Enjoying his time on the campus of Bristol U., ESPN.com's Answer Man found the time to dig back into his mailbag. He's was eager to answer a few questions from ESPN.com users.

Being a UK fan right now is really starting to make me sick. Last year was a fluke in my opinion, and the turmoil continues with the departure of Rashaad Carruth, Adam Chiles, Cory Sears, and now Jason Parker who was predicted to be a PTPer at UK this season, not to mention the lose of starting point guard Cliff Hawkins for academics. I mean what else can go wrong for the UK faithfuls. After the lose of Hawkins and Parker how do you see UK performing this year?
Nathan Burks
Louisville, Ky.

Nathan,
Losing Parker is significant, but that's based on his potential. No one was certain that Parker would have been healthy this season. Kentucky had been saying all summer that he wouldn't be cleared to play until October. That unknown should lessen the blow for Kentucky fans. A healthy Parker would have given the Wildcats a legit inside presence. Jules Camara is a defensive pest. Marquis Estill is still a work in progress and is more of a face-the-basket scorer. Chuck Hayes is still undersized at power forward, although he can help fill the void. Losing Hawkins for the first semester is probably more of a disruption. Kentucky has slipped below Florida in the SEC East and will likely be in a tussle with Georgia for second, with Tennessee and South Carolina nipping at the Wildcats' heels.

Why is Michigan getting grilled so badly for this Ed Martin scandal? Didn't Ed Martin have no vested interest in the players attending of Michigan and was just someone who liked being around great players?
Ted Kirby
Williamsburg, Va.

Ted,
That's hardly the case. Ed Martin had a vested interest in the players who were from Michigan and went to Michigan. The fact that he gave them money while they were players at Michigan makes it a violation, even if he wasn't a true Michigan booster. He did root for Michigan and so that is arguable, as well. It was one of the biggest violations in modern NCAA history and there is no precedent as to how the NCAA will handle this punishment.

What do you mean by this: "Iowa lost another role player when 6-6 rising redshirt freshman Marcellus Sommerville bolted a few days before school starts Monday. Sommerville redshirted last season and was one of the players Steve Alford was high on a year ago. But Sommerville wouldn't have played much last season behind Luke Recker if he had not redshirted. Instead, Sommerville is heading off to junior college where he might eventually land at Bradley. He'll have three years of eligibility once he is eligible after playing a year of junior college basketball. He's the seventh player to leave Alford's program since he took over in March of 1999. His departure leaves Iowa with 10 scholarship players, including three freshmen. The Hawkeyes haven't lost a star player yet, and until they do under Alford, it's premature to raise the red flag on these defections."

Sommerville was going to be a star.
Stephanie Kieras
Iowa City, Iowa

Stephanie,
Marcellus might have become a star, but he wasn't one yet. Schools rarely redshirt star players as freshman anymore. The growing trend is to play the great ones right away and Marcellus didn't make the cut. Obviously, there are issues with role players under Alford, but it's too early to say whether or not this will have a significant impact on the program. I'm saying, no, for now.

Do you know if St. John's recruit Darryll Hill will be eligible his freshman year? And do you know anything about a guard they recruited by the last name of Price?
Joe Marchiano
Tallahassee, Fla.

Joe,
Hill isn't eligible and the guard that you're referring to is Bruce Price from Minnesota. He's a defensive specialist and chose the Red Storm over Boston College, Minnesota and Providence. He was a late pickup after he became eligible in the late spring and blossomed in July. If Hill had been eligible then I doubt the Red Storm would have taken Price.

I have a question about a school that you never mention. What do you think about Robert Morris University? I think that they are headed in the right direction with coach Schmidt. Do you feel they have what it takes to make it to the NCAA tourney?
Tony Sylvester
Pittsburgh

Robert Morris returns one of its top three scorers in Aaron Thomas, but the buzz in the Northeast Conference is that Robert Morris is not that far away from being a regular challenger. Central Connecticut State is still the team to beat in the league, but Robert Morris is on the map with Schmidt. Pittsburgh's presence as a national power can only help the profile of the other two schools in the area in Robert Morris and Duquesne. It's a bit premature to pencil them in as a tourney hopeful in 2003.

Confused! I read in your column about college players playing in summer pro-am leagues, apparently on the same team with and against pro players. I read too where the NCAA is taking a hard-line against, particularly European players, who played with or against pros. Please explain the difference, or is this just another glaring example of NCAA hypocrisy?
Glenn Snyder
Toronto

Glenn,
It's OK to be confused. The NCAA doesn't equate the two situations. They view summer pro-ams as different than a foreign player on a pro team because the pro-am team doesn't pay the players. The players are being paid by their pro team, say an NBA team, year round. They aren't receiving funds from the pro-am team. That's the difference. But it is hypocritical.

I want to commend you on your the great press that you give schools like WKU. My question to you is how good do you think Western Kentucky will be this year. Do you see Sweet 16 in the short future. I would also like to ask you how do you think Western stacks up against Arizona for the opening game this season, do you think they are capable of the upset?
Shane Bearden
Bowling Green, Ky.

Shane,
Western Kentucky deserves all the attention it's getting because this program has been a consistent winner in the Sun Belt and a recent regular in the NCAA Tournament. Getting to the Sweet 16 is all about matchups and Western Kentucky didn't get a good one in the first round against Stanford this past March. The Hilltoppers certainly couldn't have done much more during the regular season to get a higher seed than an 8-9 game. But getting a 7, or even being the 10 seed is better than an 8-9 because of the second round game being against a No. 1. Can they beat Arizona in the opener? Possibly. Western Kentucky is a veteran squad and Arizona will be using as many as three freshmen in its rotation. Will it happen? Probably not, but it's not a reach, considering Western Kentucky beat Kentucky in the first game last season. The Hilltoppers had plenty of fans at Rupp that day (I know, I was there) and that won't be repeated in Tucson.

In a recent response to a College of Charleston fan, you wrote that "Battling Davidson for the title should be one of the closer races in a mid-major conference this season." Thanks for the props, but Davidson isn't likely to be one of the conference's better teams this season. CofC should win the South division, even without Leighton Bowie. ETSU is the clear favorite in the North. Hopefully, your statement will be true in 2003-2004. David
Huntersville, N.C.

David,
You're not the first one to tell me this in an email. East Tennessee may end up being the favorite, but I'm not shying away from looking at Davidson and Bob McKillop's ability to max his talent and Tom Herrion's newcomers at CofC. It should be one of the better low-major races in February.

It looks like Herb Sendek has decided to play Julius Hodge at point guard this season. Is this a good move?
Justin
North Carolina

Justin,
Why not? Hodge is 6-6 and could cause some matchup problems. If he can handle the ball without a problem, it could turn out to be a smart move. His assist-to-turnover ratio last season was essentially a wash at 1.2/1.0. But the Wolfpack need someone who can cause matchup problems at the point. They have gone with smaller point guards in last few seasons and Hodge needs more touches. If he can divvy up his time as a playmaker and scorer then the Wolfpack should be fine.

How big of a loss was the transfer of Scott May to Indiana's future program?
Clark Kaericher
Edwardsville, Ill.

Clark, it is a non factor. No offense to the May family, but I doubt this would have received headlines had his last name been something else. He played in one game last season.

How good will Bozeman and Thompson be in the Pac-10 next year? Will they ever rival the Davis-Watson combo? Can UCLA contend for the Pac-10 title?
Cullen Schannep
Sacramento

Cedric Bozeman and Dijon Thompson won't rival the Baron Davis-Earl Watson combo. Bozeman is still trying to figure out what kind of point guard he is and Thompson might be another season away from being a major contributor in the Pac-10, instead of a role player. Both need to be more consistent this season before you can start to even think about any kind of comparisons. Regardless, UCLA should contend for the Pac-10 title with Arizona and Oregon. The Bruins have too much talent not to be in the conversation. They must stop teams on the road and prevent their lulls that cost them too many road Pac-10 games last season.

Hey Andy!
Great work on bringing all the latest info in college basketball, including the confirmation of the eligibility of Georgetown's Ashanti Cook. With this addition, what do you predict for the Hoyas this season in the Big East? Thanks in advance!
Earl Dos Santos
Vina del Mar, Chile

Earl,
Georgetown is a tough one to figure. I had a hard time leaving the Hoyas out of the top 50 in the summer, but they should be in the hunt for a bid again. Tony Bethel and Drew Hall need to be more demonstrative on the perimeter and getting a backup like Cook will help push them. The offense must go through Michael Sweetney and Wesley Wilson has to get more involved in the offense, too. The Hoyas are still intimidating in the post, but are green on the perimeter. They are a work in progress and could be more dangerous in February than November. Pencil in Pittsburgh, Syracuse and possibly Notre Dame ahead of the Hoyas in the Big East West Division -- for now.

I think you're a great college basketball writer and studio analyst, but honestly man, where's the love for the USC Trojans? What's your take on this team for the next couple of years? Next year, they do have to deal with the loss of Sam Clancy, along with David Bluthenthal and Brandon Granville. ... But in addition to returning players Errick and Derrick Craven, Jerry Dupree and Desmon Farmer, the Trojans brought in super JC transfers Brandon Brooks, Gizmo Oliver, and Roy Smiley, not to mention Fordham transfer Jeff McMillen. AND for 2003, the Stewart twins finally announced that they are on their way. So the Cravens and Stewarts will be on the same team. Next year's recruiting class is looking like it might shape up as the best in the school's history, and Coach Bibby's gotta get some props for all this. What's your take on this program's exciting future? Much appreciated and keep up the great work!
Kevin Rosenberg
Los Angeles

Kevin,
Love the enthusiasm. USC should be in a tough fight with Arizona State, Cal and Stanford for fourth place in the Pac-10. As I mentioned above, Arizona, Oregon and UCLA should be the favorites and locks for the NCAA. The biggest question for the Trojans is in the post. Who will be the dominant presence? Replacing Clancy is the toughest chore for this squad. He was intimidating defensively and automatic on the offensive end. I'm a huge fan of Errick Craven on the perimeter, but players like Dupree and Farmer were too inconsistent last season to get too excited -- yet. The newcomers must contribute for the Trojans to make the tourney.

Radford's new head coach Byron Samuels has a very impressive coaching resume and he is known for recruiting. Do you think he will be able to bring in talented players that will help Radford's basketball program grow into a respected mid-major team?
Garrett
New York City

Samuels was able to land big-time talent at Tennessee, but he was at Tennessee. Samuels is well connected in the Southeast and that should help him land the appropriate mid-to low-major player. He's likeable, personable and has a passion for the game that should help him in a home. Be patient and Radford should be a player in the region.

Hey Andy,
I really enjoy your analysis of the college game. Keep up the good work. My question relates to Michigan State's Calvin Torbert. It seems to me that he has great skills and tremendous leaping ability but very rarely asserts himself on the court. I must have seen him get his hanging jumper smacked the other way 20 times during the season, yet he made no effort to change his shot/game. Tom Izzo is a great coach/motivator. How is it this kid has had such a hum-drum college start when he gives you those brilliant flashes?
Matthew Greimel
Charlevoix, Mich.

Matthew,
First of all, it's Kelvin, not Calvin, Torbert. But, you're assessment on Torbert is dead on. He needs to ignite his own fuse. The Spartans are recruited so well that Torbert will lose his spot in the rotation if he can't find a consistent stride. He must make shots, especially jump shots, to stay on the court. He'll play his way out of the lineup if he doesn't score.

What do you think of the Holy Cross Crusaders returning to the NCAA tourney for a third straight season? They only lost one player and have a very underrated guard by the name of Brian Wilson. Wilson was the backcourt mate of Jay Williams in high school and the two worked out pretty hard together this summer. Watch for Wilson to make a big name for himself opening the season against Kansas in the Preseason NIT tourney. Also, they have a 7-6 transfer coming from North Carolina in January.
Gerard
Plainfield

That 7-6 transfer's name, Gerard, is Neil Fingleton. It's tough to say if it's a good move for the Crusaders. Fingleton will change the game when he's on the court, so much that he could slow them down and cause just as many problems for Holy Cross as he does for the opponent. He also has to stay on the court, instead of getting into foul trouble. His stamina hasn't been tested in over a year, either. Holy Cross is the favorite, once again, in the Patriot League but don't expect an upset over Kansas in the opener.

We both know the West Coast Conference gets all the hype, but has the Big West Conference improved from last season. How competitive can the Big West Conference be against major conferences. Also, being a UC Irvine grad, how do you rate them this year. Do you know anything about UC Irvine recruit Nic Campbell, who plays for the South East Australian Basketball League. One other thing, what does "athletic grant-in-aid" mean?
Jordan
Los Angeles

An athletic grant in aid should be a athletic scholarship, instead of an academic scholarship. The Big West will have the usual suspects at the top with Irvine, Santa Barbara and Utah State competing for the title. Pacific should be better and Long Beach State will be in transition. Cal State Fullerton has the best big man in Pape Sow, but will struggle on the road to stay competitive. I have not been briefed on Campbell yet, but I'll take note of him from this point forward. The Big West would struggle to win against the majors on the road during the regular season, but don't be shocked by an upset in the NCAAs. Utah State did it two years ago and UCSB gave Arizona a scare last year.

What do you know about the three new athletic recruits from SoCal headed to Rick Majerus' Utes this fall? Richard Chaney, Timothy Drisdom and Bryant Markson. Will they make an immediate impact in Majerus' system?
Todd
Phoenix, Ariz.

I do know that Majerus was high on this class, as pumped about this one as he has been in recent seasons. I haven't seen them play yet, but they have to make contributions. This team will go as far as Britton Johnsen can lead them. He has the tools to be a player of the year candidate in the Mountain West, and he must, absolutely must, be a go-to player for the Utes to edge out Wyoming for the title.

I walked on at University of Akron last year, and was injured and took a redshirt. I worked this summer on my game, and I improved a lot. Unfortunately, I did not want to go back to Akron, for various reasons. I am thinking of taking a semester off of school and working. If I were to enroll at a JUCO, and get the required amount of credits, are there any showcases I would be able to go to in the summer, even if I didn't play in the season? Any advice at all on my situation would be greatly appreciated; I enjoy reading your work on ESPN.com. Thanks again.
Jeff Penno
Dayton, Ohio

Jeff, you need to get to the Mullen event in Tulsa, Okla. It's the most watched junior college event in July. That's your best bet. Good luck.

Hey Andy,
I watch you all the time on ESPN and think you are very knowledgeable. I love watching the NCAA Tournament, but am discouraged, having gone to a mid-major school (UW-Milwaukee) that a mid-major hasn't made the Final Four in a very long time. Do you believe that a mid-major will ever be able to win the national championship or will it always be the power conference that wins the title in the end? And, who do you think has the best chance of doing so?
Nick Herman
Waukesha, Wis.

If you're talking true mid-major (and not Gonzaga) then I don't think it will happen. Teams like Creighton or Valparaiso or Southern Illinois usually don't have the experience, nor the scoring options and strength to make it to the Final Four. Winning that first weekend is one thing, but getting to the Final Four or winning it all is quite another thing. Kent State did get to the Elite Eight last year, but getting that last win seems like a mountain to climb for these teams. It's not impossible, but it seems to be more improbable for a real mid to low major.

This more of a note than a question. I enjoy your Weekly Word each Friday, especially the interesting tidbits in the chatter section. This past week you had a note about how you thought the Bracket Buster would have been better with the top two teams from a bunch of conferences including the A-10. I was surprised you included the A-10. Although they are not on par with the BCS six, they also shouldn't be considered with the recognized mid majors. They do have exposure on your network, including a Saturday noon ET game (maybe that is not in the cards this year). They also don't have the same scheduling problems that the mid-majors have. You mentioned in the Word that Temple was playing N.C. State, Indiana and Wisconsin at home. You also noted that Xavier has a lot of top opponents. Obviously these two schools probably can get the best A-10 schedules, but even URI, which has been on the skids the last few years, is hosting USC and Pittsburgh this year. One final note: The A-10 was terrible last year with just one tourney team, but three or four years ago they had five teams and the Big East had only four. Let's not start putting them in the mid-major category yet.
Bob
East Greenwich, R.I.

I still would like to see the A-10 in a Bracket Buster event. I know Temple and Xavier don't have as many issues scheduling, and neither do some teams like UMass, GW and Richmond. But the Bracket Buster should be for teams that need a marquee win to get into the tournament. The A-10 had only one team in the Dance last season and, in February, a team like Temple could have used another quality win. Playing a team like Tulsa or Hawaii would certainly help at that time of the season. It's about winning those non-league games in February and the A-10 needs as many of those games as it can get.

What do you think of Nebraska's chances of making it to the Big Dance this year, especially now that they have Nate Johnson. It just seems to me Nebraska has always had a team that could do some damage (see: NU vs. KU last year, NU had the lead nearly all game long) but could never put a string of wins together. Will they ever be able to compete with the big-name schools, or will they continue to turn around under Barry Collier?

--A hopeful NU fan
Luke M.
Omaha, Neb.

Luke,
Keep hoping at least for one season. Barry Collier is a solid coach, who is an outstanding individual, but he has one of the toughest jobs in the Big 12. The league is simply too good right now for a team like Nebraska to crack the top four, let alone the top eight. Nebraska has to leap frog Texas A&M (Antoine Wright), Colorado (David Harrison), Kansas State (Pervis Pasco) and Baylor (Lawrence Roberts) to get into the discussion. All of these teams have a potential first- or second-team all-Big 12 player, while the Huskers don't -- at least not yet. Be patient, but it might take another season before Nebraska is moving up in the Big 12.

Was wondering what you thought about the possible future for Oregon State with new head coach John Jay and assistant coach Jeff Reinert. They both have come from very respectable Division I and junior college ranks, and have what appears to be good winning percentages. Can they turn the Oregon State team into the powerhouse Pac-10 contender they once were during the Ralph Miller era.
Mike
Chandler, Ariz.

Jay John's hiring of Reinert was a major move in recruiting. Reinert is extremely well connected in the Mountain West region and should help Oregon State get that second tier player from the region. Oregon State won't get the first choice out of Oregon in major cities, which means they have to look for hidden gems. Reinert should help. Oregon State returns its core, with Brian Jackson and Philip Ricci back inside, and could be pests in the Pac-10. But beating out Washington and Washington State won't be easy for the last spot in the Pac-10 tourney. I'd be surprised if they turned it into a powerhouse, but a competitive team that flirts with the top four and settles in 4-8 range is more realistic for the next 3-6 years.

With the commitments of Jackie Butler, Travis Outlaw and Gary Ervin, where would you rank Mississippi State in the recruiting war for the class of 2003? Also, do you think that MSU can better the success of last year's campaign?
Paul
Jackson, Miss.

Paul,
Outlaw and Butler are tremendous athletes who will certainly cause havoc for the rest of the SEC West. Mississippi State had to keep this pair home to stay ahead of the posse in the league. Ervin is not a done deal and continues to flip flop at last report. Matching last season's record should be a reachable goal for the Bulldogs. Expecting even more might be a reach. Mississippi State has the potential to win the SEC West, but there are still some perimeter questions. This team needs to prove that it can win the big games on the road, too.

As President of the Red and Blue Crew (Penn's Men BB Student Fan Organization), I'd like to give you a big thanks for never overlooking the surprising mid-major team or, yes, even the annual surprising team from Ivy League. As I'm sure you know, the preseason Wooden Award finalists have been announced -- and Penn senior forward Ugonna Onyekwe deservedly made the list. Could you please explain the existing process for narrowing down the 50 to the eventual winner? Thanks much. Looking forward to seeing you at the Palestra again come the Big 5 showdown.
Jon Lubin
Philadelphia

The Wooden list is trimmed down in December and again in February before the final votes in March. Onyekwe simply has to get enough votes to make each cut. By the way, look for this to be one of the most hotly contested Ivy races in years with Penn getting a run for the league title from Princeton, Yale and Brown. Not sure if I'll make it to the Big Six event yet, but I will see Penn either at home or on the road this season again.

Andy,
Could you give me your breakdown of the WAC this fall, and also the prospects for the Rice Owls and what kind of season we might be in for compared to last year with all the young talent that they played last season. Thanks and keep up the great work!
David Davitte
Houston

Willis Wilson got a gem returning in rising sophomore forward Michael Harris. Wilson spoke highly about him last summer and he proved out to be prophetic. He's high on this recruiting class, too, so it's hard to doubt him. Tulsa and Hawaii are the favorites to win the WAC, followed by Louisiana Tech and Nevada. The rest of the spots are wide open with SMU probably next.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. He answers questions on college basketball weekly.