ESPN Men's Basketball

1. Dez Wells is expected to keep a low profile at Maryland while the school applies for a waiver to see if he can play immediately after being expelled from Xavier. According to a source, Maryland hasn’t approached Xavier about helping with the waiver; the only thing Maryland could ask of Xavier is whether it would object to Wells playing immediately. A source said that, if asked, the Musketeers would not object, with the source adding that Xavier doesn’t want to obstruct Wells.

2. Oregon coach Dana Altman said Thursday at the Basketball Hall of Fame that he is highly optimistic about this season’s team, notably because he expects senior E.J. Singler to have a breakout season. The forward averaged 13.6 points and 5.6 rebounds a game last season. Altman also said that Tony Woods must emerge as a major factor; he averaged just 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds after sitting out a year following his transfer from Wake Forest. Oregon finished in a second-place tie with Cal last season in the Pac-12 but failed to make the NCAAs and lost in an NIT quarterfinal at Washington.

3. The Hall of Fame announced Thursday that Louisville and North Carolina will headline the 2013 event at the Mohegan Sun. But the only way these two teams meet is if they either both win or lose their semifinal games. The other two teams in the event are scheduled to be Richmond and Fairfield. ... Keep an eye on a sleeper matchup in the 2K Sports Classic benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project when Nate Wolters and South Dakota State (love the Jackrabbits) goes against DeAndre Kane and Marshall on Nov. 17. ... Dave Odom, who helps organize the Maui Invitational, said the four teams that will play members of the Maui field on the mainland are: Elon (which play at Butler); Colgate (at Marquette and Illinois); Coppin State (at USC and Texas); Florida Atlantic (at North Carolina and Mississippi State).

Editor's note: ESPN.com’s Summer Shootaround series catches up on the offseason storylines for each conference. For more on the Pac-12, click here.

Arizona: Nick Johnson
The shooting guard tapered off at the end of his freshman season, when he averaged just 6.1 points in his last seven games. It will be interesting to see if the presence of highly touted freshman Gabe York and Xavier transfer Mark Lyons will cause Johnson to step up his game.

Arizona State: Jordan Bachynski
The 7-foot-2 center was a bright spot for the Sun Devils during an otherwise frustrating season in 2011-12. Don't be fooled by his ho-hum statistics (6.0 points; 4.0 rebounds). In Arizona State's last 13 games, Bachynski averaged 10.1 points, 6 boards and 2 blocks. He'll be one of the top post players in the league this season.

California: Richard Solomon
The 6-foot-10, 220-pound forward was averaging 6.8 points and 6.2 rebounds when he was declared academically ineligible after 13 games last season. It was a huge loss for the Golden Bears, who are a much better team when Solomon is anchoring the defense down low.

Colorado: Andre Roberson
The forward ranked third in the nation in rebounding last season with 11.1 boards per game. Most NBA mock drafts predict that Roberson will be a first-round pick next summer. For now, the biggest question is whether Roberson can lead the Buffaloes to the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.

Oregon: Tony Woods
The 6-foot-11, 250-pound Woods put up modest numbers (6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds) after transferring to Eugene last season. Still, the former Wake Forest post player has yet to live up to the lofty expectations that have hovered over him since high school. Oregon will be a different caliber team if Woods takes that "next step" in his final season.

Oregon State: Devon Collier
With Jared Cunningham now in the NBA, the spotlight will shine on Collier. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds as a sophomore last season, when he shot 61.5 percent from the field. He also blocked an average of 1.3 shots per contest.

Stanford: Aaron Bright
The point guard should be full of confidence after averaging 16.8 points and 4.2 assists during Stanford's march to the NIT title. Bright's performance earned him tournament MVP honors. If he plays that way in 2012-13, the Cardinal will be back in the NCAA tournament.

UCLA: Larry Drew
The Bruins' recruiting class has generated a ton of offseason buzz, and rightfully so. But a strong performance by Drew at point guard will be vital if the Bruins hope to be a mainstay in the top 10. Drew was North Carolina's starter before walking out on his team midway through the 2010-11 season.

USC: J.T. Terrell
The shooting guard averaged 11.1 points as a freshman at Wake Forest in 2009-10. He withdrew from school last fall after he was arrested for driving while impaired. Terrell played last season at Peninsula Junior College. Trojans coach Kevin O'Neill said Terrell is one of the most talented players he's ever signed.

Utah: David Foster
The 2009-10 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year missed all of last season with a broken foot. Foster, a 7-foot-3, 243-pound center, will return this season and try to help the Utes bounce back from the worst season in school history. Foster holds Utah's all-time record for blocked shots with 219.

Washington: Scott Suggs
C.J. Wilcox and Abdul Gaddy are the most recognizable names on the roster. But don't forget about Suggs, a sharpshooter who averaged 7.4 points and shot 45 percent from 3-point range as a junior two years ago. The 6-foot-6 Suggs, who redshirted last season because of a foot injury, could be one of the X factors for the Huskies.

Washington State: Reggie Moore
The Cougars might be decent if Moore can keep his head on straight. The point guard was suspended in January 2011 following his arrest on marijuana-related charges. Last season, he played in all 37 games and averaged 10.2 points and 5.2 assists. Moore is one of the most underrated players in the country at his position. His leadership this season will be key.

Each Wednesday, your humble college basketball hoops blogger (er, me) will respond to your questions, comments and nonsensical rants in this space. To submit, visit this page by clicking the link under my name in the upper right-hand corner of the page. You can also email me or send me your entries via Twitter. Let's begin with a couple of video responses about the worst team in the NCAA and how much Kansas needs freshman point guard Josh Selby:


Julie Haeussler from Bartlett, Ill. writes: Thanks for not totally counting Purdue out. In fact, I kind of wish you were a little more pessimistic. I believe the more the media counts Purdue down and out the the more Purdue has to prove and will prove in a big way. After Robbie's injury last February everyone counted Purdue out and we proved we belonged with or without Robbie on the floor. We still have two top players and as you said a little depth. Matt Painter is an excellent coach and you can look for Purdue to be a title contender.

Eamonn Brennan: Hey, no problem! And also, um, sorry? I will say this: It's good to see Purdue fans keeping the faith. If something similar happened to my favorite college hoops team, I would be locked in my room listening to Joy Division and posting miserable, depressing things on my Facebook wall.

As for your other assertions, though, I'm not sure the media's reaction will matter all that much. Purdue will have something to prove this season one way or another. Intangible stuff aside, the Boilers are still an awfully good team with or without Hummel, and given the timing of the injury, they'll have time to figure out their style without the star forward in the lineup. That's the good news. Unfortunately, I have to disagree with your last sentence: Without Hummel, Purdue is unlikely to remain a national title contender. They'll be a top 15 team, and they will make a run at the Big Ten title, but it's hard to imagine them retaining that elite, top-three status they would have had with Hummel in the fray. (And hey, there's some pessimism for you, Julie. I hope my work here is done.)

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Ryan from Dayton, Ohio writes: Eamonn, what are your predictions on the Dayton Flyers for this year?

Brennan: The Flyers have an extremely interesting returners/departures dynamic happening this season. They return their most talented players: Chris Wright, who might be the favorite for A-10 player of the year honors this year, eschewed an NBA jump to return for his senior season. Chris Johnson, the team's second leading scorer in 2009-10, took a big step forward last year. And Paul Williams, the team's best defender, is still around. But Dayton also lost five seniors from last year's NIT-title team, and while that sort of core attrition can be hard to quantify, it can also be hard to overcome. (For example: Does Dayton man up and streak to an NIT bid if those five seniors aren't around? Maybe, but maybe not.)

Fortunately, there's a pretty great recruiting class arriving this season. That class includes one player ranked in the ESPNU 100, point guard Juwan Staten, the No. 12-ranked player at his position in 2010. That's a big addition as Staten could start immediately. How he plays, and how coach Brian Gregory incorporates the rest of his young guys around the talented mainstays will be the difference between another NIT season and a top-two finish in the Atlantic-10 and NCAA tourney berth. In other words, I don't know! Like I said, it's a strange dynamic. But if I had to lay a bet, I'd say Dayton makes the tournament. There's still an awful lot of talent there.

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Jeff from Venice, Calif. writes: Maryland has three returning seniors and two returning starters. Why are they getting no love from the pollsters?It seems to be all about recruiting stars, not actual performance. The Terps tied for the ACC championship with Duke. Shouldn't they start in the top 20?

Brennan: I'd say I'm more bullish on the Terrapins than many. Jordan Williams is becoming a legit big man, Sean Mosley is an efficient scorer and a very good perimeter defender, James Padgett could take a big sophomore leap, and the three seniors you mention (Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker, and Dino Gregory) are all solid contributors with a variety of individual skills on offer. The Terrapins aren't without talent, and in a down ACC, they could make some noise.

But top 20? To start the year? Come on. Any team that loses three seniors is going to take a preseason rankings dive. That goes double when those seniors are Greivous Vasquez (the ACC player of the year), Landon Milbourne, and Eric Hayes (one of the more underrated and efficient scorers in the country last season). The Terps have some reasons for optimism, and Williams is a solid centerpiece to build around, but the 2010-11 Terps are going to have to earn their way out of the ACC's muddled lower half. Top 20? Simmer.

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Micah P. from Charlotte, N.C. writes: Now that the Tarheels have kicked Will Graves off the team they have gotten even younger! Do you think that Roy and the boys have still have a shot at winning the ACC this year over Duke?

Brennan: Another question, another bit of overzealous wishful (I assume it's wishful, anyway) thinking in the ACC. Sure, if there's any team that can hang with Duke in the conference this year, it's North Carolina; the Tar Heels are extremely talented. But that "if" is exactly as big as the gap between Duke and the rest of the conference, even with all that talent at UNC.

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Scott from Eugene writes: With Tre'von Willis looking like he is only going to miss one regular season game, and some intriguing new pieces like Karam Mashour and Quintrell Thomas, is UNLV a legitimate top 25 team?

Brennan: I think so. The main thing holding most from placing UNLV in that group this offseason was Tre'Von Willis's domestic abuse-related drama. Since those issues in June, Willis has entered a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor charge and has been ever-so-gingerly suspended for three games -- two of which will apparently be exhibitions -- by UNLV coach Lon Kruger. Willis could be suspended for longer than three games if he doesn't meet Kruger's expectations, but it's hard to imagine the head coach keeping his star player out for too long. (I would find myself somewhat queasy about all this were I a UNLV fan; suspending a player for two exhibition games seems less like a punishment than a knowing wink in the direction of propriety.)

Of course, there's also Willis' minor offseason knee surgery to contend with, which forced him to the sidelines for a practice last Friday. But yes: UNLV returns all five starters from a team that made the NCAA tournament last year, and given what we now know about Willis' senior season with the team, that alone is enough for me to consider them among the top 25 fray.

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Mark from Boulder, Colo. writes: What are Michigan State's chances of going to the Final Four again? They are returning a number of key players, but have an panoply of injuries (Lucas, Lucious, Bryd, etc.).

Brennan: First off, Mark, extra credit for working "panoply" into a Hoopsbag question. Gold star.

Second, yes, Michigan State will have to deal with their share of injuries, but I'm not all that concerned. Tom Izzo is famous for rounding his teams into tournament shape just in time for February and March, and there might not be a better tournament coach in the country. That's to say nothing of the fact that this is one of the most talented MSU teams Izzo has ever had. Even with those injuries -- all of which should be good and healed sooner rather than later -- would you bet against a loaded Spartans team in March? I wouldn't.

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Hank Morris from New York writes: How is Steve Lavin doing it so well and so quickly? What's the magic? Everyone in New York is excited and amazed. Also, do you think a team of mostly freshmen can challenge in the Beast next year?

Brennan: How's Lavin doing it? I think it's a mix of charm, charisma, enthusiasm -- the tools that made Lavin one of the more likable television presences in college hoops for nearly a decade -- with a good understanding of how to use those tools in a crowded media market. Lavin has been out there, and the chatter about St. John's is at a higher level than it's been in years. He's also leveraging the program's two most important recruiting assets: location (New York City) and location (Madison Square Garden). It's still very early, but the fact that Lavin has already landed a class that has fans this excited bodes well for his future in the city.

Before St. John's fans get too far ahead of themselves though, the program is still probably a couple years away from contending in the Beast, as you call it. Those freshmen will be good, but these things don't happen overnight.

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Dennis from Owensboro, Ky. writes: Rick Pitino met with Wake Forest transfer Tony Woods this past weekend. Does this do more damage to U of L's program than help it? Thanks.

Brennan: First off, as Andy Katz reported yesterday, Pitino is merely considering Woods's desire to transfer to Louisville. Nothing is final yet, and Pitino seems to be doing a fair amount of diligence before he makes any major commitments.

That said, I think it hurts. I'm not sure how you could think otherwise. Here's what we know: Woods, a promising but unproven forward at Wake Forest, was accused by police of kicking and pushing down his girlfriend in front of their 8-month-old child. His girlfriend fractured her spine in the process. Woods pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault on a female and was given a suspended 60-day sentence and 100 hours of community service. Woods's lawyer says he's a good kid who learned his lesson and wants a chance to move on.

All well and good. Maybe Woods deserves a second chance; maybe he doesn't. The vagaries of his case are very troubling, but whether or not he deserves a second chance is, for Louisville, entirely beside the point. I tend to agree with Louisville Courier-Journal columnist Rick Bozich, who wrote a forceful column on the topic Monday: Pitino's is a program in need of a serious image revamp, and if he agrees to take on a player who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault after breaking his girlfriend's back, that image takes another major hit. Yes, winning matters too. With John Calipari down the road, the pressure is on. But if I'm a Louisville fan, I don't care how talented Woods is. I just want my coach to stay away.

Maybe it's different for other programs. Maybe the rehabilitation process could be seen as genuine elsewhere. And maybe -- because we really don't know, and it'd be silly to condemn a person forever based on one bad mistake -- Woods is a good kid who made a bad mistake and will one day make good on his second chance. All of that is entirely possible. But at Louisville? Bad idea blue jeans.

When Wake Forest forward Tony Woods pled guilty to misdemeanor assault for an incident with his girlfriend -- in which his girlfriend broke her spine, which is pretty crazy -- it was fair to assume it would be a while, if ever, until Woods played college basketball again. After all, he broke his girlfriend's spine. If Woods left Wake (which, it turns out, he did) would another college hoops coach really want to deal with the mess? Is Woods' talent really worth it?

Apparently, plenty of college coaches think so. Woods has "literally gotten 30 calls," according to his former AAU coach, Norman Parker. Among the teams interested: Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgetown, Auburn, Xavier, Cincinnati and, last but not least, Louisville, where the forward is going to make a visit today:

“He's looking for a good school, a good coach that can help him continue to develop and a good situation,” Parker said. “He has great grades and is a good kid. He's just a kid that made a mistake. We're looking for a place to give him a second chance.”

There are a couple of different ways to look at this. One is to take Parker at his word -- that Woods is a good kid who simply made a really bad mistake, that he deserves as much of a chance to continue his career as anyone. The other is to lash back at the notion of Woods simply waltzing into a program like the incident with his girlfriend never happened. Louisville fans, for their part, seem more than skeptical of the entire idea. I can't say I'd feel any differently; the coach that ends up signing Woods is bound to face a brief barrage of bad press and bad vibes from the local fans. Throw in Woods' inability to play before December of 2011 (he has to enroll this coming spring and wouldn't be eligible before December 2011) and it seems a bit more risk than it's worth.

Whoever decides to take Woods needs to make a successful sales pitch. He needs to play the "I'm just trying to give a player a chance to rehabilitate himself; I'm actually being altruistic" card, and he needs to play it early. Either way, it still won't look very good.

NEW ORLEANS -- Wake Forest was the best team out of the gate and built a lead as large as 11 points early.

But with the referees letting the teams go at it inside, Texas battled back to take a 38-37 halftime lead in the first round of the East Regional at New Orleans Arena.

Both teams have good size, and the paint was no place for the meek in the first half.

The Demon Deacons made it a one-point game when Tony Woods slammed back a missed shot to beat the buzzer.

Wake Forest shot the ball better (46.9 percent) and squashed Texas on the boards by a 27-15 advantage, but Jordan Hamilton came off the bench to go 4-of-8 from 3-point range and score 16 first-half points.

Without him, the Longhorns are in deep trouble right now.

The key for Texas has been that it hasn’t turned the ball over much – only twice in the first half.