V-MAIL: Oct. 4

	Cincinnati's Steve Logan (22) was the player of the year in Conference USA last season.

Q: How can you say don't underestimate Bob Huggins and the Bearcats? That is exactly what you're doing. You can't tell me that Steve Logan -- the Player of the Year in Conference USA last season (over Kelly Wise) -- shouldn't at the very least be honorable mention on your list of PTPers. There is also no way the Bearcats should not be ranked in your preseason top 25 ... there is no way Memphis is No. 8 and the Bearcats are unranked. -- Kevin Kersting, Cincinnati
VITALE: You make a good point in bringing up Cincinnati. With the return of Donald Little, they become a stronger team. Certainly Logan is one of the premier players in Conference USA. Remember, they have lost a great deal. It's one of those situations where you can't rank everybody in the top 25, and there are certainly a lot of good teams out there. I feel Memphis is going to be dynamite with Wagner and company. That is one I could end up eating, not putting Cincinnati in the top 25.

Q: Dickie V, oh baaaby, ouch! Tayshaun Prince on your Third All-American Team? Why the demotion for a PTPer? -- Rob Young, Lexington, Ky.
VITALE: You can't pick everybody on the First Team, and any time you put a player among the top 15 in America, they are certainly special. We picked by position, and Kareem Rush had a great year last season and he should be dynamite. I certainly love Tayshaun, and he's one of the best two in the SEC along with Brett Nelson. I have sung Tayshaun's praises.

Q: C'mon Dick ... Preston Shumpert an honorable mention only, and you have six teams? This guy took his game to a new level last year and should be around the 23-ppg mark this year while being one of the top 3-point marksmen in the country. Sure, he may not play for one of your favorite teams (Duke, UNC) but please give him his props. Can you please tell me your reasoning for having a player such as Keith Bogans, who has never lived up to his potential, ahead of Syracuse's go-to guy? -- Scott Hesse, Auburn, N.Y.
VITALE: When you look at Shumpert, he's done a great job at Syracuse, and he can flat-out shoot the ball. There are only so many spots and so many guys you can pick for All-American teams. I went with guys who were a little more multidimensional. Shumpert should certainly have a big, big year for the Orangemen.

Q: I am a major North Carolina fan and I was just wondering why no UNC player (such as Jason Capel) was picked for your All-American teams. -- Chad Lemke, Garner, N.C.
VITALE: Again, it is very difficult with only so many positions. Capel is certainly a very talented, well-rounded player who does so many things well, but he doesn't excel in one given area. I just felt Jason is a solid team competitor who has to step into All-American status with the Tar Heels missing Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood. They were the 1-2 punch for North Carolina last year. Remember, our preseason All-American team doesn't mean much. It's the postseason team that's important, and guys like Capel and Shumpert can get themselves into position by having great years.

Q: I was wondering, after looking at your preseason All-Americans, how you left Providence's John Linehan off the team. Linehan not only was Defensive Player of the Year in the Big East last season, but he is on the preseason All-Wooden team this year. He may not provide as much offense as your other guard selections, but he runs the show on the floor and is a proven leader who can get guys to play with him. -- Dan Coulter, Providence, R.I.
VITALE: Everybody wants to be All-American, man! We left off a lot of quality guys and the guard position is the strongest of them all this coming season. Point guard is loaded, and the competition is tough. Linehan is a defensive dynamo with superb quickness and he should have a quality year. It becomes a question of which point guard do you put him over. When you have guys like Jason Williams, Frank Williams, Brett Nelson, Jameer Nelson and so on, it is tough.

Q: First, I'd like to say I enjoy your colorful commentary on ESPN. Second, I have been an Arizona Wildcat basketball fan since I can remember. The national champ runner-ups last year aren't even in your top 25. I know they lost nearly all their starters; however, with all their quality recruits coming in, how can they be counted out? Not to mention Jason Gardner and Luke Walton returning. I'd like your opinion on why they couldn't crack your top 25. Thank you for your time and reply. -- Matt Anderson, Flagstaff, Ariz.
VITALE: Arizona is going to have a young team. The Wildcats have a tough early season schedule. Eventually, this team will get better and better and may surprise some people. I recently got a letter from one of their assistants, Jay John, and he's a guy I respect a lot. He is excited about their young players, including point guard Will Bynum. Arizona has had so many great point guards over the years and John feels Bynum will get a lot of playing time opposite Jason Gardner. They should play well together. They are youthful and inexperienced, so that is why I have them just outside the top 25. That doesn't mean they won't be talented. They open in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic with Florida, Maryland and Temple, not an easy start.

Q: How about those Orangemen? With a decent recruiting class, how do you think Syracuse will do not only in the Big East but overall? -- Chris Bain, Albany, N.Y.
VITALE: Syracuse suffered a blow when Billy Edelin was recently suspended due to an alleged incident on campus. He was expected to be an instant impact player, and that puts a lot of pressure on DeShaun Williams and Shumpert to be a big-time 1-2 combination.

	Sharpshooter Jobey Thomas leads the way for Charlotte.

Q: I don't understand why you only talk about Cincy, Memphis, South Florida and Louisville in your Conference USA headlines. What does Charlotte have to do to earn the respect that it deserves, since it has won two of the last three conference tourney championships? I understand we lost Rodney White, but I think there is enough talent on this team to repeat as champions, and the only real threats may come from Cincy and/or Memphis. -- Joel Simons, Charlotte, N.C.
VITALE: Bobby Lutz is one of the most underappreciated coaches in America in terms of getting recognition on a national level. Somehow Charlotte gets cast aside and doesn't get the respect it deserves. The loss of White on the baseline will be big; he was such a factor for that team. Just like Cincinnati, they don't get the ink that Memphis does and now Louisville since Rick Pitino has arrived. Charlotte has a nice nucleus coming back, led by Jobey Thomas, a solid long-range shooter and a Mr. Automatic on the free-throw line.

Q: Kentucky the fifth-best in the country? Dick, what the heck are you thinking? ... After looking up and down the roster, how can you still say UK is only the fifth-best? -- Chris Bailey, Lexington, Ky.
VITALE: Right now I have Kentucky No. 4 behind Duke, Maryland and Illinois, with Florida No. 5 following the departure of Teddy Dupay. I don't know how you can say I am down on Kentucky. Can you get a life? I have them in the top four in America, as one of the Final Four. When I had them at five, was that so terrible? Can you tell me what there is not to like about Duke? Maryland and Illinois return so much talent, too. Kentucky is up there, so how can you not be happy? With Jason Parker's injury, that keeps them a notch below the top teams at the moment. When Parker is in the lineup, they are right up there, too. The 'Cats should have a big year in Lexington.

Q: You might want to check out the Oregon State Beavers basketball team. Yeah, they had a bad season last year, but all of the young guys got to play, we have a ton of talent, a great coach and a great conference to wreak havoc in. I'm telling you, it's worth a look. -- David Johnson, Portland, Ore.
VITALE: Ritchie McKay should have an improved team, but when you look at the conference, you have to say UCLA and Stanford are at the head of the class. Arizona will be young but they will be up there. California should be better, and USC is solid. It's tough in that league. Oregon State should be better. By the way, let's talk some pigskin and ask what is going on in Corvallis with Dennis Erickson's team? They were No. 1 in the preseason according to Sports Illustrated and building momentum off the bowl blowout of Notre Dame. But UCLA blew them out.