Editor's note: The Answer Man will return on the week of Sept. 30.

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.

In my opinion the problems at Kentucky stem from one thing. NO RESPECT. The players don't respect the coach, the school, the tradition, the fans, or each other. The ultimate responsibility for this lies with the head coach. He recruits the players, sets the rules and is supposed to instill discipline in his program. Why do many in the media hail Tubby Smith as one of the best coaches in college basketball when he has such obvious failings?
Keith
Lexington, Ky.

Keith,
Your disgust with what is going on is understandable. But does Smith get any credit for dumping these guys? Shouldn't he have a ceiling of tolerance? Problems happen in every program, but a number of coaches let things slide too much. Kentucky isn't the only school that would have taken Parker, Fitch, Hawkins, Stone, Carruth, Camara or anyone else that has had problems. Smith has to lay down the law, give out his 'X' amount of chances and say if you don't meet the standards then you're gone. Shouldn't some of the onus be put on the players? Why should they get off without any consequences? If he wasn't dumping players, especially star players, who don't adhere to the rules then we would have some serious problems. Smith certainly has to share in the blame but the players are ultimately responsible for their actions.

Tubby running a tight ship? You have to be joking. He's let Fitch, Carruth and others walk all over him for two years now, and its obvious the players don't respect him. When are you and your buddy Vitale ever going to call out Tubby for the poor job he's done since he's been at UK. Whether it's been his poor recruiting, bad coaching and lack of instilling discipline in his players, everyone in the national media seem to ignore this. He's created an atmosphere of apathy in the UK fan base that I've never seen before. If Rick Pitino's players hadn't won him the national title in his first year, he'd been gone by now. It's time for you and others to wake up to what Tubby is really doing at UK, and quit kissing up to him.
Jason Luke
Mansfield, Ohio

Jason,
I respectfully disagree. Tubby does need to be accountable for losing players but, as I said before, the players must take responsibility for their actions. Is it Tubby's fault that Hawkins is academically ineligible? Come on. Hawkins has no one to blame but himself for not being eligible this semester. And what about Camara two years ago? The school has a harsh, no tolerance alcohol policy, but it does have a policy and it's not deviating from it. Poor recruiting? You can make the argument for character but not talent. Jason Parker would have been on any roster in the country, save a few schools like Stanford, had he been made available in 2000 to them. As for the apathy with the UK fan base, well, I just don't buy that after going there for games. When Kentucky wins, the fans applaud extremely loud. When they lose, they sometimes boo and leave early. That hasn't changed no matter who is the coach. They are passionate, but don't have patience. They expect greatness every game and with that comes a responsibility from the players to be on their best behavior for four or three years (whatever the tenure of the players). No one is perfect but I don't understand why the players get off easily for not adhering to the program's rules.

Hey Answer Man,
What's with UF not getting much publicity so far for the upcoming season, one in which they will return three starters, two super sophs in James White and David Lee, and bring in a highly regarded recruiting class -- one that includes highly regarded late signee, Christian Drejer from overseas? I know they blew it in the NCAAs last year, losing to underrated Creighton in two overtimes, but I think a lot of national media are overlooking them this offseason, especially with the potential down year for the Wildcats, a perennial thorn in the side of the Gator Nation, as well as a Georgia team that had high hopes, but looks to be a little on the thin side with their recruiting woes. Here's to hoping UF keeps getting (somewhat) ignored, with the Preseason NIT and a trip to Maryland's new place in the early season!
Daniel
Gainesville, Fla.

Daniel,
You haven't been reading the site as much as you think. We have written about Florida. In fact, we were the first to write about Drejer back in the spring. Florida will get its due. The Gators are going to be a top 15 team in our preseason poll. Not sure where just yet. Florida added one of the steals of the summer in Drejer. The Gators should be able to cure their shooting woes with Drejer. The big question will be upfront where Bonner has to play a bit more inside and Mario Boggan must contribute sooner rather than later. I fully expect Florida to be in New York for a potential matchup with Kansas in the Preseason NIT.

Dan Monson decided to stay at Minnesota, instead of taking the job at Washington. I'm the biggest Minnesota fan in the state of Nebraska, and I'm curious, does he think he has a really good team coming in? Can the incoming freshman class that includes Aloiu Kane and Stanley Gaines contribute immediately? Will Minnesota take the next step and become a national powerhouse like they one were until the scandal hit their program? With Rick Rickert, Kevin Burleson, Jerry Holman, and Ben Johnson ... is this going to be another disappointing year like last year or will be a sweet 16 or great 8?
Brett Goodsman
Lincoln, Neb.

Monson does think he has a good team, not great. He knows this team is young and inexperienced at a few key positions. But they've got the potential to rise up in a wide-open Big Ten. Michigan State and Indiana should be the favorites with Wisconsin nipping at them for third. But Minnesota has a legit chance to challenge the Badgers and be the fourth-place team in this rebuilding league. Johnson played well on the Big 10 tour and Rickert should put together an all-American season. But point guard will be a question and winning on the road hasn't been so easy for this squad, yet. Get to the tournament first before any talk of Sweet 16 or Elite Eight begins in Minneapolis.

Great column, the info you provide for all college hoops junkies is fantastic. First off I'd like to know your opinion on the upcoming season for the Temple Owls, I have been a huge fan of John Chaney and his program. Now I know that they lost a lot in Lynn Greer and Kevin Lyde, but they have a super player in David Hawkins. Do you see him in the mold of a Mark Macon, Eddie Jones, Aaron McKie-type player? Is this year one of the Elite Eight runs for Temple? Second I have read your responses to some questions you answered and yes I agree with you that the Arizona Wildcats are not a lock for the Final Four, but who is? Thats why they play the games, however compared to most of the top teams this year they have to be put in the Final Four category. Let me know how you feel about their upcoming season as well. Keep up the good work. Thanks
Peter Guevara
Tucson, Ariz.

Peter,
Elite Eight is a reach for Temple. Getting to the tournament is no lock. The Owls will surprise some nationally, but not in the A-10. Hawkins has a chance to be their go-to scorer, but I wouldn't put him in that category of Macon, et al, yet. He needs to do more on his own and lead this team to the tournament. Temple has too tough a schedule for a young team. The Owls might get beat up before January and that doesn't bode well in a balanced A-10, where UMass could end up being the team to beat in the A-10 East. Xavier is still the class of the league. Obviously, no one is a lock for the Final Four. But my early picks (and this will change, a ton between now and even November) are for Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas and Florida to make it to New Orleans.

In the September 3 answers column you made the statement, "If you're talking true mid-major (and not Gonzaga) then I don't think it will happen." I'm sure you're listening to Mark Few and not the facts of the university. Perhaps you meant the performance of the GU basketball team since the early 90's? They are big-time in that department. But far from being a major it's just the opposite. They are the archetype mid-major, in the WCC, a league that is the archetype mid-major conference. The WCC consistently ranks 15th and they battle all the NCAA and large university prejudices just like any other mid-major.

Here are some stats from fall enrollment 1999. The university has had some increase since than, but nothing to bring it within miles of a major university in money, crowd attendance and enrollment. I'm not sure what guidelines you're using, but it would be interesting to know. Really, I'd call GU a very nice small university.

Gonzaga's 1999 fall enrollment is 4,435, broken out as follows: