Thursday Morning Dump

- Seth Davis opens up his mailbag and dishes on sleeper title contenders, Florida's inconsistency, and other hot topics

- Mike Holmes, who was kicked off of South Carolina's team last season, has now been tossed off of the Coastal Carolina squad following an incident with a teammate that left the teammate needing to wear a protective face mask.

- Andy Katz informs us on Missouri State's impressive road resume. Unfortunately, Katz wrote this just hours before Missouri State was upended on the road by Indiana State by one, in scenic Terre Haute, Indiana

- Rush The Court details the undervalued importance of assists

- Dana O'Neil wrote a fantastic piece about the bond between Marcus Denmon and his grandmother. We should all know the story of Denmon by now, and O'Neil paints a fantastic picture of the connection Marcus has with "his favorite person in the world"

- Speaking of great articles about players and their families, Jeff Goodman provides insight on Kawhi Leonard and how the death of his father motivates him everyday

- Matt Norlander isn't exactly buying stock in Colorado. True, this is a turnaround season for the Buffs, but that's really where the conversation ends

- Two things: 1) Gary McGhee looks just like the Predator. 2) I need a t-shirt that says Ezeli is my Homeboy. Column.

- Zagoria has a wild story about Pitt recruit Khem Birch.

- Ken Pomeroy updates us on his kPOY award race. Jimmer Fredette leads the way, but surprisingly enough, Kemba Walker isn't no. 2

- Jeff Goodman comments on Iowa State's rise back to relevancy . Goodman also notes that Alabama has come a long way since their trip to the Virgin Islands

- Lost Letterman provides a top ten list of the worst BCS-conference programs to coach at

- At the beginning of the season Louisville was predicted to be on the bubble come March, but the Cardinals seem to be exceeding expectations. If they can win some of their toss-up games, and steal a few victories, the 'Ville will be back in the dance

- The UConn Blog gathered all the Bracket/Bubble Watches and compared them. Good Stuff.

- Some mid-season grades for Syracuse. Fab Melo is the biggest disappointment while James Sutherland is the most improved player

- The Belmont Bruins are one of the few remaining unbeaten teams in conference play. The main reason for success is their balance on offense and defense

- Arizona's upcoming trip to Washington will be a big test for the Wildcats. Head coach Sean Miller believes Lamont Jones is the key for a successful weekend

- Syracuse's Kris Joseph hopes to play against Villanova this weekend, a game that could once again set the attendance record at the Carrier Dome

- UNC's Leslie McDonald suffered a chest injury during the loss to Georgia Tech and did not suit up in their victory against Clemson. It appears that he has what scientists call "pneumothorax" and normal people call "a collapsed lung"

- Brian Williams has only hit one game-winning buzzer-beater in his college career, but that's not stopping him/his teammates from making comparisons to "The Mamba"


- Quincy Acy blogs about some emerging impact players in the Big-12

- Bowling Green received a huge chunk of cash from a donor which will go towards improving the basketball program

- The University of Texas is getting their own television channel. The university and ESPN agreed to a 20-year, $300-million deal which allows the World Wide Leader to have broadcast rights of the Longhorns-centric channel. So much for ESPN's journalistic integrity, huh?

- I think it's kinda weird that SDSU would be a #1-seed if the season ended today, yet they are only 40-to-1 favorites to win the NCAA tournament

- You might have missed this from last week, but a couple got engaged on the court at Rupp Arena after Kentucky's thrashing of LSU