ESPN Men's Basketball

It was easy to be cynical about the Fab Five at the Final Four.

From the outside, former Wolverines star (and ESPN analyst) Jalen Rose's public pressure on Chris Webber to attend the 2013 national title game, and all the fanfare that accompanied it -- a close-up of Webber arriving at the arena, constant shots of the Fab Five in the crowd -- seemed to be calculated, a way to reflect some of the overwhelming national attention being paid to the Wolverines' rebirth back onto a group that, save Webber, has never been shy about touting its complicated legacy. With John Beilein's career 30 years in the making, and Trey Burke's player of the year bona fides up against the best defense in the country, the visibility allocated to a team that played in the early 90s felt at best like a bunch of old guys working out their demons and at worst like a public relations stunt. Maybe both.

That might not have been the motive at all. But that's how it looked, at least from outside the Michigan locker room -- especially when the Fab Five crammed into said locker room after a devastating title game loss. There is never a more sensitive time to be with a team, and it was easy to picture Michigan's players' puffy eyes staring blankly ahead, if only to keep them from rolling.

Turns out, some of Michigan's players might have been just as unconvinced of the Fab Five's motivations as I was. UM Hoops asked former reserve Josh Bartelstein -- one of the best, and most honest, quotes in the sport last season -- about the whole Fab Five thing, and his response was both polite and illuminating. There were raised eyebrows, maybe a dash of resentment. And then Juwan Howard spoke.

"At first, it was a little like, 'What are these guys doing here, they haven’t been a part of this team or a part of this program for a really long time.' But then, once all the media cleared out they spoke. And I thought Juwan [Howard] really had a great message: They were here for us. They were here to link Michigan past and the present and the future together. And he said one of the greatest accomplishments this team will have is bringing Michigan basketball back. They weren’t there to talk to the media, they weren’t there for themselves. They were there to support us and Michigan basketball. They came around and gave everyone a hug, and they said that if any of us ever need anything from them they’ll be here, whether it’s advice about basketball or life; they’re here for us. I think after initially feeling like they were here for the media circus of it, they were here because they loved what we stood for and loved how we played. I think that meant a lot to us. Juwan did a great job with it."

For one, that pretty much lines up with everything NBA people say about Howard, who at 40 years old remained worth a roster spot in Miami the past two seasons even as a quasi-assistant coach/part-time motivational speaker. If you have the cachet to scream at the best player in the world during the Eastern Conference finals, you have officially mastered the art of locker room chemistry.

But the larger points are that A) even Michigan's players were skeptical, and understandably so; and B) Howard, and presumably the rest of his old-school cohort, got it. For whatever other baggage was bound to come along for the "Fab Five Takes Atlanta" routine, they were ultimately there for support, as fans and former players, as people who desperately want Michigan basketball to be elite again. They might even have been grateful: It took a long time for the Wolverines to recover from the Ed Martin scandal, but after a few years of rebuilding, Beilein and a bunch of kids too young to remember the glory days finally got it done.

For the first time in 15 years, the future of Wolverines basketball seems as bright as it did in the halcyon days of the early 90s. The through line has been drawn. The outside noise was deafening, sure, but maybe the Fab Five needed to be in that locker room after all.

1. The NCAA has lacked consistency on granting waivers, whether for an ill relative, in the wake of a coaching firing, following an NCAA violation or any other issue. But the national office cannot, rationally, be inconsistent on waivers when it deals with the same case. If a former Rutgers player is eligible immediately at a new school (Mike Poole at Iona and Vincent Garrett at Green Bay) because he fled the reign of former coach Mike Rice, then a new player (Kerwin Okoro or J.J. Moore) should be granted the same treatment and be allowed to play at Rutgers immediately. Okoro's case, involving the loss of his brother and father, has been well documented -- he clearly has a sympathetic reason to be granted a waiver. But there is a fairness issue for Rutgers that should come into play if departed players are getting a better deal. Two more -- Derrick Randall at Pitt and Eli Carter at Florida -- may also get immediate eligibility. The only break the Scarlet Knights got was when Jerome Seagears was not penalized after he came back to Rutgers from Auburn two months after announcing he would transfer. New Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan said Wednesday there is another appeal coming for Okoro, with a different set of eyes and ears to evaluate the grievances. He said he's hopeful there will be a sensible conclusion.

2. Connecticut announced its schedule but not locations for all home games. That's because the Huskies still don't have a deal with their Hartford home, the XL Center. But, UConn athletic director Warde Manuel said, "because of timing of transition of management of XL, we are finalizing terms for this year and we will talk long-term arrangement in the near future. We will continue to play games at XL.'' The Huskies have a strong home schedule. UConn hosts headline teams Florida (Dec. 2), Stanford (Dec. 18), Harvard (Jan. 8), Louisville (Jan. 18), Temple (Jan. 21), Memphis (Feb. 15) and Cincinnati (March 1). The only home game on this list that has a designated home court is the Louisville game, at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, because it has been tabbed for ESPN's "College GameDay" and the Saturday prime-time slot.

3. With teams returning from their foreign excursions, follow-up reports are trickling in. Vanderbilt, during its time in Greece and Italy, found out just how much it will rely on guard Dai-Jon Parker; the Commodores were also able to reinforce a pre-trip theory that Tulsa transfer Eric McClellan will be the primary point guard. The staff was also high on the impact of 6-foot-10 center Damian Jones and expects him to be one of the better first-year posts in the SEC (he'll need to be, with players like Kentucky's Julius Randle coming into the league). There is now a chance James Siakam can play power forward, allowing Rod Odom to play his more natural small forward. The hope is that Odom can take care of mismatches at power forward.; Siakam will need to be the glue guy, and can provide the necessary energy. The Commodores have only nine players on scholarship, so this trip was a must to create bonds and give them a head start on what could be a challenging season. Expectations are low, giving Vandy and coach Kevin Stallings plenty of head room to be a surprise in what is a wide-open SEC beyond Kentucky and Florida.

Since he returned to lead his alma mater in 2010, Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg has been the subject of rumors.

A recent $20 million contract extension includes buyout language that would be implemented if the former NBA guard and executive takes a pro gig in the future. He’s one of the top young coaches in the country.

Well, here comes the PGA Tour buzz.

On Monday, Fred Hoiberg recorded a hole-in-one on the 17^th hole at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa. He was participating in a Coaches vs. Cancer event.

That was his second impressive golf outing of the summer. In June, he carded a double-eagle on another hole in Mexico.

From the Des Moines Register:

If Iowa State men's basketball coach Fred Hoiberg ever tires of recruiting and X's and O's, he might have a career on the golf course.

"The Mayor" aced No. 17 at Wakonda in the Coaches vs. Cancer outing Monday. The hole in one was made with a wedge from 135 yards.

Hoiberg recorded a double eagle in Mexico in June. He knocked in his second shot on the 555-yard par-5 fourth at Cabo del Sol's Ocean Course by using a 3-wood.

The United States Golf Association figures the odds of a double eagle to be one in 1 million. The odds of getting a hole-in-one are said to be 1 in 13,000.

No need to worry, Cyclones fans.

Hoiberg told ESPN.com on Wednesday that he will not pursue a PGA Tour card.

“I think I’m going to quit,” he said via text message. “Double-eagle and hole-in-one. Quit while I’m ahead.”

ESPN and the American Athletic Conference are in the first year of a wide-ranging, multiyear rights agreement, and the 2013-14 college basketball regular-season schedule for the conference will feature 63 league games across the company’s family of networks.

A schedule of the American’s televised nonconference games, including a robust ESPN3 slate, will be announced at a later date.

Meanwhile, here are the league games:

Would basketball be better if it featured more backflips? I'm not so sure. I mean, on the one hand, backflips are awesome. Backflip dunks! Why not? On the other hand, the line separating civilized sport from the dystopian anarchy of old MTV Rock 'N' Jock games -- there's Tom Arnold with the zany 25-point shot, look out everyone! -- is a narrow one. We must remain vigilant at all times.

I think it's safe to allow an exception here: On Tuesday, Washington State's official Instagram account posted a video of a cheerleader making a three-quarter-court trick shot -- with a twist.


The shot would have been good enough had it been a conventional heave. But this cheerleader faced away from the basket, launched the ball backwards over his head and, as his ball was soaring toward its inevitable viral fame, completed the motion with a textbook backflip. This is not a recommended strategy for long shots. As we discussed on Monday, proper form is paramount if you want the chance to win free tuition (or a car, or free pizza, whatever your school offers for halftime half-court shot promotions). But it's definitely one way to get things done.

(In related news, it's still August. This offseason may never end.)

Andy Katz discusses the impact Ioannis Papapetrou's departure will have on Texas.

The college game is stiflingly overcoached. Very few fans seem to mind. Some even seem to like it that way. How can this be?

Coaches are the stars of the college basketball show. Fans identify with these guys not only because they look and act like fans on the sidelines, but because they got to that place through an entirely relatable pathway: They were smart, and they worked hard.

Very few people can play the game at a level worth dreaming about. There probably aren't very many more capable of coaching it that well, either, but that's not the point. The point is we all like to think we can.

Which brings us to today's argument, one of the college game's classic prompts for exactly the reasons listed above: All else being equal, including talent, resources, venue and crowd, which coach is the college game's best? "Best," in this instance, removes recruiting and season-long development, which are the two most important factors in any coach's success.

This is the thought experiment: Say you had two generic, identical teams set to play this Saturday. A coach gets between now and then to prepare his team. He coaches from the sideline throughout. The players in this scenario are essentially chess pieces sitting on a life-sized board. Your job is to pick a Grandmaster. Whom would you choose?

I've been having some version of this argument with friends and fellow fans since I was 10 years old, and I'm pretty sure there is no right answer. But here are a few nominees:

Mike Krzyzewski, Duke: Coach K's inclusion in this list shouldn't need a lot of explanation; the dude has won more games than any other coach in college hoops history, and should top the unfathomable 1,000-win mark some time in the next couple of seasons. Duh, right? And yet, there is sure to be some backlash here. Some would argue that Coach K's talent has been so good for so long he hasn't had to be strategically superior to his coaching opponents.

That might be true more often than not; Duke does take in more than its fair share of All-Americans every year. But for all of the borderline militaristic discipline Krzyzewski evinces, the fact is there has never been a better basketball coach in the sport's history at adapting his tactics to his talent and his matchups every season -- even every game.

The past decade of Duke basketball tells the story: The Blue Devils have played very fast (2006, 2008), very slow (2010) and at an average pace. They've created offense through spread-floor shooting, iso pick-and-roll attacking and brutish offensive rebounding (see: Zoubek, Brian). They've slapped the floor and created tons of turnovers, or sunk into a rebound-obsessed defensive shell. Often, these philosophical changes happen from one year to the next.

And all the while, Coach K has posted some of the most consistent after-timeout efficiency numbers in the sport, according to Synergy scouting data. A sample: 0.91 points per possession in 2009-10, 0.974 in 2010-11, 0.93 in 2011-12, 0.976 in 2012-13. Whatever impact coaches have on games between whistles, it is felt most acutely when they have spent the previous 60 seconds (or three minutes) with the clipboard in their hands. Coach K has been one of the best -- maybe the best -- then, too.

In other words, don't overthink it. Dude really is that good.

Rick Pitino, Louisville: This is slightly trickier. That's not to say Pitino isn't an immensely good game coach. Indeed, there is no more entertaining sideline presence in the sport, and I'm not talking about anguished facial expressions and bulging eyes. Pitino is entertaining because he's the one coach in the game that can genuinely convince you he has Jedi powers. His amorphous defense shifts between ball pressure and trapping seamlessly, and sometimes it looks like Pitino is genuinely moving players with his mind -- the closest thing to the chess metaphor college basketball has. Then he snaps his fingers, and on cue his team traps that hapless opposing point guard into a turnover and a score. It's strange and oddly beautiful in a way.

The only concerns here might arise from the fact that Pitino's personnel typically fits a certain type. He is at his best when he has put together talented, deep teams with guards quick enough to press and shot-blockers dominant enough to change shots when the dribble is allowed past Louisville's outer layer; it is not easy to put these kinds of teams together.

But Pitino is so good on short prep and with halftime adjustments that I'm not sure, for our purposes, the personnel stuff really matters. Go back to the 2012 West Regional, when the Cardinals pressed Michigan State into oblivion and changed their whole defense for a second-half rally against Florida. No matter who you put in the laundry, that guy is going to figure something out.

Tom Izzo, Michigan State: For many years, Izzo was the undisputed king of the one-game-one-coach argument (at least in Big Ten country, where I grew up). His success in the NCAA tournament -- Izzo has gone to six Final Fours since 1999, including a couple with players no one would describe as "vintage" -- helped cement this reputation. So did Izzo's apparent specialty: A seemingly endless cache of out-of-bounds plays.

Has some of the luster worn off? Not really, even if he would have to admit Pitino outscouted and outcoached his No. 1-seeded Spartans in 2012. The argument against Izzo is not about his output -- it was just a few years ago that Michigan State made back-to-back Final Four runs, after all -- but about the fact that his greatest strength is his ability to pace his team's development throughout the season. By March, MSU is (usually) firing on all cylinders. That's not a coincidence.

That concern aside, though, let's be real: If you go to that many Final Fours in a relatively short period of time, you clearly have a special knack not only for building your team all season long but for short scout turnarounds and on-the-fly adjustments. You can't not. It's how the Spartans' coach earned his reputation 15 years ago, and it remains as viable as ever.

So those are probably my top three -- with a special nod to former Butler coach Brad Stevens, who would have made it a top four, and an emphasis on "probably." There are a handful of others worthy of honorable mention: Marquette's Buzz Williams hasn't missed a Sweet 16 in the past three years, and uses advanced stats in his game preps more fluently than any coach in the country. John Calipari was long dogged as an all-talent, no-chops recruiting wizard, and while I wouldn't put him in the same space tactically as Coach K or Pitino, he's about eight bajillion times better than a lot of people still seem to think. Bill Self may have a few tournament hiccups on his otherwise sterling résumé, but after-TO data reveals a consistently high rate of in-game success (plus there is, you know, all of the wins). And I'll be interested to see what Syracuse fans (or others) will say about Jim Boeheim, whose greatness is undeniable, even if his coaching style doesn't typically involve constant adjustments. (It's more like: Hey, here's our zone. See if you can score against it. Probably not.) Billy Donovan? Shaka Smart? Fred Hoiberg?

Of course, there are plenty of less-heralded but very smart guys out there, even at major programs -- people like Dana Altman, Gregg Marshall and Lon Kruger -- and dozens upon dozens of more in the mid-majors and lower divisions. But I can't name them all. Even if I could, the argument would rage on forever. We all might think we can be the head coach, but it's surely just as much fun to argue from a distance.

1. The easy thing to do is pile on Texas and coach Rick Barnes for Ioannis Papapetrou's decision to sign with Olympiacos BC, a professional team in his native Greece. This departure is completely different than the decisions made by Jaylen Bond, Julien Lewis and Sheldon McClellan. Papapetrou got a multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal. He was already in Greece, ripe to be convinced to stay. From all accounts, Papapetrou was happy with his situation in Austin -- and the Longhorns loved having him. This was not a planned departure, nor one that was pushed by the Texas staff. And that's why it stings more than the traditional transfers or Myck Kabongo's decision to leave early for the NBA draft. Texas needed a player who could produce, was experienced and wanted to be there. Losing someone like Papapetrou -- the top returning scorer once those players above bolted -- in late August is a crushing blow because he cannot be replaced. This puts even more pressure on returnees Javan Felix, Jonathan Holmes and Demarcus Holland to not only lead, but also to score and defend at a higher clip to avoid a second consecutive losing season.

2. Baylor senior guard Brady Heslip made the 14-man Canadian national team that will compete in the Continental Cup in Puerto Rico as a precursor to the FIBA Americas tournament in Venezuela. Heslip was the only collegian who made the team. Contacted late Tuesday, Heslip was obviously thrilled. So, too, was Baylor coach Scott Drew. If Heslip returns from these tournaments as a stronger shooter, defender and all-around player, the Bears will benefit greatly. Baylor is/should be a top-three team in the Big 12, behind Kansas and Oklahoma State. The Bears have the bigs with Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson but are green at the point. If Heslip can produce and create an inside-outside threat again, Baylor will be a real contender.

3. The NCAA can't have it both ways on preseason scrimmages. If the NCAA wants these scrimmages to be played, but not seen or heard from by the media or the public, then they can't be deemed some sort of official competition. Yet Old Dominion's Donte Hill has been ruled ineligible for what would have been his final season because he played in a scrimmage before transferring from Clemson to ODU. He played as a freshman at Clemson and then the past two years at ODU, redshirting the season in between. Hill's appeal was denied. He should try again and again. And if he's rejected, then these scrimmages -- especially the ones between two schools that travel to a neutral site to play -- need to be viewed as real exhibition games with countable stats, media and an opportunity for fans to watch.

Pierre Pierce will not go away. Not Pierre Pierce the person, necessarily. But the Story of Pierre Pierce? The cautionary tale?

In 2002 Pierce, a star guard under Steve Alford at Iowa, was charged with sexual assault when a woman accused him of forcing himself on her (and holding her mouth, stopping her from screaming) at a party in Iowa City. Alford publicly defended Pierce at the time, but he went further -- allowing Athletes in Action campus representative (and unofficial team chaplain) Jim Goodrich to arrange an informal "prayer meeting" with Pierce and the victim. As the university report later stated, "The female student's reaction to this contact was concern that the University was improperly involving itself in trying to resolve the matter," a contact that "confirmed her fears that the University would act to protect its athlete," at which point "her response was to pursue criminal charges." The meeting itself seemed seedy enough, but the religious invocation put it over the top -- and when Pierce was charged again in 2005, this time for allegedly choking, forcibly stripping and threatening his ex-girlfriend with a knife, it marked the beginning of the end of Alford's tenure.

A decade later, when Alford was introduced as the new head coach at UCLA, his role in the Pierce sleaze-fest was among the first questions he faced. When he answered it as poorly as possible -- he blamed the Iowa administration and lawyers for his marching orders, and said he "did everything that I was supposed to do at the University of Iowa in that situation ... I followed everything that I was told to do" -- an already unimpressed L.A. media noticed UCLA basketball just long enough to register its immense disapproval.

Alford may have thought turning New Mexico into a perennial winner and landing one of the most coveted jobs in college basketball would be enough to put the Pierce baggage away once and for all. He was wrong.

But hey, that's a coach, right? A person. Not a school. Iowa has no association with Pierce, and by and large the university -- particularly the community of protesters that sprung up around the situation -- acquitted itself fairly well. When Pierce left the school to serve his 11 month prison sentence, a chapter of Iowa hoops history was closed, one the resurgent Hawkeyes program and its re-engaged fan base would vastly prefer to forget.

All of which is why Monday night was so very, very awkward.

What happened Monday? The Hawkeyes were in Toulon, France, just one more picaresque stop on their summer exhibition tour of England and France, and they were preparing to play Hyeres-Toulon, an LNB Pro B (second-division) French club Monday afternoon, when Pierce tweeted the following:

Playing my former college tonight in a friendly #hawkeyes

— Pierre Pierce (@pierre_pierce) August 19, 2013

Which is exactly what happened. Iowa media relations director Steve Roe told the Cedar Rapids Gazette that the Hawkeyes didn't schedule the teams themselves (such schedules are usually drafted by outside agencies arranging the trips) and weren't aware of Pierce's affiliation; you get the feeling they would have done just about anything to avoid it.

But the game went on, and not only did Pierce play against his former college, he led his team with 19 points in 35 minutes. He also handed the Hawkeyes their first loss with a game-winner in the closing moments of overtime.

Yep. That happened:

Felt pretty good hitting my first game winner today lol wish the #hawkeyes best of luck this season and safe travels back

— Pierre Pierce (@pierre_pierce) August 19, 2013

Needless to say, the hilarious Iowa die-hards at Black Heart Gold Pants are still processing this trauma:

Maybe what happened was inevitable from the moment when the perverse cosmic screenwriter crafting this tale decided to throw Pierre Pierce, one of the most notorious and reviled figures in Iowa basketball history, into this yarn. If you're going to drop a bomb like that, it might as well explode in spectacular fashion, right? Pierce had played for H-T in the past (in December 2012, specifically), but he hadn't played there in months; of course he would make his return to that team for their exhibition game against Iowa. Of course Pierce would go 7/14 from the field and 4/7 from long range, scoring a game-high 19 points. And of course Pierce would not just play well against his former team, but he would hit the game-winning shot, to boot. [...]

The fates are cruel. The whole story is so improbable, so implausible, so Hack Screenwriting 101, it's almost impossible to believe that it's true. The whole situation is like a direct-to-DVD sports movie -- or, rather, a Bizarro version of a direct-to-DVD sports movie, since the villain ends up winning in this story.

BHGP called it the "most memorable Iowa hoops exhibition game in recent memory," which is like saying Jamaal Franklin dunked that basketball pretty well that one time. They also raise a valid point, a more positive takeaway: At least Iowa was challenged for the first time on its Eurotrip, giving the players some experience in a tight (and even emotionally fraught?) game in regulation and overtime.

Which, hey, sure! That is a positive. Is it enough to outweigh losing to Pierre Pierce on a game-winning overtime shot? I'm going go ahead and say no.

(HT: The Dagger)

The pre-NBA age limit era produced some of the league’s best players. There were plenty of flops (Google the 2001 NBA draft), but superstars such as Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett were elite players shortly after high school graduation. Tyson Chandler, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O'Neal and Amar'e Stoudemire have had impressive careers, too.

They didn’t need higher education to advance on the court.

Still, their expedited paths to the NBA have left us with a series of intriguing “What if?” scenarios. What if LeBron had gone to college? What if Stoudemire had picked Memphis or McGrady had gone to Kentucky? What if Garnett had signed with Michigan?

It’s all great barbershop talk.

Bryant stirred up the discussion last week when he told Jimmy Kimmel that he would’ve played for North Carolina, not Duke, if he’d decided to go to school instead of opting to enter the 1996 NBA draft.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Defying urban legend that he was Duke-bound, had he gone to college instead of the NBA straight out of high school, Bryant said he was leaning toward North Carolina. "I love [Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski]," Bryant said. "The truth has to come out."

Why North Carolina? Vince Carter, a Tar Heel, was one of the top guards in the country at the time. "I want to play against him, every single day," Bryant said.

Oh. And ... wow.

That 1996-97 UNC squad Bryant would have joined featured a talented pair of sophomores in Carter and Antawn Jamison. Those Tar Heels lost to Arizona, the national champ that season, in the Final Four.

Carter and Jamison turned pro a year later after losing to Utah in the 1998 Final Four.

But Bryant would’ve changed everything, right? I mean, if he would’ve picked UNC and stayed two seasons, the Tar Heels might have won back-to-back national titles.

Imagine a lineup that featured Bryant, Carter and Jamison -- a trio with 25 NBA All-Star game appearances between them.

Imagine the dunks in the pregame warm-ups.

Of course, Carter and Bryant together could have been a dilemma for the Tar Heels, too. When they were younger, both guys played a lot of pass-last basketball. And they’ve never been accused of having self-confidence issues. Would they have meshed on the floor? Maybe, maybe not.

There’s just one problem with this entire story, though.

The L.A. Times calls the theory that Bryant would’ve attended Duke an “urban legend.”

In 2007, however, Bryant hypothetically committed to Duke.

From GoDuke.com:

Often times Duke fans wonder if Kobe Bryant had not gone directly to the NBA out of high school if he “maybe” would have attended Duke and been a part of that team.

“There’s no maybe about it,” Bryant says. “Every time I turn on the TV and see Cameron Indoor Stadium, see everybody in Krzyzewskiville and see the Crazies jumping up and down with the intensity and the building almost shaking, I wonder what it would have been like to play there with Corey [Maggette] and Elton [Brand] and all those guys."

In fact, Bryant would’ve been a junior on the 1999 team that featured two future National Players of the Year in Brand and Shane Battier along with Maggette, William Avery, Trajan Langdon and Chris Carrawell, among others.

Instead, Bryant entered the NBA via the No. 13 pick of the 1996 draft and went on to earn his first trophy as winner of the Gatorade Slam Dunk Championship at the 1997 All-Star Weekend. By 1998 he had started an All-Star game and by 1999, he had become the youngest player in NBA history named to an all-NBA team and in 2000, he was the youngest player ever to earn all-defense honors, as well. Ten years into his career he has won three NBA Championships and was also the MVP of the 2002 All-Star game.

But if you ask Coach K what it would’ve been like to coach Bryant in college, he responds by saying, “I don’t day dream. I have enough to think about with my current team than to think what might have been.”

Now, the 1996-97 Blue Devils -- led by Langdon, Jeff Capel and Roshown McLeod – lost in the second round of that year’s NCAA tournament. It wasn’t the phenomenal bunch that was assembled a few years later.

Kobe’s presence would have helped. And if he’d stayed three years to link up with that 1998-99 squad -- arguably the greatest team in NCAA history that failed to win a national title -- Duke would’ve been more dominant that year.

It’s just an idea. Who knows how things would’ve unfolded.

Perhaps Kobe would have picked UNC. Perhaps he would’ve gone with Duke.

He did neither.

But it’s still fun to consider the possibilities.

And a Kobe-Vince Carter pregame dunk contest every night.

On Tuesday, ESPN and the Southeastern Conference announced its 2014 men’s college basketball regular-season schedule for the ESPN family of networks and the regionally syndicated SEC Network. ESPN, the exclusive national cable home and syndication rightsholder for the SEC, will offer 120 conference-controlled regular-season games across the platforms.

Here is the full slate:

Brad Stevens left Butler for the Boston Celtics, P.J. Hairston’s future is in jeopardy at North Carolina and the ACC is bigger and better than ever thanks to the addition of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame.

Those topics have been discussed ad nauseam the past four months. Plenty of other things, however, have occurred during the offseason that could have a huge impact on the 2013-14 campaign. Here are 10 storylines that aren’t receiving nearly enough attention as the season inches closer.

1. Key eligibility issues: Three of the nation’s top programs are waiting on the NCAA to rule on the eligibility status of players who could change the course of their respective seasons. The most high-profile case involves Florida forward Chris Walker, an incoming freshman whose academic standing is in question. Walker, the country’s No. 12 recruit according to ESPN.com, is not listed on the Gators’ roster. The Gainesville Sun reported Monday that Walker may have to wait until December to take the court, if it happens at all. At Memphis, the Tigers’ backcourt will be one of the best in the country if Michael Dixon is deemed eligible. Dixon was forced to leave Missouri’s program in November following allegations of sexual misconduct. Dixon, however, was never arrested or even questioned by police. He is arguably one of the top 10 players at his position and would likely provide the leadership the Tigers have been lacking. At Oregon, coach Dana Altman is crossing his fingers that Houston transfer Joseph Young will be able to play immediately. Young, a wing, averaged 18 points per game last season. He could form one of the nation’s top perimeter trios along with Damyean Dotson and Dominic Artis.

2. Rick Barnes’ future at Texas: The Longhorns went just 16-18 last season and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in Barnes’ 14-year tenure. Even worse, Texas has advanced to the second weekend of the tournament only once in the past seven years. With its top three scorers all departing the program (Myck Kabongo entered the NBA draft and Sheldon McClellan and Julien Lewis transferred), UT could struggle again this season. That could mean trouble for Barnes -- and, perhaps, a new opportunity for someone else. Should it come open, the Horns job would be one of the most coveted in the country. The pay is great, the recruits are plentiful and there aren’t many cities in the country better than Austin. There’s no reason Texas shouldn’t be battling Kansas every year for the Big 12 title. I could see Marquette’s Buzz Williams and Memphis’ Josh Pastner being in the mix if the Longhorns make a change.

3. Tarik Black transfers to Kansas: The addition of No. 1 overall recruit Andrew Wiggins has dominated the headlines in Lawrence, and rightfully so. But Black, a senior who played his first three seasons at Memphis, could play a crucial role for the Jayhawks, too. Black, who started off and on for three seasons with the Tigers, brings some much-needed experience and leadership to a KU squad that could count as many as eight freshmen and sophomores among its top 10 players. And at 6-foot-9, 262 pounds, Black gives the Jayhawks the rugged, physical presence in the paint they may have otherwise been lacking. Don’t be surprised if Black ends up starting for a squad vying for its 10th straight Big 12 title.

4. Steve Alford under the microscope at UCLA: For some reason the decision to replace Ben Howland with Alford didn’t go over all that well, both nationally and in Westwood. I’m not sure I understand why. All Alford did at New Mexico the past five seasons was average 26.2 victories and win four MWC titles. Yes, he has struggled in the NCAA tournament, but his day will come. I’ve never been a fan of judging a coach based on one game or one loss. Either way, there are plenty of people rooting for Alford to fail. He’ll receive an immense amount of scrutiny this season and it will be interesting to see how he responds. UCLA returns a good amount of talent with players such as Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson, David Wear and Travis Wear. Anything less than a top-three finish in the Pac-12 will be a disappointment.

5. New leagues look strong: The new Big East may no longer have schools such as Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Notre Dame and Louisville. But its inaugural season should be entertaining. Marquette, Creighton, Georgetown and St. John’s should provide an exciting race for the conference title. The American Athletic Conference also will be worth watching, as Memphis, Connecticut and Louisville are all top-15-caliber teams. And don’t sleep on Cincinnati, Houston or SMU, which has added some nice pieces under second-year coach Larry Brown.

6. Butler loses Roosevelt Jones: A junior, Jones suffered torn ligaments in his wrist during the Bulldogs’ August trip to Australia and will miss the entire 2013-14 season. Losing Jones is a huge setback for a team that also will have to adjust to the departure of Stevens to the Boston Celtics. Jones, a versatile 6-4 wing, averaged 10.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season. The job of new coach Brandon Miller is suddenly a lot tougher as he prepares to guide Butler into the Big East.

7. Ohio State seeks new go-to guy: The Buckeyes would likely be dubbed as an NCAA title contender if leading scorer DeShaun Thomas hadn’t left school early for the NBA draft. Thomas averaged 19.8 points as a junior and would’ve been a first-team All-American candidate this year. Ohio State returns its other four starters from a squad that went 29-8 and lost in the Elite Eight. But it’s still unclear who this team’s key offensive player will be. It will be tough for point guard Aaron Craft to play much better on the defensive end than he did last season, but he can certainly become a more efficient shooter. Lenzelle Smith Jr., Sam Thompson and Shannon Scott all averaged more than 20 minutes per game last season. Forward LaQuinton Ross is a tough matchup who contributed 15 points per game during the NCAA tournament. Perhaps OSU’s next offensive star will come from that group. This will be a good team no matter what. But a great one? We’ll see.

8. Will the Mountain West regress?: Five league schools -- Colorado State, San Diego State, Boise State, UNLV and New Mexico -- earned NCAA tournament berths last spring. But only two of those schools (SDSU and CSU) won their opening game. This season may be more of a struggle. New Mexico will be good again despite the loss of coach Steve Alford and small forward Tony Snell. And Boise State returns most of its key pieces. But Colorado State (Colton Iverson), San Diego State (Jamaal Franklin) and UNLV (Anthony Bennett) lost their top players -- and some other good ones, too -- and should take a step back.

9. St. John’s as a sleeper: I’m a little surprised more people aren’t talking about the Red Storm as a contender for the Big East title along with Marquette, Creighton and Georgetown. When it comes to pure talent, Steve Lavin’s squad should be the top team in the league. St. John’s returns three double-digit scorers in D’Angelo Harrison (17.8 PPG), JaKarr Sampson (14.9) and Phil Greene (10.1). Forward God'sgift Achiuwa is back after redshirting last season. He averaged 9.4 points in 2011-12. Center Chris Obekpa also returns after averaging a national-best 3.9 blocks. And the Storm add two players -- point guard Rysheed Jordan and forward Orlando Sanchez -- who should have an immediate impact. Jordan was ranked as the third-best point guard in the Class of 2013. The 6-9 Sanchez, who will be eligible for only one season, is regarded as a future pro. If Lavin finds a way to meld all of this talent, St. John’s could be a Top-25 mainstay by midseason.

10. Josh Gasser is back at Wisconsin: The point guard missed all of the 2012-13 season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The Badgers still won 23 games and made the NCAA tournament without him, but his return to the lineup could spark the squad to even greater success this year. Gasser, who has been cleared to play in an exhibition tour of Canada that begins this week, will likely become more of a combo guard thanks to the emergence of Traevon Jackson. He could even end up playing some at forward because of Wisconsin’s lack of depth in the paint. The 6-3 Gasser averaged 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds two seasons ago.

1. Ole Miss' Marshall Henderson is expected to be in class when fall semester starts next week in Oxford, coach Andy Kennedy confirmed. Henderson was suspended earlier in the summer for reportedly failing a drug test. Henderson hasn't been cleared yet. The plan is for him to work on regaining the trust of the department and school before being reinstated. Henderson has been quiet this summer since the suspension. He led the Rebels to the Round of 32 last March and was the leading scorer in the SEC. The Rebels won the SEC tournament, too.

2. UCLA coach Steve Alford said during our ESPNU college basketball podcast Monday that he was willing to play his old team, New Mexico, and best friend Craig Neal sometime in the future. But Alford wouldn't commit to a year. Alford should get the game done while his son Bryce and Neal's son Cullen are still in school. The two had a budding rivalry to go along with their close friendship when they were Albuquerque scoring studs. This is a new era out West. In the past, UCLA wouldn't play New Mexico for fear it wasn't a quality game. But now the Lobos are as much of a high-profile game as any game beyond the traditional powers. Playing New Mexico at the Pit -- where Alford said he would be willing to play for a true home-and-home -- would be arguably a better game for the Bruins then their recent series with Missouri. Playing UCLA for the Lobos would be a big deal and another sign the program has arrived on a larger stage.

3. The Super Tuesday schedule was released with two interesting side notes: The amount of exposure for LSU in the SEC and Iowa in the Big Ten. LSU got two high-profile home games against Tennessee (Jan. 7) and Kentucky (Jan. 28). This is a golden opportunity for the Baton Rouge faithful to show their true spirit and ensure the Tigers are a feared road spot. LSU enters the season as a bit of a sleeper in the SEC. Win one or both of those home games on a night when it will be the featured game could give the Tigers shelf-life NCAA-type wins. Iowa is a trendy pick in the Big Ten and was rewarded with three games -- two at home against Michigan State (Jan. 28) and Ohio State (Feb. 4) and one on the road at Indiana (Feb. 18). Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said he has an NCAA team. The Hawkeyes won't be short chances with an opportunity to produce advantageous home crowd situations against a few of the top teams in the league.

Memo to all band directors: The game just changed.

On Monday, VCU announced that band director Ryan Kopacsi has signed a contract extension, following a week filled with uncertainty.

Last week, the leader of VCU’s popular pep band, The Peppas, announced his retirement. Through Facebook, Kopacsi said he’d made a decision to “step away” from the group after 15 years.

Kopacsi, 34, didn’t offer any details.

But that’s when the frenzy began. His numerous supporters created a “Keep Ryan at VCU” Facebook fan page, which quickly attracted more than 2,000 likes. And then, the school released a statement that said it was negotiating with him. It might have been the first official statement about contract discussions with a band director in college basketball history.

And this might have been the first band director holdout in the sport’s history, too.

I don’t know the details of the discussions. But here’s my guess. Kopacsi wasn’t happy with whatever VCU had originally offered. So he went with the negotiating tactic perfected by former NFL star Brett Favre, who threatened retirement about nine times and made more money every time he returned.

His fans went public with their frustration. And things got real for VCU, which suddenly faced scrutiny and pressure as the story grew.

Game. Over.

From the official statement:

For 15 years, engaging Director Ryan Kopacsi has led the VCU Pep Band, The Peppas, as it entertained the masses at VCU athletic contests and other events.

That tradition will continue, as VCU Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin announced Friday that Kopacsi has agreed to a contract extension to remain as band director.

“Since my arrival last summer, it is clear to me how much value The Peppas bring to VCU Athletics and the university community. After several months of negotiations, we have agreed on a contract with Ryan Kopacsi to continue serving as director of the band,” McLaughlin said. “While it is our policy not to discuss specifics of any contract, I am able to say that our agreement includes an increase in salary, compensation for undergraduate classes at VCU and first-time funding for an assistant. As part of the agreement, The Peppas will have an increased presence at many additional intercollegiate events as well as VCU Athletics corporate and donor events.”

Kopacsi’s new deal also includes a school-sponsored fundraising campaign that aims to raise $100,000 to support the band in the coming years. This is huge for both Kopacsi and the band. The story alone has elevated their profiles. Plus, VCU promises a greater on-campus presence for the Peppas and more resources for Kopacsi.

Again, a week ago Kopacsi had unofficially retired.

But the people spoke. And now he’ll continue to lead one of the best bands in the country. Amazing plan if that was really the original plan. Either way, the 34-year-old wins.

If you need to reach him, talk to his new assistant.

Since 2001, when the NCAA men's basketball committee formally included the play-in games as part of the NCAA tournament, a lot has changed. The NCAA has expanded the tournament, adding would-be No. 12-seeds to the mix. It has attempted a best-of-all-bad-options rebrand, calling the play-in games the first round despite the fact that a staggering majority of the teams in the tournament don't participate in said "first round."

(This bit of semantics wouldn't be a big deal were it not so routinely confusing. Thursday and Friday are the first round, but the NCAA wants us to call them the second round. When you have to reference these rounds 12 months a year, things get frustrating in a hurry.)

The play-ins still feel like play-ins, but the success of teams in the First Four since its inception in 2011 -- VCU went to the Final Four that March; La Salle streaked to the 2013 Sweet 16 -- have raised its profile, or at least made it a less undesirable bracket destination. And the event is still evolving, even if the tournament format is done expanding for some time.

For 12 years, one constant has remained: Dayton's role as play-in host.

And rightfully so. Not only is the event a point of pride for the city in and of itself, but it feels genuinely loved. Ticket sales are always close to sellout level -- in 2013, they surpassed it -- as Dayton residents have flocked to watch teams in which they have little or no rooting interest. That's love.

In other words, it's hard to imagine finding a place that would take to the event the way Dayton has ... but it seems the NCAA is at least going to look. From the Dayton Business Journal:

The NCAA confirmed Friday it will wait until at least next year to select sites for the event in 2016 and beyond. Local officials had been lobbying the NCAA to secure an earlier commitment for the First Four — which is being held here in 2014 and 2015 — for as much as a decade.

“Dayton is still a favorable site, and the end result could be that the First Four is played in Dayton for many years to come,” said David Worlock, an NCAA spokesperson, in a statement to the DBJ. “This is simply a byproduct of the changing landscape of college athletics and due to this ever-changing landscape, the Men’s Basketball Committee is reluctant to enter into a long-term agreement -- for any round(s) of the tournament."

That, of course, makes sense for the NCAA. As SI's Andy Glockner notes, the considerations that led to the original selection and continuation of Dayton have changed. More teams participating in play-in games means more travel issues to balance, and the NCAA continues to double-down on the importance of geographic considerations in its bracketing. Plus, with all due respect to Dayton, it is not exactly the warmest place in the world in March. Dayton might not have as much to offer as another city. Maybe not, but who knows? That's why you keep the bidding open. It's not like Dayton couldn't win the thing back.

And with all that said ... it would be a bit of a shame to see the event move. The pride Daytonians feel about the opening round is palpable. You don't even have to look that hard: Spend five minutes talking to any of the on-site volunteers at UD Arena, and not only will you get a detailed history of the city's obsession with hoops, you'll also hear local pride bubbling over. Dayton packs the play-in games not only because it loves basketball, but because the city feels ownership over the event and its own image as it is reflected nationally on the eve of one of the biggest sports competitions in the world. Residents there are invested. They're all-in.

The NCAA has to make decisions based on its own best interests, of course, and there may be another site out there with more to offer. But it will be hard, if not outright impossible, to replace what Dayton has brought to the event. Where else is the play-in -- excuse me, the "first round" -- going to sell out?