ONE reason Josh Pastner is no dummy
In his rookie season as a head coach, Boy Wonder manipulated Memphis' schedule so that it is loaded with cream puffs.
Get this list of victims: Jackson State, Tennessee Tech, Central Arkansas, Oakland, Arkansas State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Montana State, UMass, IUPUI, Houston Baptist and SEMO (whoever that is).
The only nonconference game that'll challenge the young Tigers is a Nov. 17, neutral-court showdown against Kansas.
3 Pac-10 newcomers who will shake things up
Jamil Wilson, Oregon. Already, Ernie Kent says Wilson "is as talented as anyone I've coached." If that includes Aaron Brooks, Freddie Jones and Luke Ridnour, young Mr. Wilson is destined for great things.
Angus Brandt, Oregon State. A 6-foot-10-inch Australian recruited by almost nobody but the Beavers. He's skinny (215 pounds) but in OSU's exhibition opener he got the most minutes - with six rebounds and five blocked shots in 14 minutes - of a respected recruiting class. And who can't use inside depth in any league?
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Abdul Gaddy, Washington. Once bound for Arizona, Gaddy will likely start at point guard for a Huskies team that should seriously contend for the Pac-10 title. "He's going to be able to run a team and bring a calm to the storm," coach Lorenzo Romar says.
3 Pac-10 alums who blazed the trail for ASU's feisty, talent-challenged Derek Glasser
Matt Muehlebach, Arizona, 1988-91. Muehlebach was more highly recruited than ASU's point guard (who wasn't?) but similar to Glasser he lacked quickness and size. All Muehlebach could do was beat you.
Matt Lottich, Stanford, 2000-03. An unheralded guard from Winnetka, Ill., became a big-game player for some vintage Cardinal teams. He buried three treys to beat No. 1 Kansas in 2003 and was on the all-floor-burn team.
Taylor Rochestie, Washington State, 2007-09. It wasn't just that the hustling Rochestie looked like he hadn't washed his uni, and shot lefty, it was that he shot .891 from the foul line and always seemed to hit a three-pointer when it counted most.
5 most anticipated TV games, pre-Christmas file
• Michigan State at North Carolina, Dec. 1, 7 p.m., ESPN. Two possible Final Four teams in an early flex of power.
• Kansas at UCLA, Dec. 6, 3:30 p.m., Fox Sports. Wanna bet the Bruins aren't down long?
• Arizona State at BYU, Dec. 8, 8 p.m. The Mtn. This is compelling to a Tucson audience because we'll learn how good (or bad) ASU is against the Mountain West Conference favorite, which is to play in Tucson on Dec. 28. One problem: The Mtn. has almost no audience.
• Xavier at Butler, Dec. 19, noon, ESPN2. The nation's two most powerful mid-majors battle for supremacy.
• Cal at Kansas, Dec. 22, 7 p.m., ESPN2. If Cal's as good as we think, the Bears will hang tight at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
5 most anticipated post-Christmas TV showdowns
• Arizona at USC, Dec. 31, 5 p.m. Fox Sports. If you can pause from the football bowl season, you may wish to see former Trojan-bound Wildcats MoMo Jones, Derrick Williams and Solomon Hill play against Kevin O'Neill.
• Louisville at Kentucky, Jan. 2, 1:30 p.m., CBS. Pitino vs. Calipari is suddenly America's most notable college basketball skirmish.
• Cal at Washington, Jan. 16, 12:30 p.m., Fox Sports. Winner is likely to assume role as the Pac-10's team to beat.
• Feb. 8, Kansas at Texas, 7 p.m., ESPN. It could be that the Big 12 powers are the nation's two most formidable teams.
• Duke at North Carolina, Feb. 10, 7 p.m., ESPN. It's the best chance for Dookie-haters to see the Blue Devils get thumped.
2 reasons RPI matters
1 Arizona State leaves Tempe just once in nonconference (twice if it somehow struggles past Texas State, Cal State Northridge or TCU in the NIT Tip-Off). The Sun Devils have foisted a silly home schedule on their fans that includes Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Baylor, Delaware State, San Diego State, UC-Santa Barbara and South Carolina Upstate.
2 Oregon chronically under-schedules, and this year is more "under" than most. The Ducks will spend the pre-Pac-10 season at Mac Court against Winston-Salem, UC-Davis, Colorado State, Montana, Montana State, St. Mary's, Mississippi Valley State, Oakland, Idaho State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The one trip: to nearby Portland State. Yuk, Ducks.
3 most improved teams
Indiana
No contest here. The Hoosiers went 6-25 last season (1-17 in the Big Ten) while paying Kelvin Sampson's debt to the NCAA. Expect IU to hit .500, and be competitive. The NCAA tournament is still a year away.
Tulsa
In the context of victories, Tulsa won't make a great jump; it won 25 last year. But with four of its top scorers back, the Golden Hurricane should take control of Conference USA from long-time juggernaut Memphis.
Dayton
In the land of mid-majors, the Flyers are likely to rule over Gonzaga and all the rest this year. Dayton, which plays defense-first, discipline-always basketball, returns nine players who logged double-figure minutes in last year's 27-win season.
3 coaches playing with fire
Pat Knight, Texas Tech
The Knight Family act has worn thin in Lubbock. The Red Raiders were 3-13 in the Big 12 and the new roster includes three JC transfers. It might not be pretty.
Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech
It's hard to remember that the Yellow Jackets reached the Final Four in 2004. Since then, Hewitt is 29-51 in the ACC and some project a last-place finish this year.
Randy Bennett, St. Mary's
The core of players Bennett deployed to rival Gonzaga for two seasons is gone. His time to get a better job and move up might have vanished in a league in which Portland and San Diego are on the rise.
4 Pac-10 players you want at crunch time
• Jerome Randle, guard, Cal. Since he's only 5-10, if that, Randle shoots away from the basket. Way, way, way away. Yet he knocked down 46.3 percent of 177 three-point attempts last year, averaged 18.3 points and didn't disappear when the game was on the line.
• Isaiah Thomas, Washington, guard. Willing and able to mix it up even though he is listed at 5-8, 170 pounds, Thomas shot more free throws last year (207 to 197) than burly teammate Jon Brockman, who seemed to live at the foul line. He could become a consensus All-American this year.
• Nic Wise, Arizona, guard. Down the stretch in March, Wise produced numbers (205 points in 10 games) that matched or exceeded his esteemed Arizona predecessors. Turn up the heat. He responds.
• Rihards Kuksiks, forward, ASU. By year's end, it was Kuksiks, not All-American James Harden, who became the Sun Devils' go-to shooter. He made 93 treys as strictly a spot-up shooter and got to the foul line only 28 times all year. This year opposing defenses will pay much more attention.
3 guys not named Nic
Nikola Koprivica, Washington State
The 3.4 GPA student (international business) from Serbia is a deadeye shooter off the bench.
Nikola Knezevic, Cal
Also from Serbia, also a distance-shooting specialist, also a terrific student (3.1 GPA, interdisciplinary studies).
Nikola Dragovic, UCLA
Yes, he's from Belgrade, too. He is also the Bruins' leading returning scorer (9.4), with range up to 25 feet.
5 Pac-10 truths you probably forgot
• Arizona, which used to own the Pac-10 Tournament, hasn't won it since 2002.
• In the last 25 years, Arizona has won 347 Pac-10 games. Next? UCLA at 321 followed by Stanford at 283 and Cal at 232. Worst: Wazzu 161, OSU 182, ASU 191.
• Defending league champion Washington is offering its highest-priced season ticket at $498, with the highest premium charge, per seat, at $900. Or, $1,398 per seat. Arizona offers its top (non-floor) ticket for $490 with a surcharge of $1,500. Or, $1,990.
• Washington's Lorenzo Romar and Oregon's Ernie Kent are the only Pac-10 head coaches to play at Pac-10 schools. The others graduated from Seattle Pacific, Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton, Long Beach State, Duke, Weber State and McGill University in Canada.
• During the Mike Krzyzewski years at Duke, Arizona is 3-3 against the Blue Devils. UCLA is 2-7, Stanford 2-0, Cal 1-0, USC 0-3 and Washington 0-2. No other Pac-10 teams have played Duke.
3 Pac-10 assistant coaches with a moving-up profile
Archie Miller, Arizona
At 31, the younger brother of Arizona head coach Sean Miller is just getting started, but his résumé is off the charts: Assistant gigs at Ohio State, Arizona State and North Carolina State put him on the map before his 30th birthday. He's intense, talented and looking to sail his own ship. He's unlikely to be sitting on Arizona's bench long.
Dedrique Taylor, Arizona State
From Portland State to Nevada to ASU, the 35-year-old Taylor keeps moving up on many who's-next lists. He's got the personality and the pedigree to run his own program soon.
Mike Dunlap, Oregon
By the end of Arizona's '08-09 season, Dunlap had been discovered. He was the brains of the outfit, part-psychologist, part-strategist and full-time basketball wizard. If the Ducks win 20 games this year, with Dunlap pulling the behind-the-scenes strings, he'll be on the must-hire list of a prominent athletic director.
3 numbers that amaze even Dick Vitale
2 Baylor guard LaceDarius Dunn was second in the Big 12 with 7.2 three-point attempts per game and averaged 15 points per game. Yet he somehow went through the entire season being credited for two - yes, t-w-o - assists. Almost impossible.
0 Is zero a real number? Northwestern has never, ever gone to the NCAA tournament. Not in a million years. The Wildcats lost just one starter from last year's 17-win team and could be primed to spend Selection Sunday with happy faces.
7 In his debut at USC, ex-Wildcat coach Kevin O'Neill will be expected to run to eight his streak of conference seasons without a winning record. His Tennessee and Northwestern teams had six consecutive years of losing league records. Now comes an imposing rebuilding job at 'SC.
4 to win it all
Kansas
Everybody's picking the Jayhawks, who have the deepest and most talented roster in the country. KU goes 13 deep. Good luck in keeping all those egos satisfied.
Villanova
