The 2002-03 season is under way, which means ESPN.com's Answer Man has a full mail bag. As always, he's was eager to answer a few questions from ESPN.com users.

Wow, Katz,
You always amaze me. How can you write a column on the ranked teams playing basketball this weekend and leave out the Illinois/Arkansas game that is going to be on ESPN2, the very company you work for. Although you mention the Wisconsin/UNLV game, which stands of little significance. I don't understand why Illinois always takes a back door in all of your columns. I guess it's that east coast basketball mentality.
Brian
Chicago

Pretty easy answer Brian,
Arkansas isn't playing well, losing to Troy State last week and Illinois should win this game. This isn't worth mentioning as one of the key games to watch. And if you have followed our coverage over the years you would hardly consider us against Illinois. The Games to Watch story isn't just a list of ESPN games, it has plenty of mentions for other games on competing networks. We're under no orders to pump up every game that airs on ESPN and ESPN2.

Commenting on the Daily Word about other conferences having their own challenges. If it's two smaller conferences (ie, mid-majors), is it simply cost prohibitive for them to do a similar challenge if they can't get ESPN to televise? Basically, why not have a challenge, even without ESPN?

I think of this because I'm sure the MAC, which seems to get screwed on bids for the tourney every year, would like a chance to prove it is a top mid-major conference and deserves more bids, or else, if it didn't dominate a challenge, it will help prove the amount of bids it's been receiving is correct. As a Dayton graduate, in past years I would have liked to have seen the A-10 vs. Big East, though this year I admit the Big East would destroy the A-10 and it wouldn't be worth it, as only Xavier and St. Joseph's at the moment seem to have their full acts together, Dayton and Richmond are inconsistent, and the rest of the league seems completely clueless (Though these slow starts are simply become a tradition for Temple before it tears through the conference).

On another note, Dayton went out and beat Cincinnati, which seems to be a big win, but then it went and looked pathetic in getting thrashed by Miami (Ohio), which appears to be a horrible loss. Do these two games offset each other evenly, or does the loss to the Redhawks hurt Dayton more than the win over the Bearcats helps them? I ask because Dayton seems to have at least one big win every year, but also seems to have one or two bad losses every year (last season being the exception, as they pretty much did as expected in every game) and I'm wondering if it is the single bad loss that keeps them out of the big dance each year?

Thank you for your time.
Craig Schulte
Crescent Springs, Ky

Conferences are open to put together challenges, but they won't all get on TV. ESPN can't put them all on and I don't see Fox or CBS lining up to do the same. As for Dayton, the Miami loss wasn't good but that alone shouldn't keep them out of the Dance. They need to continue to take care of business in the non-conference and not lose games to the lower teams in the A-10 to have a chance.

Liked your article about the questions facing a Big East Challenge. A prime example of a team that has to share their court with a pro team is SJU. Well, technically the Knicks are a pro team. Why not schedule the game against Duke at Alumni Hall? It's not much bigger than many high school arenas and it would make it really tough for the relocated plaid-sweater-vested self-appointed-high-brow Duke alumni to get tickets to. This would make for a pretty terrifying trip to Jamaica, and realistically, it is what Duke what would do, and has always done.
James Deckinger
New York

No chance. Duke would never play at Alumni Hall.

Isn't it about time you give some props to Dana Altman? He might well be the best coach in the country in terms of getting his players to reach their maximum potential. And he has four straight NCAA appearances to back it up (and all indication is that CU will be back in the tourney this year, too).
Dirty Billy
Omaha, Neb.

Hello? We just wrote about Creighton in the Weekly Watch and Weekly Word last week. Check out the archives.

Wouldn't the college game be better off adopting a 14H/14A schedule. The cash cows/TV teams control the sport and produce some of the most ridiculous Nov./Dec. schedules that inflate their records (Georgetown/Clemson are just two of many over the years) and then get over attention for going 8-8 in their league. If we can get some of those teams to play on the road, chances of being selected for the tournament will even itself out. The so-called mid-majors would have a better chance of get included and some of the smaller Division 1 schools can get some home games against their bigger brothers. Having a non-conference road schedule would have a way of equaling the playing field a bit more level. Appreciate your opinion, but money better not be part of your answer because then it WILL NEVER CHANGE.
Steve D.
Lansdale, Pa.

Once again, this will never happen. Legislating scheduling won't occur. The big six conferences would never allow this, even if the rest of the schools wanted to force a home and road split. Financially, too many schools rely on a high number of home games to pay the bills for Olympic sports and, sometimes, for football.

How does the Big Ten decide which teams play in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge? Makes sense to leave Michigan out this year, I suppose, with all the trouble they have, and Purdue was also not in it this year. Is it random? Is there some sort of rotation?
Will Sieck
San Francisco

ESPN decides and then approaches both conferences. They can reject it. Michigan and Purdue opted out to allow Ohio State and Indiana to get into the rotation. It hasn't been decided who will officially be out next year.

How can you say Pitt won't be as good next year? Did you happen to see Carl Krauser play or the fact that Julius Page leads the team in scoring? Perhaps you missed the depth that the Panthers have this year. That is down right absurd to say after four games, and not watching the Panthers, that they won't be as good next year. I hope, for the fact that all of you ESPN sports analysts, that the Panthers roll to the Final Four and win the national championship to shut you guys up.
Matt
Pittsburgh

Matt
That information came from the Panthers. They don't think they will be as good next year as this season. We're fine with Pittsburgh getting to the Final Four and winning it all. No one has a problem with that here.

How can you say that Tom Coverdale is the best college player. Have you seen his field goal percentage? He is one of the most overrated players in the country.
Alan
Los Angeles

In Coverdale's case, the field goal percentage doesn't matter. He's a winner. He makes shots when the game is on the line. He comes up with steals, assists and the pass to lead to an assist. Ask any other coach in the Big Ten if they would want him on their team and the answer is a resounding "yes". Ask Maryland, too, and they would take him. He's a winner in college basketball and that makes him one of the best playing college, regardless of his pro potential.

I recently read your Weekly Word that was done on November 27. Justin from Rockaway, New Jersey asked you: "Now that Maryland won a national championship, do you think Illinois is now the best school to never win a NCAA championship title?" You agreed with him, but said it should be the school with the richest tradition that hasn't won a national championship. I think your wrong. Maybe Syracuse slipped your mind, I hope they did.

If you talk to a true college basketball fan and start throwing around names like Dwayne (Earl) "The Pearl" Washington, David Bing, John Wallace, Lawrence Moten, Roosevelt Bouie and Derrick Coleman. You can't forget a name like Marius Janulis, one of the best 3-point shooters ever, Conrad MacRae, Louis Orr, Billy Owens, Leo Rautins and Danny Schayes. One of the best 3-point shooters in Preston Shumpert, the underrated major factor in the 1996 surprising run though the tourney; Otis Hill and Etan Thomas, who dominated the middle of the paint for four years; and who can forget Sherman Douglas. Not to mention one of the few coaches with over 500 wins. With a record, in 26 seasons that speaks for itself, of 623-221 (.738). That coach is non other than Jim Boeheim. We were close to a championship, but a guy named Bobby Knight and his crew pulled it out on a buzzer-beater in 1987 and lost to a phenomenal Kentucky Wildcats team in the championship game in 1996. Now that I've reminded you of how rich the basketball tradition is at Syracuse, do you still think Illinois is the team with the richest tradition that hasn't won a nation championship yet?
Bobby Nellenback
Syracuse, N.Y.

Point taken. This is an ongoing debate that won't end until Illinois or Syracuse win the title.

Andy, what's up?
I talked to you for like 10 seconds when you were at St. Joe's-BC. I must say I am very disappointed in my Eagles. What do you most attribute their struggles to? Troy has been struggling, Ryan as well, Andrew Bryant can't hit the ocean from a boat. The only bright spots have been Craig Smith and good ole' dependable Uka Agbai (we love Uka here in Boston.) But, now he's out for six weeks and I really think they're in deep trouble in the middle. Nate Doornekamp will not be able to stay in long enough to be effective, if you need proof of that, just look at his stat line for Holy Cross. (9 minutes, 0 points, 0 rebounds, 4 fouls.) Also, I remember you saying Johnnie Jackson was going to maybe make some noise? He has hardly been playing. Do you see a minute increase for him? Are the Eagles in trouble? I'm still optimistic, but their next three aren't easy games. Give me something to smile about, Andy!
Jon Pastuszek
Newton, Mass.

Jon,
Things got worse since I saw you. The Eagles will miss Agbai tremendously this season and must get more production out of Doornekamp to have a chance in the Big East. Troy Bell will have to take over even more of the scoring load. Craig Smith is giving them more than they thought with a double-double nearly each game. Jackson apparently isn't ready yet, but he might be needed come February. This team could rally around the loss of Agbai and be a sleeper but their status as favorites is long gone.

The lead to this week's Word says that even though Kansas went 0-2 in the Preseason NIT, the Jayhawks aren't hitting the panic button just yet. Not that this really does much for my beloved Jayhawks, but isn't it more accurate to say that they went 2-2 in the Preseason NIT? After all, they beat Holy Cross and Wagner and, according to my ticket packages, the first two games in Allen Fieldhouse were part of the tournament. Again, not that it really helps, but I think it would be more accurate to say that KU left New York without a win, that they were oh-for-New-York or something else. But it isn't correct to say that they didn't win a game in the tourney.

Sorry. I know I'm being nitpicky.
Gavin Fritton
Overland Park, Kan.

Gavin,
That's a good point except the context of the article was the Preseason NIT in New York.

Is my memory failing? I thought the coaches poll used to come out on Sunday nights. Looks like it's Monday afternoon, now. Also, thanks for not capping down too hard on Xavier after the Stanford fiasco. Some X fans got way too far ahead of themselves -- it could have been ugly after that tough loss.
Dan Michel
Cincinnati

Dan,
It got moved to Mondays for the 6 p.m. (ET) SportsCenter.

Why didn't you respond to my previous email? When I saw at the beginning of the season that you had Carolina ranked No. 50 & Duke in the top 10 I scoffed. The difference between them would not be not be that great. I told you that the so called "experts" would be as surprised with this year's team and their success as they were with last year's team and their disaster. Carolina's back and it's pay back time.
Derek Brown
Los Angeles

OK, OK, we were off on Carolina. But who knew? You're right, they're better than No. 50. But at least we had them in there, if that means anything. Carolina still has to take care of business with a brutal schedule, but it's clearly looking like their hiatus from the NCAA Tournament will only be one year.

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