Jim Utter writes for The Charlotte Observer and has been covering the Atlantic 10 Conference for four years now. As a graduate of UNC-Charlotte he has cherished and reveled in the A-10 roundball scene for even more years. He gives us his thoughts on some of the things to look for as conference play kicks into gear and Cinderella stories potentially develop.

What are your general thoughts/forecast on the upcoming A-10 season. I think Xavier is the team to beat right now. However, I think unlike last season I expect to see three to four teams battling for the regular season championship as the season unfolds. I think there are several teams - including Dayton, Temple, UMass and Charlotte (if they are healthy) - who can win on any given night against the top teams.

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How many team's (and who) can we expect to see in the dance? And what team could potentially be wearing that Cinderella Slipper? I would say three teams from the Atlantic 10 would be a safe bet. The league has steadily been producing NCAA-caliber teams on a regular basis now and teams are scheduling more with at-large invitations in mind. After seeing the non-conference season about complete, I would say Duquesne or St. Bonaventure could surprise this season. Neither was expected to contend for one of the top four seeds in the conference.

What one liner could be the conference's tag line at the end of the season? Bigger is not always better.

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What teams do you see overachieving this season and what, if any, unheralded players could make a splash in league play? I think in many ways St. Bonaventure has already overachieved. What will be interesting is to see if they can carry what they've accomplished into the conference season. Many times it's hard to judge how good teams are even when they rack up a lot of wins because of the quality of the opposition they faced. Charlotte's 6-foot-10 center Phil Jones has been surprisingly effective so far this season, adding a legitimate low-post presence to the 49ers' offense - something they have not had in a while.

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Is it time for the conference to cut ties with team with doormat teams like St. Bonaventure and La Salle? Is there any talk about trying to add teams from Conference USA and/or the Missouri Valley? I have advocated this move since I began covering the league with Charlotte's arrival. I think the league should move to the most compact and best programs to form a 10-team league. Use all criteria - program history, location, metro areas - and make the best out of something that is very scattered and non-inclusive right now.

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Do you think the conference is doing the best to brand themselves? They have schools in many major markets, a luxury some other conferences don't have. Could they be working harder to increase exposure and in turn potentially increase the quality of play? Teams can increase exposure the most by playing quality opposition. Unfortunately the downside is the risk of losing a lot of games, which is not good for coaches' tenures. However, the best exposure is to see A-10 teams playing good teams in big games on TV. If fans see the league exposed consistently throughout the season - not just a few times when they happen to land a game against a Top 25 opponent - I think it will awaken more fans and potential recruits to what the league has to offer.

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Best rivalry going in the conference right now? Xavier-Dayton. No question.

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Through your travels on the beat, which campus is your favorite to visit? Why? I have been to every A-10 school except St. Bonaventure and Fordham and will cross the Bonnies off the list this season. Of the ones I have visited, my favorite A-10 campus is Rhode Island. I love that area of the country. It's a very historic area and I like the design of the campus. I also love visiting Newport while there for games. Second on my list is Dayton. It's not the greatest city, but the campus is nice and I have seen few other schools with as passionate fans as Dayton, in good times and bad.

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During your career, what is the best team you have seen play live? Probably the 1997-98 Kentucky Wildcats. I was covering Davidson College that season and it was Coach Bob McKillop's first trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats lost in the first round to Michigan in Atlanta but I stayed to watch Kentucky play in the second round and they went on to win the championship.

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We love revering the former college basketball player who couldn't quite make it at the next level (hence the Billy Edelin reference). Is there a player you absolutely loved watching at some point in your career, but now he's a complete afterthought to the common fan? There was a player at Charlotte in the early 1990s named Jarvis Lang. He was an unheralded recruit from Farmville Central High in Eastern North Carolina but when he arrived at Charlotte he developed into one of the school's best and most exciting inside players. As a freshman, he led the nation's Division I freshmen in scoring and rebounding. Fans at Charlotte still talk about his dunks. He never had an NBA career but did play overseas I believe. He still shows up at Charlotte games occasionally. At Charlotte he is often portrayed as the type of recruit the 49ers try to find - a diamond in the rough, someone overlooked or counted out by the other Division I schools in the area (particularly the ACC schools.)

We’re just a couple of bloggers, new bloggers at that, so our credibility is minimal. In order to get some real "stuff" on here, we’ve reached out to some esteemed beat writers who actually know what they’re talking about.

With the Big 10 tipping off their league schedule tonight, now is a good time to preview the conference that actually looks intriguing this season. Chicago Sun Times college writer Herb Gould has been covering the Big 10 since 1994, and has a ton of previous work to his name (Notre Dame, Chicago Bears, and features writer)

He was nice enough to answer our questions on the heels of covering Northwestern's appearance in the Alamo Bowl.

What are your general thoughts / forecast on the upcoming Big 10 season? The league is looking up. I think Michigan State and Purdue are quality top-15 teams, and there are half a dozen more teams that are NCAA tournament candidates.

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How many NCAA tournament bids do you see this league receiving? What teams? I think five bids will be about right, but it could be as many as seven, depending on how things break. I think Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State will be there. Minnesota, Michigan, Penn State and Illinois also are candidates. It’s possible that Ohio State or Wisconsin could get bumped by one or more of the upstarts.

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What will we say about this season when it's all said and done? This shapes up as a good transitional on-the-way-up year for the Big Ten after a few seasons where too many teams were down. New coaches, notably Tubby Smith and John Beilein, are making strides at Minnesota and Michigan. Even Penn State and Northwestern are looking better, and have a chance to continue to improve. And Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State are all doing what they do very well at the moment. But down the road, I expect Illinois and Indiana to assert themselves through upgraded recruiting.

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What teams do you see overachieving this season, and what, if any, unheralded players could make a splash in league play? Illinois has a chance to surprise some people, if Kentucky transfer Alex Legion delivers. Minnesota and Michigan are showing signs they’re going to be much better than expected. Penn State’'s Taylor Battle is putting up some big numbers, I'll be interested to see him play.

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What are your thoughts on the current state of the Indiana Hoosiers? Do you believe the athletic department has an unofficial timetable set for Tom Crean to make something happen, or will they be patient and let Crean slowly revamp the program? I am very confident that Tom Crean will have Indiana back on top, chasing Big Ten titles and March excellence. It’s not going to happen this year, and it might not happen next year. But it COULD happen next year, and it will happen within three or four years. If they have a timetable, it ought to be the one I just laid out. Either way, Tom Crean isn’t going anywhere but up. He was a great choice to restore an important program to national prominence.

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From our perspective, there's a lot of good coaches in the conference. Which coach do you think impacts his team the most? The league is the best it’s ever been, in terms of coaching. From an impact standpoint, Matt Painter has done a terrific job of rebuilding Purdue, but it’s hard to argue against Bo Ryan, because he’s done it longer. I think Tom Izzo set the bar so high for a while there that he’s almost become under-appreciated. I’m a big fan of Thad Matta and Bruce Weber, too. No disrespect to Dick Bennett, who laid a good foundation —but where was Wisconsin before Bo Ryan? Where will it be after he’s done?

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Looking back to the 2006-2007 season, we saw the Ohio State Buckeyes fall one win short of the title. Do you think these one-and-done recruiting classes are OK for the game, or would you rather watch a class develop and improve over the course of four seasons? I’d like to see players stay in school for two years. That would be a good compromise. Whether a program goes with four-year guys or one-and-done guys, doesn’t bother me either way. I feel like it’s their choice. But I also think the Memphis way, blending a one-year star with veterans, is the way to do it, if a program can do it that way.

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Best rivalry going in the conference right now? Nothing really jumps out at me. Purdue-Michigan State could be good. Wiconsin-Michigan State can be intense. There hasn’t been enough continuity, with programs or players, at the top level for rivalries based on winning. And the Illinois-Indiana thing, which has great potential, needs the break it’s going to get. The Sampson-Eric Gordon stuff was too over the top. When Indiana is back, it will foster some great rivalries, with Purdue as well as Illinois.

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Through your travels on the beat, which campus is your favorite to visit? Why? They all have their own special flavor. I went to Wisconsin and still get there often. When I take my writer friends around, they’'re seldom disappointed. Lots of good fish frys, and even old-timers can still enjoy their old campus haunts.

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We love revering the former college basketball player who couldn't quite make it at the next level (hence the Billy Edelin reference). Is there a player you absolutely loved watching in your career, or growing up, but now he's a complete afterthought to the common fan? How about Alfredrick Hughes, a terrific scorer at Loyola in the early ‘80s? Covered him a bit when I was breaking into sports. He was``The man with three first names,’’ and sometimes his coach, Gene Sullivan, used all three in the same quote.

I always thought Digger Phelps got a lot out of the David Rivers-Donald Royal tandem at Notre Dame in the mid-80s. The Irish weren’t overly talented, but Rivers and Royal always got them into the NCAA tournament, where they often won a game or two. And they had some big regular-season wins.

We’re just a couple of bloggers, new bloggers at that, so our credibility is minimal. In order to get some real "stuff" on here, we’ve reached out to some esteemed beat writers who actually know what they’re talking about.

While it's hard not to ignore the buzz surrounding the upcoming BCS Championship Game, there's still some great basketball being played in Norman, Oklahoma. Covering the Sooners since the 2003-04 season, John Shinn previews the upcoming Big 12 conference schedule--and sees potential for it to mimic the drama that unfolded during the football season.

What are your general thoughts / forecast on the upcoming Big 12 season? From what I've seen thus far, it's really reminding of the football season. It looks like Oklahoma and Texas are the class of the league and the south is the dominant division. They have the wins over ranked teams and have the deepest rosters. Baylor might be at their level, but the Bears don't have enough in the post to bang with either one.

How many NCAA tournament bids do you see this league receiving? What teams? Oklahoma and Texas are locks and unless there's some major injuries or a bus crash. I think they'll be no worse than No. 3 seeds, but No. 2 seed are more likely. Baylor should get in at probably a five or six seed. They are the only no-brainers. Texas A&M, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska also have shots. But I have a hard time seeing the Big 12 getting more than six bids.

What will we say about this season when it's all said and done? Blake Griffin. This will be his last season of college basketball and I think he'll leave as the best post player the Big 12's ever had. He's on the level of Kevin Durant, T.J. Ford or any other national player of the year the conference has had. If he played in the ACC, Dick Vitale would slobber all over him two nights a week.

What is the overall tone in Norman right now, with the anticipation for the BCS Title Game? Is the basketball team desperate for attention right now? It's weird. Usually basketball fans don't come out until the football season ends. Hasn't been the case this year. Lloyd Noble Center has been packed several times. It's even stranger considering the Thunder plays about 20 minutes away. But as far as fan interest, this is the best I've seen for Oklahoma since I've been around.

What teams do you see overachieving this season? The two that could surprise people would be Missouri and Nebraska. The north looks like it's going to be awful and the Tigers and Huskers both have veteran teams. I don't think either is good enough to finish in the top three in the south, but getting to play Colorado, Kansas State and Iowa State twice is really going to help them.

What is your take on extended 3-point line? From what I've seen, the move has had no effect. Bad shooters still take them and miss them. Guys that can make don't even act like the line has moved. They were never toeing the old line anyway. The biggest difference I've noticed is it's a little harder for guards to double down in the post.

Best rivalry in the conference? I don't get to cover Kansas-Missouri or Texas-Texas A&M, so I can't give you an accurate answer on those. The OU-Texas rivalry is big on the basketball court, but it's nothing compared to football. I'll say OU-Oklahoma State (Bedlam) because I get to see two arenas that are wired a several notches above their usual level for those games.

Through your travels on the beat, which campus is your favorite to visit? Why? I have two answers: Best place to go for a game is Kansas. There isn't a better college town in America than Lawrence, Kan. If you're a real college basketball fan you should try to go to a game at Allen Fieldhouse at least once. Doesn't matter who the Jayhawks are playing, there's going to be 16,000 fans packed into a gym — and I mean a gym, it could never be called an arena — that was built to hold maybe 10,000. Student section is great. Best part is seeing people you know have donated millions to the school sitting on a rolled out wooden bench.

The best place to visit is Austin. There's a Courtyard about 2 blocks from 6th street that most guys stay at and you're right in the middle of everything. It's one of the best bar scenes in the country and it's a couple blocks from the Erwin Center. Plus, it's usually about 75 degrees whenever I go there. Texas' atmosphere isn't very good, but Austin is great.

We love revering the former college basketball player who couldn't quite make it at the next level. Is there a player you absolutely loved watching in your career, or growing up, but now he's a complete afterthought to the common fan? I grew up in Chicago, so I'll give you an old DePaul guy — Dallas Comegys. We had season tickets when I was a little kid and he pretty much dominated whenever he felt like it. I figured he would be in the NBA for about 15 years instead of two.

We’re just a couple of bloggers, new bloggers at that, so our credibility is minimal. In order to get some real "stuff" on here, we’ve reached out to some esteemed beat writers who actually know what they’re talking about.

Covering UCONN basketball for the New Haven Register, Dave Borges enlightens us on what could be one of the most competitive conference seasons in memory. Dave gives us his take, and talks about the possibility for the league to receive an unprecedented nine tournament bids.

What are your general thoughts / forecast on the upcoming Big East season? I think it's going to be an extremely interesting, exciting Big East season. There are so many talented teams that whoever emerges as the regular-season champion (Pittsburgh? UConn? Louisville?) will likely do so with at least three or four losses in league play. I know there have been some early upsets (most recently, Syracuse getting upended by Cleveland State), but there have been upsets everywhere (hello, Tennessee, Duke, etc.). Top to bottom, the Big East is far and away the best.

I like Pittsburgh's toughness and defensive play, as usual, and Sam Young is a treat. I loved Louisville before the season started, but it seems they're missing David Padgett a lot more than anyone could have expected, even though Samardo Samuels is the real deal. Georgetown is better than I thought; the freshman, Greg Monroe, looks good. Syracuse has been very sharp until the other night. I'm not in love with Notre Dame. Harangody is great and the team can shoot with anyone, but I'm not sure they'll play enough defense to make a big dent come tourney time.

Really, without any bias, I think UConn is the best team. I didn't think that in October, but watching them play (I know it's been largely against weak teams), I really see something here. Hasheem Thabeet has really improved, Jerome Dyson has improved even more, and now they add Stanley Robinson's incredible athleticism to the mix. If they can just get A.J. Price going, this could be a Final Four team.
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Could we see the Big East receive an unprecedented nine tournament bids? I think so. The conference is getting enough respect with so many Top 25 teams (eight this week, I believe), that it's hardly unrealistic to think another team could get in. Probably a team like West Virginia, or even Seton Hall or Providence.

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What will we say about this season when it's all said and done? That it will be one of the most competitive Big East seasons ever.
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What teams do you see overachieving this season and what, if any, unheralded players could make a splash in league play? Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell and USF's Dominique Jones (who's also hurt right now) are good players. And I've always loved PC's Geoff McDermott, who can do a little of everything.

I think West Virginia could be better than expected. Even though they lost Joe Alexander, they still have a lot of talent with Da'Sean Butler, Alex Ruoff and Joe Mazzulla (the latter two who are hurt right now). I'm partial to Mazzulla because he's a fellow native Rhode Islander, but he had a great tournament last year and I like his game.

As I mentioned before, I think Georgetown is better than people originally thought. DaJuan Summers can play on my team any day of the week, the big freshman, Greg Monroe, looks good, and I love players like Jesse Sapp -- just solid, veteran players who do all the little things.
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What is your take on the extended 3-point line? I like it. It'll keep shooters honest, separating the OK ones from the good ones, and I think it'll open things up in the middle for the big guys to maneuver.

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Best rivalry going in the conference right now? Well, you've got the old ones like Georgetown-Syracuse, UConn-Syracuse, but a lot of it's diluted by the 16 teams, etc.

Here's a dark horse: UConn-PC. The Friars have beaten UConn on UConn's home floor the last four times they've played, and swept the season series last year. UConn was insulted by the way the Friars were mocking them in the first game and promised revenge in the second, but PC won at The Dunk.
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<!--[endif]-->Not saying it's the best rivalry in the conference, by any means, but these two teams do not like each other. At all.

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Through your travels on the beat, which campus is your favorite to visit? Why? Well, last year was my first year of really traveling (I didn't travel much when I was on the PC beat). Notre Dame's campus is beautiful and the gym is loud. That was a cool experience. Haven't been to all of them yet. Didn't really like Syracuse that much. Oh, and South Florida is nice and warm!
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During your career, what is the best team you have seen play live? The only time I saw the 2004 UConn team play, they lost to Providence in the infamous Ryan Gomes/"I (bleeped) up" game. Saw Syracuse's national-title team, too, while covering PC.

I guess I'd have to say the 2007-08 Memphis team. They dismantled UConn at Madison Square Garden in November, 2007. Should've been national champs.

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We love revering the former college basketball player who couldn't quite make it at the next level. Is there a player you absolutely loved watching at some point in your career, but now he's a complete afterthought to the common fan? When I was a kid, for some reason I loved Keith Lee of Memphis State (they were Memphis State at the time). No real reason, just thought he was cool and loved his game. Never did much in the pros.

Of course, growing up in Rhode Island, the 1987 PC Final Four team has a special place in my heart. Billy Donovan, obviously, is still a well-known name, but guys like Delray Brooks, Ernie "Pop" Lewis and Dave Kipfer will always live on in my heart.

Oh, one more. I attended URI, and their star player while I was there (1988-92) was Kenny Green. He's a Waterbury, Conn. native, and he was just an absolute animal. Never even made "The League," I don't believe.

A few other more recent ones: John Linehan (PC), Darius Rice (Miami -- boy, was he smooth), Julius Page (Pitt -- an incredible athlete). I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch.

We're just a couple of bloggers, new bloggers at that, so our credibility is minimal. In order to get some real "stuff" on here, we've reached out to some esteemed beat writers who actually know what they're talking about. Writers whose name carries significant weight in the circle they work in.

With league play upon us, it's as great time to get the word from college basketball writers across the country and find out their take for what's ahead

In our second installment of "The Word," we talk to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Bob has covered University of Washington basketball for the Tacoma News Tribune and the Seattle Times since 1997. He takes us on a walk through the world of Pac Ten Basketball, and admits his favorite place to watch a basketball game is not on U-Dub's campus.

What are your general thoughts / forecast on the upcoming Pac Ten season? The conference shapes up to be not as good as a year ago, when six teams made it to the NCAA Tournament and three to the Sweet 16. But it could make for a more exciting conference race than last season when UCLA took control pretty early and ended up 16-2, three games better than everyone else. The conference champ could have 4-5-6 losses this season, and there could be a lot of jostling back and forth for position. I also think only 4-5 teams will make the NCAA Tournament, so the battle in the final weeks for those spots should be intense, as well. But there's no doubt the conference isn't as strong this season as last year without the likes of Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo and the Lopez Twins off to the NBA.

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On Selection Sunday, who's in and who is out?
UCLA, Arizona State, USC, Arizona and whichever of Washington/Washington State wins their game to conclude the regular season on March 7.

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What will be the storyline title of the Conference when it's all said and
done? That UCLA has outlasted everyone to win it for the fourth consecutive year. This isn't as good a Bruins team as the last few. But Ben Howland's teams always seem to get better as the year goes on and UCLA has one thing a lot of the others don't, a senior and proven point guard in Darren Collison. As soon as all those freshmen mature, the Bruins will pull it out.

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What teams do you see overachieving this season and what, if any, unheralded players could make a splash in league play? l looms as the surprise team in the conference this year thanks to a coaching upgrade in Mike Montgomery from Ben Braun and the health of all of their key players. Cal junior guard Patrick Christopher may be the best player in the conference few have heard of. And Cal's point guard, Jerome Randle, really seems to be thriving in Monty's system. I don't expect Oregon State to surprise in the sense that they will make any real headway in the conference race. But after going 0-18 last year, I think the Beavers, under new coach Craig Robinson, brother-in-law of Barack Obama, will be a lot better and could win 4-5 conference games. Junior forward Daniel Deane, a transfer from Utah, is a double-double player waiting to happen and the Beavers have gotten better now that sophomore guard Calvin Haynes is eligible.

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Which team will suffer more from their "lottery pick loss;" UCLA (Kevin Love), USC (OJ Mayo) or Stanford (The Lopez Brothers)? Stanford. The others still have a lot of talent on hand. The Cardinal is off to a nice start. But over the long haul, Stanford will find it harder to replace the inside presence of the Lopez Twins.

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Best rivalry going in the conference right now? USC-UCLA. UCLA is the favorite every year and USC is entrenched as an annual contender. They went 2-1 in three meetings last year with UCLA winning the rubber match by just three.

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Through your travels on the beat, which campus is your favorite to visit? Why? It'll sound traitorous to any UW fans reading this, but I'd have to say Oregon, especially for basketball. Mac Court is the best place to see a game in the conference and Oregon fans are always at a fever pitch when the Huskies come to town.

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During your career, what is the best team you have seen play live? Washington or an opponent, either one is fine. I'll pick one of each --- I covered the 1995 Final Four when UCLA won it all in Seattle so I'd say that is the best conference team I had a chance to really cover live. The best UW team was the 2004-05 version that had four future NBA players --- Brandon Roy, Nate Robinson, Bobby Jones and Will Conroy. That's the team that went 29-6 before losing to Louisville in the Sweet 16 which was simply a bad matchup for the Huskies. UW fans will always wonder how good that team might have been had Roy not suffered a knee injury early in the season. He missed about three weeks and was never 100 percent when he came back.

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We love revering the former college basketball player who couldn't quite make it at the next level. Is there a player you absolutely loved watching at some point in your career, but now he's a complete afterthought to the common fan? Again, I'll pick a Husky and a Pac-10 player. For UW, I'll go with Jamie Booker. [He] was a guard from the mid-90s who was just a human cannonball on the floor, diving after loose balls, taking charges, etc. He never played in the NCAA Tournament and has been overseas forever so he's been pretty forgotten, even by UW fans. In the Pac-10, USC had a swingman in the early 2000s named David Bluthenthal who just always seemed to go off against the Huskies. Whenever I saw him I was sure he was headed to a long NBA career, and he always seemed to be having a lot of fun out there

We're just a couple of bloggers, new bloggers at that, so our credibility is minimal. In order to get some real "stuff" on here, we've reached out to some esteemed beat writers who actually know what they're talking about. Writers whose name carries significant weight in the circle they work in.

With league play upon us, it's as great time to get the word from college basketball writers across the country and find out their take for what's ahead.

Since 1981, Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald has been on the beat for Kentucky and the SEC. He previews the upcoming league schedule, and brings up an ex-Wildcat player fond of the prospects of passing gas in Hong Kong.

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What are your general thoughts on the upcoming SEC season? The league appears to be down this season. As I type, the league teams have a 1-4 record against ranked teams and an 8-12 record against teams from the other five so-called power conferences. Tennessee is a huge favorite to win the SEC for a second straight season. In a media pre-season poll, I voted for Kentucky to win the league. I may live to regret that vote, but I think Kentucky will out-steady Tennessee.

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How many NCAA tournament bids do you see this league receiving? At least five bids. Maybe six or seven. Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU and Florida seem almost locks to get bids at this point. I’d look to South Carolina, Vanderbilt and perhaps Ole Miss and Auburn as other possibilities.

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What will we say about this season when it's all said and done? It will be a transition year from the seasons when Florida won national championships to 2009-10 when teams like Kentucky and Florida will join, say, Tennessee as serious players on the national scene. As I type, Tennessee is the only ranked SEC team and the Vols are not in the top 15.

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How long or short is Billy Gillispie's leash in Lexington? What is the tone from the fans? Are Wildcat fans understanding right now, or is it a "just win baby" approach? Billy Gillispie is in a transition period when he’s trying to return Kentucky to elite status. Fans are relatively patient. Gillispie won a lot of good will last season when Kentucky had a 6-7 record in the pre-conference portion of the schedule, then went 12-4 in the SEC. With many recruits on the way, fans anticipate better things ahead.

There’s still a "just win baby" atmosphere as evidenced by a famous caller to a radio show [in 1998] who said, "Although the team’s record is 22-3, I haven’t given up yet." But fans see that the talent level does not constitute overwhelming superiority (which is the standard).

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What teams do you see overachieving this season and what, if any, unheralded players could make a splash in league play? I like Ole Miss and Auburn because they have experienced and talented guards. I’ve backed off Ole Miss a bit because injuries have sidelined more than one of its guards. I also like South Carolina because of Devan Downey, who isn’t unheralded but maybe under-appreciated because his team hasn’t done much.

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Best rivalry going in the conference right now? It’s been Kentucky and Florida, which has been the CBS final weekend matchup for several years. Tennessee-Vanderbilt has been spicy since Bruce Pearl became Tennessee coach and revived the Ray Mears practice of wearing a bright orange sports coat in games against Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

Kentucky and Tennessee, which has been a natural rivalry dating back to the 1960s (with dormant periods in that time), has the potential to be an excellent rivalry going forward.

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Through your travels on the beat, which campus is your favorite to visit? I always enjoy going to Florida, in part because of the promise of warm weather in January or February. The students are fun, not abusive but needling in a fun way (for the most part). Also the O’Connell Center has an old gym atmosphere with the fans close to the court. And, not to forget, the games usually feature two good teams.

The all-time best was Barnhill Arena at Arkansas. Fans close to the court. Enthusiasm not seen at any other SEC arena. Quirky angles for seats in stands. Alas, Arkansas moved into the new arena in 1994, so I only saw Kentucky play in Barnhill Arena once.

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During your career, what is the best team you have seen play live? The team that immediately comes to mind is Duke, 1991-92. That’s the team that beat Kentucky in the NCAA East Region final on the famous Christian Laettner shot.

Kentucky’s best team was probably 1995-96, which lost only twice en route to the national championship. The 1983-84 team, which advanced to the Final Four, was also one of Kentucky’s best in my time.

Best SEC opponent in my time has to be the Florida national championship teams of 2005-06 and 2006-07. They were the best in terms of consistently excellent play.

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We love revering the former college basketball player who couldn't quite make it at the next level. Is there a player you absolutely loved watching at some point in your career, but now he's a complete afterthought to the common fan?Two players come to mind. Ed Davender was a Kentucky guard in the mid-1980s who made an impact as a freshman and was a solid contributor throughout his career. He finished with more than 1000 points and was the team’s best perimeter defender, yet he was never a fan favorite.

The other player is Richard Madison simply because he was a joy to interview. He almost always had a smile on his face and was a good-time Charlie no matter the circumstances (which maybe did not endear him to his coaches).

True story: As the team bused into Hong Kong on a tour of the Far East, the guide pointed out that 100,000 people lived in a certain apartment building. To which Richard said, "I bet you could fart and 10,000 people would smell it."