LSU's basketball team may be pretty mediocre this season (2-4 in the SEC), but there was a time when they were one of the most exciting college basketball teams in the entire country.

During the Dale Brown era LSU appeared in two Final Fours in the early 80s, but it may have been Brown's 1989-1990 team that was the most exciting squad, albeit underachieving.

Replete with NBA players Chris Jackson, Stanley Roberts and, oh yeah, Shaquille O'Neal, the Tigers entered the season ranked #2 in the nation, but faied to play through to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament as a #5 seed. You could argue they are one of the most talented teams nobody really remembers.

Passed along by SB Nation's "And the Valley Shook," this unearthed 1990 video of the Tigers taking on the UNLV Runnin' Rebels - yes that incredible Runnin' Rebels squad - takes us back to a time when coaches coached less and players scored more. This was also the year that Loyola Marymount scored 124 points a game, a record that may stand forever.

The Tigers prevailed in this wild 107-105 game, for the record, and were led by Jackson who dropped 35.

... the safe, smart AM read for college basketball fans

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What in the world are we supposed to make of these Oklahoma State Cowboys?

Fresh off a monumental upset of the nation's second-ranked team, Travis Ford's group now sits at 10-10 overall and 3-4 in Big 12 play. Heading into the year, this was a roster we figured would flirt with the upper echelon of the conference for most of the season. And somehow, despite a series of swings and misses throughout non-conference play, here they are.

Aside from Missouri, Ford's team still hasn't picked up a win over a relevant program in 2011-12, and that's really the biggest problem when it comes to something crazy like an at-large possibility. The Cowboys' resume, sadly, is highlighted by wins over Missouri State, Tulsa, and SMU in non-conference games, and Oklahoma and Texas Tech in league games. Tossing Missouri into that mix is like plopping a bright red cherry on massive bowl of shit; even if the presence of said cherry proves to be too enticing for some to resist.

Yes, there were plenty of things to like about Oklahoma State's performance on Wednesday, but let's be real here. Everything we've seen from this team indicates there is a much better chance of this being a one-game anomaly instead of some season-altering jumping point. The Cowboys still don't have a track record of success against schools of the same, or even a slightly-lesser caliber, and that alone is pretty hard to ignore. A great win, no doubt, but this team's immediate future isn't as bright as people may think.

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Despite being very important, numbers are not fun. They are also not very funny.

Somehow the great Ken Pomeroy has provided us with an anomaly on data and humor.

Pomeroy seems to always be searching for the next best way to both interpret how good or bad a college basketball team is and how good or bad a college basketball team could be.

In his latest blog article, KenPom seeks to quantify the importance of air. In this case, how much can a lack of oxygen help a team that resides at a high altitude? It's a piece that makes you laugh, then makes you ponder.

It sounds crazy, I know, but were getting to a point where there may soon be enough data to truly justify the value of air. Meaning, if it's generally accepted that being the home team is worth three points, being the home team at 4000 feet or more above sea level may be worth a bit more.

That's right, Colorado fans, there may need to be an asterik next to any of your upset victories that took place in Boulder while you were a member of the Big 12.

If you can get drunk and cook food faster at high altitudes, why not apply that thinking to sports? Heck, the Pittsburgh Steelers could tell you all about oxygen levels and the impact it had on their season.

Still inconclusive, but an excellent conversation to be had among fans.

It received minimal attention, but last week Utah's leading scorer Josh Watkins was kicked off the Utes basketball team.

It's unknown what the cause was, exactly, but slowly we're learning (at least the seven people that still care are learning) that Watkins slept through classes, skipped classes, and was late for practice.

Just why head coach Larry Krystkowiak would boot his team's leading scorer may seem baffling, but clearly some things are more important than 15.6 points per game, and amen for that.

Over the weekend, while much of the West Coast prepared themselves for a far more entertaining battle between New Mexico - UNLV, the Utes were adjusting nicely to life without Watkins, picking up their second conference victory over Arizona State.

The Sun Devils have problems of their own, sure, but it was a step in the right direction for Utah. Remember, the Utes are in the unenviable position as the front-runner for worst BCS conference team this season. They've lost five games by 25 points or more, and are 336th in the country in scoring.

They stink, but losing "Jiggy", as Watkins goes by, could be a blessing for this young team that is desperate for direction under a first year head coach.

Watkins was first in the country in possession percentage, but took an average of 14 shots a game and was only a 42 eFG shooter. So, in addition to maturity and selfishness issues off the court, you could argue that Watkins demonstrated that same type of behavior on the court.

Looking to do their best addition by subtraction, the Utes have rid themselves of a senior who was stunting their growth. Now you have a rotation that's entirely comprised of players returning for the 2012-1013 season. They sort of get an elongated pre-season to gel around a nice core of current juniors and ensure everyone on the roster is on board.

We'll leave them alone for the remainder of this season, but Krystkowiak's demeanor paired with his confidence in getting rid of Watkins shows he may have something here.

There's something magical about an undefeated team this late in the college basketball season. Seeing a group of guys manage to climb over every hurdle put in front of them is an impressive feat. Say what you will about the level of competition, but what Murray State head coach Steve Prohm has managed to do in his first year on the job is nothing short of amazing. The media attention that this program is getting alone is enough to make Prohm a coach of the year frontrunner.

Much like Syracuse, who fell from the ranks of the unbeaten on Saturday, the Racers are balanced offensively and can beat teams a variety of ways. But while the Orange are largely devoid of a consistent lead scorer most nights, Murray State seems to have found one in junior Isaiah Canaan. And wouldn't you know it, the kid is slowly creeping up the player of the year rankings.

The not-quite-six-foot guard sports the 36th best ORating in the nation, is averaging 18.7 points per game and shoots nearly 50% from the perimeter. As the Racers have continued to win games, Canaan has piled up 20-point performances with ease. He's also scored at least 35 points twice this season, and is a threat to get hot and pour in a half-dozen three-pointers on any given night.

Canaan's numbers don't immediately jump off the page, but it's hard to discount his role on an undefeated basketball team. The phrase 'player of the year' can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but even so, it's hard to overlook Canaan right now regardless of the criteria.

Week 12 after the jump..

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I went a pitiful 1-3 with yesterday's picks because of the actions of those scorpion women from Virginia, who shot an unspeakable 32.6% from the field and 1-14 from three. We already knew that the Virginia Tech defense is impressive, but I for one didn't expect them to force that level of suckery.

The bad day moves me to 79-76-2 on the season, but I shall repent! Today we have a big game in the Big East, a matchup of the poles in the Big XII and two games that I picked just for fun. Let's get to it!

All times EST.

7:00pm ESPN: No. 1 Syracuse @ Cincinnati (+4.5)

All season long, Syracuse has been blowing teams out. And all season long, Cincinnati has been playing close games. When you play close games, you're going to drop a few, like they did to West Virginia, 77-74 in overtime on Saturday. But that's loss doesn't change the fact that Cinci has looked like one of the best teams not only in the Big East, but the entire country since the Xavier brawl in December. The Bearcats will stick close tonight, like they always do, and the Orange are not comfortable with close games. We know that Syracuse can put a hurtin' on their opponents, and losing Fab Melo doesn't change that, but after falling to Notre Dame over the weekend we'll see how well they handle adversity.

Plenty more picks after the jump...

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