Q:  Is Glen Davis overrated? LSU can’t beat anyone lately and [with] Davis this team shouldn’t be this bad.

— Gary, Little Rock, Ark.

A: No, Glen Davis is not overrated. The skid by LSU since SEC play began is hard to explain, but you can’t blame it on one person. And Davis certainly can’t be expected to correct things all by himself. Coach John Brady has been puzzled by his team’s offensive woes. The Tigers averaged 58.6 points in their first five SEC games and were shooting 37.4 percent. That’s a team effort. When the Tigers went through a three-game stretch where they shot under 30 percent from three-point range, it gave opponents the chance to sag around Davis. If his teammates can’t hit perimeter shots, then his life is going to be miserable inside. Davis is good enough to step out and hit some three-pointers himself. He did that against Alabama Wednesday night when he had 15 points and six assists. But the Tigers lost 73-70 because of turnovers down the stretch. The loss of guard Tack Minor, who played so well in the victory over UConn, won’t help. The Tigers can pull out of this, but they’d better hurry.

Q: So, what do you think about Duke’s Greg Paulus? He’s quite streaky if you ask me. A lot of the time he can’t seem to do anything but turn the ball over. But he has had some of his best games ever recently.

— Todd Wormell, Baileyville, Maine

A: Streaky is one way to put it. The fact is Paulus is a victim of an unreliable jump shot and he needs to improve his assists-to-turnovers ratio. He has improved his overall shooting percentage and his three-point percentage from last year, when a sprained right wrist bothered him near the end of the season. But he remains inconsistent. He had a 20-point game against Gonzaga, then two games later went 0-for-3 and didn’t score against Virginia Tech. In a recent four-game stretch, he was 21-for-45 and scored in double figures each game. Then against Boston College, he was 2-for-8 with four points. His scoring average is up two points from last year, even though he is playing fewer minutes. Paulus has cut down on his turnovers a little bit (3.3 average to 2.9), but his assists have decreased this year (5.2 to 3.7). Duke’s offense needs a more consistent Paulus.

Q: What about Luke Harangody from Notre Dame? His numbers are just as good as [Greg] Oden’s and he is playing in the Big East.

— Steve, Philadelphia

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A: Syracuse would probably agree with your comparison, Steve. Harangody scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Notre Dame’s recent 103-91 victory at the Carrier Dome. Harangody has been a pleasant surprise for the Irish and he’s one of the reasons why Mike Brey’s team is doing so well in the Big East. But a comparison to Oden isn’t fair. Harangody is 6-8 and he simply doesn’t change the game the way Oden does. As we stated at the top of this column, Oden has basically been playing one-handed and under extreme duress. The conference they play in doesn’t matter either. Comparison over. But give Harangody his due. He is the first Notre Dame rookie to score in double figures in his first five college games since Troy Murphy. That’s good company. And the fact he has moved into Brey’s starting lineup means he has a bright future.

Q: In basketball, the home team is in white. In football, the visitors are in white. Why the difference??

— Hank Helley, San Francisco

A: Great question Hank. All I can tell you is that’s what the rules call for. The NCAA basketball rules book states: “Opposing team uniforms shall be of contrasting colors. The home team should wear light game jerseys and the away team should wear dark game jerseys.” As for football, the rules book reads this way: “Players of opposing teams shall wear jerseys of contrasting colors, and the visiting team shall wear white jerseys.” Beyond that, I couldn’t find anyone who could explain the reason for the difference or the history behind the rules.