fellow junkies, post all helpful scoop

[Hoosier Action]

It's right around the corner fellow cappers. My high school team starts practice October 24.

Let's use this thread to post anything that will be helpful to us all. Injuries, suspensions, new coaches styles, anything that could be helpful or useful. Info is everything.

I'll start it out with a few from my home state.


Indiana's Creek out for year after freak injury

Indiana's junior guard suffered a torn Achilles and according to sources, is expected to miss the season following surgery on Monday.

The Hoosiers, via a statement, said that Creek was injured "away from the basketball court."

One source told CBSSports.com that it was a "freak injury that occurred away from the court" and that "Creek wasn't doing anything wrong."

What matter, though, is that this is a huge hit. Not only to Creek, who has now suffered three significant injuries in his two-year college career, but also to a Hoosiers program that appeared primed to make a leap forward this season.

"This is a devastating blow for someone who has worked so hard to get himself in a position to help this program again," Indiana coach Tom Crean said in a statement.

With a healthy Creek, Crean & Co. could have made a move this season. This is a veteran team that has added a frontcourt stud in Cody Zeller.

Put a healthy Creek with a motivated Christian Watford and Zeller - along with the other pieces in Bloomington - and you've got a team that could crack the top half of the Big Ten.

Especially with the Big Ten losing a bunch from a year ago.

Now it's going to be a challenge for IU without Creek.

Creek had surgery for a broken patella in December of 2009 and his season ended prematurely a year ago - in January - due to a stress fracture in his right patella.

When healthy, Creek can be a guy who you can build around. He averaged 16.4 points as a freshman prior to his first injury. However, he's played just 30 games in two seasons and now it looks like he'll miss this entire year.

ND's Abromaitis suspended 4 games

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey announced on Tuesday that forward Tim Abromaitis will miss the first four games of the regular season due to a violation during the 2008-09 season.

In his sophomore campaign, Abromaitis played in two exhibition games and then sat out the rest of the season as a redshirt. The NCAA allows freshmen to play in preseason games and still redshirt – but not sophomores, juniors or seniors. According to the rule, Abromaitis technically used a season of eligibility with those two games.

“This certainly was an unfortunate misunderstanding that I had of the NCAA rule,” Brey said in a statement. “I discovered that I had misinterpreted the rule midway through the 2008-09 season and immediately reported it to our compliance office.”

Abromaitis will use his fifth year of eligibility this season, after sitting out four games against Mississippi Valley State, Detroit, Sam Houston State and Delaware State. He will return against Missouri in the CBE Classic semifinals on November 21. It doesn't seem like the Fighting Irish will have much trouble dispatching any of the first four teams, although Ray McCallum and Detroit could pose a threat. In Abromaitis' place, Jerian Grant will get an opportunity to provide a perimeter boost. The slasher sat out his freshman season, but is very aggressive at both ends of the floor.

Abromaitis, a 6-foot-8 Connecticut native, averaged 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds last season. He shot nearly 43 percent from 3-point range.

[Hoosier Action]

By Jeff Goodman

• Kevin Parrom's status for this season remains up in the air.

Arizona's junior wing, expected to be one of the Wildcats top players this season following the departure of Derrick Williams to the NBA, was shot while back home in New York last month.

Miller said there is no timetable for his return.

Not yet.

"We are cautiously optimistic based on his progress," Miller told CBSSports.com on Wednesday. "But we don't know when he'll be back - if at all this season."

Miller said that Parrom returned to Tucson with no feeling below his right knee.

"He's going to run under water this weekend," Miller said.

Miller reiterated that the plan is to continue to monitor Parrom's progress before making a decision.

He also said that he won't place Parrom and his long-term future in jeopardy.

"We've already talked about the possibility of redshirting," Miller said. "But it depends on the progress he continues to make."

"Again, we're optimistic he'll be able to play this season," he added. "But we honestly don't know right now. He could be back for the first game, for league play or not at all."

[Hoosier Action]

Anderson eyes remodeling of Razorbacks program

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - The smell of a fresh coat of paint hung throughout Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday.

The sprucing up was part of an offseason of work inside Arkansas' basketball home, though it's only a small part of the "remodeling" coach Mike Anderson faces in his first year.

Anderson left Missouri in March to return to where he helped lead the Razorbacks to the 1994 national championship as an assistant coach under Nolan Richardson. His arrival was a homecoming of sorts, and it was treated as such - with an estimated 5,000 Arkansas fans greeting Anderson during his introduction as former coach John Pelphrey's replacement.

It's a honeymoon that Anderson said has carried throughout the offseason and to now, with the Razorbacks set to begin practices Friday.

That was then, however, and this is now. And now means the harsh reality that Arkansas basketball isn't the perennial power it was during Anderson's first go-around at the school. The Razorbacks were 18-13 last season, missing the NCAA tournament for the third straight year.

"This is a new era," Anderson said. "What took place here the last few years, that happened. Now we're at another point in Razorback basketball history, and my goal is to take it to the top."

Arkansas also saw a steady decline in attendance in Pelphrey's four seasons - from 17,148 his first season to 12,022 in 18 games last season in the 19,200-seat arena.

Anderson was 111-57 in five seasons at Missouri, including an appearance in the final eight in 2009. The Tigers were 23-11 last season, losing to Cincinnati in the first round of the NCAA tournament. He was 89-41 in four season at Alabama-Birmingham before that and has no doubt that the Razorbacks can return to one of the Southeastern Conference's elite teams.

"We're remodeling some of the offices; we're gonna remodel the mindset of our players," Anderson said. "And at the same time, remodel our fans and get them engaged.

"Our fans have always been a part of Razorback basketball."

Anderson's remodeling job could have the feel of a total makeover this season. Seven former players left Arkansas after last season, including three who transferred to other schools.

That includes scoring leader Rotnei Clarke, who initially said he would stay at Arkansas before transferring to Butler during the summer. Clarke averaged 15.2 points last season and shot 44 percent on 3-pointers.

"I always say, `I don't worry about what I don't have,"' Anderson said. "We're going to work with the players that we do have, and we're going to field a team that's going to be competitive."

The Razorbacks, who have only 10 scholarship players, return only 45 percent of last season's scoring and are counting on forward Marshawn Powell to help offset the roster turnover. Powell averaged 14.9 points per game as a freshman before a foot injury before last season limited his effectiveness.

Powell averaged 10.8 points per game last season, and his rebounding average fell from 6.7 per game as a freshman to 4.5 last season. The junior said he's nearly fully recovered from another foot injury after last season, and he's enjoyed a fresh start under Anderson.

"We appreciate coach just spending that time and working with us and giving us time to adjust to his system," Powell said. "I just can't wait. I'm excited; I'm ready."

A talented group of four incoming freshmen are also being counted on for the Razorbacks, though Anderson warned, "They're not gonna be the savior." The highly recruited group includes Ky Madden, Devonta Abron, B.J. Young and Hunter Mickelson, and Madden said they've blended quickly with the upperclassmen.

"We don't come in and think that we are the best, you know," Madden said. "... We're not Superman or (anything). We're just here to help. As far as I'm concerned ... I'm Robin."

[Hoosier Action]

Chris Allen finds new home at Iowa State

AMES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa State guard Chris Allen used to be one of the more well-known players in all of college basketball.

Now he's just that guy - as in," Oh yeah, I remember that guy."

Allen was a key cog in Michigan State's Final Four teams in 2009 and 2010 that fell short in its stirring quest to win the national title in Detroit and lost to a Butler team trying to pull off a similar feat in Indianapolis.

After an exit from East Lansing that may never be fully explained, Allen landed at Iowa State in the summer of 2010 as one of a crop of transfers coach Fred Hoiberg hoped can speed up his rebuilding efforts.

Allen, a 6-foot-3 guard, will be back in the spotlight for the Cyclones this winter. In fact, he's already been tabbed as a preseason honorable mention All-Big 12 pick by the league's coaches.

"He's been there, and that's what you want. You want people that have been in those types of situations," Hoiberg said Tuesday.

Because Allen's spent the past year in Ames, a brief primer on his career seems in order.

Allen was an first-team all-state pick at Meadowcreek High in Georgia in 2007 and one of the nation's most touted recruits when he signed with the Spartans. He contributed immediately for Michigan State, averaging 6.3 points as a freshman and scoring a season-high 20 in a loss to Memphis in the regional semifinals in 2008.

Allen's role grew in 2008-09, as he led the Spartans with 52 3-pointers and scored 16 points in the title game loss to the Tar Heels. He moved into the starting lineup as a junior, scoring at least 10 points 15 times, but by then his relationship with coach Tom Izzo began to deteriorate.

Allen was suspended for the team's Big Ten tournament opener. He helped lead the Spartans back to the title game, but in August of 2010 he was kicked off the team for unspecified reasons.

Allen said Tuesday that he doesn't harbor any resentment toward Izzo, who he praised for his demanding but caring relationship with his players.

"It was so long ago, I kind of blocked it out of my memory," Allen said. "It happened, but it's the past. If I dwell on that, then I not going to do nothing here."

It didn't take long for Hoiberg to welcome Allen to Iowa State.

Hoiberg, then preparing for his first season as a coach at any level, figured the fastest way to get the Cyclones competitive in the Big 12 was to take chances on transfers like Allen, Royce White (Minnesota) and Chris Babb (Penn State).

None of them were eligible last season, and Iowa State's lack of depth wore it down as it stumbled to a 3-13 record in the Big 12 after a promising start in nonconference play.

They'll all be expected to play major roles in 2011-12.

White, the league's preseason newcomer of the year, will man the post, and Babb will figure prominently in Iowa's State three-guard attack.

Although Allen has never played a minute for the Cyclones, he and fellow senior guard Scott Christopherson be looked upon to help a roster full of unknown pieces gel into a unit that can compete for a Big 12 title.

"You always lean on your seniors. Having two of them in Scott and Chris, we'll definitely lean on those guys," Hoiberg said.

Allen isn't a true point guard. But nobody else on the Cyclones is either after they lost Diante Garrett, so Allen will likely bring the ball up the floor at times and get Iowa State into their offensive sets.

Allen's true role on both ends of the floor will likely take some time to discern, but his defense, outside shooting and leadership will be key for a team with so many moving pieces.

"He's in the gym all the time," junior college transfer Tyrus McGee said. "I look up to him because he's an older guy. He knows the game more. He's a quiet guy, laid back. He'll sit there and listen, and he does what he's supposed to do. That's the real reason why I look up to him."

Allen has already played in 14 NCAA tournament games in his career - and that's as many as Iowa State's played since the early 90s.

Fans in Ames aren't expecting another Final Four trip out of Allen. Just reaching the NCAA tournament would be enough, since the Cyclones haven't been there since 2005.

"I could help these guys a lot. The tournament experience, that's a whole (new) level," Allen said. "When you've got guys that have played against the big-name teams with the big-name coaches and the big time fans, when you playing regular games in the Big 12 it makes it a lot easier. If the guys see somebody that they look at as a leader calm and collected, then it's only going to carry over."

[Hoosier Action]

Illinois starting over with young roster

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Demetri McCamey is in Turkey, and Mike Davis is playing ball in the Ukraine. Illinois is figuring out how to replace the two key players from last year's team.

The Illini, coming off a 20-14 season, start practice Friday with a young team, made up mostly of freshmen and guys who were role players a season ago. With the Nov. 11 opener against Loyola a month away, coach Bruce Weber said Tuesday he's looking for someone to step up.

"If we're going to be really successful," he said, "we have to have somebody come out of nowhere and become a star, become a name that everybody recognizes."

The most established player is point guard Sam Maniscalco, a graduate student transfer from Bradley with a year of eligibility left. Illinois' best center, 7-foot-1 Meyers Leonard, is 245 pounds of impressive raw material who, as the coach said Tuesday, swings wildly between too much confidence and little at all.

Juniors Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson might be the team's best shooters. But they're known for long dry spells.

The best thing Weber can say about his team right now? They play hard.

"They get after it, they know of no other way," he said. "Even in the practices I kind of fear for them because there's three, four guys diving for every loose ball. If this was the NFL there'd be penalty flags all over because they lead with their head."

This also could be a pivotal year for Weber.

After a 20-win season that included an NCAA Tournament win over UNLV, then-athletic director Ron Guenther felt the need to speak up at the end of season to say that Weber's job was safe. With a team that included Davis, McCamey and fellow senior Mike Tisdale along with a McDonald's All-American in Jereme Richmond, fan expectations were higher.

Guenther retired over the summer, and new AD Mike Thomas, on the job since August, hasn't said anything yet about Weber's future.

Richmond's short, tumultuous stay ended when he declared for the NBA draft - he wasn't drafted - after a freshman season of mostly playing off the bench. He's since pleaded not guilty to battery charges and is awaiting trial.

But Weber, in his play-hard assessment, said Tuesday he likes some of what he sees in his young team.

Maniscalco may not look the part of Big Ten basketball player and he missed most of last season with an injury. But Weber seems confident the 6-0 Chicago native can run his team.

"He's not very tall, he's not very quick - I know he can't dunk," Weber said. "But he has that ability to understand the game, understand angles. I hope he's going to give us that experience, that maturity."

Leonard, Weber said, was at a real low by the end of last season, but rebuilt his confidence - maybe a little too much - while part of U.S. national team at the under-19 world championships last summer.

"He went from all the talk and the hype to as low as you can be, as low as a snake belly. He didn't even want to go to USA basketball," Weber said.

Illinois spent two weeks in Italy over the summer, playing Italian teams, the New Zealand national team and even West Virginia during a trip designed to get the young Illini some experience.

On that trip, Weber said, he found out that his gritty team, for all it lacks, might be able to press, something he aims to try this season to make up for some of his team's shortcomings.

And, even with a roster that includes six freshmen, Weber said he might be able to go nine, 10 or, who knows, 11 deep.

That means some of those players that aren't household names - like freshman center Nnanna Egwu and freshman guard Tracy Abrams - might get their shot to make names for themselves before the Big Ten season starts.

Weber looks back to the game against New Zealand back in mid-August, an 85-84 overtime loss to the team he said gave Illinois its toughest competition, for encouragement.

Down late in regulation, Maniscalco helped fuel one comeback. Then Paul hit a bank shot that gave Illinois a lead late in OT before the Illini finally fell.

"Our older guys get us back in the game," Weber said. "(But) here comes Tracy, gets two steals in a row, and Nnanna makes a play. That made me feel a little bit better."

[Hoosier Action]

Donahue is just the man to take young Eagles under his wing

Troy Bell, Craig Smith, Jared Dudley, Tyrese Rice and now Danny Rubin.

Usually, when I walk into Power Gym -- the practice court at Boston College-- it's littered with no shortage of recognizable names and faces on the court.

It's the local school -- only 20 minutes down the road. One that's supposed to breed familiarity.

However, when assistant coach Akbar Waheed asked if I needed a roster, I just laughed.
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* Realignment updates
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Eddie Odio, KC Caudill, Jordan Daniels, Ryan Anderson, Lonnie Jackson, Dennis Clifford, Patrick Heckmann.

Who the heck are these guys?

Rubin, the walk-on from Chevy Chase, Md., is the veteran now. He's the same guy who averaged 4.1 points last season and 1.9 in ACC play.

But now he's one of the leaders of this Boston College team, arguably as inexperienced as any in the entire country.

"It's kind of crazy," Rubin said.

Kind of?

Only three faces remain from last year's team, the one that had first-rounder Reggie Jackson, Corey Raji, Joe Trapani and Biko Paris.

There's Rubin, Oregon transfer Matt Humphrey -- who sat out last season -- and sophomore guard Gabe Moton, who averaged 2.5 points a year ago.

"When I looked at a team picture from two years ago, there was just one guy in it that's on the team now," Rubin laughed.

Senior walk-on Peter Rehnquist.

"I never envisioned being in this situation," BC second-year head coach Steve Donahue admitted.

But Donahue doesn't seem a bit overwhelmed by the task that lies ahead.

The former Ivy League coach talks about the high character of this group and how he's been pleasantly surprised by its talent level and competitiveness.

Yet he knows this team will take its lumps.

"I have high expectations for myself and the team, but I'm also realistic that these guys are going to make more mistakes because they're going to be thrown into the fire so early," he said.

The positive is the core of this team will remain together for four years because it's unlikely there are any early entry NBA candidates on the roster.

Donahue has experience dealing with a situation similar to the one he faces now, although that was back in his days at Cornell. Now he's going up against Duke and North Carolina in what will once again become the most high-powered college hoops league in America the moment Syracuse and Pittsburgh are officially welcomed.

Donahue recalls Ryan Wittman and Louis Dale's freshman campaign at Cornell -- when the team's leading returning scorer, Adam Gore, tore his ACL in the opener against Northwestern. Cornell went onto go 9-5 in league play and finish third in the Ivy League.

"That's when people saw our group coming together," Donahue said.

And what followed was an incredible three-year run in which the Big Red won the league each of the next three seasons and wound up going to the Sweet 16 in 2010.

While the blueprint for Donahue and his staff is to rebuild the BC program in a similar fashion, there is no shortage of critics who feel as though the Eagles could anchor themselves in the ACC cellar this year -- and maybe beyond.

"I try not to think about that," said Clifford, a 7-foot freshman from nearby Bridgewater. "I try not to pay attention. I don't think that's going to happen."

But it's justified with the lack of returning talent -- and the anonymity that comes along with the seven-member freshman class.

"We heard that last year," Rubin said. "People said we weren't supposed to be that good. ... I don't really listen to it."

Heckmann, a versatile 6-foot-5 guard from Germany, looks as though he has the tools to excel in Donahue's system. Clifford is a skilled big man who will likely develop over the next few years. Anderson, Daniels, Jackson and Caudill all hail from California -- and none were highly touted. Then there's Odio, an unknown 6-foot-7 forward from Florida.

"I think we're going to shock a lot of people," Rubin said.

"These guys really understand the game and have a high IQ," said the grandfather of the group, 23-year-old walk-on Sal Abdo. "They may be 17 or 18, but they are extremely mature -- and the team chemistry is unbelievable."

"It's going to take some time," added Abdo.

But we'll get to know their names before long.

[Hoosier Action]

Rutgers forward Kadeem Jack to undergo surgery

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Rutgers says forward Kadeem Jack will have surgery on his right foot this week and likely be out for three to four months.

Scarlet Knights coach Mike Rice said Monday that the redshirt freshman from Queens, N.Y., was injured during a preseason workout on Friday. But he didn't disclose further details.

Jack enrolled at Rutgers last December.

[Hoosier Action]

Florida's Larson reinstated 6 months after arrest

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Florida forward Cody Larson has been reinstated just days after settling his probation violation case.

Gators coach Billy Donovan said Monday night that Larson is back with the team and eligible to play this season.

A judge in Sioux Falls, S.D., gave Larson two additional years of probation Friday and reinstated his 120-day suspended sentence. The punishment came after Larson reached a plea deal last month on a misdemeanor trespass charge stemming from an incident in April. He was arrested and charged with trying to break into a car in St. Augustine. Donovan suspended Larson immediately.

In 2010, he received a suspended sentence and probation in South Dakota on a misdemeanor drug charge for allegedly sharing prescription medication with a high school teammate.

[Hoosier Action]

Calhoun: UConn talent is better this season


HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun says he has more talent this season than he had on the team that won the national championship in April.

Calhoun made the comment Thursday before a dinner at which the 2010-11 Huskies received their national championship rings.

"We're more talented right now," Calhoun told reporters. "It doesn't mean we're going to win any games. It doesn't mean we're going to win a national championship. I think we can."

UConn returns four starters from last season's squad, which went 11-0 in the postseason to win both the Big East and the NCAA titles.

The Huskies also have added a highly-regarded recruiting class that includes 6-foot point guard Ryan Boatright, 6-8 forward DeAndre Daniels and 6-foot-11 center Andre Drummond - a surprise signing that came late in August, and propelled the Huskies to the top of many preseason watch lists.

"All three of them right now are going to make a hard run at a lot of playing time," Calhoun said.

But UConn lost star guard Kemba Walker, who left after his junior season for the NBA draft, something he said he does not regret despite the current lockout.

"No regrets at all," he said. "It's been a crazy summer, especially because of no basketball, but things happen. We'll be back soon, I'm pretty sure."

Calhoun said it will take a team effort to replace Walker's leadership. The Huskies will look to junior center Alex Oriakhi, and sophomores Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier for that.

Oriakhi stepped into that role Thursday, saying he agrees that the talent is there for another title run, but has cautioned the underclassmen that it will take a lot more than talent to repeat.

"Last year's team, we worked our butts off every day in practice," he said. "So, if this team can do that and more, then I definitely agree. But, talent doesn't mean anything without work, so I feel as long as we're willing to put in the work, everything will take care of itself."

Walker and other UConn alumni who have been locked out of the NBA, such as Celtics guard Ray Allen, have been playing pickup games with the Huskies this fall.

Oriakhi said that can only help the team get better, but said the real work will begin with the first official practice on Oct. 14.

Lamb said the Huskies are looking forward to that, but first want to celebrate with their new jewelry.

The rings handed out at Thursday's banquet feature the UConn logo of an interlocking red letter "U" and blue "C" on a bed of diamonds, with the words, "National Champions." The players name and number are on the side of the ring, along with an image of the NCAA trophy.

"I've turned the page, but at the same time I still have the memories," said Lamb. "Nobody can take those memories from me."

Calhoun declined to comment on Thursday's news that TCU had been invited to join the Big 12 conference.

"The only thing that I'm going to concern myself with tonight is the celebration of last year's team," he said. "That's what I'm here for, one simple thing, to celebrate an incredible year. Tonight is all about that and nothing else. Tomorrow we'll get back to the realities of life."

[Hoosier Action]

Mizzou F Bowers gone for season with knee injury

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Missouri senior forward Laurence Bowers has torn an ACL in one of his knees and won't play this season.

Missouri coach Frank Haith said Bowers was injured Monday. Bowers had made 27 starts as a junior last season, averaging 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. Bowers has a redshirt season available and would be eligible to return next year.

The 6-foot-8 Bowers, who is from Memphis, Tenn., finished second in the Big 12 last season with 62 blocked shots and was 14th in the league in rebounding.

[Hoosier Action]

Juwan Howard Jr. moves from WMU to Detroit Mercy

DETROIT (AP) - Basketball player Juwan Howard Jr. has transferred to the University of Detroit.

The son of NBA player and former Michigan star Juwan Howard left Western Michigan's basketball program last month. The 6-foot-6-inch Howard averaged 9.3 points last season for the Broncos.

Detroit spokesman Mitch Wigness says Howard has enrolled and will be eligible to play for the school at the start of the 2012-13 season.

[Hoosier Action]

Five for the Weekend: Roe ends hoops career, but should be OK

Delvon Roe is finished with basketball.

Let's start the Five for the Weekend with that.

1. How good could Michigan State's Delvon Roe have been if not for his body failing him?

Delvon Roe was rated above Kemba Walker out of high school. (Getty Images)
Delvon Roe was rated above Kemba Walker out of high school. (Getty Images)
I suppose we'll never know for sure, but I can tell you this: Roe was so awesome in high school that Scout.com ranked him ahead of prospects like Kemba Walker, Al-Farouq Aminu, Elliot Williams, Iman Shumpert, Luke Babbit, Terrico White, Klay Thompson and DeAndre Liggins. In other words, Roe was a safe bet to be an NBA Draft pick just like all of those guys became, but that was before the 6-foot-8 forward seriously injured his knee for the first time back in 2007. I always assumed Roe would regain the explosiveness at some point, but he never did. It was one thing after another, from now until then. So was I surprised when Roe announced his retirement from basketball Thursday by basically explaining he could no longer take the pain that comes along with it? Yes and no. I was surprised in the sense that I didn't wake up expecting to write about this, but I'm not surprised that Roe finally reached a point where he concluded enough is enough. It's a sad way for a once-promising basketball career to end. But Roe is a well-rounded and highly respected young man. I suspect we'll look up in 10 years and he'll be successful and doing well, in some form.

2. William Buford could become Ohio State's all-time leading scorer? Really?

It's true, and it's really not that crazy. It says less about Buford and Ohio State than it does about the state of college basketball because we now live in an era where A) teams play more games than ever, and B) great players leave college almost always before their eligibility expires. So it's mostly guys like Buford -- i.e., gifted players who aren't quite gifted enough to justify an early jump to the NBA -- who are set up to finish high on their schools' all-time scoring lists, because the truly special talents that enroll (Jim Jackson, Greg Oden, Evan Turner, etc.) rarely play four seasons. As my colleague Jeff Goodman pointed out, some feel Buford "hasn't lived up to his potential." I'd argue that's precisely why Buford might become OSU's all-time leading scorer, because if he'd lived up to his potential he probably wouldn't be a senior at Ohio State.

Related links

* Goodman: I have no regrets, says Roe
* Goodman: Buford Buckeyes' all-leading scorer?
* Parrish: Ex-assistants pay for Pearl's sins
* Goodman: Taylor not only one with new look

3. How weird does Old Dominion's Blaine Taylor look without his mustache?

I haven't seen him yet, but I'm guessing he looks fine. Just different. Which is probably why Taylor kept the mustache as long as he did, because he was so used to it and afraid of looking stupid. But let's be honest: Mustaches are kind of stupid. They just are. But sometimes being attached to something makes you keep it way longer than you should even when you know it's stupid, and I speak on this subject with experience because I have a stupid haircut. I mean, I know it's ridiculous. I read your emails. But that haircut has become part of my identity over the years, and I don't know how to get rid of it. It's like I'd rather look normal and ridiculous than different and mature. But I might reevaluate it soon. And if I find the courage to shave my head, just know that Blaine Taylor will be my inspiration. If he can change, then maybe I can change. And if I can change and Blaine Taylor can change, then, as Rocky Balboa famously put it, everybody can change.

4. Was your story about the former Tennessee assistants supposed to make us feel sorry for them?

All I wanted to do with that column was show how greatly the NCAA investigation not only has affected their careers but also their lives, and detail how there are hard feelings on both sides because of the way everything went down. Nothing more. Nothing less. It's a unique situation with devastating results, and I just found the whole thing interesting. So I wanted to visit Steve Forbes and Jason Shay at Northwest Florida State and write about it. That the parties involved opened up to me is what made the column work. So I don't care whether you feel sorry for them, exactly, and they're not asking for sympathy. But when you see where they were a year ago and where they are now, well, it's hard not to feel sympathetic on some level because I genuinely believe they played a small role in what led to their demise. Yes, they knew about the improper cookout and attended it, but what assistant is really going to stop his boss from holding a cookout he wants to hold? And no, they weren't forthcoming with the NCAA when initially asked about the infamous photograph of Bruce Pearl and Aaron Craft snapped at Pearl's home, showing a violation of NCAA rules. But, again what assistant is really going to roll on his boss before the boss has a chance to either spin his version of the story or roll on himself? In some ways, Forbes, Shay and associate head coach Tony Jones were placed in impossible situations once the photograph of Pearl and Craft surfaced. So are they completely innocent victims? No. But in reality, they acted the way most high-major assistants would act when put in similar scenarios. In that respect I know that the feedback I've received from around the country is that other college assistants are very sympathetic towards them. They know, deep down, that what happened to Forbes, Shay and Jones could happen to any of them if their boss held an improper cookout and was photographed breaking NCAA rules.

5. Where will you be for Midnight Madness?

Our four college basketball writers are going to four different schools -- specifically the four schools that'll be ranked in the top four of our CBSSports.com Preseason Top 25 (and one) polls. Goodman is going to North Carolina. Matt Norlander will be at Connecticut. Jeff Borzello will be at Syracuse. Me? I'll be at Kentucky. It'll be my third Big Blue Madness in the past five years. It's quite a scene every time, and this should be no different.

[Hoosier Action]

Pitt senior Robinson to miss three weeks with knee injury

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh senior forward Nasir Robinson will undergo surgery to repair torn meniscus in his right knee Friday. He is expected to miss three weeks.

The procedure is the second on Robinson's knee in as many years. He missed the first three games of the 2010-11 season after injuring the knee last fall.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Robinson averaged 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in 31 games last year for the Panthers.

Coach Jamie Dixon said several players, including sophomores Lamar Patterson and J.J. Moore, will get a chance to practice in Robinson's place until his return.

Dixon added he believes Robinson will be back in plenty of time for Pitt's season-opener on Nov. 11 against Albany.

[Hoosier Action]

USC's Dedmon breaks hand in unofficial practice

LOS ANGELES -- Southern California forward Dewayne Dedmon broke his right hand above the knuckle of his index finger during an unofficial practice and his finger will be immobilized for 2-to-3 weeks.

Coach Kevin O'Neill said Wednesday that Dedmon got hurt the day before. On Thursday he will be fitted with a cast, which will allow him to practice defensive and non-contact drills. The Trojans begin official practice on Friday.

Dedmon, a 7-foot sophomore, transferred to USC from Antelope Valley (Calif.) College in January. He has three years of eligibility left.

[Hoosier Action]

Mizzou F Bowers gone for season with knee injury

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Missouri senior forward Laurence Bowers has torn an ACL in one of his knees and won't play this season.

Missouri coach Frank Haith said Bowers was injured Monday. Bowers had made 27 starts as a junior last season, averaging 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. Bowers has a redshirt season available and would be eligible to return next year.

The 6-foot-8 Bowers, who is from Memphis, Tenn., finished second in the Big 12 last season with 62 blocked shots and was 14th in the league in rebounding.