Jan. 8
It has been a solid season for a number of power forwards, but nobody has been better than Drew Gooden of Kansas. He has been a factor on both ends of the court, doing a super job scoring and rebounding. To me, the best 1-2 baseline combo in America is in Lawrence, Kan.: Gooden and Nick Collison.

The Jayhawks' dynamic duo is not about stats -- both guys understand how to play. They can score, rebound and are efficient on a nightly basis.

This Kansas team -- with Gooden, Collison, Jeff Boschee and Kirk Hinrich in the backcourt, plus three diaper dandy contributors in Aaron Miles, Wayne Simien and Keith Langford -- could be as good as the '97 edition that finished 34-2.

ELY ON FIRE
One of the hottest players in America is Fresno State center Melvin Ely. Do you think Jerry Tarkanian is happy to have him back following an NCAA suspension?

Ely has posted impressive numbers, including three consecutive career-high scoring games. He had 31 points against Rice and a monster game against Tulsa (35 points, 16 boards, nine blocked shots). With Ely, Chris Jefferies and Chris Sandy in the lineup, Fresno State is clearly the team to beat in the WAC.

HELP FROM THE GRIDIRON
A number of basketball teams are getting help from players coming over from college football teams.

Washington State wide receiver Mike Bush scored 18 points for the Cougars in Sunday's loss to UCLA. Washington got a boost when wide receiver Charles Frederick joined Bob Bender's hoop squad.

Missouri added wide receiver Justin Gage for bench support. Georgia is adding freshman wide receiver Freddie Gibson, who had five games with 100 or more receiving yards this season. And USC added 6-foot-8 tight end Gregg Guenther Jr. as a reserve.

KEEP AN EYE ON ...
J.R. Bremer, St. Bonaventure's 6-2 senior guard, has been hot. He scored 33 points in an upset at Connecticut. He followed with 32 points in a loss to Kent State and 28 against George Washington. Bremer topped those performances with a 35-point effort against Rhode Island. He hit six trifectas against the Rams.

Former Connecticut center Ajou Deng has had an early impact at Fairfield. In his second game with the Stags, he had 26 points and 19 rebounds against Canisius.