V-MAIL: DEC. 14

Q: Why is the NCAA so harsh with Vegas and UNLV? How can a coach control a booster, especially when he gave money after Lamar Odom was released? If the NCAA knew Lamar took money and still let him play at Rhode Island, they are sending mixed messages to the kids. Why is a coach responsible for something he has no control over? Yet the student, who knows what he is doing is wrong, is given immunity? It stinks! -- Rich Hartnett, St. Maarten

	Clippers forward Lamar Odom never played at UNLV, but payments allegedly made to him by a UNLV booster led to Bill Bayno's dismissal.

VITALE: First of all, when you talk about the UNLV situation, any time you are passing out cash to a prospective student-athlete, you are heading for major, major problems. Obviously that is one of the toughest things, and my heart goes out to coaches because it is difficult to monitor everything a booster does. Both boosters and kids know they are not allowed to do these things. Kids are just as guilty for accepting the cash. It's the overzealous alums who think they're doing something positive which causes a nightmare -- and that is what happened at Vegas. Coaches have to be accountable for what happens in their programs and that's why they made the change there. It is unfortunate for Bill Bayno. I also think it softened things with the NCAA because the school could then say they took action with the coach. There were serious charges alleged there, and any time you do stuff like that you will pay big-time. I feel sorry for the kids (like Kaspars Kambala) who are innocent, yet they have to pay a price. There is no other way to put a stop to this besides penalizing the institution.

Q: Now that the ax has dropped on Bill Bayno, obviously questions arise concerning the next full-time head coach. Bobby Knight, Bob Huggins, Rick Pitino and John Thompson have all been mentioned as candidates. If UNLV doesn't stick with Max Good after this season, do you think UNLV has a good shot at one of them becoming head coach? I think Knight could do wonders in cleaning up the program. -- David Fucillo, Las Vegas

VITALE: I think the speculation is getting really wacky. I can't see why a Bob Huggins would want to leave Cincinnati to go to UNLV. I don't feel like Bob Knight is the kind of match for that program. His way of life and style is different. The kind of recruiting, I think, would be different for him. John Thompson, I know he likes the area, but I can't see those situations developing. Rick Pitino is still coaching Boston and I wish people would wait before throwing his name out for every coaching vacancy.

Q: I would like to know what are the top five college teams in relation to the their bench depth? I watched Illinois and they seem to just put any players on the floor and not lose much talent. -- Rick Kelly, Washington, Ill.

VITALE: Wow, I certainly like Illinois. Bill Self has a very deep basketball team. The Illini can hurt you in many different ways. I like Michigan State's depth with Zach Randolph and Marcus Taylor earning playing time. I like Arizona's depth with Luke Walton, Eugene Edgerson, Justin Wessel and Lamont Frazier. Tennessee has Ron Slay and Marcus Haislip off the bench. Billy Donovan can go this bench and get a lot of help, quality guys coming in. Those are the ones that jump out at me.

Q: The Arizona-UConn goaltending game really bugs me. I don't think the refs should determine the outcome of a game like that. What do you think about giving refs the power to review a call at the end of a game if the call determines the winner? -- Jim Shatto, Auburn, Ind.

VITALE: They don't have the rule for a shot-blocking situation. You can't start using the monitor for judgment calls. That's just a way of life and those things happen. In a split second, a call has to be made and the intent was good. When I spoke to Lute Olson, he told me his team didn't handle the clock well, giving up an eight-point lead with three minutes to go. The rule book also states that on a buzzer beater, the officials must use the monitor to check to see if it should count or not. So they did make one change to help officials.

Q: I think that the Pac-10 isn't getting enough respect. They have Arizona, a team I think will be very good now that they got back Loren Woods. They also have USC and Stanford. All three are legitimate title contenders. And to cap it off they have Oregon and Cal, who I think can both be Sweet Sixteen and possibly even Elite Eight teams. -- David Tidball, Florence, Ore.

VITALE: Playing out in that time zone, that's always a problem on the national level. I think people on the "in" give the league the respect it deserves. Arizona and Stanford are two of the best teams in America. USC is certainly having a solid season. UCLA has been disappointing. Oregon and Ernie Kent have done a good job. Arizona State is making strides as well; Rob Evans' club has some nice wins. Whenever you have the time-zone difference, it's unfortunate but you don't always get the headlines and exposure that some of the Eastern schools do.

Q: How come Kareem Rush of Missouri never gets props? He's the best player in the Big 12, top 10 in the country -- as a sophomore -- ain't he? -- Barry Dalton, Columbia, Mo.

VITALE: Rush is really outstanding. If he keeps playing the way he does, and makes big noise in the Big 12 season, he will get the props. He is a super soph and you can't hide great talent like Kareem Rush.

Q: I have been checkin' your Web site out lately and I am disappointed not to see anything on the up-and-coming Iowa Hawkeyes and the dynamic duo of Luke "The Rim" Recker and Reggie "Good Heavens" Evans. Now that you have had a chance to see them in action this season, how do you think they will fare in the Big (Bad) Ten race? -- Ed Geneser, Ames, Iowa

VITALE: We have had a lot of information about Iowa. We've talked about Reggie Evans and his seven double-doubles. We've talked about Luke Recker scoring like he did at Indiana. Also, Dean Oliver's experience at the point, the fact that we will get a better evaluation of the Hawkeyes when they play more on the road. Steve Alford has done a fantastic job rejuvenating the program and I feel we have indicated that.

Q: What do you think the chances are of Michigan State repeating as NCAA champions now that Zach Randolph and Marcus Taylor are becoming a dominant 1-2 punch? -- Joe, Livonia, Mich.

VITALE: I think Michigan State's chances are very good. This club is deeper and more talented than last year. I love the way Tom Izzo has handled the diaper dandies, making adjustments to their game to earn their playing time. Zach Randolph and Marcus Taylor have learned to fit into the system. This is a very good team and we'll get a better feel for them when they hook up with Seton Hall at the Jimmy V Classic. I look forward to seeing that one.

Q: Is Georgia Tech the type of place where coach Hewitt can build a championship team? Do you think he has the tools as a coach to do so? -- Robert, Atlanta

VITALE: Paul Hewitt has a special style and system with that run, press and shoot style which kids will love. He gained instant respect with the players when they beat two name programs like UCLA and Kentucky. That's the way your players start to believe in your concepts. He's off to a very good start with a very limited team personnel-wise. Tech is playing hard and utilizing its three-point shooting talent.

Q: How deep into the NCAA tourney do you see Missouri going this year? Can Quin Snyder eventually get them to the Final Four with this year's freshman and the players he has signed for next year? -- David Steward, Monett, Mo.

VITALE: He's certainly building a team which should get national recognition. He has some good commitments for next season already, including a couple of kids from out of the Michigan area. Missouri will get Travon Bryant eligible soon and that will be a big addition. Final Four talk is a little premature. First you've got to think about marching on, maybe to the Sweet 16 and making noise in the postseason. He's got a young team and his enthusiasm and contagious personality helps, especially in the world of recruiting.

Q: How good do you think Syracuse stacks up against the elite teams in the nation? Also, do you think the Big East is getting back to being the power conference it was in the '80s? -- Brad Acome, Oswego, N.Y.

VITALE: Jim Boeheim's team built some momentum by playing well in Alaska, beating three good teams in DePaul, Ohio State and Missouri. That had to give the Orangemen some confidence. Preston Shumpert has really stepped up as a scorer and Allen Griffin has done a great job handling the rock. We will have to see how Syracuse fares against the top competition in the Big East. Speaking of the Big East, it is becoming a very deep conference. Villanova is an improved team with Michael Bradley plus good guard play in Gary Buchanan and Jermaine Medley. Teams which were supposed to finish near the bottom have had good preseason success, like Boston College, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. The Mountaineers almost upset Tennessee, losing by one point. The Big East will rotate among the super six conferences in America. The greatest thing going in the conference right now is the diaper dandies. Think about Eddie Griffin, Taliek Brown, Andre Barrett, Omar Cook, Willie Shaw, Kyle Cuffe, Reggie Bryant at Villanova. There are a lot of quality kids.

Q: What are Tennessee's chances of making it to the Final Four and why do they not get as much attention on ESPN as other schools like Florida or Kansas? -- Jerry Tolbert, Bristol, Tenn.

VITALE: That's a great point. I talked about that during a recent conference call for the Jimmy V. Classic, where the Vols face Virginia and Peter Gillen's fine club. When you mention Tennessee, people think about football or Pat Summitt's Lady Vols. This club has a chance to get some national attention against the Cavaliers and throughout the season. Tennessee is deep, talented, well-coached and I believe they will be in the hunt for top-10 status all season.

Q: What do you think of Duke guard Chris Duhon's chances at winning ACC Freshman of the Year? If he won, that would make two straight years my little town of Slidell has produced a Freshman of the Year (Torris Bright, LSU). -- Wes Boudreaux, Slidell, La.

VITALE: Duhon has to be the frontrunner. I don't think he cares about honors or winning awards like that. He is a talent and he blends in. Duhon has great passing skills, he's unselfish and maybe too unselfish. He's capable of hitting the trifectas and he's heading for greatness in that Duke uniform.

Q: The Richmond Spiders seem to be making some noise in the CAA. With big wins over GW and Mississippi State on the road, and a close eight-point loss to Wake Forest, do you think the Spiders are on their way to an at-large bid in the NCAA tourney? Why have they not gotten respect so far and have received zero top-25 votes? -- Ryan Balavender, Richmond, Va.

VITALE: John Beilein has done a great job. He did a solid job at Canisius. I have not seen that much of them yet. Richmond is a club that plays solid defense and seems to understand what a quality shot is. They did play Wake Forest tough and the wins you mention prove they can compete. If they win the CAA and get into the Big Dance, they could create problems for the Goliaths as we have seen over the years.