make the postseason, but it will show an improvement in the win-loss record in the league and be a peskier putout.

Charlotte
2008-09 record: 5-11 Atlantic 10, 11-20 overall

Reason for optimism: The 49ers are banking on Boston College transfer Shamari Spears to be their go-to inside scorer. He already proved to have soft hands during exhibition play. Finishing in practice was never an issue for Spears at BC, but when the lights were on, his fingers became butter at times. If he can be a lock for the 49ers inside, he'll prove to be the perfect balance to guards Ian Andersen and DiJuan Harris. Losing Lamont Mack hurts the scoring pop, but this team may be better-balanced.

What could happen: The Atlantic 10 will be dominated by Dayton, with Xavier and Richmond on the Flyers' heels. But don't dismiss the 49ers. They have the potential to make a significant jump into the nine- or 10-win mark. Charlotte will play Xavier twice and get two shots at Richmond. Playing at Dayton won't help, but the 49ers will have a chance to compete with the others for second.

What's likely to happen: Charlotte still should finish no higher than fourth, but it will earn enough good will through its record and ranking (playing at Louisville, at Old Dominion, home against Georgia Tech and at Tennessee) to earn a postseason berth of some kind.

Fresno State
2008-09 season: 3-13 WAC, 13-21 overall

Reason for optimism: Paul George. Can I say it again? Paul George. He is a star and one of the NEXT athletes ESPN has been pushing. The Bulldogs under Steve Cleveland have been all over the place, but there is a sense that things should settle down in a league that doesn't have an intimidating team. Sure, Utah State is the favorite in the WAC, and Nevada has Luke Babbitt, but it's not as if Fresno State can't climb from three wins to at least eight in the league.

What could happen: The Bulldogs should be in the mix, at least in the middle of the pack.

What's likely to happen: Expect Fresno State to affect the WAC race but fall short of a postseason berth.

Rice
2008-09 season: 4-12 in CUSA, 10-22 overall

Reason for optimism: The Owls recruited well under Ben Braun. The freshman class should increase the talent quickly in Houston.

What could happen: If the freshmen can produce quickly, a four-win improvement isn't totally out of the question.

What's likely to happen: The problem with moving up to eight wins is that the league is even more balanced this season with Memphis, UTEP, Tulsa and Houston capable of winning the conference.

Florida Atlantic
2008-09 season: 2-16 in the Sun Belt, 6-26 overall

Reason for optimism: Owls coach Mike Jarvis is talking up freshman point guard Raymond Taylor as the next Shawnta Rogers, his former diminutive but highly productive scorer at George Washington. The Owls will be one of the youngest teams in the league, but they should be more talented and productive.

What could happen: The Sun Belt will be led by Western Kentucky, North Texas and Denver, but it's not as if any of those teams is intimidating. There is room for FAU to climb significantly in the league standings from two wins into the seven or eight range.

What's likely to happen: FAU will climb, but it won't be enough to yield a postseason berth. If there is improvement this season, then postseason could be in the discussion in 2011.

Hartford
2008-09 season: 2-14 in the America East, 7-26 overall

Reason for optimism: Let's start with Binghamton's implosion. That should send last season's champ down to the bottom of the league, pushing up a team like Hartford. The rest of the conference is solid and has some noteworthy players, including Vermont's Maurice Joseph and Marqus Blakely. New Hampshire and Boston University should be in the mix for the title, too. But there is room for advancement for the Hawks. Newly named assistant Rick Brunson, a longtime NBA player, was added to Dan Leibovitz's staff and has raved about junior college transfer Milton Burton. Having a healthy Joe Zeglinski on the perimeter will help the balance. If this team can defend and rebound, it will have a shot to move into the eight-win range in the America East.

What could happen: Remember, the Hawks played for the America East automatic berth in 2008, and they'll host the first two rounds of the conference tournament this season. So a run to the title game isn't out of the question if they can make the Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion rock.

What's likely to happen: The Hawks will improve their win total but won't reach the postseason.

Xavier Henry, a bit nervous, anxious and overall uncomfortable, sat in front of an ESPNU camera at this time last year and put on a Memphis hat, choosing the Tigers over Kansas.

KU coach Bill Self wasn't thrilled to lose Henry. He had envisioned him as the missing piece for the Jayhawks' potential title run in 2010 if everything went as scripted in 2009 (and it did with the development of last season's Sweet 16 team behind Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich).

But a year later -- as the 2009 early signing period begins -- Henry is nowhere near Memphis. He's at Kansas, ready to do what was planned for the Jayhawks: help them to the national title in Indianapolis this April.

The class Henry would have joined at Memphis had everyone signed on as expected -- Darnell Dodson, DeMarcus Cousins and likely John Wall -- ended up at Kentucky.

"I'm of the belief that if you lose a guy, he's gone,'' Self said. "I don't want guys to lose jobs, but yes we have benefited from coaching changes. Tyshawn Taylor was another one when Tom Crean left Marquette.''

So how important is that early signing period again?

Well, a year ago, there were stipulations in national letters of intent. For example, the one that Henry signed stated that if John Calipari wasn't the head coach, then Henry didn't have to go to Memphis. That's gone now. The NLIs with stipulations tied to a coach have been eliminated by the NCAA.

If that rule had been in place last year, Henry would have had to go through the process of getting out of his NLI.

"In our case, all the kids that we were recruiting for 10 months were for Coach Calipari,'' said new Memphis coach Josh Pastner, an assistant to Calipari the previous year. "They wanted to play for him and they should.''

Ohio State standout Evan Turner agrees with that assessment.

"I think the NCAA should put some type of rule in there where if there is a different coach then you can get out of the letter,'' said Turner, a junior guard. "It's a different coach. That's a serious different game plan. You fall in love with one thing and then what's the point of going there if he's not there?"

Yet, Turner would still not change a thing about the early signing period, even if it locks in a player without knowing what will happen with the head coach.

"I was excited to go to college and if a kid is comfortable with his decision then he should go ahead and sign,'' Turner said.

Several already have. Several more will during this week-long signing period.

Duke will get (based on ESPNU rankings) No. 6 point guard Kyrie Irving and could land No. 1 small forward Harrison Barnes if he chooses Duke from a list that includes North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and Iowa State when he makes his announcement on ESPNU on Friday afternoon. With a major haul, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski would be able to concentrate on the season at hand and prepare for the World Championships in Turkey this summer.

As for Pastner, he locked up No. 1 shooting guard Will Barton (along with his point guard brother, Antonio) without ever coaching a game. On Tuesday, UCLA got a commitment from No. 1 center Josh Smith. Ohio State and Baylor got the top two power forwards and No. 2 and 3 overall in the class of 2010 in Jared Sullinger and Perry Jones, respectively.

But there are others who will likely wait until the month-long spring signing period. That could be the case for No. 4 Brandon Knight and No. 8 Josh Selby, two of the top three point guards in the class.

And it's hard not to blame them as they try to deal with a position of strength to see who needs them, what happens at each school in terms of coaching stability, NCAA tournament performance and whether or not a player at their position leaves for the NBA draft.

The NCAA's new NBA draft withdrawal date that makes players decide on returning to school by May 8 will actually play into some late signing decisions since it falls in the month-long spring signing period. In the past, when the date for NCAA players wasn't until mid-June (it still is as far as the NBA is concerned), a player would have to sign before knowing if someone at his position was returning to that school. Now the decisions will have been made.

Still, the consensus among the coaches is for players to sign early for their benefit and the university's.

"If there is a coaching change, they can get out of it,'' Ohio State's Thad Matta said. "They always do anyway. I think the early signing period is good. One thing I always tell the kids is to enjoy your senior year. With the Internet and the media and all that stuff, it's taxing on the kids. Put it behind them and just go out and play your best basketball. Your senior year of high school is one of the great years of your life.''

Pastner said that signing early allows the high school senior to concentrate on his academics (i.e. getting eligible for some) and ensure they're doing everything to be ready to make that adjustment to college life.

"This can put the pressure aside for the players,'' Pastner said of signing early.

For Pastner, the momentum he'll get this signing day, before he ever coaches a regular-season game, is important for his own credibility in the Memphis market. In addition to the Barton brothers of Baltimore, the Tigers also plan on signing No. 5 point guard Joe Jackson and quickly rising Chris Crawford, both from Memphis high schools.

Syracuse will also pull in quite a slew of talent this week, with three top-100 players in No. 3 shooting guard Dion Waiters, No. 2 center Fab Melo and No. 12 small forward C.J. Fair.

"It's good to get it out of the way,'' Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said of the early signing period. "You can concentrate on your high school career. It's absolutely better.''

But to ensure the early signing period is maximized more efficiently, Self would like to see a tweaking in the rules regarding official visits. He said it's difficult for a school like Kansas that isn't near a lot of players to get them into Lawrence earlier for unofficial visits, since official visits cannot occur until a player's senior year. That hasn't hampered KU from landing top classes, though. Some feel official visits are overrated, since so many players are committing without seeing the campus -- or at least only seeing it during a summer camp.

The key is to make September the evaluation period for sophomores and juniors. Self said if you were to have September be about recruiting players for the November signing period, you would be out on the road nearly every day possible.

And that's why it's imperative for a coach to lock up as many top players in the fall as possible. That way he can just concentrate on coaching his team during the season and then possibly find time to see underclassmen during the year.

"I don't want to be on planes flying all over the place as the head coach during the season,'' Self said. "You want November recruiting to be done so you can have a leg up on the next year during the year.''

There will be plenty of hype around who signs this week. And there will likely be some destination changes for some of these players if there is a coaching change in the spring, even with the new tweak of the NLI. Rarely will a school hold back a player from leaving if the new coach had nothing to do with him.

So the early signing period is here to stay. Just like always, the spring signing period will have a few significant holdouts -- like Patrick Patterson three years ago choosing Kentucky over Florida and Duke or Wall's decision last spring -- that will greatly affect the following season. But the major headlines are done this week to allow everyone to take a deep breath and focus on the now in high school and in college instead of perpetuating the interest on the future commitments during the season.

Ranking the conferences is always going to be a debate without a real winner.

What matters most to someone is open for discussion. For me, I look at the possible No. 1 seeds and the number of potential NCAA tournament teams. It's still a prediction at this point, but I'll give it a shot …

1. Big Ten: Michigan State and Purdue start the season as potential No. 1 seeds. Ohio State, Illinois and Michigan should be nipping at their heels with Northwestern not that far behind. Minnesota, Wisconsin and Penn State are possible NCAA tournament teams as well. That brings the count to nine teams that enter the season thinking they can make the field. That's nine of 11 members.

2. Big 12: The race between Kansas and Texas should be one of the best in the country. Both teams can win the Big 12 and national titles. The Jayhawks and Longhorns may be the deepest teams in the country, too. Oklahoma and Kansas State seem like locks to make the field. Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Texas A&M and Missouri should all be in the mix to challenge for bids, putting eight of 12 in play for an NCAA berth.

3. ACC: This shouldn't come as a shock, but North Carolina and Duke are likely going to be 1-2 in the league -- and with the nonconference schedules they play, will be in position to challenge for a top-two seed. Then there is a drop-off, with the rest of the league wide open. Georgia Tech has the talent to challenge for the title, and being the only team in the league to play Duke and Carolina twice means the Yellow Jackets will have a chance to affect the race in their favor. Maryland, Boston College, Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech are all starting the season believing they can make the NCAA tournament. That's 10 of the 12 teams in the league that are in play for bids. That could be a generous number, and it probably won't be more than seven, but the competitiveness from 1-12 has greatly improved.

4. Big East: The league may not have a top-seeded team in 2010 after getting three last season (Louisville, UConn, Pitt), but the strength of the league from 1-16 has gotten better. The bottom of the league has risen up with Seton Hall and St. John's having a real shot at an NCAA bid. West Virginia should be the favorite, despite Villanova's high ranking. But the Wildcats, Connecticut, Georgetown, Syracuse and possibly Louisville will be in play for bids. So, too, should Notre Dame, with the possible player of the year in Luke Harangody. Cincinnati, with maybe the freshman of the year in Lance Stephenson, and Seton Hall are sleeper teams that could also rise up into the top four in the league. And never discount Pitt under Jamie Dixon. Toss in the Red Storm as the only team that returns all five starters, and the Big East has 11 of its 16 teams thinking NCAAs.

5. SEC: If the SEC was putting forward just the East division, the league would be higher on this list. Remember, the SEC had just three teams that made the field last season and would have had only two if Mississippi State didn't win the conference tournament. Kentucky is a candidate for a No. 1 seed. Tennessee, Vanderbilt and South Carolina should all make the field if each team lives up to its potential. Florida is the dark horse, as the Gators are still an unknown because of all the newcomers. Mississippi State and Ole Miss are likely the only two NCAA contenders in the West. That gives the SEC a strong five to seven candidates for bids, but probably only one for a top seed.

6. Pac-10: The Pac-10 is in a reshuffle mode. Cal and Washington are more than capable of making deep NCAA runs if their respective guard play is exceptional. But holes up front could make them vulnerable. These two are likely the only sure things. UCLA will make its usual run for an NCAA bid once it matures. Oregon State, Oregon and Arizona are call capable of earning a berth based on their personnel. But it's still a big if, meaning the Pac-10 could be this season's 2009 SEC if it doesn't stand out enough in the nonconference.

7. Mountain West: This is the beginning of what could be one-bid territory. BYU should be the repeat champ, winning a fourth straight MWC title. San Diego State and UNLV are more than capable of challenging for the league title. But all three better differentiate themselves in the nonconference slate in order for the league to get multiple bids.

8. Conference USA: The top of C-USA should be stronger than the MWC, with Memphis, UTEP, Tulsa and Houston all capable of winning the league and earning a berth. But the problem is the overall depth of the conference. The bottom of the league continues to drag down the top. Southern Miss should be improved and so, too, should Rice. But how will C-USA, without an elite Memphis, be viewed nationally?

9. Atlantic 10: The A-10 has a star team in Dayton, but just how much the Flyers can ascend is still a question. UD should be a very good team, but can the Flyers separate themselves to carry the league higher? Xavier, Richmond, Charlotte and La Salle are all possible NCAA teams if they win in the nonconference and create a division within the conference.

10. Missouri Valley: The Valley will be extremely competitive again with great balance, but will Northern Iowa and Creighton be able to put themselves clearly ahead of the rest? Illinois State, Wichita State, Southern Illinois and Bradley could all be players in the league race, which is great for the competition but not so much for multiple bids. If it's too competitive, then it might be hard to differentiate.

11. West Coast: Gonzaga is still the cream of the crop. The Zags have a top-30 team this season and should be in the mix to win a game or two in the NCAAs. Portland is second best and could pull off an upset in the 76 Classic later this month. Saint Mary's will still be decent, but it's more than likely CBI/NIT potential.

12. Horizon: Butler might carry this conference even higher in the rankings. The Bulldogs play a national schedule and should be a top 15-20 team throughout the season. Wright State has a real shot to split with Butler and earn a bid with a conference tournament title. The strength of this league goes beyond these two with a new pesky team in Cleveland State (just ask Wake Forest).

13. WAC: Utah State is likely the one team that will represent the conference. The Aggies have a shot to win a game in March again after nearly clipping Marquette in the first round last season. Nevada has Luke Babbitt and Fresno State has Paul George, two potential honorable mention-type All-Americans. But neither probably has enough to earn an NCAA at-large berth.

14. MAAC: Siena is the class of the league and has a shot to win another first-round NCAA tournament game. The Saints also will sniff the Top 25 at some point during the season. Niagara can push the Saints, but the lack of possible postseason teams in this league pushes it down to the mid-teens.

15. Colonial: Old Dominion gets very little pub, and maybe that's our fault. The Monarchs return the core of their team and Blaine Taylor is once again primed to pull off a few upsets. Don't sleep on this squad. But Northeastern, VCU and Drexel (and I'd never count out George Mason) are likely to give ODU fits and could prevent it from winning the league. The conference should be top-heavy and the winner will likely earn a decent seed in the NCAAs.

16. Sun Belt: Western Kentucky is still the team to beat. The Hilltoppers have one of the most consistent programs in the country, regardless of who is the coach. Expect Ken McDonald to keep the good vibes going with this crew. The Hilltoppers' schedule should give them a solid power rating. But WKU will be pushed by North Texas and Denver for the tournament title.

17. Southern: It's strange seeing Davidson picked third, but the Wildcats are in rebuilding mode. Still, don't be surprised to see Bob McKillop's team find a way into the title race with the College of Charleston and Appalachian State. Bobby Cremins' Cougars are the best team in the league, but that might not be enough to win a first-round NCAA tournament game.

18. Big West: Long Beach State will play an elite nonconference schedule and the 49ers will know early if they can be a player in March. Cal State Northridge's near-miss with Memphis in the NCAA first round last season should serve notice that the Big West is no longer a pushover. The race should be tight with Northridge, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific all challenging Long Beach.

19. Mid-American: The MAC simply can't get itself in a position where it can earn multiple bids. The drought since 1999 will continue. Akron coach Keith Dambrot has the good karma with Akron native LeBron James helping out the program. The Zips are once again the team to beat.

20. Summit: North Dakota State was the darling of the Dance last season because it was the first time the Bison were eligible for a bid. NDSU is in a rebuilding mode this season, though. Oakland is the pick here and the Grizzlies' daunting nonconference slate will give them a high strength of schedule and prepare them for a possible first-round upset if they can get a 13- or 14-seed.

21. Patriot: Ralph Willard left what might've been his best Holy Cross team to become Rick Pitino's top assistant at Louisville. New coach Sean Kearney should take the Crusaders into the NCAA tournament and be a potential thorn for a first-round opponent.

22. Big Sky: Montana, Eastern Washington, Weber State and two-time defending tourney champ Portland State have taken turns of late becoming the "it" team in the conference. But the pendulum has swung back to Weber, where Randy Rahe went 15-1 last season and could produce another fine run. This time the Wildcats should be able to close out the league tournament, where they lost to Montana State last season.

23. Ivy: Cornell is the class of the league and might be able to pull off an upset in the first round of the NCAAs if it can get the right matchup. Princeton has improved and so, too, has Harvard. Never dismiss Penn, either.

24. America East: Binghamton would have been the pick to win the league and possibly challenge for a first-round win, but that program's offseason implosion has opened things up for a competitive, balanced race among Vermont, Boston University and New Hampshire among the contenders.

25. Atlantic Sun: James Florence's return to Mercer should keep the Bears in the race throughout the season. Florence averaged 20.8 points a game last season. Mercer has knocked off quality teams recently and the A-Sun has been a prickly early nonconference opponent for high-major leagues, especially the SEC.

26. Northeast: Quinnipiac, Mount Saint Mary's, Robert Morris and Long Island University should make this an interesting race down to the final weekend. But the top of the league will carry it and that means a possible 15- or 16-seed.

27. MEAC: Todd Bozeman has made Morgan State into a regular contender in the MEAC. He took the Bears to the NCAA tournament last season and could have them back again. The depth of the league isn't outstanding and pushes it down a few pegs. But Morgan State has the potential to be trouble again in March.

28. Big South: Brad Greenberg's Radford squad should be in the mix yet again for the automatic berth. The Highlanders can score and that shouldn't change this season. If it returns to the NCAA tournament, expect Radford to be a tough out in the first round.

29. Southland: The Southland has had its moments, notably when Northwestern State beat third-seeded Iowa in the 2005 NCAA tournament. Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State and Northwestern State have all had their share of success. The league is balanced, but doesn't have the standout team this season that might be able to win a first-round NCAA tournament game.

30. Ohio Valley: Maybe this is too low for the OVC, especially after watching No. 12 Cal escape with a 75-70 win over Murray State on Monday night. Murray is playing with four returning starters and the return of Jewuan Long and Donte Poole from season-ending injuries. If the Racers pull off a few in-season upsets, then this ranking needs to be revisited.

31. SWAC: Jackson State should be the class of the league. Tevester Anderson has a team that can defend with solid size for a low-major. This ranking might be too low for the SWAC and Jackson State may prove to be a tough out.

32. Great West: The newly formed Great West Conference doesn't get an automatic berth to the NCAA, NIT or CBI. But the winner will get to play in the postseason in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Utah Valley might prove to be the best of this bunch.