The only good news in this story is that somehow Seton Hall's Keon Lawrence did not kill anyone. This, despite causing a two-car accident while driving the wrong way in the express lanes of the Garden State Parkway.
Lawrence's blood-alcohol level was over the .08 limit -- the exact level not known -- and was charged with driving while intoxicated. Not only that, but Lawrence was driving with a suspended license and had two traffic warrants outstanding. The accident occurred after 3AM Monday morning.
Head coach Bobby Gonzalez suspended Lawrence, who was expected to play this season after transferring from Missouri, indefinitely.
With the exception of New York Knicks fans, there will not be much booing tonight when Isiah Thomas steps on the court at the Dean Dome. UNC fans will not be cheering for Thomas or his FIU team, but who is going to boo a guy on the same day his mother has heart surgery after a heart attack on Saturday?
According to Jeff Goodman at FOXSports.com, Thomas' mother told him to go and coach the game. This will be Thomas' national debut as a college coach. Not much is expected from a very bad Golden Panthers team that has to play the defending national champs in Chapel Hill.
Tonight is the opening night for college basketball. Defending champion North Carolina tips off at 7PMtonight on ESPN, followed by Syracuse. Plus teams like California and Ohio State start their season as part of one of the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament. All with little hype despite being on one of the ESPN family of networks.
So, the quiet start kicks off what has become the annual lament among college basketball writers. There are no festivities. There is no "celebration." There is no coordination. There is only a quiet and disjointed start to college basketball.
The reasons are familiar. Both external and internal. Pro and college football are dominating most of the market. The NBA and NHL have been underway for a few weeks, as well. Plus the NCAA and basketball programs do themselves no favors with teams no organized start to the season. Teams kicking off their season with no rhyme or reason (other than planning around on-campus football games). College basketball just gets lost in the shuffle.
SEC Commissioner Mike Slive might have been hoping that when college football season ends, he would not have to be issuing weekly warnings to his high profile coaches to watch their mouths. But it looks more like he will be chiding coaches some time into April.
The addition of John Calipari at Kentucky means the SEC coaching family gatherings promise to be more entertaining. Calipari has never been one to build warm relationships with other coaches in his conference (right, John Chaney?). His soured relationship with Rick Pitino should make his meetings with Florida's Billy Donovan more interesting.
The warm and special relationship that was built during his time at Memphis, with Tennessee's Bruce Pearl will undoubtedly produce the most entertainment. .
Now the basketball team drops an exhibition game to a Division II school, 82-79. This was not just losing to a D-II program, like Michigan State and Ohio State both did two years ago. That's embarrassing enough. This was losing to the Le Moyne Dolphins, a D-II school located right in Syracuse. It really doesn't get any more humiliating than that. Bragging rights in town for the year.
Well, at least Tim Floyd is not simply spending his free time down in Mississippi waiting to find out what the NCAA investigations will eventually/someday/maybe rule regarding O.J. Mayo and what kind of asylum he was running at USC.
No, Floyd has found time to go to the Morongo Resort and Casino in beautiful Cabazon, Calif. Apparently a place where things can get a little wild. Floyd waded hip deep into trying to break up a cat fight. Blogger Spencer Hall sees this as proof of a future as a bouncer at the casino. Judging by the women in the fight, and willingness to pick up a chair to attempt to go upside Floyd's head, I'd say he should be aiming to be security on the Maury Povich Show. Video after the jump.
A serious situation at the University of Arkansas seemed to resolve itself last month when it was determined that there was insufficient evidence to file rape charges against three unnamed Arkansas Razorback basketball players. For a program that has had numerous off-the-court distractions and dysfunctional coaching searches, this was a small relief not to have it hanging over its head when the season got underway.
So much for that plan. Questions quickly arose surrounding the prosecutor that determined there was insufficient evidence. Now the Razorbacks are looking at a case that's being reopened by a special prosecutor appointed by the state, just as the season opener looms.
It really shouldn't come as a surprise that Bob Knight would opt not to attend his own induction into the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame. His departure from Indiana was ugly, well-documented and Knight has never been one to easily forgive and forget.
Or maybe he is mellowing just a bit. Rather than not even respond to the invitation, Knight actually let Indiana know that he would not attend.Not just passing word along through an intermediary or via press release. He called Indiana's athletic director Fred Glass directly. A former sportswriter that is a longtime friend of Knight, will represent Knight at the ceremony.
The reason claimed is that Knight would not attend because he didn't want a media crunch that would ensue were he to attend, to overshadow the induction of many of his former players. That almost seems reasonable except for one thing. Considering Bob Knight is being inducted, regardless of his physical presence, he will overshadow the event.
Twice before in his life, Billy Gillispie had been accused of drunk driving. He avoided an actual admission and penalties the first couple of times. The third time was the not quite the charm as the former Kentucky coach pled guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in Anderson County District Court in Kentucky.
Gillispie limited most of his responses to the judge to one word answers. He received a sentence similar to most first-time offenders in Kentucky. A 30-day suspension of his driver's license, a fine plus all court costs and being required to complete an Alcohol Drivers Education Program.
Oh, the uber-talented guard is practicing and with the Wildcats and impressing all who see John Wall play. It's just that the NCAA has suspended him for the first two games. Well, an exhibition and the season opener. So it is more like 1.5 games. Wall will miss the exhibition game against NAIA Campbellsville on Monday, November 2. He will also miss the season opener with Morehead State. That means his debut will be on November 16 against Miami (Ohio).
Wall's eligibility was called into question because his AAU coach/adviser/future entourage and hanger-on Brian Clifton had also been failing to be an NBA agent while Wall was being recruited as a high school junior. Clifton had helped pay for some of Wall's travel expenses for unofficial visits to schools. Wall also has to repay Clifton almost $800.
Somehow, Kentucky should be able to find a way to get past those first two opponents without Wall.
With the exception of New York Knicks fans, there will not be much booing tonight when 
Tonight is the opening night for college basketball. Defending champion North Carolina tips off at 7PMtonight on ESPN, followed by Syracuse. Plus teams like California and Ohio State start their season as part of one of the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament. All with little hype despite being on one of the ESPN family of networks. 
SEC Commissioner 
There are days that make you question why you put up with the things you do as a fan. For Syracuse fans, Tuesday was that day. The continuing fallout from the 
It really shouldn't come as a surprise that 
Twice before in his life, 
Oh, the uber-talented guard is practicing and with the Wildcats and impressing all who see 
