Florida's clearly a tourney team (cont.)

UMass

Lost to Rutgers 83-75, lost to Michigan State 106-68.

I didn't quite realize just how much of a rebuilding project Derek Kellogg is facing in Amherst. He has one of the best scoring guards in the Atlantic 10 in 6-2 senior Ricky Harris, but beyond that Kellogg is coaching eight newcomers -- five freshmen and three transfers. The best of the newbies is Terrell Vinson, a lithe, 6-7 swingman from Baltimore, but like many of the youngsters on this team, Vinson is going to have a hard time physically withstanding the rigors of a full college season.

As for Harris, he is skilled but he does not seem to have the motor required to be a truly great player. He is a nice kid and a good student, but he needs to play with more edge. He also needs to be more committed to defense and do a better job moving without the ball. Kellogg switched him to point guard -- a position he has rarely played, even in high school -- midway through the Rutgers game, and he may play a lot more minutes at that position as the season wears on. Kellogg was also bringing 6-3 junior guard Anthony Gurley off the bench, but Gurley has been so productive that Kellogg moved him into the starting lineup for the Michigan State game.

Kellogg has done some good recruiting, but even as the young kids grow up next season they will have to account for the loss of Harris. Kellogg has his blueprint for rebuilding this program, but it is going to take a couple of years before we can judge how well he is getting the job done.

Other Hoop Thoughts

• Two guys who have shown they were worthy of inclusion in my sophs to watch column last week: Florida State's Chris Singleton and Alabama's JaMychal Green. Singleton and 7-1 sophomore Solomon Alabi are as good a frontcourt duo as you'll find in the ACC. The question is whether the Seminoles' guards will be able to deliver them the ball.

• UConn's Kemba Walker has a lot of talent, but he also has a lot to learn about playing point guard. Walker is so good at attacking the basket that he has yet to develop the ability to run the offense at a slower pace. There's a difference between coming off the bench to spell A.J. Price and running the show fulltime. I believe Walker will get there, but it's going to take some time.

• I'm a little surprised (and I'm guessing Coach K is, too) that Duke has not played more zone so far. As it turns out, this is a much better man-to-man team than many of us anticipated. In the past, Duke has used extended ball pressure to force steals that lead to fast breaks. Now they're using blocked shots to create those fast-break opportunities. Duke might not be able to pressure the ball fullcourt (or even halfcourt), but they can really lock you down from the three-point line and in. It's a different method, but it's still quite effective. And keep in mind their best shot blocker, 6-11 freshman Mason Plumlee, will be out a few more weeks with a broken wrist.

• Count me as one of those folks who believes the NCAA needs to get rid of those slippery promotional stickers on the court. There are plenty of ways to give corporations the requisite visibility without putting players at risk.

• Huge loss for Villanova as freshman center Mouphtaou Yarou will miss the entire season because of a viral infection. Yarou was a big (literally) reason I thought the Wildcats, and not West Virginia, should be favored to win the Big East and possibly make the Final Four. They can still do it without him, but it will be a lot harder -- especially until Reggie Redding comes back from suspension in December.

• Lance Stephenson walked into a very good situation at Cincinnati because he does not have to carry the team offensively. The trick for coach Mick Cronin will be to get Stephenson his shots while still enabling Deonta Vaughn as a featured threat. Also, I'm going to be watching Stephenson's body language closely all season. He plays with a lot of passion and energy, but when things aren't going well you can see how that can boil over into a bad temper.

• Freshman guard Kelsey Barlow's increased minutes at Purdue is a classic case of a player getting an opportunity in the wake of another player's injury -- in this case, to sophomore point guard Lewis Jackson -- that will make a team better in the long run.

• You have to wonder at what point Gonzaga's lack of depth will catch up with them. The Zags' starting five is solid, but they are a little too vulnerable to fatigue, foul trouble or injury.

• Memo to TV game producers: Unless a guy is losing his temper or his hair is on fire, there is absolutely no reason to show a live box of a coach while the game is going on. Please cease and desist.

• You think Michigan's Manny Harris needs a little help from his friends?

• Interesting how North Carolina is de-emphasizing the three-pointer of late. The Heels only shot 10 treys (making four) in the win over Nevada and attempted just four in their drubbing of Gardner Webb. I guess that's what happens when you replace Wayne Ellington and Danny Green with Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves.

• I still think Tennessee is the team to beat in the SEC, but I admit I am not a big Bobby Maze guy. Yeah, he's got skills, but can he run a team?

• I don't think it's any secret that Jordan Hamilton is Texas's best NBA prospect.

• Had to do a double take seeing William and Mary win at Wake Forest over the weekend. I know W&M is pretty good (it played Connecticut tough and lost to Harvard in overtime on a buzzer beater), but if you're Wake there is no excuse for losing that game at home.

• I was less surprised by Louisville's loss at UNLV. It was a true road game, and remember UNLV won at Freedom Hall last year. That said, Terrence Jennings, who was supposed to be one of the best players in the Big East this season, is off to an awful start. He only played nine minutes against Vegas because Rick Pitino does not trust him on defense.

• Illinois has some good frontcourt players, but the Illini remain offensively challenged on the perimeter. They went a combined 5-for-33 from three-point range in losses to Utah and Bradley last week.

• Alabama's wins over Baylor and Michigan make Cornell's win in Tuscaloosa look that much more impressive. Could this be a year when an Ivy League team wins a game in the NCAA tournament? Me thinks it could be so.

• At this point you'd have to anticipate that the Pac 10 will only get three teams into the NCAA tournament. That would leave a few bids out there for mid-majors to gobble up.

• Big, big wins for St. John's last week in Philadelphia, where it beat two NCAA tournament teams, Siena and Temple, in the Palestra. Remember, the Johnnies are still without their best player, Anthony Mason Jr., who won't return from injury for another few weeks. Write it down: St. John's is going to the NCAA tournament.