"Bullying builds character like nuclear waste creates superheroes. It's a rare occurrence and often does much more damage than endowment." - Zack W. Van

When big bullies are struck, they usually take their ball and go home similar to befuddled Plagiarist Bidumb fending off questions from #OutHouse reporters. Why do so few power conference members play at in-state mid-major schools or even oppose them on a neutral court during the regular season? Why can't more big-name universities resemble Villanova with its longstanding tradition of competing in the Philly Big 5 honing the Wildcats' competitive edge for conference competition? LSU rallied from 13-point deficit to defeat Louisiana Tech at Shreveport, but how lame would the non-league slates be if not for Big East/Big Ten and Big 12/SEC made-for-ESPN extravaganzas?

Homestanding California (lost to UC San Diego), Missouri (Kansas City), Syracuse (Colgate) and Utah (Brigham Young) bowed to mid-major, in-state foes by double digits. How much would the margins have been if venues were reversed? In-state games against natural rivals, wherever they're played, are more revealing than most of the incessant mismatches in pre-conference competition. For instance, we got a clear picture that recent Final Four participants Louisville, South Carolina and Virginia won't come anywhere close to the national semifinals this season after they bowed at Western Kentucky, Coastal Carolina and James Madison, respectively. Ditto Stanford getting smothered at Santa Clara. The good news is that it doesn't appear as if fans of the power-league members are weeping as much as grief-stricken #ShrillaryRotten about their "huge" defeats against "inferior" opponents. If not bedridden suffering from buyer's remorse regarding Plagiarist Bidumb, can some sycophant give Queen of Denial a computer cloth to wipe away tears before they stain her Chairman Mao empty pants suit?

Non-league schedules would be significantly more entertaining and good for the game if skittish power-league members weren't so condescending and be willing to oppose competent in-state mid-majors away from friendly surroundings. Instead of meeting natural-rival Davids on the road to brace for conference play, they frequently tuck tail and run after checking out the following results thus far this century. The Coastal Carolina (80-56), James Madison (52-49), Santa Clara (88-72) and Western Kentucky (82-72) results are sobering reminders for Goliaths venturing away from Philistine thus far this Century as to following reasons why haughty "big boys" frequently strive to only stay home and pick on out-of-state patsies to pad their records:

2020-21
Brigham Young 82, Utah 64
Georgia State 123, Georgia Tech 120 (4OT)
Mercer 83, Georgia Tech 73
Pepperdine 74, California 62

2019-20
Charlotte 67, Wake Forest 65 (OT)
Rhode Island 75, Providence 61
San Francisco 76, California 64
Santa Clara 71, California 52

2018-19
Cincinnati 62, Xavier 47
Georgia State 91, Georgia 67 (Cayman Islands Classic)
Gonzaga 81, Washington 79
Penn 78, Villanova 75
Saint Mary's 84, California 71
San Francisco 74, Stanford 65
Santa Clara 102, Southern California 92 (2OT)
Seattle 78, Washington State 69
Tulsa 74, Oklahoma State 71

2017-18
Belmont 69, Vanderbilt 60
Colorado State 72, Colorado 63
Long Beach State 76, Stanford 68
Rhode Island 75, Providence 68

2016-17
Duquesne 64, Pittsburgh 55
Indiana State 72, Butler 71
IPFW 71, Indiana 68 (OT)
Long Island 74, St. John's 73 (at Barclays Center)
Middle Tennessee State 71, Vanderbilt 48
Portland 53, Oregon State 45
San Diego State 77, California 65 (at Sacramento)
Southern Methodist 74, Texas Christian 59

2015-16
Duquesne 78, Penn State 52
Fordham 73, St. John's 57
Gonzaga 80, Washington 64 (at Nassau, Bahamas)
Northern Iowa 81, Iowa State 79 (at Des Moines)
Saint Mary's 78, Stanford 61

2014-15
Gonzaga 81, Washington State 66
Massachusetts 71, Boston College 62 (at Boston)
Northern Iowa 56, Iowa 44

2013-14
UC Santa Barbara 72, California 65
George Washington 77, Maryland 75
Gonzaga 90, Washington State 74
Harvard 73, Boston College 58
Illinois State 69, DePaul 64
Long Beach State 72, Southern California 71
Southern Methodist 55, Texas A&M 52 (at Corpus Christi)
Southern Methodist 69, Texas Christian 61
Virginia Commonwealth 82, Virginia Tech 52

2012-13
Brown 69, Providence 68
Butler 88, Indiana 86 (OT)
Coastal Carolina 69, Clemson 46
Florida Gulf Coast 63, Miami (Fla.) 51
Green Bay 49, Marquette 47
La Salle 82, Penn State 57
La Salle 77, Villanova 74 (OT)
Middle Tennessee 56, Vanderbilt 52
Old Dominion 63, Virginia 61

2011-12
Cal Poly 42, Southern California 36
Colorado State 65, Colorado 64
Creighton 76, Nebraska 66
Drake 74, Iowa State 65
Holy Cross 86, Boston College 64
Northern Iowa 80, Iowa 60
Saint Joseph's 65, Penn State 47
Saint Joseph's 74, Villanova 58
Southern Mississippi 86, Mississippi 82
Temple 78, Villanova 67
Xavier 76, Cincinnati 53

2010-11
Central Florida 57, Florida 54
Central Florida 84, Miami (Fla.) 78
Central Florida 65, South Florida 59
Florida Atlantic 50, South Florida 42
Fordham 84, St. John's 81
Furman 91, South Carolina 75
Kennesaw State 80, Georgia Tech 63
Marshall 75, West Virginia 71
UNC Wilmington 81, Wake Forest 69
North Texas 92, Texas Tech 83 (OT)
Northern Iowa 60, Iowa State 54
Princeton 78, Rutgers 73 (OT)

2009-10
Colorado State 77, Colorado 62
Creighton 67, Nebraska 61
Green Bay 88, Wisconsin 84 (OT)
Long Beach State 79, UCLA 68
Northern Iowa 67, Iowa 50
Portland State 88, Oregon 81
Rhode Island 86, Providence 82
Temple 45, Penn State 42
Temple 75, Villanova 65
Tulsa 86, Oklahoma State 65
Wofford 68, South Carolina 61
Xavier 83, Cincinnati 79 (2OT)

2008-09
College of Charleston 82, South Carolina 80 (OT)
Davidson 72, North Carolina State 67
Drake 60, Iowa 43
Lamar 85, Texas Tech 79
Southern Mississippi 78, Mississippi 59
Texas-El Paso 96, Texas Tech 78
Western Kentucky 68, Louisville 54

2007-08
Charlotte 63, Wake Forest 59
Creighton 74, Nebraska 62
Drake 79, Iowa State 44
East Carolina 75, North Carolina State 69
Old Dominion 72, Virginia Tech 69
Rhode Island 77, Providence 60
Richmond 52, Virginia Tech 49
Saint Joseph's 79, Penn State 67
Sam Houston State 56, Texas Tech 54
Tulane 68, Louisiana State 63
Xavier 64, Cincinnati 59

2006-07
Bradley 78, DePaul 58
Butler 60, Indiana 55
Butler 71, Notre Dame 69
Drake 75, Iowa 59
Gonzaga 97, Washington 77
Indiana State 89, Purdue 70
Northern Iowa 70, Iowa State 57
Ohio University 79, Cincinnati 66

2005-06
UC Davis 64, Stanford 58
Colorado State 83, Colorado 82
Creighton 70, Nebraska 44
Evansville 75, Purdue 69
George Washington 78, Maryland 70
Gonzaga 67, Washington State 53
Indiana State 72, Indiana 67
Marshall 58, West Virginia 52
Northern Iowa 67, Iowa 63 (OT)
Old Dominion 58, Virginia Tech 55
Portland 80, Oregon 72
Rhode Island 77, Providence 69
Xavier 73, Cincinnati 71 (OT)

2004-05
Bradley 63, DePaul 53
George Washington 101, Maryland 92
Gonzaga 99, Washington 87
Marshall 59, West Virginia 55
Northern Iowa 99, Iowa State 82
Santa Clara 86, Stanford 76
Temple 53, Villanova 52
Virginia Military 72, Virginia Tech 68

2003-04
Creighton 61, Nebraska 54
Gonzaga 95, Washington State 58
Illinois-Chicago 90, Northwestern 71
Northern Iowa 77, Iowa 66
North Texas 73, Baylor 69
Rhode Island 89, Providence 79
Temple 67, Penn State 56
Xavier 71, Cincinnati 69

2002-03
Dayton 75, Cincinnati 69
Florida Atlantic 74, Miami (Fla.) 73
Gonzaga 95, Washington 89 (OT)
Holy Cross 71, Boston College 70
Penn 62, Penn State 37
Penn 72, Villanova 58
Saint Joseph's 92, Villanova 75
William & Mary 60, Virginia Tech 52

2001-02
Butler 66, Indiana 64
Creighton 76, Nebraska 70
Drake 72, Iowa State 58
Fresno State 65, Southern California 58
Georgia State 83, Georgia 78
Gonzaga 67, Washington State 44
Marshall 81, West Virginia 79 (OT)
Northern Iowa 78, Iowa 76
Old Dominion 55, Virginia Tech 46
Penn 75, Villanova 74
Pepperdine 78, Southern California 77
Portland 79, Oregon 78
Rice 75, Baylor 60
Temple 75, Penn State 63
Temple 63, Villanova 57
Texas-Pan American 72, Baylor 66

2000-01
UC Irvine 56, California 52
Duquesne 71, Pittsburgh 70
Fordham 68, St. John's 67
Gonzaga 86, Washington 74
Indiana State 59, Indiana 58
Oakland 97, Michigan 90
Wichita State 76, Kansas State 66

1999-00
Colorado State 79, Colorado 57
Creighton 89, Nebraska 72
Drake 48, Iowa State 44
George Washington 74, Maryland 69
Gonzaga 76, Washington 66
Gonzaga 73, Washington State 63
Long Beach State 76, Southern California 66
North Texas 91, Texas A&M 88
Saint Louis 75, Missouri 72
Temple 69, Villanova 66
Xavier 66, Cincinnati 64

A total of 33 current power-conference members are left failing to secure national #1 acclaim in their history after Purdue achieved the feat for first time this season. The Boilermakers' reign didn't last long because of loss at the buzzer at Rutgers, which is one of the blemished 33. Every Power 6 Conference member has been included in an AP national ranking since the 2007-08 campaign with nearly 75% of them (24) ranking among top 12 teams in that span.

Georgia (24th in 2010-11) and Nebraska (21st in 2014-15) are the only elite schools in last 15 years not to reach the Top 20. Nebraska and Northwestern (19th in 2017-18 and 2020-21) are the only power-league members failing to rank among nation's top 15 teams at some point thus far in the 21st Century.

The only one of the 33 power-league institutions in question never placing among the Top 10 at some juncture is Texas Christian (best ranking is 12th during 1951-52 campaign). Twelve of these schools have been national bridesmaid (with Maryland settling at #2 in seven different seasons including four straight years in mid-1970s) since AP poll was introduced midway through 1948-49:

NOTE: AP rankings included only top 10 from 1961-62 through 1967-68 and increased from 20 to 25 schools in 1989-90.

A double-digit setback against winless opponent wasn't exactly what Florida had in mind when scheduling a buy non-league game against Texas Southern. In redlining terms, there goes the neighborhood. But at least the Gators' embarrassing reversal, leaving a historically black mark, isn't the only one sustained by their power-conference colleagues. Texas Southern assembled three such road triumphs over titans three seasons ago.

Grabbing your attention like a slap-happy pope (woman must have been climate-change denier or Trump supporter), no HBCU institution ever has reached Sweet 16 of an NCAA Tournament. However, following are HBCU road victories on a power-league member's homecourt or neutral court during regular-season competition since South Carolina State stunned Miami (Fla.) and Penn State in 2004-05:

*Neutral court (Milwaukee).

As a polarized country careens out of control in municipalities leaning to the political left, will some college basketball clubs propel themselves in rankings via left-handed players? People write what they're going to write. Will big tech allow such an online question to generate incisive feedback if query originates from Trump supporter who believes prayerful #NannyPathetic really is bat-spit crazy (let alone vile and vindictive when not digesting deluxe ice cream or trying to discern which amount of money is "crumbs")? The latest lefthander shining in spotlight was Alabama's Jaden Shackelford with three-point accuracy in first half and exceptional drives to basket in second half of big victory over Gonzaga in Seattle.

The Dynasty in Durham promotes all sorts of flashy figures regarding their recent streak of lethal left-handers, but will the school acknowledge the difference between SAT scores of scholars and average such mark for a normal Duke freshman? In the aftermath of Marvin Bagley III, R.J. Barrett, Vernon Carey Jr. and Zion Williamson taking scholarships away from authentic student-athletes, don't forget a Robert E. Lee statue near the entrance of Duke Chapel was vandalized by campus vermin. Wouldn't you love to give these social Al-Not-So-Sharpton/Rhodes scholars a basic quiz on Lee's background to see if any victim-hood tribalism major passes a rudimentary civics test? The safe-space seeking snowflake rot are so full of spit; all of the toilets in Durham must be as clogged as the Harvard-educated minds of lefty leaders Barney Fag/Ann Lewis brother/sister political-puke act. Amid "sneaking" Bagley, Barrett, Carey and Williamson into its performance arts department (performing on hardwood), the school's "courageous" administration "expressed its deep and abiding values" (a/k/a leaving streaks in their undies) by removing Lee's statue in the middle of the night. Alumnus Jay Bilas may need to provide comp copies of his book (Toughness) to quivering university brass in dire need of therapy puppies. Incredibly, the "unbiased" out-of-touch institution hired New York Slimes toady Frank Bruni as a professor of public policy. How many Zoom calls has CNN contributor been on with Toxic Toobin and his pet snake?

Come on, man! Generally, Duke already defaced academic integrity by overdosing on one-and-done recruits. But perhaps Duke's lust will be much more than un-retire All-American Danny Ferry's uniform number (35) like they did to seduce Bagley. Diehards would have replaced General Lee with a statue of one of the lefties if they directed the Devils to 35 victories or so; especially if it included another Final Four while attending more games than classes in the spring semester before joining growing list of freshmen from Krzyzewskiville among NBA's top three draft choices.

In the scam-artist political arena sans self-awareness, Duke has had its share of "political leftist" graduates among the predictably pathetic press and pundits including "crazy commentators" David Brooks (conservative author my #NYSlimes fake-news a__), Seth Davis, David Gergen, Melissa Harris-Perry, Charlie Rose, Howard Wolfson and Judy Woodruff. In the basketball arena, Bagley/Barrett/Carey/Williamson continued a recent run of regal left-handers entertaining Cameron Crazies including Rodney Hood, Justise Winslow and Luke Kennard. Studies show lefties may have an advantage in sports.

Unless nearsighted dolt covered fact from public with ISIS black burka or bomb vest like detonating dad/deceased demon Al-Baghdadi (austere religious scholar according to #WashingtonCompost), nearly 90% of humans are right-handed. In a quest to support an exempt-from-criticism minority, right thinkers need to discern where one-and-done players will eventually rank among southpaws in NCAA history driving-in-left-lane mix. At any rate, did you know four of five presidents from Reagan to Obama were left-handed? Using guerrilla or gorilla tactics, leftist lunatics will again claim imaginary racism because the #AudacityofHype isn't included but former Duke All-Americans Johnny Dawkins and Jack Marin are among the following alphabetical list of all-time top 250 or so hoop lefties (who should have been coached, of course, by Duke graduate Lefty Driesell):

Lefthanded Hooper, School (College Career Statistics)
Richie Adams, UNLV (12.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 52.9 FG% from 1981-82 through 1984-85)
Justin Anderson, Virginia (8.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 35.7 3FG% from 2012-13 through 2014-15)
Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech (23 ppg and 7 apg in 1989-90 and 1990-91)
Mark Anglavar, Marquette (8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 81 FT% and 43.1 3FG% from 1987-88 through 1990-91)
Greg Anthony, Portland/UNLV (12.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6.9 apg, 2.4 spg and 37.9 3FG% from 1986-87 through 1990-91)
Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Texas-El Paso (20 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 50.7 FG% from 1967-68 through 1969-70)
Brandon Armstrong, Pepperdine (18.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.7 spg, 82.4 FT% and 39.1 3FG% in 1999-00 and 2000-01)
Stacey Augmon, UNLV (13.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 55.5 FG% from 1987-88 through 1990-91)
James Augustine, Illinois (10.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 61.7 FG% from 2002-03 through 2005-06)
William "Bird" Averitt, Pepperdine (31.4 ppg and 4.9 rpg in 1971-72 and 1972-73)
Luke Babbitt, Nevada (19.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 89.3 FT% and 42.1 3FG% in 2008-09 and 2009-10)
Marvin Bagley III, Duke (21 ppg, 11.1 rpg and 61.4 FG% in 2017-18)
Kamar Baldwin, Butler (14.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.6 spg and 80.4 FT% from 2016-17 through 2018-19)
Mitch Ballock, Creighton (9.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.6 apg and 38.4 3FG% in 2017-18 and 2018-19)
Scott Barnes, Fresno State (11.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.1 apg and 51.9 FG% in 1983-84 and 1984-85)
Dick Barnett, Tennessee State
R.J. Barrett, Duke (22.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 4.3 apg in 2018-19)
Jarvis Basnight, UNLV (8.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 60.8 FG% from 1985-86 through 1987-88)
Tim Bassett, Georgia (14.4 ppg, 13.6 rpg and 2.5 apg in 1971-72 and 1972-73)
Kenny Battle, Northern Illinois/Illinois (17.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.3 spg and 56.9 FG% from 1984-85 through 1988-89)
Frankie Baumholtz, Ohio University (16.4 ppg from 1938-39 through 1940-41)
Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion (10.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.7 apg and 1.8 spg from 2008-09 from 2011-12)
Michael Beasley, Kansas State (26.2 ppg, 12.4 rpg and 53.2 FG% in 2007-08)
Tony Bennett, Wisconsin-Green Bay (19.4 ppg, 5.1 apg, 52.8 FG% and 84% FT% from 1988-89 through 1991-92)
Grant Benzinger, Wright State (11 ppg, 4 rpg, 83.7 FT% and 39.8 3FG% from 2014-15 through 2017-18)
Walter Berry, St. John's (20.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 58.1 FG% in 1984-85 and 1985-86)
Travis Best, Georgia Tech (16.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.8 spg, 80.9 FT% and 39.3 3FG% from 1991-92 through 1994-95)
Glynn Blackwell, Illinois (8.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.1 spg and 50.5 FG% from 1984-85 through 1987-88)
Nate Blackwell, Temple (13.2 ppg, 4.1 apg and 82.8 FT% from 1983-84 through 1986-87)
Phillip Bond, Louisville (8.4 ppg, 4.6 apg and 81.7 FT% from 1972-73 through 1976-77)
Trevor Booker, Clemson (12.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.1 spg and 55.9 FG% from 2006-07 through 2009-10)
Calvin Booth, Penn State (11.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.8 bpg and 50.7 FG% from 1995-96 through 1998-99)
Chris Bosh, Georgia Tech (15.6 ppg, 9 rpg, 2.2 bpg and 56 FG% in 2002-03)
Freddie Boyd, Oregon State (15.3 ppg and 2.7 rpg from 1969-70 through 1971-72)
Charlie Bradley, South Florida (19.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 80.7 FT% from 1981-82 through 1984-85)
Adrian Branch, Maryland (16.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 2.4 apg from 1981-82 through 1984-85)
Clyde Bradshaw, DePaul (9.3 ppg and 3.4 rpg from 1977-78 through 1980-81)
Ignas Brazdelkls, Michigan (14.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 39.2 3FG% in 2018-19)
J.R. Bremer, St. Bonaventure (15.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3 apg, 1.7 spg and 33.3 3FG% from 1998-99 through 2001-02)
Miles Bridges, Michigan State (17 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.4 apg and 37.5 3FG% in 2016-17 and 2017-18)
Allan Bristow, Virginia Tech (23.1 ppg and 12.7 rpg from 1970-71 through 1972-73)
De'Mon Brooks, Davidson (14.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 53.5 FG% from 2010-11 through 2013-14)
Derrick Brown, Xavier (10.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 57.3 FG% and 41.5 3FG% from 2006-07 through 2008-09)
Lewis Brown, UNLV (11.4 ppg and 9 rpg from 1973-74 through 1976-77)
Wiley Brown, Louisville (5.7 ppg and 3.3 rpg from 1978-79 through 1981-82)
Jalen Brunson, Villanova (14.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg, 51 FG%, 82 FT% and 39.3 3FG% from 2015-16 through 2017-18)
Rick Brunson, Temple (12 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.8 apg and 2 spg from 1991-92 through 1994-95)
Todd Burgan, Syracuse (12.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.2 apg and 35.9 3FG% from 1991-92 through 1994-95)
Pat Burke, Auburn (8.9 ppg and 6 rpg from 1993-94 through 1996-97)
Marty Byrnes, Syracuse (11 ppg and 6.2 rpg from 1974-75 through 1977-78)
Michael Cage, San Diego State (16.5 ppg, 11.8 rpg and 54.8 FG% from 1980-81 through 1983-84)
Adrian Caldwell, SMU/Lamar (8.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 55.6 FG% in 1986-87 and 1988-89)
Vernon Carey Jr., Duke (17.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg and 57.7 FG% in 2019-20)
Matt Carlino, Brigham Young/Marquette (13.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.6 spg and 36 3FG% from 2011-12 through 2014-15)
Khadeen Carrington, Seton Hall (14 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg and 35.3 3FG% from 2014-15 through 2017-18)
Pat Carroll, St. Joseph's (12 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 44.5 3FG% from 2001-02 through 2004-05)
Maurice Carter, Louisiana State (12 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 35.4 3FG% from 1995-96 through 1998-99)
Siyani Chambers, Harvard (10.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.4 spg and 36.8 3FG% from 2012-13 through 2016-17)
Calbert Cheaney, Indiana (19.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 55.9 FG% from 1989-90 through 1992-93)
Pete Chudy, Syracuse (16.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg from 1958-59 through 1960-61)
Keon Clark, UNLV (14.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 3.5 bpg and 55.4 FG% in 1996-97 and 1997-98)
Jim Cleamons, Ohio State (18.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 54.2 FG% from 1968-69 through 1970-71)
Keith Closs, Central Connecticut State (11.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 53.3 FG% in 1994-95 and 1995-96)
Amir Coffey, Minnesota (14.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 3.2 apg from 2016-17 through 2018-19)
Jerry Colangelo, Illinois (10.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 80.2 FT% from 1959-60 through 1961-62)
Derrick Coleman, Syracuse (15 ppg, 10.7 rpg and 56.8 FG% from 1986-87 through 1989-90)
Jason Collier, Indiana/Georgia Tech (13.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg and 36.9 3FG% from 1996-97 through 1999-00)
Mike Conley, Ohio State (11.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 6.1 apg, 2.2 spg and 51.8 FG% in 2006-07)
Jaraan Cornell, Purdue (12.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.2 apg and 36.9 3FG% from 1996-97 through 1999-00)
James Cotton, Long Beach State (18.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 80 FT% and 36.9 3FG% from 1993-94 through 1996-97)
Dave Cowens, Florida State (19 ppg, 17.2 rpg and 51.9 FG% from 1967-68 through 1969-70)
John Crotty, Virginia (12.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 5.3 apg and 34.6 3FG% from 1987-88 through 1990-91)
Billy Cunningham, North Carolina (24.8 ppg and 15.4 rpg from 1962-63 through 1964-65)
Bill Curley, Boston College (16.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 56.5 FG% from 1990-91 through 1993-94)
Erik Daniels, Kentucky (8.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 55.9 FG% from 2000-01 through 2003-04)
Ed Davis, North Carolina (9.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.1 bpg and 54.8 FG% in 2008-09 and 2009-10)
Josh Davis, North Carolina State/Tulane/San Diego State (10 ppg and 8.1 rpg from 2009-10 through 2013-14)
Johnny Dawkins, Duke (19.2 ppg, 4 rpg and 50.8 FG% from 1982-83 through 1985-86)
James Donaldson, Washington State (8.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 54.2 FG% from 1975-76 through 1978-79)
Sam Dower, Gonzaga (9.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 56.2 FG% from 2010-11 through 2013-14)
Ralph Drollinger, UCLA (7.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 52.4 FG% from 1972-73 through 1975-76)
Jerry Eaves, Louisville (9.7 ppg, 2.6 apg and 50.5 FG% from 1978-79 through 1981-82)
Leroy "Cowboy" Edwards, Kentucky (16.3 ppg in 1934-35)
Nick Emery, Brigham Young (12.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.4 spg, 81.5 FT% and 37.5 3FG% from 2015-16 through 2018-19)
Brian Evans, Indiana (13.7 ppg, 6 rpg and 80 FT% from 1992-93 through 1995-96)
C.J. Fair, Syracuse (11.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 1.1 spg from 2011 through 2013-14)
Desmon Farmer, Southern California (13.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 33.8 3FG% from 2000-01 through 2003-04)
Kay Felder, Oakland (17.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 82.2 FT% and 34.5 3FG% from 2013-14 through 2015-16)
Henry "Hank" Finkel, Dayton (23.7 ppg, 13.3 rpg and 61.8 FG% from 1963-64 through 1965-66)
Matt Fish, UNC Wilmington (11.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 59.8 FG% from 1988-89 through 1991-92)
Derek Fisher, UALR (12.4 ppg and 4.2 apg from 1992-93 through 1995-96)
Jerry Fleishman, NYU
Chico Fletcher, Arkansas State (12.9 ppg and 7.8 apg from 1996-97 through 1999-00)
Damon Flint, Cincinnati (10.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.2 apg and 1.2 spg from 1993-94 through 1996-97)
Courtney Fortson, Arkansas (16 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.9 apg and 1.2 spg in 2008-09 and 2009-10)
Jimmy Foster, Connecticut (16 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3.6 apg in 1972-73 and 1973-74)
De'Aaron Fox, Kentucky (16.7 ppg, 4 rpg, 4.6 apg and 1.5 spg in 2016-17)
Trent Frazier, Illinois (13.1 ppg, 2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg and 37.8 3FG% in 2017-18 and 2018-19)
Todd Fuller, North Carolina State (13.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 80 FT% from 1992-93 through 1995-96)
Lawrence Funderburke, Indiana/Ohio State (14.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg and 53.8 FG% from 1989-90 through 1993-94)
Chris Gatling, Old Dominion (21.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg and 60.6 FG% from 1988-89 through 1990-91)
Joe Gibbon, Mississippi (18.9 ppg and 9.6 rpg from 1953-54 through 1956-57)
Artis Gilmore, Jacksonville (24.3 ppg, 22.7 rpg and 57.4 FG% in 1969-70 and 1970-71)
Thomas Gipson, Kansas State (9.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 53.3 FG% from 2011-12 through 2014-15)
Jack "Goose" Givens, Kentucky (16.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 51.5 FG% from 1974-75 through 1977-78)
Robert Godbolt, Louisiana Tech (11.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 57.4 FG% from 1983-84 through 1986-87)
Gail Goodrich, UCLA (19 ppg and 4.7 rpg from 1962-63 through 1964-65)
Ricky Grace, Oklahoma (13 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 6.5 apg, 2.5 spg and 38.5 3FG% in 1986-87 and 1987-88)
Devin Gray, Clemson (14.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.5 spg and 54.6 FG% from 1991-92 through 1994-95)
Johnny Green, Michigan State (16.9 ppg and 16.4 rpg from 1956-57 through 1958-59)
Lynn Greer, Temple (15.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 85.2 FT% and 39.8 3FG% from 1997-98 through 2001-02)
Kevin Grevey, Kentucky (21.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 51.7 FG% from 1972-73 through 1974-75)
Adrian Griffin, Seton Hall (11.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.7 spg and 50.6 FG% from 1992-93 through 1995-96)
Tony Gwynn, San Diego State (8.6 ppg, 2 rpg, 4.7 apg and 1.8 spg from 1977-78 through 1980-81)
Rudy Hackett, Syracuse (16.6 ppg, 11 rpg and 55.1 FG% from 1972-73 through 1974-75)
Steve Hale, North Carolina (7.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 52 FG% and 81.3 FT% from 1982-83 through 1985-86)
Shaler Halimon, Utah State (25.2 ppg and 10.2 rpg in 1966-67 and 1967-68)
Devon Hall, Virginia (6.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 80.7 FT% and 38.9 3FG% from 2014-15 through 2017-18)
Roy Hamilton, UCLA (12.5 ppg and 4.7 apg from 1975-76 through 1978-79)
Steve Hamilton, Morehead State (17.9 ppg and 16.4 rpg from 1954-55 through 1957-58)
Zendon Hamilton, St. John's (15.9 ppg and 8.3 rpg from 1994-95 through 1997-98)
Julian Hammond, Tulsa (12.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 62.7 FG% in 1964-65 and 1965-66)
James Harden, Arizona State (19 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 50.6 FG% in 2007-08 and 2008-09)
Jerrick Harding, Weber State (18.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 37.2 3FG% from 2016-17 through 2019-20)
Jerry Harkness, Loyola of Chicago (21.6 ppg and 8.2 rpg from 1960-61 through 1962-63)
Othella Harrington, Georgetown (13.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.5 bpg and 56.1 FG% from 1992-93 through 1995-96)
Donnell Harvey, Florida (10.1 ppg, 7 rpg and 50.7 FG% in 1999-00)
Juaquin Hawkins, Long Beach State (6.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2 apg and 1.7 spg from 1992-93 through 1995-96)
Robert "Bubbles" Hawkins, Illinois State (14.9 ppg and 4.1 rpg from 1972-73 through 1974-75)
Desmond Haymon, Stephen F. Austin (10.3 ppg and 3.9 rpg from 2010-11 through 2013-14)
August "Bud" Heineman, Missouri (8.5 ppg from 1948-49 through 1950-51)
James "Skip" Henderson, Marshall (20.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 50.9 FG% from 1984-85 through 1987-88)
Mark Hendrickson, Washington State (13.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 56.7 FG% and 37.4 3FG% from 1992-93 through 1995-96)
Al Henry, Wisconsin (11.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg from 1967-68 through 1969-70)
Xavier Henry, Kansas (13.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.5 spg and 41.8 3FG% in 2009-10)
Mustapha Heron, Auburn/St. John's (15.4 ppg and 5.4 rpg from 2016-17 through 2018-19)
Thomas Hill, Duke (11.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 51.9 FG% from 1989-90 through 1992-93)
Robert Hite, Miami FL (14.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.5 spg, 84.8 FT% and 38.4 3FG% from 2002-03 through 2005-06)
Darington Hobson, New Mexico (15.9 ppg and 9.3 rpg in 2009-10)
Blake Hoffarber, Minnesota (9.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2 apg, 80.2 FT% and 41 3FG% from 2007-08 through 2010-11)
Ronnie Hogue, Georgia (17.8 ppg and 5.3 rpg from 1970-71 through 1972-73)
Randy Holcomb, Fresno State/San Diego State (12.5 ppg and 6.2 rpg from 1998-99 through 2001-02)
Wilbur Holland, New Orleans
Lionel Hollins, Arizona State (17 ppg and 3.3 rpg in 1973-74 and 1974-75)
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona (10.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg in 2013-14 and 2014-15)
John Holloran, George Washington (13.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 51.2 FG% and 80.3 FT% from 1973-74 through 1976-77)
Jason Holsinger, Evansville (12.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.3 apg, 83.6 FT% and 39 3FG% from 2005-06 through 2008-09)
Michael Holton, UCLA (7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.2 apg and 51.1 FG% from 1979-80 through 1982-83)
Rodney Hood, Mississippi State/Duke (13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.1 apg and 39.6 3FG% in 2011-12 and 2013-14)
Stephen Howard, DePaul (13.4 ppg and 7 rpg from 1988-89 through 1991-92)
Kim Hughes, Wisconsin (13.6 ppg and 11.2 rpg from 1971-72 through 1973-74)
Andre Hutson, Michigan State (10.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 60.9 FG% from 1997-98 through 2000-01)
Darrall Imhoff, California (10 ppg and 9.5 rpg from 1957-58 through 1959-60)
Luke Jackson, Oregon (15.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg and 84.9 FT% from 2000-01 through 2003-04)
Phil Jackson, North Dakota
Rick Jackson, Syracuse (8.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.8 bpg and 59.1 FG% from 2007-08 through 2010-11)
Joe Jakubick, Akron (23.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 50.9 FG% and 81.2 FT% from 1980-81 through 1983-84)
Bernard James, Florida State (9.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.4 bpg and 62.7 FG% in 2010-11 and 2011-12)
Chris Jent, Ohio State (8.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 38.2 3FG% from 1988-89 through 1991-92)
Justinian Jessup, Boise State (12 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 81.5 FT% and 40.6 3FG% from 2016-17 to 2019-20)
Armon Johnson, Nevada (14.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 4.4 apg from 2007-08 through 2009-10)
Avery Johnson, Southern LA (9.2 ppg and 12 apg in 1986-87 and 1987-88)
B.J. Johnson, Syracuse/La Salle (13.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 84.3 FT% from 2013-14 through 2017-18)
Chris Johnson, Dayton (10.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 82.6 FT% and 37.1 3FG% from 2008-09 through 2011-12)
Tyler Johnson, Fresno State (10.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 spg and 37.2 3FG% from 2010-11 through 2013-14)
Derrick Jones Jr., UNLV (11.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 58.9 FG% in 2015-16)
Terrence Jones, Kentucky (14 ppg, 8 rpg and 1.2 spg in 2010-11 and 2011-12)
DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M (7.9 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.3 bpg and 61.7 FG% in 2007-08)
Marcus Jordan, UCF (12.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.7 apg from 2009-10 through 2011-12)
Reggie Jordan, New Mexico State (12.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.9 spg in 1989-90 and 1990-91)
Kerem Kanter, Green Bay/Xavier (7.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 53.1 FG% from 2014-15 through 2017-18)
Gary Keller, Florida (14.5 ppg and 11.3 rpg from 1964-65 through 1966-67)
Ron Kellogg, Kansas (11.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 52.9 FG% and 82.8 FT% from 1982-83 through 1985-86)
Luke Kennard, Duke (15.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2 apg, 86.7 FT% and 38.3 3FG% in 2015-16 and 2016-17)
D.J. Kennedy, St. John's (11.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 spg and 35.8 3FG% from 2007-08 through 2010-11)
Stacey King, Oklahoma (17.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 51.6 FG% from 1985-86 through 1988-89)
Nick Kladis, Loyola of Chicago (12.8 ppg from 1949-50 through 1951-52)
Toby Knight, Notre Dame (9.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 51.1 FG% from 1973-74 through 1976-77)
Milo Komenich, Wyoming (14.7 ppg from 1941-42 through 1945-46)
Howard "Butch" Komives, Bowling Green (25.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 84.7 FT% from 1961-62 through 1963-64)
Raef LaFrentz, Kansas (15.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 55.5 FG% from 1994-95 through 1997-98)
Walker Lambiotte, North Carolina State/Northwestern (10.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.2 spg and 50.9 FG% from 1985-86 through 1989-90)
Keith Langford, Kansas (13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 2.4 apg from 2001-02 through 2004-05)
Bob Lanier, St. Bonaventure (27.6 ppg, 15.7 rpg and 57.6 FG% from 1967-68 through 1969-70)
Byron Larkin, Xavier (22.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 52.4 FG% from 1984-85 through 1987-88)
Acie Law IV, Texas A&M (13.7 ppg and 4.5 apg from 2003-04 through 2006-07)
Dennis "Mo" Layton, Southern California (17.1 ppg and 2.5 rpg in 1969-70 and 1970-71)
Hal Lear, Temple (19 ppg from 1953-54 through 1955-56)
David Lee, Florida (11.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2 apg and 58.1 FG% from 2001-02 through 2004-05)
James Lee, Kentucky (8.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 53.7 FG% from 1974-75 through 1977-78)
Ron Lee, Oregon (18.6 ppg and 5.2 rpg from 1972-73 through 1975-76)
Leroy "Axle" Leslie, Notre Dame (13.5 ppg from 1949-50 through 1951-52)
Tommie Liddell III, Saint Louis (12.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.5 apg and 37.1 3FG% from 2005-06 through 2008-09)
Kevin Lisch, Saint Louis (13.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 81 FT% and 39.5 3FG% from 2005-06 through 2008-09)
Rahim Lockhart, Mississippi (9.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg and 56.1 FG% from 1997-98 through 2000-01)
Brad Lohaus, Iowa (6.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg from 1982-83 through 1986-87)
Ryan Lorthridge, Jackson State (11.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 2.6 apg from 1991-92 through 1993-94)
John Lucas Jr., Maryland (18.3 ppg, 4.7 apg and 52.5 FG% from 1972-73 through 1975-76)
Ray Lumpp, NYU (14.1 ppg in 1947-48 after career interrupted by serving in U.S. military during WWII)
Durand "Rudy" Macklin, Louisiana State (16.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg and 59.5 FG% from 1976-77 through 1980-81)
Randy Mahaffey, Clemson (16 ppg and 9.7 rpg from 1964-65 through 1966-67)
Jack Marin, Duke (14.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 50 FG% from 1963-64 through 1965-66)
Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (7.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 8 apg, 1.1 spg and 36.6 3FG% in 2010-11 and 2011-12)
Darrick Martin, UCLA (9.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 4.9 apg and 1.4 spg from 1988-89 through 1991-92)
Scott Martin, Purdue/Notre Dame (9 ppg and 4.9 rpg from 2007-08 through 2012-13)
Anthony Mason, Tennessee State (18.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg from 1984-85 through 1987-88)
Don May, Dayton (22 ppg and 14.5 rpg from 1965-66 through 1967-68)
Bob McCann, Morehead State (17.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 52.4 FG% from 1984-85 through 1986-87)
Dwayne McClain, Villanova (12.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 57.5 FG% from 1981-82 through 1984-85)
Julius McCoy, Michigan State (20.9 ppg from 1953-54 through 1955-56)
Bob McCurdy, Virginia/Richmond (19.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 56 FG% from 1971-72 through 1974-75)
Greg McDougald, Oral Roberts (14.1 ppg and 9.3 rpg in 1972-73 and 1973-74)
Ken "Mouse" McFadden, Cleveland State (19.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4 apg, 2.1 spg and 39.6 3FG% from 1985-86 through 1988-89)
Mitch McGary, Michigan (7.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.2 spg and 58.8 FG% in 2012-13 and 2013-14)
Terrell McIntyre, Clemson (14.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.5 spg and 37.2 3FG% from 1995-96 through 1998-99)
Billy McKinney, Northwestern (18.6 ppg, 3 rpg and 2.3 apg from 1973-74 through 1976-77)
Tom McMillen, Maryland (20.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg and 55.5 FG% from 1971-72 through 1973-74)
Mark McNamara, Santa Clara/California (16.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 63.4 FG% from 1977-78 through 1981-82)
Bob McNeill, St. Joseph's (17.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 81.9 FT% from 1957-58 through 1959-60)
Paul McPherson, DePaul (11.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.6 spg and 53 FG% in 1999-00)
Josh McRoberts, Duke (10.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.9 bpg and 54 FG% in 2005-06 and 2006-07)
Gary Melchionni, Duke (10.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.4 apg and 83.5 FT% from 1970-71 through 1972-73)
Leland "Lee" Melear, Virginia Tech (11.7 ppg and 4 rpg from 1960-61 through 1962-63)
Julius Michalik, Iowa State (14.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 spg, 53.4 FG% and 82.5 FT% from 1991-92 through 1994-95)
Pete Mickeal, Cincinnati (14.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.5 spg and 54.5 FG% in 1998-99 and 1999-00)
Bob Miller, Cincinnati (12.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 56.1 FG% from 1974-75 through 1977-78)
Larry Miller, North Carolina (21.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 51.5 FG% from 1965-66 through 1967-68)
Harold Miner, Southern California (23.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 81.4 FT% from 1989-90 through 1991-92)
Steve Mix, Toledo (23 ppg, 11.9 rpg and 53.3 FG% from 1966-67 through 1968-69)
Cuttino Mobley, Rhode Island (14.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2 apg, 1.5 spg, 82.1 FT% and 35.4 3FG% from 1994-95 through 1997-98)
Jerome Moiso, UCLA (12 ppg and 6.8 rpg in 1998-99 and 1999-00)
Greg Monroe, Georgetown (14.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 54.3 FG% in 2008-09 and 2009-10)
Mike Moran, Marquette (18.6 ppg and 9.2 rpg from 1956-57 through 1958-59)
Jackie Moreland, Louisiana Tech
Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA (17.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 37.7 3FG% in 2012-13)
Chris Mullin, St. John's (19.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 55 FG% and 84.8 FT% from 1981-82 through 1984-85)
Troy Murphy, Notre Dame (21.4 ppg and 9.8 rpg from 1998-99 through 2000-01)
Lee Nailon, Texas Christian (23.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 53.2 FG% in 1997-98 and 1998-99)
Drew Neitzel, Michigan State (11.1 ppg, 2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 86.6 FT% and 39.9 3FG% from 2004-05 through 2007-08)
Jack Nichols, Southern California/Washington (11.2 ppg from 1944-45 through 1947-48)
Carl Nicks, Indiana State (16.8 ppg, 3 rpg and 1.5 spg from 1976-77 through 1979-80
Martyn "Moochie" Norris, Auburn (12.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.8 spg and 35.4 3FG% in 1994-95)
Zach Norvell Jr., Gonzaga (13.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg, 83.6 FT% and 37 3FG% in 2017-18 and 2018-19)
Kendrick Nunn, Illinois/Oakland (14.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.2 spg, 82.1 FT% and 38.6 3FG% from 2013-14 through 2017-18)
Ed O'Bannon, UCLA (15.5 ppg, 7 rpg and 51.3 FG% from 1991-92 through 1994-95)
Lamar Odom, Rhode Island (17.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.5 bpg in 1998-99)
Carlos "Bud" Ogden, Santa Clara (18.2 ppg and 8.8 rpg from 1966-67 through 1968-69)
Dean Oliver, Iowa (12.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.6 spg and 36.8 3FG% from 1997-98 through 2000-01)
Kelly Oubre Jr., Kansas (9.3 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.1 spg and 35.8 3FG% in 2014-15)
Eddie Owens, UNLV (18.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 51.7 FG% from 1973-74 through 1976-77)
Josh Pace, Syracuse (7.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg and 1.2 spg from 2001-02 through 2004-05)
Victor Page, Georgetown (17.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 1.9 spg in 1995-96 and 1996-97)
Marcus Paige, North Carolina (13.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.4 spg, 84.8 FT% and 37.4 3FG% from 2012-13 through 2015-16)
Andrew Parker, Iowa State (15 ppg and 4.4 rpg from 1975-76 through 1978-79)
Tom Parker, Kentucky (15.5 ppg and 8.3 rpg from 1969-70 through 1971-72)
Cameron Payne, Murray State (18.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.7 apg and 1.8 spg in 2013-14 and 2014-15)
Gary Payton II, Oregon State (14.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.1 apg and 2.8 spg in 2014-15 and 2015-16)
Anthony Peeler, Missouri (16.8 ppg and 5.1 rpg from 1988-89 through 1991-92)
John "Jake" Pelkington, Manhattan
Sam Perkins, North Carolina (15.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 57.6 FG% from 1980-81 through 1983-84)
Elliot Perry, Memphis (17.5 ppg, 4.3 apg and 34.5 3FG% from 1987-88 through 1990-91)
Morris Peterson, Michigan State (11.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 37.7 3FG% from 1995-96 through 1999-00)
Derrick Phelps, North Carolina (7.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.8 apg and 1.9 spg from 1990-91 through 1993-94)
Shamorie Ponds, St. John's (19.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.3 apg and 2.3 spg from 2016-17 through 2018-19)
Trevor Powell, Marquette (14 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 53.4 FG% from 1987-88 through 1990-91)
J.P. Prince, Arizona/Tennessee (7.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.2 spg from 2005-06 through 2009-10)
Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky (13.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 32.9 3FG% from 1998-99 through 2001-02)
Darryl Prue, West Virginia (11.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.8 spg and 55.8 FG% from 1985-86 through 1988-89)
Julius Randle, Kentucky (15 ppg, 10.4 rpg and 50.1 FG% in 2013-14)
Anthony Randolph, Louisiana State (15.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.3 bpg in 2007-08)
Zach Randolph, Michigan State (10.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 58.7 FG% in 2000-01)
Michael Redd, Ohio State (19.6 ppg and 6.2 rpg from 1997-98 through 1999-00)
Dexter Reed, Memphis State (16.5 ppg and 4.3 rpg from 1973-74 through 1976-77)
Willis Reed, Grambling (18.7 ppg, 15.2 rpg and 59.7 FG% from 1960-61 through 1963-64)
Don Rehfeldt, Wisconsin (14.4 ppg from 1944-45 through 1949-50)
Kareem Reid, Arkansas (11.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 5.7 apg and 1.9 spg from 1995-96 through 1998-99)
Robbie Reid, Brigham Young/Michigan (9.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.3 spg and 38.7 3FG% from 1993-94 through 1998-99)
Terrence Rencher, Texas (18.6 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.1 spg from 1991-92 through 1994-95)
Johnny Rhodes, Maryland (14.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.8 spg and 33.4 3FG% from 1992-93 through 1995-96)
Lafester Rhodes, Iowa State (11.1 ppg and 4 rpg from 1984-85 through 1987-88)
Tyrese Rice, Boston College (15.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 82.5 FT% and 35.3 3FG% from 2005-06 through 2008-09)
Mike Riordan, Providence (11.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg from 1964-65 through 1966-67)
Terrence Roberts, Syracuse (7.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 54 FG% from 2003-04 through 2006-07)
Bernard Robinson, Michigan (12.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3 apg, 1.4 spg and 81.4 FT% from 2000-01 through 2003-04)
David Robinson, Navy (21 ppg, 10.3 rpg and 61.3 FG% from 1983-84 through 1986-87)
Justin Robinson, Virginia Tech (11.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.5 apg and 38.5 3FG% from 2015-16 through 2018-19)
Dave Robisch, Kansas (21.1 ppg and 9.8 rpg from 1968-69 through 1970-71)
Guy Rodgers, Temple (19.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg from 1955-56 through 1957-58)
Rodney Rogers, Wake Forest (19.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 57.9 FG% from 1990-91 through 1992-93)
Garry Roggenburk, Dayton (16.1 ppg and 11.8 rpg from 1959-60 through 1961-62)
Jalen Rose, Michigan (17.5 ppg and 4.7 rpg from 1991-92 through 1993-94)
Bob Rule, Colorado State (15.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 51.8 FG% in 1965-66 and 1966-67)
Kareem Rush, Missouri (18.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.2 spg and 42.2 3FG% from 1999-00 through 2001-02)
Bill Russell, San Francisco (20.7 ppg, 20.3 rpg and 51.6 FG% from 1953-54 through 1955-56)
D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State (19.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5 apg, 1.6 spg and 41.1 3FG% in 2014-15)
Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga (13.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg and 63.2 FG% in 2014-15 and 2015-16)
Juan "Pepe" Sanchez, Temple (8.5 ppg and 5.9 apg from 1996-97 through 1999-00)
Chris Sandle, Arizona State/Texas-El Paso (13.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 50.1 FG% from 1984-85 through 1987-88)
Steve Scheffler, Purdue (10.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 68.5 FG% from 1986-87 through 1989-90)
Ronnie Schmitz, UMKC (17.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 spg and 39.9 3FG% from 1989-90 through 1992-93)
Ansu Sesay, Mississippi (13 ppg and 6.4 rpg from 1994-95 through 1997-98)
Lynn Shackelford, UCLA (9.7 ppg and 5 rpg from 1966-67 through 1968-69)
Mike Silliman, Army (19.7 ppg and 11.5 rpg from 1963-64 through 1965-66)
Ben Simmons, Louisiana State (19.2 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, 2 spg and 56 FG% in 2015-16)
Willie Simmons, Louisiana Tech (10.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.4 bpg from 1981-82 through 1984-85)
Al Skinner, Massachusetts (15.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 4.1 apg and 55.7 FG% from 1971-72 through 1973-74)
Keith Smith, Loyola Marymount (18 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 5.4 apg and 1.3 spg from 1982-83 through 1985-86)
Lenzelle Smith Jr., Ohio State (7.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 35.2 3FG% from 2010-11 through 2013-14)
Michael Smith, Providence (11.8 ppg, 11 rpg, 1.1 bpg and 55.4 FG% from 1990-91 through 1993-94)
Willie Smith, Missouri (23.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg in 1974-75 and 1975-76)
Elmore Spencer, Georgia/UNLV (10.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.5 bpg and 60.3 FG% from 1988-89 through 1991-92)
Larry Spriggs, Howard University (14.9 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 52.1 FG% from 1978-79 through 1980-81)
TJ Starks, Texas A&M (11 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 2.8 apg in 2017-18 and 2018-19)
Terrell Stoglin, Maryland (16.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 80 FT% and 37.7 3FG% in 2010-11 and 2011-12)
Damon Stoudamire, Arizona (15 ppg, 5.4 apg and 80.4 FT% from 1991-92 through 1994-95)
Salim Stoudamire, Arizona (15.2 ppg, 87 FT% and 45.8 3FG% from 2001-02 through 2004-05)
Erick Strickland, Nebraska (12.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2 spg and 34.9 3FG% from 1992-93 through 1995-96)
Levern "Jelly" Tart, Bradley (14.4 ppg and 8.6 rpg from 1961-62 through 1963-64)
Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State (14.4 ppg, 5 rpg, 80.2 FT% and 34.2 3FG% from 2010-11 through 2012-13)
Elijah Thomas, Texas A&M/Clemson (10.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.9 bpg and 58.6 FG% from 2015-16 through 2018-19)
Isaiah Thomas, Washington (16.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4 apg and 1.2 spg from 2008-09 through 2010-11)
Bernard Thompson, Fresno State (12 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 spg and 57.7 FG% from 1980-81 through 1983-84)
Brooks Thompson, Texas A&M/Oklahoma State (13.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.7 apg, 2.2 spg and 40 3FG% from 1989-90 through 1993-94)
Stephen Thompson, Syracuse (13.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 spg and 56 FG% from 1986-87 through 1989-90)
Tres Tinkle, Oregon State (17.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 apg and 1.6 spg from 2015-16 through 2019-20)
Wayman Tisdale, Oklahoma (25.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg and 57.8 FG% from 1982-83 through 1984-85)
Jeff Trepagnier, Southern California (10.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 1.9 spg from 1997-98 through 2000-01)
Kerry Trotter, Marquette (10.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.1 apg and 1.3 spg from 1982-83 through 1985-86)
Jeff Turner, Vanderbilt (10.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 50.6 FG% from 1980-81 through 1983-84)
Nick Van Exel, Cincinnati (15.2 ppg, 3.6 apg and 35.8 3FG% in 1991-92 and 1992-93)
Mark Wade, Oklahoma/UNLV (3.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 8.5 apg and 1.9 spg from 1983-84 through 1986-87)
Neal Walk, Florida (20.8 ppg and 15.3 rpg from 1966-67 through 1968-69)
CJ Walker, Florida State/Ohio State (6.5 ppg, 2 rpg and 1.9 apg in 2016-17 and 2017-18)
Rex Walters, Northwestern/Kansas (13.4 ppg, 3.6 apg, 83.7 FT% and 42.6 3FG% from 1988-89 through 1992-93)
Paul Walther, Tennessee (12.9 ppg from 1944-45 through 1948-49)
Nick Ward, Michigan State (13.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 60.5 FG% from 2016-17 through 2018-19)
Kyle Washington, North Carolina State/Cincinnati (9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg and 37.2 3FG% from 2013-14 through 2017-18)
Thorpe Weber, Vanderbilt (15.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg from 1968-69 through 1970-71)
Bob Weiss, Penn State (16.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg from 1962-63 through 1964-65)
Delonte West, Saint Joseph's (13.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 83.1 FT% and 37.7 3FG% from 2001-02 through 2003-04)
Lenny Wilkens, Providence (14.9 ppg and 7.3 rpg from 1957-58 through 1959-60)
Aaron Williams, Xavier (9.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.7 bpg and 55.6 FG% from 1989-90 through 1992-93)
Brian Williams, Maryland/Arizona (12.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 59.4 FG% from 1987-88 through 1990-91)
Elliot Williams, Duke/Memphis (11.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 34.5 3FG% in 2008-09 and 2009-10)
Harper Williams, Massachusetts (12.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg and 51.3 FG% from 1989-90 through 1992-93)
Henry Williams, UNC Charlotte (20.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 spg, 82.2 FT% and 39.4 3FG% from 1988-89 through 1991-92)
JaCorey Williams, Arkansas/Middle Tennessee (7.5 ppg and 3.7 rpg from 2012-13 through 2016-17)
Johnathan Williams, Missouri/Gonzaga (10.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 51.1 FG% from 2013-14 through 2017-18)
Marcus Williams, Connecticut (9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 7.3 apg and 37.5 3FG% from 2003-04 through 2005-06)
Mike Williams, Cincinnati/Bradley (12.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 54.6 FG% from 1981-82 through 1985-86)
Reggie Williams, Virginia Military (22.8 ppg and 7.3 rpg from 2004-05 through 2007-08)
Sylvester "Sly" Williams, Rhode Island (21.2 ppg and 8.4 rpg from 1976-77 through 1978-79)
Travis Williams, South Carolina State (17.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 50.5 FG% from 1988-89 through 1990-91)
Zion Williamson, Duke (22.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.1 spg, 1.8 bpg and 68 FG% in 2018-19)
Desi Wilson, Fairleigh Dickinson (21.4 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2 spg and 57.1 FG% from 1988-89 through 1990-91)
Dylan Windler, Belmont (13.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 54.1 FG% from 2015-16 through 2018-19)
Justise Winslow, Duke (12.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 1.3 spg in 2014-15)
Stevie Wise, Colorado (14.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.2 apg and 1.5 spg from 1987-88 through 1990-91)
Luke Witte, Ohio State (16.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg and 52.3 FG% from 1970-71 through 1972-73)
Dave Wohl, Penn (15.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 83.7 FT% from 1968-69 through 1970-71)
Brandan Wright, North Carolina (14.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg and 64.6 FG% in 2006-07)
Jerrell Wright, La Salle (11.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 56.1 FG% from 2011-12 through 2014-15)
Michael Wright, Arizona (15.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 57.5 FG% from 1998-99 through 2000-01)
Tony Wroten, Washington (16 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.9 spg in 2011-12)
Rich Yonakor, North Carolina (5.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 50.3 FG% from 1976-77 through 1979-80)
Ed Young, Dayton (11.7 ppg, 6 rpg and 52.1 FG% from 1982-83 through 1986-87)
James Young, Kentucky (14.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 34.9 3FG% in 2013-14)
Michael Young, Houston (15.2 ppg and 5.9 rpg from 1980-81 through 1983-84)
Thaddeus Young, Georgia Tech (14.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 41.9 3FG% in 2006-07)
Rich Yunkus, Georgia Tech (26.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg and 50.7 FG% from 1968-69 through 1970-71)
Mike Zagardo, George Washington (13.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 59 FG% from 1976-77 through 1979-80)
Martin Zeno, Texas Tech (14.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.1 apg and 1.3 spg from 2004-05 through 2007-08)
Bill Zopf, Duquesne (13.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg from 1967-68 through 1969-70)

What happens to a team facing a coach departure in mid-season such as when Maryland parted ways with Mark Turgeon? The Terrapins transitioned from Turgeon despite ranking #4 in the country only two years ago. A total of 37 different schools in the previous 25 seasons (including Charlotte twice in previous seven years) had a coach relieved of his duties, retire or pass away after the start of the season but before the second half of the campaign. Six years ago, Wisconsin's Greg Gard (15-8) became only the eighth "successor" coach piloting a club more than half of a campaign since the NCAA playoffs expanded to at least 64 entrants in 1985 to post a winning record the remainder of the season. He joined Jeff Dittman (10-8 with Sam Houston State in 1988-89), Dave Fehte (9-8 with Saint Mary's in 1990-91), Max Good (13-9 with UNLV in 2000-01), Ray Harper (11-8 with Western Kentucky in 2011-12), Mike Perry (10-9 with Georgia State in 2002-03), Brad Soderberg (16-10 with Wisconsin in 2000-01) and Derek Waugh (14-8 with Stetson in 2000-01). Gard, Harper and Soderberg guided the squads they inherited to an NCAA playoff berth.

At the power-conference level, Turgeon joined John Brady (Louisiana State in 2007-08), Lou Campanelli (California in 1992-93), Gale Catlett (West Virginia in 2001-02), Jim Dutcher (Minnesota in 1985-86), Dennis Felton (Georgia in 2008-09), Larry Glass (Northwestern in 1968-69), Mark Gottfried (Alabama in 2008-09), Joe Harrington (Colorado in 1995-96), Bob Knight (Texas Tech in 2007-08), Ward "Piggy" Lambert (Purdue in 1945-46), Shelby Metcalf (Texas A&M in 1989-90), Kevin O'Neill (Southern California in 2012-13), Charlie Parker (Southern California in 1995-96), Steve Patterson (Arizona State in 1988-89) and Quin Snyder (Missouri in 2005-06) to comprise the list of coaches departed in mid-season when their tenures ended for one reason or another. There is no consensus as to whether the timing of their dismissals was fairer than "biased" jury fore-person amid numerous gutless wonders demonstrating self-righteous vindictiveness in Roger Stone trial.

It's a shame self-absorbed Sen. Mitt "Pierre Defecto" Romney, perhaps disoriented by Mormon underwear being on too tight, can't receive a "you're fired" notice from Utah patriots in mid-term. Following is an alphabetical list of universities in the pre-midseason coaching turnover category since the start of national postseason competition and the records of their coaches that season:

Weekly, we get a weak effort from #MessMedia super-spreaders of spit telling the entire story as public respect for their vocation plummets quicker than Plagiarist Bidumb's approval ratings. During messy presidential campaign in 2016, Wikileaks hacking confirmed what many believed about collusion between left-leaning politicians and a predictably pathetic press. If the lame-stream media featuring Chris "Fredo" Cuomo as Exhibit A did its job, there wouldn't be any need for paying attention to undisputed facts distributed by Wikileaks, let alone voting fraud. At any rate, the best pre-Christmas present in decades for conservatives was watching unhinged leftists whine and vomit in fetal position after biased bozos got Trumped for years. Seems as if majority of press puke should be in the woods tracking down #ShrillaryRotten for a selfie. They certainly didn't attend her "I'm So Vain" tour. Regrettably, the progressive mindset depicted by inauguration-nauseated Rockette(s), White House Christmas-party boycotting #CNNSucks and in lopsided editorial endorsements for POTUS also infects the toy department (sports).

According to Wikipedia, V was an American science fiction TV series running two seasons on ABC, chronicling the arrival on Earth of a technologically advanced alien species ostensibly coming in peace, but actually boasting sinister motives. This could be Webster's definition of the lame-stream media seeking therapy for post-election anxiety. ABC is in the midst of 15th annual V rerun on vaunted ESPN while losing in excess of 10 million subscribers over four years. The intent isn't vile (raising in excess of $140 million for cancer research) but, if an observer values the whole truth, there is vast soap-boxing fiction involved amid the "V" all day every day as the vindicated big man on ESPN's Jesus-free campus seemingly a perfect fit for "Z" as in zero-integrity Jeff Zucker to leave fake-news #CNNSucks and become chief executive. Will Zucker bring back Lov Gov bro for Don Lemon to practice his "bar-scene moves" like he did anal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and pet snake of Zoom renown? Paying any attention to these clowns and #Dimorat Administration/Congressional dumpster fire is akin to having Jeffrey Dahmer discuss culinary aspects of his policies.

Veering off-course with velocity promoting gabby "V" - not baby "J" - as the reason for the season, the Nationwide Leader's culture violates the time-honored vow of telling the entire story in a veracious way. It's vexing as ESPN's parade of glorification pitchmen, including staffers and it-takes-a-village coaches, incessantly laud former commentator Jim Valvano by chapter and verse. If "V" sycophants could fly like Clinton with Epstein, the embellishing mess media highlighted by ESPN and most of the coaching community would be jets. A "Jimmy V Week" culminates with an early-season classic to enhance cancer research fundraising for a foundation named after an individual who joins John Calipari (UMass/Memphis) and Jerry Tarkanian (Long Beach State/UNLV) as the only repeat-offender coaches shackled with having multiple schools under their watch forced to vacate NCAA playoff participation. Too bad 100% of the donated plaudits don't go straight through a truth detector such as the "biased" New York Times, which detailed how ESPN received more than $250 million in state tax breaks and credits thus far this century.

Anyone with a visible pulse supports the vision of finding a cure for the vulnerable afflicted by cancer, but a classic lack-of-proper-perspective stemming from the cult-of-personality dynamic is ESPN's vivid hero worship of the vibrant Valvano. He wasn't a bloodthirsty vampire villain but there are a variety of vigorous Smollett-ruse reasons for not carrying ESPN's water supporting his canonization in the wake of vanquishing Houston to vault to the 1983 NCAA playoff title. How was his deceit that much different from another cancer celebrity such as Lance Armstrong? After Valvano ran afoul of NCAA investigators at Iona, a private attorney retained by North Carolina State volunteered he was convinced that the institution could successfully sue him for failing to ensure the academic progress of his NCSU players. While Duke overdoses on recruiting one-and-done exemptions with board scores nowhere close to average Cameron Crazy student, the biggest scholastic question in the ACC is which ethically-impaired school - NCSU vs. UNC - wins the battle for most egregious academic scandal over the last four decades.

At the very least, virile Valvano should have verified that standout guard Sidney Lowe took a remedial tax preparation course to help him steer clear of vice squad by vandalizing the state or Child Rearing 101; especially if Lowe, twice voted All-ACC and a first-teamer with teammate Thurl Bailey in 1983, was going to become one of his head coaching successors with the Wolfpack. Additional suspect characters aligning with Valvano at NCSU included Kenny Drummond, David Lee, Russell Pierre, Dinky Proctor, Charles Shackleford, Craig Tyson and Chris Washburn (of 470 SAT fame in a league where athletes previously had to reach 800 to be eligible). Did Jimmy V brag that stereo-stealer Washburn was going to "make our program"? Did V mean break rather than make? A commission cited one unidentified player completing four seasons of eligibility with a 1.122 grade-point average and 76 credits (52 shy of graduation). Awash in intellect, Shackleford, who admitted accepting $65,000 cash from outside influences during his final two years enrolled in college, is perhaps best known for the following quote: "Left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. I'm amphibious." After a series of drug-related incidents, he was found dead in his apartment at the age of 50.

Concurrent with holiday season King Herod-like ESPN vetoed a "venal" hospital ad several years ago celebrating Jesus before relenting, press parasites seemingly will "never give up" a vintage and valiant voyage portraying V as the most virtuous coach in history. The sanitized version is in the network's veins akin to trying to duplicate anchorman Ron Burgundy's humor in promotional ads. Voicing opposition to this mythical narrative leaves a cynic open to vilification as being venomous. Still, the network's doctored depiction of V is as honest as ex-POTUS #AudacityofHype and his vultures telling citizens with a "period" about retaining their current physician (ESPN previously aired ObamaCare ad passing its rigid standards); authentic as the sign language interpreter at a Nelson Mandela memorial; genuinely patriotic as lip-syncing Beyonce; real as Ray "Dancin' On Their Graves" Lewis lecturing us about NFL violence and ball-deflation ethics; genuine as claiming no behind-the-scenes negotiations occurred naming Bruce Jenner's inner woman courageous nearly 40 years after he was a gold-medal winning Olympian, or as valid as fake girlfriend of former Notre Dame All-American linebacker Manti Te'o. B.S. Detection Memo to prayerful #NannyPathetic as she sanctimoniously "shreds" Bible during her Congressional clown show to remove any perceived reference to abortion and swap out devil with another five-letter word (Trump): Yes, Russia's Putin, Plagiarist Bidumb's son ex-business partner Tony Bobulinski and aggrieved #SanFranfreakshow hairdresser made me point out these hate-ridden flaws to impact donations!

Irish idealist Dick Vitale spearheads promoting the V Foundation, impressively raising in the neighborhood of $200 million. Understandably, his visceral reaction probably is that any dissent makes Valvano the victim of a vicious vendetta. Anything but vapid, there is no doubt vivacious Vitale means well and has his heart in the proper place serving as Valvano's valet. But as verbose Vitale is wont to do, he is vulnerable to vehemently going overboard with his voluminous embellishment. Preying on emotions, a majority of vacuous media smugly fall in line seemingly signing off on one of those old phantom NCSU readmission agreements after flunking out where they made a commitment "pledging to work hard (at maintaining image) and keep a positive mental attitude." Does press know if Washburn signed worthless piece of paper in new vroom Datsun before vagabond ventured out to find victim's stereo while needing help from staff finding various classrooms such as demanding "Leisure Alternatives"?

In an affront to valuable numbers that never lie, there are fake-news times when ESPN sycophants operate in a vacuum shamelessly enhancing Valvano's credentials as a "survive-and-advance" tactician, perpetuating a falsehood he was a late-game strategical genius. You can't take a fake-news vacation from the veracity of cold hard facts having Valvano rank in the lower third of DI coaches among those with at least 150 close contests (decided by fewer than six points). Capitalizing on six opponents combining to shoot an anemic 56.8% from the free-throw line, the law of averages was with NCSU in 1983 when it became the only school to have as many as four NCAA playoff games decided by one or two points en route to a title. The Wolfpack trailed in the final minute of seven of its last nine triumphs, offsetting his high percentage of close-contest setbacks.

The arena in Reynolds Coliseum, the former home to N.C. State hoops, has been named for Valvano after supporters made a $5 million pledge. But people in power need to be held accountable even if a coach such as Duke's Mike Krzyzewski claims many of the "allegations were fabrications" against his ACC counterpart who entered the league together in 1980-81. "I can't breathe" holding opinion unless Coach K moonlighted as an investigator because there is no reason to be vague and treat big boys with velvet gloves. ESPN could virtually avoid any vanishing credibility in this instance by incorporating deceased Rick Majerus in the foundation equation. After all, the 24-year veteran college head coach was also a vocal ESPN analyst. Unless it detracts from the storyline, call it the V & M Foundation and add heart disease to the venture's research grants. Didn't Majerus exhibit as much, if not more, valor? Perhaps Vitale and trend-setting broadcaster Stuart Scott should be principal focal point because of their battles with cancer. Instead, we'll probably get lame-stream media responding like politicians legitimizing smash-and-grab crime.

A tearjerker ESPY speech notwithstanding, a cancer of priorities exists as ESPN sullies its reputation with insufferable verbal voodoo vouching Valvano was something he wasn't beyond a good coach who never had a season with fewer than four defeats in conference competition. Amid narcissism and extensive self-promotion, an "inspirational" story reeks of overkill because vermin among complicit sports media are predictably unprincipled and offer the maximum tear-inducement reminiscent of a fairy-tale sans conveying the entire picture. Forget the vulgar academic progress of Valvano's players at N.C. State (735 average SAT score and excessive number of positive drug tests during the 1980s). No Extra Sensitive Pious Network should be an outside-the-lines enabler seemingly unaccountable while selling a partial story. They have an obligation to visit the whole story; not vacillate and be on verge of failing their constituency in regard to vainly providing a viable role model. Don't forget guilt-by-association coaching vacancy at Drake, which forced former V enabler Tom Abatemarco (at Iona and NCSU) to resign due to various valueless practices with the Bulldogs akin to #Demonrat Congressional claptrap from specious sad sack of Schiff and heavyset heart of nutty Nadler - the Laurel and Hardy of petulant political pestilence unworthy of an Army/Navy prank "OK" hand gesture. The rot wasn't exactly virgin territory. The New York Daily News charged that Iona illegally subsidized its players, who billed the school for several thousand dollars worth of long-distance cab fares, restaurant and bar tabs plus telephone calls. Valvano was part-owner of one of the bars involved. Iona icon Jeff Ruland said he took unspecified amounts of money from Valvano (during recruiting process and while playing for the Gaels). "I'm watching those (TV apologists) guys, and I'm thinking, 'Don't give me that high-and-mighty stuff. People know some things. What I'm talking about, I lived. Greenbacks changed hands,'" Ruland told the Philadelphia Daily News.

As for venerable Majerus, there won't be a vicarious movie or "30 for 30" special made about his self-effacing humor, eating habits and fact none of his NCAA playoff teams with three different schools ever had to vacate NCAA play. In a stark scholastic contrast, his 1998 Utah squad provided the vanguard of Final Four achievements - only team ever to feature three Academic All-Americans among its versatile regulars. For the record, Majerus ranked among the top third of coaches in games decided by fewer than six points. But he simply doesn't fit into a contrived storyline. It would be a surprise if Utah players under Majerus took an "Understanding Music" class during Christmas vacation to help stay eligible like NCSU scholars did under Valvano.

Keep everything in perspective. This isn't Michael Bloomberg going after your Big Gulp and straws. Alluding to allegations about a professor altering grades of Wolfpack players, faculty senate chairman at the time asked SI: "If we're supposedly changing grades, how come we have so many people in academic difficulty?" Pulitzer Prize winner Claude Sitton, a vigilant local editor/columnist for the Raleigh News & Observer during Valvano's tenure, was unapologetic about the paper's contemporaneous coverage of NCSU scandal. "Looking back on it, Valvano just initiated academic rape as far as basketball players were concerned," Sitton said. "But Valvano only did what (Chancellor Bruce) Poulton wanted him to do, and that was win ball games no matter how." It's as crazy as ex-baseball 1B President Trump expected to give A1 attention to Puerto Rico trash-can lecture from cheater Alex Cora.

In a scornful column, Sitton wrote with verve: "College sports, in short, are corrupt. The rot reaches far beyond the campus - to the kid on the corner who thinks sports opens the glory road, the high school teacher who gives a player a free pass, the TV executive who manipulates universities for profit, sportswriters who see, hear and speak no evil, and all who know that higher education has been turned into a sideshow by the commercial sports conglomerate and do nothing to end it." Sitton's summary long before NCSU's unseemly sneaker-stench recruiting of Dennis Smith Jr. continued to ring true as the ACC summoned Louisville and Syracuse to its ranks in recent years as they each soon went on probationary status with their Hall of Shame coaches.

ESPN's abundant coverage seemed to revel in cancer front-man Lance Armstrong's arrogant stumblin' and bumblin' "one big lie" rather than taking his bike-ride fall in a valley as time for self-reflection. Might be deleted from holiday card list, but this vantage point is that defend-the-brand revisionist history is a misguided echo chamber resembling hostage videos. Amid the distortion, a final verdict persists about a greater-good higher calling. As many folks as possible should make a vintage donation to the V Foundation. Just envision V as Victory (over cancer) or as Vitale (regarding his long-term heavy lifting for project). We'd like to secure Dan Dakich's valuable view on the topic, but network shed his candid commentary as if he was some vagrant sans vaccine.

It wasn't long before name-dropping ESPN, via former Out House correspondent Andy Katz apparently getting as much beer-summit face time with trustworthy ex-POTUS as ex-HHS Secretary Kathleen "Get-In-Line" Sebelius, went viral giving a prominent "Audacity-of-Hype" venue for Oval Office NCAA bracket selections. But the West Wing(ing) verve must absorb so much dignified time for the selfie-taking hooper-in-chief that a Sgt. Schultz "I-know-nothing" routine emerges while chronically pleading ignorance about various less vital matters such as the Benghazi terrorist attack, #ShrillaryRotten's multiple email address changes as Secretary of Yoga, IRS targeting of conservatives, Fast and Furious gun-running, healthcare exchange ineptitude, NSA spying on allies, disgraced Katie Hill's preferences, North Korea's cyber "vandalism," Obama's Justice Department snooping on national media while unmasking opponents, etc., and then failing to attend a church service at Christmas. Meanwhile, a void in thought-police treatment made more faith-influenced individuals nearly vomit when the network's "inn" didn't have room for the authentic Messiah's message vying for a little air time more important to many Americans than giving free political points.

As the #AudacityofHype, our departed fearless leader, might proclaim to Russia: "Cut it out!" Thus, it was no surprise sister network A&E emerged equally intolerant of deeply-held religious beliefs when "be(ing) original" by suspending/marginalizing the brassy "Duck Dynasty" patriarch for his version of "Vagina Monologues." Are you buyin' what ESPN's flock of quacks are sellin' verbatim - accepting the laughing/thinking/crying hook, line and sinker? Very odd this vociferous emphasis on V. Upon "ducking" and turning the other cheek again, it's time to say an old-fashioned: "Merry CHRISTmas, ESPN!" If this vernacular is objectionable to sensibilities of the politically-correct elite, then avoid a GQ bearded set-up with a patronizing "Happy Holidays!" As multiple ESPN personnel layoffs reached into the hundreds, we'll try for the 100th time to appeal for virtuous network specifically and hoop press generally to lay off attempting portrayal of "V" as someone he wasn't. At least boast the vinegar to go beyond veneer and never give up attempting to tell the entire tale. Instead, we'll likely get spoon-fed version of the scene in book Personal Fouls regarding circumstances surrounding Walker Lambiotte's transfer from NCSU to Northwestern (where he averaged 17.4 ppg in 1988-89 and 1989-90). Vainglorious Valvano, exhibiting as much remorse and responsibility as #Hollyweird's gun-toting Alec Baldwin to Georgey Step-on-the-truth-to-us, said: "I don't deserve that. I'm above being treated like that." Are you kidding me?

Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski has defeated seven nationally #1-ranked opponents while coaching Duke after knocking off Gonzaga in Las Vegas. But there is a price to pay for the Blue Devils spending more weeks ranked No. 1 during Coach K's tenure than unranked. Upon bowing at Ohio State, Duke sustained its NCAA-record 39th defeat as nation's top-ranked team.

An individual all-time high 35 (only 13 outside ACC competition) of the 39 such setbacks have been with Krzyzewski as the Blue Devils' bench boss. Marquee mentors ranking behind him for most losses coaching the nation's top-ranked team are Dean Smith (18 with North Carolina), Roy Williams (18/11 with Kansas and seven with North Carolina) and Adolph Rupp (15 with Kentucky).

Eight different ACC members defeated a dominant Duke #1 club in 11-year span from 2009 to 2019. Duke lost as the nation's top-ranked team seven straight seasons from 1997-98 through 2003-04. Five of the Blue Devils' seven such losses from late-November 1998 to the 2002 NCAA playoffs were by margins of fewer than four points. Following is a chronological list of the 35 K's for Krzyzewski when ranked No. 1 in the country:

A high this month of 10 NCAA Division I All-Americans were born on December 11th including Seattle twins Eddie and Johnny O'Brien (also infielders for Pittsburgh Pirates). Kentucky contributed the most A-As born in December with five. Three All-Americans from different Big Ten Conference members plus pair of former Tulsa coaches (Nolan Richardson Jr. and Bill Self) were born on the 27th this month. Northwestern's Otto Graham was born 100 years ago this month. Following are A-As and Hall of Fame coaches born in December:

DECEMBER

1: All-American Rakeem Christmas (born in 1991/Syracuse).
2: All-Americans Ralph Beard (1927/Kentucky), Jason Collins (1978/Stanford), Alan Henderson (1972/Indiana) and De'Andre Hunter (1997/Virginia).
3: All-Americans Mike Bantom (1951/St. Joseph's) and Jim Brewer (1951/Minnesota) plus Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor (1924/Ohio State).
4: All-Americans Brian Cook (1980/Illinois), Bernard King (1956/Tennessee), Jerome Lane (1966/Pittsburgh), Dick Ricketts (1933/Duquesne), Ronnie Shavlik (1933/North Carolina State), Doug Smart (1936/Washington) and Corliss Williamson (1973/Arkansas).
5: All-Americans Alfred "Butch" Lee (1956/Marquette) and Charlie Yelverton (1948/Fordham) plus Hall of Fame coach Bruce Drake (1905/Oklahoma).
6: All-American Otto Graham (1921/Northwestern).
7: All-Americans Larry Bird (1956/Indiana State), Aaron Gray (1984/Pittsburgh), Gary Phillips (1939/Houston) and Al Thornton (1983/Florida State).
8: All-Americans Ken Durrett (1948/La Salle), Bill Green (1940/Colorado State) and Johnny Green (1933/Michigan State).
9: All-Americans Otis Birdsong (1955/Houston), Cliff Hagan (1931/Kentucky) and Gerald Henderson (1987/Duke).
10: All-Americans Mark Aguirre (1959/DePaul), Lou Pucillo (1936/North Carolina State), Bennie Purcell (1929/Murray State) and Ray Ragelis (1928/Northwestern).
11: All-Americans Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1976/California), Mark Alarie (1963/Duke), Ernie Beck (1931/Penn), Malcolm Brogdon (1992/Virginia), Roy Hibbert (1986/Georgetown), Eddie O'Brien (1930/Seattle), Johnny O'Brien (1930/Seattle), Billy Schaeffer (1951/St. John's), Bob Spessard (1915/Washington & Lee VA) and Jim Tucker (1932/Duquesne).
12: All-Americans Bill Chmielewski (1941/Dayton), Byron Larkin (1965/Xavier), Bob Pettit (1932/Louisiana State) and Murray Wier (1926/Iowa).
13: All-Americans Fred "Buzz" Borries (1911/Navy), Phil Hubbard (1956/Michigan), Larry Kenon (1952/Memphis State) and Herb Wilkinson (1923/Iowa).
14: All-Americans William Bedford (1963/Memphis State) and John Brown (1951/Missouri).
15: All-Americans Thad Jaracz (1946/Kentucky), Jahlil Okafor (1995/Duke) and Charlie Scott (1948/North Carolina) plus Hall of Fame coach Phil Woolpert (1915/San Francisco).
16: All-Americans Brandin Knight (1981/Pittsburgh), Jeff Ruland (1958/Iona), Ben Swain (1933/Texas Southern), Jan van Breda Kolff (1951/Vanderbilt) and Sherman White (1928/Long Island).
17: All-Americans Jeff Grayer (1965/Iowa State), Bob Hassmiller (1916/Fordham), Chavano "Buddy" Hield (1992/Oklahoma), Kris Joseph (1988/Syracuse) and Albert King (1959/Maryland) plus Hall of Fame coach Sam Barry (1892/Iowa and Southern California).
18: All-Americans Vern Huffman (1914/Indiana), Bobby Jones (1951/North Carolina) and Gene Shue (1931/Maryland) plus Hall of Fame coach Ray Meyer (1913/DePaul).
19: All-Americans Jay Arnette (1938/Texas), Tom Gugliotta (1969/North Carolina State) and Jimmy McNatt (1918/Oklahoma).
20: All-Americans Bill Hosket (1946/Ohio State), Dave Stallworth (1941/Wichita) and Don Sunderlage (1929/Illinois) plus Hall of Fame coaches Edgar "Eddie" Hickey (1902/Creighton, St. Louis and Marquette) and William "Bo" Ryan (1947/Milwaukee and Wisconsin).
21: All-Americans Walt "Corky" Devlin (1931/George Washington), Ervin Johnson (1967/New Orleans) and Cameron Krutwig (1998/Loyola of Chicago).
22: All-Americans Tom Hawkins (1936/Notre Dame), Nick Johnson (1992/Arizona), Dave Robisch (1949/Kansas), Jack Smiley (1922/Illinois), George Wahlquist (1913/Nebraska) and Bob Wiesenhahn (1938/Cincinnati).
23: All-Americans Ben Hansbrough (1987/Notre Dame), Bob Kurland (1924/Oklahoma A&M), David "Big Daddy" Lattin (1943/Texas Western) and Dan Swartz (1931/Morehead State).
24: All-Americans Dennis "Mo" Layton (1948/Southern California) and Paul Pressey (1958/Tulsa) plus Hall of Fame coach Jerold "Jay" Wright (1961/Hofstra and Villanova).
25: All-Americans Eric Gordon (1988/Indiana), Tim James (1976/Miami FL), Ollie Johnson (1942/San Francisco) and Wil Robinson (1949/West Virginia) plus Hall of Fame coach Charles "Lefty" Driesell (1931/Davidson, Maryland, James Madison and Georgia State).
26: All-Americans Vince Hanson (1923/Washington State) and Eddie Owens (1953/UNLV).
27: All-Americans Kent Benson (1954/Indiana), Dwight Eddleman (1922/Illinois), Luka Garza (1998/Iowa) and Bill Henry (1924/Rice) plus Hall of Fame coaches Nolan Richardson Jr. (1941/Tulsa and Arkansas) and Bill Self (1962/Oral Roberts, Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas).
28: All-Americans Clyde Bradshaw (1959/DePaul), Keith Lee (1962/Memphis State) and Melvin Turpin (1960/Kentucky).
29: All-American Carlos "Bud" Ogden Jr. (1946/Santa Clara).
30: All-Americans Jesse Arnelle (1933/Penn State), Bill Logan (1934/Iowa), Kenyon Martin Sr. (1977/Cincinnati) and Jack Tingle (1924/Kentucky).
31: All-Americans Audley Brindley (1923/Dartmouth), Francisco Garcia (1981/Louisville), Cleo Littleton (1932/Wichita) and Chuckie Williams (1953/Kansas State).

Birthdays in January for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in February for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in March for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in April for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in May for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in June for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in July for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in August for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in September for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in October for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in November for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in December for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches

Did You Know?: Marquee mentors John Beilein (Canisius), Vic Bubas (Duke), Denny Crum (Louisville), Bob Knight (Army), Guy Lewis (Houston), Ralph Miller (Wichita), Digger Phelps (Notre Dame) and Jerry Tarkanian (UNLV) lost their head coaching debuts with these schools between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Trivia buffs might also want to know bitter rivals Kentucky and Louisville each had their school rebounding record by an individual set on the same day in 1955.

Prominent players don't establish most of the school standards against lesser lights in non-conference competition. For instance, Utah's Billy McGill and Illinois' Skip Thoren set school single-game rebounding records in the early 1960s when each of them retrieved 24 missed shots against UCLA before the Bruins began their run of NCAA titles under legendary coach John Wooden.

Granted, fewer contests are played around Christmas but there clearly is a significant decrease in superior performances during that span. Holiday festivities can go awry between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Just ask top-ranked Virginia, which lost at tiny Chaminade in 1982, and NCAA champion-to-be Michigan, which bowed to Alaska-Anchorage on a neutral court in 1988. Following is a day-by-day calendar citing memorable moments in December college basketball history:

DECEMBER

1 - Eastern Kentucky's Jack Adams (49 points vs. Union KY in 1955), Iona's A.J. English (46 vs. Fairfield in 2015), Louisville's Wes Unseld (45 vs. Georgetown College KY in 1967) and NYU's Jim Signorile (50 vs. Herbert Lehman NY in 1969) set school Division I single-game scoring records. English's output tied a MAAC game mark. . . . Ronnie Shavlik (55 points vs. William & Mary in 1954 set North Carolina State's single-game scoring record against a major-college opponent. . . . Sacred Heart's Cameron Parker set an NCAA single-game record with 24 assists vs. Pine Manor MA in 2019. . . . Vic Bubas made his Duke head coaching debut in 1959 with a 59-49 loss against Georgia Tech before guiding the Blue Devils to three Final Fours in a four-year span in the mid-1960s. . . . Pete Carril made his Princeton debut in 1967 with a 62-59 win against Bob Knight-coached Army en route to becoming the Tigers' all-time winningest coach and capturing the Ivy League's only NIT championship (1975). . . . Denny Crum made his Louisville head coaching debut in 1971 with a 70-69 defeat at Florida before amassing a school-record 675 victories and reaching NCAA Final Four on six occasions. . . . Eddie Sutton made his Creighton head coaching debut in 1969 with an 84-62 decision over Wisconsin-Oshkosh en route to 802 victories with five schools. . . . Jerry Tarkanian made his UNLV head coaching debut in 1973 with an 82-76 defeat against Texas Tech before notching a school-record 509 victories with the Rebels including four Final Four appearances. . . . Ralph Miller made his Wichita head coaching debut in 1951 with a 62-55 defeat at Colorado before registering 657 victories with three schools. . . . Guy Lewis made his Houston head coaching debut in 1956 with a 97-78 defeat at Kansas State before compiling a school-record 592 victories and reaching five Final Fours. . . . Al McGuire made his Marquette debut in 1964 with a 69-49 triumph over St. Thomas MN en route to becoming the Warriors' all-time winningest coach and capturing national titles in both the NIT and NCAA tourneys. . . . Bob Knight made his Indiana debut in 1971 with an 84-77 triumph over Ball State en route to four-time national COY becoming the Hoosiers' all-time winningest coach and capturing three NCAA titles. . . . Digger Phelps made his Notre Dame debut in 1971 with a 101-83 defeat against Michigan before compiling a school-record 393 victories. . . . Frank McGuire made his South Carolina coaching debut in 1964 with a 76-59 triumph against Erskine SC en route to a school-record 283 victories. . . . John Beilein made his Canisius coaching debut in 1992 with a 110-62 defeat at Duke before going on to win more than 20 games in a single season with four different DI schools. . . . Bob Nichols made his Toledo coaching debut in 1965 with a 108-77 triumph against Baldwin-Wallace OH en route to a school-record 375 victories. . . . Oregon's school-record 46-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Boise State (73-70 in 2017). . . . Lynn Howden (24 vs. Florida State in 1970) set Texas' single-game rebounding record against a major-college opponent.
2 - Eventual NCAA all-time scoring leader Pete Maravich collected 48 points and career-high 16 rebounds in his LSU varsity debut (97-81 win against Tampa in 1967). . . . Northern Arizona's Cory Schwab (43 points at Cal Poly in overtime in 2000) and Wisconsin's Christian Steinmetz (50 at Sparta's Company C in 1904) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Russ Sheriff (26 vs. Gonzaga in 1957) set Montana's single-game rebounding record. . . . Dean Smith made his North Carolina head coaching debut in 1961 with an 80-46 decision over Virginia en route to a school-record 879 victories and reaching Final Four 11 times. . . . Two-time national COY Norm Stewart made his Missouri head coaching debut in 1967 with a 74-58 success at Arkansas en route to a school-record 634 victories with the Tigers and six Big Eight Conference Tournament titles. . . . Don Haskins made his Texas Western head coaching debut in 1961 with a 66-59 triumph at Iowa State en route to a school-record 719 victories including 1966 NCAA Tournament title. . . . Terry Holland made his Virginia coaching debut in 1974 with a 77-69 victory against Washington & Lee VA en route to a school-record 326 victories and two Final Four berths. . . . Phil Martelli made his Saint Joseph's debut in 1995 with a 64-56 success at Delaware en route to becoming the Hawks' all-time winningest coach and national COY in 2004.
3 - Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Von McDade (50 points at Illinois in double overtime in 1990) set school single-game scoring record. . . . DeWayne Russell (42 vs. Louisville in 2016) set Grand Canyon's DI single-game scoring record. . . . Lew Alcindor collected 56 points and 21 rebounds vs. Southern California in his varsity debut with UCLA in 1966. . . . Six-time national COY John Wooden made his UCLA head coaching debut in 1948 with a 43-37 decision over UC Santa Barbara en route to a school-record 620 victories and 10 NCAA championships with the Bruins. . . . Lefty Driesell made his Davidson head coaching debut in 1960 with a 65-59 decision over Wake Forest en route to 786 victories and total of 14 final Top 20 rankings with four schools. . . . Everett Case made his North Carolina State coaching debut in 1946 with a 63-28 decision over the Cherry Point Marines en route to a school-record 377 victories and six straight Southern Conference Tournament crowns with the Wolfpack. . . . Arizona State's Mark Landsberger (27 vs. San Diego State in 1976), Jacksonville's Artis Gilmore (34 vs. St. Peter's in 1970) and UMKC's Tony Berg (23 vs. Baylor in 1996) set school single-game rebounding records.
4 - Mississippi State's Bailey Howell (47 points vs. Union TN in 1958) and Northwestern State's Billy Reynolds (42 at Lamar in 1976) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Brown's Ed Tooley shot an NCAA-record 36 free throws in a single game in 1954. . . . Long Beach State's school-record 75-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by San Francisco (94-84 in overtime in 1974). . . . Two-time national COY Lou Carnesecca made his St. John's coaching debut in 1965 with a 64-62 triumph at Georgetown in overtime en route to a school-record 526 victories. . . . Bob Knight made his Army head coaching debut in 1965 with a 70-49 setback at Princeton before becoming Indiana's all-time winningest coach, capturing three NCAA championships with the Hoosiers in a 12-year span and compiling 899 victories. . . . UCLA's season-opening defeat by 27 points (110-83 at Illinois in 1964) was worst-ever for a team going on to capture an NCAA championship. . . . Marv Branstrom (28 vs. Arizona State in 1958) set San Jose State's single-game rebounding record.
5 - Kansas' Wilt Chamberlain (52 points vs. Northwestern in 1956), NJIT's Dylan O'Hearn (42 at Lafayette in 2OT in 2021), North Carolina State's David Thompson (57 vs. Buffalo State in 1974), Rider's Ron Simpson (48 at St. Francis NY in double overtime in 1987) and Washington State's Brian Quinnett (45 vs. Loyola Marymount in 1986 Amana Hawkeye Classic at Iowa City) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Chamberlain also grabbed 31 rebounds in his varsity debut, establishing an NCAA standard for most boards in first career game. . . . Charlotte's school-record 60-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Appalachian State (71-64 in 1977). . . . Dale Brown made his LSU head coaching debut in 1972 with a 94-81 triumph against Memphis State en route to a school-record 448 victories. . . . Harry Combes made his Illinois coaching debut in 1947 with a 67-27 success against Coe College IA before directing the Illini to three Final Fours in a four-year span from 1949 through 1952. . . . Shelby Metcalf made his Texas A&M head coaching debut in 1963 with a 61-58 triumph against Houston en route to a school-record 438 victories. . . . Gene Estes (24 vs. Texas Western in 1960) set Tulsa's single-game rebounding record against a major-college opponent.
6 - American's Russell "Boo" Bowers (45 points at Harvard in 1980), Old Dominion's Alex Loughton (45 vs. Charlotte in double overtime in 2003), Rice's Doug McKendrick (47 vs. Georgia Tech in 1965) and Texas-San Antonio's Roderic Hall (52 vs. Maine in consolation game of 1997 Southwest Missouri Tournament at Springfield, Mo.) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Kent State's Doug Grayson set an NCAA single-game record by hitting 16 consecutive field-goal attempts vs. North Carolina in 1967. . . . Indiana's school-record 35-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Kentucky (66-51 in 1976). . . . Bob Presley (27 vs. St. Mary's in 1967) set California's single-game rebounding record.
7 - Niagara's Calvin Murphy (68 points vs. Syracuse in 1968), St. Mary's Jim Moore (43 vs. Sacramento State in 1964) and Binghamton's Sam Sessoms (40 vs. Boston University in 2019) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Forest Arnold (46 points vs. Hardin-Simmons in 1955) set Memphis State's single-game scoring record against a major-college opponent. . . . Cincinnati's school-record 86-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Kansas (51-47 in 1963), Jacksonville's school-record 35-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Florida State (90-83 in 1971) and Tulsa's school-record 36-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Oklahoma State (93-75 in 1982). . . . Benny Becton (29 vs. Maine in 1962) set Vermont's single-game rebounding record.
8 - Davidson's Fred Hetzel (53 points vs. Furman in 1964), Rutgers' Bob Lloyd (51 at Delaware in 1965) and Wright State's Bill Edwards (45 vs. Morehead State in 1992) set school single-game scoring records. . . . Arizona's school-record 81-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Kansas State (76-57 in 1951) and Missouri's school-record 34-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Arkansas (95-82 in 1990). . . . Colgate's Jack Nichols (26 vs. Cornell in 1956) and Missouri State's Lee Campbell (20 vs. Southern Utah State in 1989) set school single-game rebounding records against DI opponents.
9 - Tony Bolds (41 points vs. Alcorn State in opening round of 1983 Great Busch Shootout at Southern Illinois) set Mercer's Division I single-game scoring record (subsequently tied). . . . Utah's school-record 54-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Weber State (79-77 in 2000). . . . Butler's Jeff Blue (23 vs. Michigan in 1961), College of Charleston's Thaddeous Delaney (21 vs. Charleston Southern in 1995), Dayton's Garry Roggenburk (32 vs. Miami Ohio in 1959), Iowa State's Bill Cain (26 vs. Minnesota in 1969), Lafayette's Ron Moyer (33 vs. Gettysburg PA in 1970) and Towson's Junior Hairston (21 vs. Niagara in 2007) set school single-game rebounding records against Division I opponents.
10 - Duke's Danny Ferry (58 points at Miami FL in 1988) and Long Beach State's Ed Ratleff (45 vs. St. Mary's in 1970) set school single-game scoring records. . . . Alex Young (43 vs. Western Kentucky in 2011) set IUPUI's single-game scoring standard at NCAA Division I level. . . . Troy State (28-of-74) and George Mason (16-of-34) combined to set NCAA single-game three-point field-goal records in 1994 for shots made and attempted beyond the arc with Troy State's figures establishing marks for one team. . . . Tulane's school-record 42-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Arkansas (42-41 in 1949). . . . Bucknell's Hal Danzig (29 vs. Lehigh in 1958), Colorado State's Mike Childress (26 vs. Rice in 1970), George Washington's Clyde Burwell (33 vs. Mount St. Mary's in 1973), Kentucky's Bob Burrow (34 vs. Temple in 1955) and Louisville's Charlie Tyra (38 vs. Canisius in 1955) set school single-game rebounding records.
11 - North Carolina A&T's Joe Binion (41 points vs. Livingstone NC in final of 1982 Miller Aggie Classic) and Virginia's Barry Parkhill (51 vs. Baldwin-Wallace OH in 1971) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Louisville's Clifford Rozier set an NCAA single-game record by hitting all 15 of his field-goal attempts against Eastern Kentucky in 1993. . . . Ohio State's school-record 50-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Davidson (95-73 in 1963). . . . Marvin Barnes (28 vs. Fairfield in 1972) set Providence's single-game rebounding record against a DI opponent.
12 - Alabama's Mike Nordholz (50 points vs. Southern Mississippi at 1966 Birmingham Classic), North Dakota State's Ben Woodside (60 vs. Stephen F. Austin in 2008), Radford's Doug Day (43 at Central Connecticut State in 1990), Southern's Tim Roberts (56 vs. Faith Baptist LA in 1994) and Texas Christian's Lee Nailon (53 vs. Mississippi Valley State in first round of 1997 TCU Tournament) set school single-game scoring records. Woodside tied an NCAA mark by converting free throws against SFA. . . . Stanley Umude (41 vs. South Dakota State in 2020) established South Dakota's single-game scoring mark at NCAA Division I level. . . . Oklahoma's Mookie Blaylock set an NCAA single-game record with 13 steals vs. Centenary in 1987. . . . Henry "Hank" Iba made his Oklahoma A&M head coaching debut in 1934 with a 24-17 decision over Wichita en route to a school-record 655 victories and four Final Four appearances in seven-year span from 1945 through 1951 with the Cowboys. . . . Kent State's Leroy Thompson (31 vs. Case Western OH in 1948) and Weber State's Willie Sojourner (25 vs. West Texas State in 1969) set school single-game rebounding records.
13 - Evansville's inaugural year at the NCAA Division I level ended in tragedy in 1977 when coach Bobby Watson and 13 members of his Purple Aces squad perished in a plane crash shortly after taking off en route to their fifth game of the season. . . . Eastern Washington's Mason Peatling (54 points vs. Multnomah OR in 2019), Southern Mississippi's Jerome Arnold (41 vs. Missouri-Kansas City in 1978), Toledo's Clarke "Pinky" Pittenger (49 at Bluffton OH in 1918) and Tulsa's Willie Biles (48 vs. St. Cloud State MN in 1973) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Phog Allen made his Kansas head coaching debut in 1907 with a 66-22 decision over Ottawa KS en route to a school-record 590 victories and three Final Four appearances with the Jayhawks. . . . Bradley's Barney Cable (28 vs. Canisius in 1955), Eastern Kentucky's Garfield Smith (33 vs. Marshall in 1967) and UALR's Rashad Jones-Jennings (30 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2005) set school single-game rebounding records against a DI opponent.
14 - Marshall's Keith Veney set an NCAA single-game record for three-pointers (making 15-of-25 shots from beyond arc vs. Morehead State in 1996).
15 - UC Irvine's Kevin Magee (46 points vs. Loyola Marymount in 1981) and Providence's Marvin Barnes (52 vs. Austin Peay in 1973) set school single-game scoring records. . . . In 1973, Tennessee topped Temple, 11-6, in the lowest-scoring game since introduction of national postseason competition in 1938. . . . La Salle's Michael Brooks set the East Coast Conference single-game scoring record with 51 points in 3OT at Brigham Young in 1979. Brooks scored 28 consecutive points for the Explorers in the second half. . . . Jack Friel made his Washington State debut in 1928 with a 62-18 decision over Lewis-Clark State ID en route to becoming the Cougars' all-time winningest coach. . . . Cal State Fullerton's Kerry Davis (27 vs. Central Michigan in 1975), Colgate's Dick Osborn (26 vs. Yale in 1951/subsequently tied), Texas A&M's Vernon Smith and Rynn Wright (21 vs. UNLV in 1978) and Utah State's Wayne Estes (28 vs. Regis CO in 1962) set school single-game rebounding records against DI opponents.
16 - Cal State Fullerton's Bobby Brown (47 points vs. Bethune-Cookman in 2006), Creighton's Bob Portman (51 vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1967), Murray State's Marcus Brown (45 vs. Washington MO in 1995) and North Carolina's Bob Lewis (49 vs. Florida State in 1965) set school single-game scoring records. . . . St. Joseph's school-record 34-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Fairfield (82-68 in 1966) and Texas-El Paso's school-record 31-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Indiana (69-66 in 1989). . . . Florida State's Dave Cowens (31 vs. LSU in 1967), Mercer's Scott Farley (22 vs. Alabama in 1995), SMU's Ira Terrell (26 vs. New Mexico State in 1975) and UTEP's Jim Barnes (27 vs. Centenary in 1963) set school single-game rebounding records against a major-college opponent.
17 - Furman senior swingman Darrell Floyd set a Southern Conference single-game record with 62 points vs. The Citadel in 1955. . . . Oklahoma's Mookie Blaylock tied his NCAA single-game record with 13 steals vs. Loyola Marymount in 1988. . . . Cincinnati's LaZelle Durden set the Great Midwest Conference single-game scoring record with 45 points at Wyoming in 1994. . . . Illinois ended visiting San Francisco's school-record 60-game winning streak (62-33 in 1957). . . . Denver's Dick Brott (29 vs. Southern California in 1956) and Furman's Bob Thomas (35 vs. The Citadel in 1955) set school single-game rebounding records against a major-college opponent.
18 - Warren Isaac (50 points vs. Bates ME in 1964) set Iona's single-game scoring record. . . . Penn's school-record 34-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Temple (57-52 in 1971). . . . Adolph Rupp made his Kentucky head coaching debut in 1930 with a 67-19 decision over Georgetown College KY en route to school-record 876 victories and four NCAA Tournament titles. . . . Hec Edmundson made his Washington debut in 1920 with a 30-14 decision over Varsity/Alumni en route to becoming the Huskies' all-time winningest coach. . . . Alabama's Harry Hammonds (28 vs. Massachusetts in 1966), Brigham Young's Scott Warner (27 vs. Texas Tech in 1969), Cleveland State's Dave Kyle (24 vs. Ohio University in 1976), Hofstra's John Irving (28 vs. Long Island in 1975) and Northwestern State's Eric Kubel (26 vs. Southeastern Louisiana in 1993) set school single-game rebounding records against a major-college opponent.
19 - Iowa State's Lafester Rhodes (54 points vs. Iowa in overtime in 1987), Norfolk State's Tony Murphy (43 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at UNLV in 2006) and UNC Asheville's Ricky Chatman (41 vs. James Madison in overtime in 1987/subsequently tied) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Kevin Thomas (46 vs. Tennessee in 1955 Carousel Invitational at Charlotte) set Boston University's single-game scoring record against a DI opponent. . . . Oklahoma freshman Trae Young tied NCAA single-game assists record against DI opponent (22 vs. Northwestern State in 2017). . . . Auburn's Rex Frederick (27 vs. SMU in 1957), Lehigh's Greg Falkenbach (25 vs. Drexel in 1970) and New Mexico State's Sam Lacey (27 vs. Hardin-Simmons TX in 1969) set school single-game rebounding records against a major-college opponent.
20 - Fresno State's Charles Bailey (45 points at North Texas State in double overtime in 1973), Georgia's Ronnie Hogue (46 vs. Louisiana State in 1971) and Maryland's Ernest Graham (44 vs. North Carolina State in 1978) set school single-game scoring records. . . . John Connors (23 vs. Iona in 1956) set St. Bonaventure's single-game rebounding record against a major-college opponent.
21 - Idaho's Orlando Lightfoot (50 points at Gonzaga in 1993), Ohio's Dave Jamerson (60 vs. Charleston WV in 1989), Pacific's Bill Stricker (44 vs. Portland in 1968) and Pittsburgh's Don Hennon (45 vs. Duke in double overtime in 1957) set school single-game scoring records. . . . Visiting Cincinnati outlasted Bradley in seven overtimes in 1981 in the longest game in NCAA history. . . . Texas Christian hit an NCAA-record 56 free throws in 70 attempts in 1999 game against Eastern Michigan. . . . West Virginia ended North Carolina's school-record 37-game winning streak (75-64 in 1957 at Kentucky), Houston's school-record 59-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Illinois (97-84 in 1968) and Oklahoma State's school-record 49-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Southern California (28-25 in 1940). . . . Memphis State center John Gunn, who averaged 11 points and 9 rebounds per game the previous two years for national postseason tournament teams, died in 1976 due to complications of a rare disease (Stevens-Johnson Syndrome).
22 - Central Michigan's Tommie Johnson (53 points at Wright State in 1987), Georgia Tech's Kenny Anderson (50 vs. Loyola Marymount in 1990), Jackson State's Trey Johnson (49 at Texas-El Paso in 2006) and San Jose State's Adrian Oliver (42 vs. Puget Sound WA in 2010) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Centenary's Robert Parish (50 at Lamar in 1972) and Seton Hall's Nick Galis (48 vs. Santa Clara in 1978 Cable Car Classic at San Francisco) set school single-game scoring records against a Division I opponent. . . . Louisiana State All-American Pete Maravich set an NCAA single-game record for most successful free throws by converting 30 foul shots at Oregon State in 1969. . . . Oklahoma's school-record 51-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Duke (90-85 in 1990). . . . Colorado State's Mike Childress (26 vs. San Jose State in 1969) and Stanford's Rich Kelley (27 vs. Kentucky in 1973) set school single-game rebounding records. . . . Oklahoma set an NCAA record for most consecutive points against a DI opponent with a 39-point run in the first half against Weber State in 2014.
23 - Scott Fisher (39 points at Montana State in 1985) set UC Santa Barbara's school single-game scoring record (subsequently tied). . . . Bob Portman (46 vs. Weber State in 1968) set Creighton's single-game scoring mark against a major-college opponent. . . . Darius McGhee (41 vs. Stanford at Hawaii in 2021) tied Liberty's single-game scoring standard at DI level. . . . Top-ranked Virginia and national player of the year Ralph Sampson lost in Hawaii at tiny NAIA school (Chaminade) in 1982 in perhaps the biggest upset in college basketball history.
27 - Gene Harris (46 points vs. Holy Cross in 1961 Quaker City Classic at Philadelphia) set Penn State's single-game scoring record.
28 - Oklahoma's Wayman Tisdale (61 points vs. Texas-San Antonio in 1983 All-College Tournament at Oklahoma City) and Texas A&M's Bennie Lenox (53 vs. Wyoming in 1963 All-College Tournament at Oklahoma City) set school single-game scoring records. . . . Pan American's Bruce King (49 vs. Tulsa in 1973) and Tulane's Johnny Arthurs (41 vs. Wyoming in 1968 All-College Tournament at Oklahoma City) set school single-game scoring records against a DI opponent. . . . NCAA champion-to-be Michigan lost on a neutral court at Salt Lake City to non-Division I opponent Alaska-Anchorage in 1988. . . . Providence's school-record 55-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by St. John's (91-79 in 1974). . . . Detroit's Bill Ebben (38 vs. Brigham Young in 1955), Gonzaga's Paul Cathey (28 vs. UNLV in 1977), Illinois' Skip Thoren (24 vs. UCLA in 1963), Michigan State's Horace Walker (29 vs. Butler in 1959), Niagara's Alex Ellis (31 vs. Villanova in 1956/subsequently tied by him), UAB's Cameron Moore (24 vs. George Washington in 2011) and Washington State's Jim McKean (27 vs. West Virginia in 1966) set school single-game rebounding records against a major-college opponent.
29 - Colorado's Burdette Haldorson (31 vs. Oklahoma in 1952), Louisiana-Monroe's Calvin Natt (31 vs. Georgia Southern in 1976), Ohio State's Frank Howard (32 vs. Brigham Young in 1956), San Diego State's Michael Cage (26 vs. La Salle in 1980), Texas A&M's Steve Niles (21 vs. Furman in 1969), Towson's Jerrelle Benimon (21 vs. Oregon State in 2012) and Utah's Billy McGill (24 vs. UCLA in 1961) set school single-game rebounding records against a major-college opponent.
30 - Austin Peay's James "Fly" Williams (51 points vs. Georgia Southern in final of 1972 Claxton Fruitcake Classic), Florida International's Carlos Arroyo (39 at North Texas in overtime in 2000), Fordham's Charlie Yelverton (46 vs. Rochester NY in 1970), Hawaii's Trevor Ruffin (42 vs. Louisville in 1993), Penn's Ernie Beck (47 vs. Duke in 1952 Dixie Classic at Raleigh, N.C.), St. Joseph's Tony Costner (47 vs. Alaska-Anchorage in 1983 Cable Car Classic at San Francisco) and Utah State's Wayne Estes (52 vs. Boston College in overtime at 1964 Rainbow Classic in Hawaii) set school single-game scoring records. . . . In 2020, Eastern Illinois guard Mack Smith set an NCAA record by hitting a three-point field goal in his 89th consecutive contest. . . . Duke overcame a 29-point halftime deficit to defeat Tulane in consolation game of 1950 Dixie Classic at Raleigh. . . . Stanford ended Long Island's school-record 43-game winning streak (45-31 in 1936). . . . Hawaii's Bob Nash (30 vs. Arizona State in 1971), Idaho State's Ed Wilson (26 vs. Arkansas in 1967), La Salle's Tom Gola (31 vs. Brigham Young in 1953), Michigan State's Johnny Green (29 vs. Washington in 1957), St. John's LeRoy Ellis Sr. (30 vs. NYU in 1961), South Alabama's Leon Williams (28 vs. Texas-Arlington in 1972) and Western Kentucky's Tom Marshall (29 vs. Louisville in 1953) set school single-game rebounding records against a major-college opponent.
31 - Loyola of Chicago's school-record 41-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by St. Louis (90-57 in 1964).

Most Memorable Games in NCAA Hoops History in November

Defensive-minded coaches are not green with envy or greenlighting their troops playing "D" like Greenville (Ill.) College, which allowed an average of 165.5 points per game in its first four contests last season (defeats against NCAA DI opponents Samford, UMKC, Murray State and Illinois State by an average of 65.75 points).

The spotlight was also on small-college hoopdom two seasons ago when J.J. Culver, the older brother of 2018-19 Texas Tech All-American Jarrett Culver, erupted for 100 points (34-of-62 field-goal shooting including 12-of-33 from three-point range plus 20-of-27 free-throw accuracy) in a 124-60 thumping by Wayland Baptist (Tex.) of Southwest Adventist (Tex.).

In a caste-like era separating the haves from the have-nots, imperial universities are seeking mega-conferences and, perhaps in the near future, an even more restrictive upper division. But the elitist institutions aren't able to exclude humble small schools from making a big impact on college basketball such as Culver's outburst. Jack Taylor of Grinnell (Iowa) lit up scoreboards several seasons ago, pouring in 71 points in his season opener against Finlandia (Mich.) before exploding for 109 points against Crossroads (Minn.). Even when Taylor was out of the lineup in mid-season, Grinnell generated national headlines after Pat Maher set an NCAA single-game mark with 37 assists in a 164-144 win over College of Faith. In the afterglow of focusing on small colleges via scoring outbursts from Culver and G-men at Greenville and Grinnell, following is a chronological notebook with items detailing what will always be appealing about the little guy:

Basketball was a new demonstration sport at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, which also was part of the World's Fair the same year. Hiram College (Ohio), Wheaton College (Ill.) and the University of Latter Day Saints (known today as Brigham Young) were the three college teams invited to compete in what was officially called the "Olympic Collegiate Basketball Championship." Hiram finished the round-robin tournament 2-0 and was declared the champion and awarded the first Olympic gold medal in basketball.

College of Charleston (S.C.) went winless 10 seasons from 1913-14 through 1923-24 (0-56 record; did not compete in 1918-19). . . . Paul Davis, after leaving Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Oklahoma State), guided North Dakota State (18-0 in 1916) and North Dakota (16-0 in 1920) to undefeated seasons in a five-year span. He was also the football coach for these schools. . . . Indiana State's coach for five seasons from 1918-19 through 1922-23 after playing for the institution (known as Indiana State Normal School at the time) was Birch E. Bayh Sr. His son with the same name is a former U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1963 to 1981 and candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in the 1976 election. His grandson, Birch E. "Evan" Bayh III, is a former Indiana Governor and U.S. Senator (from 1999 to 2011). . . . Peru (Neb.) State Teachers won 55 consecutive games over a five-year span from 1921-26. . . . Earl Kinzie, a member of McPherson's 1928 Kansas Conference championship team that placed third in the national AAU Tournament in Kansas City, became a doctor and practiced family medicine in Texas for 50 years. He delivered more than 2,000 babies, including standout running back Earl Campbell.

Longtime radio and TV personality Art Linkletter was San Diego State's leading scorer in 1932-33 and 1933-34. . . . Stanford All-American Hank Luisetti is usually credited with introducing the jump shot but fans of Glenn Roberts from Emory & Henry (Va.) beg to differ. Roberts led the nation in scoring in 1933 and 1935 en route to tallying 2,013 career points. . . . Westminster (Pa.), playing in the first-ever collegiate basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden on December 29, 1934, upset St. John's, 37-33. . . . Tarleton (Tex.), coached by W.J. Wisdom, posted 86 straight victories from 1934 to 1937 en route to winning 112 of 113 games in a seven-year span. . . . Amos Alonzo Stagg Jr., the son of a legend who had the longest coaching career in the history of football (71 years), guided the basketball squad at Susquehanna (Pa.) for 16 seasons from 1935-36 through 1950-51. . . . Carleton (Minn.) forward Wayne Sparks, a "Little All-American" in 1936-37, died in a bomber crash in World War II. . . . Drury's Eugene "Peaches" Westover (class of '38), a four-time All-MCAU forward, was killed January 1, 1945, during WWII at the Battle of the Bulge. . . . Western Kentucky was the only school to defeat Murray State in a 79-game span from January 3, 1936 through March 10, 1938. . . . The leading scorer for champion Central Missouri State in the first NAIA tourney in 1937 (when it was known as the National Intercollegiate Tournament) was eventual major leaguer Chuck Workman, an outfielder-third baseman who finished second in the National League in home runs in 1945 with 25 for the Boston Braves. . . . Louisville lost a school-record 19 consecutive contests in the midst of a six-year stretch from 1936-37 through 1941-42 when the Cardinals were 57 games below the .500 mark. Louisville was a long way from becoming a major-college power in 1944 when Peck Hickman was hired as coach for $200 per month. The Cardinals won a total of 29 games over the previous seven seasons. In that span, they lost at least three times to Alfred Holbrook (three defeats), Berea (four), Centre (seven), Georgetown College (nine), Hanover (nine), Oakland City (three) and Transylvania (six). . . . Ulyss "Useless" Brock, a 6-0, 135-pound forward, scored 83 points (22 field goals and 39 free throws) for Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) in a 101-21 verdict over Bethel in February, 1940. . . . UC Santa Barbara reached the 1941 NAIA Tournament semifinals although All-CCAA first-team center Lowell Steward, the league's first black player, couldn't compete because Missouri was a Jim Crow state at the time. Steward would later fly 143 combat missions in Europe as a P-51 pilot for the famed Tuskegee Airmen. . . . George Barr, regarded as probably the finest player in Northland (Wis.) history when he competed in the early 1940s, entered the Army Air Corps as a senior during World War II, earning his diploma in absentia. Barr volunteered for the Jimmy Doolittle raids over Tokyo in 1942. His plane was forced down on mainland China after the raid and the crew imprisoned. Barr was a prisoner of the Japanese for 3 1/2 years with most of the time spent in solitary confinement. Teammate Duane Borst served as a First Lieutenant with the Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauder Group in France, flying 43 missions over Germany.

Ben Booker, Carson-Newman TN captain in 1942, was a research chemist at Oak Ridge on atomic bomb "Manhattan Project." . . . Football legend Eddie Robinson won more than 70% of his games as Grambling's basketball coach from 1942-56. . . . Bob Barker, longtime host of highly-rated daytime game show The Price is Right, played for Drury (Mo.) in the early 1940s before serving in the military during WWII. . . . York (Neb.) College, boasting an enrollment of 50, upset Akron, 52-49, in the first round of the 1943 NAIA Tournament before losing to North Texas, 51-49, in the second round. Brothers Jim and Wayne Kaeding scored 78 of York's 101 points in the two contests. . . . North Carolina College's Rocky Roberson scored 58 points in a game against Shaw (N.C.) during the 1942-43 season for what was believed to be a college record at the time. . . . Fulfilling a pre-tournament agreement in 1943, players from Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) marched to the local blood bank to donate blood to the armed forces following a 50-30 defeat against Cape Girardeau State (Mo.) in the NAIA Tournament's opening game. The two opponents had agreed the loser would donate blood. . . . More than 100 current NCAA Division I schools previously competed in the NAIA Tournament. Thirteen of the 17 different colleges to win NAIA titles from 1941 through 1963 are currently classified as NCAA Division I institutions. One of the 13 universities is Southeast Missouri State, which captured the 1943 crown after losing its first four games of the season. . . . Mississippi College defeated Mississippi State three times by double-digit margins in 1944-45. . . . Howie Schultz, a star for Hamline (Minn.) in the early 1940s, replaced Jackie Robinson at first base in Robinson's first regular-season game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. . . . CIAA champion West Virginia State was the nation's only undefeated college team in 1947-48, finishing with a 23-0 record. The squad, coached by Mark Cardwell, included future NBA players Bob Wilson and Earl Lloyd. . . . UCLA legend John Wooden was in his final season as coach of Indiana State when the Sycamores lost to Louisville in the 1948 NAIA final. Curtis Walker, Indiana State's 12th man, was the first African-American player in the NAIA Tournament. The all-tourney first five included Beloit's Johnny Orr, who went on to become a longtime major-college coach. Two years later, Indiana State won the NAIA title. . . . Tennessee A&I, coached by Henry A. Kean, was the nation's only undefeated team in 1948-49 with a 24-0 record. The Tigers' leading scorers, Clarence Wilson and Joshua Grider, were both eventually longtime standouts with the Harlem Globetrotters. . . . Hamline (Minn.), the 1949 NAIA champion, had two players - center Vern Mikkelsen and forward Hal Haskins - on Converse's first three five-man All-American teams. In 1950, scribes named Haskins winner of the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association's Gold Star Award as the outstanding visitng player in New York. In what might be the most impressive honor ever received by a small-college player, he virtually doubled the vote total of runner-up Chuck Cooper of Duquesne. North Carolina State's Sam Ranzino finished third, UCLA's George Stanich placed fourth and Holy Cross' Bob Cousy was fifth. The first five winners of the award were Penn's Howie Dallmar, DePaul's George Mikan, Kentucky's Ralph Beard, St. Louis' Ed Macauley and Denver's Vince Boryla. Haskins was among seven Hamline players who started their professional careers in an eight-year span from 1946 through 1953 under coach Joe Hutton Sr.

Morris Harvey's George King became the first college player to average 30 or more points per game in a seson when he led the nation's small-college players with a 31.2-point average in 1949-50. King went on to become a prominent major-college coach. . . . Sewanee (Tenn.) played 58 games in 10 weeks during the summer of 1951 while touring Africa and Europe with Goose Tatum, Marques Haynes and the Harlem Globetrotters. This reportedly was the first international trip for any college basketball team. . . . John Chaney scored 57 points for Bethune-Cookman FL in a 1952 game against Knoxville before becoming a Hall of Fame coach with Temple. . . . Florida A&M won the 1952 SIAC Tournament final against host Alabama State, 71-67, despite having just four players on the court the final 13-plus minutes (including two overtimes) because of players fouling out. . . . The first predominantly black college to take the floor in an integrated national collegiate tournament was Tennessee State (then Tennessee A&I) in 1953. Hall of Famer John McLendon coached Tennessee State to three consecutive national titles (1957-59). Oddly, the '53 Tennessee State team defeated McLendon-coached North Carolina College for the opportunity to go to Kansas City. . . . Seven years earlier, McLendon led North Carolina College to a 64-56 triple-overtime victory over Virginia Union in the final of the first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament. The CIAA Tournament blossomed into one of the premier postseason events in the country, including major-college tourneys. . . . Alderson-Broaddus College's Joe Miller (3,666) and Carl Hartman (3,373) became the only pair of 3,000-point scorers in college history to be teammates (1954 and 1955). . . . Southwest Missouri, winning the 1953 NAIA crown to become the first school to capture back-to-back titles with a 32-team format, played the last 3 1/2 minutes of its semifinal game with only four players on the court after encountering foul problems. The principal reason Southwest Missouri was shorthanded stemmed from two squad members being in spring training on their way to playing 12 seasons of major league baseball - infielder Jerry Lumpe and first baseman/outfielder Norm Siebern.

Ted Cassidy, Stetson's leading scorer and rebounder in 1954-55, played the role of Lurch in The Addams Family comedy TV series. . . . Tom Hart of Middlebury (Vt.) became the greatest rebounder in collegiate history. He still holds the record for most rebounds per game in a single season (29.5 rpg as a junior in 1954-55) and in a career (27.6 rpg). His coach was former baseball major leaguer Tony Lupien. The 6-4 Hart had two 46-rebound games in 1955 and grabbed 45 in a contest the next year as a senior. In track meets, Hart routinely entered six events and often scored over half his team's points, specializing in the high jump and pole vault. . . . West Virginia Tech averaged more than 100 points per game four consecutive seasons from 1954-55 through 1957-58. . . . Bill Reigel, playing for his third college in six seasons, led the nation's small-college players with a 33.9-point average when he paced McNeese State to the 1956 NAIA Tournament title. Reigel had averaged 18 points per game for the Duquesne freshman team in 1950-51 and 16.3 points per game for the Duke varsity in 1952-53 before entering military service. He later coached McNeese for three seasons from 1971-72 through 1973-74. . . . One of McNeese's three defeats in its championship season was at Lamar, 61-60, after the Cowboys had clobbered the Cardinals (12-12) by a total of 84 points in two early-season contests. The governor of Louisiana threatened McNeese to pull out of tourney if HBCU were allowed to participate. The Cowboys ultimately went against the governor's wishes and defeated HBCU powerhouse Texas Southern in national final. . . . Long-time Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy directed the basketball squad from Coe (Iowa) in the 1956 NAIA Tournament. . . . Lee Pfund, the coach for 1957 NCAA Division II champion Wheaton (Ill.), compiled a 3-2 pitching record for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945. The all-time winningest coach for Wheaton had three sons (John, Kerry and Randy) each score more than 1,150 points for the school. Randy went on to become coach of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers before becoming vice-president of the Miami Heat. NBA coach Donn Nelson, who gained a reputation as an authority on foreign basketball talent, collected 1,460 points and 538 rebounds for Wheaton in the mid-1980s. . . . Western Illinois missed an opportunity to become the nation's only undefeated college team in 1957-58 when it lost to Tennessee State, 85-73, in the NAIA Tournament championship game. Western had defeated Tennessee State, 79-76, earlier in the season. It was one of three consecutive NAIA titles won by Tennessee State, which boasted future pros Dick Barnett, John Barnhill and Ben Warley. . . . Davis & Elkins' Paul Wilcox, 6-6, is the only player to lead the NAIA in scoring (22.6 ppg) and rebounding (22.3 rpg) in the same season (1958-59). . . . In 1959, North Carolina A&T became the first predominantly black institution to participate in NCAA Division II national playoff competition. The Aggies finished third in the tourney. . . . Jack Madden, the dean of NBA referees for an extended period, graduated from Rider (N.J.) in 1959 as the school's career leader in scoring and rebounding.

Jazz vocalist Al Jarreau, a five-time Grammy winner, played for Ripon (Wis.) in the early 1960s. . . . The NAIA All-Stars upset NCAA champion Ohio State, 76-69, in a first-round game in the 1960 Olympic Trials. The NAIA zone defense limited Buckeye All-American Jerry Lucas to 14 points. . . . The first final NCAA College Division poll in 1960-61 included three coaches - Stan Albeck (Northern Michigan), Harry Gallatin (Southern Illinois) and Butch van Breda Kolff (Hofstra) - who went on to coach in the NBA for at least four seasons. In the next 10 campaigns, three other coaches - Bill Fitch (North Dakota), Bill Musselman (Ashland) and Scotty Robertson (Louisiana Tech) - guided College Division schools to a final Top 10 spot before moving up to the NBA for at least five years. Fitch and his successor, Jimmy Rodgers, coached multiple NBA teams. . . . The 1961-62 All-SWAC first-team selections included three frontcourters who later played at least 10 seasons in the pros - Prairie View's Zelmo Beaty, Southern's Bob Love and Grambling's Willis Reed. . . . Grambling finished in the top 10 of the first 76 weeks of College Division/Division II polls from January 5, 1961 through the end of the 1966-67 campaign. The Tigers, coached by Fred Hobdy, placed in the top five 40 consecutive weeks from March 2, 1961, through January 28, 1965. Grambling supplied seven top 20 NBA draft choices in a 20-year span from 1957 through 1976 before moving up to the NCAA Division I level - Bob McCoy (10th in 1957), Hershell West (16th in 1963), Reed (10th in 1964), Wilbert Frazier (12th in 1965), Jimmy Jones (13th in 1967), Fred Hilton (19th in 1971) and Larry Wright (14th in 1976).

Ronnie Maravich, a letterman for Georgia Southern in 1961-62, is a half-brother of Hall of Famer Pete Maravich (NCAA DI all-time leading scorer from LSU). . . . North Carolina A&T's Hugh Evans, a 12th-round draft choice by the St. Louis Hawks in 1963, went on to become a long-time NBA referee. Evans, a high school teammate in New York with Connie Hawkins and a college teammate of Al Attles, spent three years in the San Francisco Giants' minor league system. . . . Longtime Harlem Globetrotter Fred "Curly" Neal was an All-CIAA selection for Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) in 1962-63. . . . South Dakota State's decisive basket in a 44-42 decision over Wittenberg (Ohio) in the 1963 College Division Tournament final was a 40-foot baseball pass by Sid Bostic that went in after the buzzer sounded while the ball was in flight. . . . Winthrop "Wink" Davenport, who holds career average (19.6 ppg) and single-game (44 points as a junior vs. Bowdoin on February 2, 1963) scoring records for Wesleyan (Conn.), is the father of former women's tennis sensation Lindsay Davenport. He played for the U.S. volleyball team in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. . . . John Fred Gourrier, the lead vocalist for rock-and-roll group John Fred and the Playboy Band featuring hit single Judy in Disguise, was a 6-5 forward for Southeastern Louisiana in the mid-1960s. . . . Sam Alford, father of former Indiana All-American guard Steve Alford, led the NAIA in free-throw shooting in 1963-64. The elder Alford hit 91.2% of his foul shots for Franklin (Ind.) that season. . . . Midwestern (Tex.) defeated Austin College, 14-11, in overtime in 1964. Midwestern held a 4-1 halftime lead and the teams were tied at 8-8 at the end of regulation. Midwestern had won an earlier game that season with Austin by 40 points, 92-52. . . . Bob Jones, the all-time leading rebounder for Georgetown College (Ky.), is the father of former Virginia All-American guard and coach Jeff Jones. . . . Evansville was ranked No. 1 for 19 consecutive weeks from January 30, 1964, through the end of the 1964-65 season. . . . Jerry Sloan outscored Walt Frazier, 25-16, in Evansville's 85-82 victory over Southern Illinois in the 1965 NCAA College Division Tournament final. They went on to become NBA All-Defensive Team first-team selections the same year four times in seven seasons from 1968-69 through 1974-75. . . . Emmy Award-winning writer Bob Einstein, who created the Super Dave Osborne hapless stuntman character, averaged 5 ppg and 2.9 rpg for Chapman (Calif.) in 1963-64 and 1964-65. . . . Writer-director Ron Shelton, synonymous with numerous sports movies, scored 1,420 points for Westmont (Calif.) in the mid-1960s. . . . Ken Howard, street-savvy high school teacher in CBS classic drama The White Shadow, was third-leading all-time scorer for Amherst (Mass.) when his career ended in 1966. . . . Shippensburg's team in the mid-1960s had four different players eventually coach high school state championship teams in the mid-1980s during their careers following graduation. Art Taneyhill and Reggie Weiss coached basketball champions in Pennsylvania while Harry Chapman and Jim Deibler coached football titlists. . . . Wilberforce (Ohio) forward Lonnie Lynn Sr., a 1966 NBA draft choice of the St. Louis Hawks who played in the ABA in 1969-70, is the father of entertainer "Common" (previously Common Sense), a hip hop artist, actor and rap poet who was invited to the White House by the Obama Administration. . . . In 1966-67, Cleveland State's John McLendon became the first African-American to coach at an integrated college in the United States. He had previously been the first black coach at the professional level with the ABL's Cleveland Pipers. . . . In 1966-67, Kentucky Wesleyan had its first of 13 full seasons ranked in the top 10 of College Division/Division II polls (1967-68-69-82-84-87-90-98-99-00-01-02-03). . . . Rockhurst's Ed McKee, a 10th-round choice of the ABA's Indiana Pacers in its initial draft in 1967, went on to become P.R. director of the franchise after it merged with the NBA. McKee was also SID for Indiana State when Larry Bird gained national notoriety. . . . Ashland (Ohio) was coached by Bill Musselman in 1967-68 when the school allowed only 33.9 points per game, an NCAA record. . . . Scranton (Pa.), boasting a 20-5 record in 1968-69 under coach Nat Volpe, defeated five different major colleges that season - Lehigh, Rider, Lafayette, Colgate and Seton Hall. . . . Youngstown State's John McElroy became the shortest player (6-0) ever to score 70 or more points in a game involving NCAA colleges when he scored 72 against Wayne State (Mich.) on February 26, 1969. . . . Mickey Gibson, a transfer from Kentucky who was dismissed from the Wildcats' squad by coach Adolph Rupp because he got married, set the UNC-Asheville single-game scoring record with 44 points against Washington & Lee on February 8, 1969.

The first family of small-college basketball, if not all of hoopdom, could be the six brothers Jones from McGehee, Ark., all 6-8 or taller, who became the top six rebounders in Albany (Ga.) State history during the 1960s and 1970s. Oliver and Melvin were borderline pro prospects before Wil (nine), Caldwell (17), Major (six) and Charles (15) each played a minimum of six ABA/NBA seasons. Major Jones, 6-9, led NCAA Division II rebounders in 1974-75 with an average of 22.5 per game. He is the last Division I or Division II player to average at least 20 per game.

Doug Williams, a 32-year-old Air Force veteran, earned NAIA first-team All-American honors for St. Mary's (Tex.) in 1969-70 when he averaged 18.9 points per game. He scored 24 in a 76-66 upset of Houston. . . . Elmore Smith, a 7-0 center for 1970 NAIA champion Kentucky State, was called for goal tending 12 times in a 116-98 defeat against Eastern Michigan. . . . New Orleans won 38 consecutive home games in a small arena nicknamed the "Chamber of Horrors" after losing its opener against Louisiana College in the Privateers' varsity debut in 1969-70. LC, coached by Billy Allgood, also defeated Mississippi State that season. LC beat the following six eventual DI in-state schools at least five times apiece from 1964-65 through 1974-75: Louisiana Tech, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Northeast Louisiana, Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana. The Wildcats also upended Tulane three times from 1962-63 through 1967-68 before becoming the first predominantly white school to play a home-and-home season series against a HBCU (Grambling in 1971-72). . . . Stephen F. Austin, the top-ranked team at the NCAA College Division level in 1969-70, had four players selected in the NBA draft after the season - Narvis Anderson, George E. Johnson, Surry Oliver and Erwin Polnick. . . . Curlee Conners, Southeastern Louisiana's leading scorer and rebounder in 1969-70 and 1970-71, is an uncle of Marcus Dupree from Philadelphia, Miss., and a central figure in the recruiting of the nation's premier prep running back by Oklahoma in the early 1980s. . . . In 1970, with an enrollment under 650 students, three Maryland State College players from a 29-2 team were selected in the NBA draft - Jake Ford (2nd round), Levi Fontaine (5th) and James "Bones" Morgan (7th). Four years later, the school (now known as Maryland-Eastern Shore) had three more players chosen from a 27-2 squad - Rubin Collins (2nd), Talvin Skinner (3rd) and William "Billy" Gordon (4th). . . . Tennessee State edged Oglethorpe (Ga.), 7-4, on February 16, 1971, in what is believed to be the lowest-scoring college game since the center jump was eliminated prior to the 1937-38 season. Tennessee State had overwhelmed Oglethorpe, 82-43, earlier in the season. . . . Louisiana Tech had two players selected fourth overall in an NBA draft - Jackie Moreland (Detroit Pistons in 1960) and Mike Green (Seattle SuperSonics in 1973). . . . Birmingham-Southern's Russell Thompson scored 25 points without making a field-goal attempt in a 55-46 victory over Florence State in the 1970-71 season. He converted 25 of 28 free throws. . . . Less than seven hours after returning to campus following a quarterfinal defeat against eventual 1971 NAIA champion Kentucky State, Grambling's Charlie Anderson died as a result of injuries suffered in a hit-and-run auto accident. Anderson, who averaged 18.3 ppg and 17.8 rpg, provided the game-winning basket in the Tigers' overtime win against Glassboro State (N.J.) in second round. . . . Kentucky State's Travis "Machine Gun" Grant set the single-game NAIA Tournament scoring record with 60 points against Minot State in 1972. Grant finished his four-year college career with 4,045 points and a 33.4-point average. . . . Roanoke guard Hal Johnston, whose athletic career was almost ended when he fractured his skull in a fall from a truck as a senior in high school, was a runaway choice for most outstanding player honors at the 1972 NCAA College Division Tournament. . . . Robert "Firechief" Smith came to USC-Spartanburg in 1972 as a 34-year-old center, powering USCS to its first two winning seasons. He averaged 9.9 rpg in 1973-74, when he was named MVP of the Palmetto Conference Tournament - the first title of any kind in the history of the program. . . . Guilford won the 1973 NAIA Tournament with a lineup that included included three future NBA players - Lloyd Free, M.L. Carr and Greg Jackson. Guilford's top reserve was Steve Hankins, a 6-6, 220-pound, 28-year-old Marine Corps veteran who had served 44 months in Vietnam and was one of the military pallbearers at President Kennedy's funeral. . . . Guilford (N.C.) and Tennessee State are the only two small colleges to have two alums score more than 20 points per game in an NBA season - Free and Bob Kaufmann attended Guilford, while Dick Barnett and Truck Robinson attended Tennessee State.

Guard Greg Procell averaged 11.5 ppg in two seasons for Northwestern State in 1972-73 and 1973-74. Procell, a native of Noble, La. (Ebarb H.S.), held the national high school scoring record (6,702 points) until 2002 when it was broken by Jeremy Monceaux at Parkway Christian Academy of Birmingham, Ala., after Monceaux played varsity as a seventh- and eighth-grader at Spencer, La. Procell's NSU-career high was 27 points as a junior in a 76-70 overtime loss at Northeast Louisiana. He originally signed with Southwestern Louisiana, but when the Rajun Cajuns' program was shut down for NCAA infractions Procell attended Panola (Tex.) Community College, where he averaged 33.7 ppg as a freshman and 28.5 ppg as a sophomore. Procell, who had a J.C. single-game high of 57 points, became a fishing guide on Toledo Bend and an assistant principal at Huntington High in Shreveport. . . . Leon Gobczynski, a 6-10 center, averaged 36.1 points per game for Millikin (Ill.) in the 1973-74 season despite being blanked by Augustana (Ill.) in an 88-61 defeat. Gobczynski, who had scored 43 points in an earlier game that year between the two teams, missed all nine of his field-goal attempts in 36 minutes of playing time. . . . Salem (W. Va.) College's Archie Talley set an NAIA record for most points in a season (1,347) in 1975-76 when he averaged 40.8 per game. . . . Philadelphia Textile defeated a different Big Five school in three consecutive seasons from 1975-76 through 1977-78 - Villanova twice, Temple and St. Joseph's. . . . Amherst's Jim Rehnquist, son of Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, finished fifth in NCAA Division III scoring in 1976-77 with an average of 27.8 points per game. . . . Dave Robbins, who is white, became coach at Virginia Union in 1978-79 in the predominantly black CIAA. Robbins went on to win more CIAA Tournaments than any coach in league history. VUU finished in the Top 10 of final national rankings nine consecutive seasons from 1987-88 through 1995-96 and 12 of 13 beginning in 1983-84. . . . Former Briar Cliff (Iowa) players comprised Panama's entire starting lineup in the 1987 Pan American Games. Four members of Briar Cliff's "Panamanian Pipeline" were selected in NBA drafts from 1978 through 1981 (Mario Butler, Rolando Frazer, Tito Malcolm and Ed Warren). In the late 1980s, the first five spots on the school's career scoring list were Panamanians.

Mark Curry, a comedian starring in ABC's hit black sitcom Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, played center with California State-Hayward for three seasons in the early 1980s. . . . When Tampa resurrected its men's program in 1983-84 after a 13-year hiatus, coach Richard Schmidt took his first-year squad, starting one junior transfer and four freshmen, and won the Sunshine State Conference postseason tournament and automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs en route to a 20-11 record. It was the first time in NCAA history that a first-year team in any division qualified for the national tourney. Schmidt is a professional aviculturist who breeds exotic birds and raises other prize-winning animals on his ranch. Entertainer Wayne Newton has purchased birds from him. . . . Ron Morse, averaging a modest 3.6 ppg, lifted Fort Hays State (Kan.) to an 82-80 overtime triumph against Wayland Baptist (Tex.) in 1985 NAIA tourney final with a 15-fgoot game-winning, buzzer-beater. The unlikely hero is the son of Fort Hays coach Bill Morse. . . . Southeastern Oklahoma's Dennis Rodman registered 46 points and 32 rebounds in a single NAIA Tournament game in 1986. His rebounding total is tied for the most in a single game in tourney history. . . . Former Phoenix Suns/Seattle SuperSonics coach Paul Westphal guided Grand Canyon (Ariz.) to the 1988 NAIA title. . . . Four of the eight NAIA finals from 1981 through 1988 required extra sessions. Nine of 11 championship games in one stretch were decided in overtime or by fewer than six points in regulation. . . . Chuck Randall, Western Washington's longtime coach, invented the Slam-Dunk basketball rim. . . . Gary Lydic, a guard for the junior varsity as a freshman at McPherson (Kan.) and student assistant coach as a senior, served as director of ministry services for Focus on the Family when the organization was headquartered in Pasadena, Calif. On the morning Hall of Famer Pete Maravich died of a heart attack stemming from a heart defect, Lydic was among the men playing with him in a pickup game before the 40-year-old legend was slated to be interviewed on a Christian radio program. . . . Michael Jordan wasn't the best former college basketball standout performing as an outfielder with Birmingham (AA Southern League) in the Chicago White Sox's farm system in 1994. The superior baseball player was teammate Scott Tedder, a 6-4 lefthander who graduated as Ohio Wesleyan's all-time leading scorer in 1988. Tedder, playing about 1/4 of the '94 season in the league with Orlando, hit .281 while Jordan managed a lowly .202 and amassed more than 2 1/2 times as many strikeouts (114). Tedder posted a .261 average over five years with the Barons. Another ex-college hoop standout on the Barons' roster that year was Ken Coleman, a utilityman who hit .191. Coleman is New Haven's all-time leader in assists after leading the Chargers in scoring feeds all four seasons from 1984-85 through 1987-88. Coleman, a two-time All-NECC basketball selection, played seven years in the minor leagues. . . . The pep song for Chadron (Neb.) State should have been "Here's to Mrs. Robinson" during eight seasons from 1988-89 through 1995-96 when three brothers (Josh, Jason and Jeremy Robinson) played for the Eagles. Each of Gerry and Triss Robinson's sons was a four-year starter and they collaborated for 5,081 points and 2,138 rebounds in a total of 330 games. No one can determine for sure, but they might have combined for more points and rebounds than any other trio of brothers at any single college. Josh, the eldest brother, finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer (2,041 points). . . . Marquette's Al McGuire wasn't the only former Belmont Abbey (N.C.) coach to make a name for himself at the major-college level. All four Belmont Abbey coaches in the 1980s went on to coach Division I schools - Bobby Hussey (Davidson/Virginia Tech), Eddie Payne (East Carolina/Oregon State), Kevin Eastman (UNC Wilmington/Washington State) and Rick Scruggs (Gardner-Webb). . . . Todd Beamer, a backup guard for Wheaton (Ill.) in 1988-89, was the Oracle Corp account manager traveling from New Jersey to California on United Airlines Flight 93 for a business meeting on September 11, 2001, when helping lead a "let's roll" takeover by passengers from Islamic terrorists, forcing the plane down in Pennsylvania countryside about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

Todd Rowe, a 1992 graduate who is the all-time leading scorer for Malone (Ohio), became the first player in a professional Chinese league to score 3,000 points before he moved on to a league in Japan. . . . Bob Hoffman was deprived of becoming the first coach in NAIA history to guide men's and women's champions when No. 1 seed Oklahoma Baptist bowed to Hawaii Pacific (88-83) in the 1993 championship game. Hoffman had directed Southern Nazarene (Okla.) to the 1989 NAIA women's title. . . . John Pierce of David Lipscomb (Tenn.) became college basketball's all-time leading scorer after totaling 33 points in his 1993-94 regular-season finale, a 119-102 triumph over Cumberland. Pierce's 4,110 total career points broke former roommate Phil Hutcheson's mark of 4,106 set in the 1990 NAIA Tournament. . . . NAIA powerhouse Life (Ga.) had a 99-game homecourt winning streak, the third longest in college history, snapped by Talladega (Ala.), 75-72, in January 1999. Talladega was an unlikely spoiler, having won just two of its first 16 games that season. Life went on to become the first unseeded team to win the NAIA Tournament by overcoming a 26-point deficit to frustrate Mobile, 63-60. . . . Central Arkansas ranks among the schools for most NAIA Tournament appearances but none of those were when 1992 U.S. basketball Olympian and Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen played for the Bears. . . . David Lipscomb's Don Meyer reached the 700-win plateau quicker than any coach in college history. He compiled 702 victories through 1998-99 in 24 seasons before leaving for Northern State (S.D.) when he disagreed with Lipscomb's decision to move up to NCAA Division I. His 1989-90 squad won a college basketball-record 41 games. Meyer, atop the NCAA win list among active coaches with 891 at the time in 2008, had his left leg amputated below the knee after an auto accident. Meyer either fell asleep or was distracted when his car crossed the center line and collided with a semi. Meyer, 63, was diagnosed with a slow-growing cancer in his liver and bowels that doctors said might not have been found had he not been injured. . . . Six different members of the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) from the state of Missouri - Central Missouri State, Missouri-Rolla, Missouri Southern, Missouri Western, Northwest Missouri State and Southwest Baptist - finished with a final Top 10 ranking in a 12-year span from 1990-91 through 2001-02. . . . Prior to the inaugural season for Westminster (Pa.) in the NCAA in 1998-99, the Titans were acknowledged as the all-time winningest program in NAIA history with 1,299 victories. . . . Danny Miles, en route to reaching the 1,000-win plateau in 2013-14, earned triumph No. 400 in 4 1/2 hours because a broken rim at Simpson College in Redding, Calif., forced the game to be moved 20 miles to another facility. In college at Southern Oregon, Miles set the all-time pass completion percentage record for both NCAA and NAIA for a single season based on 225 attempts (1965, 190-247, .769) and career percentage based on 500 completions (1964-67, 577-871, .662).

Three different North Dakota State coaches the first three years of the 21st Century - Ray Giacoletti, Greg McDermott and Tim Miles - went on to guide other schools at the NCAA Division I level to national postseason competition. . . . Kenyan Charles Maina, who led Lynn (Fla.) in blocked shots two seasons in the late 1990s, starred in the nationally-acclaimed movie "The Air Up There." . . . Haitian Robert Joseph of Union (Tenn.) surpassed David Robinson's record by becoming the single-season blocked shots leader for all levels of college basketball with 242 rejections in 2001-02. . . . The College of Staten Island (N.Y.) started hosting an in-season tournament, called CSI Tournament of Heroes, to pay homage to three former CSI players (Terrance Aiken, Scott Davidson and Tom Hannafin) who perished during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Aiken had just started a computer consulting job on the 97th floor of World Trade Center Tower I while Davidson and Hannafin were New York City firefighters. . . . Jaeson Maravich, a son of NCAA all-time leading scorer Pete Maravich, was an NAIA All-American for William Carey (Miss.) in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Jaeson previously had stints with Alabama and McNeese State sidetracked by a back ailment. . . . Hope International (Calif.) ended a 60-game losing streak with a 94-84 win over Redlands (Calif.) in 2003-04. . . . Jack Bennett, the coach of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's 2004 NCAA Division III champion, is a brother of Dick Bennett, who guided Wisconsin to the 2000 NCAA Division I Tournament Final Four. Just like Dick had a son (Tony) play for him at Wisconsin-Green Bay, Jack had a son (Nick) who supplied 83 three-pointers for the Pointers in 2003-04. . . . Grinnell (Iowa) set an NCAA single-season scoring record for all levels by averaging 126.2 points per game in 2003-04. The Pioneers (18-6) had more three-pointers (530) than either two-point baskets (472) or free throws (495). Boasting eight players with more than 25 treys, they scored fewer than 100 points only three times. Grinnell coach David Arseneault had his teams press from the start and they would surrender a layup for a chance to come back down and take a three-point shot. The Pioneers hit 530 of 1,582 attempts from beyond the arc (33.5%).

The Moir family has accounted for more than 1,500 college victories. Page Moir became the all-time winningest coach for a school, Roanoke (Va.), where his father, Charles, won the 1972 NCAA College Division crown before coaching at the Division I level with Virginia Tech and Tulane. Charles' brother, Sam, coached at Catawba (N.C.) for 31 seasons. . . . In 2006, Texas Wesleyan became the fourth unseeded team in eight years to capture the NAIA Division I title. Three years later, Rocky Mountain (Mont.) defeated Columbia (Mo.) in the first championship game between two unseeded teams since seeding was introduced in 1957. . . . In 2011, Georgetown College (Ky.) became the first school to appear in at least 30 NAIA tourneys while becoming the initial institution to make 20 consecutive trips. Georgetown's emotional run to the 1996 tourney final was in honor of its dying coach, Jim Reid, who battled cancer before dying less than a month after the campaign concluded. . . . Brian Rice, a 43-year-old Navy retiree, was a backup for Geneva (Pa.) in 2012-13.

Numerous small-college hoopers were so versatile they eventually excelled professionally in other major sports. Earning acclaim as MLB All-Stars were: George Altman (Tennessee State), Glenn Beckert (Allegheny PA), Frank Bolling (Spring Hill AL), Al Bumbry (Virginia State), Mickey Cochrane (Boston University), George Crowe (Indiana Central), Larry Doby (Virginia Union), Rick Ferrell (Guilford NC), Wayne Gross (Cal Poly Pomona), Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State), Bill Henry (Houston), Chuck Hinton (Shaw NC), Gil Hodges (St. Joseph's IN/Oakland City IN), Monte Irvin (Lincoln PA), Duane Josephson (Northern Iowa), David Justice (Thomas More KY), Dave Lemanczyk (Hartwick NY), Danny Litwhiler (Bloomsburg PA), Davey Lopes (Iowa Wesleyan/Washburn KS), Jerry Lumpe (Southwest Missouri State), Bake McBride (Westminster MO), Graig Nettles (San Diego State), Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD), Joe Niekro (West Liberty WV), Claude Passeau (Millsaps MS), Gary Peters (Grove City PA), Rip Repulski (St. Cloud State MN), Preacher Roe (Harding AR), Richie Scheinblum (LIU-C.W. Post), Hal Schumacher (St. Lawrence NY), Jeff Shaw (Rio Grande OH), Norm Siebern (Southwest Missouri State), Dick Siebert (Concordia-St. Paul MN), Matt Thornton (Grand Valley State MI), Bob Veale (Benedictine KS), Wes Westrum (Bemidji State MN) and Bill White (Hiram OH). Among current small-college alums, Bumbry, Doby, Hodges, Irvin, Justice, Litwhiler, Lopes, McBride, Nicholson, Niekro, Passeau, Repulski, Roe, Schumacher, Veale, Westrum and White participated in World Series competition along with former small-school hoopers Mike Adams (Texas A&M-Kingsville), Morrie Arnovich (Wisconsin-Superior), Clyde Barnhart (Shippensburg PA), Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State NC), Donn Clendenon (Morehouse GA), Jack Coombs (Colby ME), Harry Craft (Mississippi College), Jean Dubuc (Saint Michael's VT), George Earnshaw (Swarthmore PA), Ray Fisher (Middlebury VT), Jake Flowers (Washington College MD), Gene Freese (West Liberty State WV), Mike Gazella (Mansfield PA), Charlie Gelbert (Lebanon Valley PA), Dick Hall (Swarthmore PA), Bobby Humphreys (Hampden-Sydney VA), Lou Johnson (Kentucky State), Lynn Jones (Thiel PA), Ernie Krueger (Lake Forest IL), Dave Leonhard (Johns Hopkins MD), Les Mann (Springfield MA), Roger Mason (Saginaw Valley State MI), Jimmy Moore (Union TN), Red Murray (Lock Haven PA), Greasy Neale (West Virginia Wesleyan), Billy North (Central Washington), Jim Northrup (Alma College MI), Curly Ogden (Swarthmore PA), Joe Ostrowski (Scranton PA), Jack Phillips (Clarkson NY), Carl Reynolds (Southwestern TX), Paul Splittorff (Morningside IA), Kent Tekulve (Marietta OH), Bill Virdon (Drury MO), Ray Washburn (Whitworth WA), Monte Weaver (Emory & Henry VA), Dib Williams (Hendrix AR) and Tom Zachary (Guilford NC).

Ex-hoopers among NFL/AFL Pro Bowl selections included: Ken Anderson (Augustana IL), Ordell Braase (South Dakota), Marlin Briscoe (Nebraska-Omaha), Buck Buchanan (Grambling), Harold Carmichael (Southern LA), Ben Coates (Livingstone NC), Charley Cowan (New Mexico Highlands), Elbert Dubenion (Bluffton OH), London Fletcher (John Carroll OH), Len Ford (Morgan State), Jean Fugett (Amherst MA), Bill Groman (Heidelberg OH), Harlon Hill (Florence State AL), Vincent Jackson (Northern Colorado), Dave Jennings (St. Lawrence NY), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (Tennessee State), Jacoby Jones (Lane TN), Gary Larsen (Concordia MN), Joe Lavender (San Diego State), Rolland Lawrence (Tabor KS), Cy McClairen (Bethune-Cookman FL), Bob McLeod (Abilene Christian TX), Zeke Moore (Lincoln MO), Elvin "Kink" Richards (Simpson IA), Art Shell (Maryland-Eastern Shore), Rod Smith (Missouri Southern State), Ed Sprinkle (Hardin-Simmons TX), Lionel Taylor (New Mexico Highlands), Otis Taylor (Prairie View A&M) and Rayfield Wright (Fort Valley State GA). Anderson, Braase, Briscoe, Buchanan, Carmichael, Coates, Fletcher, Fugett, J. Jones, Larsen, Shell, Smith, O. Taylor and Wright were Super Bowl participants along with former small-college hoopers Kevin Boss (Western Oregon), Vern Den Herder (Central College IA), Jim Duncan (Maryland-Eastern Shore), Bob Lurtsema (Michigan Tech), Keith McKeller (Jacksonville State AL), Herb McMath (Morningside IA), Pete Metzelaars (Wabash IN), Wayne Moore (Lamar), Charles Philyaw (Texas Southern), Charlie Stukes (UMES) and Fuzzy Thurston (Valparaiso).

Smaller colleges, many from the hinterlands, supplied a striking number of the biggest names in major-college coaching. From 1995 through 2000, five of the six NCAA Division I Tournament championship coaches graduated from obscure colleges with significantly smaller enrollments - Jim Calhoun (American International MA), Jim Harrick (Charleston WV), Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan), Lute Olson (Augsburg MN) and Tubby Smith (High Point NC). In fact, it is rare for a Final Four not to feature at least one coach from a humble background. John Calipari, a graduate of Clarion (Pa.) State, guided Kentucky to the 2012 national championship before Michigan's John Beilein (Wheeling Jesuit NY), Wichita State's Gregg Marshall (Randolph-Macon VA) and Butler's Brad Stevens (DePauw IN) directed teams to the Final Four this decade. Small-school hoopers who coached prominent universities to multiple bowl games include Dan Devine (Minnesota-Duluth), Tom Osborne (Hastings NE) and Bobby Petrino (Carroll MT). Title game coaches in the NFL and AFL after playing small-college hoops include Wally Lemm (Carroll WI) and Marv Levy (Coe IA). Status as a cash cow notwithstanding, it would appear no one should have been able to accuse the NCAA hierarchy of unabashed favoritism for the DI level. After all, former Executive Director Cedric Dempsey (Albion MI) and former enforcement chief David Berst (MacMurray IL) were small-school hoopers. Dempsey coached his alma mater after he was named MIAA MVP in 1953-54. Berst averaged 6.3 ppg and 4 rpg and held the school's baseball record for best ERA in a career before coaching both sports at his alma mater.

Amid coronavirus pandemic, the Ivy League cancelled its season last year. Cynics might suggest the majority of Ivy members haven't really been "playing" for about a century. Yale (23-7 in 2019-20) was among five Ivy League members saddled with all-time losing record for decades before finally going over the career .500 threshold two years ago.

Baylor's boffo records the past two seasons enabled the Bears to surpass the .500 mark in its history. Northwestern (.416) and Texas Christian (.467) are the only power-conference members posting all-time losing standards. Potential HBCU trend-setter Makur Maker didn't hang around very long, but he would have required eight years of eligibility and divine intervention creating all undefeated seasons during that extended span to enable Howard University to get back to the .500 level. VMI has assembled the most repulsive winning percentage (.370) among the following current NCAA Division I schools in the subterranean category after competing in basketball for more than 100 mainly futility-laced seasons: