ESPN Men's Basketball

1. Being on the NCAA tournament selection committee has become a bad omen for athletic directors or commissioners keeping their jobs, with a third member losing his day job while on the committee. Last year, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe was fired and had to step away from the committee; he was ultimately replaced by Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione. Then, UConn athletic director and chair Jeff Hathaway was forced to “retire.” He had to take a faux consultant job with the Big East to stay on the committee. Hathaway is now the athletic director at Hofstra. The latest to lose his job is SMU AD Steve Orsini, abruptly fired Thursday. Chair Mike Bobinski of Xavier and new NCAA vice president Mark Lewis will now have to huddle to find a replacement for Orsini on the committee. If they stay in the Big East/Conference USA area, they should look at USF AD Doug Woolard, Big East associate commissioner Dan Gavitt or East Carolina AD Terry Holland.

2. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Kentucky’s Anthony Davis -- the consensus No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft -- brings shot-blocking, something the U.S. Olympic team may need this summer in London. Davis’ chances have risen due to the injury to Orlando’s Dwight Howard. Krzyzewski said Davis isn’t “trying out” for the team; rather, Davis is now in the pool of players who may be selected. Krzyzewski said it would be good to get Davis indoctrinated right away into USA Basketball. “He’s a great talent and a good kid," Krzyzewski said. “Hopefully we don’t get any more guys hurt."

3. Organizers for the Battle 4 Atlantis -- the top non-conference tournament -- won’t decide on the bracket until August for the November event. The event, at the Atlantis Hotel on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, could put all eight teams in the NCAA tournament. They are: Louisville, Duke, Stanford, Missouri, Minnesota, Memphis, VCU and Northern Iowa.

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 email your link to collegebasketballnation at gmail.com, or use the submission form here.

• A high school kid named Alex Kline is one of the nation’s rising AAU go-betweens. True story, via The New York Times.
• Indiana player Matt Roth has had an admirable career: He arrived at IU with the program in the worst state in its history, but he stuck it out in time to feel some measure of success and earned two degrees in the process. Now, as he seeks a fifth-year medical redshirt, his scholarship may no longer be available; he may end up paying out-of-state tuition to finish his fifth year. The Indianapolis Star’s Terry Hutchens has the story, and Assembly Call’s Jerod Morris has reaction.
• Frank Haith sees your transfers, Fred Hoiberg, and raises you. Tulsa transfer Jordan Clarkson -- the subject of a low-profile, but nonetheless questionable, limitation on his permission-to-contact list -- has decided to move to Missouri. Clarkson will join a team that already boasts transfers including former UConn forward Alex Oriakhi as well as Pepperdine guard Keion Bell, Auburn forward Earnest Ross and Oregon guard Jabari Brown. Clarkson will have to sit out a year, but he'll be a factor in the SEC when he returns in 2013-14.
• This photo of a baby mimicking the famous Anthony Davis poster (which itself was a retread of Michael Jordan’s famous “Wings” poster, and I should know, because one hangs in my domicile) is one of the best things you will see all day. He’s trying to spread his little arms, but they only go so far! Seriously. Adorable. Also, someone whip up a Success Kid meme, pronto. Thanks, Internet.
• Illinois State tabbed Dan Muller to replace Tim Jankovich as its new head coach. That’s Dan Muller the Vanderbilt assistant, not Dan Muller the noted and deceased “artist, illustrator and writer of the Old West.” (Now that’s a job description.)
• UConn athletic director Warde Manuel said he expects Jim Calhoun to return for the 2012–13 season, and that Manuel isn’t planning on naming anybody as Calhoun’s successor during the coach’s tenure, at least not yet. Matty Norlander believes that’s the right way to handle an undeniably difficult transition.
• The New York Times' Pete Thamel provides a helpful dispatch on the troubled state of the Big East.
• In case you missed it, be sure to read Dana O’Neil’s reaction to John Marinatto’s resignation Monday, and what that resignation says about the Big East. Meanwhile, our Big East college football writer, Andrea Adelson, looks at where the league goes from here.
• Finally, you should know that I’m hosting a SportsNation chat at 2 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. CT, right here. We will talk mostly about “Game of Thrones,” but maybe we’ll cover some basketball too. See you there.

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. Texas coach Rick Barnes and NC State coach Mark Gottfried confirmed Jimmy V Classic matchups for Tuesday, Dec. 4 at Madison Square Garden. Texas will play Georgetown and NC State will play Connecticut. Texas has a terrific schedule again with an appearance in the Maui Invitational, hosting North Carolina (meaning the Tar Heels and Longhorns will be in opposite brackets in Maui), play UCLA in Houston and traveling to Michigan State. NC State is the headline team in Puerto Rico in November, hosts Stanford and possibly will get Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on the road. The ACC is going to 18-league games next season, too, which improves the Wolfpack schedule with two games against Duke and Florida State as well as North Carolina.

2. Kansas coach Bill Self said the Jayhawks are desperate for a quality home-and-home series, starting in Lawrence next season. KU originally talked to Indiana but that deal fell through. The Jayhawks are in the CBE Classic with Saint Louis as the other high-profile team. The Jayhawks also have the Champions Classic game against Michigan State in Atlanta, return a game at Ohio State and get Temple at home. That’s still a very strong slate. But Self said the Jayhawks are looking for a new series at home and are struggling to find one.

3. Bruce Weber said when he took the Kansas State job he had to finish the schedule. The Wildcats already had a return game against Florida in Kansas City and are in the NIT Season Tip-Off as one of the four hosts (Pitt, Virginia and Michigan are the other three). Weber finished the marquee portion of the schedule by signing up to play in the Battle of Seattle against Gonzaga. Weber had enjoyed his series with the Zags at Illinois and wanted to continue to challenge the Wildcats. “It’s a fine line,’’ Weber said. “You want to win games early but with a good team you want to make sure you challenge yourself.’’

When the NCAA announced its new Academic Progress Rate standards last May, the only high-profile school impacted by the hike was Connecticut. But there were a handful of historically black college and university athletic programs impacted by the rule, and NCAA president Mark Emmert announced that the NCAA would do more to work with such schools to help them avoid such penalties in the future.

On Thursday, per an NCAA release, that's exactly what the organization is going to do:

After the enhanced APR standards were adopted by the Board last fall, the Committee on Academic Performance recommended the creation of a limited-resource advisory group to evaluate and provide input on issues specific to limited-resource and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The resulting group’s recommendations to CAP included allowing limited-resource institutions more time to make meaningful changes for teams that need additional help in the classroom, while still holding institutions accountable for progressing toward a 930 APR (which predicts about a 50 percent graduation rate).

“We have an obligation to work with HBCUs and limited-resource institutions to make sure their student-athletes have every opportunity to be successful academically,” Emmert said. “It’s important to look at a variety of options and be as deliberative as we can to ensure our actions facilitate success, not limit it.”

You can already imagine the Connecticut fans -- not to mention plenty of pandering politicians -- evincing outrage. How could the NCAA give HBCUs more time, but not UConn! Why are the Huskies stuck with different rules? This isn't fair!

You know what? Maybe it isn't. But it isn't fair that Connecticut has its wealth of recruiting resources, not to mention its academic staff, or its big-time conference affiliation, or any of the other things that separate elite Division I men's basketball programs from the likes of Grambling and Jackson State. HBCUs and other low-resource schools operate in an entirely different world, with an entirely different mission.

These teams aren't competing for national championships. They're competing for the experience of playing in the first round of the NCAA tournament, if they're lucky. But really, more than anything, they're competing to exist. These teams play guarantee games just to maintain a men's basketball program, so they can in turn offer scholarships to kids who might otherwise never have had the opportunity to go to college. As Roy S. Johnson wrote last summer, that's the primary, if not the sole, mission of the HBCU. But that requires a shoestring budget. There are fair reasons why an HBCU might not be able to afford its students the army of tutors and regimented academic support staff available to a program like Connecticut, or any other high-major entity. Comparing the two is silly.

At the end of the day, Connecticut had few good excuses for why it couldn't do what pretty much every other Division I program managed to do, which was consistently maintain an APR score high enough to preserve NCAA tournament eligibility in 2013. Historically black college and universities and other low-resource institutions have those excuses, not that they'd be eager to use them. In fact, they're not even excuses. They're simply the way things are.

Connecticut fans might be eager to call the NCAA's new policy toward such schools "more NCAA hypocrisy." I think it's just being reasonable -- and admirably so.

A few weeks ago, Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun reacted to news of his team's 2012-13 Academic Progress Rate-inflicted postseason ban with positive vibes.

"There's no question [the regular season] would become a heck of a lot more important to us," Calhoun said at the time, and he was right. But the Huskies' chances of building a Big East title contender are becoming slimmer with each passing week.

That change in status is thanks to a host of defections, the latest of which came this past weekend when CBSSports.com reported that sophomore forward Roscoe Smith would be transferring out of the program and seeking a new destination for his talents this summer.

This is not a devastating loss in and of itself. Smith averaged just 4.4 points per game in 2011-12. He was much more of a bit player than a star by any definition of the term. His contributions to Connecticut's 2011 national title were important, particularly on the defensive end, particularly in the tournament. But Smith is hardly a program-defining player.

No, this is more a quantity problem than a quality one. Smith is just the latest transfer. The first was forward Alex Oriakhi, a key player in the 2011 title run, who decided to transfer to Missouri for his senior season when the Huskies' APR ban became formal. Oriakhi can play right away, and it's not hard to understand his decision. Likewise, small forward Jeremy Lamb and forward Andre Drummond are both gone, headed to likely selections in the NBA draft. That's a huge swath of the Huskies' frontcourt, not to mention its elite talent, gone in the matter of a few weeks.

But as he told Andy Katz Saturday, Calhoun is still staying positive:

"We've had 25 years without a losing season and we want to keep it going to 26," Calhoun said.

Calhoun said the backcourt of returnees Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright and newcomer Omar Calhoun, who hasn't shown any sign that he won't honor his commitment, will be one of the top in the Big East.

"Scoring-wise, we'll be fine," Jim Calhoun said of the three guards. "We'll need help up front."

Assuming that trio of guards can congeal, that's not exactly a bad backcourt. It's pretty good, actually. Really good, potentially. Omar Calhoun is the No. 32-ranked player in the country, and the No. 7-ranked shooting guard, in the class of 2012. UConn won't be totally devoid of talent.

But as Calhoun and Andy both noted, Connecticut's returning frontcourt may be in desperate need of help. There are players there -- DeAndre Daniels, Tyler Olander, Enosch Wolf, Niles Giffey, and Holy Cross transfer R.J. Evans -- but Olander is the only player with legitimate game experience, and none among that crew will strike fear into the hearts of Big East opponents like Louisville and Syracuse.

Then again, neither did Smith. But his transfer does clarify an already rather obvious point: The 2012-13 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball season is going to be a ramshackle sort of affair. In that way, it may also be a lot of fun. If we learned anything in 2011, Calhoun is never better than when he's backed into a "you can't succeed with these guys"-kind of corner.

But other than that? The reasons for optimism are steadily growing fewer and further between.

UConn isn't going to the 2013 NCAA tournament. Its APR was too low, its appeal to the NCAA Committee on Academic Progress fell flat, and that's the harsh but deserved reality: UConn isn't going to the 2013 NCAA tournament.

Naturally, Connecticut fans aren't happy about this. And why would they be? But it's one thing to have fans loudly complain about an NCAA rule that will spoil their typical March fun in 11 months' time. It's another to hear members of Congress take those whinges to the public record.

First, it was Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. John Larson, both Connecticut Democrats, who complained. Then, this week, six members of Connecticut's Congressional delegation got involved, writing a letter to the NCAA "expressing similar concerns with how the [Academic Progress Rate] rule was implemented," according to the Associated Press. From that letter:

"While we understand and support the goals of ensuring quality educational opportunities for student-athletes and the need for strong sanctions for failure to meet those goals, we have misgivings about the retroactive implementation of the penalty," the members of Congress wrote. "In particular, the NCAA appears to have imposed an overly harsh and unfair penalty by imposing APR sanctions retroactively for conduct and circumstances that had already occurred."

Reading through this, I was all but ready to take to the blog and write a scathing breakdown of why the rule is fair, why UConn could only blame itself, why coach Jim Calhoun's response ("We've made mistakes ... We're going forward to make sure this never happens again," he said) was the appropriate one, and so on and so forth. I was ready to work up a lather, I really was.

And then I read a little further down in the AP's story, where it included comment from NCAA spokesman Bob Williams. Bob, the floor is yours:

"Every other team at the University of Connecticut met the standard," Williams said. "Every other team in the entire Northeast did. So obviously the standard was well known and others met the standard. The real issue is the academic performance of the UConn men's basketball team."

Boom. Roasted. (Miss you, Steve Carrell.)

Williams nailed it: UConn has had plenty of time to get its academic house in order. It failed to do so. That is Connecticut's fault. Calhoun has admitted as much. For all the talk of arbitrary penalties and which scores the NCAA should examine, UConn's inherent academic failure is the story here.

Of course, it is not popular to chastise what is either the most popular or second most popular entity in the state of Connecticut -- UConn men's basketball or UConn women's basketball, in some order -- so Blumenthal and Larson and the rest of the Connecticut Congressional delegation decided to pick on that old hobbyhorse, the NCAA. Many times, this brand of political pander wouldn't just be blatantly self-serving; it would also be warranted. This is not one of those times.

So please, politicians from Connecticut, stop. Just stop. I know you're representing your constituents and everything, and they're mad about this, but stop. This is the part where most would write some version of the hackneyed Don't these people have better things to do?! line, which is true: These people do (or should) have better things to do.

But I don't even care about that. I'm talking about baseline annoyance here. Connecticut Congressional delegation, this is annoying. Please stop.

ESPN's Andy Katz talked with UConn coach Jim Calhoun Friday about the future of the program:

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said Friday he has no problem with next season's only possible goal being the Big East regular-season title if the Huskies are banned from the postseason.

"There's no question that it would become a heck of a lot more important to us," Calhoun said. "There's no question that Louisville will be good and Syracuse will still be good."

But he's still holding out some hope, as is his new boss, athletic director Warde Manuel, that the NCAA will adjust its Academic Progress Rate (APR) calculations and include the most recent four-year period instead of a time frame that started in 2007 that kept the Huskies below the required level to participate in the postseason.

Read the rest of Andy's article here.

Hall of Fame and three-time national champion coach Jim Calhoun will face his toughest on-court challenge yet, trying to motivate UConn without the opportunity of playing in the postseason in 2013.

The NCAA officially informed the Huskies on Thursday that the latest appeal to be eligible for the 2013 postseason was denied based on a four-year period of Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores.

The Big East decided during the conference tournament to adopt a new policy that any school that isn’t eligible for postseason cannot participate in a conference tournament, regardless of sport.

Calhoun issued a statement through the school Thursday, admitting that the university and coaching staff should have done a better job academically with the team, and that implemented changes have had an effect.

He added, “We will continue to strive to maintain that success as we move forward.’’

Calhoun has two seasons remaining on his contract, and new athletic director Warde Manuel said Thursday during a conference call with the media that Calhoun has given him no indication he won’t go forward as the coach.

“Jim is our coach,’’ Manuel said. “Jim is committed to working to ensure the student-athletes do what they’re doing now -- to focus on academically being successful, and being successful on the court.’’

A number of sources close to Calhoun said he will not retire. Actually, this latest setback will likely embolden him even more to stay and get the Huskies through this hurdle, instead of him quitting on the program when it needs leadership most. Calhoun, who has survived two bouts of cancer, eight broken ribs and recent back surgery, is considered one of the toughest coaches in the country.

Calhoun returned from back surgery for the final regular-season game against Pitt on March 3 after missing eight games, then coached the Huskies in the Big East and NCAA tournament. Calhoun was suspended for three games to start Big East conference play as part of the penalties related to the recruitment of former student Nate Miles (not related to the APR issue).

The Huskies have already released junior forward Alex Oriakhi. He can play immediately somewhere else, because his former team is not allowed to play in the postseason in his final season of college. Kentucky, Duke, Florida, Missouri and North Carolina, among others, are interested in his services.

Manuel said no other player has asked for a release. Oriakhi is the only junior on the team.

The Huskies are awaiting NBA draft decisions from sophomore Jeremy Lamb and freshman Andre Drummond. Calhoun said two weeks ago that he would expect Lamb to leave if he were in the lottery, but wasn’t convinced Drummond would bolt after initial conversations with his family.

The Huskies have one star recruit coming in the fall in Omar Calhoun. They also return rotation players DeAndre Daniels, Enosch Wolf, Niels Giffey, Roscoe Smith and Michael Bradley, as well as a potential all-Big East backcourt of Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright.

Preparing to play a season without the ability to reach the postseason isn’t the norm, but it’s not unique.

Two seasons ago, USC found out in January that it was banned from the postseason, including the Pac-10 tournament.

“It will be a challenge,’’ said USC coach Kevin O’Neill of what Calhoun faces next season. “If anybody can do it, Jim can. He commands the respect to keep them up.’’

O’Neill said he was helped by having senior transfers in Mike Gerrity (Pepperdine) and Marcus Johnson (UConn), who still wanted to play because they had nothing else left on their eligibility clock.

O’Neill said he focused the Trojans on trying to win the Pac-10 regular-season title. Calhoun will likely focus on the Big East regular-season title.

“Our guys continued to play hard, and we were in the hunt until the last two weeks,’’ O’Neill said. “We were fortunate to have seniors. If it’s a younger team, it’s going to be really hard. [UConn] will have a whole year in advance, and you’ve got to motivate the guys to go to the weight room to work their a-- off every single day, and that will be difficult.’’

Manuel isn’t holding out hope for a change in the policy in time to save the 2013 ban.

The Huskies have argued that the NCAA should compute the APR based on the immediate four-year period. Instead, the NCAA started it in 2007-2011.

The men’s team had an APR of 978 in 2010-11, and according to UConn had a perfect APR score in the fall of 2011.

Manuel said he views the Huskies as being penalized twice since it already lost a scholarship due to the poor APR, received a public reprimand and a reduction of practice hours. Manuel said the board of directors changed the level two penalty on Oct. 26, 2011 to go from the above mentioned to include a postseason ban.

“We knew the initial penalty when we submitted our information, we knew the punishment, there was no new data,’’ Manuel told ESPN.com later Thursday of the expectation that the Huskies, in the fall, would receive the above mentioned penalties instead of a ban. “And then they changed the penalty.

“None of the freshmen on this team cost us a point,’’ Manuel said. “The players on this team helped us stay perfect. These freshmen weren’t on the team and their data won’t be calculated.’’

But Manuel said he has moved on and the Huskies must as well, to a season that will end with the last regular-season game.

The Huskies can still win a title in 2013. But just the Big East regular-season championship. That’s it. As a result, this will be Calhoun’s toughest task to date to ensure his depleted team is motivated enough to reach that goal.

1. UConn officials are waiting to see if they will win a waiver to be eligible for the 2013 NCAA tournament. But sophomore Jeremy Lamb and freshman Andre Drummond probably will make up their minds before a decision is rendered. Nothing is official, but a source with knowledge said the UConn coaching staff expects Lamb to declare and stay in the NBA draft since he’s a likely lottery pick. Drummond might not bolt, though. The source said the staff isn’t so sure Drummond will leave even if the Huskies can’t play in the NCAA tournament. The reason is that Drummond may see the need to continue to improve his game in college to be better prepared for the transition.

2. Meanwhile, UConn junior forward Alex Oriakhi, who was a major piece of the 2011 national-title team, is attracting a number of interested parties. Duke, Kentucky and Florida so far have sought Oriakhi; others will likely follow. Oriakhi is expected to win an appeal to play immediately if the Huskies can’t participate in the NCAA tournament. Oriakhi would be a major addition to any of these schools if they were able to land him.

3. Baylor coach Scott Drew said he is giving Perry Jones III and Quincy Miller a week to decompress before discussing whether or not they’ll declare for the NBA draft. Both players could bypass the April 10 NCAA deadline and just wait to see where they would land by the April 29 NBA early-entry deadline.

1. The departure of UConn junior forward Alex Oriakhi is not a surprise. The Huskies may not win the appeal to play in the 2013 NCAA tournament. The UConn staff expects freshman Andre Drummond and sophomore Jeremy Lamb to decide here soon about declaring for the NBA draft. The Huskies face an uphill climb to win an appeal for the 2013 tournament. The NCAA may adjust the Academic Progress Rate penalty to go only over a two-year period instead of four, but that probably won’t affect this penalty. It would be hard for the NCAA to justify overturning UConn since it would send a message of favoritism. But if you think these hurdles will push Jim Calhoun out, think again. Calhoun will retire only if he thinks he doesn’t have the drive or his health fails. He’s hardly a coach who shies away from a challenge and clearly doesn’t want to leave the Huskies' program gutted.

2. Nebraska is one of the toughest jobs in the Big Ten. But the Huskers have the money to make a serious play for a candidate to replace Doc Sadler. If the Huskers could lure Oregon’s Dana Altman back to the state they would. If not, then according to sources, the other two candidates that are high on the Huskers’ list are Colorado State’s Tim Miles and Ohio’s John Groce. The Huskers couldn’t go wrong with any of these choices. All have a history of building winners and would give the Huskers a chance to rise in the Big Ten.

3. VCU athletic director Norwood Teague said he did bump up Shaka Smart’s salary a bit -- as well as a few other things, like more chartered trips. But Smart didn’t get more years on his deal. Smart showed incredible loyalty by staying true to the Rams. Teague said the clause that a prospective school would have to play VCU two years in a row will remain if Smart leaves at any time during his contract for another job.

Brian Bennett and Gene Wojciechowski recap Thursday's action in Louisville and look ahead to Saturday's Round of 32 matchups.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Early in the first half of Kentucky's game against Western Kentucky on Thursday evening, as the Wildcats tried to scrape the 16th-seeded Hilltoppers from the bottom of their sneakers, a chorus of boos arrived without warning.

From the upper reaches of the KFC Yum! Center to the lower bowl, thousands of UK fans made their displeasure known to the 14 players walking slowly to their seats three rows behind the baseline. They wore dark blue sweatsuits and a school logo despised by Kentucky followers.

UConn.

Big Blue Nation has a long memory. It remembers what happened last April 2, when the Huskies defeated the Cats in the Final Four semis by a single point. Kentucky went home, Connecticut went on to win a national title.

But come Saturday, in the South Region round of 32, UK would exact its revenge. At least, that was the office pool plan.

One problem: Iowa State beat Kentucky to it.

Actually, ISU beat UConn 77-64 and threw a very large water balloon in the face of everyone who assumed the Huskies and Wildcats would get their 2012 NCAA tournament rematch. Instead, Iowa State advances and the Huskies are a one-and-done.

For the full story, click here.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Chris Allen played his first three years at Michigan State, experiencing two Final Fours and a Sweet 16 with the Spartans.

His old team expected to do great things in March. Back in the NCAA tournament as a senior with Iowa State, Allen senses an entirely different feeling.

"People see us and say, 'That's Iowa State. Who are they?'" Allen said. "But you can't worry about the name on the front of the jersey. You just have to worry about the players."

Plenty of folks saw the name Connecticut and automatically assumed the Huskies would brush past Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA tournament. UConn was the defending national champion, after all, while the Cyclones were a collection of castoffs at a program that hadn't gone dancing in seven years. Forget that Iowa State was seeded one spot higher, at No. 8, than Connecticut. Everybody was already looking forward to a third-round matchup between UConn and top seed Kentucky.

Except that Iowa State's players were better than Connecticut's. A lot better, and they showed it during Thursday's 77-64 dethroning at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cyclones felt disrespected leading into the game and believed they would win. In the waning seconds, big man Royce White barked at the Iowa State radio crew, "I told you!"

"Nobody picked us to win," White said. "That bothered me a lot. Personally, I was as tuned-in as I've been all year to this game as far as my effort."

White showed it on the first possession of the game, throwing down a dunk off a rebound to set an early tone. Twelve minutes later, Iowa State led 36-14 after what coach Fred Hoiberg called his team's best stretch of the season.

The Cyclones hit eight of their first 11 shots and drilled six 3-pointers in the first half. But this wasn't simply the story of a team getting hot from outside and pulling off an upset. Iowa State didn't make a 3-pointer in the second half and instead took it to the Huskies physically, outrebounding them 41-24 and just wanting it more. After UConn cut the lead to six points at the under-eight-minutes timeout, Iowa State responded by scoring seven consecutive points and grabbing four offensive rebounds during that stretch.

"That's just hunger," White said. "That's us being the underdog."

UConn suffered from the same disinterested, disjointed vibe that plagued the team all year. At one point after a Cyclones run, Jim Calhoun called timeout and just stared at his team from the court for several moments, unsure of what to say. He later said the Huskies got caught "being nothing more than a street sign as [Iowa State] went by us by a thousand miles." With a 2013 tournament ban looming plus Calhoun's uncertain future, who knows what path Connecticut takes the next couple of years?

Truth is, Iowa State presents a tougher matchup for Kentucky than UConn ever did. This is a team that beat Kansas, Kansas State and Baylor this season and plays an odd style that is not easy to prepare for in one day.

"We have a lot of stuff that's abnormal to the college game," guard Chris Babb said.

That starts with White, a 6-foot-8, 270-pounder who often brings the ball up the court and initiates the offense. Hoiberg puts four shooters on the court with him most of the time. Teams that can spread Kentucky out and shoot -- think Vanderbilt and Indiana -- can beat the Wildcats, though it will still take a monumental effort.

There's very little that's conventional about Iowa State. Hoiberg had never coached at any level before he was hired two years ago. Looking for a quick fix, he brought in six transfers, four of whom are playing for the Cyclones in this tournament. Some of them had checkered pasts.

"It's kind of weird, because we have so many different people coming from so many different places," said guard Scott Christopherson, who transferred in from Marquette in 2008. "But we have all bonded together."

They used that togetherness to knock off the defending champions. Up next is the No. 1 team in this year's tournament. Win that one, and people will know all about Iowa State.

"There's nothing better you could have as far as a plot line for an underdog that wants to achieve something great," White said. "We've got to embrace the spot we're in now."

The NCAA field of 68 is out and there are plenty of storylines. Let’s take a snapshot look at some of the most interesting nuggets that we compiled today.

On the seedings

• This is the fourth time Tom Izzo has had a team that is a No. 1 seed. The three previous times, he reached the Final Four (1999-2001). In all, Michigan State has been a No. 1 seed five times (also in 1990)
• This is the sixth time that Texas has been a double-digit seed in the men's basketball championship. Each of the previous five times, the Longhorns won at least one game in the NCAA tournament.

• This is the 1st time since 1992 that Connecticut has been seeded ninth or worse in the tournament (No. 9 seed in 1992). The Huskies had played in 14 tournaments since then seeded eighth or better.

Next Level

• Six of the top 12 teams in tempo (possessions per game) in the NCAA tournament are in the West Region. Brigham Young and Iona play in the first round. Seven teams that led their conference in transition points per game are in that region (Michigan State, Missouri, Marquette, Murray State, Memphis, and Iona).
• Creighton's matchup with Alabama in the Midwest Region will be a contrast between offensive and defensive efficiency. Creighton averages 117.8 points per 100 possessions, which is second in the nation, while Alabama allows 91.4 points per 100 possessions, which is second in the SEC and 16th in the nation.
• Virginia Commonwealth forces a turnover on 27.4 percent of its possessions and forces 17.9 turnovers per game this season, both of which are first in the nation. The Rams average 20.4 points per game off turnovers, which is identical to the number of points per game off turnovers that Syracuse scores this season. Syracuse is first among power six conference teams in points per game off turnovers.

• Florida averages 1.16 points per possession this season (tied for-fourth-highest in nation); Virginia allows 0.88 points per possession (second-lowest in nation).

Obscurity

• There are 31 states (and Washington DC) represented in the NCAA tournament. North Carolina has the most teams in the field (North Carolina, Duke, NC State, UNC-Asheville and Davidson). The state of Kentucky went 4-for-6 in getting teams into the field.
• Nashville and Cincinnati are the only two cities with a pair of NCAA tournament teams. Nashville has Belmont and Vanderbilt. Cincinnati has Xavier and the University of Cincinnati.
• The most common nickname in the tournament is Wildcats. It is represented by Kentucky, Kansas State, and Davidson. Also of note: Both teams nicknamed Gaels (Iona and Saint Mary’s) are in the field.

Snubs

• Washington became the first regular-season conference champion from a Power Six conference to not be selected to the NCAA tournament field. The Huskies 14 conference wins are the most of any Power Six team to miss the tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
• Drexel and Oral Roberts each won 27 games, tied for the second-most by a team that didn’t make the tournament field, since it expanded to 64 teams, one behind Coastal Carolina (28 wins in 2010-11).
• Marshall had the best RPI for a team that didn’t make the NCAA tournament-- 43.