It's never too early a time to talk about next season, and it's always the right time to talk about sports gambling.

SportsBook released their early lines for the odds and payouts for wagering on the 2013 National Champion?

The "winner" of the first early bird special?

That would be the Indiana Hoosiers, who currently hold 7:1 odds that they'll cut down the nets in Atlanta next april.

Coming up just behind them is Louisville (8:1) and Kentucky (10:1).

Yes if you already didn't know, college basketball is likely to continue that Midwest flavor we were fed during the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

The biggest surprises?

• It's pretty clear that Duke is 20:1 (above North Carolina State and UNC) based on name alone. The Blue Devils may not even be a top 25 team next season, but clearly Vegas says the Coach K trumps bad talent.
• UCLA got quite a nice bump with the signings of Shabazz Muhammad. Unless it's Kentucky, you should be skeptical that freshman can turn around so drastically.
• I still worry about Memphis and what's going on down there with Josh Pastner. With Will Barton gone, among others, I wonder who steps up as the team's leader both on and off the court. Sitting at 40:1 above the arguably more well-rounded UNLV, Georgetown, and even Wisconsin, I'm not so sure the Tigers will be a top 20 main stay next season.
• Why the hate for St. Bonaventure at 500:1? I kid, I kid.

That being said these numbers mean absolutely nothing to 95 percent of the teams listed. Every season, only a handful of teams have a realistic shot to win a national championship. More interesting odds to see so far in advance would be for regular season titles for each of the major conferences.

We're not even one month into the college basketball off-season, and already UConn is proverbially in last place.

Fresh off losing its fourth rotation player from a season ago, Roscoe Smith's departure from the Husky basketball program yesterday seems to have officially confirmed what many were ready to announce: with an aging hall of fame head coach and looming 2013 post-season ban, the Connecticut Huskies basketball program may be in really, really big trouble.

I've been waiting to go 1000 words deep on this thesis, but today CBSSports.com's Matt Norlander beat me to the punch:

The Huskies are downshifting. Things could stay slow and under the radar for a while, which reinforces the idea that we're moving pretty fast toward a new reality with UConn hoops. This uncertainty and perceived averageness could be the beginning of Connecticut's new existence. At guard, it will still be very talented — if no one else transfers from now until September. And that is no given.

There are a lot of state universities in rural areas that thrive athletically. Many of them are still within an arms length of elite prep players or in a region of the country that consistently breeds athletes; their immediate location does not hinder them from being competitive.

That is not the case for the University of Connecticut. Located in the woods of the Constitution State, Storrs is right in the middle of a part of the country that isn't known for pumping out athletes.

Overall, New England is not a recruiting hot bed and fans pour most of their emotions into pro sports. They'll dial up sports radio to yack about bullpen problems at the Fens a thousand times before even wasting a breath on a college basketball program in their backyard that's losing steam.

Responsible for more than 44 percent of the programs wins and three National Championships, Jim Calhoun has taken the program to heights never imagined back in mid 1980s, and there's an argument to be made that UConn is a program all about Calhoun and nothing about the name on the jersey.

He's established the school as a basketball powerhouse, and was able to regularly recruit any part of the country.In a way, UConn has been a college basketball anomaly like it's little brother to the north once was.

When John Calipari left the University of Massachusetts, and Marcus Camby, Lou Roe and company soon thereafter, the Minutemen basketball program was never the same. The luster was lost and so was the national prominence. UMass couldn't remain a top 25 program just recruiting nearby cities and towns and their new normal of being average has continued into today.

The prospects of the same downfall happening to UConn real if not likely to happen. Playing in a conference that has taken a major hit with the loss of key basketball schools, Husky basketball may simply not matter that much going forward, and mediocrity will ensue.

Sadly, we may be losing a current basketball powerhouse.

At this very moment, UCLA arguably has the best recruiting class in the country.

As a result, many are hurling themselves at the easy conclusion that winds of change are sweeping through Westwood, even going so far as to say that the 2012-2013 season will be a disappointment if this team does not reach the Final Four.

I cringe at those lofty expectations.

With three top 20 players from the class of 2012 - including the latest, Tony Parker, who announced his intention to play for Ben Howland after an awkwardly long press conference this afternoon - the excitement is very valid and real. But while UCLA will enter next season relevant and important after a three-year hiatus, the roster improvements should not (yet) signal a 180-degree turn.

The trio of Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson and Parker probably all have intentions of serving as one-and-done players. They're all a classic example of the pit-stop player. Just because three top freshman have signed with the Bruins, doesn't mean that future subsequent recruiting classes will be as talent-laden.

Ben Howland, a coach who was exposed for interpersonal communication deficiencies among other things last month, still has a lot prove himself. His style is boring. It doesn't breed enthusiasm from fans and it doesn't necessarily help sell a player's offensive skill set. He also may not have directly contributed much to reel in this batch of players, and is guilty of mis-handling a top-rated recruiting class once before.

It's hard to argue this is a sustainable solution.

John Calipari, love him or hate him, has implemented a system and philosophy that suits the elite high school basketball player. His pitch is to get you to the NBA when you're ready. His approach gets talent to play together and win, if only for one season.

UCLA isn't even close to what's happening in Lexington.

With Howland as head coach and a scathing Sports Illustrated forever linked to his name, Bruins fans should consider themselves very fortunate with this recruiting coup.

If they don't meet or exceed expectations next season, and lose Muhammad, Anderson and maybe even Parker to the NBA next spring, what happens next?

What sort of real improvements have been made to this program?

Howland is still the same coach -- an odd ball coaching sort of an odd cast of players. Is he capable of bringing in another top recruiting class to make up the difference in lost talent?

This could be the start of something great (or just normal by historical standards at UCLA) but to say the school's 2012 recruiting class suddenly makes everything better is a tad myopic.

Following a number of columns and radio rants attacking Wisconsin head basketball coach Bo Ryan, the Badgers head coach broke his silence this morning regarding his handling of the transfer decision by Jarrod Uthoff, offering himself up to a pair of ESPN media entities.

The problem is that Ryan gave us nothing of substance to give clarity on the matter or a basic understanding of why the head coach did what he did to block Uthoff from transferring to a number of schools.

"There are rules," Ryan said in variation a handful of times, both on Mike and Mike this morning and in print to Andy Katz.

But the rules were never defined in either interview, and it shed no light on the tight restrictions being implemented.

I'm not saying they don't exist, but why do you have to be so vague and unclear as to what your reasoning is? It's hard to believe any high school senior would sign a contract that bound them to one place for the next four years of their life, with no wiggle room to re-locate at any time.

If there are one or two crucial unreported facts that support Ryan's hardballing, now would be the right time to publicize them.

Ryan did indicate that he was upset at Uthoff's process to officially decide he was transferring. The head coach was on vacation, he spoke briefly with the player on the phone and face-to-face, but it does not seem like there was any substantial discussion as to next steps and what Uthoff was looking for, both from an academic and basketball perspective, in his next destination.

It also seems like some important documents didn't quite find the right mailbox.

If that is the case, and Ryan blocking schools were a means to slow the process and pump the brakes on Uthoff to learn more about what the student-athlete wanted, then Ryan should have just blocked Uthoff from transferring to all of the other 344 Division I college basketball schools, spoken with Uthoff, then lifted the restrictions once both were on the same page.

That, in hindsight, would make a lot more sense. But then again, sensible thinking has not been a recurring theme with this story.

So the Kentucky starting five, donning matching Wildcat blue polo shirts, announced to the media that they all would be declaring for this spring's NBA Draft.

No surprise here, but it was neat to see these kids sort of loosen up to the media and show us a bit more about who they are.

As I've said before, college basketball players are, for the most part kept at a safe distance from the media during the regular season. They speak into microphones and recorders under the watchful eye of school sports information directors, and rarely tell jokes or giggle with beat writers.

Frankly, I always thought Anthony Davis was a pretty boring, simple dude, but after seeing him on the Jimmy Kimmel Show last week, it showed just how little you get to see the real personaities of these athletes. The kid has charisma.

After a formal announcemnt by head coach John Calipari, the starting five from this season's National Champion led their guard down just a bit to answer questions with easy answers. The videos below are a good way to kill five minutes and perhaps set the early handicap at who big brands will be coming after with endorsement deals this summer.

So long, kids.

You have nothing left to prove at the college level, and have no reason to want to stick around.

As part of their metamorphosis from a "mid major" to "elite college basketball" program, the Xavier Musketeers have secured a number of key transfers.

From Brian Thornton to Drew Lavender to Jordan Crawford and many more in between, the program has been great at bringing guys to campus that they could not get out of high school, but were able to later convince them to don a Musketeer jersey to close out their college career.

In the latest string of transfer players, Matt Stainbrook, formerly of Western Michigan, announced his intentions to transfer to Xavier today. At 6-10 290 pounds, Stainbrook fills a need for a team that loses their starting center Kenny Frease to graduation.

That's great and all, but let's not ignore the pink elephant in the room here.

Sight unseen, Stainbrook comes off as the guy that fouls and sweats a lot at the local Y. The guy who is a force on the basketball court more because of his effort and physicality, and not really because of any defined and superior skill set.

An ESPN scouting analyst once said that Stainbrook had "limited mobility" and "heavy feet". A "project but has the skills and could be productive at the low-level schools if he got into tip-top shape."

He also looks better with the lights off.

Because he's not dashing by any means, here's to hoping Stainbrook has an inordinate amount of swag swag to woo a few Midwest coeds.

Some thick skin would help too, as now that he's moved from the MAC to a conference with a real TV deal, the secret will soon be out on this kid and his looks.

Let's be real here: the elite high school basketball players from the class of 2011 is incredibly underwhelming.

It's almost a sight unseen eye-test assessment - I feel like you can only fairly judge high school players if you're plugged into the recruiting trail and AAU circuit, and I'm not - but I also feel like I've seen enough to know the major story lines for the 2012-2013 college basketball season will not be about impact freshmen.

After watching the McDonalds All-American and Jordan Brand Classic games, as well as Nike Hoop Summit, I came away pretty unimpressed at the overall product.

This is a class that lacks players with sound overall games, and the ability to make a big defensive play at one end then follow that up with a big dunk at the other end.

I may be asking too much out of teenagers in games that often times turn into friendly scrimmages, but we've also come away incredibly impressed with some of these players after previous spring all-star seasons.

Think about it.

Depending on who you ask, Duke commit Rasheed Sulaimon is the best shooting guard from the class of 2012.

Sulaimon, who seems like a heady kid that will fit well into the Blue Devils perimeter oriented offense, couldn't light a candle to Austin Rivers.

Or Bradley Beal.

Or maybe even Wayne Blackshear if you prefer a more physically imposing player.

I hate to pick on him, but had Sulaimon been a year older, you would have not seen him on either the McDonalds or Jordan roster.

And he's just an example I picked out of a hat. There's plenty more to make the case.

Is there a single incoming point guard that looks like a two-and-through, let alone one-and-done player?

Is Kyle Anderson really the type of superstar in waiting we've been hearing about for the past two years?

Just what is up with Mich McGary?

I understand these are kids. Every player we've seen this spring is clearly talented, and many just need time before they're truly ready to make a consistent positive impact at the college level. But this is a "down year" and it couldn't come at a worse time for these teenagers.

Fresh off the heels of a freshman-laden Kentucky squad that won the National Championship, there's sure to be a number of unruly fans from Raleigh to Tucson that expect the world from their incoming newbies.

In a sport that so often loses its most recognizable and skilled players from the season before, it's likely that many of these kids will be wise to stay in school for their sophomore and maybe even junior years.

Sure, anything can happen, and overall the forecast for next season looks grim in terms overall talent from early projected top 10 teams, but I don't see a lot of dominating freshman who will breeze through college and declare for the NBA Draft.

I mean seriously, Anthony Bennett. You can hold out if it's right for you, but from what I have seen and read about his approach to the game, the Canadian import is not a player we should be fixated on in the days leading up to when he announces his college choice. He truly does not deserve the attention.

We've seen some great groups of players enter the college game and make an immediate impact. Nerlens Noel and Shabazz Muhammad notwithstanding, this is not one of those groups.

Schools may just have to wait a few years to start getting a return on their investment.

Please be nice, fans.