Kansas, UK's foe this week, making us look foolish
Vitale promoting Sutton for Miami (Fla.) job
? If you think Kansas is making a mockery of all the preseason polls with its impressive getaway, how must the folks in its own conference feel? I mean, the Jayhawks made us all look a bit foolish with their NIT
			
		ki  	Larry Donald Cats' Pause Columnist
			
march which included wins over UNLV and LSU, the top two teams in the polls at the time, but what about those media people and fellow coaches who are supposed to know them best?
Well. I didn't see anyone who slotted Roy Williams' team higher than fifth in the Big Eight and it just goes to show that the difference between games played on paper and those played in the arena is considerable.
Kansas has three players who've been a part of winning an NCAA championship, so the experience factor, so significant at this time of the year, is weighed heavily in its favor. Plus, the pieces seem to fit better than even Williams might have imagined. So, the Jayhawks' early accomplishments aren't without reasonable explanation.
And having arrived swiftly in the top five, it isn't likely KU will fade from that ranking anytime soon. The schedule until Big Eight play gets underway is relatively modest, with some Big Eight observers telling me a 17-0 mark wouldn't be out of the question.
What happens when the Big Eight and NCAA tournament grind gets underway? Well, that's another matter, I suspect. .
For now, though, I hope Williams and the faithful are enjoying the ride. After the events of last year, this is a nice payback for some people who suffered needlesselv...
?Michigan State's rather quiet victory in the Great Alaska Shootout might translate into something important for the program. Although the field wasn't as strong as it has been in years past, nonetheless, MSU was the best team in the field and it won. With Michigan playing like the Michigan many of us knew before their NCAA title last year, the Spartans have reason to feel optimistic the Big Ten race may be more wide open than anticipated...
?Louisville's Jerome Harmon said his college debut, versus Missouri in the Maui Classic, was, "just like another high school game." I dispute that. It looked more like a basketball story set to the music, "A Star is Born." The schoolboy sleuths talked so much about Harmon's great leaping ability they failed to mentioned a couple other items: First, he has good range on his jump shot and, second, he has a real feel for the game. If he can play like this after two years in drydock (Prop 48 and then back surgery last year) just imagine how good he'll be once the rust gets brushed off...
?I like this Missouri team and agree with North Carolina coach Dean Smith, who said the Tigers, "have better chemistry than in years past." Doug Smith and Anthony Peeler have really improved and the rest of the cast fits nicely around these two. Mizzou was definitely the best in show in Maui, but as coach Norm Stewart pointed out, it is very early and that just one year ago Smith talked about how good the Tigers' chemistry was. "Heck, three years ago we couldn't even spell chemistry," Stewart said...
?It had to be an emotional moment for Stewart when he walked onto the floor for Missouri's opening game against Evansville. He missed much of last year after undergoing surgery for cancer and his return to the sidelines was a warm story...
With an experienced, balanced cast that includes Kevin Pritchard (left, on defense) and Mark Randall, Kansas, which plays host to Rick Pitino's Wildcats this Saturday, has been the surprise of college basketball so far this season. ...Eddie Sutton (right) coaching basketball at Miami of Florida? That's what TV analyst Dick Vitale is campaigning for.
?Minnesota's surprising loss to Cincinnati could be explained by Willie Burton's absence, I suppose. But maybe the Gophers, flushed with last year's NCAA success, forgot what price had to be paid in order to attain that success...
?While I find Bill Foster's decision to step out after this season unusual in terms of the timing, it really isn't a surprising move. He never managed to create any excitement about college basketball in Miami, where unless you are playing for it all, the interest isn't very great. He also worked with a bad facility and was further disadvantaged by the Hurricanes' independent status. Given all that, Foster's fall was predictable. Who'll be next? My pal Dick Vitale is blowing the horn for Eddie Sutton, and that wouldn't be a bad choice, but unless some of those other problems are addressed it won't really matter who's finally put into the job. And I wonder if anyone at the school has a grasp of that fact?...
? Damon Bailey, the heralded high schooler from Indiana, will make his college bow in style as the Indiana Hoosiers open next season in Maui. Syracuse, North Carolina State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Northeastern and Iowa State will also be in the field...
? Happy days seem to be on the horizon at Marquette. New coach Kevin O'Neill has rallied the support and then delivered an outstanding recruiting class during the fall signing period. While I don't think the Warriors will ever ascend to the Al McGuire heights, with membership in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference they can certainly be more successful than in recent years...
?Now that CBS Sports has coughed up over a billion dollars for the NCAA tournament television rights, how do college athletic administrators explain that there's just no money for the athletes? In the past decade television monies have escalated unbelievably and yet we're no closer to addressing the issue of "laundry money" for the student-athlete than we were 15 years ago. It's sad...
?Actually, I'm not really certain it was such a prudent business move on the NCAA's part to sign the long-term pact. If the amount of money being tendered by the net-
work doubled in the past three years, what would it do in the next three? If you think about it, CBS probably got a great deal...
?It is an adjustment for the viewing audience, but I think the decision to call more off-the-ball fouls for rough play in the lane is probably a good idea. Basketball must always be more like ballet than wrestling to be enjoyed...
?Arron Bain is an impressive freshman with Villanova and before the year is completed will be the team's best player. Interestingly, the Wildcat coaching staff had some reluctance about whether or not to sign Bain last year. They didn't know if he could play at this level. Although he doesn't possess one dominant trait, his understanding of the game and competitive approach more than compensate for any shortfall of athletic ability...
? Last week, I talked about the difficulty Kenny Anderson was experiencing making the step up to college basketball and the source of that report was his coach, Bobby Cremins. Either Anderson fooled the Georgia Tech boss or Bobby was putting us on a little bit because the left-hander's start has been awfully good...
?It is difficult for a team which cannot shoot to be successful in college basketball. And that's why DePaul won't be much of a factor this winter. Despite having some impressive athletes, the Blue Demons don't have anyone who can fill it up on the perimeter and that's a deadly sin. I think Georgetown, Syracuse and Louisville may suffer the same malady...
?Mississippi's slow start is surprising since some SEC observers were picking this team to finish in the first division. So far there's no evidence to support that prediction...
?Xavier sports information director Tom Eiser has taken the early lead for the most clever All-American promotion award. To trumpet 6-10 senior center Tyron "T" Hill, Eiser sent the media a tea bag with a tag on it saying, "It's T* time." With or without the fanfare, Hill is no secret to NBA scouts most of whom project Hill as a first round pick..