NEW YORK -- Whether it was Villanova's Final Four trip last season or his bench demeanor, Wildcats coach Jay Wright has made a big impression on a majority of the Big East players.
Wright was the top vote-getter in FanHouse's poll of the league's players asking which coach, other than their own, they would like to play for. Wright, who received 29.7 percent of the votes, edged Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, with 24.3 percent.
Two weeks ago at the Big East's media day, FanHouse polled 37 players representing all 16 schools that attended Madison Square Garden on a variety of subjects. The players were guaranteed anonymity for their responses with only one stipulation: they could not vote for their coach, a teammate or their school in any of the categories.
While the players voted for Wright as the coach they would like to play for, Seton Hall's Bobby Gonzalez (24.3 percent) edged UConn's Jim Calhoun (21.6 percent) as the "opposing coach that screams the most."
OAKLAND -- A two-day, multi-team draft workout at the Golden State Warriors' practice facility in downtown Oakland got underway on Monday afternoon, with 21 NBA teams represented and 24 potential pro prospects in attendance.
The media wasn't allowed into the gym to see the workouts, and the NBA executives weren't made available for comment. But that didn't mean there wasn't a little buzz created.
Unless you cheer when your boss gets a raise, growl "box out!" every time N.C. State's Derrick Whittenburg's slow arcing shot in N.C. State's mammoth 1983 upset lands in the hands of history, or still get angry wondering why Goliath's coaching staff didn't think to defend against the slingshot, then the last two years have been a rotten time for fans of the upset in college hoops.
Sure, there were a few dandies, like Virginia Commonwealth knocking off a Duke team so delicate you'd think it was made by Swarovski in 2007, Western Kentucky running to the Sweet 16 in 2008, and Davidson one-upping the Hilltoppers that same year. But for the most part, the last two tournaments have been like a comic book without the pictures.
Nothing like having two defensively challenged teams facing each other to provide entertaining -- if one-dimensional -- basketball. Notre Dame and Providence offered just that as the Fighting Irish got only their second Big East road win, 103-84.
Both teams were looking for a big win to get them into the bubble argument. Providence may be over .500 in the Big East, but they have just three wins against teams in the top half of the conference. Notre Dame lost a lot in a brutal Big East stretch. They especially show incompetence on the road, so they need anything away from South Bend to help their case.
Headlining: It's obvious, right? Duke tops both polls for the first time since the end of the 2005-06 regular season and we're all depressed ecstatic! I want to say that it's hard to like this Blue Devil team, but when is it easy to like Duke? (Answer: When you're a Duke fan. Or when the Blue Devils are playing Carolina.) That being said, the 2008-09 incarnation isn't nearly as hate-able as previous teams.
For the better part of three seasons, Notre Dame's ability to handle business at home was less a statistical trend and more a law of physics.
The Irish would rack up a score higher than a Saturday golfer at Augusta, mix in a pinch of defense and march on to the next game.
Expecting otherwise would be like biting into a popsicle only to scald your tongue. It simply didn't make sense. Forty-five times in a row it worked to perfection.
The most beautiful thing about college basketball, the "madness" aside, is the collection of mini-runs that occur in a game as momentum shifts throughout. And the Pittsburgh-Louisville game had plenty of them, including a crucial late second-half 10-point stretch from the Cardinals that saw them pull ahead for the final time en route to beating the Panthers, 69-63.
It was a statement game for everyone involved from the Cardinal side, too: Earl Clark came out swinging in the second half, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 boards on an evening that happened to be his 21st birthday; Terrence Williams solidified his status as team leader with a 20/7/4 line; Rick Pitino's press is suddenly very, very relevant again (at least until I bracket them into the Final Four in a few months).
Luke Harangody is a heck of a college basketball player, and someone that seems like a pretty "solid" dude. Although one would imagine that if he attended Duke, he would be imminently hateable. (For whatever reason, the Fighting Irish don't give off the same pallor on the hardwood as they do on the gridiron.) But all of that couldn't stop Earl Clark from yim-yamming all up on Luke's face last night, as Lousiville downed the Irish in overtime. Enjoy. Slow motion at 2:20.
When the ball is tipped -- in a sure-to-be blowout of Indiana by Gonzaga -- Saturday at 1:30, it will mark the first time basketball is played in Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. While there have been some complaints from fans in the upper levels of the stadium, I personally think it's a phenomenal venue. As I stated in a FanHouse in the Stands for a Colts game, the concourses and exits are designed beautifully. You will rarely feel crowded when trying to reach your seats, and the restroom lines are nowhere near any concession stands.
I'll be very interested to see how everything works out for basketball, but space shouldn't be an issue, since half of the stadium will be unused. You can view a picture of the basketball setup by clicking here. I believe it's going to be a very solid basketball stadium for years to come, with many final fours in its future -- beginning in 2010 and coming back in 2015.
During Notre Dame's loss to North Carolina in the championship game of the Maui Invitational, you could tell that Luke Harangody wasn't feeling well. The broadcasters passed along that he was sick as he looked sluggish on both ends of the court.
The Irish are entering into a fairly easy stretch of games. They host Furman today and South Dakota on Tuesday. They play Ohio State in Indianapolis next Saturday before hosting Boston University, Delaware State and Savannah State. If they want to play it safe, they may sit Harangody for that entire stretch. I doubt they'd sit him for an entire month.
Also, that has to suck to get a trip to Hawaii and come back with pneumonia. What are the odds?
NEW YORK -- Whether it was Villanova's Final Four trip last season or his bench demeanor, Wildcats coach Jay Wright has made a big impression on a majority of the Big East players.
Unless you cheer when your boss gets a raise, growl "box out!" every time N.C. State's 
Nothing like having two defensively challenged teams facing each other to provide entertaining -- if one-dimensional -- basketball. Notre Dame and 
Ranking the rankings
The most beautiful thing about college basketball, the "madness" aside, is the collection of mini-runs that occur in a game as momentum shifts throughout. And the Pittsburgh-Louisville game had plenty of them, including a crucial late second-half 10-point stretch from the Cardinals that saw them pull ahead for the final time en route to beating the Panthers, 69-63.
During Notre Dame's 
