ESPN Men's Basketball

Perhaps no program in the country more desperately needed help at the guard position this spring than the Maryland Terrapins. It wasn't always this way. Just a month ago, the Terps were all set at the guard spot, what with ACC leading scorer Terrell Stoglin likely coming back for his junior season at the school.

Things have long since deteriorated. Stoglin was set to be suspended for an entire year for breaching the Maryland athletics code of conduct, so he put his name in the NBA draft instead -- probably the only move worth making, given the crucial lost year on the court.

So Maryland coach Mark Turgeon found himself with an All-ACC-sized hole in his backcourt, and he needed help filling it. Enter Albany transfer Logan Aronhalt. Aronhalt announced his intentions Saturday to relocate to College Park, a decision spurred on by a handful of factors: Aronhalt's desire to enroll in Maryland's renowned graduate kinesiology program (Aronhalt is a summa cum laude Albany grad with a 3.78 GPA), his proximity to family in the D.C. area and his team's trip to Maryland last season, when Aronhalt got to experience the feel of a game in the Comcast Center in late December. From the Baltimore Sun:

“It was a fun game to play in,” Aronhalt said. “It was definitely one of those experiences that gave me goose bumps, playing in front of so many people in a nice arena against a program with such a rich tradition.” [...] “I think Coach [Mark] Turgeon was excited. I’m definitely excited, too,” said Aronhalt, who will be eligible to play immediately. “It was just an experience that I’ll never forget, just playing there once. To have the opportunity to play there every home game was something I couldn’t say no to.”

Of course Turgeon was excited. Aronhalt may not be a game-changer for the Terps in 2012, but he is a veteran guard with three years of Division I experience. With Stoglin gone and injured point guard Pe'Shon Howard recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in February, Aronhalt will probably start alongside Howard and guard Nick Faust, depending on the kind of lineup Turgeon prefers. The biggest question is whether Aronhalt has the athleticism to compete against ACC guards; chronic knee pain kept him out of the lineup for the latter portion of last season.

Even so, Turgeon desperately needed a backcourt body. He got one, and a capable one at that. So maybe the post-Stoglin era doesn't have to be quite so dire after all. Plus, the name "Logan Aronhalt" sounds a lot like a fringe character from "Game of Thrones." If that's not a good sign I don't know what is.

Typically, this isn't an issue. A coach is fired, a new coach is hired, and if the players committed to the old coach don't want to play for him, they are usually released from their national letter of intent -- which they don't even need to sign in the first place -- and allowed to choose another school, no hard feelings.

That wasn't the case at Virginia Tech this week. On May 10, Montrezl Harrell, Virginia Tech's top recruit in the class of 2012 (and the No. 89-ranked player overall) decided that he wasn't interested in the Hokies after former coach Seth Greenberg's sudden firing. Tech hired James Johnson, a former Greenberg assistant, in a grasp at "continuity," but by losing Harrell and ACC All-Freshman Teamer Dorian Finney-Smith, that didn't really pan out.

Anyway, the situation should have been simple. Harrell should have been released from his NLI almost immediately. Instead, Virginia Tech dragged the process out for an entire week, offering little explanation as to why. On Thursday, the school relented, with associate athletic director Tom Gabbard telling the Hampton Roads Daily Press that although Johnson wanted to keep Harrell in the fold, he ultimately didn't want a player who was no longer excited about being a Hokie.

"We'd have loved to have kept him, but (Tech men's basketball coach James Johnson's) position is if the young man doesn't want to be here with us on his own part, then we won't keep him here," Gabbard said. "(Johnson) would like for him to be here, but you only get one chance in your lifetime to play college basketball. We released him yesterday." [...]

But why did it take a whole week? From Gabbard again:

"To be honest with you, (an institution) gets 30 days (from the time the release request is filed) if you want them," Gabbard said. "Not only that, it specifically says if you deny it, then he can appeal it. One of the grounds for appeal is not a change of coach. That's not recognized as a legitimate appeal.

"Having said all that, and (Johnson) feels the same way and so does (Tech athletic director Jim) Weaver, you get one shot in a lifetime to do this. If you're not happy, we don't want you to come some place you're not happy or you don't think you're going to be happy. I think if (Harrell) came here, he'd be great, but he's made a decision, and we're going to help him with it."

Gabbard's reasoning on this is remarkably similar to Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan's, who came under fire for his heavy restrictions on freshman Jarrod Uthoff's transfer list this offseason. Among other concerns, Ryan maintained that he didn't make the rule, that he was only following protocol, and that nothing he was doing was outside the rules. Which was true. But just because a rule allows coaches to restrict transfers' permission-to-contact lists doesn't mean those coaches should take advantage of it. It's a bad rule. So is the 30-day digestion and appeals process Gabbard is referring to. Yes, a school can wait up to 30 days to allow a committed prospect out of his NLI, and yes, a school can hear an appeal on the matter. Just because a school can do these things doesn't mean it should.

Harrell wanted to play for Greenberg. Greenberg was fired. This is pretty simple calculus, and something that shouldn't take 48 hours, let alone a week, to process.

Harrell is back on the market, free to explore his various options (which will likely include Kentucky and Louisville, among others). All's well that ends well, I guess. But this rule, like the transfer rule, needs to be changed. Until it is, schools should do the right thing. This is pretty straightforward stuff.

Incoming freshmen should anticipate major adjustments at the Division I level. The players are bigger, stronger and faster.

But the uptick in competition is only part of the transition from high school to college. The 21st-century college basketball player should understand off-court expectations, too.

They're all about adhering to proper swagger etiquette.

I hope you all have notepads ready. Here’s what you’ll need to get ready for Division I basketball off the floor:

• An Instagram account: Twitter is so 2011. These days, college basketball players send messages through photos via Instagram. It’s a cool tool. You take photos, attach a brief memo and ship the image to the world. Or if you’re Jared Sullinger, you send photos of text-message exchanges with other All-America forwards. You need this. Trust me.
• Friendships with rappers: Blame Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins. Lil Wayne’s highly publicized crush on the talented guard dramatically increased her street cred and Twitter follower count. Jay-Z sat behind Kentucky’s bench during the Final Four. Romeo Miller (the onetime Lil' Romeo who now just goes by Romeo) didn’t just support USC basketball. He actually joined the team. Find a rapper. Become his friend.
• Fashionable specs: I know. You have 20/20 vision. Doesn’t matter. This is all about style. I learned about this recent development in college basketball fashion from Michigan State’s Adreian Payne. He says his black glasses project sophistication. It’s either that or an affinity for Clark Kent.
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Kelly Kline/Getty ImagesNerlens Noel brings a signature coif to Kentucky ... but does he have the right backpack?
• The Kevin Durant backpack: Throw the gym bag in the trash. That’s old school. You need a backpack. Not a normal backpack. You won’t haul anything in it. You need a backpack that’s also a fashion statement. Durant’s backpack -- one he wears to postgame press conferences -- started this trend.
• Access to a state-of-the-art facility: Florida State’s players get access to their team’s practice facility by placing their hands on some sort of “Star Trek” detection device. Indiana’s facility features underwater treadmills in the training room, his and hers gyms for the men’s and women’s squads and an atrium that doubles as a museum for Indiana basketball. Players’ lounges -- think college kids bonding, not “Shaft” -- are standard, too. And then, there’s Oklahoma State’s basketball facility. Is that legal?
• Trend-setting hair: Nerlens Noel is covered. But what about the rest of the incoming freshmen? Will your hair matter? It definitely did for Wisconsin’s Mike Bruesewitz. Stores in Madison sell wigs of his former curly-afro look. Still waiting for the cornrows version. The hair on top of St. Louis guard Jordair Jett’s head can only be described as majestic. Talk to your barber about this.
• Beats by Dre headphones: Yes, they’re $300 headphones, but a multitude of college players wears them and, somehow, purchases them. They’re a necessity, I guess. You either have a pair of mammoth Beats by Dre headphones or you don’t wear headphones in public as a Division I basketball player. I don’t think the headphones offer a real advantage over their competitors. But, they’re the norm for college basketball players. The obsession with Dr. Dre’s headphones among NBA players has certainly trickled down. Even high school players demand them now. Put it on the shopping list.

Feel free to add on …

I'm not sure how much Duke can use newly committed recruit, power forward Amile Jefferson, in the 2012-13 season. It strikes me as difficult to assume a player with such a slight frame (Jefferson is listed at 6-foot-7, 190 pounds) who is a "jump shot away from being special" (according to ESPN recruiting scouting analysis) will play alongside Mason Plumlee, and Duke's coterie of perimeter scorers, or whether Duke needs more of the stretch-forward role they got from departing senior Ryan Kelly, the apparent antithesis of Jefferson's game.

But in the end, it doesn't matter: Duke desperately needed to add to its 2012 recruiting class. On Tuesday, after one of the most drawn-out recruitments in recent history -- it feels like we say that every year -- Jefferson spurned NC State, Kentucky, Ohio State and Villanova. The decision was surprising; many expected Jefferson to commit to NC State, and Jefferson's mother even carried an NC State hat in her purse, just to be safe. In the end, Duke landed the No. 25-ranked player in the class of 2012, because Jefferson considered it a "once in a lifetime opportunity."

Clearly, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's recruiting pitch got across.

The questions now are whether Jefferson can help right away, where fellow McDonald's All-American and shooting guard Rasheed Sulaimon fits in the backcourt, and so on. If Jefferson can excel as early as this season, all the better for the Blue Devils. If he can't, he provides the promise of well-developed talent as a sophomore, particularly after Mason Plumlee graduates. In either case, with a short bench, a lack of frontcourt depth, and the creeping suspicion that Coach K had (even briefly) lost the pace of the nation's best recruiters, Jefferson's commitment is as important for competitive reasons as it is symbolic ones. Where the pieces all fit remains to be seen.

It's probably fair to assume Coach K will figure it out. After all, there's a reason why his take-home got this big.

The offseason is rough, but at least we have two things:

1. The NBA Playoffs.

2. Olympic basketball.

I realize there are many college hoops fans who have no interest in the pro game, and while I don't understand you lot -- it's really good basketball, promise! -- such a stance does mean you likely take no solace in the mere presence of the NBA playoffs. But we can all get behind Olympic basketball, right? The collection of the world's best players, wearing the Stars and Stripes, vying for a gold medal -- it's a thrilling experience made all the more exciting by the continued global evolution of the game.

Though it may feel like it, it wasn't always this way. Just twelve years ago, USA Basketball appeared to be on something like a permanent decline. The 2004 Olympic team failed to capture gold at the Games, losing to Argentina 89-81 in the semifinals, and the recriminations were long and loud and thoroughly embarrassing to coach Larry Brown and his players (most notably Allen Iverson), who were seen as emblematic of the NBA's supposed me-first culture. The international game was on the rise -- less selfish, less brash, more fundamental -- and the United States, dominant basketball superpower, was on the way out.

That didn't happen, and we have two men to thank.

One is USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo, who revamped the men's national team with the establishment of a player pool designed to give the organization more structure and continuity. Colangelo's general vision has been the driving force behind the idea of USA Basketball as a program, not as an isolated, once-in-four-years affair.

The other is the man Colangelo hired to oversee the team, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who today announced this summer's 2012 Olympics would most likely be his last on the job. Under Coach K, USA Basketball became something less like a lark -- hey, sure, let's go win gold and travel, should be fun -- and something more like a consistent, dedicated annual effort. In 2008, Coach K selected an amazing team built on the league's best talent, with players who were not only better than their competition but adjusted their styles to the international game (a frequent criticism of past teams) and played selfless, ego-free basketball. Coach K got Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul and Dwight Howard and you-name-it to play together. (Watch footage of Bryant's defense in that tournament. It was breathtaking.) When Spain's talented team tested the Americans in the 2008 gold medal game, they were ready. The 2004 team would have been run off the floor.

Then, in 2010, Coach K won again, this time in the FIBA World Championships with a group of players effectively dubbed the "B Team" -- young, emerging stars like Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Andre Igoudala, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love. (The list goes on: Eric Gordon, Stephen Curry, Rudy Gay, Danny Granger ...). Nearly every player on that team came back from the 2010 FIBAs and went on to be a star on the league, Durant and Rose most notably. And is it a coincidence that Lamar Odom was sixth man of the year in 2011, or that Tyson Chandler anchored the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA title?

We can argue the developmental benefits of USA Basketball under Coach K. What we can't argue is the massive evolution the team has undergone since that nightmare in 2004. A fractured, bloodied entity is long since behind us: The 2012 men's Olympic team will come in as the obvious favorite, and none of the questions of the past -- Can the personalities work together? Can the U.S. play the international style? -- will linger over the proceedings. Coach K is an old-fashioned patriotic type. Whether you agree with his politics or not, his ability to imbue his star-studded, millionaire-loaded national teams with that spirit -- country first, team second, individual last -- has to be considered among the finest accomplishments of his career.

It would be too much to say Colangelo and Coach K "saved" USA Basketball. The players are far too good for that. Even as the game globalizes, the rest of the world still has a long way to go to catch up. And the personalities of the 2008 stars, specifically Bryant, went a long way toward ensuring a level of focus and dedication not seen in 2004.

Still, eight years ago, USA Basketball was in crisis. Today, it's as strong as it's ever been. It isn't always hard to coach the best players in the world, but it isn't always easy, either. And Coach K was the perfect man for the job.

Yes, it's that time of year again -- the time we all join together around the fireplace (or MacBook Air, or whatever) and learn what the upcoming year's edition of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge will see fit to bring us.

It's like Christmas in May! OK, it's not really like Christmas. It's considerably less awesome than Christmas. Honestly, it's considerably less awesome than the ACC/Big Ten Challenge itself, because at least that features actual basketball, rather than the mere promise of it. But it is May. Right now, this is the best we can do. (Besides, it beats talking about conference realignment.)

Anyway, as usual, the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge will bring us quite a lot. Below you can find the matchups, as released by the conferences at 2 p.m. ET Monday:

Tuesday, Nov. 27

Minnesota @ Florida State
North Carolina @ Indiana
NC State @ Michigan
Maryland @ Northwestern
Iowa @ Virginia Tech
Nebraska @ Wake Forest

Wednesday, Nov. 28

Purdue @ Clemson
Ohio State @ Duke
Georgia Tech @ Illinois
Michigan State @ Miami, FL
Boston College @ Penn State
Virginia @ Wisconsin

The first day of competition, Nov. 27, is practically guaranteed to be the best. Why? Because it offers North Carolina at Indiana and NC State at Michigan, the former of which is the first time the two bluebloods have met since Sean May, Rashad McCants and Raymond Felton rolled into Bloomington in 2005, just one stop on the way to an eventual national championship. The 2012 edition will offer a decidedly different flavor. Indiana is the program expected to compete for a national title, while UNC -- though still very talented, with a deep coterie of guards and a marquee big man in sophomore James Michael McAdoo -- will be in some ways rebuilding from the losses of Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Harrison Barnes and Kendall Marshall, all of whom left bound for the NBA.

The latter matchup, NC State at Michigan, will give us a great early glimpse of two teams with designs on conference titles -- and a great look at how the relatively young Wolfpack, featuring veterans C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown but also top-ranked recruits Rodney Purvis, T.J. Warren and Tyler Lewis, will adapt to the challenges of winning big games on the road.

There are other attractions too, of course, including Ohio State's trip to Duke on Nov. 28. Iowa at Virginia Tech probably intrigues me more than it should. Minnesota at Florida State will be fascinating; sixth-year senior Trevor Mbakwe vs. that interior defense? Yes please.

You get the idea. The real question here: Can the Big Ten continue its streak of Challenge victories? After starting 0-10 -- an entire decade of failure -- the Big Ten has now won the past three matchups against the ACC. The first two were 6-5 squeakers, but, in a sign of how much better the Big Ten was than the ACC in 2012 (which even the staunchest, most provincial ACC fan would not deny), the Big Ten handled the competition with ease, winning by a final score of 8-4.

In a vacuum, you'd expect the Big Ten -- which most project to be the best league in the country next season -- to prevail with similar comfort in 2012. (A win would put the overall tally at 4-10. The Big Ten has a lot of ground to make up.) But strange things happen in two days in November. We'll just have to wait -- and wait and wait and wait -- and see.

Which brings us to the most depressing part of this little annual May tradition: realizing that these games are something like 220 days away. As is tradition, I ask that anyone with proprietary time-travel technology please contact the blog with any ideas you may have for erasing the huge gap between now and the start of the new basketball season. Failing that, I might have to freeze myself like Eric Cartman waiting for a Nintendo Wii. What could possibly go wrong?

That was the hope for new coach James Johnson, one Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver cited as a main reason for lifting the longtime assistant to the first head coaching position of his career: continuity.

Less than two weeks since Johnson took the job, the results are decidedly mixed.

This week, the most promising Virginia Tech youngster in a generation -- freshman Dorian Finney-Smith, a top 20-ranked recruit in the class of 2011 (the No. 4-ranked small forward, behind only Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Adonis Thomas and LeBryan Nash) and an ACC All-Freshman Team member in his first season with the school -- asked for a release from his scholarship. On Friday, per the Washington Post's Mark Giannotto, Tech's top incoming recruit in the class of 2012 -- power forward Montrezl Harrell -- has asked for a release from his national letter-of-intent.

He will get that release, Johnson told the Post, because he wants players "that want to be here and are happy and excited about Virginia Tech."

As of now, you could forgive most Virginia Tech fans for falling short of that standard. One of the main reasons for hiring Johnson was, of course, the hope that Harrell and fellow incoming freshman Marshall Wood would decide to stand by their commitments. The good news? Last week, Wood confirmed as much. The bad news? Harrell is seen as a much more promising prospect. Without him and Finney-Smith, the Hokies lose a major portion of the frontcourt Johnson planned to develop in 2012-13. Instead, the Hokies will be rebuilding, playing with just eight scholarship players, and hoping for the best.

Of course, it wouldn't be fair to appraise Johnson's job performance yet. That sort of judgement takes years to render; it is far more complicated than the retention of two key players in the midst of a coaching transition. (And Johnson does deserve some credit for granting Harrell a smooth release and allowing Finney-Smith to transfer to any school "not in direct competition with the Hokies," i.e. anywhere that isn't an ACC school. To paraphrase "Inside the NBA's" Kenny Smith, that's a little like praising parents for taking their kids to school; you're supposed to take your kids to school, and coaches should grant players their releases. But even so, it's good to see.)

Still, the early returns on the Virginia Tech continuity project are in, and they aren't looking great. Finney-Smith and Harrell were the most important recruiting efforts Johnson could wage this early in his tenure, and neither ended up remaining with the team.

That might or might not be Johnson's fault -- reportedly, Finney-Smith was never comfortable at Tech, and had been mulling a transfer for months, and if two players don't want to be Hokies, well, what are you going to do? But however you look at it, the early results are inauspicious. Virginia Tech fans have reason to be discouraged.

And somewhere, former coach Seth Greenberg, who was so casually fired after a long and relatively successful tenure at the school, is probably wondering what all the fuss was about in the first place. It's been a tough few weeks in Blacksburg, Va.

Let me start by saying this is not a definitive list. There are hundreds of talented assistant coaches around the country.

The following, however, is a list of coaches 40 years old and under who have put themselves in a position to earn a head-coaching job in the future.

1. Orlando Antigua (Kentucky): The former Pitt standout helped John Calipari sign another top-ranked recruiting class. He’s also assisted Calipari in developing the young prodigies who have come to Lexington. After Kentucky won the national title in April, Antigua was a candidate for multiple jobs, including Duquesne. It’s just a matter of time before he’s leading his own show. He turns 40 next year.
2. Travis Steele (Xavier): Xavier has produced some of the top coaches in the country (Skip Prosser, Sean Miller, Thad Matta, John Groce). Current coach Chris Mack says assistant Steele, 27, is next in line. The Butler graduate has been on Mack’s staff for the past three seasons. Mack says Steele, who has helped develop and recruit the players who have led Xavier to four Sweet 16 appearances in five seasons, is “3-4 years” away from a head-coaching gig.
3. Tim Fuller (Missouri): When opposing coaches say you’re on the rise, that means something. Fuller has amassed a solid reputation in coaching circles. After just a season with the Tigers, Frank Haith promoted Fuller to associate head coach. Fuller, who played at Wake Forest from 1997-2000, is just 34. But his stock is rising fast.
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Cal Sport Media/AP Images Duke's Steve Wojciechowski is a hot coaching commodity after having won two national titles as an assistant to Mike Krzyzewski.
4. Steve Wojciechowski (Duke): The 35-year-old might be Coach K’s heir after a lengthy stint as one of his top assistants. He started out as an assistant in 1999 but was promoted to associate head coach in 2008. “Wojo” was known for slapping the floor on defense during his playing career and he’s equally passionate on the sidelines for the Blue Devils, who have won two national titles during his tenure.
5. Adrian Autry (Syracuse): The former Orange standout joined the staff prior to last season. And during a tumultuous year that included the firing of Bernie Fine over sexual abuse allegations and the dismissal of Fab Melo, the 39-year-old helped the program remain focused. He’s a reputable recruiter with strong ties to the D.C. area, connections that helped the Orange lock up the No. 15 recruiting class in 2012, according to ESPN.com.
6. Mike Rhoades (VCU): In a short span, Rhoades has gone from a Division III assistant at Randolph-Macon (Ashland, Va.) to a top assistant under Shaka Smart. VCU has been defined by its gritty defense, better-than-they’re-ranked prospects and passion. Rhoades has helped the Rams embrace every tenet of Smart’s philosophy, one that helped VCU reach the Final Four last season. “He’s great,” Smart says.
7. Jeff Boals (Ohio State): The former Ohio forward joined Matta’s staff in 2009. The Buckeyes have enjoyed success in all areas during his time with the program. He’s helped Matta develop top players such as Jared Sullinger and Evan Turner. And he’s an energetic and effective recruiter. Boals, 39, won’t be an assistant for long.
8. Kevin Ollie (UConn): The program went south last season. But the year that preceded it ended with a national title. And Ollie was credited with equipping Kemba Walker & Co. for that run with his coaching on and off the floor. Ollie might take over the Huskies' program if Jim Calhoun retires. But even if he doesn’t, he’ll be an attractive candidate for multiple openings in the near future.
9. Matthew Graves (Butler): Last year, Brad Stevens promoted Graves, who’s in his late 30s, to an associate head-coaching position, a credit to his role in the program’s success. You don’t reach back-to-back national title games as a mid-major program by accident. Stevens and his staff put the program on the national map. With a move to the Atlantic 10, the Bulldogs will attain even more national exposure. And Graves, who’s been vital to the program’s efforts in recent years, will end up on a multitude of lists once jobs open up again after next season.
10. James Whitford (Arizona): Sean Miller’s longtime assistant was pursued by Miami (Ohio) in the offseason but decided to stay in Tucson, where he helped the Wildcats sign one of the top recruiting classes in the country. The Wildcats struggled during the 2011-12 campaign. But with Mark Lyons and some talented recruits headed to Arizona, the Wildcats could win the Pac-12 next season. It’s easy to see why Whitford, 40, stayed put.

A few years ago, I took a road trip with the Alcorn State basketball team to see how the other half of Division I lives.

It wasn’t pretty. Old shoes, team meals in mall food courts and student athletic trainers who weren’t even CPR certified, the world the Braves traveled in was foreign to much of Division I.

So I understand the argument my colleague, Jay Bilas , is making about reducing the number of Division I basketball schools by two-thirds. The difference, especially financially, between the top and the bottom is about the same distance between Millionaire’s Row and Skid Row.

But when was the last time you heard a small major or a mid-major athletic director or coach whine about financial disadvantages making it impossible to compete? When was the last time they refused to play a blueblood for fear of the expected 40-point beatdown?

Try never.

No, it is the bluebloods who fret about games where they have ‘everything to lose and nothing to gain,’ an argument that makes absolutely no sense since, unlike college football, one loss does not knock you out of the national championship race.

It is the bluebloods who kvetch about prying open their gold-lined coffers to pay guaranteed money, regardless of the fact that $200,000 is pocket change to them and a financial windfall to their opponents.

So enough pandering.

The top programs already have every competitive advantage -- chartered planes, full-time nutritionists and tutors, one-to-one ratio of manager to player, tricked-out locker rooms and private practice facilities -- and get the best players.

Do we really need to cushion them from the potential blow of a bad loss and deny an opportunity for players who live to don their David get-ups and slay Goliath?

Talk to a mid-major player or a small-major guy before a big game. You won’t hear them cowering in a corner. They believe they can win. They believe in the upset. Not just in March, but in November, too. Ask their coaches about their challenges and yes, they’ll acknowledge them but they’ll also shrug their shoulders and move on.

All they ask for is a chance. By halving Division I we are eliminating the chance to compete, which at last check is what athletics is supposed to be about.

Hell, if it were just about the great versus the great, the Pittsburgh Pirates would have been kicked out of Major League Baseball years ago.

The current problem with college basketball is not that there are too many teams; it’s that too few great players stick around. If you want to find the root evil to the lack of consistency in the game, look no further than the NBA age limit. Kentucky defied everything but gravity by winning this national championship.

There are more good teams now than ever because there is so little continuity at the top.

That’s not the little guys’ fault.

In fact, that’s his opportunity, a chance to build a team and ultimately a brand the old-fashioned way, with four-year players who get better individually and collectively.

So this wouldn’t be just about killing March -- Myron Medcalf took care of that part of the issue here -- it would be about killing growth as well.

Good programs -- not just good-in-the-moment teams that have their shining moment and disappear -- are blossoming all over the country thanks to talented coaches (Shaka Smart), talented players (Isaiah Canaan) or both (Butler). Those schools are here to stay now, but they certainly all weren’t in the conversation 10 years ago. Had they been relegated below the top 150 and therefore out of Division I, just think about what the game would have been denied.

More, what future teams are we cutting off below the knees and what dregs are we keeping? Does DePaul get to stay over Mississippi Valley State? Because frankly I’d much rather see Sean Woods’ team continue to work its tail off to stay relevant than the Blue Demons' endless struggle to become relevant.

And here’s a final question: Just who do we think these top teams are going to play?

Because last I checked, it ain’t going to be each other.

Kansas got ticked with Missouri for deigning to play in another conference and now is through with the Tigers; Texas A&M had the audacity to move out from under the thumb of Texas, so now the Longhorns and Aggies are through; and Kentucky ditched a home-and-home with Indiana in its effort to become a non-traditional program.

Bet folks who long have celebrated those eight national championships and decades of success are confused by that one.

So why bother? What is the bottom-line gain in fewer Division I teams, besides feeding the top-heavy beasts that already are stuffed and denying others a chance to come to the table?

Yes, a chasm exists in the class distinctions of Division I. There will always be a No. 1 and a No. 300-plus.

Of course there always will be a No. 1 and a No. 100 or No. 1 and No. 150 and over time, the divide between whoever is at the top and wherever we decide is the bottom will stretch just as wide.

Someone in sports always wins; someone in sports always loses.

Let’s at least allow everyone a chance to be in the game.

Reduce Division I by 200-plus teams and eliminate Cinderella? No thanks, writes Myron Medcalf. He'll take March Madness just like it is.

Read more from Medcalf here.

Jay Bilas: It's time to downsize Division I .

1. Louisville coach Rick Pitino said he wants to play Indiana next season. Hoosiers coach Tom Crean confirmed that the two sides are discussing the idea of a home-and-home series. “This is something we have to consider,’’ Crean said. IU is playing Butler in Indianapolis and could play UCLA or Georgetown in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn. IU could also draw North Carolina in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in the most likely scenario. Louisville is in the Battle 4 Atlantis with a field that has all NCAA projected or bubble teams in Duke, Memphis, Stanford, Missouri, Minnesota, VCU and Northern Iowa. The Cards host Kentucky and will play a road SEC-Big East Challenge game. IU and Kentucky couldn’t agree on a series for next season, leaving the Hoosiers open to another high-profile game. “The polls have us 1 and 2,’’ Pitino said. “It would be good for us to have a game a 1-[hour], 45-[minute] bus ride away. It would be good for college basketball.’’

2. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said he still hasn’t heard if Scott Martin will get his sixth year of eligibility back next season. Classmate Tim Abromaitis had his sixth year denied by the NCAA. Brey said Abromaitis’ name has now been listed on an addendum that the NBA has sent out indicating that Abromaitis is draft eligible. Abromaitis is in the process of picking an agent now that he has lost his amateur status.

3. Arizona will improve on the court if Mark Lyons plays to his potential. But the experiment of taking Lyons for one season will only work if he comes to Tucson knowing that he is serving a role. Lyons is in an odd situation where he is headed to play for the coach (Sean Miller) who initially recruited him at Xavier after the then-assistant coach (Chris Mack) who became his head coach at Xavier when Miller left, deemed he wasn’t listening well enough to constructive criticism. Xavier isn’t upset with his departure. This is an addition by subtraction. It can work well for Arizona if Lyons keeps quiet and simply just plays.

The Afternoon Links are back, and they are exactly what they say they are. Some days will bring more links than others. This is the offseason, after all. If you have a link you'd like included, your best bet is to hit me on Twitter. You can also e-mail your link to collegebasketballnation at gmail.com, or use the submission form here.

• James Johnson's first item of business was winning the news conference, and that seemed to go pretty well, at least according to Hampton Roads Daily Press' David Teel: "James Johnson didn't act like the ACC's youngest, least-experienced and probably lowest-paid head basketball coach Tuesday. Conversely, Virginia Tech's new boss appeared comfortable during his introductory news conference. Comfortable in the spotlight, confident in himself. Don't misunderstand. There wasn't a whisper of brashness. He wasn't glib, emotional or long-winded. Some may interpret that as anxiety. But I saw comfort mixed with humility." Even better? As planned, Johnson's hiring prompted recruit Marshall Wood, who had asked for his release after former coach Seth Greenberg's departure, to remain in the fold.
• Western Kentucky freshman Derrick Gordon announced his transfer to UMass, where he will sit out a year before becoming eligible in 2013-14, via Twitter. Judging by the COPIOUS USE OF CAPS LOCK, Gordon is excited about the news.
• Over the weekend, Team USA added Oklahoma City's James Harden and (more relevant to our interests) likely No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis to the pool of players eligible for selection to this summer's Olympic team. Davis would still have to make a final cut, but given the dearth of true big men available to Mike Krzyzewski this summer -- Dwight Howard is out, and without him the only true center in the player pool is NBA defensive player of the year Tyson Chandler -- Davis might have an outside shot at making the squad. I'll be honest: I would love to see Davis play in the international system. (And also: I can not wait until the 2012 Summer Olympics. You're going down, Spain! Who's with me?)
• We missed this late last week, but Connecticut got a commitment from Phil Nolan, a 6-foot-10 forward ranked No. 23 at his position in the class of 2012. Nolan might not make an immediate impact, but in the wake of Andre Drummond's draft departure, Alex Oriakhi's transfer to Missouri, and Roscoe Smith's defection, Nolan's sheer size makes him an important get.
• The Washington Post recognized the 10th anniversary of Maryland's 2002 national championship with a photo slideshow. When done poorly, photo slideshows are one of the worst things about the Internet. When done well, they're totally awesome. This is an example of the latter, complete with "Where are they now?" updates on each of the beloved title-winning Terrapins. For example: Did you know Juan Dixon is in Turkey? True! And that Steve Blake plays for the ... ha, just kidding.
• Obligatory in-house links: Today, Myron Medcalf breaks down how Kentucky's 2012 freshmen raised the expectations bar forever. In case you missed it, be sure to see Myron's story on Trent Lockett, who transferred from Arizona State to Marquette be closer to his mother, who is fighting her second diagnosis of a "crazy" and "rare" brand of lymphoma cancer. And don't miss last week's feature on a renewed Bruce Weber, who looked refreshed and ready for a new challenge at Kansas State when he spoke with our Jason King.
• Daily basketball break: "Any faceted solid, he showed, no matter how complex or irregular, could be folded from a single uncut sheet of paper. Start with a piece of paper big enough, and you could model Notre Dame down to the last gargoyle." You may want to read this story.

1. Indiana now has an open date with the Kentucky series dead and Kansas wants to fill the Hoosiers schedule with a game. One Kansas official said the Jayhawks would gladly start a home-and-home with Indiana, beginning next season in Lawrence. Indiana would have gone to Kentucky if the series had continued. Kansas and Indiana were in initial discussions of playing a game after the Final Four, but those talks were shelved. Memphis wanted to play Kansas in a home-and-home series and was willing to start on the road but the Jayhawks weren’t interested. Now, Indiana will have to make a decision as to how high profile a game it will put in Kentucky’s place on the schedule.

2. Hubert Davis wasn’t looking to become a head coach. But once he’s on the North Carolina staff he will become a potential contender for the job if he is a success as an assistant. Think about it: What natural North Carolina offspring is out there that would be the heir apparent to Roy Williams? There is no slam dunk and Williams’ current staff came with him from Kansas and wasn’t part of the Dean Smith lineage. It’s not a reach to consider Davis as a possible head coach if he wants to continue this career. He hasn’t started yet but he is part of the Carolina royalty and it is a job that must/will be kept in house.

3. The NBA put out its official early-entry list for the draft and there was one name that jumped out: Florida Atlantic’s Raymond Taylor. When Mike Jarvis signed Taylor he said that he was getting a Shawnta Rogers-like point guard for his team. Rogers was a point at George Washington under Jarvis. Taylor never led FAU to the NCAA tournament and according to the staff considered himself a “pro.” Taylor, and a number of other fringe draft entrants, better hope they get an invite to the Minnesota and New Jersey draft camps later this month before the NBA’s official one in Chicago next month.

1. Butler coach Brad Stevens said that the Bulldogs will have to get out of the four years left on its scheduling agreement with Xavier since the two schools will be league members beginning in 2013-14. He also stated that there are no tournament conflicts ahead of the Bulldogs with another A-10 school. Stevens is excited about the move. So are Xavier’s Chris Mack and Dayton’s Archie Miller. Mack said it’s a major coup for the A-10 and moves the conference a bit more West. Miller lauded Butler’s ability to attract major non-conference opponents and how that would take the conference to another level.

2. Old Dominion is still considering a move to Conference USA and according to one school source there is still indecision. The move for the Monarchs for football would make sense if it’s going to upgrade. But for hoops? ODU needs to be with VCU and George Mason. The Monarchs don’t need to move to another one-bid league that is losing its best team in Memphis. If ODU were going to the A-10 then that would be worth endorsing. But a move to CUSA is not.

3. NC State didn’t prohibit Tyler Harris from transferring. The Wolfpack gave him a full release. But shouldn’t Harris have some accountability in this decision? Scholarships are renewable on June 30 each year. Harris made up his mind to transfer on May 2, instead of soon after the Wolfpack season ended in March. NC State took a pass on a junior college transfer and as a result is now caught short handed with nine scholarship players. Coaches and schools have been wrong to block players from transferring but players need to also make decisions in a timely fashion for all parties involved. That’s the right thing to do.

The college hoops offseason has thus far been defined by poorly handled transfers, primarily thanks to Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. Ryan got all draconian on Wisconsin transfer Jarrod Uthoff's permission-to-contact list, things blew up, Ryan gave a poorly received (and poorly thought-out) explanation on "Mike and Mike in the Morning", and in general things really escalated quickly.

But there was one positive from all this sturm und drang: It allowed us to think and talk about the details of the transfer rules. A wider awareness was reached. People were even a little bit outraged! This is a good thing! The way transfers are handled -- or, more accurately, what the transfer rules allow coaches to do -- is an outrage. The rules need to be changed. Simple as that.

Of course, just because the transfer rules allow coaches to restrict schools doesn't mean coaches are required to restrict schools. Nor does it mean most coaches do. It is a common practice, but it's hardly universal. Case in point: Georgia Tech's Brian Gregory. Gregory discussed his philosophy on transfers with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and lo and behold, Gregory's philosophy is an entirely reasonable one worth far wider acceptance in the profession. Atlantic Coast Conference rules require a player to sit out two years if he transfers to another ACC school, so that's usually not an issue. And with the possible exception of Georgia, Georgia Tech's natural rival, Gregory says he "wouldn't fight" a player's desire to transfer basically anywhere he wanted. To wit:

“Probably with UGA, it’s the in-state rivalry thing and so forth. But I will be honest with you, if it ever got to a situation where a kid really wanted to go to a specific school, I wouldn’t fight it … I wouldn’t fight it.” And if that specific school was UGA? “That’s a hypothetical situation that I would probably have to sit down and think more about. But … if that’s where a kid really wants to go, I wouldn’t fight it.”

And as for the outrage?

“I do think the ‘Why is a coach able to leave and players not’ discussion struck a pretty right-on nerve with the public. As negative as the coverage was regarding those restrictions on transfers, I think something good is going to come out of it because I think coaches are going to take a step back and re-evaluate how they handle the process.”

Currently, Gregory is working with two players -- Glen Rice Jr. and Nate Hicks -- on their transfers, and he even allowed another school to visit Hicks on campus to talk about the future of his career. And Gregory's rival, Georgia coach Mark Fox, goes even further: He has an "open release" policy, meaning his players can transfer anywhere, including fellow SEC members and rival schools. What a fabulous and foreign concept.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is how coaches should handle transfers. The rules should be rewritten to make such a process mandatory, but in the meantime, there's nothing stopping coaches from taking this initiative themselves. With the increased scrutiny, the upside to taking such a tact has never been greater. It's not only good press, it's good policy, too.