Remember when I told you Kelvin Sampson's explanation didn't ring true?

Well, that's because it wasn't true.

That's what we learned for certain Tuesday, when the school released the report it sent to the Committee on Infractions. The 30-page document -- linked here courtesy of the Herald Times -- includes information from prospects and their parents that Sampson and assistant Rob Senderoff participated in some of the same impermissible three-way calls made during the one-year period Sampson was under sanctions by the NCAA, and it directly contradicts Sampson's initial explanation that he wasn't aware he was on three-way calls.

According to the report, "two of the three individuals that Indiana University successfully contacted from the list of known phone numbers used in the three-way recruiting calls, reported that Senderoff was involved in the respective conversations as well as Sampson. The university was careful to clarify with both individuals ... that both coaches participated in the conversation at the same time as opposed to Senderoff speaking only during the first portion of the call and then remaining silent when Sampson was on the phone. The two individuals were specific in their recollections that Senderoff was involved during the whole call and it should be noted that these calls were relatively recent."

So there you have it, folks.

Sampson has not only been caught breaking the rules again, but he's also been caught lying about breaking the rules again, which makes him a double rule-breaker/unrepentant fibber who just so happens to be in charge of a top 10 team, and is there any doubt at this point that that's the only thing saving his job?

I mean, making impermissible phone calls is one thing.

I suppose it could happen to anybody whose actions are so restricted.

But when Sampson offered an explanation that lacked even a blip of sincerity he committed an act that is, in my eyes, much more damaging than his previous transgressions. He has now undermined his own ability to ever be taken at his word, and though some will argue these are only "secondary" violations that don't amount to much the obvious question is that if they aren't a big deal then why did Sampson feel it necessary to lie about how and why the calls happened?

Meantime, Indiana remains in disarray.

Senderoff spent Tuesday being offered up as a sacrifice, forced into resignation regardless of the official stance suggesting otherwise. He was caught making impermissible phone calls and paid dearly, and though some are demanding Sampson also be removed it doesn't seem things are headed that direction.

Which is perfect, really.

Lest we forget, this is college sports we're talking about, where the glory of winning almost always trumps any stench of rules violations and unbelievable explanations. Lying doesn't get you fired, losing does. So as long as Sampson can trot out a Final Four-caliber team he'll probably be able to survive stuff like this, particularly if there's an assistant nearby willing to walk away and shoulder the blame.

News that Texas freshman Dogus Balbay will undergo knee surgery Tuesday is a big loss for the Longhorns. Barring something miraculous he's going to miss the entire season, meaning the Longhorns will again be without a primary back-up for point guard D.J. Augustin.

To be clear, Augustin can handle playing 35 minutes a game.

He did it last season, after all.

But it should be noted that using a player that much isn't the ideal way to make deep runs into the NCAA Tournament, or at least recent history suggests it's not. Consider that Texas had three players (Augustin, Kevin Durant and A.J. Abrams) average at least 35 minutes per game last season before things ended with a second-round loss in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, other teams kept chugging along, and by the time we reached the Elite Eight just one team with a player who averaged 35 minutes per game was still alive.

Here's how it broke down:

Oregon: Aaron Brooks, 36.8 minutes
Georgetown: Jeff Green, 33.3
Florida: Taurean Green, 33.2
UCLA: Darren Collison, 33.0
Kansas: Brandon Rush, 32.5
Ohio State: Mike Conley, 31.6
North Carolina: Tyler Hansbrough, 29.9
Memphis: Antonio Anderson, 28.0

So Oregon was the only Elite Eight team using a player at least 35 minutes per game, meaning no Final Four team did it. Perhaps that's a coincidence, or just an indication that the better teams in the country tend to have deeper rosters that do not require a single person to play 7/8 of every game. I don't know. But what I do know is that Texas is now in a position where Augustin will be asked to do even more than previously expected (which was already an awful lot), and it's difficult not to believe it won't eventually take a toll, at least in some respect.

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Middle of the afternoon, the lights were dark inside The Pavilion. A public address guy was spewing instructions, the cheerleaders were cheering, the dance team was dancing, a DJ was setting up and Jay Wright was finally taking a break.

"I bet only 30 percent of my job is actually coaching," Wright said with a smile.

And you know what?

He was absolutely correct, particularly on Friday when the man primarily in charge of returning Villanova to the NCAA Tournament was instead in charge of preparing the school's Hoops Mania event. That meant there were only about 90 minutes carved out for actual practice. The rest was for making sure Wright's players knew where to stand, what to say and when to get off the court in time for Mims.

Yep, Mims was here.

He's the rapper of This is Why I'm Hot fame.

(Here's my only problem with Mims, to the extent that I have a problem with Mims, which I don't guess I really do. The first verse of his hit -- This is why I'm hot/I don't gotta rap/I can sell a mill saying nothing on the track -- is kinda silly given how the album has only sold about 300,000 copies. Seems to me if you're going to brag about being able to "sell a mill" regardless of what you say you probably need to sell at least a mill. But whatever. The guy had shoes that matched his jeans that matched his shirt that matched his hat, and that's pretty cool, I think.)

Anyway, the night featured more than just dancing and rapping. There was an actual scrimmage, and the most interesting match-up was freshman point guard Malcolm Grant against freshman point guard Corey Fisher. Grant was on the Blue Team (coached by Philadelphia Phillies star Jimmy Rollins). Fisher was on the White Team (coached by Philadelphia Eagles star Brian Westbrook). And when they started on each other the jam-packed crowd -- that waited in the rain for hours before the doors opened -- had their first bit of visual evidence that Wright plans to use last season's point guard, Scottie Reynolds, off the ball quite a bit, allowing the sophomore to focus more on what comes natural.

Which, of course, is scoring.

If you care, the White Team beat the Blue Team 28-19 because Rollins couldn't figure out a way to help his squad keep the opposition off the boards. As comfortable as the guy is on the baseball diamond, he's that uncomfortable on the basketball bench. But either way, in 24 hours Wright will replace Rollins and be back in charge of preparing his Wildcats for that Nov. 9 opener against Stony Brook ... teaching, among other things, how to effectively block out.

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- I'm here at Villanova getting ready to take in Friday night's Madness festivities on campus. The event will give the public its first view of the Wildcats' stellar freshman class headlined by Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes, and a number of heralded recruits are expected to be in attendance, among them Tyreke Evans, Marcus and Markief Morris and freshman phenom Michael Gilchrist.

Also, there will be a surprise musical act.

Last year it was 50 Cent.

So the bar has been set pretty high.

I'll check in later, let you know what I saw.

Frank Martin is now roughly two weeks into practice, roughly two weeks out from his first official game as a Division I coach. So I called the new man in charge at Kansas State on Wednesday night to check in and see how things are going.

"Things are going great," Martin said. "I'm having the time of my life ... other than the Dolphins making me embarrassed to be a sports fan."

Ah, life as a fan of a terrible team.

You just never get used to the losing.

"It's a joke," Martin said. "Five years ago they were the winningest franchise in sports. And now they're a joke."

After about 10 minutes of football talk, the conversation turned to basketball. Mostly, I wanted to know how Bill Walker was coming along, whether he was showing any effects from that ACL surgery that cost the immensely talented wing all but six games last season.

"Bill's great. I mean, Oh my god," Martin said, his enthusiasm coming through the phone. "We had an intrasquad scrimmage yesterday and he had 37 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes, and he was 5-of-11 from the 3-point line."

Really?

"We've got a bunch of freshmen," Martin explained. "Defending is not something we do real well right now."

(If you're wondering, Martin said Michael Beasley had 29 points and 11 rebounds.)

Anyway, back to Walker.

Martin said the lateral movement isn't where it should be, but the athleticism and explosiveness that made Walker a star on the summer circuit throughout high school is as evident as ever. Also, Martin said, Walker is lighter than last season, but he's added 14 pounds of lean muscle.

"Bill is way ahead of where he was before the injury," Martin said. "He is so much better now than he was at any time last year, and it's not even close."

So the Dolphins are awful.

But Walker is off the charts.

So it's a fair trade-off, if you've got to make a trade-off. But there is still something that's irritating Martin as he adjusts to being written about heavily for the first time in his life. It pertains to his past and how many people are reporting that he was once banished from coaching high school basketball, which is how he supposedly ended up as a college assistant at Northeastern.

"People keep reporting that I was run out of high school basketball, but I was not run out," Martin said. "That's not true."

For those unfamiliar, Martin was a highly successful prep coach in Florida in the 1990s before being fired from Miami Senior High after the school was cited for illegal recruiting. And while some believe the termination led to Martin seeking refuge in the college ranks as an assistant, it should be noted he actually coached at Booker T. Washington High in Miami for a year before moving to Northeastern.

"It's true that the principal at Miami Senior chose to remove me as the basketball coach at that school, but six months later I was coaching high school basketball in the same region under the same superintendent under the same regional athletic director," Martin explained. "And that's the only thing that continues to bother me, how people keep reporting that I went to college because I got run out of high school basketball. That's the perception, but it's not right."

"I want to correct that," Martin added. "How do I change that perception?"

Hopefully, coach, you just did.

The fact that Louisville and Georgetown received the exact same amount of first-place votes (eight) and points (217) in the official Big East poll serves as proof that this league is as tough to call at the top as it will be good as a whole. In fact, of the major conferences only the Big Ten provides a similar challenge in predicting a league champion because reasonable people could like Michigan State or Indiana.

As for me, I'll take Louisville in the Big East and Michigan State in the Big Ten. But if you're wondering how close I suspect those teams are to Georgetown and Indiana consider my preseason Top 25 (and one) rankings.

1. Memphis
2. UCLA
3. North Carolina
4. Kansas
5. Tennessee
6. Louisville
7. Washington State
8. Georgetown
9. Michigan State
10. Marquette
11. Indiana

I got my first glimpse of the new-look Ohio State Buckeyes over the weekend, taking in a Saturday morning practice and the subsequent scrimmage that featured somebody besides Greg Oden dunking, somebody besides Mike Conley passing, somebody besides Ron Lewis shooting and somebody besides Daequan Cook not playing defense.

"You thought we played defense?" coach Thad Matta asked when somebody complimented the scrimmage's intensity. "I didn't think we played any."

So yeah, Cook would've fit in nicely.

But the kid is off making more money than most of us, proving that potential still trumps fundamentals in the NBA, and it probably always will. Can't say I totally disagree. But either way, that's not the point. The point is I saw Ohio State up close, and while watching Matta run his team through drills it was wild to think that had everybody who could've returned actually returned the Buckeyes would be fielding a starting lineup that looks like this:

PG: Conley, SG: Jamar Butler, SF: Cook, PF: Kosta Koufos, C: Oden

If that was reality we wouldn't be arguing about who should be No. 1, would we?

"We go from maybe having the greatest college team of all time (if Oden, Conley and Cook would've returned for their sophomore years) to having a bunch of guys who haven't played," Matta said. "We've only got four (scholarship players) who have played. We're young."

No doubt, the Buckeyes are young. But the young core is talented and highlighted by Koufos, a 7-0 post player who was the main person I wanted to see Saturday when I walked into the Value City Arena at The Jerome Schottenstein Center. For those unaware, Koufos rejected a three-year deal reportedly worth $5 million to play professionally in Greece this year to instead work through a Big Ten schedule and perhaps turn into an NBA lottery pick. And while it's an obvious financial risk, it's probably less of one for Koufos than it would be for most people because his unique skill-set and size will forever make him intriguing on the professional level.

"We're going to blend him," Ohio State associate head coach John Groce said. "We're going to make sure we utilize all his talents."

Koufos displayed all those talents Saturday, finishing with an unofficial 15 points in a scrimmage played before a few thousand fans who were killing time until Ohio State's top-ranked football team kicked off against Michigan State. But what I saw was basically what I thought I'd see, and as proof I'll take you back to something I wrote about Koufos in July for our preseason magazine.

Remember how Greg Oden enjoyed the idea of being a classic big man?

Koufos isn't like that.

He'd rather let his 265-pound frame drift to the perimeter at times while taking advantage of his versatility, which is fine. But the best post players in college basketball are typically the ones who dunk balls, block shots and rebound misses, just like Oden did last season as he led the Buckeyes to the national title game against Florida. So if Thad Matta is going to win 20 contests for the eighth consecutive season ... then Koufos will have to prove capable of doing all those things in the pre-conference schedule, and then in the Big Ten too.

Best I can tell, that's going to be the struggle with Koufos, how he tends to forget how great he is around the basket because he's so good away from it. And make no mistake, he's very good on the perimeter and looks comfortable taking jumpers. In the pros, that'll serve him well, perhaps in a Dirk Nowitzki kind of way. But for Ohio State to reach its potential it needs Koufos pleading for the ball in the paint, where he can be virtually unstoppable because almost everybody who guards him will be overmatched either by his size or skill ... or both.

When Koufos realizes that, watch out.

And then don't be surprised when the Buckeyes are somehow competing for another Big Ten title.

Not sure how I missed this one, but somebody sent a link this afternoon.

It's video of Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan.

Dancing.

To Soulja Boy's Crank That.

(Clink this link. It's wonderful.)

The video was shown at Wisconsin's Night of the Grateful Red -- to laughter and cheers, of course. I have nothing else to say about it other than that it's nice to see a high-major coach not taking himself too seriously. And if it helps show Ryan is capable of relating to prospects and leads to the signing of the next Alando Tucker, well, that's good too.

Thad Matta is working ahead.

Already with two Class of 2010 commitments, Matta lured another this weekend when Trae Golden committed to Ohio State, according to Rivals.com's Justin Young. Add it up, and that means the Buckeyes already have three of Scout.com's top nine sophomores committed, almost guaranteeing OSU will have the No. 1 class in 2010 to go with what should be a consensus top five class in 2008.

Don't believe me?

Here are OSU's commitments to date:

Class of 2008

• B.J. Mullens (No. 2 center in the nation)

• William Buford (No. 3 shooting guard in the nation)

• Anthony Crater (No. 8 point guard in the nation)

• Walter Offutt (No. 29 shooting guard in the nation)

Class of 2010

• DeShaun Thomas (No. 1 small forward in the nation)

• Jared Sullinger (No. 2 power forward in the nation)

• Trae Golden (No. 2 point guard in the nation)

That's an impressive list of prospects, so impressive that Matta could probably miss on every other target the next three years and still field a roster capable of winning the Big Ten in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11. But just so you know, Matta -- who is aided by a strong staff featuring John Groce and Archie Miller -- doesn't seem to be slowing down. According to Young, he's set to get another Class of 2010 commitment on Tuesday when Cameron Wright, a 6-foot-5 guard from Cleveland, announces his intention to attend Ohio State.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The first week of practice has not disappointed. Or, actually, it's been totally disappointing for some thanks to injuries, suspensions and indefinite leaves -- one of which is sweet, the other laced in secrecy.

First, let's go over the indefinite leaves.

Northwestern's Kevin Coble has left his team to be beside his mother, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer in Phoenix. Coble averaged 13.4 points and 5.2 rebounds last season, so the Wildcats are missing him. But it's impressive to see a basketball player put something above basketball, and if it's time with his ailing mother, then I say good for him. And her. As for the other indefinite leave, it's less clear-cut. Wisconsin's Michael Flowers announced Thursday that he's taking a "medical" leave. An explanation was not given, nor was a timetable for a possible return. But either way, the Badgers are now down their top perimeter defender, and Flowers is the second Wisconsin player to take a medical leave in the past three years (Greg Stiemsma, who has since rejoined the team, took a leave in 2005 to deal with a case of depression).

Now to the injuries.

The most notable came at Notre Dame, where Luke Harangody tore a ligament in his right thumb. The forward, who averaged 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds last season, will miss at least three weeks. Over at Kentucky, it's been rough and tough, which is no surprise given Billy Gillispie's reputation as a brilliant/intense practice coach. Ramon Harris and Perry Stevenson each have broken noses and are wearing facemasks, but don't expect Gillispie to ease up. "I'm not much of a scale-backer," he said this week at a luncheon. "You go full-speed and whoever is out there ready to practice, we practice with." Another notable injury came at Arkansas, where freshman Nate Rakestraw broke the pinkie on his shooting hand. He's out six to eight weeks.

And finally, the suspensions.

Missouri indefinitely suspended Darryl Butterfield following his arrest for allegedly punching his ex-girlfriend. So in the spirit of perspective, I'd like to tell you Brook Lopez's suspension isn't that big of a deal, but it's still similarly stupid. Nobody got punched in the face, and that’s great. But Lopez is sure shooting himself in the foot, seemingly every other day. After being ruled ineligible for the first semester, the 7-foot sophomore has now been suspended for reportedly missing two classes and a practice, meaning he responded to his academic troubles by skipping school and workouts. Brilliant! So while Lopez's pro potential remains undeniable, his character is now taking a serious hit, and if he doesn't get straight soon he's going to end up costing himself millions of dollars, assuming, of course, that he hasn't already.

CINCINNATI -- OK, Xavier fans, I did it.

I went to Cintas Center, watched practice, sat down with Drew Lavender and told him you guys have been killing me via e-mail, all pissed off because I left the Musketeer point guard off my list of the Top 25 points and combos in the nation. I told him no other player garnered as much support. I told him I addressed it in the player rankings mailbag. Then I asked for his opinion, whether he believes he is one of the Top 25 points/combos in college basketball.

"Yeah," Lavender said. “I feel like I am."

What say you, teammate Stanley Burrell?

"Yeah, definitely," Burrell said. "He's just so quick. People see his size and they're like, 'Ahh, yeah. I'm gonna go at him.' But once he starts playing you don't notice his size anymore. He can compete with anybody. His quickness is top of the line."

And you, coach Sean Miller?

"I'll tell you this," Miller said. "He went to LeBron's Camp this summer and the kids he played against there were the best of the best, and he didn't take a backseat in any workout at all. ... He's a fifth-year senior who won a Big 12 championship at Oklahoma (before transferring to Xavier). He's won a high school state championship. He won an A-10 championship with us. And so I think the other way you define point guards -- and quarterbacks are the same way -- is by whether they take their teams to the next level, and I really believe he has that ability."

In the mailbag I acknowledged I might've missed on Lavender, particularly when I realized he averaged 15.3 points and 6.0 assists during Xavier's last 12 games (which resulted in 10 wins and two losses). So then I started thinking, trying to figure out why my opinion of him might be skewed and, furthermore, why nationally he is rarely (if ever) mentioned when people talk about the truly elite point guards.

Is it because I discount transfers? Perhaps.

Is it because he's really small? I don't think so.

Is it because I favor guys from BCS leagues? Definitely not.

Anyway, I think I figured it out. The reality is that in the games where most people -- myself included -- were forced to really watch Lavender, he simply wasn't that good. Think about it. What were the three most-watched Xavier games last season? I'm just guessing here, but I'd guess it was the Crosstown Shootout against Cincinnati, the game against Bob Huggins and Kansas State and the NCAA Tournament game against Ohio State.

Xavier lost two of those three games.

Lavender wasn't exceptional in any of them.

He was 2-of-8 from the field -- including 1-of-6 on 3-pointers -- against UC. He had five turnovers against Kansas State. And he was 2-of-13 from the field -- including 1-of-6 on 3-pointers -- against Ohio State, though, in fairness, it's worth noting he added eight assists.

Bottom line, I think that's what most people remember. But what people need to know is that in February, Lavender led Xavier to a 7-0 record -- averaging 16.0 points, 5.7 assists and 0.9 turnovers while shooting 51 percent from the field and 59 percent from 3-point range.

"He (was third in) the Atlantic 10 in 3-point shooting last year, and a lot of people don't realize that," Miller said. "So when you consider what he did shooting the ball and taking care of the ball and running our team, he, in my opinion, was one of the best at his position during that stretch."

CINCINNATI -- I'm here in Ohio now, smack-dab in the middle of a trip that started at Kentucky and will ultimately lead to Ohio State. It's been a nice venture, but that doesn't mean I don't wish I would've spent Wednesday in Kansas City at Big 12 Media Day because it appears Bob Knight was spectacular.

On baseball, at least.

"Well, the Cardinals are out of it. We've got to root for the Indians. Eric Wedge is my next best friend. So doing pretty good. Anybody got any questions about the American League Championship Series?"

Those were Knight's opening comments, and all but about one of the next 11 minutes of his official press conference focused on baseball or horse racing. Check out the transcript -- which can be found by clicking here -- if you've got a minute. It's classic Knight, who closed by addressing whether the name 'Indians' is an appropriate name for Cleveland before moving to a more casual setting and discussing actual hoops.

(When I heard about this Wednesday afternoon it reminded me of last year's Big 12 Media Day, where Knight was also great. If you want to revisit that, click here to read the column I filed from the 2006 event.)

CINCINNATI -- Mick Cronin was sick, both literally and figuratively.

Literally because of some stomach virus.

Figuratively because of all that inexperience.

"How many shots did you block in high school?" Cronin yelled to one of his freshmen after halting practice Tuesday for what must've been the 83rd time while Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson sat courtside and monitored. "You blocked layups. But you didn't block 3s. So why would you try to block 3s now?"

Seconds later, Cronin just shook his head and plowed forward. Such is life for the man who took control of Cincinnati’s tradition-rich program at what was the least opportune time, i.e. after school president Nancy Zimpher forced Bob Huggins to resign in August 2005 and let the program sit under an interim tag until March 2006, which effectively destroyed two recruiting classes.

"We took over the equivalent of a plane crash," Cronin said matter-of-factly. "There was nobody left except the guy who missed the flight, Cedric McGowan."

The byproduct has Cronin entering his second season at UC with a roster featuring no scholarship players with more than one year of Division I experience. There are five healthy guys who fall under that category -- most notably Deonta Vaughn, a 6-foot-1 lead guard who averaged 14.5 points last season -- meaning though the Bearcats could in theory have a roster with 39 seasons of combined experience (if all 13 players were seniors) they instead have a roster with just five.

"But we're excited," Cronin said with a smile. "It's way better than last year."

No question, UC will be better than last year, when Vaughn was surrounded by two other perimeter players in the starting lineup (McGowan and Jamual Warren) who shot 22.4 percent and 15.0 percent from 3-point range. The main reason is Alvin Mitchell, a 6-5, 222-pound wing from Florida who highlights a six-player freshman class that solidified Cronin's reputation as a get-it-done recruiter while providing incredible depth relative to last season.

"We will have subs this year," Cronin said with a tone of excitement. "I'll be able to look down the bench and put people in and take people out, you know, do some of the things that usually happen in basketball games."

Then for next year at least two more high-level recruits are already committed, namely Yancy Gates and Cashmere Wright. So anybody planning to beat up on the Bearcats had probably better get their licks in now before those guys join Vaughn, all these current freshmen and Texas transfer Mike Williams (out this season with a torn Achilles' tendon) for the 2008-09 campaign.

"We are raising the talent level," Cronin said. "There is optimism now."

CINCINNATI -- On a Monday drive from Lexington to Cincinnati I spent time talking to multiple basketball coaches. Naturally, Kelvin Sampson was a subject of conversation, and all I can tell you is that -- take this for what it's worth -- I couldn't find a single person in the business who believes it's possible that Sampson could've been on those three-way calls (that are OK by NCAA standards but weren't OK under Sampson's sanctions) with an assistant and recruit without knowing.

Of course, this is what Sampson claimed Sunday.

His phone would ring. He would answer it. A recruit would start talking. His assistant (Rob Senderoff) would stay quiet. And Sampson would just think that the recruit had called him on his own accord, which would've been perfectly legal. But here's the problem with that explanation: Unless Sampson's phone works differently from the way every other phone of every other coach I spoke with works -- and my own phone, it's worth noting -- then when Senderoff called Sampson to initiate the three-way call it would've been Senderoff's phone number that showed up on Sampson's caller ID. So if this was all innocent, wouldn't Sampson have been shocked to hear a recruit's voice after seeing Senderoff's phone number in the caller ID? Wouldn't the first question have been, "Hey recruit. Why are you calling me from Rob's phone?"

"That's why his story isn't believable," said one high-major assistant. "We use three-way calls all the time, and what he's describing just isn't the way it works. The way it works is for me to get a recruit on the phone and then patch Coach in, and when Coach answers I say, 'Hey Coach. I've got so-and-so on the line here for you.' That's why it's hard to believe this is all innocent."

To be clear, all the facts aren't out yet. There could be more we don't know, like that Sampson's caller ID was broken or that Senderoff had a call block on his phone that wouldn't show Sampson who was on the other end of line. But barring such unusual circumstances, the explanation doesn't ring true, and that's why Sampson is taking a beating in the business both publicly from the media and privately from his colleagues.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- You could almost understand the first time, how they were just phone calls and arguably harmless. Sure, they were violations and all that, but was Kelvin Sampson really a cheater? Really a serious rule-breaker? Really Public Enemy No. 1 for the NCAA?

If you wanted to insist he wasn't, I was willing to listen.

But it's kinda hard to defend the guy this time around, isn't it?

"We had some issues," Sampson said on a teleconference Sunday just after Indiana announced he is being fined and punished for participating in certain phone conversations with recruits during the time the NCAA had strict and well-defined restrictions on him.

Sampson will lose a $500,000 raise, a scholarship for next season and the use of one of his assistants on the road for recruiting -- plus the benefit of the doubt anybody was willing to provide when he said he had learned a lesson after the NCAA hammered him for making 577 impermissible calls from 2000-2004 while coaching at Oklahoma.

This time, Sampson participated in 10 impermissible three-way calls.

"Those were just a small fraction of the thousands of allowable phone calls that were made and received during this time," said Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan. "However, Indiana University expects full and complete compliance with all NCAA rules and sanctions. That is why I am imposing a new round of recruiting restrictions and sanctions on Coach Sampson and his staff. I want to send a strong message that nothing less than complete compliance with the NCAA is the standard by which we operate."

In the spirit of perspective, it is still only phone calls, and there's a lot worse going on every day in recruiting, a lot of other things that play a much larger role in determining where prospects commit. On the scale of shady acts, making illegal phone calls is relative to rolling through stop signs, not like armed robbery or murder. But that said, if you just got busted for running a stop sign and the police told you if you did it again there would be serious hell to pay, wouldn't you have to stop at every single stop sign?

That's the part I can't understand.

Why would Sampson even take the risk?

Why wouldn't he be more careful given his past?

We might never know the real answers to those questions. Because though Sampson spent Sunday mostly labeling the latest illegal phone calls "mistakes" while adding "it's not something that we were doing out front, purposefully," it's hard to accept those words at face value unless you're also willing to believe a man smart enough to run one of the best basketball programs in the nation is dumb enough to stumble into the same mistakes for the second time.

For the record, it appears Indiana isn’t willing to believe that.

Otherwise, the school wouldn’t have come down this hard on Sampson, would it?

"I am profoundly disappointed we are dealing with this matter, as is coach Sampson," Greenspan said. "We hope these sanctions send a strong message."

No doubt, a strong message has been sent.

And with any luck, this time it'll actually be received and processed.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Billy Gillispie told a nice story after Big Blue Madness, one that somebody relayed to him. So it's third-hand, but it's still perfect.

"I didn't even see it because I was doing an interview, but apparently on the first play of the scrimmage one of our players tried to hand the ball off to another player and it got fumbled away," Gillispie said. "And then somebody told me this man stood up behind me and said, "That's not gonna work coach!'"

At this, Gillispie smiled.

For a man still new to Kentucky, he seems to know exactly what he's dealing with, i.e., an unmatched passion that is equal parts wonderful and sick. I know it's well-documented at this point, but it's still worth reminding you that there is no place in the nation like this place when it comes to college basketball, and it was as evident as ever late Friday when 23,313 fans filled Rupp Arena for a glorified pep rally and then poured into the downtown streets.

At a hotel across from Rupp, Gillispie hung out and told stories. And though admirers stopped by every few minutes and asked for pictures, for the most part everybody was respectful and quick. But then there was this one college kid who called himself 'Heb' who had been drinking for, I'm guessing, close to 51 consecutive hours, and when he spotted his favorite basketball coach he simply could not contain himself.

"Whoooo! Coach Gillispie! I'm pumped!" Heb mumbled in the general direction of Gillispie, who played along well. "You better get ready, coach. There are gonna be a lot of people just like me. Whoooo!" And then Heb just started cursing with excitement before asking Gillispie to sign his UK hat.

Naturally, Gillispie signed it.

Then a little later, Heb realized there were some of us writers in the area. So he came over and asked for our autographs too, and because it's easier to scribble your name than it is to explain to a drunk person why he probably doesn't want your name on his hat, we all just signed without a fight, except my friend Pat Forde from ESPN.com.

"You want me to sign it?" Pat asked. "You can do better than me."

"I've already done better than you," Heb responded. "I got Coach Gillispie!"

Everybody laughed.

Pat signed.

And then Heb drifted away, hopefully to find a pillow and bottle of Advil.

Another year, another bit of Illinois recruiting news as the start of practice approaches.

But this version is more pleasant, isn't it, Illini fans?

I mean, stop the presses -- do they still use presses? -- because Illinois is committing prospects like it's Indiana or Kansas or ... anything other than Illinois, really. In all seriousness, it's no secret Bruce Weber has been widely criticized for his recruiting misses the past few years, from Julian Wright to Jon Scheyer to Sherron Collins to Derrick Rose to Iman Shumpert to damn near every high-level prospect in the state. But on Thursday the Illini reversed a disturbing trend and lured commitments from three Class of 2009 in-state stars, including Joseph Bertrand, a 6-foot-4 guard Scout.com ranks as the 54th-best junior in the country.

Is it like getting Wright, Collins and Rose?

Of course not.

But it's still a hell of a move in the right direction for Weber, who will presumably head into Friday night's Illini Madness in a much better mood than the one he took into last year's. If you remember, it was just hours before Illini Madness last October when Eric Gordon decommitted from the Illini and pledged his allegiance to Indiana. Ever since, Weber has been scrutinized, but these three commitments should make things better.

I promise to stop writing about last weekend's venture to Los Angeles at some point soon. But I filled a notebook while on the West Coast, and there are still some things I haven't got to, which is understandable given how the trip allowed me to pop down to Long Beach State to write a column about Dan Monson, attend a workout featuring some prominent high school prospects (including recent Washington State commitment Klay Thompson), see Class of 2009 star Renardo Sidney, pick the brains of two of the biggest button-pushers in college basketball (David and Dana Pump), pepper UCLA coach Ben Howland about whether he thinks Kevin Love is as good as advertised (he does, by the way) and make my way to the Broadway Deli in Santa Monica one afternoon to catch up with Sonny Vaccaro.

What, you thought Sonny was disappearing?

Hardly.

At 68 years young, the so-called 'Godfather of Summer Basketball' is still as fiery as ever, still motivated like few others. He recently completed three speaking engagements at Harvard, Yale and Maryland, and by all accounts his points were well-received, goals clearly defined.

"I want to go to Congress," Vaccaro said. "I want the NCAA to have to put their left hand down and right hand up and tell me why they're not a business."

If you're not aware, the NCAA has faced growing criticism in recent years about its tax-exempt status. Critics claim there is no reason high-level Division I sports shouldn't be considered a business when some schools are paying coaches salaries that reach $3 and $4 million, and now Vaccaro is attaching himself and -- just as importantly -- his resonating voice to the cause in what can best be described as an effort to stick it to the NCAA once and for all.

Yes, Vaccaro still thinks the NBA's age limit is insane. And he still believes the BCS is among the most-unfair setups in sports. And he still questions why the NCAA is allowed to profit from images of former players. But his most passionate words these days are reserved for the NCAA's tax-exempt status, and Vaccaro promised to press the issue until he lands on Capitol Hill.

"I'm going to go after them, and I'm going to get people to go with me," Vaccaro said. "There's nothing wrong with being a business, but pay your taxes like I do."

The notes and phone calls about the position rankings are still coming daily, and later this week I'll put together a mailbag designed to allow me to further explain my rationale while also making fun of people for suggesting I missed on certain players.

It'll be easy.

Because I received a lot of stupid notes and phone calls.

But not all of them were stupid.

Let's be clear about that.

Some were thoughtful and passionate and well-reasoned, among them a call from Bradley's Jim Les, who was refreshing in his acknowledgement of two things that many coaches regularly deny.

1. Right or wrong, such lists matter to players and schools.

2. He wants his players to be recognized for their accomplishments.

"I understand there are a lot of good players, but I just had to go to bat for my guys," Les said. "I'm just like any other coach who thinks he's got the biggest and the best, and I know you've got a tough job when you've got to put a list together and cut somebody off. But I just want somebody to hear my case. I want to be able to look at my guys and have them know I'm battling for them."

In other words, it's the Mike Gundy approach.

Just with intelligence and composure.

But in all seriousness, Les had a legitimate gripe with my omission of Daniel Ruffin (from the points/combos list) and Jeremy Crouch (from the shooters/wings list), and that's something I wanted to mention here.

They are the Missouri Valley Conference's top returning scorers.

Both averaged 13.8 points per game last season.

Ruffin is the nation's active leader in assists with 475.

Crouch shot 50 percent (83-of-166) from 3-point range in 2006-07.

Clearly, those are strong credentials worth pointing out, particularly from guys who have helped Bradley enjoy back-to-back 22-win seasons. And so that's the idea behind this post, to highlight a couple of players who deserve to be highlighted, and if it took their coach going to bat for them to make it happen, well, then they should be thankful they’re backed by somebody willing to argue on their behalf.

There's tough news coming out of New England, where Providence's Sharaud Curry is hobbling around in a cast after breaking his foot in a workout. According to the Providence Journal, Curry is expected to miss at least six weeks, meaning the Friars will likely begin the season without their star point guard, who averaged 15.3 points and 4.4 assists per game as a sophomore.

Curry missed four games last season for a violation of team rules.

Providence went 3-1 in that stretch with wins over Marquette and Seton Hall.

So if you're looking for a positive stance, that's the stance to take. But the reality is that opening in the Puerto Rico Tip-off Classic without Curry against a field featuring Temple, VCU, Houston, Marist, Miami, Arkansas and Charleston isn't ideal. And so if that's the way this plays out then the Friars need to just try to return to the States no worse than 2-1 in hopes of having Curry 100 percent healthy in time for a run of games during the first week of December against Boston College, Rhode Island and South Carolina.

LOS ANGELES -- I'm sitting here at LAX, getting ready to fly back home and wondering whether Brook Lopez fully understood that by opting to return to school that meant he had to actually, you know, return to school.

So this is why he delayed NBA millions?

To become ineligible at Stanford?

I mean, I will forever question why any player would pick college over a guaranteed NBA contract, but I'm willing to see both sides if the guy just really enjoys being a student and/or playing in the NCAA. God bless him. But if you opt to return to college you have to return to college, and that Lopez has allowed this to happen seems careless bordering on insane, and now Stanford must start its second consecutive season without its best player.

Last year, Lopez was injured.

This year, Lopez is ignorant.

But with any luck he'll learn a lesson, get to work and regain his eligibility following Stanford's exam break, in time for Pac-10 play. Then in April, the 7-foot center will again decide whether he wants to jump to the NBA or return for his junior year of college, and I just hope that if Lopez chooses the latter he comprehends what it fully entails.

LOS ANGELES -- I'm on the West Coast now, bouncing from Long Beach State to UCLA and many points in between. Next week, it's off to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness, and I'm starting to wonder exactly how many players the Wildcats will be able to trot out at full strength.

It's been that kind of offseason for Billy Gillispie.

Joe Crawford, Jared Carter and Derrick Jasper are all coming off surgeries, and now Michael Porter can join them on the not-exactly-feeling-great squad after sustaining a concussion. Put another way, there are only 13 players on the UK roster, and four of them have had to deal with offseason medical issues that have/will cost them valuable time, particularly in terms of conditioning.

And conditioning should be important at Kentucky this season.

There isn't a person who has ever witnessed a Gillispie workout who isn't blown away by how hard the native Texan pushes his players, and if the Wildcats don't fully understand that by now, then they will about this time next week, when practice officially begins for Kentucky and everybody else around the nation.

Another day, another off-the-court story surrounding Tennessee basketball. This one comes from the Knoxville News-Sentinel, and though it's nothing obviously crazy, it is another example of the Vols making headlines in an unconventional manner.

To review, in the past three weeks there have been stories about ...

• Bruce Pearl divorcing his wife of 25 years.

• Tyler Smith's father succumbing to lung cancer.

• Duke Crews getting busted (and suspended) for marijuana in his room.

• Ramar Smith "borrowing" Wayne Chism's car and crashing in the middle of the night.

No program in the country can match those headlines. And while the first two are simply sad tales about real-life problems, the second two can't be viewed as anything but unnecessary issues UT would rather didn't exist.

The latest comes from the weekend -- but was just reported in the past 24 hours -- and it revolves around Ramar Smith "borrowing" Chism's car in the middle of the night, though Chism didn't know the car had been "borrowed" until the police called wondering why his car was abandoned and wrecked. From there, it was determined Smith was the culprit. The starting point guard received stitches above his eye, but he has not been charged with any crime, not even with leaving the scene of an accident, though it's pretty clear he did technically do so.

Bottom line, it appears everybody got out of this one lucky ... except Chism, of course, who now has a wrecked car. No disciplinary action is expected. Meantime, I've had a few readers ask about Crews' troubles, and whether I think he'll be reinstated. From talking to people close to the program, my feeling is that Crews will indeed be a Vol this season if he avoids further issues. Problem is, Crews has a longstanding reputation as a bit of a knucklehead, and so him suddenly straightening up completely would be a break from character, meaning nobody's sure if he's capable of righting himself.

If he is, that would be great. Crews could help the Vols to an SEC title. But if he isn't, so be it. Pearl has already proved he'll dismiss a relevant player for repeated problems (see: Wingate, Major), and if he has to do it again, most believe he will.

Given how it's the first week in October, this sure is a strange time for staff adjustments/additions. But three notable moves actually came down in the past 24 hours -- one involving a man who was last fired for losing, one involving a man who was last fired for NCAA violations and one involving a man who is the fourth all-time leading scorer at the school for which he now works.

The hires are ...

• Royce Waltman, the former coach at Indiana State, is taking over at Indianapolis on an interim basis following the resignation of Todd Sturgeon. It's a return-to-his-roots situation of sorts for Wallace, who was the head coach at Indianapolis from 1992-97 before moving to ISU, where his contract was not renewed after a 13-18 record in the 2006-07 season.

• Paul Biancardi, the former Wright State coach, is joining Rick Majerus' staff at Saint Louis. It's Biancardi's first job back in coaching since parting ways with WSU in March 2006 because of alleged NCAA violations involving him that led to Jim O'Brien's dismissal at Ohio State. Biancardi was one of O'Brien's assistants at OSU, and he was barred by the NCAA from recruiting until Oct. 1, which was Monday.

• Doug West, a member of the Big 5 Hall of Fame, is joining Jay Wright's staff at Villanova, according to the Philadelphia Daily New's Dana Pennett O'Neil. A 12-year NBA veteran, West is replacing Ed Pinckney, who left Villanova to take an assistant-coaching job with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Andy Kennedy made a major impact in his first season at Ole Miss, leading the Rebels to a 21-win campaign and SEC Western Division title despite having less talent than Arkansas, Alabama, LSU and Mississippi State. It was an example of a man taking what he inherited and making the best of it, but Kennedy has been working diligently to improve the level of players within the program, and the payoff came Monday when the Rebels accepted a commitment from Terrance Henry.

A 6-foot-9 forward, Henry chose Ole Miss over Kansas, LSU, Arkansas and Miami during an in-home visit with Kennedy and assistant Michael White. Scout.com rates the Louisiana native as the 60th-best prospect in the nation, and Henry joins Malcolm White as the second Top 100 recruit Kennedy has lured to Ole Miss before even starting his second year of practice. Though the Rebels are projected by most to struggle this season, Henry's commitment means they should be positioned to compete for NCAA Tournament appearances soon.

Daniel Hackett has a broken jaw.

And you'll never guess who is responsible?

Yep, that O.J. Mayo character reportedly caused the damage, but by all accounts it was an accidental elbow -- as opposed to a Kelly Pavlik(ish) right cross -- so let's not start those Mayo-is-already-causing-problems-at-Southern-California rumors just yet. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mayo grabbed a rebound in a pickup game and turned to pass when his elbow connected with Hackett's jaw.

So there's some good news, Trojan fans.

O.J. was actually passing the basketball!

Ah, I'm just kidding.

For the record, I'm one of those who believes Mayo probably isn't as troublesome or selfish as his reputation implies. But either way, there's no denying the heralded freshman has made life more difficult for himself, because by inadvertently sidelining Hackett for six weeks, Mayo has ensured he'll be responsible for even more of the ball-handling duties when the Trojans open Nov. 10 against Mercer.

Which is fine, really.

To be clear, Mayo is fully capable of playing the point full time. Still, his unique ability to score makes him better suited to be a combo guard in college, but now it's unclear how much time Mayo will be able to spend off the ball until Hackett returns given how freshman Angelo Johnson is USC's only other legitimate option at point guard.