'Official' practice makes perfect time to count down to season

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- There was a big room, a bunch of tables and 12 coaches from Conference USA all sitting around, chatting with the media downtown here inside FedExForum on Thursday. Some players came, Robert Vaden and Jerome Jordan among them. It was a nice event with lots of good conversation. But after awhile it was clear everybody was eager to get out of the building and get back home.

What do you think, Stephen Curry, can you put up 50? (Getty Images)

You know, so they could practice.

"It's the greatest time of the year," said new Rice coach Ben Braun, formerly of California. "Everything starts with the opening day of practice."

Seems like just yesterday that Mario Chalmers was sinking an improbable 3-pointer to help Kansas complete one of the most improbable title-game comebacks ever witnessed, and now it's time to do it all again. It's Oct. 17, which means today is the official start of basketball practice for Division I schools, and if you're wondering how that's possible given that you've been reading about workouts for months, well, allow me to explain.

Coaches are allowed two hours per week with their players leading up to Oct. 17.

So that's the "practice" about which you've been reading.

In other words, technically, nobody is practicing for the first time today. It's just that the two-hour rule has now been lifted to allow the few coaches in America who honestly stick to the two-hour rule a chance to get into the gym and really work without constraints. For the other 80 percent it's mostly business as usual, only now they can do what they've been doing all along without the fear of NCAA violations.

And I hope that clears things up.

Anyway, we have a Countdown to Opening Tip clock on our college basketball page, and as I type we're 24 days from the season's first game, i.e., Georgia Southern at Houston on Nov. 10. So plan accordingly. And in the meantime, feel free to start getting excited about what's sure to be another wacky year because, like I said, it's only 24 days away.

Speaking of that, I thought of 24 things I can't wait to see this season.

(Georgia Southern at Houston not included)

I can't wait to see ...

1. If Davidson's Stephen Curry can put 50 points on somebody.

2. If having Samardo Samuels helps the Louisville Cardinals as much as not having David Padgett should hurt them.

Does Rick Barnes have a replacement for D.J. Augustin? (Getty Images)

3. If Texas has a capable point guard to replace D.J. Augustin.

4. If Tony Bennett starts to wonder whether he should've got out of Washington State while he was hot.

5. If a possible Tyler Hansbrough-Luke Harangody matchup in the Maui Invitational leaves both players bloodied.

6. If the deeper 3-point line makes any real difference in how the game is played.

7. If somebody besides Memphis can earn an NCAA tournament bid from Conference USA.

8. If Indiana's Tom Crean can handle this season without banging his head through a wall.

9. If Southern California will be better without O.J. Mayo.

10. If Miami really belongs in the conversation with Duke in the ACC.

11. If Willie Warren and Blake Griffin can lead Oklahoma to a Big 12 title.

12. If anybody pees in a towel on the sideline like Bill Walker did last season.

13. If Kansas can avoid a Florida-like drop, post-national title.

14. If Florida can, even by committee, overcome the interior loss of Marreese Speights.

15. If Skip Prosser's final recruiting class leads to huge things at Wake Forest.

16. If Stanford starts to second-guess its decision to let Trent Johnson move to LSU.

17. If any freshmen are as good as Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gordon were last season.

The Huskies will need Hasheem Thabeet. (US Presswire)

18. If Hasheem Thabeet can consistently dominate the way Connecticut needs him to consistently dominate.

19. If Gonzaga can represent the West Coast Conference in the Final Four.

20. If Arizona's Lute Olson still has what it takes to coach at a high-major level.

21. If the NABC considers getting off the back of Kentucky's Billy Gillispie.

22. If Syracuse can avoid injuries and make the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years.

23. If UCLA can make a fourth consecutive Final Four.

24. If North Carolina can go wire-to-wire and perhaps even undefeated.