Ten things I wouldn't say to their face

1. Arkansas and the U Word. Stan Heath has been able to recruit lots of talented players, but given the level of talent and the number of years he has been at Arkansas, one cannot help but utter the U word. Underachieving...

2. Would you want your son to play for Bob Knight? That question was discussed by the ESPN trio covering the Texas Tech - Arkansas game. Steve Lavin ended up with a reasonable answer on what started like spinorama and waffling. Brad Nessler copped out because he has a daughter. Dykes sort of echoed Lavin's answer.

3. Jamie Dixon was undefeated in November and December in his career as a head coach at Pitt up until he lost to Wisconsin earlier today. There is good reason why he was undefeated: he played a very soft schedule, mostly at home or within his city/state. Still not an easy achievement, but it's nowhere near as impressive as it sounds. If you don't believe me, check Pitt's record the last few years at kenpom.com...

4. Happy Birthday Mr Wildcat! He turns 80. Kentucky had various head coaches during Mr Wildcat's tenure. And I have a feeling he will have at least one more before he retires...

5. Fans are not smart when they start chanting "OVERRATED!". It feels good and it's an emotional response, but basically, once you defeat a team, you actually want to convince everyone that they are a really good team, because (you guessed it), it makes your victory look even better, especially with regards to the NCAA selection committee...

6. We had eight undefeated teams as of this morning. Is it a coincidence that the majority of those wins came up against cupcakes? Look at their schedules: UCLA, Pitt, Oregon, Oklahoma State, Clemson... The only one that is really amazing is Wichita State. Go Shockers!

7. I think the Missouri Valley Conference is about to erect a statue to honor Seth Davis for his support of the Valley. The MVC threw a parade in Seth's honor during the MVC Centennial celebration...

8. My point of emphasis to the zebras: Keep the coaches off the court during the game. Some coaches are obnoxiously leaving their box and inside the sidelines. Ben Howland does this quite often.

9. Billy Packer stirring controversy in Kentucky? Rick Pitino called this recruiting class his 2nd best. Billy Packer (who probably doesn't follow recruiting until the players start playing as freshmen) called it Fantasyland.

10. Wisconsin is Awesome with capital A! They have a goto guy (and candidate for player of the year) in Alando Tucker, four versatile big men including shot-blockers, four interchangeable guards, and super-versatile Krabbenkroft (sp?). On top of that, the Big Polar Bear (as Steve Lavin affectionately calls Brian Butch) woke up from his hibernation and played like a McDonalds All-American. And the can afford to redshirt their 7-footer incoming freshman JP Gavinksi. This is a true 10-man rotation and each one of the ten players is actually contributing when they are on the court. Don't look now, but this team could end up in the Final Four...