CollegeHoopedia.com has conducted extensive research on trailblazing African-Americans who broke the color barrier at current DI schools. But amid ESPN's stereotypical bombarding the airwaves for six weeks with politically-correct segments from MLK's birthday through Black History month in February, it could be worth assessing the racial overtones of college basketball through the current minority prism of the white player.

There is some credence to refraining from judging a book by its cover. But the last time a majority of the NCAA consensus All-American first-team selections were white was 1969-70 (LSU's Pete Maravich, Purdue's Rick Mount and Kentucky's Dan Issel). Non-whites accounted for more than 83 percent of the NCAA consensus All-American first- and second-selections since the shot clock was introduced nationwide in 1985-86. Alarmists might beg to differ, but the white American player hasn't exactly slipped into extinction. In 2008-09, North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough became the first Caucasian four-time All-American since La Salle's Tom Gola (1952 through 1955).

Clearly, the only "Great White Hopes" with any realistic chance of becoming an NCAA consensus first-team All-American this year were Purdue's Robbie Hummel, Creighton's Doug McDermott and North Carolina's Tyler Zeller. Hummel's first-team prospects faded by mid-season but, after returning from major knee surgery, it will still be a significant achievement even if he is a second- or third-team choice. After all, the only individual ever to return to All-American status following a medical redshirt was Kentucky center Sam Bowie, who achieved the feat in 1983-84 after missing the previous two seasons because of a leg injury. Meanwhile, Zeller's play picked up in ACC competition although probably not enough to propel him to first-team status.

As for McDermott, he averaged 25.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in three non-league victories over Big Ten Conference members. But according to a politically-direct UCF study several years ago, McDermott faces an uphill climb inasmuch as less than 1/3 of NCAA Division I players are white. Last year, BYU's Jimmer Fredette joined the following alphabetical list of only 18 different white players, four from Duke, named as an NCAA consensus first-team All-American in the last 30 seasons:

White First-Team All-American, Position, School (Season)
Steve Alford, G, Indiana (1985-86 and 1986-87)
Andrew Bogut, C, Utah (2004-05)
Nick Collison, F, Kansas (2002-03)
Dan Dickau, G, Gonzaga (2001-02)
Danny Ferry, F, Duke (1988-89)
Jimmer Fredette, G, Brigham Young (2010-11)
Tyler Hansbrough, F-C, North Carolina (2006-07 through 2008-09)
Bobby Hurley, G, Duke (1992-93)
Casey Jacobsen, F-G, Stanford (2000-01)
Christian Laettner, F-C, Duke (1991-92)
Raef LaFrentz, F-C, Kansas (1996-97 and 1997-98)
Kevin Love, C, UCLA (2007-08)
Chris Mihm, C, Texas (1999-2000)
Adam Morrison, F, Gonzaga (2005-06)
Chris Mullin, G, St. John's (1984-85)
Troy Murphy, F, Notre Dame (1999-2000 and 2000-01)
J.J. Redick, G, Duke (2004-05 and 2005-06)
Keith Van Horn, F, Utah (1996-97)

At the time, it seemed equivalent to betting everything on a penny stock. But it can turn into a bonanza as evidenced by Duke's Mike Krzyzewski going on to become the all-time winningest major-college mentor after arriving in Durham to homestead Krzyzewskiville on the heels of a season W-L record eight games below .500 with Army.

There were mixed reactions recently when first-year Lamar coach Pat Knight, evoking comparisons to his forceful father (Bob Knight), scorched the seniors he inherited with a post-game press conference diatribe. Krzyzewski and Pat Knight are among the following active coaches hired by their current school despite coming off a season when they posted a losing record:

Active Coach, Current School/Losing Season Record With Previous School
Jeff Bzdelik, Wake Forest/15-16 record with Colorado in 2009-10
Pat Knight, Lamar/13-19 with Texas Tech in 2010-11
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke/9-17 with Army with 1979-80
Greg McDermott, Creighton/15-17 with Iowa State in 2009-10
Lorenzo Romar, Washington/15-16 with Saint Louis in 2001-02
Joe Scott, Denver/11-17 with Princeton in 2006-07
Billy Taylor, Ball State/12-19 with Lehigh in 2006-07
Rex Walters, San Francisco/15-18 with Florida Atlantic in 2007-08

The amazing six-overtime thriller between Connecticut and Syracuse in the 2009 Big East Conference Tournament quarterfinals is relatively easy to remember. But one of the most titillating tourney tidbits among all leagues that gets overlooked because the Southwest Conference is defunct remains Texas Tech's Rick Bullock singlehandedly outscoring the "Triplets" from Arkansas (Ron Brewer, Marvin Delph and Sidney Moncrief) by seven points, 44-37, when he set the SWC's single-game tournament scoring record in the 1976 semifinals.

Don't hesitate to capitalize on the links for the current Division I conferences cited below to refresh your memory about past champions. In the meantime, here are some more names and numbers of note about previous conference tournament competition to reflect upon as teams tune up for the main event by jockeying for position in the NCAA playoff bracket:

America East - The 1989 North Atlantic Tournament was dubbed the MIT (Measles Invitational Tourney) because all spectators were banned due to a measles outbreak. Delaware competed for 17 years in the East Coast Conference and never won an ECC Tournament championship. But the Blue Hens entered the AEC predecessor, the North Atlantic, in 1992 and won their first-ever title and went to the NCAA playoffs for the initial time. They successfully defended their crown the next year before closing out the decade with another set of back-to-back tourney titles.

Atlantic Coast - Maryland, ranking fourth in both polls, lost in overtime against eventual NCAA champion North Carolina State, 103-100, in the 1974 final in what some believe might have been the greatest college game ever played. Three players from each team earned All-American honors during their careers - North Carolina State's David Thompson, Tom Burleson and Monte Towe plus Maryland's John Lucas, Len Elmore and Tom McMillen. The Terrapins had four players score at least 20 points - Lucas, McMillen, Owen Brown and Mo Howard - in a 20-point victory over 22-6 North Carolina (105-85) in the semifinals. The Terps, of course, didn't participate in the NCAA playoffs that year because a 32-team bracket allowing teams other than the league champion to be chosen on an at-large basis from the same conference wasn't adopted until the next season.

Atlantic Sun - Belmont hit 12 of 19 first-half shots from beyond the arc in the 2007 final against top seed East Tennessee State.

Atlantic 10 - Temple reached the tourney semifinals 19 consecutive seasons in one stretch.

Big East - St. John's doesn't seem to have any advantage at Madison Square Garden. It lost five consecutive tourney games on its homecourt by an average margin of 11.4 points from 1987 through 1991.

Big Sky - Montana, capitalizing on a homecourt advantage, overcame a jinx by winning back-to-back tournament titles in 1991 and 1992. The Grizzlies had just two losing regular-season league records from 1976 through 1990, but they didn't win the tournament title in that span, losing the championship game five times from 1978 through 1984.

Big South - The No. 1 seed won this unpredictable tourney only five times in the first 17 years. Radford failed to reach the postseason tournament final for nine years until capturing the event in 1998.

Big Ten - Illinois won as many games in the 1999 tourney as the Illini did in regular-season conference competition that season (3-13).

Big 12 - Kansas won the first three championship games from 1997 through 1999 by at least 14 points.

Big West - Pacific didn't compile a winning league record from 1979 through 1992, but the Tigers climaxed three consecutive appearances in the tournament semifinals by advancing to the '92 championship game.

Colonial - Navy, seeded No. 8 in 1991 in its last year in the tournament before joining the Patriot League, upset top seed James Madison in overtime, 85-82, in the opening round.

Conference USA - Three of four C-USA Tournament champions from 1997 through 2000 won four games in four days. Cincinnati captured six league tournament titles in seven years from 1992 through 1998 in the Great Midwest and C-USA.

Horizon League - The first two tournament winners (Oral Roberts '80 and Oklahoma City '81) of the league's forerunner, the Midwestern City, subsequently shed Division I status and de-emphasized to the NAIA level. ORU, which also won the crown in 1984, returned to Division I status in 1993-94. Butler lost its first 12 games in the tourney until breaking into the win column in 1992.

Metro Atlantic Athletic - Eight different schools won the tournament title in an eight-year span from 1992 through 1999.

Mid-American - Bowling Green never has won the MAC Tournament.

Mid-Eastern Athletic - North Carolina A&T won seven consecutive titles from 1982 through 1988. The Aggies defeated Howard in the championship game each of the first six years of their streak with the middle four of them decided by a total of only 17 points.

Missouri Valley - Indiana State won only two of its next 20 MVC tourney games after All-American Larry Bird led the Sycamores to the 1979 title.

Mountain West - Not once has Air Force reached the championship game of the WAC or Mountain West.

Northeast - The final pitted the top two seeds against each other 11 times in a 13-year span from 1983 through 1995.

Ohio Valley - Former member Western Kentucky reached the championship game in eight of the OVC's first 10 tourneys. Tennessee Tech won only one tournament game from 1975 through 1992.

Pacific-12 - Arizona won the last three tourney finals from 1988 through 1990 by a minimum of 16 points before the league discontinued the event until reviving it in 2002.

Patriot League - No seed worse than third reached the championship game in the first 20 years of event from 1991 through 2010.

SEC - Seven of the 13 tourney MVPs from 1979 through 1991 didn't play for the champion. One of them, LSU's John Williams, didn't even compete in the 1986 title game. Although Kentucky standout center Alex Groza saw limited action in the 1947 tournament because of a back injury, the Wildcats cruised to victories over Vanderbilt (98-29), Auburn (84-18), Georgia Tech (75-53) and Tulane (55-38). UK was also without Converse All-American guard Jack Parkinson (serving in the military), but the five-man all-tourney team was comprised of nothing but Wildcats - forwards Jack Tingle and Joe Holland, center Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones and guards Ken Rollins and Ralph Beard. UK (24) has won more than half of the SEC's tourneys.

Southern - Furman's Jerry Martin, an outfielder who hit .251 in 11 years with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets from 1974 through 1984, was named MVP in the 1971 tournament after the 6-1 guard led the Paladins to the title with 22-, 36- and 19-point performances to pace the tourney in scoring. Two years earlier, current Davidson coach Bob McKillop scored three points for East Carolina against the Lefty Driesell-coached Wildcats in the 1969 SC Tournament championship game.

Southland - North Texas State's Kenneth Lyons outscored Louisiana Tech's Karl Malone, 47-6, when Lyons established a still existing single-game scoring record in the 1983 tournament quarterfinals. Malone led the SLC in rebounding (10.3 rpg) and steals (1.9 spg) that season as a freshman before going on to score more than 30,000 points in the NBA. Two years earlier, McNeese State won a first-round game after going winless in regular-season conference competition.

SWAC - Regular-season champion Grambling State lost by 50 points to Southern (105-55) in the 1987 final. An interesting twist that year was the fact Bob Hopkins, Grambling's first-year coach, had coached Southern the previous three seasons.

Summit League - The first tournament final in 1984 featured two teams with losing league records in regular-season competition (Western Illinois and Cleveland State).

Sun Belt - South Alabama's stall didn't prevent the Jaguars from losing to New Orleans, 22-20, on Nate Mills' last-second jumper in the 1978 final. The next season, the Sun Belt became the first league to experiment with a 45-second shot clock. The four different schools that accounted for the participants in six consecutive finals from 1980 through 1985 went on to join other conferences - UAB, Old Dominion, South Florida and Virginia Commonwealth. Two-time champion Charlotte also abandoned ship.

West Coast - The top two seeds didn't meet in the championship game until 2000. The most tragic moment in the history of any conference tournament occurred in the semifinals of the 1990 event at Loyola Marymount when Hank Gathers, the league's all-time scoring leader and a two-time tourney MVP, collapsed on his home court during the Lions' game with Portland. He died later that evening and the tournament was suspended. The Lions earned the NCAA Tournament bid because of their regular-season crown and advanced to the West Regional final behind the heroics of Bo Kimble, who was Gathers' longtime friend from Philadelphia.

Western Athletic - The tourney's biggest upset occurred in 1990 when No. 9 seed Air Force defeated No. 1 seed Colorado State in the quarterfinals, 58-51. Hawaii's Carl English, averaging 3.9 points per game as a freshman during the regular season, had a season-high 25 in a 78-72 overtime victory against host Tulsa in the 2001 final.

Has there ever been a coach in an elite "Power 6" league with a consistent track record for dramatic player development anywhere close to matching Wisconsin's Bo Ryan? In the next couple of years, Jared Berggren (1.1 ppg in 2009-10), Mike Bruesewitz (1.1 ppg in 2009-10) and/or Ben Brust (0.7 ppg in 2010-11) could join the following chronological list of Badgers who became All-Big Ten Conference selections under Ryan after averaging fewer than four points per game as a freshman:

Kammron Taylor (1.2 ppg in 2003-04)
Brian Butch (3.6 ppg in 2004-05)
Michael Flowers (1.2 ppg in 2004-05)
Trevon Hughes (1.4 ppg in 2006-07)
Jon Leuer (2.9 ppg in 2007-08)
Jordan Taylor (1.6 ppg in 2008-09)

There is no satisfactory explanation why neither Ryan nor Billy Donovan, who directed Florida to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007, have ever been named national coach of the year.

NCAA Division I newbie North Dakota, relinquishing its most notable characteristic, began a rebranding process after shedding the school's Fighting Sioux nickname. The initiative stemmed from the state Board of Higher Education yielding to the NCAA's meddling progressive policy police following a six-year battle over the nickname and logo allegedly being hostile to American Indians.

Lo and behold, the school chose to respect the state's referendum process and resumed using the nickname in mid-season after an intense debate spurred supporters to file petitions demanding a statewide vote on the issue. By season's end, the heavyhanded NCAA responded by saying the school risked forfeiting postseason games if it failed to "take measures to minimize or eliminate the presence of the imagery."

Previous schools failing to show as much spunk as North Dakota and making politically-correct decisions by switching their supposedly demeaning and highly-insensitive nicknames were Arkansas State (changed from Indians to Red Wolves), Colgate (Red Raiders to Raiders), Eastern Michigan (Hurons to Eagles), Louisiana-Monroe (Indians to Warhawks), Marquette (Warriors to Golden Eagles), Miami of Ohio (Redskins to RedHawks), Oklahoma City (Chiefs to Stars), Quinnipiac (Braves to Bobcats), St. John's (Redmen to Red Storm), Seattle (Chieftains to Redhawks), Siena (Indians to Saints) and Southeast Missouri State (Indians to Redhawks).

For those insensitive louts nonpulsed by this holier-than-thou victimization obsession, are they to feel shame at the extent of the alleged discrimination? Rather than bow to pressure, many traditional observers hope the following "Last of the Mohegans" remain steadfast and retain their time-honored monikers: Alcorn State (Braves), Bradley (Braves), Central Michigan (Chippewas), Florida State (Seminoles), Illinois (Fighting Illini), Utah (Utes) and William & Mary (Tribe).

If not, left-wing zealots from PETA (unless they are card-carrying members of the parallel universe People for Eating Tasty Animals) and the Bird Lovers International crowd could possibly be next, feeling empowered to capitalize on this catalyst for constructive social change by making it a heartless foul to have any nickname referencing a precious animal or fowl. What was the cumulative cost for nickname changes and how many mental midgets did it take at the NCAA to concoct this colossal caricature intervention? No wonder it's so easy to ridicule the governing body with a name-calling barrage. In the aftermath of authentic turmoil at Miami (FL), Ohio State, Penn State, Southern California and Syracuse, many think there are more significant issues in intercollegiate athletics requiring correction from the NCAA rather than giving a selective outrage forum to pious pinheads manufacturing a mascot/nickname problem that really didn't exist at any meaningful degree.

CollegeHoopedia.com has conducted significant research on DI school nickname changes over the years and the origin of unusual DI school nicknames.

Kansas forward Thomas Robinson showed incredible fortitude last season dealing with the deaths of his grandparents and mother in less than a month during the 2010-11 campaign. If he keeps on improving at such a dramatic pace when he reaches the professional level, he could join the following "Magnificient 7" list of All-Americans who posted career scoring averages more than five points per game higher over more than 10 NBA seasons than they did in multiple college campaigns:

Player, School (College Average/NBA Regular-Season Averaqe/Scoring Increase)

Michael Jordan, North Carolina (17.7 ppg/30.1 ppg in 15 seasons with a low mark of 20 in his final NBA campaign in 2002-03/12.4 ppg)

Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston (13.3 ppg/21.8 ppg in 18 years with his first 13 seasons compiling more than 20 from 1984-85 through 1996-97/8.5 ppg)

Charles Barkley, Auburn (14.1 ppg/22.1 ppg in 16 years with 11 consecutive seasons compiling more than 20 from 1985-86 through 1995-96/8 ppg)

John Havlicek, Ohio State (14.6 ppg/20.8 ppg in 16 years with eight consecutive seasons compiling more than 20 from 1966-67 through 1973-74/6.2 ppg)

Clyde Drexler, Houston (14.4 ppg/20.4 ppg in 15 years with his last 13 seasons compiling at least 18 from 1985-86 through 1997-98/6 ppg)

Patrick Ewing, Georgetown (15.3 ppg/21 ppg in 17 years with his first 13 seasons compiling at least 20 from 1985-86 through 1997-98/5.7 ppg)

Marques Johnson, UCLA (14.4 ppg/20.1 ppg in 11 years with the first of six of more than 20 a career-high 25.6 in 1978-79/5.7 ppg)

The nation's NCAA Division I conferences have been in a frenetic restructuring stage. It might sound hostile, but Catholic institutions missed an ample opportunity to assertively advance their "birth-control" cause amid the chaotic quest for megaleagues by "birthing" their own alliance.

Catholics crossing the Obama Administration recently over birth-control coverage is nothing new. Several years ago, a Cardinal from Boston said the Democratic Party has been persistently hostile to opponents of abortion rights, asserting that the support of many Catholics for Democratic candidates "borders on scandal."

But also bordering on scandal were cardinal-faced coaches such as Notre Dame's Mike Brey and Louisville's Rick Pitino persistently trying in such a feeble fashion to abort the defections of Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia from the Big East Conference to other prominent leagues in the near future. Excluding Syracuse and West Virginia, the other 14 current Big East members probably won't boast an All-American this season. And embarrassing non-conference defeats at home or on a neutral court show the league is a far cry from its strength last year when it boasted 11 NCAA playoff participants - Cincinnati (lost to Presbyterian and Marshall), Connecticut (UCF), DePaul (Milwaukee), Pittsburgh (Wagner), Providence (Northern Iowa), St. John's (Northeastern), Seton Hall (Northwestern), South Florida (Old Dominion and Penn State), Villanova (Santa Clara) and West Virginia (Kent State). Villanova, only three years removed from a Final Four appearance, might have been by season's end the worst team among the six major universities in Philadelphia (Big 5 plus Drexel). Meanwhile, Notre Dame was mauled against Missouri by 29 points in Kansas City when the Irish still had its best player (subsequently injured Tim Abromaitis).

Brey should have been a candle-carrying visionary praying at Notre Dame's Grotto for divine revelation regarding Catholics democratically strategizing together. Why didn't the Irish spearhead an illuminating alignment with other Catholic-based universities and create what immediately would have been one of the premier basketball conferences in the country? The formation of "The Tradition" could have featured a 16-team tradition-rich league with East and West Dioceses--Creighton, Dayton, DePaul, Detroit, Marquette, Notre Dame, Saint Louis and Xavier in the West; Georgetown, Holy Cross, La Salle, Providence, St. John's, Saint Joseph's, Seton Hall and Villanova in the East.

Lighting the way, the Catholic Conference could have been depicted as the last bastion of ethics and morality promoting a doctrine/philosophy where basketball is king for all of the athletic programs sans Notre Dame. Their non-league scheduling could have focused on being charitable on a regular rotating basis to like-minded Canisius, Fairfield, Fordham, Gonzaga, Incarnate Word, Iona, Loyola of Chicago, Loyola (Md.), Loyola Marymount, St. Bonaventure, St. Francis (N.Y.), St. Francis (Pa.), Saint Mary's, Saint Peter's, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Seattle and Siena.

Rather than worshipping at the almighty-dollar altar akin to the majority of their secular brethren, the Jesuit schools could have shown them how to live (morality) by exercising some basic beliefs (the faith itself) exhibiting ethical and more rigid academic standards.

At the risk of facing excommunication for being too flippant, the commissioner could have been loosely designated as pope, the league home office could have been referred to as the Vatican, coaches could have been called priests, referees could have been regaled as bishops, arenas could have been dubbed as cathedrals, the loop's bylaws could have been portrayed as their creed while game and press conference scheduling could have been the loop's liturgical calendar.

Naturally, parental pride doesn't necessarily need to stem from athletics. Your child didn't have to be the best, but he had to do his level best.

Still, life goes on. How can a mom and dad express appreciation for all of the memories shared together?

Adding sports as a factor makes the lessons-learned equation more complex. Culminating at Senior Night, it takes a significant amount of resilience to endure withdrawal from all of the devotion and emotion, last-second shots, coping with occasional shooting slump, chance to dance in postseason competition, title dream dashed in close contest, team awards banquet, etc., etc., etc.

Who would have thought the first time he picked up a ball that he would make such a difference and stand so tall? The parent is fortunate to still have a pulse.

It's easy enough to substitute girl for boy in the following poem portraying a parent trying to come to terms with an impending spread-their-wings departure; whether it be from high school to college or from college to the "real world." These reflections might be therapeutic if you went through a similar range of emotions amid whatever success your own flesh and blood enjoyed along the way.

Lord, there's a little thing I need to know
Where in the world did my little boy go?
Packed and ready to depart might seem totally wrong
But it's a calling taking him where he does belong
Perplexed from time to time but one thing I know today
I'm a proud parent beyond words; what more can I say
Kids go through stages but not with this sort of speed
It was only yesterday he was unable to read
Wasn't it just months ago he went from crawl to walk
Hard-headed as a mule; certainly knew how to balk
Took one day at a time raising him the very best we could
Now inspires those around him just like we believed he would
High achiever turning a corner in his life
He has got what it takes to cope with any strife
Boasts a unique eye for talent except his own
Doesn't realize range of skills he has honed
Can't carry a tune but set school shooting star records
Now, the game-of-life clock dwindles from minutes to seconds
So angels above please watch over him daily
Although some of his antics may drive you crazy
He represents everything that I value the most
For that very reason, I'm offering a toast
If he feels sorry for himself and is about to give up
Do not hesitate to give him a gentle kick in the rump
Remembering what I did wrong but at least a couple things right
Always said you could do it; just try with all your might
I just yearn to see all of his grandest plans come true
God, it's my turn to have a great commission for You
Be with him, bless him and give him nothing but success
Aid his climb up that mountain; settle for nothing less
Although I know it is not a sin; don't let him dwell on what may have been
If things press heavy on his mind; minister with words that are kind
After he knows everything for sure, give him an exciting adventure
Comfort him if he is lonely; remind him he's a one and only
Feeling down and kind of blue; show again how dreams come true
When burdened by a bruised heart; present him a brand new start
If he is spinning his wheels; send one who knows how it feels
Embrace him when he is down; turn each bad day all around
When life doesn't seem fair; urge him to kneel in prayer
Guide his steps in the dark and rain; pick up the pieces and ease any pain
Time to share our best with the remainder of the world
It is much like having a family flag unfurled
How can a once young son make a grown man cry
Groping for right words trying to say goodbye
To me, he'll always be a pure and spotless lamb
Cradled in our arms or holding his little hand
If I was Elton John, I'd tell everyone this is "Your Poem"
Simply sing how wonderful life was with you in our home
My soul swells with pride at any mention of you
How long gone are you going to be; wish I knew
Sure don't believe it is at all out of line
To seek to rebound for you just one more time
Although you're going to be many miles away
I will see you in my heart each and every day
So go down that windy path; don't you dare look back
You've found faith; it will keep you on the right track
He's headed for real world and all it offers
But first, here are your final marching orders
Always do the very best you possibly can
Refuse to lose even when you don't understand
There's no telling the goals you will be able to reach
By giving proper respect to instructors who teach
Aspire each and every day you wake
Not to waste a single breath you take
Might as well let all of your ability show
Because those gifts turn to dust whenever you "go"
Don't bury your talents in the ground
Lend helping hand to those you're around
Be ready for the next big thing and the excitement it will bring
If and when all might seem lost; take a quick trip to the cross
Don't ignore your way home by road or by a phone
To get a smile from a frown; dance and let your hair hang down
A truly happy ending can't come from just pretending
I'll never forget the times when you were all you could be
Rose to the occasion and sent playoff game to OT
Cherish all the moments - the hugs and tears
For all your passion play through these years
My little guy is bound far beyond a Final Four
Poised for more success; prosperity at his door
All things are possible; he has found out
How much I love him is what I'm thinking about
If you stumble, put one foot in front of the other
When in doubt, think of your mom, your sister, your brother
Wherever you go, you'll be best from beginning to end
To that most truthful statement, I say Amen and Amen
After you have gone, I'll stroll into your off-limits room
Try to keep my composure when it seems like doom and gloom
But then I'll think of all you are; your smiling face - God's shining star
Gazing at an old picture; touching it soft and tender
You will always be on my mind; but nothing like that wrenching time
When I ask the Lord a big thing I need to know
Where in His big world will His maturing man go?

South Florida, the beneficiary of a favorable first-half schedule in Big East Conference competition, was enjoying its best season since joining the league in 2005-06. But a seasoned observer, sizing up the remaining Big East slate, would dare anyone to bet on the Bulls reaching the NCAA playoffs for the first time in 20 years.

If they do, senior Augustus Gilchrist will need to finally live up to the billing accorded him when he joined them with Terrelle Woody, an aide/personal trainer at the private Maryland prep school where home schooler Gilchrist played as a high school senior.

NCAA legislation has slowed the "strings attached" element whereby standout high school players are reunited with prep connections at the collegiate level.

At least one juco jewel needed to shine bright if Kansas' string of seven straight regular-season Big 12 Conference championships was going to come to an end. Joining KU in the national Top 10 polls most of this season were two teams counting on junior college recruits to help knock the Jayhawks off their lofty perch--Baylor (point guard Pierre Jackson from Southern Idaho) and Missouri (center Ricardo Ratliffe from Central Florida CC and guard Matt Pressey from Navarro, TX). Jackson, not more highly-acclaimed Perry Jones III, is the Bears' go-to player at crunch time. Ratliffe has a chance to set an NCAA single-season record for field-goal percentage.

Jackson and Pressey needed to help keep Kansas' turnover-prone Tyshawn Taylor from continuing to offset his suspect ballhandling by being KU's leading scorer. Pressey's brother, Flip, triggering Mizzou's lethal fast break, has a sterling assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7), a figure significantly better than his KU counterpart.

Despite Taylor's resiliency and increased point production this season, he emerged as one of the most erratic Jayhawks point guards in 30 years since they struggled a couple of campaigns at that position after four-time All-American Darnell Valentine departed. Taylor, whose judgment has always been questionable since suffered a dislocated left thumb in a skirmish with several of the school's football players, has a mediocre career assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.5.

Taylor's ratio doesn't measure up to the competence exhibited by KU playmakers in the last several decades such as Ryan Robertson (2.4), Mark Turgeon (2.4), Aaron Miles (2.3), Jacque Vaughn (2.3), Adonis Jordan (2.2), Cedric Hunter (2.1), Kirk Hinrich (1.8), Jeff Boschee (1.7), Sherron Collins (1.7), Kevin Pritchard (1.7), Steve Woodberry (1.7), Mario Chalmers (1.6) and Rex Walters (1.6).

Oddly, UNLV is the only school to have more J.C. recruits help it reach the Final Four multiple times than Kansas (Terry Brown, Jeff Graves, Darrin Hancock, Alonzo Jamison, David Johanning, John Keller, Bob Kivisto, Archie Marshall, Lincoln Minor, Roger Morningstar and Hal Patterson). At least one former junior college player was named an NCAA All-American in 21 consecutive seasons from 1963-64 through 1983-84.

North Carolina fans who know their hoop history (such as UNC's all-time worst defeat was by 43 points against the Lynchburg YMCA Elks in 1914-15) were particularly blue after the preseason #1-ranked Tar Heels were humiliated at Florida State by 33 points, 90-57. That moody blue is because no NCAA Tournament champion ever lost a pre-NCAA Tournament game by such a wide margin. Following are the six NCAA titlists, including Carolina '93, to lose a pre-NCAA playoff road contest by more than 20 points:

Champion (Losing Margin)	Pre-NCAA Playoff Defeat
UCLA '65 (27)	at Illinois (110-83)
North Carolina '93 (26)	at Wake Forest (88-62)
Villanova '85 (23)	at Pittsburgh (85-62)
UCLA '75 (22)	at Washington (103-81)
Duke '91 (22)	at Charlotte vs. North Carolina (96-74)
Maryland '02 (21)	at Duke (99-78)

In 2003-04, Oral Roberts (16-11 record) became the first school in 73 years to boast two freshmen as all-conference first-team selections in the same season when guard Ken Tutt (20.7) and forward Caleb Green (17.3) combined for 38 points per game. After a fresh pair of first-teamers subsequently happened at Ohio State in 2006-07 and Kentucky in 2009-10, it occurred again this year in the SEC. Here is a chronological list of leagues to feature a pair of freshmen earning first-team acclaim:

NOTE: Three of the OVC's 10-man all-league team in 1954-55, three of the MAAC's 12-man all-conference squad in 1981-82, and three of the Pacific-10's 10-man all-league squad in 1999-2000 were freshmen.