Nov. 29
There has been lots of excitement early in the season, with upsets galore. A number of teams have made a name for themselves, making noise by getting out of the gate fast. Let me tell you about some of them.

Let's start with Ball State of the MAC. Every year the Mid-American produces solid players and a competitive and exciting league. Just look at this season with Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Kent State and more.

Ball State and coach Tim Buckley jumped into the national spotlight in Maui, pulling shocking upsets against Kansas and UCLA in just 24 hours. Then the Cardinals gave top-ranked Duke a scare before falling. Ball State made the top 25 of the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll; this is a team that will be very exciting.

	Ball State jumped into the national spotlight in Maui, pulling shocking upsets against Kansas and UCLA in just 24 hours.

Ball State (which is David Letterman's alma mater) has several weapons and the ability to hit the 3-pointer. That was a big difference in the win over Kansas. This team is not a fluke, and Buckley is one of the hot coaches in America.

Speaking of hot coaches, what about Marquette's Tom Crean? The former Michigan State assistant did a great job in leading his Golden Eagles to the championship of the Great Alaska Shootout, with wins over Tennessee, Indiana and Gonzaga.

Think about the Conference USA and the talent patrolling the sidelines! John Calipari, Rick Pitino, Bobby Huggins -- and don't forget the rising star, Mr. Crean!

Marquette had different players step up in Anchorage. The tournament MVP was the 6-foot-4 high-riser, Dwayne Wade. He had 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against the Vols.

In the championship game, it was the long-distance shooting of David Diggs, who hit all five of his trifecta attempts. Travis Diener added 14 points in the victory over Mark Few's Gonzaga team. And don't forget about Cordell Henry -- he can flat-out play!

Marquette did suffer a blow when starting forward Odartey Blankson suffered a stress fracture in his left foot.

Southern Illinois figures to be a contender in the Missouri Valley Conference. Former Purdue assistant Bruce Weber is in his fourth season with the Salukis, and he has posted three straight winning seasons. SIU won 20 games last year.

Already this season, the Salukis have gone to the winner's circle over Iowa State and Saint Louis while falling just short of an upset against Illinois. Senior center Rolan Roberts, a 6-6 transfer from Virginia Tech, had 24 points in the victory over the Cyclones.

Junior Kent Williams, a 6-2 guard, is also off to a fast start. He had 23 points against Illinois and 22 against Saint Louis.

In the Ivy League, keep an eye on Penn. Coach Fran Dunphy's team always plays a rough non-conference schedule, and this year is no exception. The Quakers already upset Georgia Tech (thanks to 13-of-27 trifectas) and Iowa State.

Ugonna Onyekwe is very athletic, and Penn has an unheralded frontcourt. Onyekwe scored 30 points against Georgia Tech and 28 against Iowa State.

Keep an eye on these four teams. They have already proven they can play!