The NFL Injury Report comes out in mid-week although it isn't nearly as important to genuine hoop fans as the NFL Basketball Report. The hoop headliner this week is tight end Antonio Gates, a second-team All-MAC basketball selection in 2002, combining with San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers to become the first QB/TE combination in NFL history with 50 touchdowns.

Another veteran tight end, Tony Gonzalez, who excelled in the 1997 NCAA playoffs with California, is having a splendid season with the Atlanta Falcons. Gonzalez led his team in pass receptions much of the campaign comparable to fellow ex-college hoopsters Vincent Jackson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Kendall Wright (Tennessee Titans).

Regal receiver Terrell Owens (1995 NCAA playoffs with Chattanooga) didn't have a chance to test the patience of replacement officials because he is no longer on an NFL roster. But the league still boasts the following versatile players who previously were college hoopsters:

Player	Pos.	NFL Team	College(s)	Summary of 2012 NFL Season
Connor Barwin	OLB	Houston Texans	Cincinnati	11 tackles (9 solo/2 assists) in fourth season but no sacks (after 11 1/2 last year)
Demetress Bell	LOT	Philadelphia Eagles	Northwestern State	newcomer after signing 5-year deal in off-season following 30 starts with Buffalo Bills the previous three seasons
Jordan Cameron	TE	Cleveland Browns	Brigham Young/Southern California	10 pass receptions for 124 yards (long of 23) in second campaign
Demar Dotson	RT	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Southern Mississippi	6-9 lineman started five of first six games in fourth season
London Fletcher	ILB	Washington Redskins	Saint Francis, PA/John Carroll, OH	team-high 54 tackles (29 solo/25 assists) plus one fumble recovery and one interception in 15th season
Antonio Gates	TE	San Diego Chargers	Kent State	19 pass receptions for 224 yards (long of 33) and two touchdowns in 10th year
Tony Gonzalez	TE	Atlanta Falcons	California	team-high 43 pass receptions for 430 yards (long of 25) and four touchdowns in 16th campaign
Jimmy Graham	TE	New Orleans Saints	Miami, FL	third-year pro has 25 pass receptions for 252 yards (long of 24) and three touchdowns
Todd Heap	TE	Arizona Cardinals	Arizona State	long-time Baltimore Raven has eight receptions for 94 yards (long of 28) in 12th season
Vincent Jackson	WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Northern Colorado	team highs of 20 receptions, 370 yards (long of 54) and four touchdowns in eighth campaign
Evan Moore	TE	Seattle Seahawks	Stanford	first season in NW for third-stringer after three years with the Cleveland Browns, including four touchdowns in 2011
Julius Peppers	RDE	Chicago Bears	North Carolina	10 tackles (eight solo/two assists) and 2.5 sacks in 11th season
Julius Thomas	TE	Denver Broncos	Portland State	second-year backup hopes to get a start similar to last season
Kendall Wright	WR	Tennessee Titans	Baylor	rookie has team-high 33 pass receptions (for 285 yards and two touchdowns/long of 35 yards)

Mid-major schools, featuring an abundance of gifted guards, could have a banner season in 2012-13. This is the first time in 40 years that mid-level schools managed to boast two returnees who were NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans (Murray State guard Isaiah Canaan and Creighton forward Doug McDermott). There were three such mid-major returnees in 1972-73 - Southwestern Louisiana's Dwight "Bo" Lamar (36.3 ppg) and Oral Roberts' Richie Fuqua (35.9) were the nation's top two scorers in 1971-72 and Long Beach State's Ed Ratleff (21.4) was the leading scorer for the nation's fifth-ranked team.

Last season, McDermott became only the eighth mid-major player in the last 21 years to earn NCAA consensus first-team All-American status. He and second-teamer Canaan could be joined at A-A status by a couple of the following mid-level candidates:

Backcourt - Deonte Burton (Nevada), Will Cherry (Montana), Rotnei Clarke (Butler), D.J. Cooper (Ohio University), Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's), Kevin Dillard (Dayton), Jamaal Franklin (San Diego State), Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart), Tyler Haws (Brigham Young), Lamont "Momo" Jones (Iona), Frantz Massenat (Drexel), Ray McCallum (Detroit), C.J. McCollum (Lehigh), Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga), Colt Ryan (Evansville), Chase Tapley (San Diego State), Chaz Williams (Massachusetts) and Nate Wolters (South Dakota State).

Frontcourt - Anthony Bennett (UNLV), De'Mon Brooks (Davidson), Keith Clanton (UCF), Brandon Davies (Brigham Young), Erik Etherly (Loyola, MD), Elias Harris (Gonzaga), Alex Kirk (New Mexico), Tony Mitchell (North Texas), Mike Moser (UNLV), Mike Muscala (Bucknell), Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga), Chris Udofia (Denver) and Leonard Washington (Wyoming).

Could the mid-majors manage as many as six NCAA consensus All-Americans for the first time since 1955-56? Following is a chronological list of mid-level NCAA consensus first- and second-team All-Americans who played for a school never to be a member of a power conference (Houston, Memphis, SMU and Temple moving up to Big East) since the ACC was introduced in 1953-54:

1954 - La Salle's Tom Gola (1st), Western Kentucky's Tom Marshall (2nd), Furman's Frank Selvy (1st) and Duquesne's Dick Ricketts (2nd)

1955 - Furman's Darrell Floyd (2nd), La Salle's Tom Gola (1st), Duquesne's Sihugo Green (1st), Duquesne's Dick Ricketts (1st) and San Francisco's Bill Russell (1st)

1956 - Furman's Darrell Floyd (2nd), Duquesne's Sihugo Green (1st), Holy Cross' Tom Heinsohn (1st), San Francisco's K.C. Jones (2nd), San Francisco's Bill Russell (1st) and Dayton's Bill Uhl (2nd)

1957 - Seattle's Elgin Baylor (2nd) and Columbia's Chet Forte (1st)

1958 - Seattle's Elgin Baylor (1st) and San Francisco's Mike Farmer (2nd)

1959 - Marshall's Leo Byrd (2nd)

1960 - St. Bonaventure's Tom Stith (1st)

1961 - Gonzaga's Frank Burgess (2nd), St. Bonaventure's Tom Stith (1st) and Bradley's Chet Walker (1st)

1962 - Holy Cross' Jack Foley (2nd) and Bradley's Chet Walker (1st)

1963 - Colorado State's Bill Green (2nd), Loyola of Chicago's Jerry Harkness (1st), NYU's Barry Kramer (1st) and Bowling Green State's Nate Thurmond (2nd)

1964 - Princeton's Bill Bradley (1st), Davidson's Fred Hetzel (2nd) and Wichita State's Dave Stallworth (1st)

1965 - Princeton's Bill Bradley (1st), Utah State's Wayne Estes (2nd), Davidson's Fred Hetzel (1st) and Wichita State's Dave Stallworth (2nd)

1966 - St. Joseph's Matt Guokas (2nd) and Davidson's Dick Snyder (2nd)

1967 - New Mexico's Mel Daniels (2nd), Western Kentucky's Clem Haskins (1st) and Dayton's Don May (2nd)

1968 - St. Bonaventure's Bob Lanier (2nd), Dayton's Don May (2nd) and Niagara's Calvin Murphy (2nd)

1969 - Detroit's Spencer Haywood (1st), Davidson's Mike Maloy (2nd), Niagara's Calvin Murphy (1st) and Santa Clara's Bud Ogden (2nd)

1970 - New Mexico State's Jimmy Collins (2nd), St. Bonaventure's Bob Lanier (1st) and Niagara's Calvin Murphy (1st)

1971 - La Salle's Ken Durrett (2nd), Jacksonville's Artis Gilmore (1st) and Western Kentucky's Jim McDaniels (1st)

1972 - Oral Roberts' Richie Fuqua (2nd), Southwestern Louisiana's Dwight "Bo" Lamar (1st) and Long Beach State's Ed Ratleff (1st)

1973 - Illinois State's Doug Collins (1st), Southwestern Louisiana's Dwight "Bo" Lamar (1st), Long Beach State's Ed Ratleff (1st) and American University's Kermit Washington (2nd)

1974 - Canisius' Larry Fogle (2nd)

1975 - none

1976 - none

1977 - San Francisco's Bill Cartwright (2nd)

1978 - Indiana State's Larry Bird (1st) and Portland State's Freeman Williams (2nd)

1979 - Indiana State's Larry Bird (1st), San Francisco's Bill Cartwright (2nd), Northeast Louisiana's Calvin Natt (2nd), Dayton's Jim Paxson (2nd) and Rhode Island's Sly Williams (2nd)

1980 - La Salle's Michael Brooks (1st)

1981 - Brigham Young's Danny Ainge (1st)

1982 - San Francisco's Quintin Dailey (1st), UC Irvine's Kevin Magee (2nd) and Tulsa's Paul Pressey (2nd)

1983 - UNLV's Sidney Green (2nd)

1984 - San Diego State's Michael Cage (2nd), Brigham Young's Devin Durrant (2nd) and Cal State Fullerton's Leon Wood (2nd)

1985 - Wichita State's Xavier McDaniel (1st)

1986 - Miami of Ohio's Ron Harper (2nd) and Navy's David Robinson (2nd)

1987 - UNLV's Armon Gilliam (2nd) and Navy's David Robinson (1st)

1988 - Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (1st) and Brigham Young's Michael Smith (2nd)

1989 - La Salle's Lionel Simmons (2nd)

1990 - Loyola Marymount's Hank Gathers (2nd), UNLV's Larry Johnson (1st), Loyola Marymount's Bo Kimble (2nd) and La Salle's Lionel Simmons (1st)

1991 - UNLV's Stacey Augmon (2nd), East Tennessee State's Keith "Mister" Jennings (2nd) and UNLV's Larry Johnson (1st)

1992 - none

1993 - UNLV's J.R. Rider (2nd)

1994 - none

1995 - Massachusetts' Lou Roe (2nd)

1996 - Massachusetts' Marcus Camby (1st)

1997 - none

1998 - none

1999 - Miami (Ohio)'s Wally Szczerbiak (2nd)

2000 - Fresno State's Courtney Alexander (2nd)

2001 - none

2002 - Gonzaga's Dan Dickau (1st) and Xavier's David West (2nd)

2003 - Creighton's Kyle Korver (2nd) and Xavier's David West (1st)

2004 - St. Joseph's Jameer Nelson (1st) and Gonzaga's Blake Stepp (2nd)

2005 - none

2006 - Gonzaga's Adam Morrison (1st)

2007 - Nevada's Nick Fazekas (2nd)

2008 - Davidson's Stephen Curry (2nd)

2009 - Davidson's Stephen Curry (1st)

2010 - none

2011 - Morehead State's Kenneth Faried (2nd), Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette (1st) and San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard (2nd)

2012 - Murray State's Isaiah Canaan (2nd) and Creighton's Doug McDermott (1st)

The NFL Injury Report comes out in mid-week although it isn't nearly as important to genuine hoop fans as the NFL Basketball Report. Veteran tight end Tony Gonzalez, who excelled in the 1997 NCAA playoffs with California, is having a splendid season with the Atlanta Falcons. Gonzalez leads his team in pass receptions like fellow ex-college hoopsters Vincent Jackson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Kendall Wright (Tennessee Titans).

Luminaries Donovan McNabb (Syracuse), Terrell Owens (Chattanooga) and Jason Taylor (Akron) are gone, but the NFL still boasts the following versatile players who previously were college hoopsters:

Player	Pos.	NFL Team	College(s)	Summary of 2012 NFL Season
Connor Barwin	OLB	Houston Texans	Cincinnati	eight tackles in fourth season but no sacks (after 11 1/2 last year)
Demetress Bell	OT	Philadelphia Eagles	Northwestern State	newcomer after signing 5-year deal in off-season following 30 starts with Buffalo Bills the previous three seasons
Jordan Cameron	TE	Cleveland Browns	Brigham Young/Southern California	eight pass receptions for 86 yards in second campaign
Demar Dotson	RT	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Southern Mississippi	6-9 lineman started four of first fiver games in fourth season
London Fletcher	LB	Washington Redskins	Saint Francis, PA/John Carroll, OH	team-high 43 tackles (23 solo/20 assists) plus one fumble recovery and one interception in 15th season
Antonio Gates	TE	San Diego Chargers	Kent State	13 pass receptions for 143 yards (long of 33) in 10th year
Tony Gonzalez	TE	Atlanta Falcons	California	team-high 39 pass receptions for 388 yards and four touchdowns in 16th campaign
Jimmy Graham	TE	New Orleans Saints	Miami, FL	third-year pro has 25 pass receptions for 252 yards and three touchdowns
Todd Heap	TE	Arizona Cardinals	Arizona State	long-time Baltimore Raven has eight receptions for 94 yards (long of 28 yards) in 12th season
Vincent Jackson	WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Northern Colorado	team highs of 16 receptions, 304 yards and two touchdowns in eighth campaign
Evan Moore	TE	Seattle Seahawks	Stanford	first season in NW for third-stringer after three years with the Cleveland Browns, including four touchdowns in 2011
Julius Peppers	DE	Chicago Bears	North Carolina	10 tackles (eight solo/two assists) and 2.5 sacks in 11th season
Julius Thomas	TE	Denver Broncos	Portland State	second-year backup hopes to get a start similar to last season
Kendall Wright	WR	Tennessee Titans	Baylor	rookie has team-high 33 pass receptions (for 285 yards and two touchdowns/long of 35 yards)

Whether it should or not, aftershocks from the Jerry Sandusky earthquake child-molestation case and sentencing will spill over from Penn State's football program and affect the entire athletic program. But what further damaged the hoops program specifically was a sentencing to 16 years in federal prison of Gyasi Cline-Heard, leaving him among the all-time "Bad Boys of College Basketball."

The leading rebounder and second-leading scorer for the Jerry Dunn-coached Nittany Lions' 2001 Sweet 16 squad was apprehended in February in Clearwater, Fla., for spearheading a drug/gun ring. Raids of his tattoo shop and multiple other residences in the area unearthed four dozen guns. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the enormity of the stockpile of weapons shocked investigators (most of them assault rifles and machine guns with rounds capable of penetrating officer's vests and cruisers).

The bust unfolded after undercover agents purchased, in the course of 11 transactions over the winter, more than a pound of cocaine - crack and powder - plus a .380-caliber handgun from the son of former NBA player and coach Gar Heard. The guns seized were "to kill people and to keep their drug operation going," the sheriff said.

Second-year coach Pat Chambers has a massive job keeping PSU's basketball operation going; especially after star point guard Tim Frazier was lost for the season because of an Achilles injury. It is akin to reviving disbanded programs at Miami (FL), San Francisco, Southwestern Louisiana and Tulane. The Sweet 16 team in 2001 was the only time since 1954 that Penn State won multiple games in an NCAA Tournament. Unhappy Valley indeed.

For those who revel in recruiting rhetoric and reviews, the world stopped revolving when the Harrison twins (Aaron and Andrew) announced their intention to attend Kentucky. There are all sorts of short-term Harrison Hysteria questions regarding how they reached their verdict. But the biggest long-term question is how will they rank among the most touted twins in college basketball history; especially in regard to impact including multiple seasons.

If the Harrisons simply become the latest additions to UK's list of "one-and-done" players, they won't crack the Top 10 of the most influential sets of twins at the same school - 1. Van Arsdales (Indiana); 2. O'Briens (Seattle); 3. Lopez (Stanford); 4. Morris (Kansas); 5. Collins (Stanford); 6. Graham (UCF/Oklahoma State); 7. Hughes (Wisconsin); 8. Holmes (VMI); 9. Hayes (Western Carolina/Georgia); 10. Williams (VMI); 11. Kerrs (Colorado State); 12. Stanley (Texas A&M); 13. Nelsons (Duquesne). Here is a chronological look at them plus many of the nation's most outstanding sets of twins who played together at least one season on the same team:

• George and Francis Coakley were members of Clemson's 1939 Southern Conference Tournament championship team. It is the Tigers' only league tourney title.
• Clifford and Beauford Minx combined for 10.9 ppg for Missouri's 1944 NCAA Tournament team.
• Forwards John and Rupe Ricksen combined to average 9.7 ppg for California in 1950-51, 15.9 ppg in 1951-52 and 18.4 ppg in 1952-53. The Bears won at least 16 games each of their seasons together. They were co-captains as seniors when Cal captured the PCC South Division title and John earned first-team all-conference status.
• Bantam-sized Johnny and Eddie O'Brien were the top two scorers for Seattle (26-3 record) when it reached the 1953 NCAA Tournament in the Chieftains' first season at the major-college level. They also were infielders for the Pittsburgh Pirates the same year. Johnny O'Brien, a 5-8 unanimous first-team All-American who played center on offense, is the only player to score more than 40 points in his first NCAA Tournament game (42 in an 88-77 victory against Idaho State). Eddie contributed 21 in the same playoff contest.
• Bob (8.6 ppg in 63 games) and Bill (7.5 ppg in 40 games) Gaines played together for Furman from 1954-55 through 1956-57. Each of them averaged 10.3 ppg as a senior.
• Don and Pat Stanley combined for 17.3 ppg and 10.2 rpg in 1959-60 and 24.8 ppg and 11.7 rpg in 1960-61 for Texas A&M. They earlier played at Kilgore when it won a national J.C. title.
• Don and Doug Clemetson combined for 9.5 ppg for Stanford in 1960-61 and 11 ppg in 1961-62. The 16-6 Cardinal finished AAWU runner-up to UCLA, which wound up at the 1962 Final Four.
• Tom and Dick Van Arsdale ranked sixth and seventh on Indiana's list of all-time leading scorers when they graduated in 1965. They were among the nation's top 60 point producers as juniors in 1963-64 and combined for 76 points in a 108-102 neutral court victory over Notre Dame. The Hoosiers went 19-5 their senior campaign. They each played 12 seasons in the NBA, where they both scored more than 14,200 points.
• Lloyd and Floyd Kerr were swingmen who combined to average 25.3 ppg and 10.7 rpg for Colorado State from 1966-67 through 1968-69. Brothers Kerr each scored more than 10 points in all three NCAA playoff games when the Rams reached the Midwest Regional final their senior season (17-7 record) before becoming NBA third-round draft choices.
• Barry and Garry Nelson combined for 21.7 ppg and 16.9 rpg for Duquesne teams that compiled a 59-16 record from 1968-69 through 1970-71. Garry led the team in field-goal percentage all three seasons and in rebounding as a sophomore and junior.
• In 1974, seniors Kim and Kerry Hughes carried Wisconsin to its only winning record in Big Ten Conference competition (8-6; 16-8 overall) in a 34-year span from 1963 through 1996. Kim was the Badgers' top rebounder as a sophomore. The 6-11 identical twins combined for 27 ppg and 22 rpg in their junior season and 26 ppg and 20.3 rpg in their final year. Kerry had 21 points and Kim contributed 20 in a home game versus Northwestern their senior year.
• Billy and Bobby Martin excelled for UNC-Wilmington in 1976-77 and 1977-78 after transferring from junior college. Bobby and Billy still rank among the school's all-time leaders in assists.
• Harvey and Horace Grant combined for 16.4 ppg and 11.1 rpg as sophomores for Clemson's 16-13 NIT team in 1984-85. Harvey transferred after the season to a junior college before enrolling at Oklahoma. Each of them had long NBA careers.
• Wichita State's Dwayne and Dwight Praylow combined for 16.3 ppg in 1987-88 (20-10 record) and 20.1 ppg and 8.8 rpg in 1988-89 (19-11 record).
• Victor and Vincent Lee played for Northeast Louisiana from 1986-87 through 1988-89. Their best season was 1988-89 when they were juniors (9.1 ppg and 4.7 rpg).
• Terry and Perry Dozier combined for 9.1 ppg and 3.5 rpg with South Carolina from 1986-87 through 1988-89.
• Damon and Ramon Williams combined for 28.9 ppg in their four-year VMI careers from 1986-87 through 1989-90. They were All-Southern Conference Tournament first-team selections as sophomores in 1988. Ramon was an all-league first-team pick as a junior and Damon achieved the feat as a senior. They rank among the school's top scorers in history.
• Carl and Charles Thomas were among the top 40 scorers in Eastern Michigan history when they finished their careers following the 1990-91 campaign. They combined to average 16.9 ppg and 7.2 rpg in college before making brief stints in the NBA.
• Sean and Shawn Wightman played together with Western Michigan for three years (1990-91 through 1992-93) after transferring from Illinois State. They combined for 17.9 ppg as juniors. Sean was the nation's top three-point marksman as a junior and led the Mid-American Conference in free-throw shooting as a senior.
• Joe and Jon Ross played together with Notre Dame from 1990-91 through 1993-94. They combined for more than eight rebounds per game their last two seasons.
• Sammie and Simeon Haley of Missouri combined for 12.5 ppg and 8.8 rpg for an NCAA Tournament team in 1994-95 (20-9 record) and 14.6 ppg and 9.2 rpg for an NIT team in 1995-96 (18-15 record) after transferring from junior college.
• Jim and David Jackson combined for 7.7 ppg and 3.6 rpg for Virginia Tech's NCAA Tournament team in 1995-96 (23-6 record) and 13.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg in 1996-97 (15-16 record).
• Bill and Bob Jenkins combined for 14.9 ppg and 12.5 rpg for Valparaiso's NCAA playoff Sweet 16 team in 1997-98 (23-10 record).
• Stanford's Jarron and Jason Collins combined for 19.3 ppg and 12.6 rpg in 1999-2000 before powering the Cardinal to a 31-3 record in 2000-01 with 27.3 ppg and 14.5 rpg.
• Jarvis and Jonas Hayes combined for 25.1 ppg as freshmen with Western Carolina in 1999-2000. They transferred to Georgia after Jarvis led the Southern Conference in scoring with 17.1 ppg. With the Bulldogs, the twins teamed for 25.8 ppg and 10.3 rpg in 2001-02 and 25 ppg and 8.8 rpg in 2002-03.
• Joey and Stevie Graham combined for 25.3 ppg and 9.5 rpg as sophomores with Central Florida in 2001-02 before they transferred to Oklahoma State. They collaborated for 15.2 ppg and 6.6 rpg in 2003-04 and 24.2 ppg and 9.4 rpg in 2004-05 for two OSU NCAA playoff teams.
• Errick and Derrick Craven combined for 17.6 ppg and 7.5 rpg for Southern California in 2002-03, 17.2 ppg and 5.2 rpg in 2003-04 and 10.4 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 2004-05.
• Lodrick and Rodrick Stewart combined for 13 ppg and 4.8 rpg with Southern California in 2003-04 before Rodrick transferred to Kansas.
• Yale swingmen Caleb and Nick Holmes combined for 12.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 3.2 apg from 2004-05 through 2007-08.
• Travis and Chavis Holmes combined for 18.7 ppg with VMI in 2005-06, 34.2 ppg in 2006-07 and 34 ppg in 2007-08. They colloborated for 57 points in a 156-95 victory over Virginia Intermont in 2006-07 when they each ranked among the nation's top five in steals (placed 1-2 in the Big South Conference). Finished 1-2 nationally in thefts their senior season.
• Centers Brook and Robin Lopez combined for 20.2 ppg, 11.5 rpg and 4.1 bpg with Stanford as freshmen in 2006-07 and 29.4 ppg, 13.8 rpg and 4.4 bpg as sophomores in 2007-08 before they both left school early and became NBA first-round draft choices.
• La Salle's Jerrell and Terrell Williams combined for 12.3 ppg and 8.5 rpg from 2007-08 to 2009-10.
• Charles and Philip Tabet combined for 7.2 ppg and 3 rpg with South Alabama in 2008-09 before falling off to 2.8 ppg with 4.5 rpg in 2009-10.
• Markieff and Marcus Morris from Philadelphia combined for 12 ppg and 9.2 rpg with Kansas in 2008-09, 19.5 ppg and 11.4 rpg in 2009-10 and 30.8 ppg and 15.9 rpg as All-Big 12 Conference selections in 2010-11 before they both left school early and became NBA first-round draft choices. Marcus was KU's leading scorer (17.2) and Markieff its leading rebounder (8.3) for the Jayhawks' 2011 Big 12 champion.
• David and Travis Wear combined for 6.5 ppg and 3.8 rpg as freshmen for North Carolina in 2009-10 before transferring to UCLA.
• Charlie (freshman RS in 2009-10) and Colin Reddick combined for 7.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg with Furman in 2010-11.

Bill Self, who secured a contract extension with Kansas to become among the six active coaches with a pact through 2021-22, managed one of his principal achievements at his previous job. He became the only coach in NCAA history to reach an NCAA Division I Tournament regional final in back-to-back years with different schools (Tulsa in 2000 and Illinois in 2001). Self is among the following five immediate-success coaches who paid dividends right away, guiding their schools to a #1 seed in their first year at the helm of the program:

Coach	School	Year (Regional)	What Happened in NCAA Playoffs?	Predecessor
Bill Hodges	Indiana State	1979 (Midwest)	Lost in national final.	Bob King
Eddie Sutton	Kentucky	1986 (Southeast)	Lost in regional final.	Joe B. Hall
Bill Guthridge	North Carolina	1998 (East)	Lost in national semifinal.	Dean Smith
Bill Self	Illinois	2001 (Midwest)	Lost in regional final.	Lon Kruger
John Calipari	Kentucky	2010 (East)	Lost in regional final.	Billy Gillispie

In an economic climate where colleges should be practicing some restraint, they are instead immersed in an arms race throwing money around like the government. No wonder coaches become self-absorbed as the highest-paid employees in their states when they receive the following lucrative estimated annual salaries:

• Duke's Mike Krzyzewski ($5 million-plus)
• Kentucky's John Calipari ($4.6 million)
• Louisville's Rick Pitino ($3.9 million)
• Kansas' Bill Self ($3.857 million)
• Florida's Billy Donovan ($3.5 million)
• Michigan State's Tom Izzo ($3.5 million)
• West Virginia's Bob Huggins ($3.33 million)
• Ohio State's Thad Matta ($3.2 million)
• Indiana's Tom Crean ($3.16 million)
• UCLA's Steve Alford ($2.6 million)
• Texas' Rick Barnes ($2.2 million)
• Iowa State's Fred Hoiberg ($2 million)
• North Carolina's Roy Williams ($2 million)
• North Carolina State's Mark Gottfried ($1.95 million)
• Syracuse's Jim Boeheim ($1.9 million)

The NFL Injury Report comes out in mid-week but it isn't nearly as important to genuine hoop fans as the NFL Basketball Report. Veteran tight end Tony Gonzalez, who excelled in the 1997 NCAA playoffs with California, is off to a splendid start with the Atlanta Falcons. Luminaries Donovan McNabb (Syracuse), Terrell Owens (Chattanooga) and Jason Taylor (Akron) are gone, but the NFL still boasts the following versatile players who previously were college hoopsters:

Player	Pos.	NFL Team	College(s)	Summary of 2012 NFL Season
Connor Barwin	OLB	Houston Texans	Cincinnati	six tackles but no sacks (after 11 1/2 last year)
Demetress Bell	OT	Philadelphia Eagles	Northwestern State	newcomer after signing 5-year deal in off-season following 30 starts with Buffalo Bills the previous three seasons
Jordan Cameron	TE	Cleveland Browns	Brigham Young/Southern California	five pass receptions for 45 yards
Demar Dotson	RT	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Southern Mississippi	6-9 lineman started two of first three games
London Fletcher	LB	Washington Redskins	Saint Francis, PA/John Carroll, OH	22 tackles (14 solo/8 assists) and one interception in 15th season
Antonio Gates	TE	San Diego Chargers	Kent State	seven pass receptions for career-low average of 9.3 yards per catch
Tony Gonzalez	TE	Atlanta Falcons	California	team-high 21 pass receptions and three touchdowns
Jimmy Graham	TE	New Orleans Saints	Miami, FL	team-high three touchdowns (17 catches for 172 yards with long of 23)
Todd Heap	TE	Arizona Cardinals	Arizona State	eight receptions for 94 yards (long of 28 yards)
Vincent Jackson	WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Northern Colorado	team highs of 10 receptions and 204 yards with one touchdown
Evan Moore	TE	Seattle Seahawks	Stanford	first season in NW after three years with the Cleveland Browns, including four touchdowns in 2011
Julius Peppers	DE	Chicago Bears	North Carolina	seven solo tackles and 2.5 sacks
Julius Thomas	TE	Denver Broncos	Portland State	second-year backup hopes to get a start similar to last season
Kendall Wright	WR	Tennessee Titans	Baylor	rookie has team-high 14 pass receptions (one for a touchdown)

In 2012, West Virginia became the 36th school to appear in at least 50 NCAA playoff games. At least 10 of the 36 schools failed to participate each year since the field expanded to at least 64 teams in 1985. Half of the "star schools" stayed home in 2004, including Houston being in the midst of a 17-year drought from 1993 through 2009.

Who will join struggling Illinois, Utah and Wake Forest plus academically-deficient Connecticut in missing the 2013 NCAA playoffs? Following is a chronological list of big-name universities not in the tourney during since 1985:

1985 (13) - Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Indiana, Kansas State, Louisville, Marquette, Oklahoma State, Texas, UCLA, Utah, Wake Forest, West Virginia

1986 (11) - Arkansas, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Kansas State, Marquette, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Texas, UCLA, Wake Forest

1987 (13) - Arkansas, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Memphis State, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Utah, Villanova, Wake Forest

1988 (12) - Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Marquette, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Texas, UCLA, Utah, Wake Forest, West Virginia

1989 (15) - Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Purdue, St. John's, Temple, Utah, Wake Forest

1990 (11) - Cincinnati, Iowa, Kentucky, Marquette, Maryland, Memphis State, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, Utah, Wake Forest, West Virginia

1991 (13) - Cincinnati, Illinois, Houston, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Memphis State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, West Virginia

1992 (10) - Illinois, Kansas State, Marquette, Maryland, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Purdue, UNLV, Utah, Villanova

1993 (14) - Connecticut, Georgetown, Houston, Maryland, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Syracuse, Texas, UNLV, Villanova, West Virginia

1994 (13) - Houston, Iowa, Kansas State, Memphis, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, St. John's, UNLV, Utah, Villanova, West Virginia

1995 (11) - Duke, Houston, Iowa, Kansas State, Marquette, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, St. John's, UNLV, West Virginia

1996 (10) - Houston, Illinois, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, St. John's, UNLV, West Virginia

1997 (15) - Arkansas, Connecticut, Houston, Kansas State, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, St. John's, Syracuse, UNLV, West Virginia

1998 (13) - Georgetown, Houston, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisville, Marquette, Memhis, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, Villanova, Wake Forest

1999 (12) - Georgetown, Houston, Illinois, Kansas State, Marquette, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, UNLV, Wake Forest, West Virginia

2000 (12) - Georgetown, Houston, Iowa, Kansas State, Marquette, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Villanova, Wake Forest, West Virginia

2001 (14) - Connecticut, Houston, Kansas State, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina State, Purdue, St. John's, UNLV, Utah, Villanova, West Virginia

2002 (15) - Arkansas, Georgetown, Houston, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Purdue, Syracuse, Temple, UNLV, Villanova, West Virginia

2003 (14) - Arkansas, Georgetown, Houston, Iowa, Kansas State, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State, St. John's, Temple, UCLA, UNLV, Villanova, West Virginia

2004 (18) - Arkansas, Georgetown, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Purdue, St. John's, Temple, UCLA, UNLV, Villanova, West Virginia

2005 (15) - Arkansas, Georgetown, Houston, Indiana, Kansas State, Marquette, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, St. John's, Temple, UNLV

2006 (14) - Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Purdue, St. John's, Temple, UNLV, Utah, Wake Forest

2007 (15) - Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Iowa, Kansas State, Michigan, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, St. John's, Syracuse, Temple, Utah, Wake Forest, West Virginia

2008 (13) - Cincinnati, Houston, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, St. John's, Syracuse, Utah, Wake Forest

2009 (12) - Arkansas, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, St. John's, UNLV

2010 (15) - Arizona, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, St. John's, UCLA, Utah

2011 (10) - Arkansas, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Utah, Wake Forest

2012 (13) - Arizona, Arkansas, Houston, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, St. John's, UCLA, Utah, Villanova, Wake Forest

At first glance, Connecticut appears to be taking the ultimate short-term risk in filling the big shoes of retiring legend Jim Calhoun. Assistants George Blaney (29), Karl Hobbs (10) and Glen Miller (11) were available with a total of 50 years of Division I head coaching experience. This assistant trio also had a cumulative 29 years as UConn aides to Calhoun, but the Huskies chose to give Kevin Ollie an opportunity in 2012-13 and beyond (five-year contract awarded near end of calendar year) although he has a meager total of two seasons as an assistant coach.

Is Ollie being thrown in way over his head to sink or swim in the Big East Conference ocean? The other 14 league coaches have an average of 24.4 years of experience as an assistant or head coach at the collegiate and NBA levels, ranging from Seton Hall's Kevin Willard (15 including administrative roles with the Boston Celtics under Rick Pitino) to Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (43).

Nearly one-fifth of the nation's current DI schools didn't need to pay moving expenses because they promoted coaches from with-in their ranks. Among the 65 active head coaches in this category, the average tenure as an aide before being promoted to bench boss was 5.2 years.

Believe it or not, Ollie is among 16 active DI head coaches who were employed by the school less than three seasons prior to being hired to their current positions. Following is a list from shortest to longest assistant stints for said individuals:

Coach (Years Aide)	School	Seasons as Assistant for Same School
Jerome Allen (1)	Pennsylvania*	2009-10 under Glen Miller
Will Brown (1)	Albany	2001-02 under Scott Beeten
Jason Capel (1)	Appalachian State	2009-10 under Buzz Peterson
Max Good (1)	Loyola Marymount	half of 2008-09 under Bill Bayno
Ray Harper (1)	Western Kentucky	2008-09 to 2011-12 under Ken McDonald
Matt Painter (1)	Purdue*	2004-05 under Gene Keady
Josh Pastner (1)	Memphis	2008-09 under John Calipari
Byron Rimm II (1)	Prairie View	2005-06 under Darrell Hawkins
Brent "Buzz" Williams (1)	Marquette	2007-08 under Tom Crean
Dave Bike (2)	Sacred Heart*	1976-77 and 1977-78 under Don Feeley
Edward Joyner Jr. (2)	Hampton	2007-08 and 2008-09 under Kevin Nickelberry
Bashir Mason (2)	Wagner	2010-11 and 2011-12 under Dan Hurley
LeVelle Moton (2)	North Carolina Central*	2007-08 and 2008-09 under Henry Dickerson
Kevin Ollie (2)	Connecticut*	2010-11 and 2011-12 under Jim Calhoun
J.P. Piper (2)	Nicholls State	2002-03 and 2003-04 under Ricky Blanton
John Shulman (2)	Chattanooga	2002-03 and 2003-04 under Jeff Lebo
Keith Dambrot (3)	Akron*	2001-02 through 2003-04 under Dan Hipsher
Saul Phillips (3)	North Dakota State	2004-05 through 2006-07 under Tim Miles
Rob Senderoff (3)	Kent State	2008-09 through 2010-11 under Geno Ford
Steve Shields (3)	UALR	2000-01 through 2002-03 under Porter Moser
Andy Toole (3)	Robert Morris	2007-08 through 2009-10 under Mike Rice Jr.
Greg Vetrone (3)	Fairleigh Dickinson	1989-90, 1990-91 and 2008-09 under Tom Green
Travis Williams (3)	Tennessee State	2009-10 through 2011-12 under John Cooper
Marty Wilson (3)	Pepperdine*	2008-09 through 2010-11 under Tom Asbury
Jamie Dixon (4)	Pittsburgh	1999-2000 through 2002-03 under Ben Howland
Billy Donlon (4)	Wright State	2006-07 through 2009-10 under Brad Brownell
Anthony Evans (4)	Norfolk State	2003-04 through 2006-07 under Dwight Freeman
Tyler Geving (4)	Portland State	2005-06 through 2008-09 under Ken Bone
Steve Hawkins (4)	Western Michigan	2000-01 through 2002-03 under Bobby McCullum
B.J. Hill (4)	Northern Colorado	2006-07 through 2009-10 under Tad Boyle
Greg Lansing (4)	Indiana State	2006-07 through 2009-10 under Royce Waltman and Kevin McKenna
Chico Potts (4)	Mississippi Valley State	2008-09 through 2011-12 under Sean Woods
Scott Sutton (4)	Oral Roberts	1995-96 through 1998-99 under Bill Self and Barry Hinson
Wayne Tinkle (4)	Montana*	2001-02 through 2005-06 under Don Holst, Pat Kennedy and Larry Krystkowiak
John Becker (5)	Vermont	2006-07 through 2010-11 under Mike Lonergan
Mitch Buonaguro (5)	Siena	2005-06 through 2009-10 under Fran McCaffery
Lewis Jackson (5)	Alabama State*	2000-01 through 2004-05 under Rob Spivery
Ben Jacobson (5)	Northern Iowa	2001-02 through 2005-06 under Greg McDermott
Chris Mack (5)	Xavier*	2004-05 through 2008-09 under Sean Miller
Dave Pilipovich	Air Force (5)	2007-08 to 2011-12 under Jeff Reynolds
Steve Prohm (5)	Murray State	2006-07 through 2010-11 under Billy Kennedy
Brett Reed (5)	Lehigh	2002-03 through 2006-07 under Billy Taylor
Brian Wardle (5)	Green Bay	2005-06 through 2009-10 under Tod Kowalczyk
Kevin Baggett (6)	Rider	2006-07 through 2011-12 under Tommy Dempsey
Bryce Drew (6)	Valparaiso*	2005-06 through 2010-11 under Homer Drew
Jason Hooten (6)	Sam Houston State	2004-05 through 2009-10 under Bob Marlin
Tony Jasick (6)	IU PU Fort Wayne	2005-06 through 2010-11 under Dane Fife
Jim Boeheim (7)	Syracuse*	1969-70 through 1975-76 under Roy Danforth
Gravelle Craig (7)	Bethune-Cookman	2004-05 through 2010-11 under Clifford Reed Jr.
Jason James (7)	Tennessee-Martin	2002-03 through 2008-09 under Bret Campbell
Jack Perri (7)	Long Island	2005-06 through 2011-12 under Jim Ferry
Brad Stevens (7)	Butler	2000-01 through 2006-07 under Thad Matta and Todd Lickliter
Scott Cross (8)	Texas-Arlington*	1998-99 through 2005-06 under Eddie McCarter
Mark Few (8)	Gonzaga	1991-92 through 1998-99 under Dan Fitzgerald and Dan Monson
Dave Rose (8)	Brigham Young	1997-98 through 2004-05 under Steve Cleveland
Ted Woodward (8)	Maine	1996-97 through 2003-04 under John Giannini
Andy Newman (9)	Cal State Fullerton	2003-04 through 2011-12 under Bob Burton
Steve Payne (9)	Tennessee Tech	2002-03 through 2010-11 under Mike Sutton
David Carter (10)	Nevada	1999-2000 through 2008-09 under Trent Johnson and Mark Fox
Phil Martelli (10)	St. Joseph's	1985-86 through 1994-95 under Jim Boyle and John Griffin
Randy Monroe (10)	Maryland-Baltimore County	1994-95 through 2003-04 under Earl Hawkins and Tom Sullivan
Tom Izzo (12)	Michigan State	1983-84 through 1994-95 under Jud Heathcote
Rob Krimmel (12)	St. Francis (PA)*	2000-01 through 2011-12 under Bobby Jones and Don Friday
Mike Young (13)	Wofford	1989-90 through 2001-02 under Richard Johnson
Willie Hayes (16)	Alabama A&M*	1995-96 through 2010-11 under Vann Pettaway
Todd Howard (17)	IUPUI	1994-95 through 2010-11 under Ron Hunter

*Alma mater.

Overlooked amid the Jim Calhoun Collection of retirement information overload was examining how he wound up at Connecticut in the first place. In retrospect, it might have stemmed from a one-game Huskie job audition.

In 1985-86, Calhoun was the Northeastern Huskies' all-time winningest coach but what likely really impressed the Connecticut Huskies' administration was a 90-73 victory that season over the Big East Conference member. He was UConn's bench boss the next year and, despite struggling in Big East competition his first three seasons, became the school's all-time winningest coach in 1998-99.

Non-conference schedules frequently are frustrating for fans of power league schools because of what seems like feasting on a steady diet of cupcake opponents. But you never know when a single game can become a career changer.

Similar to most any job, timing is everything. Here is an alphabetical list of impressionable coaches like Calhoun who generated such favorable reviews after defeating a school in a non-conference game one season they were hired by that institution in the same role before the next campaign:

Coach	Departing School	Triumph Over Foe Hiring Him the Next Year
Tommy Amaker	Michigan	Defeated Harvard, 82-50, in 2006-07
John Brady	Samford	Defeated Louisiana State, 53-50, in 1996-97
Tom Brennan	Yale	Defeated Vermont, 84-75, in 1985-86
Jim Calhoun	Northeastern	Defeated Connecticut, 90-73, in 1985-86
Joe Callero	Seattle	Defeated Cal Poly, 60-59, in 2008-09
Ben Carnevale	North Carolina	Defeated Navy, 51-49, in 1945-46
Charles "Lefty" Driesell	Davidson	Defeated Maryland, 83-69, in 1968-69
Pat Foster	Houston	Defeated Nevada, 92-80, in 1992-93
Maury John	Drake	Defeated Iowa State, 87-63, in 1970-71
Ed Kelleher	Fordham	Defeated Army, 68-42, in 1942-43
Lake Kelly	Austin Peay State	Defeated Oral Roberts, 80-76, in 1976-77
Billy McCann	Washington & Lee (VA)	Defeated Virginia, 73-69, in 1956-57
Neil McCarthy	Weber State	Defeated New Mexico State, 62-56, in 1984-85
Dan Monson	Gonzaga	Defeated Minnesota, 75-63, in 1998-99
Don Monson	Idaho	Defeated Oregon, 56-53, in 1982-83
Donald "Dudey" Moore	Duquesne	Defeated La Salle, 74-55, in 1957-58
Stew Morrill	Colorado State	Defeated Utah State, 68-59, in 1997-98
Richard "Digger" Phelps	Fordham	Defeated Notre Dame, 94-88, in 1970-71
Elmer Ripley	Georgetown	Defeated John Carroll, 73-53, in 1948-49
Les Robinson	East Tennessee State	Defeated North Carolina State, 92-82, in 1989-90
Lorenzo Romar	Saint Louis	Defeated Washington, 71-70, in 2001-02
Charles "Sonny" Smith	Auburn	Defeated Virginia Commonwealth, 85-79, in 1988-89
Charlie Spoonhour	Southwest Missouri State	Defeated Saint Louis, 66-59, in 1991-92
Bill Strannigan	Colorado State	Defeated Iowa State, 65-57, in 1953-54
Raymond "Bucky" Waters	West Virginia	Defeated Duke, 90-88, in 1968-69
Tim Welsh	Iona	Defeated Providence, 68-62, in 1997-98
Gary Williams	Boston College	Defeated Ohio State, 87-74, in 1985-86
Matt Zunic	Boston University	Defeated Massachusetts, 75-55 & 61-56, in 1958-59

All things Jim Calhoun from a historical perspective for Connecticut's horde to assess in the aftermath of the three-time cancer survivor stepping down as coach of the Huskies:

• Where should Calhoun rank among the best coaches in NCAA history?

• North Carolina and Kentucky are the only schools to lose more undergraduates to the NBA than UConn did under Calhoun.

• Calhoun has the rare distinction of being the all-time winningest coach for two schools (Northeastern and UConn).

• What victory with Northeastern probably helped Calhoun get the UConn coaching job?

• Calhoun is one of a striking number of small-college graduates who did big things in the NCAA playoffs.

• Calhoun didn't hang around too long at the end of his career like many of his celebrated colleagues.

• What's in store for Calhoun's successor or anyone who replaces a legend?

• Do you remember whether Calhoun's predecessor had a winning career record?

• It's a distant memory, but Calhoun set the UConn record for most losses in a single season.

• Where did Calhoun rank among the nation's veteran coaches in close contests when he retired?

• Calhoun got off to a shaky start in Big East Conference competition.

• UConn failed to live up to preseason billing in Calhoun's final campaign.

• Academic issues soured Calhoun's swan song.

What is the NCAA's abuse excuse? Why can't the governing body short-circuit such shortsighted showcases? Who came first - the pimp, the prostitute or the John?

Savannah State's prostitution pummelings by football "Johns" Oklahoma State and Florida State (combined 139-0 despite FSU game suspended by inclement weather with nine minutes remaining in third quarter) triggered inquiries as to whether similar stirring shutouts occurred in basketball.

Well, one of the most unbelievable feats in college hoops history occurred on January 23, 1907, when Dayton blanked Cedarville, 80-0. Two years later, Mississippi State whitewashed Brownsville AC, 75-0, on January 22, 1909. The only shutout in Big Ten Conference history occurred on January 6, 1914, when undefeated Wisconsin blanked Parsons, 50-0.

Perhaps the degrading games represented the sport's oldest profession. At any rate, Savannah State will oppose Florida and Ohio State this winter but at least it will be in basketball rather than possibly adding to its shutout futility on the gridiron. The Savannah Campaign also includes games at Marquette and Saint Louis.

Universities charge good money to watch these bad examples of sportsmanship equivalent to prearranged, onesided cockfights/dogfights. A couple of non-league gimmes can be tolerated for an assortment of reasons. Three or four raise eyebrows and spark rebate requests. But a half dozen or more for power conference members is preposterous, bordering on fraud with visions of class action lawsuits no matter the quality of other non-conference foes.

Fresh faces continue the flogging fiasco. Fearless Frank Martin was supposed to bring some bravado to South Carolina. But the mighty Gamecocks will commence a quest to secure their first NCAA playoff victory since 1973 by opposing a steady stream of lightweights. It serves them right that they lost to Elon for the second straight season.

Let's hope that elite schools, especially Maryland edging out Arizona State, Iowa, Michigan State, Missouri, Texas A&M and Virginia this season, feel good about themselves as they subject their fans to such vivid voyuerism. The "classic cupcakes" won't be shutouts, but this is the self-absorbed mindset resulting in the following shamelessly extensive nonsensical non-conference homecourt opponents by power league basketball "Johns":

Power League Member	Excessive Picking on Patsies	"Challenging" Press Release Spin
Arizona State	Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Central Arkansas, Coppin State, Cornell, Dartmouth, Florida A&M, Hartford, Northridge State and Sacramento State	"appropriate for this team right now"
Arkansas	Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Longwood, Northwestern State and Sam Houston State	"one of the toughest lineups in the nation. . . . definitely a challenge and we will be tested early and often. . . . important to have tough non-conference schedule to prepare us for SEC"
Cincinnati	Arkansas-Little Rock, Campbell, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Mississippi Valley State, North Carolina A&T and Tennessee-Martin	"wanted to challenge ourselves with difficult games and we feel we have accomplished that goal"
DePaul	Austin Peay, UC Riverside, Fairfield, Gardner-Webb, Maryland-Baltimore County, Milwaukee and Northern Illinois	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Florida State	Buffalo, Louisiana-Monroe, Maine, Mercer, North Florida and South Alabama	"numerous opportunities to play against elite-level competition. . . . quality of schedule will serve as a motivator for our players to stay focused"
Georgia	East Tennessee State, Florida A&M, Iona, Jacksonville, Mercer and Youngstown State	"could possibly be the hardest this program has ever had. . . . lots of teeth in the non-league schedule"
Georgia Tech	Alabama State, Chattanooga, The Citadel, Fordham, UNC Wilmington and Presbyterian	"our home non-conference schedule will bring a lot of exciting basketball to our new home (McCamish Pavilion). . . . challenging opponents will also act as another step in the process of rebuilding our program"
Illinois	Colgate, Eastern Kentucky, Gardner-Webb, Norfolk State, St. Francis (NY) and Western Carolina	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Indiana	Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Coppin State, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville, Mount St. Mary's, North Dakota State and Sam Houston State	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Iowa	Central Michigan, Coppin State, Gardner-Webb, Howard, South Carolina State, South Dakota, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas-Pan American	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Iowa State	Alabama A&M, Campbell, Florida Gulf Coast, Nebraska-Omaha, North Carolina A&T, Southern (LA) and Yale	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Kentucky	Eastern Michigan, Lafayette, Lipscomb, Long Island, Morehead State, Portland and Samford	"gives chance to work on things. . . . opportunity to focus on final exams"
Louisiana State	Bethune-Cookman, UC Santa Barbara, Chattanooga, Houston Baptist, McNeese State, Mississippi Valley State and Northwestern State	"it is a demanding schedule and we look forward to our program embracing the challenges"
Maryland	Delaware State, Georgia Southern, IUPUI, Lafayette, Long Island, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Monmouth, Morehead State, South Carolina State and Stony Brook	"very exciting and competitive. . . . look forward to the challenge"
Michigan State	Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Boise State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Loyola of Chicago, Nicholls State, Oakland, Texas Southern and Tuskegee	"combines challenges and unique events, giving us great competition on the court and a lifetime of memories"
Minnesota	American, Lafayette, North Dakota State, North Florida, South Dakota State, Tennessee State and Toledo	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Mississippi	Arkansas-Little Rock, Coastal Carolina, East Tennessee State, Fordham, Lipscomb, McNeese State and Mississippi Valley State	"packed with exciting matchups for fans. . . . each team we face will bring a different style of play that will challenge our team in a variety of ways"
Mississippi State	Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, Central Arkansas, Florida Atlantic, New Orleans and Texas-San Antonio	"no question it's going to be challenging. . . . invaluable opportunity for this team to bond"
Missouri	Alcorn State, Appalachian State, Bucknell, Nicholls State, South Carolina State, Southeast Missouri State, SIU-Edwardsville and Tennessee State	"some big-time opportunities. . . . our team will be tested early and often"
Nebraska	Jacksonville State, Kent State, Nebraska-Omaha, Nicholls State, Southern (LA) and Valparaiso	"we will be challenged a great deal. . . . it is going to be fun for our fans"
Northwestern	Brown, Delaware State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Illinois-Chicago, Mississippi Valley State, Texas Southern and Texas State	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Notre Dame	Brown, Chicago State, IPFW, Kennesaw State, Monmouth, Niagara and Saint Francis (PA)	"one of most challenging in program history. . . . one of things I have been most proud during my time here is the consistency we've shown from year to year and how we've been able to manage the schedule"
Ohio State	Albany, Chicago State, Missouri-Kansas City, UNC Asheville, Northern Kentucky, Savannah State and Winthrop	"our roster will be challenged throughout the year as we prepare for Big Ten competition"
Oregon	Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Houston Baptist, Idaho State, Jacksonville State, Northern Arizona, Portland State and Texas-San Antonio	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Oregon State	Chicago State, Grambling State, Howard, Montana State, Niagara, Texas-Pan American and Towson	"will prepare us for the challenges of Pac-12 play. . . . the uptick in competition will be welcomed"
Pittsburgh	Bethune-Cookman, Delaware State, Howard, Kennesaw State, Mount St. Mary's, North Florida and Oakland	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
South Carolina	Appalachian State, Elon, Jacksonville, Morgan State, Presbyterian, Rider and South Carolina State	"will challenge us to grow and prepare for SEC schedule"
Stanford	Alcorn State, Belmont, UC Davis, Cal State Fullerton, Denver, Lafayette and Seattle	"arguably the most challenging schedule in recent memory. . . . opportunity to quickly establish a high RPI"
Texas A&M	Army, Houston Baptist, Louisiana Tech, Northwestern State, Prairie View A&M, Southern (LA), Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Troy	"although schedule is challenging, it will prepare us for the tough games we are going to have in the SEC"
Texas Christian	Cal Poly, Centenary, Mississippi Valley State, Navy, Prairie View A&M, Southern (LA) and Southern Utah	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Texas Tech	Florida A&M, Grambling State, Jackson State, McNeese State, Nebraska-Omaha, North Carolina A&T, Northern Kentucky and Prairie View A&M	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Utah	Boise State, Central Michigan, College of Idaho, Idaho State, Northridge State, Sacramento State, Williamette (OR) and Wright State	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Virginia	Delaware, Fairfield, Green Bay, Lamar, Mississippi Valley State, Morgan State, North Texas, Seattle and Wofford	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Washington	Albany, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Jackson State, Loyola (Md.), Northern Illinois and Seattle	didn't attempt to embellish or justify
Washington State	Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Buffalo, Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Jackson State, Portland and Utah Valley	"each year we try and put together a nonconference schedule that will best prepare us for Pac-12 play"
Wisconsin	Cornell, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Nebraska-Omaha, Presbyterian, Samford and Southeastern Louisiana	didn't attempt to embellish or justify