Wednesday Morning Dump

Naked yardwork; never was a fan of the Wii; another case of a teacher getting it on with a student; Darwin award nominee; that's pretty disturbing; the end of "no homo"; how do you have a sexual encounter with a woman whose husband is in the front seat?; 33 best beer pong tables.

- Lance Stephenson is not getting noticed in Cincinnati.

- New interim president for the NCAA.

- Nolan Dennis of Baylor - out to prove his doubters wrong.

- Top 10 shooting guards.

- Top transfers this year.

- ASU lands a 7'2" center.

- SIU guard suspended after arrest.

- Army coach Jim Crews is out.

- Coaches pushing for health care reform.

- Davidson getting used to life without Steph Curry.

- J'Covan Brown may start at the point for Texas.

- CCSU track star suing over being forced to drink blood.

- How much trouble is Delonte West in?

- When you know you have a problem - you call a casino, get yourself banned, then go back and continue to gamble.

- Man gets money back for Oregon tickets.

- This guy is nuts: he climbs to the top of the uprights.



- Dude, perfect.


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Who is the deepest team in the country?

Last week, Jeff Goodman took a look at the three deepest teams in the country, Kentucky, Kansas, and Texas.

You'll get no real argument from me here. The last player off the bench for these three teams will probably be freshman Jon Hood (who was Kentucky's Mr. Basketball), sophomore Travis Releford (who was a consensus top 50 recruit), and freshman Shawn Williams (ranked the 45th best recruit by Scout), respectively. Each of these three kids could start for the majority of the teams in the BCS leagues.

Rush the Court asks a good question - why does this matter? Williams and Releford will be the 13th men for Texas and Kansas, while Hood is Calipari's 12th man at Kentucky. None of these teams will go more than 9-10 deep during the season, and even that would be pushing it come March.

But RTC is missing a critical point. Think about the practices these teams will have compared to, say, Memphis, who only has eight scholarship players this year. While Memphis will be practicing every day against a team that has two walk-ons, every practice in Lexington, Austin, and Lawrence will look a little bit like a high school all-american game. Except instead of the players coasting, you will have guys like Releford and Williams and Hood trying to prove they deserve to get some minutes.

If you are at the bottom of the depth chart, the only way for you to move up is by outplaying someone in a spot above you. Don't you think having a guy like Releford busting his tail every day will help Sherron Collins prepare to face guys like Willie Warren, Avery Bradley, and Denis Clemente?

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Tuesday Morning Dump

That's pretty embarrassing; project gaydar; I'd kill to get a video of this; cougar cruise; Spiderman lizard; I'd be scarred for life; man proposes, then gets in head-on accident; I can't decide if this guy is an idiot or the most awesome person ever.

- Andy Katz catches up with Dave Rose, the BYU coach that beat cancer.

- Gary Parrish tells the story of how Avery Bradley ended up at Texas.

- Gary Williams got a one year extension.

- Matt Bouldin and Taylor Swift? Impressive for a kid from a "no-name" team.

- NCAA Tourney locations through 2013.

- Harvey Grant's kid, Jerian, is going to Notre Dame.

- Yes, Luke, Memphis is rebuilding.

- Andre Iguodala didn't pay his cable bill.

- San Francisco Giants prospect wanted for murder?

- Movie stars on the gridiron.

- The making of the Blueprint 3 cover.



- Big hit, backyard style



- Obama on Letterman


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2009-2010 Team Preview: Cincinnati Bearcats

2008-2009 Record: 18-14, 8-10 Big East (t-9th)

Key Losses: Mike Williams (9.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Alvin Mitchell (6.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg)

Key Returners: Deonta Vaughn (15.3 ppg, 4.7 apg), Yancy Gates (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), Dion Dixon (7.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

Newcomers: Lance Stephenson, Ibrahima Thomas, Cashmere Wright

Senior Deonta Vaughn will lead the Bearcats in '09-'10.
(photo credit: ESPN)

Mick Cronin's 2009-2010 Bearcat team will be by far the most talented in his four years at Cincinnati. It starts with senior Deonta Vaughn, a potential first round pick who just may be the best player in the Big East you've never heard of. Vaughn is an explosive scorer (15.7 ppg for his career) whose offense is based around his ability to hit the three. When he gets hot, going for 30 is not an uncommon occurence. But he isn't just a shooter; Vaughn is able to put the ball on the floor and either get to the rim or draw an extra defender and find an open man.

Vaughn's numbers dipped quite a bit during his junior season, however (17.3 ppg to 15.3 ppg; 40% 3's to 34% 3's; 1.36 pps to 1.22 pps). Thanks to an injury to Cashmere Wright, a freshman who was expected to start at the point, Vaughn was forced to play out of position - he is much more effective as a scorer when he can play off the ball. The other issue was there really was not another player on the Bearcats that opponents had to be afraid of on the perimeter. Every night, he would face defenses completely geared towards slowing him down.

That will change this year. Not only is Wright returning from injury, but the Bearcats also added all-world recruit Lance Stephenson to the mix. I know that Stephenson is a freshman, but he already is as talented a scorer as there is in the country; he's the all-time leading in points scored in the state of New York. There may not be a more potent 1-2 punch in the country, let alone in the Big East. The Bearcats will also have a lot of back court depth, as juniors Larry Davis and Rashad Bishop, sophomore Dion Dixon, and freshman Sean Kilpatrick will all compete for minutes.

As ridiculous as it may sound, Wright may be the most valuable of the three starting guards. There really is not another point guard on the Bearcat roster. Sure, Vaughn can slide over and do a serviceable job, but having your senior leader playing out of position (especially on a team with this much talent) is less than ideal. Wright was a top 100 recruit before hurting his knee, but he will be entering into this season with no college basketball experience after rehabbing a knee for a year. So while he probably will take a while to get back to his pre-injury form, the Bearcats will not need much more out of Wright than to avoid turnovers and get the ball to Stephenson and Vaughn in places where they can score.

Up front Cinci will be strong as well. Yancy Gates, a sophomore who entered Cincinnati with a lot of hype but had an up-and-down first season, could be headed for a breakout year. He is a load to handle on the block and when he goes to the glass hard, but he was incredibly inconsistent finishing in and around the basket. The biggest issue is that Gates is a bit of a head case, allowing his emotions to get the best of him at times. They do lose Mike Williams, a workhorse in the paint who decided not to apply for a fifth year of eligibility, but senior Steve Toyloy should be more than ready to fill in his shoes.

The x-factors up front will be seven foot junior Anthony McClain and 6'11" transfer Ibrahima Thomas. Thomas averaged 8.3 ppg and 3.9 rpg in seven games with Oklahoma State last year before he decided to transfer. He will be eligible to play after the fall semester ends, and his ability to hit shots from the perimeter could make him an excellent compliment to Gates on the inside. McClain has all the length in the world, but he has yet to prove he has the strength, coordination, and ability to be a significant factor at this level.

I do foresee one major problem. Stephenson and Vaughn are both volume shooters, meaning they take a lot of shots. Will there be enough shots for both of them? Will Stephenson be able to defer to the senior Vaughn, or vice versa if Stephenson turns out to be an all-american at this level? If Gates continues to develop, will he be able to handle being the third or fourth option?

Outlook: With just Deonta Vaughn and Lance Stephenson on the roster, the Bearcats could probably make a run at the NCAA tournament. But if Cashmere Wright is healthy and effective, and Yancy Gates is a threat in the post, Cincinnati might be the third best team in the Big East. I don't think a 25 win season and a trip to the Sweet 16 is out of the question if Stephenson and Vaughn are able to co-exist. But with the number of volatile personalities on this roster, Mick Cronin will have his work cut out for him.

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UPDATE: Kyrie Irving will not be a Hoosier

Just a few weeks after listing Indiana as one of his co-leaders (along with Duke), Kyrie Irving, a top 10 recruit in the class '10, eliminated IU from contention.

The decision comes just weeks before Irving was scheduled to take an official visit to the Bloomington campus.

Each recruit gets five official visits. Right now, Irving is heading to Kentucky, Duke, Georgia Tech, and Texas A&M. He is trying to decide between Seton Hall and UConn for his fifth official. UPDATE: Irving will take his fifth official visit to Seton Hall.

Kyrie Irving has eliminated Indiana from his list.
(photo credit: ESPN)

I don't want to speculate as to why Irving backed out on his official visit. (If you read some of the quotes from the people around him, it simply seems like he just didn't want to go there.) Kids make decisions like that all the time.

But if you're Tom Crean, you have to be pretty disappointed. For a program in the rebuilding phase, Irving is the kind of talent that not only can carry a team, but will make the players around him better and possibly attract more top tier talent. Remember, his high school teammate is Michael Gilchrist. Yes, that Michael Gilchrist.

Now that they are out of the running for Irving, the Indy Star is reporting that Tom Crean's staff is currently chasing after former Tennessee commit Josh Selby, another five star point guard.

Anyway, here's a quick mixtape of Kyrie Irving highlights from the Nike Global Challenge:



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Tennessee's Josh Tabb suspended indefinitely

Josh Tabb, who backed up Bobby Maze at the point last season, has been suspended indefinitely by head coach Bruce Pearl.

"Josh has been in the program long enough that he knows he needs to meet all of our expectations," Pearl said following Friday's practice.

Last season, Tabb averaged 3.4 ppg while starting 11 games. Known primarily as a defensive stopper, the lefty did hit a team-leading 42.4% from three last season. Tabb's minutes were expected to dwindle a bit this season as the Vols added JuCo point guard Melvin Goins to their roster.

Tabb exemplifies the problems Bruce Pearl has had at Tennessee. His roster is full of talented kids, that is for sure. But it is a roster chock full of poor decision makers, but on and off the court.

You can have all the athleticism in the world, it isn't going to tell you what is or isn't a good shot or how and when to rotate defensively.

Until Pearl can get these kids to buy into his system, play and run hard, and make better decisions, this team is going to live below expectations.

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Monday Morning Dump

Trains cattle guard prevents suicide; javelin through the leg; priest and a stripper have a kid; slut list?; did yo know Jedi was an actual religion; 91 year old naked man thwarts a robbery; dad of the year candidate.

- Toughest schedules in the country.

- Five most important freshman.

- Cameron Clark commits to Oklahoma; Trevor Releford to Alabama.

- Tony Wroten tore his acl.

- Mike Brey pocket tweets.

- Delonte West caught with an arsenal.

- I'm pretty sure this never happened.

- UCF honors victims of racism (great story here).

- Moment of the week: freshman football team allows a player with Downs Syndrome to score a TD.



- Analyzing asses with Chris Mortensen.



- Customer tackles bank robber



- And finally, the video of Mosley calling out Mayweather.




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Marquette loses freshman Junior Cadougan; West Virginia's Truck Bryant reinstated

Buzz Williams' Marquette squad suffered another setback on Friday as freshman point guard Junior Cadougan ruptured his achilles' tendon in a conditioning drill and will be out for the season.

With the Golden Eagles' losing their entire back court to graduation, Cadougan, a top 100 recruit, was expected to at least contribute significant minutes, if not start. With JuCo transfer Darius Johnson-Odom currently sidelined with a sprained ligament in his foot, Marquette's back court depth is severely depleted.

Junior Cadougan could miss the season with an Achilles injury.
(photo credit: ESPN)

How important is Mo Acker's decision to return to school now? Seniors Acker, who had originally decided to focus on his studies during his last year at Marquette, and David Cubillan will now be expected to handle the majority of the back court minutes, with junior Dwight Buycks coming off the bench.

.....................................................................................

Down in Morgantown, Mountaineer fans got some great news today as sophomore Truck Bryant has been reinstated by head coach Bob Huggins. Back in July, Bryant was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident after crashing into a car driven by a fellow WVU student.

In early September, he pleaded no contest to the charges, racking up some court fees and fines, but avoiding jail time.

Truck Bryant has been reinstated at West Virginia.
(photo credit: Scout)

This news comes three weeks after fellow point Joe Mazzulla, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, was also reinstated.

West Virginia sorely needed these two point guards. Last year, the Mountaineers were as good as anyone in the conference in terms of toughness, defense, and hitting the glass (especially on the offensive end). But they struggled offensively at times. Outside of Da'Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff, they did not really have a player that could create offensively.

With Ruoff gone, the 'Neers needed options on the offensive end. Both Mazzulla and Bryant are both solid playmakers - Bryant is probably a better scorer, but Mazzulla is more of a true point guard - and should be effective playing alongside each other.

With these two on the roster, expect the Mountaineers to compete for the Big East title with Villanova.

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Andy Katz on agents and recruiting

If you haven't seen it yet, Andy Katz filed a lengthy column taking a look at how agents have changed the way college basketball operates.

His central point is basically that agents start recruiting players the same time coaches do - early in their high school years. That recruitment does not stop when they are in college, either. While this sounds illegal, it technically isn't as long as the agent is just "establishing relationships" and no money exchanges hands.

Being an agent is just like any other job - it is all about who you know. That is why these guys start trying to establish a relationship with not only the players, but that player's family, handlers, AAU coach, etc., at such a young age. The hope is that by getting to know these young stars on a personal level before they are pro's, they will be able to land them as a client once the money starts flowing.

I'll let you read the article for the details, but there was one quote from Billy Donovan that really stood out too me:

The thing that is difficult is that agents aren't living under any of the rules as it relates to contacts. We have rules for contacting a player, but an agent can do it as much as he wants and can go over to his house. We can't do those things.

This summer has been one of scandals, and if you have been keeping track of the numerous articles delving into college basketball corruption, you would recognize the theme.

In an ideal world, college basketball coaches are the people that we want players listening too. For the most part, they have the best interest of the kid in mind - whether it is the decision to go pro, which agent to sign with, or anything else basketb (or non-basketball) related that may come up. Agents, handlers, and entourage, in general, have much more of an eye for their own self interests.

The problem, as Katz illustrates, is that the coaches are losing influence. And the biggest reason for that is the way the rules are structured. Coaches have to be so careful about not only how much time they spend with their players, but when and how many times they contact them during the recruitment period. Everyone else - agents, runners, AAU coaches - can spend as much time as possible getting the know the player, whether he is in high school or college.

You want to lessen the impact that these hangers-on have on the game? Limit the amount of time the players can spend with these people.

It is easier said than done, however.

Why?

Because the NCAA has jurisdiction over the college coaches. They have none over the agents and handlers.

How would they enforce a punishment?

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Where is all the talent in the Pac-10?

During the 2007-2008 season, the Pac-10 was arguably the nation's best conference. Six of the ten teams reached the dance (and Arizona State was probably the first team left out). The league was well represented in the 2008 draft - five of the first eleven picks, seven of the first 21 picks, and twelve players overall were taken. In the 2009 draft, seven more players that were on a Pac-10 roster in '07-'08 were picked, including James Harden and Jordan Hill, who both went in the lottery.

It is safe to say that the league has produced as much, if not more, NBA caliber talent as any conference the last two seasons.

But that may change this season.

Each summer, Draft Express runs a segment breaking down the top 15 NBA prospects in each conference. This year, the pickins are quite slim out west (to note: DX does not count freshman, although it may be a moot point - Washington's Abdul Gaddy is the only Rivals top 25 frosh headed to the Pac-10). Take a look at their top 10 (which came in two parts, here and here):

1. PG Malcolm Lee, UCLA
2. PF Michael Dunigan, Oregon
3. SF Klay Thompson, Washington State
4. SG Patrick Christopher, Cal
5. SF Quincy Pondexter, Washington
6. SG Dwight Lewis, USC
7. PF Drew Gordon, UCLA
8. SG Jerime Anderson, UCLA
9. PG Isaiah Thomas, Washington
10. PG Jerome Randle, Cal
    

There may not be a lottery pick in that group. Outside of Isaiah Thomas and maybe Jerome Randle, there may not be a single pre-season all-american vote (although, I think Klay Thompson is going to surprise a lot of people outside Pullman). Thomas and Randle both posted impressive numbers last year, but with each standing around 5'9", we aren't exactly dealing with the next Derrick Rose.

Look, we know this season is a rebuilding one for the Pac-10 as a whole. UCLA is going through a changing of the guard as four year stalwarts Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Alfred Aboya have finally graduated. Ditto for Arizona State, who lost James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph. Arizona, who is in danger of missing the tournament for the first time in a quarter century, and USC, who has seen as much talent pass through their program as any in the nation the last five years, are both essentially starting from scratch with new coaching staffs. Stanford and Washington State are down, and the Oregon schools are, well, just not that good right now.

Outside of Cal and Washington, there may not be another top 25 team, at least in the pre-season. Whether it is losing players to the draft, a coaching change, a scandal, or just simply a couple unlucky years recruiting, just about every team in the Pac-10 has suffered a setback in the last two year.

But that's the way it goes with the BCS conferences.

The SEC was a joke last season, but this year they boast one of the best teams in the country, and could realistically send six or seven teams to the dance.

The Big East was stacked in '08-'09, but this year they are probably only better than, well, the Pac-10.

So if you are a fan of the Pac-10, just sit tight this year. Things will swing back your way. Hey, if UCLA doesn't lose anyone to the draft, you could be looking at the 2011 national champs.


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Ben Howland fine after an appendectomy

UCLA head coach Ben Howland underwent an appendectomy yesterday, and according to reports he is resting comfortably at the UCLA medical center.

He expects to be recruiting again by the end of the weekend.

While getting cut open and having an organ, no matter how useless, removed is never an ideal situation, in the grand scheme of things appendectomies are pretty standard procedures. So if you are a UCLA fan, don't be worried as much as you are impressed.

Because despite the fact he was laid up in a hospital bed, Howland, who is one of the best recruiters in the game, still managed to find a way to get a word in edgewise regarding his school:

One of the very best things about being a coach or student-athlete at UCLA is if you need medical attention, you won't find any better place in the country than at the incomparable UCLA Medical Center. The medical staff and community at UCLA are simply the best and I'm so grateful to all of them for their professionalism and commitment to excellence.

And you wonder why he is consistently landing top 50 recruits and top 5 recruiting classes.

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Friday Morning Dump

Stabbed over dog poo; Notre Dame accidentally tips a caterer $29,387; is that the best sketch they could come up with?; Chris Berman's daughter works for the Patriots; yes, always yes; tree branch through woman's neck - pictures here; if you call 911 because the bar cut you off, the bar probably made the right decision; if you break into a house, don't leave your facebook account open; father of the year.

- Arkansas to suspend at least one player for 2-3 games over rape accusations.

- I never knew the circumstances surrounding AI's trip to prison while in high school. Definitely a must-read here.

- Memphis would settle for any BCS league, not just the Big East.

- Freshman will play a big role on whichever team wins the title.

- Basketball players have been well behaved this summer.

- Ex-Kentucky player pleads not guilty in ticket scam.

- Henry Iba's nephew to retire.

- Top 10 Kobe dunks.

- This Bryon Russell-Michael Jordan 1-on-1 thing may actually happen.

- Woman tries to take topless picture with Tim Tebow.

- Top 10 NFL Top 10 lists.

- He may not be that good at football, but Vince Young sure seems like a stand-up guy.

- Muck the Fets.

- Racecar driver ordered to crash.

- What a disaster Charles Rogers has turned into.

- Journey's Steve Perry is a Giants fan, but the Dodgers have adopted "Don't Stop Believin'" as their theme song.

- Mark Grace and the tramp stamp.

- Million dollar hole-in-one.


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*UPDATE* Will Bol Kong end up at Gonzaga?

UPDATE: According to The Slipper Still Fits, Bol Kong is currently on campus. Great news for him and great news for the Zags. Mark Few's back court is shaping up to be one of the better in the country with Kong joining Matt Bouldin, Demetri Goodson, and Steven Gray.

Last summer, the NYT ran a piece on Bol Kong, a Sudanese refugee living in Canada. Kong (who has one of the best names ever) is a basketball player, and a damn good one at that. He had some impressive numbers (23 vs. Marquette, 30 vs. Boise State, 14 vs. Oklahoma) in scrimmages against DI teams playing for Douglas College in Canada. The 6'7" guard committed to and signed with Gonzaga.


But Kong has yet to make it to the Spokane campus. You see, Kong's parents never established Canadian citizenship. He moved to Canada when he was 7, which means that Kong is still a Sudanese citizen. For those unfamiliar with immigration law, Sudan is a considered a state sponsor of terrorism, which makes it very difficult for Sudanese nationals to gain entry into the States. Kong has tried and been denied a visa to study here three times before.

And it is looking like this could be the fourth time.

According the To Slipper Still Fits, Kong's case to obtain a visa has hit a snag. Andy Katz wrote in his blog over the weekend that Kong has 12 day grace period after the start of the fall semester to make it to campus, which means that he needs to be on campus by the end of next week.

Gonzaga lost a lot from last year's Sweet 16 squad. Kong, a 6'7" guard with range, could be the perfect replacement for a guy like Micah Downs, providing the Zags with athleticism and length they are currently lacking on the perimeter.

But that is besides the point.

I try to keep this blog as apolitcal as possible, because as we all know, sports and politics don't always mix. Regardless of your feelings on opening up the borders, our nation's war on terror, or Obama's homeland security policies, I think we can all agree that, if his visa is denied, Kong will have gotten screwed.

Just because this kid happened to be born in the Sudan (he hasn't lived there in 13 years), he is going to be denied the opportunity to further his education and pursue a lucrative career in basketball?

Wouldn't we want to help a family that was able to escape a place like Sudan?

I appreciate the need for laws limiting immigration from state sponsors of terrorism, but to me this seems like a situation where we are following the letter of the law as opposed to the spirit of the law.
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Recruiting update!

Over the last couple of days, there have been a number of big time recruits committing to a school:

• Jeremy Lamb, a 6'4" shooting guard out of Norcross, Georgia and the 68th best player according to Rivals, has committed to UConn. Want an idea of how good Norcross High is? Lamb got a scholarship to UConn despite averaging just 11 ppg in 15 mpg as a junior.
• UVa landed James Johnson, a 6'9" big man from California. Johnson is a top 100 recruit (99th by Rivals, but 31st according to Scout) and cancelled trips to Arizona and Oklahoma after visiting Charlottesville.
• Bruce Ellington, who was being recruited for both football and basketball, has committed to South Carolina to play point guard. The 5'10" South Carolina native is rated 94th by Rivals and 52nd by Scout.
• LSU has gotten a commitment from Ralston Turner, a 6'5" wing from Alabama rated at the bottom of the top 150 by both Rivals and Scout.
  

In other news, Harrison Barnes, one of the top three recruits in the country, recently trimmed his list down to six - Duke, UNC, Kansas, UCLA, Oklahoma, and Iowa State. The Ames, Iowa, native was thought by many to be leaning heavily towards Coach K an the Dookies, but after a weekend trip to Chapel Hill, things may have swung in another direction.

From the Charlotte Observer:

The Heels all but rolled out the red carpet at the Smith Center when Barnes made his official recruiting visit and took in UNC's Pro Alumni basketball game on Sept. 4.

Barnes' mother, Shirley, once taped many of Michael Jordan's games after he left North Carolina and was doing his thing for the Chicago Bulls, just in case she one day had a son. In May 1992, when she did give birth, her son was named Harrison Bryce-Jordan Barnes.

So here was Harrison Bryce-Jordan Barnes, on a Friday night at the Smith Center. Standing barely 15 feet away on the court was Jordan, MJ himself, basking in the roars of an adoring crowd before the alumni game.

Also on the court were such NBA players as Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison and Jerry Stackhouse. There was former coach Dean Smith, and NBA coaches Larry Brown and George Karl, all back in Chapel Hill to help kick off the school's 100th basketball anniversary.

Barnes would watch and clap as the Heels unveiled their 2009 NCAA championship banner that night. The next day, at the football opener at Kenan Stadium, he would see the Heels receive their new NCAA championship rings.

So while Barnes was at UNC, he met countless NBA players and former coaches (including Jordan himself), he watched these NBA stars play in UNC alumni game, he helped raise the 2009 national championship banner, and watched as the Heels received their rings.

Does any other school stand a chance?

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Schedule for College Hoops Marathon released

Exactly two months from today, ESPN will be hosting their second annual 24-hour college basketball Tip-Off Marathon. While it isn't exactly the start of the season (many teams around the country will be playing sometime in the previous week), it is still college hoops.

For 24 straight hours.

Can it get any better than that? Maybe if I was watching with Megan Fox. And she was a UConn fan. But I digress...

On Nov. 17th we get 24 hours of college hoops.
(photo credit: Rush the Court)

Anyway, the schedule was released yesterday, and we have ourselves quite a few excellent match-ups (all times EST, and all games on ESPN unless noted):

12 AM Cal State Fullerton @ UCLA: Both teams will look much different this season than they did last year as CSF will be looking to replace Josh Akognon and his 23.9 ppg while the Bruins will be playing their first game in four years without Josh Shipp, Darren Collison, and Alfred Aboya. It will also be your first chance to see UCLA sophomore Malcolm Lee, who some expect to be a star, in an expanded role.

2 AM San Diego State @ Saint Mary’s: This match-up, which is a rematch from the NIT Quarters last year, is highlighted by two freshman - SDSU's Kawhi Leonard, a top 100 recruit for Steve Fisher, and St. Mary's Matthew Dellavedova, the #1 rated junior player in Australia. Both teams are sleepers to win their respective conferences.

4 AM Northern Colorado @ Hawaii: For the second straight season, Hawaii will be hosting the 4 AM tip time. The Rainbows will be led by athletic wing Roderick Fleming.

6 AM Monmouth @ Saint Peter’s, 8 AM Drexel @ Niagara: Never before in the 8,200 game history of college basketball on ESPN, has a game been aired in either of these time slots. While the early game will be a bit tough to wake up to watch (let alone to play, you think its going to be a sluggish game?), you should be in for a treat in the second game. Bruiser Flint's Drexel team brings back a couple tough guards, while Niagara brings back four of their five starters, and should give Siena a run atop the MAAC.

10 AM Clemson @ Liberty: While the Tigers lost their top two perimeter shooters in KC Rivers and Terrence Oglesby, they were able to sign USC de-commit Noel Johnson to complement Trevor Booker and Demontez Stitt. The Seth Curry-less Flames were able to land a home game against the ACC school after helping Clemson out with a late-scheduled home game last season.

12 PM Northeastern @ Siena: Coming back-to-back trips to the second round of the dance, Siena loses Kenny Hasbrouck but returns enough talent (including Alex Franklin, Edwin Ubiles, Ryan Rossiter, and last year's hero Ronald Moore) to make another run. Northeastern should be pretty good as well. They return Matt Janning, Chaisson Allen, and Manny Adako and will make some noise atop the CAA.

2 PM Arkansas-Little Rock @ Tulsa: Tulsa, who is led by center Jerome Jordan, a potential NBA first rounder, could unseat Memphis from the top of the C-USA. Some media outlets have them as a top 25 team thanks to the addition of freshmen Donte Medder and Jordan Clarkson, who was ranked in ESPN's top 100.

4 PM Temple @ Georgetown: Temple loses leading scorer Dionte Christmas and center Sergio Olmos, but returnees Lavoy Allen and Ryan Brooks are both talented kids. Georgetown, on the other hand, returns their entire core with Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, and Greg Monroe coming back and has a shot to win the Big East.

5:30 PM Binghamton @ Pittsburgh (ESPN2): Binghamton reached the NCAA tournament last season, and returns leading scorer DJ Rivera. The Bearcats might have an actual shot at beating the Panthers, as Pitt not only lost four starters from last year, but their two best returners Gilbert Brown (academics) and Jermaine Dixon (broken foot) may both miss the game.

6 PM Charlotte or Elon @ Duke: This will probably be your first chance to see the bigger Blue Devils play. Duke caught a break as freshman Andre Dawkins was allowed to enroll a year early, giving Coach K his third guard on the roster. Can Kyle Singler handle playing the three?

7:30 PM Arkansas vs. Louisville in St. Louis (ESPN2): Louisville lost a lot to the league (T-Will, Earl Clark), but they return two talented big men in Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings. You will get a chance to see if Peyton Siva can be the guy everyone though Edgar Sosa would turn into. Arkansas is a program in turmoil, but with four double figure scorers coming back and a couple of talented newcomers, the Razorbacks have enough talent to make a run at a tournament bid.

8 PM Gonzaga @ Michigan State: Despite losing key role players Travis Walton and Goran Suton, Michigan State once again looks like a favorite in the Big Ten. They will be led by Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, and Delvon Roe. Gonzaga lost a ton of talent, but they return a solid back court of Matt Bouldin, Demetri Goodson, and Steven Gray, but will they have enough size to handle the Spartans inside?

10 PM Memphis vs. Kansas in St. Louis: Memphis has not caught a break this off-season. Latavious Williams went to China, they lost Coach Cal and their entire recruiting class, their 2007-2008 season was vacated, and they are now down to eight players after Angel Garcia tore his acl. Oh, and they get to play consensus #1 Kansas this early in the season. Fun.

11:30 PM TCU or Cal St Northridge @ Arizona State (ESPN2): The Sun Devils, who will be starting the post James Harden era, are not yet sure who they will be playing in the pre-season NIT.

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Thursday Morning Dump

This guy looks like he commits hate crimes; how do people like this land teaching jobs; Burt Reynolds to rehab; mom panhandles to pay for kids tuition; again?; funny; 23 husbands; creepy.

- RIP Myles Brand.

- Transfers ruining high school basketball.

- Didn't get to this yesterday - Wisconsin loses two back court players.

- Top 10 defenders.

- Maryland will have some size this year.

- Memphis hires ex-Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese. A move to try and get into the Big East?

- Jewish Jordan retires.

- Jack Nicklaus's grandson plays football.

- What an awesome way to spend your lottery winnings.

- Man wins women's poker tournament.

- A lot of good videos for you after the jump:

- If you don't like the sight of blood, don't watch this.



- Video of Obama calling Kanye a jackass.



- Adam Schefter chokes.



- What does that even mean?



- One of the best sacks I've seen in a long time.


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Pit's Jermaine Dixon breaks his foot

Jamie Dixon's Pitt Panthers have not had an off-season to remember. They lost four starters from last year's team (including Sam Young, DeJuan Blair, and Levance Fields). Then sixth man Gilbert Brown was suspended for the first semester as a result of poor academics.

Now, Dixon's top returning player Jermaine Dixon (no relation) has broken his foot for the second time this summer.

Jermaine Dixon will miss about two months with a broken foot.
(photo credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

On Wednesday morning, Dixon had surgery to repair a fracture to his fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot, the same foot he broke earlier in the summer. He suffered the injury in a pick-up game, and is expected to be out two months.

If Dixon can catch a couple breaks (pun intended), he should be ready to go by the time Pitt plays their first game against Wofford on November 13th. But with Midnight Madness just a month away, he will be missing most, if not all, of Pitt's pre-season practices.

"We fully expect Jermaine to make a full recovery," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said Thursday via a released statement. "The surgery was a success and we know that Jermaine will work hard during the rehabilitation process."

Along with being one of Pitt's best perimeter defenders, Dixon, who averaged 8.4 ppg last season, is going to see an increase in how much the Panthers rely on him offensively. An athlete has to be in peak physical condition to handle the rigors of Big East basketball, and asking Dixon to be able to perform at his highest level coming off of surgery is a difficult task.

Pitt shouldn't be challenged until the November 23rd, when they face Wichita State and Iowa or Texas in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Classic. With any luck, Dixon will be ready to go by then.
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Wednesday Morning Dump

Pedophilia at its finest; "You don't expect to hear that someone you know killed a guy with a samurai sword"; loses stepson buying drugs; am I supposed to know who this is?; headline of the year nominee; people hunt gators?; Nats hat a terrorist symbol..

- One freshman that carried the water for my team in college is still known as Juice Box.

- Can G'Town win the Big East this year?

- Ole Miss has a chance to be good this year.

- Next year's pivotal players.

- Gillispie wants civil case against UK to go to federal court.

- Toughest non-conference schedules - UNC and Michigan State.

- Barcelona offers a 7 year old.

- Bowl game at Yankee Stadium.

- College coaching headhunters.

- I'll always love Aaron Boone for the bomb he hit in the '03 ALCS.

- Dude in a Vick jersey destroys a van.

- Neither am I...?

- Lady Gaga is out of her mind.



- 50 disses Lil Wayne



- Little girl throws back homerun ball.


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Kyrie Irving does not want to be a back-up

No matter the sport, the politically correct thing to say is that winning is all that matters. As long as your team comes out on top, we as athletes are not supposed to care about personal matters like stats, playing time, or who makes the game-winner.

As the saying goes, there is no "I" in "team".

But is that really true?

No.

As anyone that has ever played a sport can attest, the truth is that we all want to win AND be the star. No one actually wants to come off the bench. No one actually wants to be a role player. Whether it is your neighborhood men's league or the NBA, you want to be the star; the hero.

In a world full of anti-Kanye's worried about their public image and perception in the media, sometimes it is refreshing to here someone speak the truth.

Kyrie Irving, a top five point guard recruit playing at St. Patrick's in New Jersey, did just that. In an interview with Scout.com's Dave Telep, Irving said that a factor in his college choice will be his "role in the offense". As Gary Parrish tells us, this can easily be read as "I have no desire to be a role player".

Kyrie Irving wants to start when he gets to college.
(photo credit: photos.nj)

Irving's recruitment seems to be coming down to six schools - Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, UConn, Georgia Tech, and Texas A&M. Of those six, three already have big time points guards on their roster - UConn's Kemba Walker, Kentucky's Eric Bledsoe (John Wall's a one-and-done), and Georgia Tech's Iman Shumpert.

So if Irving doesn't want to have to wait a year or two to start, wouldn't it made sense that he would avoid a school with a star already filling his position?

Is it any wonder now why most believe the Blue Devils and the Hoosiers are his top two?

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Tuesday Morning Dump

Can't we worry about the current one first?; bar must pay designated driver they threw out; manure fight leads to tasering; boy fakes kidnapping to avoid showing parents report card; Obama calls Kanye a jackass; deaf athletes; not interested; RIP Bodie.

- Larry Eustachy on Billy Gillispie: "He has a disease".

- Top 30 guard Cameron Clark trims list to three.

- Will Memphis still be the cream of C-USA?

- Top freshman of '09-'10.

- Cameron Indoor will have more student seating.

- Whitlock weighs in on the Jordan HoF speech. So does Wilbon.

- Dude, you’re one of the best football players in the world; you don’t get your women off of reality TV. Who said it?

- Woody Plaige.

- The guy "The Basketball Diaries" was based on died.

- I don't think I'll ever get sick of reading about the kids from Muck City. Great read.

- What do you want to bet this comment causes some trouble.

Ohm Youngmisuk Racist Serena Williams Comments
by bobsblitz

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