Rumors, rumors, rumors: It's getting to be soap-opera time in college basketball. Rumors happen like crazy in Hollywood and now they're taking over the hoop scene.

I'm waiting for Liz Smith to bang her typewriter for the Daily News, switching to the college-basketball beat. I guess you can expect the rumor mill to be going wild with marquee names available in the coaching profession. When have you had giants in coaching like Rick Pitino, Bob Knight, Bobby Cremins and company sitting on the sidelines?

The name of Cremins often gets forgotten, but remember, he did a great job as the Frank Lloyd Wright-like architect of the Georgia Tech program. It went from nowhere to the Final Four in 1990.

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I've said this before and I'll say it again -- if I had stayed in coaching, I would have been dead by age 50 with the kind of heat coaches today face on a regular basis. ”

You know the credentials of Knight and Pitino. There is no question about the resumés they bring to the table. With these guys available, it seems every coach in a struggling program has to look over his shoulder, worrying about when the search for his replacement will start.

Look at UCLA. Steve Lavin has a multi-year contract. He's out trying to prepare for arch-rival USC last week when a report comes out about his athletic director (Peter Dalis) contacting Pitino. Dalis said it was a brief conversation and wasn't about the UCLA job directly, but whether the coach would be interested in returning to the college sidelines.

Oh really, come on now, give me a break! The bottom line was Dalis' action was unprofessional. In the heart of the season, the AD said he was forming a list. If you can't figure out that Pitino would be on your list, why contact him at this time of the year?

Lavin and his kids responded in a positive way. The Bruins went out and played with enthusiasm, energy and excitement in posting big wins over rival USC and Villanova of the Big East. Give Lavin lots of credit for not folding the tent, coming back with his head held up high. His team battled on and now UCLA has some momentum with a five-game win streak.

The rumors swirl at Indiana every time Mike Davis loses a basketball game. It's immediately time for speculation about who will be the next coach of the Hoosiers. The same can be said at Michigan when the Wolverines go to the sidelines with an L. Brian Ellerbe's name gets mentioned as a coach on the hot seat. It is so unfair. Steve Robinson at Florida State is another who hears rumors about his future.

It is unfair to these guys because they are trying so hard to do a good job. There have been no facts put out there by the ADs, who make the decisions, that the coaches are goners. If something is going to happen, let's wait until it happens instead of banging out these rumors.

All these reports and rumors do is cause dissension. The coaches work so hard, busting their gut in recruiting and on the sidelines. Trust me when I tell you that the pressure cooker of the current college athletic scene is incredible. I've said this before and I'll say it again -- if I had stayed in coaching, I would have been dead by age 50 with the kind of heat coaches today face on a regular basis.

Wait until a job is vacant before sending names of candidates across the wires. Let's respect the people who are attempting to do a job to the best of their ability.

IRISH EYES AREN'T SMILING
It is obvious to me that Notre Dame, with several big wins last season, spoiled a lot of people. The expectations going into this campaign were greater.

Which was the real Notre Dame team last year? There was the one that scored a few big Ws over ranked teams. Then there was the one that lost several games to teams it should have knocked off.

There was a lot of enthusiasm going into the season. The Irish have now lost three of their last four games. This year's team lacks depth, team speed and quickness. It has come to the forefront lately.

Mike Brey was a great hire by athletics director Kevin White, and when you look over a 10-year period, understand what he will get done and then see me. Trust me, he will be a big-time success in South Bend.

At times, All-American Troy Murphy has shown why he's one of the best. Just look at the 37 points he put up against Rutgers, or the 25-point, 20-rebound effort against Seton Hall. He was held in check by Kentucky, but in fairness to him, there were times where he was double-teamed. He has had some difficult times getting the shots he's comfortable with. The perimeter people have to be productive so Murphy can get the room to be effective on the inside.

Notre Dame has time to right the ship. If you look at the Big East right now, both the Irish and Seton Hall were very highly rated in the preseason. Nobody had Georgetown, Boston College or Providence going very far. That's part of the wacky world of the Big East.

Look how deep the league is! Over the weekend, Providence takes down Connecticut and Pittsburgh upsets Seton Hall. When you look at conference depth, I believe the SEC and Big East are the two best. When you look at the best league based on heavyweights, the ACC rates the nod because there are four teams that could be top five or top 10 in America in Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Maryland.