Nov. 7
What really excites me about the start of the college basketball season is the way many coaches have modeled the scheduling approach of Temple coach John Chaney. Chaney, recently enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, has always believed in the "bring 'em all on" theory. He says he will play anybody, anytime, anywhere.

	The scheduling philosophy of Temple coach John Chaney is simple: he'll play play anybody, anytime, anywhere.

That philosophy was adopted by Memphis coach John Calipari when he was at Massachusetts -- and it helped him build a solid program. Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson has put together a solid nonconference schedule. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has seen this philosophy help his program. It's great to see the top teams playing the best.

This has lessened the number of cupcake games for lots of schools. You don't see as many bargain-basement goodies, those automatic, quick Ws. Instead, there are a lot of competitive situations.

Coaches need to be intelligent in making scheduling decisions. You do want to be able to post Ws and not end up too often in the L column. Balance is important. Tough scheduling helps you evaluate what you do well and what you need to work on. It helps you learn your strengths and weaknesses, so you can work on those areas. Scheduling is one of the keys to success.

The season breaks down into three parts: the preconference schedule, the conference schedule and the postseason. Those three phases are what it's all about. Coaches need to make certain they don't play so many cupcakes that they get a false sense of security -- and miss out on the NCAA Tournament because of a weak RPI.

While you do see some M&Mers (major-league mismatches), there are lots of promising events in November. It all starts with Thursday night's Coaches vs. Cancer Ikon Classic doubleheader at the mecca of college basketball, Madison Square Garden. Two teams that played in the Final Four last season square off as Maryland meets Arizona. The other half of the doubleheader features Florida and Temple in an NCAA tourney rematch (Temple won 75-54).

Several other quality tournaments are on tap early in the season. The Preseason NIT has a solid field, including several teams ranked in the preseason ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. The lineup includes Richardson, Izzo and Fresno State's Jerry Tarkanian -- three coaches who have national-championship rings.

Arkansas, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Fresno State, USC, Wyoming, DePaul ... all in the Preseason NIT. Wow! Imagine if you put together an all-star team from this group: Preston Shumpert, Marcus Taylor, Melvin Ely, Sam Clancy, Darius Songaila -- and I'm just getting started. I can't wait to do the color commentary for the Preseason NIT Final Four!

Then there's the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Guardians Classic, which concludes Nov. 20-21 in Kansas City. Think about this potential Guardians Classic Final Four: Memphis, Missouri, Iowa and Alabama. That would be awesome with a capital A, baby!

Coaches need to make certain they don't play so many cupcakes that they get a false sense of security.

Kentucky headlines another NABC tourney, the NABC Classic, Nov. 15-16 in Lexington, Ky. Coach Tubby Smith's Wildcats head a competitive field that includes underrated Marshall (with Tamar Slay and J.R. Van Hoose) and Western Kentucky (with one of the nation's premier big men, Chris Marcus).

The Maui Invitational has three of the top eight teams in the coaches' poll (Duke, UCLA and Kansas). Imagine a UCLA-Kansas showdown -- in the semifinals!

The Great Alaska Shootout also has a competitive field, including Indiana, Texas, Gonzaga, Tennessee, St. John's and Marquette.

Finally, the ACC-Big Ten Challenge has some great matchups. Illinois-Maryland and Duke-Iowa headline the Nov. 27 action. On Nov. 28, Michigan State battles Virginia in Richmond while two perennial powers, Indiana and North Carolina, square off.

These games really get my juices flowing. I'm so excited about a new year in college basketball.