ESPN Men's Basketball

1. The NCAA offered up an explanation as to why there can be a difference between the Memphis-Derrick Rose and Duke-Lance Thomas case when the person in question chooses not to cooperate and talk to the NCAA. According to NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn, if there is more information to allow the enforcement staff to allege a major violation through information gathered then it can go forward. Osburn said if there is a case in which there is no other information to suggest a violation without cooperation then the case cannot go forward. "You can't tell someone you violated a rule if they're not a member of the NCAA or if there is no other evidence to suggest a rule was broken. If there was a major violation there has to be evidence. It can't just be he said/she said. If you have folks who have information and they haven't said anything like an agent or a jeweler they don't fall under NCAA rules. So they don't have to talk to you. If they're no longer a student athlete they don't have to, either unless the school says it will disassociate you from the school. We don't have the subpoena power so we can only do so much." Translate: The NCAA claims it had other evidence in the Rose-Memphis standardized test case (it ultimately forced Memphis to vacate the 2008 Final Four) without talking to Rose but didn't have anything else in the Thomas case and never got Thomas to talk.

2. Harvard made my early-season Top 25 and with good reason. The Crimson beat New Mexico in the round of 64. The assumption was the two best players -- who were suspended for the year with a number of other students from the general student body over an academic scandal -- would be returning next season. Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said Wednesday that Brandyn Curry and Kyle Casey will be back as expected. That was always the plan but there could have been a hiccup with neither player being on campus during the past year. Harvard has a few high-profile games next season with the series continuing against UConn and a return games against UMass and Boston College. The Crimson are in the Great Alaska Shootout, a tournament that has waned in importance recently. But the 2013 field is decent with a few teams that could end up in the NCAAs in 2014 like Iowa, Denver, Indiana State and Tulsa. TCU, Pepperdine and host Alaska-Anchorage are the other three in the field.

3. Miami coach Jim Larranaga said he'll know in a few weeks who might be his replacement for Shane Larkin at the point. But he now knows who will be the lead guard in the fall of 2014 with the arrival of Kansas State transfer guard Angel Rodriguez. There's always a chance Rodriguez will appeal to play immediately since he wanted to be closer to his family in Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, Georgia coach Mark Fox said he has the player ready to take over for his early-entrant sophomore and leading scorer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Fox said freshman Kenny Gaines, who averaged 3.7 points or almost 15 fewer than Caldwell-Pope, would take over. "He had many solid nights as his backup (last year)," said Fox. "He's a good player."

1. Wisconsin-Green Bay spokesperson Christopher Sampson said Tuesday that the lesson the school learned from the Rutgers case when there are allegations of mistreatment against a coach is that the story goes national. But UWGB has already done something Rutgers didn't and should have immediately -- take the investigation out of the school's hands. When the results are in from the independent investigation, led by a local attorney, then it will be much harder to refute the results if everyone involved has cooperated in talking to the investigator and all evidence has been examined. Rutgers made the major mistake of only examining the charges within Rutgers last fall. The penalties -- if there are any -- should be decided by the president and athletic director. But to put the parents at ease of a fair investigation by using a third party, the issue has a chance to be treated appropriately. This will also help coach Brian Wardle if he is exonerated since it would come from a third party without any agenda to either save or hurt his job status.

2. The Lance Thomas case involving how the former Duke player received a loan to purchase jewelry while a senior in 2009-10 had no chance with the NCAA when the key people involved -- Thomas and a jeweler -- decided not to talk to the NCAA. This has always been the issue with the NCAA. The only people who are "forced" to talk to them are those who still are employed by an NCAA institution and players who still have eligibility remaining. In this case, having a third party of an experienced attorney or professional investigator may not have mattered, either, since Thomas and the jeweler wouldn't have been under any legal obligation to talk. Still, it would have helped perception for the NCAA if the attempt was made by an independent body. If the NCAA is going to regain its credibility, then using a third party, out of NCAA headquarters, to conduct investigations might make more sense. There is a larger extra benefit issue here at stake that may need to be addressed of whether or not it's OK for players to be treated differently in securing loans or product because of who they are as long as everything is done legally. This is an ongoing fluid topic about whether or not an athlete can be treated differently for what they do for the university.

3. The new American Athletic Conference is close to securing the Mohegan Sun Casino arena, home to the WNBA's Connecticut Sun, for the women's basketball tournament in 2014. But the American Athletic Conference isn't interested apparently in making it a home for the men's tournament. Instead, sites like the XL Center in Hartford, FedEx Forum in Memphis and facilities in Cincinnati, Tampa and the Palestra in Philadelphia are being considered. Bids are being accepted and a decision is forthcoming in the coming weeks. UConn athletic director Warde Manuel said the 9,000 seats would probably be too small for the men's event in the hope that it could grow beyond that at a place like the XL Center. But the new conference needs a destination site and the Mohegan Sun could offer that for fans, akin to those who go to Las Vegas sites at the MGM for the Pac-12 and the Orleans Arena for the WCC. The American Athletic Conference needs to make the right call here in the hope that this tournament can grow. It will have the advantage of Louisville fans flooding the site for 2014, but then won't have the Cardinal faithful in 2015 and beyond. So making a long-term choice that will be a destination for fans is critical.

1. Baylor coach Scott Drew could have had a myriad problems had he lost Cory Jefferson and Isaiah Austin to the NBA draft. Instead, Drew's primary offseason focus is what to do at the point. He has plenty of time to discuss, dissect and analyze over the summer, but his first inkling is to go with a combination of Gary Franklin and Brady Heslip to offset the departure of Pierre Jackson. Other options for Drew are Kenny Chery, a newcomer, or L.J. Rose, who was on the team last season. This is a critical upcoming year for the Bears. The disappointment last season of not making the NCAA tournament was softened by the NIT championship. Now that Jefferson and Austin have returned, there is no excuse if the Bears don't make the 2014 field. The Big 12 will be down a bit with Oklahoma State and Kansas as the top two teams. Baylor has the personnel to beat out Iowa State, Kansas State and Oklahoma. But the onus will be on consistent play upfront and a stable point guard.

2. The UMass-Lowell job is open after Greg Herenda took the head coaching position at Fairleigh Dickinson. The Riverhawks are joining the America East next season but have a four-year waiting period to become eligible for postseason. North Dakota State is one of the best models for how to make this transition when Tim Miles and Saul Phillips set up the Bison to make the NCAAs in their first eligible year in 2009. Bryant University handled a similar transition, and while the Bulldogs didn't make the NCAAs in their first eligible year, Bryant spent a good portion of the 2012-13 season atop the NEC and ended up earning a berth in the CBI. The Riverhawks now have to follow a similar path and to do so have a shot to look at area schools for coaching talent. Former Boston College coach Al Skinner, his former assistant and current Northeastern assistant Pat Duquette and current Emerson head coach Jim O'Brien, who was the head coach at BC prior to Skinner, all could be in the mix for this position, according to sources. This is hardly a headline position, but everyone jumping up from Division II to I wants to make a splash. The America East grabbed UMass-Lowell to replace Boston University in the hope it can penetrate the Boston market, making it even more imperative to win the new conference with a coach that has local ties.

3. Ray McCallum Jr. announced his decision to declare for the NBA draft last week but it got lost amid other headline names making the tough call to stay or go. But don't dismiss the Detroit guard as an afterthought. McCallum Jr. could have easily gone to UCLA but chose to play for his father Ray at Detroit. McCallum will be an intriguing prospect to monitor throughout the team workouts and in Chicago over the next two months. Each decision is personal and that's why to guess what direction a player would go in this process is extremely difficult. McCallum chose to leave his dad's team and head to the NBA. Doug McDermott decided to stay and play for his dad at Creighton for one more year. McCallum, though, could very well end up being a higher pick in a draft that needs quality ball handlers.

1. The NBA’s one-and-done rule gets plenty of attention in the spring as players decide to leave college after one season. But the post-grad rule is turning every spring into free agency. UNLV’s Mike Moser is the latest to create a buzz. Moser is going on his third set of recruiting visits in his career. He was at UCLA and then transferred to UNLV. He's now a free agent after earning his degree. He’s looking for a one-year deal to finish his college career at his third school. He was at Gonzaga this weekend and into Monday. He was already being pursued by Washington and Oregon. A healthy Moser is an instant hit for three teams in the Northwest that are in need of a veteran rebounder. All that’s missing is for Moser to get paid in this deal since he’s a one-year rent-a-player. Nothing illicit here for any of the programs in pursuit. This is the new norm.

2. San Diego State built a schedule to go with a possible Big West conference slate. But then the Aztecs were able to stay in the NCAA tournament-bid rich Mountain West. This means coach Steve Fisher felt he had to dial back his schedule a bit. Fisher has asked Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin to put off a road game in Cincinnati for a year. The problem is the Bearcats have to agree and will only do so if Cincinnati can find an appropriate alternative at home. UC can’t just give up a quality home game without finding a replacement. The Aztecs are already playing home games against Arizona and Washington. They go to Kansas and they have the rivalry game with San Diego. They are also in the Anaheim Classic with Big East favorites Marquette and Creighton as well as possible Pac-12 sleeper team in Arizona State. The MWC will have 18 conference games with the additions of Utah State and San Jose State.

3. St. John’s coach Steve Lavin is confident about the momentum in the offseason. Lavin listed these facts: Orlando Sanchez got a year of eligibility for next season, they won a close game in the NIT, point guard Rysheed Jordan signed, Jakarr Sampson decided to stay instead of leaving for the NBA, a total of 14 players will return when redshirts and walk-ons are included, and the anticipation that the Red Storm will make a major step forward in the new Big East. The safe picks to push for bids are Marquette, Creighton, Georgetown, Villanova, Butler and Xavier. But St. John’s may be a better pick than Providence if there is going to be a team pushing the above six for a spot in 2014.

1. The new Big East presidents are expected to meet in the next week to interview four or five finalists for the commissioner's job. Creighton athletic director Bruce Rasmussen said Thursday the 10 athletic directors haven't been told of the finalists, but Rasmussen is hopeful West Coast Conference commissioner Jamie Zaninovich is one of the five and gets the job. "We need a commissioner who has been successful, who has the background, who has the knowledge that can make decisions,'' said Rasmussen. "Jamie Zaninovich would be a tremendous person to put in that position.'' Rasmussen said the new Big East must hire a commissioner who has held that job, especially in a landscape where having a powerful figure is important amid a changing and aggressive college sports landscape. Zaninovich has long been rumored as a candidate and when asked at the Final Four in Atlanta, Zaninovich had no comment. Zaninovich is on the men's basketball selection committee, but would probably lose his spot if he left his West Coast position since the committee has a national balance.

2. Baylor coach Scott Drew said Isaiah Austin has told him all along that he would take his NBA draft decision down to the final weekend. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Cory Jefferson made up his mind to stay and Austin is still quiet at this point. Drew said Austin wasn't planning on making too much of a fuss about his decision and will probably let it be known without much fanfare. But if Jefferson and Austin return, Baylor will have one of the most athletic and intimidating frontcourts in the country. Of course, they need quality guards to ensure they are a top three finisher in the Big 12 after losing Pierre Jackson from the NIT champs.

3. UConn coach Kevin Ollie wasn't sure what Shabazz Napier would do this weekend before the NBA draft deadline Sunday night. Napier should come back if he wants a chance to play in the NCAA tournament and improve his position. He would run the real risk of going undrafted if he were to declare. Napier would start out as a preseason American Conference potential player of the year with Louisville's Russ Smith, Memphis' Joe Jackson and Cincinnati's Sean Kilpatrick.

1. Kansas may have the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and the top nonconference schedule for 2013-14 season. The Jayhawks haven't finished the slate as of yet it but it's getting better with each game that they finalize. The Jayhawks are hosting Georgetown, San Diego State, playing at Colorado, Duke in the Champions Classic in Chicago, and are the marquee team in the Battle 4 Atlantis with Villanova, Tennessee, UTEP, Xavier, USC, Wake Forest and a team to be determined (was going to be Michigan State but the Spartans couldn't get out of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Brooklyn). The SEC-Big 12 Challenge isn't set yet, but according to multiple sources the Jayhawks could be headed to Florida. The inaugural SEC-Big 12 Challenge will have a number of marquee games but some are already determined like Kentucky playing Baylor in Dallas, which will be folded into the event. Kansas also plans on playing two to three "guaranteed" buy games against top 100 teams.

2. The lure of Frank Martin to South Carolina wasn't just his winning culture and his commitment to his craft. Martin made sense for the Gamecocks so he could tap into his native South Florida. Well, Martin proved how significant a connection he has to the area by securing a commitment from 6-8 Demetrius Henry out of Faith Baptist Christian School in Miami, getting Henry away from the hometown Hurricanes. South Carolina has six newcomers so far for next season, including Reggie Theus Jr., the son of the new Cal State-Northridge coach. Martin will consistently tap into his South Florida contacts and ensure the Gamecocks are a player when SEC-level talent is available in the region. This has put a new competitor in play for Miami.

3. Marshall coach Tom Herrion cut loose DeAndre Kane because he was tired of his act. Herrion was clear in a statement that this was his call when he was quoted in the MetroNews of West Virginia: “After meeting with DeAndre, I have decided it is in our program’s and his best interest that he seek opportunities elsewhere. We appreciate his contributions to our team and wish him the best in his future.” There was no need to be anything but transparent here if Herrion didn't want him in the program anymore. Herrion said "it was time to move on" for Kane. Marshall was a major disappointment last season. The Herd, who were supposed to challenge Memphis for the Conference USA title, finished a disastrous 13-19, 6-10 in the league. Kane, who saw all his key production stats drop, can play immediately elsewhere if he were to graduate and then seek a master's not available at Marshall.

1. A number of college stars still have major decisions to make this week on their NBA draft plans and, according to either coaches or family members, the decisions are down to 50-50 for Miami's Shane Larkin, Michigan State's Adreian Payne, Creighton's Doug McDermott, Louisville's Russ Smith and Baylor's Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson. You can probably add Syracuse's C.J. Fair to this list of players still undecided as Sunday's NBA early-entry deadline looms. Miami and Creighton desperately need their All-Americans to return. If the Baylor players decide to stay, the Bears could be the third-best team in the Big 12. If they do not, Baylor might be lucky to be in the NIT.

2. The one-and-done rule gets all the headlines, but the number of transfers is what is stunting team growth and winning with consistency in a number of spots. Alabama had a chance to be a top-four SEC team, but that became much more difficult with the decision of Trevor Lacey to transfer. Tony Chennault wasn't a major contributor for Villanova after transferring from Wake Forest -- but he's on the move again in search of more playing time, while possibly sacrificing a chance to win. Players transfer for a host of reasons. But impatience is usually high on the list.

3. Pac-12 officials meets next week in Phoenix and, according to the league office, commissioner Larry Scott might not address the Ed Rush resignation in any great detail, nor will he get into the tension between the league and Arizona over the $25,000 fine levied against head coach Sean Miller. The league office contends that the Miller fine had nothing to do with the "jokes" Rush made at an officials meeting in which incentives were said to be offered for calling a technical against Miller; Rush has said he was joking, but wanted officials to enforce the rules on the court and in bench decorum. The league is conducting an internal investigation into the incident and how it was handled; a finding is due in June. Arizona wants Miller's fine rescinded, but there has been no indication that will occur.

1. The ACC's commitment should hold off any major expansion or alignment issues, assuming the Big Ten doesn't see the need to raid a lesser conference. This doesn't mean the ACC won't decide independently to go to 16 schools and potentially add Connecticut and Cincinnati. This is still more than plausible since 16 is a more manageable number than 15. Neither makes sense for the Big Ten since that league already has the Cincinnati market with Ohio State and doesn't need Hartford-Storrs. So, if UConn and Cincinnati have to stay in the newly named American Conference they shouldn't be sentenced to purgatory. Having each other, Louisville for a year, and perennial NCAA teams Memphis and Temple will give the two former Big East programs at least three top 50 games every season. If these teams schedule right outside the league -- and they likely will -- then making the NCAA tournament shouldn't be an issue. For those who squabble about the lack of quality opponents in the conference season then remember this: All that matters is tournament access. And UConn and Cincinnati will have a legitimate shot every season to make the field.

2. Providence coach Ed Cooley said it was worthwhile to have Ricky Ledo practice with the team for a season, even though Ledo will never play for the Friars after being declared academically ineligible and he decided to declare for the NBA draft. "The year off helped him see the game differently," said Cooley. "I told him to come to practice with a purpose and within the purpose what is his plan. He definitely improved defensively. We would have loved to have had him. Had he played for us he would have been one of the leading scorers in the country next season. But our guys got to play against him and got better. Our scout team was unbelievable.''

3. Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said Marshall Henderson is staying in Oxford this summer, taking classes and working on his game. The high-volume shooter is working on his ballhandling and strength, according to Kennedy. Henderson has to diversify his game if he wants to play in the NBA. He returns for his senior season as one of the storylines and with plenty of hype to lead the Rebels back to the NCAA tournament.

1. The new American Athletic Conference has asked for bids to host the 2014 men's basketball tournament. Memphis, Hartford (UConn), Cincinnati, Philadelphia (Temple), Orlando and possibly a few others are expected to submit their proposals. The conference will go over the list and make a decision at the spring meetings in Ponte Vedra, Fla., May 19-22. It is still unknown if the men and women will conduct the tournaments at the same site/time. The old Big East did not with the men in New York and the women in Hartford. The new Big East will maintain its tournament at Madison Square Garden in 2014.

2. Wichita State athletic director Eric Sexton said Sunday he is close to finalizing a new deal for head coach Gregg Marshall, who coached the Shockers to a Final Four berth earlier this month. Marshall said the Shockers will survive the early-entry deadline on April 28 without losing a player. The one player who could have been tempted to go was Cleanthony Early after his impressive 24-point, 10-rebound performance in the national semifinal loss to Louisville. Meanwhile, Wichita State is working on a few high-profile games that could be a result of being in the Final Four, but Marshall said nothing is firm yet. The Shockers are already a featured item when the CBE Classic puts out that Wichita State is the headline team in the Nov. 25-26, 2013, event in Kansas City when Texas is also in the field. BYU and DePaul are the other two locked-in semifinalists.

3. Creighton coach Greg McDermott said he and his son have had a lot of discussions in the past week about whether his son Doug, a junior with the Bluejays and a two-time All-American, would return for his senior season or enter the NBA draft. But McDermott said the decision is all Doug's. Doug could use this whole week before finalizing his decision prior to Sunday's deadline. It's rather simple for the Bluejays: If McDermott returns, then Creighton is a Top-25 team. If he does not, then they will enter the new Big East in a rebuilding mode.

1. How good is the 2014 draft? Multiple NBA decision makers said this week that the top three picks in the 2013 draft would be high school seniors Andrew Wiggins (undecided as of Friday), Julius Randle (Kentucky), and Jabari Parker (Duke). Assuming all three leave after one season, then this three would go 1-2-3 in some order in 2014. That might be one of the main reasons so many players may leave for this NBA draft. This also proves that any school in the country would take a one-and-done player if that player meets the standard at that particular school.

2. Credit Dan Hurley for knowing who he is and where he fits at this point in his career. He easily could have chased the Rutgers job and the Big Ten. But he didn't want to go to his third job in three years. Hurley made a commitment to Rhode Island, and the school made one to him. He was facing a major rebuilding situation at Rutgers. He has already had to do that at Wagner and URI. Hurley now is determined to make URI a winner in the A-10, which should have a bit more upward movement without Xavier, Temple, Butler and Charlotte.

3. The confusion about the April 16 NCAA deadline has to stop. The experiment of the NCAA trying to create its own date has failed. Coaches are advising players to take their time and decide by the NBA deadline of April 28. That's the only date that matters since that's when an actual early entry list comes out. International players declare by that date, too, and can withdraw from the draft 10 days prior in June. The reason the April 16 date has no leverage is an American player can tell his coach that he's leaving but not send in his paperwork. If he doesn't send in his statement to the NBA, then nothing is binding. The only meaning the April 16 date has is if a player sends in his announcement to the NBA then he cannot come back. The NCAA should enact one rule that makes sense -- if a player goes undrafted and doesn't sign with an agent then he should be able to return to school.

1. Creighton's Doug McDermott is nowhere near close to making a decision on whether to declare for the NBA or return to the Bluejays, his father and coach Greg McDermott said. Greg McDermott said Doug will take this call down to the NBA's April 28 deadline -- the only one that really matters. Doug McDermott isn't feeling any pressure about the April 16 NCAA deadline -- and that's good, because that one means nothing. The NCAA doesn't put out a list on that date and neither does the NBA. The only deadline that produces an early-entry list is the April 28 deadline. A player could say he's returning to school next week and then declare 12 days later without any issue. Doug McDermott has one of the toughest decisions of any player, because if he decides to leave his dad will face a difficult season in the Bluejays' first season in the new Big East. If Doug stays, Creighton has a chance to contend for the new league's title.

2. New Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich said Wednesday that the timing was right and he just had a feeling that he needed to move after 15 years at Niagara. Mihalich is trading one set of problems for another. Niagara, north of Buffalo, N.Y., isn't exactly in fertile recruiting territory, but Mihalich has made it work and competed for league titles in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Hofstra, on Long Island, is in a fertile recruiting area but is in rebuilding mode. The MAAC and the Colonial Athletic Association are typically one-bid leagues at this juncture. Mihalich has had other opportunities to leave but chose to stay. He said every time he considers one, the same two questions come to mind: Who is the president and who is the athletic director? Mihalich felt comfortable with current AD Jeff Hathaway, who previously held the same position at Connecticut, and president Stuart Rabinovitz. Hathaway wanted a sitting head coach and stayed true to his goal in the search.

3. Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin praised the "mature decision" by junior Sean Kilpatrick to return for his senior season. Cronin is convinced Kilpatrick will work on his game enough to be a draft pick next year. Kilpatrick will have a new backcourt mate with Cashmere Wright gone; those in the running to replace Wright will include freshmen Kevin Johnson and Troy Caupain and junior Ge'Lawn Guyn.

1. New American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco relished the moment Monday night as one of his teams -- for this season and, yes, for next -- won a national title. He was guaranteed of another heading into the women's final Tuesday night, which featured American-bound current Big East teams Louisville and Connecticut. It is true that Louisville is heading to the ACC in the fall of 2014. But that won't keep the league from celebrating the titles this fall. The old Big East guard is trying to brand the new league as the American rather than as the AAC. Aresco doesn't want the acronym used if possible.

2. Memphis coach Josh Pastner said he gave Tarik Black a Tuesday deadline to decide if he wanted to stay with the Tigers. He did not, even though he was graduating. "I want guys to be here with enthusiasm to be here,'' said Pastner. Black will transfer and try to play immediately next season. The Tigers also lost Adonis Thomas, who is declaring for the NBA draft. But the American-bound Tigers have one of the top recruiting classes in the country. "(Black) is a good guy and I wish him the very best. He graduated," Pastner said. "But we'll be fine. We're still really talented. We've got the main corps and we've got the No. 2 recruiting class.''

3. I had new Minnesota coach Richard Pitino on "Katz Korner" on Tuesday and I was struck by his confidence. Pitino is just like his father in that regard. Pitino had no hesitation in taking the Minnesota job once offered. Now, one would assume that no one coaching at Florida International would turn that down. But Pitino definitely has the confidence that he will win. Pitino's hire was overshadowed by the events of last week; now he's got to get into the grind of the new job. He was on the Georgia Dome floor Monday night after the NCAA title game, spent the post-game hours with his dad -- Rick, head coach of the champion Louisville Cardinals -- and said they didn't get to bed until 5 a.m. before Richard was up at 7 a.m. Richard Pitino now must spend his time wisely, re-recruiting the local players and trying to make inroads with a stellar underclassman crew in the state of Minnesota.

1. The NCAA men's basketball rules committee meets next month and there will likely be be a significant development with replay. Chair John Dunne of St. Peter's fully expects the committee to adopt a rule that would allow officials to go to the monitor for all key decisions in the final minute of a game or half like scoring, out-of-bounds situations and fouls. Dunne wants to extend it to the final two minutes, but one influential administrator added that the ratio makes sense, with the NBA review period at two minutes for a 48-minute game and the NCAA at one minute for a 40-minute game. Meanwhile, the rules committee is also expected to adjust the combative elbow rule. The administrator said the officials will look at giving offensive players more space to create room, especially if the defender is up on them or comes from the blind side.

2. New Mexico's new coach, Craig Neal, said it was a family decision for Tony Snell to declare for the NBA draft. Snell's move is another classic example of how hiring a top assistant doesn't guarantee that returning players will come back just because the players' choice got the head job. This doesn't mean, however, that Neal wasn't the right choice; he was. He gives New Mexico its best chance at continuity. Neal said the Lobos will have three options to replace Snell's productive scoring in Kansas transfer Merv Lindsay, Cleveland Thomas and newcomer Devon Williams.

3. Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said he was set to meet with Alex Len on Monday about whether or not the 7-foot-1 sophomore will stay in school or declare for the NBA draft. Turgeon said a decision is likely sometime next week, in advance of the NCAA's arbitrary April 16 deadline. But Len can take his time. He doesn't need to decide until April 28, the real early-entry deadline -- when an actual list comes out from the NBA. Len will be a coveted choice due to his skill set and tantalizing potential if he decides to declare.

1. We all jump ahead on coaching searches as soon as someone is out and Rutgers is no exception. But this situation is unique. It's hard to project for certain if Rhode Island's Danny Hurley, Lakers assistant Eddie Jordan or anyone else is the favorite when the school has no athletic director. It would be tough for any coach to leave a good situation with so much uncertainty. Hurley, as reported by Sports Illustrated and SNY earlier in the week, has been negotiating a contract extension with the Rams. While nothing is ever certain, see Steve Alford, Hurley isn't sure he wants to move to a third job in three seasons. To assume he would automatically go home to New Jersey would be wrong. Leaving his players at URI, much like his decision to bolt at Wagner, would be a tough call for him. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Rutgers search drag on for a while as the whole situation remains fluid.

2. Wichita State athletic director Eric Sexton said Saturday night he is negotiating to continue the seven-year rollover contract with head coach Gregg Marshall. He also said he will likely stuff the contract with new incentives. Marshall has a great deal in Wichita and is essentially king of the mountain there. He now has the best job in the Missouri Valley Conference with the departure of Creighton to the new Big East. Marshall is no fool. He won't leave for a job that wouldn't put him in a winning situation and he doesn't need to go to a program that is rebuilding. I wouldn't be surprised to see Marshall stay at Wichita to make another run.

3. Washington's pickup of UNLV's Mike Moser won't be official until he finishes the spring semester and graduates. Moser technically has to apply to a graduate school at Washington, but if all goes according to plan, then the Huskies would get a much-needed rebounder. The problem is the Huskies will be young on the perimeter. Still, this will give Moser a chance to really shine on his own. If he has the potential to be a star then he will be given a chance in Seattle.

1. Expect Michigan's Trey Burke to sweep through all the player of the year awards. If not, I will be shocked. After winning the AP player of the year award on Thursday, Burke added the Oscar Robertson trophy Friday morning. A few weeks ago it looked like the awards would be shared by players like Indiana's Victor Oladipo or Georgetown's Otto Porter. But Burke surged ahead with his play, including his performance in the NCAA tournament. And that should count. I know the Kemba Walker camp would have liked to have had his postseason play count against BYU's Jimmer Fredette. Even if it did, in that particular season, it would have been still close and Fredette may have still won. These awards should all wait until the Monday of Final Four week before accepting ballots.

2. NC State blocked Rodney Purvis from transferring to any ACC school or Missouri or Cincinnati, two schools on the Wolfpack's upcoming schedule. NC State athletic director Debbie Yow said she was OK with that because Purvis could be playing at NC State. I don't get this. It is being petty. It may not matter with Purvis likely headed to UConn. Still, blocking a player from transferring to a possible non-conference opponent, for one game a season, just looks small. I understand blocking teams from the conference; every league essentially looks to do that. But blocking transfers to a non-conference opponent is a weak response. Coaches have freedom of movement, even within a league, but players don't without having to give up a scholarship or fight for a waiver. UPDATE: Coach Mark Gottfried said the school is now reworking the release and has no problems releasing him to any school outside of the ACC.

3. Providence coach Ed Cooley will find out Tuesday if Ricky Ledo will return for his redshirt freshman season or declare for the NBA draft, he said Friday. Ledo was a big-time get for the Friars but was unlikely to ever get eligible this season. He sat out and was apparently an instrumental part of the team in practice. Now, Ledo may leave without ever playing a game for the Friars. Ledo and the school may have still benefited from his year in between high school and the NBA. If he became a better player, and more importantly more mature, then it would help him in the league. Having a year of college is better than none.