Stories in the spotlight

By Jonathan Lowe Sports Central Columnist

Fall is in full effect. Leaves are falling off trees. Temperatures have a slight chill. Days keep growing shorter and shorter. This could mean only one thing... college basketball is just weeks away.

While the whole of America is wrapped up in the pigskin crazes of the college kids and professionals, a welcome peripheral distraction is approaching on the hardwood. And please don't pipe up with the NBA. Although those pros have started to hit three-quarter stride, the games they play seem to fill only one-third of anyone's satisfaction appetite.

On campuses from the Atlantic to the Pacific, laces are being tied up and the metallic thud of rubber hitting wooden surfaces is turning heads. But, to tell you the truth, it doesn't seem like the game has left anyone's mind since Syracuse raised the trophy in early April. From right and wrong to life and death, several stories kept colleges in the spotlight through the summer.

With March Madness and the Final Four ready to spark imaginations for the next four months, here are the top four thoughts that are waiting to be experienced in full by the final buzzer of the season (or beyond):

4. Lessons Learned

Georgia's academic fraud cases, St. Bonnie's quitting the season, and Iowa State's coach gone wild dominated February and March of 2003. But those weren't the only places to be touched by the supposed growing cloud of "unethical" temptation. With several programs receiving bruises from shady conduct and bad decisions, people are left to wonder who the good guys are in the profession.

The truth is, this isn't the first case of coaches bending the rules (see Lefty Driesell and Jerry Tarkanian), and it surely won't be the last. Was college basketball hurt by these acts? Sure. You can't have four or five major programs experience major problems without feeling the sting, but it won't leave an ugly scar. That's the beauty of the game. Fresh faces and great atmosphere give people short-term memories.

3. U-Conn Do it (Again)

Couldn't let an opportunity to discuss the ladies go by the wayside. With basically every player on last year's championship team returning, Connecticut is undoubtedly the favorites to win their third-straight title. The question is, how many teams will present a challenge? Pat Summitt has to do a little tweaking down in Knoxville, and Harry Perretta, whose Villanova squad is the only one to beat UConn in the last two seasons, lost three of his top four scorers from last year.

There are some strong candidates for coronation spoiler, however. Duke returns basically everyone from the Final Four team (they do have that Alaina Beard kid). Texas, Kansas State and Purdue have strong squads from the Midwest. And don't forget Stanford's resurgence on the left coast. But which one of these squads can possibly crush the Huskies' diamond tiara (or more impressively, shut coach Geno Auriemma's mouth)?

2. Teams Here, There, Everywhere

All this swapping and switching between conferences has been a big ol' confusing headache. First, the ACC bolsters its football presence, then the Big East has to counter the defectors that have left their doorstep. Now, other conferences have become "trade happy," leaving other sports in a potentially chaotic situation. Now, because of NCAA rules and such, these swaps won't take effect until, at the very earliest, next year (more like two years). But think about what's to come.

Are 16 teams too much for the Big East? How stained is the ACC basketball rep with the addition of their football superpowers? Has Conference USA been stripped down to one or two representatives come tourney time? How will these moves affect the conferences that stayed put? One certainty... it'll be fun watching how it all plays out.

1. The Effects of Patrick Dennehy

All joking aside, the death of the Baylor basketball player shook the core of college basketball. As every detail continued to be put in front of our eyes, people started to wonder how bad a program had to be to get to a point like this. To have a teammate suspected of the murder, then to recently have claims that this same man was setup (claims by the victim's father, no less), makes the situation all the more bizarre.

With the shame, questions, and accusations floating in and around Waco, a program that seemed to be on the rise, the program has fallen below the depths of any sanction, suspension, or ban any normal wrongdoing would bring.

The people in that region need a new beginning, they deserve it. However, they also need to keep this tragedy in mind, just like the one that ended the life of Len Bias. There's no need for these type of incidents to break the spirit and joy of the game this season... or any other.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.