Q: Does Jeff Capel have things turning around at Oklahoma? They are playing better than a year ago and have dropped a couple of Top 20 teams heading into conference play.
— Mike, Dallas

A: I think Jeff Capel is a tremendous young coach who should have a long tenure in the Big 12 Conference. You answered your own question with a couple of comments, Mike.

The Sooners really have been playing better than they did last year and I thought Capel’s first season was encouraging. Consecutive victories over Arkansas, Gonzaga and West Virginia were good signs for this program and for the Big 12. The conference needs Oklahoma to be good in basketball. That’s why it was so disappointing to see freshman Blake Griffin go down Monday night during the Kansas game.

Griffin might be out four weeks with a sprained ligament in his left knee. Griffin, OU’s leading scorer, was just starting to get the national attention he deserves. The good news: It wasn’t a torn ACL. Perhaps Griffin can return quicker than anticipated. The 85-55 loss to Kansas on the road means nothing, especially because of Griffin’s injury. The improvement of players such as Longar Longar and Tony Crocker tell you Capel knows how to coach. The arrival of Griffin shows you Capel can recruit. That’s a good combination.

Q: Do you see the Miami Hurricanes having a chance in the ACC and NCAA tournaments this year?
— Michelle, Miami

A: The Hurricanes are a hard team to figure right now. They have been nationally ranked but — like many ACC teams — really need to prove a few things during the conference season.

The 12-0 start was surprising. The loss to Winthrop that ended their winning streak seemed to indicate the Hurricanes might have become overconfident or complacent and didn’t take the Eagles seriously. Winthrop has a good team but Miami should have won that game.

The best win for the Hurricanes at this point is a road victory at Mississippi State. Earlier wins over two Big East teams — Providence and St. John’s — don’t carry much weight. Providence has had injury problems and St. John’s just isn’t good. Tuesday’s slow start and 76-66 loss at Boston College raises more questions because B.C. recently lost consecutive home games to Kansas and Robert Morris.

In the ACC, Miami clearly isn’t as good as North Carolina, Duke or Clemson and now the Hurricanes have lost to B.C., one of the ACC teams Miami will be battling for a postseason bid. The Hurricanes need to show some consistency on offense and right now they lack any inside presence. They may be good enough to finish in the upper half of the ACC and that would put them in the NCAA tournament — but I doubt they will go very far.                                                                     

Q: Where do you see Gonzaga in the mix come tournament time? Do they have enough toughness and experience to do some damage?
— Drew, Ontario, Canada

A: I really like this Gonzaga team and the Bulldogs are only going to get better now that forward Josh Heytvelt and guard Steven Gray are healthy and getting playing time. Heytvelt definitely adds the toughness and experience Drew is asking about. Coach Mark Few has been building up Gray as a pure shooter who should give Gonzaga added offensive firepower and depth.

Weigh in on hot sports topics North Carolina will win the men’s title

The Bulldogs put together an impressive road trip with wins at Saint Joseph’s and over UConn in Boston. I saw Gonzaga win that UConn game and was very impressed with the way the Bulldogs managed the late-game situation for an 85-82 win. That seemed to be a big confidence boost but a tough loss to Washington State and consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Tennessee created some concerns.

There are a couple of keys for Gonzaga down the stretch. Saint Mary’s is closing the gap in the West Coast Conference and the Bulldogs don’t want their streak of seven consecutive WCC titles to end. Then there is the big game Jan. 26 at Memphis. Right now, that looks like another loss for Gonzaga but a victory would provide a big RPI boost. If the Bulldogs could move up to a No. 5 NCAA seed it would really enhance their chances of hanging around and doing some damage in the tournament.

Q: Are you paying any attention to UNC Asheville in the Big South with Bryan Smithson, K.J. Garland and Big Kenny George? What about redshirt freshman John Williams? Can they take Winthrop?
— Stacy, Asheville, N.C.

A: I think everyone paid at least a little attention to UNC Asheville last week. It was impossible not to notice the Bulldogs, especially Big Kenny George, as they went up against top-ranked North Carolina. My question to you, Stacy, is whether you have been paying attention to msnbc.com? If you had been, you would have read the blog by Mike Miller, msnbc.com’s college basketball editor. Mike wrote about George in a piece that carried the headline “College Hoops’ Biggest Story. Literally.” Check it out. It was good stuff and Asheville fans should be happy.

The Bulldogs are 13-4 overall and 2-0 in the Big South. Not sure why Asheville didn’t get more respect in the preseason picks. Maybe it’s the six straight losing seasons going into this year. Winthrop has a great program but the Eagles have a big target on their backs. Winthrop has already lost to High Point so this conference might be wide open. Wouldn’t that be fun? Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach has George (the big man is 7-7 and can dunk without jumping) back, along with guards Smithson and Garland. That’s a terrific nucleus. Williams is a swingman who is contributing 6.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 21 minutes. Looks like the Big South is up for grabs.

It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see UNC Asheville in the NCAA Tournament.

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