National Basketball Notebook | From Big East might to New Jersey Tech blight

Without a real opening date, college basketball comes almost unannounced in mid-November. Then, for weeks until the New Year, it rains a torrent of games that tend to go unnoticed amid BCS controversies, NFL playoff possibilities, holidays, Washington football coaching searches and the response by FEMA, uh, the city, to snow-slicked streets.

So, as conference play begins, we offer a synopsis of what you might have missed in college hoops:

The Big East is not only big, it's beastly.

The league has nine teams ranked in the top 25 this week, and could break its own NCAA-tournament record of eight entries.

With UCLA appearing less than murderous, the Big East might provide a No. 1 seed in the West. And if it doesn't, the ACC — where Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest are ranked Nos. 2-4 this week — probably will.

It's a good year for players with names starting with "H."

Most figure the front-runner for national player of the year is North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, who averages 22.8 points. Or it's Notre Dame's Luke Harangody (24.1, 12.4 rebounds). Or, for a dark horse, Arizona State's James Harden, a 23.4-scorer with some arresting all-around numbers.

But your list has to include Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. All he does is average 22.1 points and 14 rebounds and shoot 66 percent.

Minnesota and Baylor, ranked 22-23 this week, have put scandals behind them.

It was 10 years ago that the NCAA was beginning to pull the sash on one of history's grimiest academic messes at Minnesota under Clem Haskins. Two coaches later, Kentucky expatriate Tubby Smith has a deep, defensive-minded 13-1 team that has held 25 straight opponents to less than 50-percent shooting.

Baylor is 12-2 and coach Scott Drew has a guard-driven program that is climaxing one of the game's great turnarounds from the 2003 shooting death of Patrick Dennehy by a teammate and a seamy attempt by ex-coach Dave Bliss to cast Dennehy as a drug dealer.

Beware Arkansas.

After the Hogs lost all five starters from an NCAA-tournament team in 2008, not a lot was expected. Instead, behind forward Michael Washington and dreadlocked freshman point guard Courtney Fortson, Arkansas (12-1) has won 10 straight. Now if John Pelfrey, the second-year coach, would just mothball that awful fire-engine red coat.

Texas Southern finally unpacked suitcases.

The Houston-based Tigers began their season Nov. 14 at UTEP. Forty-three days later, they finally played their first home game after barnstorming to nine states. It's great for the bank account, not so good for the won-lost record (1-14).

Butler isn't going anywhere.

Which is to say, it's maintaining just swell after losing four of its top five scorers from a 30-win team. The 21st-ranked Bulldogs (12-1, with only a three-point loss at Ohio State) are very close to the breed in Spokane for sustained success off the beaten track of a major conference.

New Jersey Tech is still searching for an identity.

Well, actually, it has one. The Highlanders are 0-15, following their 0-29 season a year ago.

And what's more ...

• Wake Forest's victory at BYU snapped a 53-game home win streak and displaced that honor to Notre Dame (44).

Given the Big East schedule, that's a worthy distinction.

One reason the Irish have kept that going: They have an off-the-charts team assist-turnover ratio of 2.04.

• You've heard of high-school football seniors graduating early to get a jump on college academics and spring practice? Hollis Thompson, a 6-foot-6 forward from renowned De La Salle High in the Bay Area, was due to enroll Wednesday at Georgetown, where coach John Thompson III says he will practice but not play this season.

• A key reason Michigan State is 11-2 and eighth-ranked: Sophomore guard Kalin Lucas has an 84-17 assist-turnover ratio.

• No wonder Washington State coaches made a strong run at 5-11 guard Paul McCoy last winter when he was a senior at Grant High in Portland. McCoy leads SMU (5-7) in scoring, and his 32 points in a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was the most by a Mustangs freshman in 28 years.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com