In a season where few teams have been actual surprises to start the year – Ole Miss, Miami (Fla.), Saint Mary's, Drake, among the most notable – the most impressive group start has to be from the Atlantic 10, where the conference is off to its best start since St. Joseph's stole the hoops spotlight in 2003-04.

Huh. Has Jameer Nelson really been in the NBA four years? Doesn't seem that long ago when Nelson was leading St. Joe's to a 30-2 season and just missing out on the Final Four. His Hawks and Xavier, which also reached the Elite Eight that season, helped make the A-10 one of that season's big stars.

That hasn't been the case for the A-10 the last few years.

The league was ranked 15^th, 11^th and 10^th in conference RPI the seasons following St. Joe's run. Usually a multiple-bid conference, only George Washington and Xavier have made the NCAA Tournament the last three years, a reflection of poorer league play as others, like the Missouri Valley and the Mountain West, featured deeper and far better teams.

This year, the A-10, which has two ranked teams in this week's AP poll in Dayton and Rhode Island, is just behind the MVC in conference RPI. A-10 teams have a .632 winning percentage against non-conference foes, the league's best since 1997-98. More impressive are the teams the teams at the top. UMass and Xavier join Dayton and R.I. in the top 25 in RPI – tied with the Big 12 for most teams in the top 25.

(For those who quibble with the RPI – which has its problems, but is one of the main considerations when it comes to at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament, so you have to reference it – the A-10 isn't as hot in pomeroy ratings or on bbstate.com. Only Xavier is in Pomeroy's top 25; St. Joe's and Xavier are ranked in bbstate's top 25.)

Leading the way are Dayton – properly lauded by multiple pundits for their impressive win over Pittsburgh on Saturday – and Rhode Island.

And few saw starts like that coming.

The Flyers (11-1) are off to their best start since 1955-56, when they won their first 14. Wins against Pitt, Louisville and an underrated Miami (Ohio), with an All-American caliber player in Brian Roberts give them a good chance at a run in the Big Dance.

Rhode Island (13-1) has an even more historic start, its best since 1946-47. The Rams' only loss is to B.C., and have beaten Providence, Syracuse. They're not as impressive on paper as Dayton, but can't be overlooked.

Both will be gunning for the A-10 title, but Xavier, UMass, St. Joe's and even Duquense (8-3, its best start since 1979-80) could make that conference race interesting for once. And maybe even result in 3-5 bids in the NCAA Tournament.

 Now that would be a pleasant surprise reward for a proud hoops league.

The only thing surprising about Pitt's loss to Dayton was the final score. A 25-point loss on the road probably irks Jamie Dixon's team more than the opponent. The Flyers are every bit as good as their 11-1 record and Brian Roberts is a player you'll hear more about when March rolls around. The Panthers should still be considered a title contender, while Dayton cements itself as a mid-major no one wants to play. (Ask Rick Pitino.)

Once again, Memphis' depth wins out, with a boost from stellar defense. Not sure Jerryd Bayless would've been the difference for Arizona, but it couldn't have hurt.

The Kansas fan in me hates that Oklahoma can beat West Virginia in Morgantown. The hoops fan in me loves games like this, though. Blake Griffin is a beast.

Ouch. If Kentucky loses on Monday, it'll panic time in Lexington.

Is this a sign of things to come for Winthrop? I'd like to think so.

For that matter, how much longer do we consider Gonzaga an elite team? I know they don't really have a "bad" loss, but the Zags are 9-4 and thei best win is against UConn, which isn't what it used to be. If Saint Mary's has a chance to dethrone the WCC kings, this is it.

O.J. Mayo has never seen a shot he didn't like.

I've never understood why anyone would wear a T-shirt under their uniform. Who can shoot like that?

Ouch, part II. It's hard work to win by 119 points.

No. 1 North Carolina had little trouble with Nevada on Thursday. Tyler Hansbrough was his usual dominant self (26 points, 8 rebounds, 1.35 PPWS), Wayne Ellington continued to show improvement as a perimeter threat (23 points, 1.78 PPWS, boosted by 5-of-8 from three-point land) and Ty Lawson scored 16 and had a career high 10 assists.

But when reserve guard Bobby Frasor went down clutching his knee midway through the second half, all that was forgotten. Ol' Roy did his best to lighten the mood, but to no avail. He knows this'll be big.

North Carolina won't feel Frasor's loss much during the next few games, and maybe not significantly until it plays Duke on Feb. 6 (Clemson on Jan. 8 will be the first test). But make no mistake, losing Frasor for the season (torn ACL) impacts the Heels' chances for a national title.

In fact, this sums it up nicely.

Frasor, simply put, is a glue guy. He plays solid defense, is a great teammate and provides offense when provided. Maybe just as important is Frasor was Lawson's backup. That'll affect the Heels' during games and – this is what Heels' fans are dreading – if Lawson is injured. (He's missed one game this season due to an ankle injury.)

A Lawson injury is worst-case scenario for UNC, who, quite frankly, has plenty of talent to offset Frasor's loss. I know, I've just spent the last few grafs fretting about not having Frasor, but this is where that depth comes into play. No Frasor means senior Quentin Thomas having an increased role, but the Heels can handle this for the rest of the regular-season.

When the loss of a key defensive player will matter most is in March. A team can never have enough guards in the NCAA Tournament. (Williams knows this, too. He still wishes he had a healthy Jarod Hasse in 1997.)

Take Memphis, for instance. The Tigers' impressive win against Georgetown could be summed up as such: "Memphis' defense stole the show, and Derrick Rose just keeps getting better."

Not having Frasor to use against a player like Rose – one of the game's fastest freshmen and pretty much a nightmare to guard off the dribble – hurts UNC immensely (consider how useful a guy like Jackie Manuel would be). Neither Ellington or Lawson can guard Rose and Marcus Ginyard may be a step too slow.

Now, the odds UNC playing Memphis in the Big Dance are slim. But stopping guys like Rose in March is one piece to a championship puzzle, which is the defensive metaphor I'm sticking with and it's where Frasor would be incredibly helpful for the Heels.

And without that piece, it'll be just a little bit harder for UNC. Impossible? No way. But the rest of the country just caught a bit of a break vs. the Heels.

The scowl is back. The only question is, when will that scowl see its 800^th victory?

Longtime coach Eddie Sutton, out of the game for nearly two years after the fallout from a DUI when he was at Oklahoma State, is bringing his hangdog look to the West Coast to take over the San Francisco Dons.

Sutton, 71, is just two wins shy of becoming the fourth D-I coach to reach 800 wins. The others? Texas Tech's Bob Knight (896), Dean Smith (North Carolina, 879), Adolph Rupp (Kentucky, 876) and Jim Phelan (Mount St. Mary's, Md., 830). Only Knight has more wins than Sutton among active coaches.

Sutton says he missed coaching, but admitted he also wanted to reach that milestone, which would be a much more suitable cap to his career than how his time in Stillwater ended up. A milestone like 800 victories is easy to see why Sutton would want to return. It'd be quite a feat, even better than being one of four coaches to take four different teams to the NCAA Tournament (Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and the Cowboys).

(More impressive tidbits? Only eight men's coaches have reached 800 in every NCAA classification. Mike Krzyzewki will also reach it at some point this season – probably in late February – while Lute Olson, Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun figure to hit the mark next season.)

Sutton will make the Dons (4-8) better instantly. He's renowned for coaching defense, which produces wins quickly because it usually doesn't depend upon the team's overall talent, unlike offense. Anyone can play defense, if the coach provides the technique and motivation.

Still, No. 800 may not come very soon. He's not familiar with the players, who haven't had a winning season since 2004-05.

The school says Sutton will be on the sidelines for Friday's game at Weber State (4-7). After that is a Monday game at Utah Valley State (5-8). If the Dons lose either one of those games (likely, according to kenpom.com), Sutton will have to work some coaching wizardry to see No. 800 before February.

Games against Holy Cross, San Diego, Portland, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and Santa Clara make up the January schedule, which isn't going to be easy for this crew. Those teams have a combined record of 43-27, and only San Diego (6-8) and Portland (4-8) have losing records – but both games are road contests for USF.

Bottom line: Sutton will get his chances for No. 800, but it isn't going to be easy. Nor is he going to turn USF back into the hoops power it once was. (I.e. Bill Russell, K.C. Jones and back-to-back NCAA Tournament titles.)

But it's a nice story for Sutton.

Everything old is new again. And by old, I mean seven years old.

Technically, Michigan State's win against Texas Saturday was on a neutral court. Not sure playing in Auburn Hills, Mich., counts as a neutral court (since the campus is about 80 miles away), but that doesn't take away from a nice, nice win for Tom Izzo's team.

That should officially log the Spartans as national title contenders. (As if they ever weren't.)

The roundabout, goofy reason? Texas is the only team that's beaten UCLA this season. The Bruins are responsible for the Spartans' lone loss. So let's consider all three of 'em title contenders – and get back to Michigan State.

As Foxsports.com's Jeff Goodman points out, when Michigan State lost to D-II Grand Valley State on Nov. 2, it put a cloud of doubt over Izzo's group. Sure, it was an exhibition game, but losing to a D-II team doesn't bode well for any team.

Unless, of course, that team has Drew Neitzel and a host of other talented players, including Raymar Morgan, Goran Suton and fab freshmen Kalin Lucas (Saturday's star) and Durrell Summers.

The Spartans still aren't the same team that went to three straight Final Fours from 1999-2001, but they're getting close. They hit the boards, play solid (and improving) defense and – at least on Saturday – do pretty well taking care of the ball.

But most of all, Michigan State is a damn fine offensive team. It's been its strength the last few years (and probably an underrated strength, at that), but probably deserves more notice.

Teams like Duke, North Carolina, Arizona, Kansas and Texas are usually atop kenpom.com's adjusted offensive ratings. Yet the Spartans have finished the last few season ranked 38^th, 18^th, 6^th and 10th. Only in 2007 was their defensive efficiency rated higher than their offensive efficiency.

This season, Michigan State is 7^th in adjusted efficiency, scoring 119.3 PPP (adjusted tempo: 64.8 per 40 minutes). With its balance and depth, expect it to stay that way. And as the defense continues to improve, you'll hear even more talk about Michigan State as a serious contender.

In case you hadn't heard, there's a big game Saturday between No. 2 Memphis and No. 5 Georgetown. (It's not even the only Top 10 game. No. 4 Texas plays No. 10 Michigan State in Auburn Hills. Score one for hoops fans.)

Nearly 19,000 people are expected (including 15 NBA scouts, or so) to watch the Tigers and Hoyas face off in what could be a Final Four preview. Memphis is among the nation's most talented teams, while the Hoyas are consistent and return most of their Final Four team from last season. Both are unbeaten, but neither have turned on the juice yet this season. Yes, I'm saying both should be better by season's end.

I'm already on record for picking the Hoyas (also my choice to win the whole shebang), but considering Pitt's upset of Duke on Thursday, my picks ain't worth much. (Jay Bilas' also siding with Georgetown; some others have gone with Memphis, though.)

Yet, for all that buildup, I'm avoiding a game preview. You've got links for that. And for a detailed matchups breakdown, click here.

I'm more amazed at the run Memphis is likely embarking on, which could result in a title for John Calipari.

The Tigers have put together back-to-back 33-4 seasons. Only 14 teams have racked up more wins in two seasons' time, and five of them involve those loaded Duke and Kentucky teams from the late '90s. If the Tigers reach the Elite Eight for the third straight year, they'll likely be 34-4, or 100-12 in that span. They get to the Final Four, even more wins.

And even fewer teams have won games in a three-year clip like that. They include Kentucky, 96-98 (104-11); Kentucky, 46-48 (102-8); Montana State, 27-29 (102-11) and Duke, 99-01 (101-11).

Consider for a moment just how many games a team has to play to even approach 100 wins in a three-year span, let along actually do it.

Now, part of that achievement comes from playing in the weak Conference USA (where Memphis is 29-1 in regular-season play that last two seasons, and 6-0 in conference tournaments), but the Tigers also are 196-79 since 2000, which means they were winning at a pretty good clip before C-USA went belly up.

It makes me think this is what Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV teams were like in the 1980s. The Running Rebs were 271-65 in the 80s. More importantly, Tark's teams ran, which helped with recruiting (this guy did too) and eventually led to a title where UNLV had more talent on the floor than any other team.

Calipari's set himself up for the same kind of run and talent influx Tark did. Memphis may not win the Big Dance this season, or next. But eventually, by running, winning and recruiting, he'll have a team that can.

The next few months will be a little quieter during college basketball games. And it's not a good thing.

ESPN's Dick Vitale will have throat surgery to remove lesions from his left vocal cord and will be out until at least February. (If you want to send a "get well" message to Dickie V, click here.) Jay Bilas will take over the main analysis duties in Vitale's absence.

It'd be easy to make a snide comment or two, whether it's about his volume or manner of speaking. There's plenty of dislike for Vitale out there and has been for a long time. I wouldn't call myself a fan, either.

Still, this isn't good for college basketball.

Vitale's an institution. He's synonymous with the college game, both for his demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge of the game's history, coaches and players. And nobody matches his sheer enthusiasm and optimistic outlook (which some would call pandering).

So when the game loses one of its institutions and best-known advocate for an extended period of time, it takes away that extra attention the game could use. And how does one take joy in someone else's ill health?

You don't. Get well, Dickie V.  

Monday was another typical day for Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley. He scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds – his 10^th double-double in 10 games this season – and helped the Wildcats to an easy win over Florida A&M.

Beasley has been a monster this season, averaging almost 25 points and 14 rebounds a game. He's had two 20-20 games, scored at least 30 points four times and is about as good as it gets when it comes to carrying a team offensively. (Seriously, his rebounding ability alone must be worth 5 or 6 wins.)

But, as John Gasaway writes, even a player as spectacular as Beasley hasn't been able to transform K-State into a good team.

The Wildcats, despite adding Beasley, have been worse offensively this season than last, averaging fewer PPP and dropping in eFG. Turnovers are up (aided by a faster pace) and rebounding is the only thing the Wildcats do well.

(All of this probably makes K-State fans wonder why Bob Huggins couldn't have stayed.)

So what's in store for the Wildcats? A trip to the NCAAs is a possibility, but far from certain, which is too bad for hoops fans wishing to see the nation's best freshman on its biggest stage.

Mostly, all of this likely hurts Beasley, despite his impressive season thus far.

He's still on top of various NBA mock drafts or at No. 2, but I'm unsure how long that'll last if he can't make an impression on NBA scouts in March. After all, piling up stats in the regular season only accomplishes so much. Call it the SportsCenter factor.

A player like this normally would be makes scouts drool (see: Durant, Kevin), but Memphis' Derrick Rose, who will be playing late into March, is creeping ahead of Beasley. (Also not helping? Beasley's reputation that he's not easy to coach.)

Still, there's time. The Wildcats could pull off an upset or two and Beasley would likely be the reason why. And that would be good for both school and player.

There are 14 unbeaten men's teams remaining in D-I. How many will remain at the end of the month?

Better yet, what about at the end of January? It's been three years since a team made it through the first three months of the season without a loss. (That remarkable Illinois team was 29-0 and didn't lose until March 3.) The year before, St. Joe's had a perfect regular season before losing in the A-10 tourney.

Different story the last two seasons, though. Last year, Clemson was 17-0 before losing on Jan. 13 to Maryland. J.J. Redick's 2005-06 Duke squad had the same mark before losing at Georgetown on Jan. 21.

So who would be the most likely candidates to get to February without a loss? Let's start with who's most unlikely to do so.

Two teams are guaranteed to drop next week. Duke (9-0) plays Pitt (9-0) in NYC next Thursday, while Georgetown (7-0) travels to Memphis (8-0) next Saturday. The Blue Devils' depth should outlast a solid Pitt squad, which isn't a dig on the Panthers. They're 10-0 for the fifth straight season. But this Duke squad play that swarming defense Coach's K's teams are known for and are vastly improved from last year's putrid offense.

The Hoyas and Tigers are a little trickier, though. Georgetown hasn't played anyone very good, while Memphis has beaten USC and gotten neutral court wins over UConn and Oklahoma. Memphis will be favored – and should be, playing at home – but John Calipari's team is too haphazard right now for my taste. I like the Hoyas.

(For the record, if Memphis does win, it may not lose again until the NCAA Tournament.)

Two down. I'd also expect Mississippi (8-0) to lose against Clemson next Saturday and Texas-Arlington (6-0) to do the same at Oklahoma State.

Though I'll be rooting for the Mavericks. They, along with Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin have forced us to pay attention to the Southland Conference this season. Those three have a combined record of 16-1 and have an average RPI of 42. Sam Houston State (9-0) probably loses to San Diego State on Dec. 28. If both should somehow make it through unscathed for their Feb. 2 showdown, yikes. That'll be one for the mid-major ages.

That's nine remaining.

Clemson loses at Alabama on Jan. 1(nice 12-0 start, though), while the second week of January should see loses by Washington State (L.A. road swing too tough), Vanderbilt at Kentucky (no good reason other than the 'Cats will be due for some good wins by then) and Texas.

Few teams have been as impressive as Texas this season, but a two-game swing against the Big Ten (Michigan State on Dec. 22 and Dec. 29 vs. Wisconsin) is a lot to ask. Both play solid defense and the Spartans have enough athletic big men to give the Longhorns fits. Instead, I doubt Texas loses until a Jan. 12 trip to Columbus, Mo.

More mid-January losses? Miami, Fla. won't get past Jan. 15 without a loss. Georgetown will lose to Pitt on Jan. 14.

Another tight game to watch is North Carolina at Clemson on Jan. 6. Try as I might, can't see the Heels losing that one if they're healthy. But getting through the rest of January without a loss to N.C. State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami and Boston College is a tall order.

We're down to two.

If Kansas – and this is unlikely – gets through a spate of good games (at Georgia Tech, at Boston College, vs. Miami (Ohio), at Nebraska) they'll probably lose Jan. 19 at Missouri. The Tigers are an improved team this season (see the Texas graf) and should hold court.

Which leaves us … Duke. I have no love for the Devils, but realize they're deep, balanced and motivated after a sub-par season.

They also should benefit by playing Clemson and Virginia at home. Games at Virginia Tech and Maryland in late January will be tough, but I'd expect some wins.

However, they travel to Chapel Hill on Feb. 6. And that's where the last unbeaten team loses this season.

Disagree? Post a comment below. And make sure you cast your vote here.

Ah, rivalries. The best part of college basketball's regular season.

Whether it's Duke-Carolina, Kentucky-Louisville or any of the more regional – and perhaps even more heated – matchups like Kansas-Missouri, Indiana-Purdue, Arizona-UCLA or Philly's Big Five provide fodder for hoops fans to argue about and cheer for.

Wednesday showcased one of my favorites, Cincinnati-Xavier.

The crosstown throwdown features two schools from the same city, located less than 4 miles apart. It's always physical, always close and rarely gets enough national attention. Then again, without Bob Huggins, it doesn't have that touchstone figure.

Also, the Musketeers own this rivalry, winning eight of the last 11 games. Still, it's worth watching.

Wednesday's game was no exception. It had the technical fouls, rough-up players and a frenzied finish. Xavier's Derrick Brown took charge late to offset his team's poor shooting night and hand the Bearcats a 64-59 loss.

Yet I wonder if, without a larger-than-life figure like Huggins to ensure it garners attention every season, the Cincy rivalry will fade while others come to the forefront.

When we did this rivalries special feature a few years ago, it was made with Duke-Carolina in mind, but others like Cincy-Xavier and Kansas-Missouri were crucial. But in that time, Cincy and Missouri have faded as relevant basketball powers, while Xavier has had up-and-down seasons. (Mizzou has improved under second-year coach Mike Anderson, but isn't what it used to be under Norm Stewart.)

And other rivalries have emerged. Our hoops expert, Ken Davis, wrote about how the USC-UCLA rivalry has come to the forefront thanks to the school's impact freshmen and also mentioning the new feuds between schools like Tennessee and Memphis, Indiana and Illinois and Texas and Texas A&M. Heck, SI led its college basketball preview by rating the heat of all the new rivalries popping up (Indiana and Illinois hottest among them. Tempers flare when freshmen like Eric Gordon are in play.)

I guess I wonder if the old rivalries, like Xavier-Cincinnati, Kansas-Missouri or even Georgetown-Syracuse will ever be as compelling as they once were. After all, teams have to stay prominent and have reasons to stay rivals as the years wear on, right? Can there be a rivalry when one school isn't competitive?

Finals week always creates a dearth of college basketball games. So it's nice when you get a game like St. Mary's vs. Southern Illinois. (Added bonus: The Gaels entered the game ranked No. 1 in kenpom.com's RPI.)

It's one of those matchups that help burnish a mid-major's résumé for March and gives the rest of us an idea of just how good some of the elite teams from different conferences compare. The Gaels and Gonzaga are the cream of the West Coast Conference, which has never been seen as the Missouri Valley's equal because it doesn't have the same overall depth, or much recent success in the NCAA Tournament.

But does it two teams just as good as the best in the MVC? That's possible.

St. Mary's has already beaten Oregon, San Diego State and Drake (6-1), one of the Mo Valley's surprise teams thus far, while the Zags have wins over UConn, St. Joe's, Virginia Tech and Western Kentucky, another solid mid-major team.

Those wins gave the league two ranked teams for the first time since 1973-74 and are enough to pose the question about the Missouri Valley's best teams. (Entering Tuesday's games, the leagues were ranked eighth and ninth in conference RPI, .5501 to .5401. The WCC's ranking is driven entirely from the top two, however. All but two MVC teams are ranked higher than Pepperdine, the WCC's third-highest team.)

And what's up next for the WCC's best?

The Gaels' lone marquee game remaining is a Jan. 5 trip to Texas. After that, the only thing that will impress observers – besides blowout victories – is beating Gonzaga once or twice.

As for the Zags, they have non-conference BCS games remaining against Memphis, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Utah and Georgia. Beating Saint Mary's would be nice – and go a long way toward winning another league title – but it's not a necessity.

Now, whether all that makes the WCC better than the MVC is up for debate. Thus far, I'd call it a toss-up, with things likely to turn to the MVC's favor as the season wears on. The Salukis' home win on Tuesday already started that ball rolling.

(For what it's worth, Kyle Whelliston just moved Saint Mary's into his top mid-major rankings, but that'll likely change now. He doesn't consider the Zags, who are 7^th overall, a mid-major. Drake is the highest MVC team at No. 25. SIU is 111.)

I suppose the argument won't be settled without more head-to-head matchups, and even then they'd need to be on a neutral court. (SIU is 80-5 at home since 2001-02.) It feels like the Big 12-SEC argument in football. Does having a few elite teams make a league better than having a deeper, tougher conference?

After all, how would Gonzaga fare by playing in the Valley each season?

If VMI is the D-I version of a high-powered offense, then Grinnell College runs on rocket fuel.

And it shot David N. Arsenault right into the NCAA record books -- with the help of his teammates.

Arsenault broke the all-division record for assists in a game Sunday, dishing 34 in a 151-112 win over North Central University of Minnesota. That's better than Sherman Douglas, Avery Johnson and any other player who's stepped on a court.

They had to work at it, though. After all, no assist record is made with only the guy making the passes. He's dependent upon his teammates.

According to the AP story, Grinnell changed up its approach when they found out how Arsenault had 14 assists at halftime. So he dished 20 in the second half, and according to this box score, 12 in the final 10 minutes when Grinnell was already leading by 30.

Two things: Good thing this isn't the New England Patriots. There would be issues with this style of play. But I digress.

One also wonders if he got a little love from the home-town scorer. Perhaps. I'll simply gape at the 34 assists and wonder how many of the 600 people at the game know they were watching a bit of history.

(Arsenault ended the game with an assist rate of 68.0, which is assists divided by number of field goals made while Arsenault was on the court. That number, as you might guess, is ridiculously high. Kenpom.com's ARate leader for the season is East Carolina's Darrell Jenkins at 51.6, through Monday's games.)

Grinnell, a small school about 50 miles east of Des Moines in central Iowa, has been garnering headlines for years with their all-out style of play. For more than a dozen years, they've been running their version of the run-and-gun, which sees them shoot more than 50 three-pointers a game. Schools like VMI, which changed its offensive philosophy last season, do something similar, but Grinnell is a little different in that it uses 15-17 players, all in short shifts and isn't dependent on the talent available. The Pioneers play everyone.

The result is an offense that has set all-division records for points in a season (126.2, in 2003-04) and consecutive games with at least 100 points (28, in 2002-03). Other ridiculous numbers? Grinnell once attempted 135 field goals in a game (it had 129 on Sunday), made 32 three-pointers in a game and scored 149 in a losing effort.

(It's hard to imagine other teams besting these numbers, but it's true. D-II Troy once took 190 shots in a 1992 game against DeVry (Ga.) and made 102 of them. In the same game, they attempted 109 threes, making 51. Last season, Lincoln (Pa.)'s Sami Wylie hit 21 three-pointers by himself, scored 69 points in a 201-78 win. If all this reminds you of Paul Westhead at Loyola-Marymount, you'd be right. Westhead's 1990 team with Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers averaged 122.4 ppg. )

And they say teams can't shoot anymore…

Nothing like a victory milestone to prompt stories about the coach involved. Then again, who needs an excuse when it's Rick Pitino?

The Louisville coach could earn his 500^th career win on Saturday, a nice round coaching milestone any way you slice it.

(Quick aside: A win won't be easy. Dayton (6-1) did beat Louisville last season and is currently ahead of the Cardinals in kenpom.com's RPI – 14 to the Cards' 19 – and has a 63-62 win over Miami (Ohio), perhaps the MAC's best team. Yes, the same Miami team Louisville beat 47-44. The Cards get the edge since they'll be at home, but nothing's for sure without David Padgett and Juan Palacios. I expect Earl Clark to be all over the court.)

If Louisville does win, Pitino would match Bobby Knight and St. John's legend Lou Carnesecca for 12^th fastest in reaching 500 wins. (Pitino's record is 499-183, a .732 win percentage through 21 seasons.)

The guys ahead of him on that list include Adolph Rupp, Hank Iba, Jerry Tarkanian, Phog Allen, John Wooden, Dean Smith, Roy Williams, Don Chaney, Ed Diddle, Jim Boeheim and Bob Huggins. Coach K, John Thompson, Denny Crum, Lute Olson, among others, all needed more games.

If you compare him to other coaches through the same span of seasons, only Tark, Boeheim, Huggins, Crum and Nolan Richardson have more wins to start to their careers.

Most of that comes from the amazing run Kentucky had at the end of his tenure there, where the Wildcats went to back-to-back Final Fours, then another in Tubby Smith's first season. Kentucky was 69-7 in Pitino's last two seasons, 97-12 in the last three and 124-19 in the last four. For sheer wins, only Coach K's late 90s Duke teams, Tark's Running Rebs from the late 80s and Rupp's Kentucky squad in the late 40s can best those numbers.

Pitino's just as good in the NCAA Tournament, too. He's won 74 percent of those games, 3^rd best among active coaches. He's also the only coach to take three different schools to the Final Four. In March, few coaches are better.

Pitino's always been a winner, but that's remarkable stuff. And that includes two NBA stints and a total rebuild at Kentucky.

So where would Pitino be without those trips to New York and Boston? The Louisville Courier-Journal's Brian Bennett posed that question in his blog this week, estimating Pitino missed out on about 135 wins (a conservative guess) and maybe an NCAA title or two.

It makes college hoops fans like me grateful when college coaches spurn the NBA to stay in the NCAA.

Cheers to Pitino, whenever No. 500 does arrive, be it this Saturday or next Saturday against Purdue, or even later.

You gotta love Deadspin. The snarky, irreverent humor, the plentiful links and the wide range of stories, a good portion coming from other blogs.

It all leads to stuff like this.

The gist is prized Kentucky recruit Alex Legion will transfer at the end of the fall semester. Legion, along with Patrick Patterson, was one of the fab freshmen who was supposed to make Billy Gillispie's first year in Lexington a little easier.

But he apparently didn't think Kentucky was the "right situation" for him, even though he's started twice, played in every Wildcats' game and was averaging 6.7 ppg in about 17 minutes.

It's strange because Legion and his family would seem to be a family that follows their convictions.

The Lexington Herald-Leader ran this story back in September, a lengthy profile on Legion's mother, who says she's a prophet and works with the Church of God in Jesus Name in Lexington.

"The Lord has shown me: They're going to the Final Four," she said, before adding a qualifier, "providing they play together."

(Addition to original post: Legion is reportedly considering a return to Kentucky.)

The move has prompted tons of response on the Net, as one would expect. Some of it's been dismissive of the Legions, some it focuses on where he'll go (likely Michigan), or implores him to stay. And when the talk gets heated, it gets nasty.

It's always interesting to me when athletes invoke God, whether it's to thank God or reference God in an athletic performance.

Why wouldn't a person just choose to keep their relationship with God private?

Time for some hyperbole. Tuesday's Memphis-USC matchup in the Jimmy V Classic has an all-encompassing storyline: Derrick Rose vs. O.J. Mayo.

Nevermind that it'll be the second Top 5 team the Trojans will have faced in a three-day span. Forget that it's another elite non-conference foe the Tigers slated this season, which also has games against Georgetown, Arizona and Gonzaga yet to come.

After all, this game is a rematch. (Click here to watch highlights.)

Mayo's D1 Greyhounds bested Rose's Mean Streets Express (which also had Eric Gordon) in a 2006 game on a last-second 4-point play, which the Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy reports some call the "greatest AAU game" of all time. Rose logged a triple-double, but Mayo stole the show when he nailed a three-pointer with 2.6 seconds left was fouled (one story says it was Rose who fouled, another says it was Gordon; regardless, it was a helluva game.) and sunk the free throw.

The game sparked endless debates. Rose is the better pro prospect. Mayo is the better player. Rose has more talent around him and is thus more likely to win a title. Mayo can elevate an entire program to contender status.

But the difference pointed out most often is this: Mayo is more selfish and Rose is a better teammate.

One game obviously can't settle any of those debates, only further inflate them. Still, on the big stage in Madison Square Garden, it'll be interesting to see which player comes out ahead in the eyes of fans and scouts. My guess is Rose, simply because he'll have more opportunities to make everyone on a talented Memphis team look good, while Mayo tends to make it a one-man show (though coach Tim Floyd has been trying to stop that).

The only thing everyone can agree on? They're both phenomenal players. Tune in Tuesday.