Ken Davis

Can Kentucky survive life on the SEC road this week? Can Kansas finish undefeated in the Big 12? What’s up with Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia and Georgetown losing those games in the Big East?

So many questions in college basketball, and now it’s time to reach into the mailbag.

Q: I love seeing Kansas State in the top 10. Reminds me of when I was in school and Mitch Richmond was so good with the 'Cats. Is this the best Kansas State team the school's ever seen? I know they were really good in the 50’s.
— Reed Roberts, North Platte, Neb.

A: No way I’m declaring them the best, at least not at this point, Reed. Now, if you want, we can revisit this question when the NCAA Tournament is over. If this Kansas State team wins 30 games or wins the national championship — or even makes it to the Final Four — you might be able to say this is the best team in school history. But this is a program with history and tradition, including 23 NCAA appearances and four Final Fours. Right now, we don’t even know where K-State is going to finish in the Big 12. It's highly unlikely the Wildcats will win the regular-season championship and I don’t think you can tip your hat to a team simply because it has created some excitement with several good players. Those players have to come together and accomplish something.

I never saw Bob Boozer play, but I would never question those who say he was the best player in K-State history. I never saw Jack Gardner coach, but I’ve read about how innovative he was and I know how much Kansas coach Phog Allen wanted to beat him at everything. Gardner won 147 games at K-State and led the Wildcats to two of those Final Four appearances. He had Ernie Barrett, a shooter with great touch who became a big fan favorite. And when Gardner opened Ahearn Field House, Allen was so jealous he demanded that Kansas build a bigger and better arena. This year’s K-State team has a long way to go before it can consider itself better than the 1951 team with Gardner coaching Barrett. The Wildcats won the Big Seven and advanced to the NCAA final before losing to Kentucky.

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By the way, I did see Chuckie Williams, Mike Evans, Ed Nealy, Rolando Blackman and Mitch Richmond play. They were all better than anyone on this year’s roster. And K-State’s coaching heritage is so rich with Gardner, Tex Winter, Cotton Fitzsimmons and Jack Hartman. So be very careful EMAW faithful before you declare Frank Martin the program’s best coach.

He’s not even close.

Q: Who are the teams that have won at the Kohl Center during Coach Bo Ryan's tenure?
— Jim Engmann, Madison, Wis.

A: Wisconsin’s dominance at home under Bo Ryan has been amazing. Since Ryan became coach in 2001, the Badgers are 134-11 at the Kohl Center. On Feb. 9, Illinois became the first team to beat Ryan three times at the Kohl Center with a 63-56 victory. That snapped the Badgers’ 51-0 home record against unranked Big Ten opponents under Ryan and ended Wisconsin’s 18-game home winning streak.

Here’s the list of all 11 losses:

Dec. 3, 2001: Temple (2OT), 70-67
Dec. 4, 2002: Wake Forest, 90-80
Jan. 25, 2005: Illinois, 75-65
Jan. 21, 2006: North Dakota State, 62-55
Jan. 31, 2006: Illinois, 66-51
Dec. 8, 2007: Marquette, 81-76
Feb. 9, 2008: Purdue, 72-67
Dec. 23, 2008: Texas, 74-69
Jan. 15, 2009: Minnesota, 78-74
Jan. 27, 2009: Purdue, 64-63
Feb. 9, 2010: Illinois, 63-56

Q: I have a question concerning the Miami Hurricanes. They started off great and now they are struggling. This is actually a three-part question: One: Some people say coach Frank Haith needs to go. What's your opinion on that? Two: What does Miami need to do in the offseason? Three: Do you see any hope for the Miami men's basketball team in the near future?
—  Michelle, Miami, Fla.

A: Sounds like you are a little down on the Canes, Michelle. That’s understandable when a team is 3-8 in conference play and one game out of last place. The ACC is what happened to the Hurricanes. Miami is 17-8 overall and even though the ACC isn’t as strong as in the past, it’s still a very competitive and difficult conference. It can chew teams up and spit them out. Ask North Carolina. The defending national champions are just ahead of Miami with a 3-7 record.

It is very difficult for a program like Miami to replace a clutch shooter like Jack McClinton. That non-conference schedule the Hurricanes played probably created some false expectations. Nova Southeastern? Wow. The truth is Miami was picked to finish around 10th in the ACC. Nobody was predicting a run to the NCAA tournament.

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I don’t think Frank Haith is the problem. He has a winning record at Miami and it is a tough job trying to climb the ladder in a conference with Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia Tech and the rest. Remember, Haith was a candidate for the Alabama job last year. A lot of basketball people think highly of him. Changing coaches isn’t always the best answer. The Hurricanes need to play with a chip on their shoulders and they haven’t really done that as much the past two seasons. The Canes could use a trip to the NIT to keep building. They will lose their top two scorers, Dwayne Collins and James Dews, but Heath is bringing in some talented recruits in shooting guard Rion Brown and forwards Erik Swoope and Raphael Akpejiori. There is hope Michelle. Keep the faith for next year.