1. Ole Miss is hoping to hear Monday if there will be further punishment from the SEC against Reginald Buckner for his punch thrown at Missouri’s Laurence Bowers in the Rebels' loss at the Tigers Saturday. Buckner was ejected for a flagrant two foul (contact above the shoulders), but not for fighting. The Rebels are at Texas A&M Wednesday. Ole Miss has two games left against SEC teams with a winning record (Alabama on March 5 and suddenly surging Georgia on Feb. 16).
2. The argument for who is No. 1 is a fun debate and certainly gets fans going on social media. I wrestled with Miami or Indiana and went with the Hurricanes. Both are playing championship level right now but the ‘Canes didn’t lose this past week while the Hoosiers did. I would have no issues with either choice. The one thing though that is certain: Miami can be No. 1 in the polls but the Hurricanes are a much longer shot than Indiana to be a No. 1 seed unless there are more losses from the teams ahead of the ‘Canes. You could have a scenario where Miami is No. 1 in the polls but not a No. 1 seed. Polls are not used by the selection committee so the polls are simply just for organizing teams.
3. VCU’s Shaka Smart was thrilled with the chance to coach with Florida’s Billy Donovan and Gonzaga’s Mark Few again on the USA Basketball U-19 team this summer in the Czech Republic. Smart had teamed up with the pair in Brazil for the U-18 team. “It’s a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to work with Billy and Mark for a second consecutive summer,’’ Smart said. “I have a great deal of respect for both and look forward to another incredible learning experience as part of the staff.’’ The sharing of ideas among the three has benefited each of the programs this season.
