Last March, Bruce Pearl was on top of the coaching world. He had taken his Tennessee Volunteers within one point of the Final Four as a six-seed which was the culmination of one of the most impressive coaching jobs in recent memory.

Pearl’s 2009-10 team was incredibly talented, and expected to contend for the SEC title with seniors Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism leading the way. Things were going along just fine for the 14th-ranked Vols until everything changed on Jan. 1. Read More »

Five NCAA teams that got my attention this past weekend for various reasons:

1. Arizona (5-1) A national TV win over Kansas would have been a seminal moment for coach Sean Miller as he rebuilds the Arizona program. It didn’t happen Saturday night, but the Wildcats can take a lot away from a close loss against a Jayhawks squad that had been destroying their comp by 40 points per game. Derrick Williams, who put up 27 points and 8 boards against KU, is my early favorite for for Pac-10 Player of the Year. Read More »