FanHouse Nate Miles

Early entry candidates testing the waters for the 2009 NBA Draft had until Monday evening to decide whether to jump in with two feet or get out the pool completely. All in all, 55 candidates pulled out while 49 stayed, including 10 international players.

As much as college fans complain about "one-and-done" ravaging the amateur game, it's worth pointing out that only five freshman are leaving school, and of those, only three (DeMar DeRozan, Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday) figure to be locks as lottery picks.

You rant at a press conference that you're worth the millions as the highest-paid employee in a bankrupt state, cold to the fact that everyone around you is in a panic about losing a job or sending a kid to college. The governor says you've embarrassed yourself, and you look so foolish that you become an instant YouTube cult figure.

You're accused of dirty recruiting, breaking NCAA rules, making you the star of a week-long news cycle. You're in your late 60s, and stress and health add up so that you're too sick and dehydrated, temporarily, to coach your team.

The gods gave Jim Calhoun a glorious exit opportunity when Connecticut reached the Final Four. With his name crashing down around him, he could have left to cheers.

Instead, he announced Thursday that he plans to come back next season.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Marcus Denmon already had his one shining moment, that freeze-frame picture to keep for a lifetime, long after the highlights of this NCAA tournament fade.

The Missouri freshman snagged an inbounds pass Thursday night, sidestepped to avoid a hand waving in his face, and let history fly. From three-quarters out, with the halftime buzzer about to blare, Denmon's fling dropped flawlessly through the twine to put his team up by 13, and from that second on Mizzou knew it had been touched by something special, something only a handful of teams get to experience as March rushes to a close.

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As the University of Connecticut looks forward to the Sweet 16, there's a possibility some serious off-court problems could distract the top-seeded Huskies. Yahoo! Sports has conducted a six-month investigation and has learned that NCAA rules have allegedly been broken by the University.

In a very lengthy and thorough article, Adrian Wojnarowski and Dan Wetzel lay out the details of how Connecticut has likely committed major violations, all revolving around the recruitment of troubled, yet talented, ex-UConn player Nate Miles. The principle allegations involve an agent, goods and services provided to Miles, and too much use of the good ol' cellular telephone.

Update: UConn reportedly committed NCAA violations in its recruitment of Nate Miles.

UConn freshman swingman Nate Miles was arrested last week for violating a restraining order.

At about 8:16 p.m., according to the report, Miles was alleged to have violated the order by placing a phone call to the protected party. He was arrested and released later that night after posting a $2,500 surety bond.

Miles is due in court on Tuesday.

While the incident may not appear to be severe, it has to be a bit troubling for the Huskies. Miles, 20, attended five high schools in four years, and coach Jim Calhoun had a well-publicized battle with athletic director Jeff Hathaway just to get Miles admitted into the school.

According to court documents, Miles was served with a restraining order just 20 minutes prior to the violation. A woman filed the order against Miles because she claims he attempted to force her to have sex. The two parties had a relationship that allegedly turned into abuse in the weeks prior to the filing of the restraining order.

Once he got the order, he placed a call to the woman which was an instant violation. Miles was sent to counceling which could lead to the charges being dismissed.

The University has since expelled Miles. His legal guardian is pushing for an appeal, though Miles isn't sure if he wants to go through all that.