Seth Davis
• Oklahoma guard Willie Warren is challenging Georgetown's Greg Monroe for national freshman of the year. Warren, whois averaging 15.5 points on 39.4 percent shooting, scored 29 points during the Sooners' win over Iowa State on Saturday.
• I know what the RPI data says, but I find it hard to believe that by Selection Sunday, Notre Dame won't be one of the top 34 at-large teams in thecountry. That said, a win at UCLA on Saturday would go a long, long way.
• Speaking of the Irish, it might surprise you to learn that even though Notre Dame played Texas and North Carolina in the Maui Invitational, itsnonconference strength of schedule is ranked 284th in the RPI. That's because they also played four teams ranked below 300 in the overall RPI rankings.Just goes to show once again that in the RPI, bad teams will hurt you more than good teams will help you.
• The best part about the emergence of Washington freshman point guard Isaiah Thomas is that Justin Dentmon, who hasplayed out of position at point guard the last two years, can now move to the wing full time. It's amazing how much more comfortable Dentmon looks at thatposition. I'm also pleased to see that Quincy Pondexter has committed himself to being a hard-nosed glue guy.
• Michigan is ranked last in the Big Ten in three-point percentage, yet it is ranked first in the conference in three-pointers made. That tells you theWolverines are emphasizing something they shouldn't be. I also had a Big Ten head coach recently mention Michigan has had a hard time gettingDeshawn Sims and Manny Harris to have good games at the same time.
• While we're talking about Michigan, here's a little background on referee Jim Burr's decision to call Harris for a flagrantfoul (which causes an automatic ejection) when he swung his elbow and caught Purdue guard Chris Kramer on the nose. Two weeks ago,John Adams, the NCAA's supervisor of officials, addressed part of his monthly memorandum to his concern about "a reluctance ofofficials in all conferences to call intentional personal and flagrant personal fouls when warranted." Adams specifically addressed situations involving"excessive swinging of the elbow" -- in other words, elbows that have been swung in a way that is not a "regular basketball move." In thoseinstances, the referee's call depends on whether or not contact has been made. If there is no contact, the player is supposed to be whistled for aviolation -- the other team gets the ball, but no foul is called. If contact is made, as was the case with Kramer, the player is supposed to be automaticallycalled for a flagrant foul. In other words, if you excessively swing your elbows, you cannot be called for a simple personal foul. It's either a violation(no contact) or an ejection (contact).
Furthermore, Burr also worked last week's Wisconsin-Purdue game in which Wisconsin forward Joe Krabbenhoft blatantly leaned into Purdueguard Lewis Jackson on this play while setting an illegal screen which resulted in Jackson sustaining a concussion that caused him to miss theMichigan game. So it's fair to say that Burr had a heightened awareness about this whole issue. Adams told me that the Krabbenhoft play could lead to a newrule next year requiring officials to go to the monitor in a situation where an injury has occurred, even if a foul wasn't called. In the meantime, Adamsis going to recommend officials do just that in the meantime. Keep in mind that in those situations, the refs can only use the monitor to determine whetherthey can see a flagrant foul or a combative act/fight. They cannot use the replay to justify calling a personal foul that wasn't whistled when the playactually happened.
• There isn't a lot of exciting news to report out of Indiana these days, so let me take a second and give a nod to Matt Roth, afreshman guard who tied a Big Ten and school record for made three-pointers when he shot 9-for-11 from behind the arc in a 93-81 loss to Ohio State onSaturday. Roth came into the game averaging just six points per game, but he is the all-time three-point shooter in Illinois high school basketball history andis making 52.6 percent this season. (I will avoid making the obvious Bobby Plump reference here.)
• A direct quote from one of ESPN's top on-air college basketball people: "Bob Knight is dying to get back into coaching."There's no doubt Knight can coach, but if I were a prospective athletic director, he would have to prove that he has the energy and desire to recruit atthe level he would need to win. Knight would be a good short-term hire. Long-term, I'm not so sure.
• St. Mary's could potentially pose a very tough case for the NCAA men's basketball committee. What if the Gaels go on a major losing skid withoutPatty Mills (who broke his wrist in a loss to Gonzaga), but then they win a couple after he comes back late next month? Remember, thecommittee takes injuries into consideration, but if St. Mary's loses a bunch of games in Mills' absence, it might be hard to put them in the field.
• Virginia Tech could prove to be another interesting case if the Hokies are on the bubble. Remember, they lost two games on shots at the buzzer to Xavierand Wisconsin. In the case of the Xavier game, the loss came on a half-court shot. If that shot doesn't go in, the Hokies have a win over a top 10 team ontheir résumé. Members of the Selection Committee might not admit openly they take such close losses into consideration, but believe me, they do.
• Siena may have fallen off the radar after the Saints lost all three of their games at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando in November, but now they have won12 of their last 13, they're undefeated in the MAAC and they're ranked 20th in the RPI. No team will want to see its name pop up next to Siena's onSelection Sunday.
• So let me get this straight. Memphis is a borderline top 25 team, and yet there is still no one in Conference USA who can beat them?
• You know about Eric Maynor, but VCU has another potential future pro in 6-9 sophomore forward Larry Sanders. Sanders hasonly been playing organized basketball for a few years, and his minutes were limited last season because of foul trouble. But thanks to his 7-7 wingspan, he isa lethal shot blocker, and he is a freak athlete who has worked on his rail-thin body. I really hope VCU does well in the tournament so I can go on TV and say"Hey now!" every time I mention Sanders's name.
• You all do know that Marquette's Jerel McNeal is the best guard in the Big East, right?
• I see freshmen Jrue Holiday (UCLA) and DeMar DeRozan (USC) still listed as lottery picks on some NBA mock draft boards,and I can only shake my head. I mean, these guys are barely good college players right now.
• It's amazing how many teams are dealing with flu issues right now. This is a bigger problem than we often realize because it's not as easy to spotas an injury. These guys are sharing locker rooms and airplanes throughout the winter, so when one of them gets sick, they're all in jeopardy. Forinstance, Michigan State forward Raymar Morgan has had a hard time shaking a bad virus for several weeks. He barely played in theSpartans' loss at home to Penn State on Sunday.
• I know Tennessee fans are excited about freshman Scotty Hopson's season-high 20 points (on 4-for-6 three-point shooting) inSaturday's big win over Florida. If there's one thing that could jump-start Tennessee's season, it would be Hopson emerging as a go-to perimeterscorer. I suspect he's not ready for that to be his full-time role.
• It is not hard to figure out what Wake Forest needs to do to win games: get to the foul line. If you look at their game-by-game stats, the Deacons'two lowest free-throw attempt totals were 12 versus Virginia Tech and 17 versus Georgia Tech. Those are also their only two losses.
• I have to say, I'm surprised that Alex Legion is not having a bigger impact at Illinois. The 6-5 Kentucky transfer became eligible inDecember and should have given the Illini some instant offense, but he has only mustered three double-digit scoring three times in 11 games and has scoredseven points total in his last four games.
• Wouldn't it be ironic if this year's Davidson turns out to be George Mason?
• Kansas could really take a step up if Mario Little emerges as a consistent scorer. The 6-5 junior college transfer missed theJayhawks' first 12 games because of injuries, and he almost decided to redshirt. He scored 12 points off the bench in Kansas' win at Baylor on Mondaynight. It was just his second double-digit scoring night of the season, but it gave the Jayhawks an important lift on a night when SherronCollins wasn't shooting well and Cole Aldrich was limited by foul trouble.
• Jeff Capel is the first, second and third choice at Georgia. In fact, Georgia had an offer ready to go after Capel last year untilDennis Felton saved his job by winning the SEC tournament. You can be sure a lot of schools will go after Capel this spring, but they willhave a formidable adversary in OU athletic director Joe Castiglione, who may well be the best AD in the country.
• I'm not quite buying the comparison, but an NBA executive recently told me he looks at James Harden and sees BrandonRoy.
• I just love that Homer Drew is still coaching Valparaiso.
• Kudos to Utah State for its 20-1 record (9-0 WAC), but for such a prominent program, it's pretty disappointing that Stew Morrilldidn't give his guys a more challenging schedule. The Aggies' nonconference schedule is ranked 265th in the country and included just two teams rankedin the top 75 of the RPI. If Utah State doesn't win the WAC tournament, it could have a hard time getting an at-large bid even if it has just twolosses.
• When did the Mohawk make a comeback anyway? I thought that went out with The A-Team.
• It says here there will not be a single team from the Pac-10 or the SEC playing in the NCAA tournament in the second week.
• Matt Bouldin emerged as Gonzaga's definitive go-to guy during the Zags' comeback win at Tennessee, and he hasn't looked backsince.
• Finally, I want to pass along my congratulations to my good friend Vito Montelli, the 76-year-old head coach at St. Joseph's High inTrumbull, Conn. Last week, the venerable Coach V won his 800th career game. Think about that for a second. It is an amazing accomplishment.
