Roundball Chalk Talk | Jan. 13, 2006

Each Friday, I'm sharing my thoughts on the world of college basketball...

•  Injuries to four forwards have hampered their respective teams. Indiana's D.J. White is sidelined indefinitely with a broken bone in his foot. Alabama lost Chuck Davis for the season with a torn ACL and torn MCL. Cincinnati's Armein Kirkland torn the ACL in his left knee against Connecticut; he had 14 points early in that contest. UCLA's Josh Shipp, who came back following hip surgery, is now out for the rest of the season. All four will be missed.

•  The season debut of Randolph Morris was spoiled when Kentucky lost at home to Vanderbilt for the first time since January 1974. Coach Kevin Stallings' Commodores were up for the challenge, which included the emotional return of Morris. It will take time for Morris to regain his rhythm and efficiency and to produce positive results, though he was solid against Vanderbilt.

•  People ask if I feel that Duke senior guard J.J. Redick will make it at the next level. Are you kidding me? He can flat-out shoot, and he finds ways to get his shot off now. Redick has improved his game, and I feel he should play on our U.S. Olympic team, as well.

•  Wisconsin enters Saturday's game against Northwestern with a 3-0 Big Ten record. It is amazing to see the job done by coach Bo Ryan early this season. I love the potential of Badgers' 6-7 diaper dandy Joe Krabbenhoft. I'm also happy to see sophomore big man Brian Butch getting playing time and becoming a solid contributor after a slow start; Butch came in with a big reputation.

•  To me, there isn't a diaper dandy with greater impact so far than forward Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina. Give the Tar Heels credit for getting a big W in a tough environment at Virginia Tech on Tuesday.

•  A very interesting game for Friday the 13th has California at Stanford in Pac-10 play. The Pac-10 has been flat-out wacky so far this season.

•  At Missouri, coach Quin Snyder would be the first to tell you that pressure has mounted about his job status. All he has done is rolled up his sleeves, gone to work and shut the critics up by beating Oklahoma State and Oklahoma (in Norman). That's the quickest way to silence your detractors.

•  The Boston College Eagles have found early life in the ACC to be tough. Coach Al Skinner's team lost two tough ones out of the gate, to Maryland and Georgia Tech, and then fell badly at home to coach Herb Sendek's determined NC State club. Something tells me the Eagles will respond because of the toughness of senior Craig Smith and junior Jared Dudley. I feel they will go on a roll, so don't count them out yet, as it is still early in conference play.

•  At LSU, there was a lot of hullabaloo over diaper dandy Tasmin Mitchell. Let me tell you, fans in Bayou Country have seen the thunder stolen recently by Tyrus Thomas, a real Windex man who can get on the glass. Look at what Thomas did against Connecticut, with 13 rebounds and seven blocks. A 6-9 freshman from Baton Rouge, Thomas also had nine boards against Tulane.

•  Here are some teams off to good starts in league play: coach Bobby Gonzalez's Manhattan squad struggled early in the season but got off to a 4-0 start in the MAAC, including a win at Iona. In the Horizon League, Wisconsin-Milwaukee's coaching change from Bruce Pearl (now at Tennessee) to Rob Jeter hasn't slowed things down; Wisconsin-Milwaukee has won its first five conference games. Southern Illinois raced to a 5-0 start in the tough Missouri Valley Conference. And coach Charlie Coles has done a nice job at Miami-Ohio, which has opened 4-0 in the MAC.

•  Has Pearl made a difference in bringing enthusiasm to the Tennessee program? Just look at the 21,612 in attendance for the SEC home opener against Georgia, an 89-76 Vols victory. The arena seats 24,535, and it could be sellout city later in the season if Tennessee keeps rolling.

•  Great to see that St. John's will honor several legends and welcome them back to the Jan. 21 game vs. Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden. Among those slated to be honored during a halftime ceremony are Lou Carnesecca, Chris Mullin and Mark Jackson.

•  San Diego State is a strong team in the Mountain West, and coach Steve Fisher's club is happy to have junior forward Mohamed Abukar. The transfer from Florida scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a win at Utah Wednesday.

Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979. Send a question for Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.