ESPN Men's Basketball

The most surprising undefeated team heading into the New Year continues to stun its own head coach.

Even after Central Florida (13-0) beat Florida in Orlando, new head coach Donnie Jones had no idea that four games later the Knights would knock off Miami in Sunrise, Fla. The Hurricanes had just swept through West Virginia and Ole Miss at home and were playing their best basketball of the season.

"It was in their backyard, they were playing extremely well and I was worried," Jones said as the Knights prepare to open Conference USA against Jones' former team (Marshall) on Wednesday in Orlando. UCF is now arguably the co-favorite with Memphis in C-USA.

Once the Knights knocked off Miami, Jones had great concern about going to UMass four days later. Second-leading scorer Marcus Jordan (16 points per game) had a sprained ankle, didn't play at the start but then wanted in the game. He played in the second half, hit six key free throws and the Knights won in Amherst by five.

"I had no idea we would be able to play on the road like that," Jones said. "These guys have found a way to buy in and really accept their roles. They believe we're going to win. It's been incredible. We're not the most talented individually, but we've got a lot of guys who come in and sacrifice with great energy and focus. That's the way it has been for the first 13 games."

Jordan has played with a sprained ankle. And Jones said center Tom Herzog (6.1 points, 4.5 rebounds per game in 11 of 13 games) has been playing with a fractured wrist.

"Marcus hasn't been able to practice the last 10 days with an ankle that has a softball on the side of it," Jones said of Michael Jordan's son. "He has a toughness about him. He is playing through this stuff."

Forward A.J. Tyler was also hurt, missing seven games in a row before Central Florida's tournament this past weekend, where the Knights beat Furman and Princeton. Furman had just blown out South Carolina prior to the trip.

Before the season, Jones had no clue what he had at UCF and with the Knights being picked in the lower third of Conference USA, there weren't high expectations within the conference, either.

The question now will be: Did Central Florida do enough to be in the at-large picture?

Well, the Knights won every game, including two neutral-site matchups against SEC preseason favorite Florida and a then-hot Miami. But they will have to do more in Conference USA -- as in compete for the title. The league was helped by solid, two-loss records in the nonconference slate by Southern Miss, Memphis and UAB, a decent 11-3 start for UTEP and even surprising 9-3 performances out of Marshall and Tulane.

Central Florida will know early enough if it's a real C-USA contender with road games at Southern Miss (Jan. 15), Memphis (Jan. 26) and UTEP (Feb. 2) within the first month of conference play.

Being ranked at No. 21 has certainly drawn national interest. Having MJ's son on the team doesn't hurt, either, especially when he's one of the stars on the squad.

"What hurt us in the league in the past is that the RPI would go down in the league and usually it was just how Memphis did, determined Conference USA," Jones said. "One thing we've done is build up our RPI. We have a chance. We've got a chance at an at-large bid if we continue to win games."

Playing Southern Miss, Memphis and UAB twice (UTEP only once) gives UCF more opportunities. That's what the Knights want, rather than facing the lower-level teams more than the top-level teams.

"There was so much unknown here," Jones said. "We were picked low because of the talent-level perception. But the kids have gotten better. They've picked up the system and they all stayed here over the summer. We're reaping the benefits and now we've been successful and are somewhere we've never been -- in the top 25."

But more important than the ranking or the undefeated start will be whether Central Florida can turn it into the school's first NCAA bid since entering Conference USA. They've done all they can do so far by winning each game, but the league isn't strong enough to carry this team through with more than a handful of losses and then only against top teams. So ultimately the Knights will still need a pretty gaudy record to be on the selection board in March.

The fallout from Florida and Fairfield canceling their game because of Tuesday's Northeast snowstorm will be felt long after the season ends for one team.

Florida won't feel any effects from it. The Gators will return the money from purchased tickets and continue as if nothing happened. But the sting will last for Fairfield.

The Stags were due a guaranteed sum of $75,000 to $80,000 for playing the game, a standard fee for teams that play a road game against a power-six school without a return.

Florida has confirmed that because the game wasn't played, it isn't responsible for paying Fairfield. The money that Fairfield was due would have been used in a variety of ways, including helping pay for coach Ed Cooley's salary and for the recruiting budget. The Stags played one other guaranteed game this season (at Penn State), but the exposure wasn't the same. Fairfield was also due to be on ESPNU on Tuesday night against the Gators, but instead lost a rare nationally televised appearance.

As the MAAC favorites, the Stags still have two other nationally televised games on ESPNU -- at Loyola (Md.) on Jan. 14 and against Iona on Feb. 4. The Gators already lost a home to Jacksonville on Dec. 20, so a chance at a potential upset is now gone, as is the possible power-rating points for playing the SEC East preseason favorites.

"We haven't played a very good schedule, [it's] good enough for who we are right now, but to get a strength of schedule game like that, it would have helped our RPI in case you go on a long run,'' Cooley said of his 8-3 Stags (2-0 in the MAAC). "We lost a national spotlight game in recruiting, a chance to sell our university and a chance for people to watch us play that normally wouldn't.''

And then there is the financial hit.

"These are funds that we would use in recruiting that we need for subscription services for opportunities to recruit," Cooley said. "All of this money goes into the program. I'm just pissed off that we didn't get on television, too. We sacrificed with our team early with competition that wasn't as stiff but we got better, and we've won seven in a row. I thought the way we've been playing and practicing that we had a chance. We were going there to win. Whether or not we did, who knows. But we had a lot going for us.''

Cooley said both coaching staffs, especially Florida coach Billy Donovan and assistant Larry Shyatt, did everything they could to help the Stags reach Gainesville in time to play the game.

Cooley said the original plan was for Fairfield to fly to Orlando on a direct flight Monday at 11:10 a.m. from White Plains, N.Y. But that flight was canceled Sunday night during the snow storm. Cooley said the Stags then tried to get out on a charter flight but couldn't get charter service to pick them up.

"We couldn't get anything out of the Northeast. We tried Monday night and even Tuesday, the day of the game,'' Cooley said. "We were trying to fly day of the game and tried to do it from Manchester, N.H., all the way down to Washington, D.C. Everything was sold out. There wasn't one ticket to buy to get to Orlando, Tampa or Jacksonville or Miami.''

Cooley said the Stags looked into a number of possibilities, one of which included Cooley, one assistant, a trainer and nine players making the trip.

And another option was even more desperate. "It came down to seats at one point, and we thought maybe if I fly down with the top six guys,'' Cooley said. "It was some crazy stuff. I was on the phone with Billy and Larry, class guys, they wanted to play the game as much as we did. It was a matter of Mother Nature. This is a big, big loss for our program not playing the game.''

The Gators and Stags were looking into alternative dates, but they couldn't play this week. Florida plays at Xavier on Friday, while Fairfield hosts Army. The schools looked at open dates later in January and then into February but couldn't agree on a slot that wasn't an issue for their respective conferences.

"There was just no way to squeeze it in there,'' Cooley said. "Now we'll have 11 days in between games.''

Fairfield likely has to win the MAAC tournament to get an NCAA tournament bid, but not having the game against Florida will hurt the Stags' overall RPI for seeding in March.

• New Mexico coach Steve Alford said Wednesday that Emmanuel Negedu won't play for the foreseeable future after his defibrillator went off at halftime against The Citadel on Dec. 19. Negedu collapsed while at Tennessee in September 2009. He didn't lose consciousness but the "bad read" of his defibrillator meant he had to be held out of competition while undergoing more tests. Negedu was in Las Vegas last week for New Mexico's games against Colorado and Northern Iowa. He said at the time that he was "under the weather" and was going to have some tests. Alford said that Negedu would go on the trip to Texas Tech (a 61-60 win Wednesday) and Dayton (Saturday). New Mexico cleared Negedu to play, but Indiana -- his first choice after Tennessee -- didn't clear him to play. Alford said everything had been fine with Negedu since he's been at New Mexico. When ESPN.com visited Albuquerque in October, Negedu said he had no issues throughout the summer and early fall. But this latest red flag may mean he won't play again.

"He's a great kid, and we're hoping for the best,'' Alford said. "He's a tremendous kid. He's only a sophomore. We'll wait and see how it plays out. But I told him the best thing is finding this out beforehand. Unfortunately others don't. We'll take care of him. We're glad he's with us.''

Jordan Taylor led Wisconsin with 22 points in the Big Ten opener, a 68-60 victory over Minnesota on Tuesday night in Madison. Jon Leuer finished with 16 points.

And while Taylor's steady play at the point is critical to Wisconsin's climb toward contender status in the Big Ten, the Badgers will rise and fall with Leuer.

There are a number of teams that are relying on one key player this season.

• Junior guard Kemba Walker will determine if Connecticut makes the NCAA tournament. He is clearly one of the frontrunners for national player of the year and Big East player of the year, and he's been one of the most dominating performers in the nation to this point in the season. But if he's off his game, then the Huskies likely have no chance against elite competition.

• Washington State relies heavily on Klay Thompson to be on his game. He has been in nearly every contest. But even when he did score well against Butler (31 points), it wasn't enough to beat the Bulldogs in the Diamond Head Classic final. If Washington State is going to challenge for the Pac-10 title, it will be due to Thompson, even if he gets help from guards Faisal Aden and Reggie Moore and DeAngelo Casto inside.

• BYU got a stellar game out of Jackson Emery, but does anyone really believe the Cougars can win the Mountain West if Jimmer Fredette isn't playing at a high level? Fredette is the money player who can change a game with his shot.

• And Boston College's rise as a potential second-place finisher in the ACC is all because of Reggie Jackson. Jackson had the talent to be a star the past two seasons, but he's really blossomed in Year 3. He gets help at times from Corey Raji, Biko Paris and Joe Trapani. But Jackson is the one player on the Eagles who can create good offense out of poor execution.

Leuer has become that kind of player for the Badgers, despite being a big man. "That's a position he has put himself in by delivering,'' Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said Wednesday. "It's not like he got all these accolades, and everybody is supposed to move aside. The other guys need to play well defensively, rebounding and scoring-wise but he's a threat, and he gets the attention from the other teams.''

Ryan concurred that Leuer is that "guy," much like Fredette, Walker, Thompson and Jackson. Jackson didn't have his best shooting game against the Badgers in Orlando (6-of-21, 18 points), and the Eagles lost, 65-55.

When Leuer was injured last season, Trevon Hughes was the player the Badgers leaned on to get out of broken plays. Taylor has assumed Hughes' role, but when the offense goes awry, Leuer is the one who can change the direction of the possession. "If he's guarded by a big and someone is helping on Jordan penetrating, then that leaves Jon open,'' Ryan said. "He's a big factor for us. He's tough, hard-nosed. Jon is our go-to guy. We do have one big and one small like that so we're pretty steady.''

The reliance on one player is hardly a new development. But it shows the difference among some of these potential NCAA teams and the ones that are more likely to challenge for the title.

Ohio State has been led by freshmen Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas and guards William Buford and David Lighty.

Duke lost the top guard in the country in Kyrie Irving, but having All-Americans Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith and role players Mason and Miles Plumlee make the Blue Devils balanced. Kansas, arguably the third team in the race for the national title at this juncture, has an elite lead guard now in Josh Selby and power players in Marcus and Markieff Morris. The Jayhawks don't need just one player to perform to win at a high level.

And that's why Walker, Leuer, Fredette, Thompson and Jackson should be applauded for their play. They are taking on more than most, with the need to be on for every game and provide leadership for their teams.

LAS VEGAS -- Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said Tuesday morning that he has gathered the facts of the televised, in-the-stands fight last Thursday in Honolulu between little-known Elgin Bailey and one-time McDonald's All-American Renardo Sidney.

Stansbury said he will make a decision on the final penalties for the suspended players a few days after the team returns to Starkville, Miss. The Bulldogs play Saint Mary's on Wednesday at Las Vegas' Orleans Arena (ESPNU, 11 p.m. ET). It's the last stop on what has become a nightmare trip for the preseason SEC West favorite.

Stansbury won't make the facts public yet, but sources close to the team told ESPN.com that he's working off an investigation that Bailey was the instigator of the scuffle because he didn't move his feet in the aisle while Sidney was trying to walk past him, antagonizing the previously-suspended Sidney into a fight. According to Stansbury, had Sidney been the one who started the scuffle -- instead of the one who Stansbury believes tried to walk away -- Sidney would likely be dismissed.

The now-sophomore sat out all of last season during an amateurism investigation, and he was sidelined for the first nine games of this season as a result of the violation penalty.

Outside of what occurred in a practice in Honolulu last week, Stansbury said Sidney hadn't been a problem for the team. He had yelled at a walk-on who was trying to encourage him during the practice, and it escalated to the point that Stansbury had to get him off the court. He was then suspended for the Bulldogs' first game of the Diamond Head Classic, an 83-57 loss to Washington State on Dec. 22.

Sidney made his college basketball debut against Virginia Tech on Dec. 18 at the Atlantis Hotel on Paradise Island, Bahamas. He finished with 12 points in 25 minutes before fouling out. He then scored 19 points with six boards in 20 minutes in the 69-52 consolation-round win over San Diego last Thursday. Later that night, he and Bailey got into the fight that was seen on ESPNU.

Bailey and Sidney were sent home before the Christmas Day fifth-place game, a 68-57 loss to host Hawaii. Stansbury said they traveled on separate planes to their respective home-state destinations -- Bailey to Louisiana and Sidney to Mississippi.

Stansbury will not disclose what he will do yet, but there is a strong sense in the program, according to sources, that based on the information Stansbury received from players and staff at the site, Bailey could be dismissed while Sidney is retained. Stansbury was in the arena, scouting the Utah-Hawaii game, when the fight occurred. He took his scout seat, across from where the players were sitting, and was informed of the pre-game scuffle five minutes into the game. He then saw it on multiple television screens in the arena.

"It's going to be my decision,'' Stansbury said. "Our athletic department can be a part of it, and Scott [Stricklin, the Mississippi State athletic director] and I have talked about it. But the one thing I've always done in my program is to make the right decisions about my program. This was an embarrassing situation for everybody.''

Stansbury said he has already talked to upper administration about the incident that went viral all over television and the Internet. "I don't think there's anything that they've got to prove to me now,'' Stansbury said of his two players. "Some of it has already been proven to me. I went through this period to get all the facts of what took place that night.

"A fight takes place all the time, but I don't know if there's ever been one that has taken place on national TV in the stands. If it's in the locker room or the playing [practice] court, it can happen a lot of times but no one hears about it. This time the camera was on it, and it gets magnified. It doesn't make it right, even if there hadn't been a camera on it.''

Stansbury doesn't view Sidney's amateurism violation as something that he did. Rather, it occurred as part of an out-of-whack system in which an elite, 6-foot-10, 270-pound forward was coddled along by sneaker companies and an entourage from the deep South to the West Coast.

Still, Sidney wasn't able to control his emotions last week. If he returns to the team, he'll be on thin ice and one incident away from a dismissal.

"When I get back from this trip, [the decision] will be pretty quick,'' Stansbury said. After their game with Saint Mary's, the Bulldogs don't play again until the SEC opener on Jan. 8 against Alabama.

Junior point guard Dee Bost will return for that game after completing a 14-game suspension that was a combination of his failure to withdraw from the NBA draft by the May 8 deadline (nine games from the NCAA) and his academic ineligibility for the first semester.

"I don't like the perception, but anybody who knows our program over the past 13 years knows we've had no problems,'' Stansbury said. "In my 13 years, there hasn't been a public embarrassment. This isn't the norm. It just happened. I won't understand why it happened. It just happened. And if people don't do right in our program, then we'll hold them accountable.''

The one thing Stansbury could have controlled was the schedule. And it has now officially backfired.

Mississippi State's haggard, travel-weary basketball team shuffled into the Orleans Hotel past midnight Tuesday morning for one last stop, one last game against Saint Mary's.

The cumulative nature of this rough schedule has taken its toll. It started with an unprecedented four games in four consecutive nights in Starkville, an exhibition in Jackson, Miss., a trip to the Bahamas and an overnight stop in Las Vegas en route to the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu (three games in four days over Christmas), in which MSU went 1-2. And then a final stop in Vegas again.

It's left a team that had preseason dreams of the NCAA tourney battered and bruised. "It's very taxing. We've put a lot of miles between us, and there's been a lot of sickness on this team,'' said guard Ravern Johnson, one of three seniors on the team. Johnson was so sick that he didn't practice from the time the team left the Bahamas until after the Washington State game four days later.

Stansbury created this schedule to jam as many games as possible into the first semester, so Bost would be eligible for the SEC contests. He also did it to account for Sidney's suspended games. That's why he had an exhibition game against Belhaven College in Jackson before Virginia Tech, which allowed Sidney one competitive game prior to his debut. "It looked a whole lot better when we put it together than having to go through it,'' Stansbury said. "The Diamond Head Classic was put together a few years ago. The Bahamas part we put together in May or June, not knowing we wouldn't have Dee. This one here [against Saint Mary's] was added late because we needed another game. The truth is we thought we'd have Dee too as part of this, and we thought it would be a quality game. We had no idea that some of these circumstances with the suspensions [of Bailey and Sidney] would occur and having to play these two games [at Hawaii and against Saint Mary's] without them. Then not playing Washington State with Sidney made that more difficult.''

But that still doesn't excuse the bad home losses to Florida Atlantic on Nov. 30 and East Tennessee State on Dec. 11 -- the first of the four games in four nights. Stansbury's plan was to win the nine guaranteed home games (buy games without a return) before the difficult five-game stretch.

"There were a lot of different egos on the team, and it was hard to please everybody, and sometimes as a coach you have to make certain decisions. But coach has been on the right track,'' Johnson said. "Everybody now is coming closer together as the trip ends. I know everybody is ready to go home, but this is another stop and we can't be so eager to get home and forget about this game. We have to talk about this, get this win and then go home.''

Stansbury said he will never schedule like this again. "You can't play four straight [in four nights] unless you have a veteran, tough team,'' Stansbury said. "You can't do this without your best player, your leader, or it makes it a real challenge. We had a bunch of new guys with Kodi [Augustus] and Ravern as the only two returning starters. You take Dee, Barry Stewart [a senior last season] and Jarvis Varnado [a senior last season] off this team and do this [schedule], and it gets magnified. The roles change. I'd never do this again unless I had a veteran team.''

Johnson said Bost will provide the leadership this team lacks. The junior point guard will be one of the top guards in the SEC as soon as he's eligible. "He's a good leader. He'll give a lot of assists and make this team better,'' Johnson said. "I'm looking forward to him coming back and taking that leadership role.''

Stansbury echoed Johnson, saying the team needs Bost, who averaged 13 points and 5.2 assists last season. "He gives us that one thing we don't have: our leader. A guy who can break people down off the dribble, create easy plays for everybody else, shoots it off the catch and bounce and is our best shut-down defender,'' Stansbury said. "He'll give everybody else a swagger.''

But can he heal a team that has been fractured by a fight seen by almost everyone? Stansbury and Johnson said they believe so. And it appears more likely that Stansbury will have to be the one to keep Sidney in check. "We just have to get all the pieces back,'' Stansbury said. "We haven't had Dee, and there will be some adjustments, like there was with Sidney, since Dee hasn't played the first 14 games. But I still like what we can become; we just have got to do it quickly.''

LAS VEGAS -- For a few stretches Thursday night, Northern Iowa had found its stroke like it was March of 2010 yet again, taking down a team of higher stature.

Last March, UNLV and top-ranked Kansas fell victim to the Panthers, before Michigan State clipped them in the Sweet 16. The daring 3-point shot by Ali Farokhmanesh that was one of the shots of the NCAA tournament to ice a win over Kansas, the play of Jordan Eglseder and Adam Koch inside and out were memories that will live in Panther lore.

But the Panthers are quickly proving that this is no longer just the team Ben Jacobson built on the heels of Greg McDermott's initial startup.

Northern Iowa has a program, and the pieces are in play for the Panthers to be in the thick of the Missouri Valley Conference race and once again potential NCAA tournament pests.

With Koch watching in the stands at the Orleans Arena, the Panthers won the Las Vegas Classic on Thursday with a 66-60 win over New Mexico. Koch's brother Jake, a sophomore, made a 3-pointer and got to the line nine times, making all nine. Junior Johnny Moran made a few crushing 3s, but the new Farokhmanesh on this squad is sophomore Anthony James, who made three 3s, finished with 23 points and had an answer every time the Lobos pushed back.

The two returning starters from Northern Iowa's most memorable team -- Kwadzo Ahelegbe and Lucas O'Rear -- are still the role players they've been, and they had their moments.

But this team's moxie will come from making 3s offensively and, of course, locking up teams defensively.

Northern Iowa enters Monday's Valley opener against Missouri State as a real threat, with the Bears and favorite Wichita State, to win the conference title. Sure, scoring 39 points in a loss to Iowa was a lowlight this season. Falling by two at Milwaukee and losing by 22 at Syracuse in the opener wasn't a stunner. But beating Iowa State at home, TCU on the road and then coming to Las Vegas and sweeping Indiana and New Mexico shows this younger team has a chance to develop into an NCAA team with a run in the Valley once again.

"These guys are now feeling like it's their team," Jacobson said. "I think our guys are at a point right now where they expect to win when they walk out there, regardless of who they are playing against."

Jacobson, like Butler's Brad Stevens, was a hot name in March but decided to stay put. He did so because he loves what he has helped build and wanted to see it come to fruition. So far, it appears there's a carryover.

• New Mexico hasn't had the pub of San Diego State, BYU or UNLV so far in the Mountain West. And there is a reason. Last season's Mountain West regular-season champs took some offseason hits with Ramon Martinez finishing his eligibility and Darington Hobson declaring abruptly for the NBA draft.

And of course the Lobos' schedule so far this season hasn't been comparable. There is hope that this squad can be a real contender in the MWC and for an NCAA bid, but there is also concern once again for a key interior player.

Emmanuel Negedu, who had a defibrillator put in his chest after he collapsed during a workout at Tennessee, is officially "under the weather," Lobos officials said. Negedu said after the loss to Northern Iowa that he would be back. But New Mexico coach Steve Alford said Negedu would meet with doctors Monday.

Negedu wasn't cleared to play at Tennessee or at Indiana, his first choice after he decided to leave the Vols. So far this season Negedu had played in 10 games, averaging 4.7 points and 5.4 rebounds off the bench. He didn't play against Colorado or Northern Iowa.

Sources within the New Mexico program said they won't ever chance anything with Negedu if he's not feeling well and will proceed with caution. On the court, Negedu's absence does hurt the Lobos, especially with UCLA transfer Drew Gordon still largely ineffective due to a knee injury.

Gordon, who has played in three games, is averaging nine points and four rebounds but was 3-of-10 against the Panthers. UNM has a developing MWC star inside in A.J. Hardeman, who knows the role of putback specialist and post option quite well. Hardeman scored 16 points and grabbed seven boards in the loss. And Alex Kirk is a serviceable big man, but the Lobos are thin in the post when foul trouble exists (Hardeman and Gordon fouled out) without Negedu. They also need his rebounding.

"I'm feeling good, but I'm rusty as all get out," Gordon said. "It's tough coming back here and everyone is in full swing. My touch is a little off and I'm not crashing the glass as I'd like. I'm hesitant with the knee. I've got to progress better."

The Lobos have a stud in Vinnie Johnson-like guard Dairese Gary, but he can over-penetrate (six turnovers) and tries to do too much sometimes. The good news for the Lobos is that freshman Kendall Williams has the look of being a headliner for the Lobos. He's second on the team in scoring at a dozen a game, plays with confidence and can get his own shot. If Phillip McDonald can be more consistent on 3s (30.2 percent), the Lobos have a shot to be a factor in the MWC race.

But you'll know more about this team if UNM can survive two winnable road games at Texas Tech (Wednesday) and at Dayton on New Year's Day.

"We just won eight in a row, and we're learning," Alford said. "We had a bad second half against Cal [a 89-64 loss] and a bad start here [down 13 in the first half against UNI]. But I'm pleased. We beat a Colorado team from start to finish. I'm happy with our start. We'll have plenty of chances [in the MWC]."

• Colorado has had an odd season so far. The Buffaloes, a trendy pick to be a top-six finisher in their final year in the Big 12, lost at Georgia by nine, at San Francisco by two in overtime and by 16 at Harvard. Yet Colorado -- which boasts two players of intrigue for NBA draft personnel in Cory Higgins and Alec Burks -- blew out Oregon State in a game in which it looked like it could take on anyone. The win over Colorado State in overtime, the 13-point home loss to the Lobos and a nine-point win over Indiana continue to show the inconsistency.

So what's it going to be for this squad?

"I feel good; I know we've been up and down, but we established a team effort," Higgins said. "We were too many individuals, but now we're together and I'm encouraged we're heading in the right direction. We haven't lost sight of our goal."

Higgins said it took a while for the Buffaloes to get used to coach Tad Boyle after playing for Jeff Bzdelik last season.

"We're finally on the same page," Higgins said. "We've got a way to go, but we're aggressive now."

The Buffs don't have enough for an at-large profile unless they win a number of key games against the Big 12 elite. You'll know early in the conference season with a three-game stretch of Missouri (Jan. 8), at Kansas State (Jan. 12) and Oklahoma State (Jan. 15).

"We kept our poise and made plays when our backs were against the wall," Boyle said. "The challenge for us is consistency. We need Cory and Marcus [Relphorde] to play well and Alec to play well. We can't have nights when those two or three guys don't play well for us to be good."

Boyle said the win over Indiana stabilizes the Buffaloes and gives them the momentum needed heading into the Big 12.

During Kansas State's run to the Elite Eight in last season's NCAA tournament, Jacob Pullen was the Wildcats' top scorer and the most recognizable and quotable player on the team.

He was not, however, Kansas State's leader. And he hasn't filled that role yet on this season's team, which was supposed to be his. Pullen and fellow senior Curtis Kelly were suspended for receiving impermissible benefits in connection with the purchase of clothing at a local department store. Pullen will miss three games, beginning with Tuesday night's loss to UNLV. The length of Kelly's suspension has yet to be determined.

"Everyone said Jacob was our leader last year," Kansas State coach Frank Martin said a day after the suspensions were announced. "But last year it was [departed seniors] Denis Clemente, Luis Colon and Chris Merriewether. Jacob talked. The media talked to him. Denis didn't like talking to the media because he was challenged in English. Luis scored two points a game so no one talked to him. Denis, Luis and Merriewether taught people how to work. Those were the guys when the game started that got us through games. We lost that.

"… the difficult thing is to replace character, and that's what we lost on last year's team and that's what we're trying to replace," Martin said. "The only way to try and get that is for this team to get through the hard part."

The absences of Pullen and Kelly, the only two seniors on the team, are a crushing blow for the Wildcats. Martin said the school is still investigating Kelly's involvement in the incident to determine the extent of his punishment. The Connecticut transfer already was in Martin's doghouse at various times this season and was benched for Kansas State's first three games because Martin wasn't happy with his work ethic.

The Wildcats, who were picked to win the Big 12 for the first time in school history and are a trendy Final Four pick, should have no trouble with University of Missouri-Kansas City and North Florida -- the next two games Pullen is scheduled to miss. But what the incident has underscored is the issue of where Kansas State's leadership is going to come from if it's to achieve those goals.

"Leadership has not been good," Martin said. "Those young kids on this team, they've sat back and they're trying to figure out what exactly am I supposed to do and haven't had anyone show them the way."

Martin said the Wildcats' 63-59 loss to UNLV in Kansas City on Tuesday night was a way for his team to figure out how to help each other in difficult circumstances.

"I was pissed we lost and I'm still pissed, but it was the first time I saw a glimmer of light, and that got me excited," Martin said. "We were dealing with adversity instead of crumbling. We forged ahead and got strong.

"Rodney McGruder played with an unbelievable sense of urgency and with a responsibility that he had to do something," Martin said. "I saw a group of guys who were working their tails off, relying on each other and accepting one another, and that was encouraging. We had times on the floor [against UNLV] with freshmen and sophomores and nothing else. It is what it is. These are the guys fighting for us and competing for us."

Martin said he has seen Jamar Samuels, Nick Russell and Martavious Irving become more assertive and show more emotion.

Martin was clearly irritated that his two seniors have jeopardized the Wildcats' momentum toward competing for a Big 12 title. Even when Pullen and Kelly return, the Wildcats have to be projected below Kansas, Texas and Missouri in the league pecking order.

Martin wouldn't comment on Pullen's suspension specifically, but added, "I coach the guys who do things the right way who were in uniform." He said the facts in Pullen's case were agreed on by all parties. Kelly's situation is apparently more complicated, with Martin saying the school is conducting an internal investigation into his role in the incident.

"When it's clear, then we'll hand it over to the NCAA," Martin said.

Martin said he was alerted to Pullen's involvement in receiving the impermissible benefits Sunday after the Wildcats returned from Florida; he received an e-mail from his superior explaining the situation.

"Once [the NCAA] got the answers they needed, they did what was appropriate," Martin said.

Martin didn't seem miffed at all by the preseason hype that was put on Kansas State.

"I thought it was the most talented team from an individual standpoint, but I also knew it was a newer team with 10 freshmen and sophomores, and I guess we were expecting there to be leaders from those who had never been leaders," Martin said. "How that works out will determine who we are.

"The season is 35 games, and if we end up 32-3, then the so-called expectations should be there," Martin said. "Let's understand that we lost to the No. 1 team in the country and all three of our losses are away from home. It's not like we're the disappointment of the year or a bunch of frauds. We've had some tough losses. We'll right the ship and we will be better."

But whether Pullen and Kelly will lead this team to a Final Four, let alone a top-two finish in the Big 12, is still to be determined. So far, neither has been able to lead the Wildcats very far on his own.

NEW YORK -- If you left Madison Square Garden at halftime Tuesday night, you might start to believe that this is finally the season Northwestern earns its first NCAA tournament bid.

But if you stuck around for the second half and saw the Wildcats' defense shredded by offensively-challenged St. John's, then it would be natural to pause yet again.

So, we're still unsure if the Wildcats are going to make a historic run to the tournament, especially in a season in which the NCAA selection committee gave them three more chances thanks to the increase in at-large berths from 34 to 37 for the 68-team field.

"We don't talk about it too much but it's on our minds, and everyone knows that's what we're trying to do,'' Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said after the Wildcats lost for the first time this season, 85-69 to St. John's in the final of the Holiday Festival. Northwestern led 40-37 at halftime but got blitzed by the Red Storm's 80 percent shooting in the second half. Suddenly, St. John's Justin Brownlee (21 points) and Dwight Hardy (24) played like first-team all-Big East players. While they deserve credit for their proficiency, the looks they got weren't being contested.

"We have work to do on the defensive end,'' Carmody said. "We have to develop this team, get wins and then get good. We're pretty good offensively, been pretty good on the defensive end but not for an entire game.''

The Wildcats do have scorers, especially junior forward John Shurna. He doesn't have the intimidating physique or a fundamentally sound shot. But that doesn't matter.

Shurna's push shot 3-pointer goes in and his ability to take contact and finish was evident with three three-point plays en route to scoring 28 points. Drew Crawford (17 points) can light it up as well, Michael "Juice" Thompson (eight assists and one turnover) is a strong, sturdy point guard who can control a game, and freshman wing JerShon Cobb gives the Wildcats an athletic wing in the Devin Ebanks mold that they've lacked.

"I think we're better prepared for the Big Ten this year,'' said Thompson. "I definitely think we're mentally tougher than last year and more experienced. Last year left a bad taste in our mouth, not making the NCAA tournament. We don't want to go through that again. It's a constant reminder that we have to work harder.''

But there are weak links, like Luka Mirkovic's aversion to scoring. The big man in the middle can board (11 rebounds) but was 1-of -6 from the field, and at one point, he was two feet from the basket and instead of going up strong, he decided to kick the ball back out. He will have his hands full with Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, Purdue's JaJuan Johnson, any of the trio of big men at Michigan State and the plethora of bigs at Minnesota, or if he has to help on Wisconsin's Jon Leuer or Illinois' Mike Tisdale.

And the bench doesn't give the Wildcats much either, save for Alex Marcotullio (one 3-pointer, eight points against St. John's).

"I feel good about Crawford, Shurna, Thompson and Cobb, but I've got to get the bench to help out,'' Carmody said. "We have to play eight or more.''

Carmody said the Wildcats may have worn down a year ago with the near 40-minutes-per-game-averages by Thompson (37.7) and Shurna (36.4). That team was trying to figure out how to play without Kevin Coble, who broke his foot prior to the season. He didn't return. This season, he left in the summer, before the Wildcats even had to adjust to playing without him.

Still, losing games late last season to Penn State (twice), at Iowa and at Indiana killed any NCAA chances.

The Wildcats started this season 8-0 before falling to the Red Storm. But the schedule wasn't strong, as their best wins came at home over a mediocre Georgia Tech team and rebuilding Creighton.

If Northwestern is going to make history with a bid, it will have to be earned in the Big Ten. The start of conference play is unforgiving with games at Purdue (Dec. 31), vs. Michigan State (Jan. 3) and at Illinois (Jan. 6).

"What do you want us to do -- play Wisconsin and Minnesota? It's a great conference,'' Carmody said. "I think we'll be ready. We have to stay healthy.''

Shurna said the NCAA tournament hasn't been discussed by the coaching staff. But it's the white elephant in the room. Everyone knows the Wildcats have a chance this season and can't let it slip away. Northwestern will get plenty of power-rating points in the Big Ten, but the Wildcats must win games against the elite teams. Winning nine games in the league -- at a minimum -- won't mean as much if it's not the right nine.

"Last year we dropped games at the back end of the schedule that we should have won,'' Shurna said. "Hopefully, things will turn out better this year.''

Had the Wildcats knocked off St. John's, it would have given them a true road win against a Big East team that has a shot to finish in the top 10 in the conference.

Sure, the Red Storm had already lost to St. Bonaventure at home and at Fordham, but they have a shot to make something of their season and become a pest in the Big East. St. John's, which still plays Duke and at UCLA, will likely have a decent power rating when the season ends.

Beating the Red Storm would have looked better than Northwestern's two other true road wins -- at Northern Illinois and Texas-Pan American. Those games won't do much for the Wildcats when the résumé is examined by the selection committee.

Northwestern's long-suffering and loyal alumni are like Cubs fans in Chicagoland, seemingly optimistic but always ready for a letdown.

The Wildcats were dejected after the loss Tuesday night, but there was no sense of despair. This team truly believes it can win enough games in the Big Ten to make the NCAA tournament. The players have known all along they would have to earn it in the conference.

"We do feel we have a great chance,'' Thompson said. "It's up to us. We have to work hard. We need to win games we should win and get better each day. ''

But that won't be enough if the Wildcats don't knock off the Big Ten's elite. If they do, they'll make history at season's end.

Judgments are often made prior to the new year on whether a team is NCAA worthy. And when that team isn't even at full strength, deciding on its success -- or failure -- is premature.

That's the case with NC State.

The Wolfpack, a trendy pick to challenge for a second-through-fifth finish in the ACC behind runaway favorite Duke, are struggling at 6-4. None of the four losses are bad, however. NC State has dropped games to three ranked teams (Georgetown in Charleston, S.C., at Wisconsin, at Syracuse) and one unranked but a potential Pac-10 title contender in Arizona at home Sunday.

Now, on the flip side, none of the Wolfpack's wins are NCAA tourney-résumé-worthy yet, either.

Tracy Smith, NC State's leading returning scorer and most experienced frontcourt player, has played in only the first two games this season. Smith injured his knee in the second game, a win over East Carolina in Charleston, and had to undergo surgery. Coach Sidney Lowe said Tuesday that Smith is progressing from his injury, but he won't see action Wednesday against Delaware State. The hope is that he gets some reps in at least one of the three games -- Alabama A&M (Dec. 28), San Diego (Jan. 1) or Elon (Jan. 5) -- before the ACC opener against Wake Forest on Jan. 8.

"The guy is our returning leading scorer, an all-ACC selection and one of only two seniors that we have on our team, and our main inside player,'' Lowe said. "He means a great deal to this team. He's the one position where we couldn't have an injury, and if we did, it would hurt us more.''

This is not spin. This is reality. NC State may not have won any of the aforementioned games, but with Smith, the Wolfpack would have had a much better chance to defeat Arizona at home or compete and win at Syracuse, which turned out to be only a six-point loss.

Lowe isn't looking for any compassion here. And if the Wolfpack get Smith back for the ACC schedule and still flounder, then take the shots. NC State brought in its best recruiting class under Lowe with Lorenzo Brown, Ryan Harrow and C.J. Leslie, and the three freshmen have all had their moments. Brown had 16 points and seven boards against East Carolina, Harrow finished with 14 points in 18 minutes against Youngstown State, and Leslie pulled down 19 rebounds in that same game.

But they've also shown their inexperience. Brown shot 2-for-10 against Wisconsin, while Harrow shot 2-for-12. Leslie hit only 1-of-14 against Arizona.

Scott Wood has provided the necessary 3s (44.3 percent) but Smith's replacement inside, Richard Howell, can't stay out of foul trouble (three or more fouls in six of 10 games), and his 7.9 points per game is still below Smith's 16-point average from last season.

"We lost to three nationally ranked teams and a good Arizona team without Tracy Smith so you can see he's had a great impact on what's happened here,'' Lowe said. "This is the reality. Unfortunately a lot of people don't live in the real world and look at the situation we're in.

"I'm realistic and if we get Tracy back and finish last I would be disappointed,'' Lowe said. "Until we see where we are and get him back and see what we can do at the end [it's not fair to judge].''

NC State isn't going to finish last in the ACC. Wake Forest likely will. And the Wolfpack have more talent with Smith than Clemson, Georgia Tech and Virginia. There's no reason to believe a healthy NC State can't compete with North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Boston College, Maryland and possibly Miami for a No. 2 through No. 5 finish in the league.

All of these teams are flawed, and none has been without issues. "Tracy could settle us down if we hit that drought,'' Lowe said. "We could go with size and get a basket with him, get a foul and sometimes that's all you need is that one play to get going again. That's especially true with young guys. There are some other teams out there that have young guys that aren't tearing it up.''

Lowe said the morale has been fine. He said the Wolfpack players aren't down, especially since they have hope that Smith will return. "We need Tracy. He gives us that inside presence,'' Lowe said. "We've got 20 games left. We have great opportunities and our goal is still in sight. We have to win games, and we feel we can and we should.''

There was more optimism about this season's team than any of the previous four. How the Wolfpack finish in the ACC and where this team ends up in March will be the true indicators of Lowe's progress. He has said he has a good working relationship with new athletic director Debbie Yow. He's a beloved former national championship guard at the school. He fully understands as a veteran of the NBA that he has to win.

He knows that the NCAA tournament selection committee takes into consideration major injuries, how a team develops and whether it wins significant games when it's whole down the stretch. Beating Duke on Jan. 19 at home could cure plenty of early-season ills. Ultimately, if the Wolfpack are in contention for a top-five finish in the ACC, then the judgment of this squad will be rendered with more praise. However, a finish in the lower tier with a healthy Smith could bring necessary and just criticism.

Rick Pitino's up-tempo style should be a good fit for the Puerto Rican national team's current makeup, but Pitino still must overcome some hurdles to ensure that his voyage into international coaching is a success.

USA national team assistant coach and longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, for whom Pitino once worked, said his former pupil shouldn't have a hard time teaching the Puerto Rican national team his style of play.

"They've got a lot of good shooters and guys who can dribble, penetrate and kick,'' Boeheim said Monday. "It will be really good for his style.''

Former Temple forward, NBA veteran and three-time Puerto Rican Olympic forward Ramon Rivas said that the younger Puerto Rican nationals will be able to "click with his style of coaching because the team is so very athletic and young.''

Rivas, who is currently an analyst for the Orlando Magic's home Spanish radio broadcasts, did have some concerns about Pitino's time commitment. "Rick has experience in college and at the pro level, but the concern is how much time will he spend to prepare that team?'' Rivas asked. He added that Puerto Rico needs to restore the national pride in its basketball program.

"How much time will he have to prepare the national team? He needs time to put his system in place and be familiar with those guys as well,'' Rivas said.

Pitino said at a news conference on Monday in Miami that he planned on having the national team in Louisville next summer. He plans to take his Cardinals -- and the Puerto Rican team -- to the Bahamas for a round-robin tournament in preparation for the Tournament of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina. The FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament will be held Aug. 23-Sept. 4. The top two finishers of the tournament, which includes Argentina and Brazil, will qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London. The United States earned its automatic bid to the Olympics after winning gold at the FIBA World Championship earlier this year in Turkey.

Pitino still can lead Puerto Rico to London -- and join Boeheim and USA national team coach and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski to form a star-studded roster of college coaches. But the Puerto Ricans have to finish anywhere from third through fifth in the tournament in Argentina and then ultimately high enough in the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (sites and dates TBA) to make that happen. That tourney will feature 12 nations from each of the five 2011 FIBA zone qualifying tournaments. There will be two from FIBA Africa (silver and bronze medalists), three from FIBA Americas (third through fifth), two from FIBA Asia (silver and bronze), four from FIBA Europe (third through sixth) and one from FIBA Oceania (silver).

If Great Britain gets an automatic bid from FIBA as the Olympics' host country, only three of the top finishers in the Olympic qualifying tournament will qualify for 2012. If Great Britain does not, and an announcement is due in March, the top four will earn berths.

USA Basketball's men's national team director Sean Ford confirmed that Pitino had previously never sought to coach USA Basketball for whatever reason.

The difference between this and former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson's decision to coach Mexico's national team in an attempt to reach the 2008 Olympics was that Richardson was unemployed at the time. Still, Boeheim doesn't expect a time-commitment issue for Pitino. "It doesn't take away from your regular job,'' Boeheim said. "It doesn't affect us. I don't think it has hurt Duke too much.''

Boeheim said that with 346 Division I coaches and only one major summer team in USA Basketball, there aren't many opportunities for the coaches to coach internationally.

"We get the best coaches [that want to participate],'' Boeheim said. "The hard thing in the past with USA Basketball has been getting the players. Now they want to get the gold medals. All the best players are playing now in every age group, and now we can win. We weren't getting that before.''

Pitino wanted to see the commitment from the Puerto Ricans, and that's why he met with Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea in Miami on Sunday before accepting the job.

"We need to reinforce a good cycle of basketball,'' said Rivas, who added that Pitino might be able to deal better with the politics of gathering a team that fits his players than a local Puerto Rican coach who might have to deal with island politics. But Rivas said it will be key for Pitino to pick players who fit his style.

He also believes that Pitino's lack of Spanish-speaking skills won't be a problem. "I guarantee you that everyone knows English,'' Rivas said. "They all understand English.''

Pitino said he wanted to coach the team if it would help Louisville. Clearly it will, because the Cardinals can practice against the professionals. But don't expect any other major recruiting haul from coaching the Puerto Rican national team.

"I'm not sure how much it helps a program when you coach [a national team],'' Boeheim said. "Duke always got players. We've always gotten players. I don't think coaching [a national team] helps you, but it doesn't hurt you. Mike did get a lot of exposure.''

And so will Pitino if he coaches the Puerto Ricans to the Olympics. If he can pull it off, it will be a way for him to reinvent himself on the national and global stage.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The new head of the NCAA's enforcement division is hoping penalties given out by the committee on infractions will be strong enough to warrant the amount of funds and hours spent in pursuing cases.

"If we're going to be spending our resources targeting key issues, then the penalty needs to be strong on these issues," said Julie Roe Lach, who was appointed by new NCAA president Mark Emmert to replace longtime enforcement director David Price. Roe Lach met with a collection of national reporters in Indianapolis earlier this week.

"The penalty needs to follow through with what kind of message we're sending," she said.

Roe Lach wouldn't get into specifics of any individual cases or current ones still pending, such as Tennessee. But she did say there has been a shift in the information flowing to and from the NCAA enforcement staff. She said that the staff gets daily calls and that most are for informational purposes. But she added that there are some, and there was one recently, for which the staff needed to send out a team of investigators immediately.

"We are scouring the records and doing our homework before we show up on campus about how they recruited," Roe Lach said. "And who are their connections. We can talk with that kind of candor, and if they're straight with us, it can serve you better in the long run."

But the NCAA doesn't have subpoena power and thus can only hold over the head of people that they must talk if they're current student-athletes or are employed by a member school. Someone who is not affiliated with the NCAA doesn't have to speak to investigators.

Roe Lach also spoke to the misconception that the NCAA is pursuing phone call violations. She said the last two phone call cases that were pursued by the NCAA were at Fresno State and Oklahoma, more than five years ago. She said the Kelvin Sampson-Indiana case was self-reported. Roe Lach said there is a larger issue as to whether the membership should update the legislation on phone calls (which allows e-mailing prospects but not text messaging) in an era when young people don't spend as much time on the phone.

"There is a larger discussion about why have a phone call rule," Roe Lach said. "We are spending so much resources focusing on other issues, like why agents are on campus and who is involved in our prospects recruiting and who is showing up on unofficial visits and how are the prospects getting their unofficial visits paid for. Those are the sorts of issues that are a part of a larger compliance discussion. But we are not actively trying to pursue phone call cases."

Roe Lach did clarify a point about the show-cause order (which could be put on Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl once the committee on infractions hears the Vols' case sometime after the school receives the notice of allegations, which is expected to be within the next month). Most of the time, a show-cause order is given to a coach who no longer is employed at the school. The NCAA cannot hire or fire a coach. But it can make it difficult for the school to continue employing the coach.

"The committee on infractions can put a show-cause order on a current coach and say that the current coach couldn't engage in any recruiting on or off campus for a year," Roe Lach said.

Tennessee already has banned Pearl from recruiting off campus for a year for misleading investigators about prospects visiting his house. The SEC also banned Pearl for the first eight SEC game days, beginning in January.

"It's called a show cause, and what it means is that if you're going to employ this coach, these are the limits on this coach," Roe Lach said. "If an institution thinks that X is not appropriate, then it must show cause why X is too much and explain what is appropriate in front of the committee. If the school objects, then it comes back to the committee and shows cause why a [different] penalty would be more appropriate."

• The MAAC council of presidents announced Friday that the July recruiting period should not be eliminated. The conference commissioners took two votes on the matter earlier in the fall. The first one was 29 in favor of elimination, two against and four abstaining. But a second vote was unanimous for the NCAA board of directors to look into another form of recruiting that could include eliminating the July period. Since then, commissioners from a number of conferences have said they don't want to see the summer eliminated after all. Emmert said earlier this week that if the summer were to be eliminated, he would want something put in its place.

Meanwhile, the MAAC offered a solution if the board wants to eliminate the current July recruiting period. The conference said it would support a 15-day summer recruiting period (it's currently 20 days with two 10-day periods and a five-day reprieve in the middle) and five additional recruiting days in April. The NCAA has requested member conferences to respond to this recruiting proposal in advance of the leadership council meeting at the NCAA convention in San Antonio in January.