Ken Davis

I spent most of Saturday on the crowded streets of New York City, but still woke up Sunday in a West Coast state of mind. Why is that? Well, Gonzaga finally got a big win, knocking off Baylor. UCLA is clearly better than every one thought because the Bruins handed BYU its first loss. San Diego State deserves our full attention. And USC deserves a pat on the back for a feisty performance at Kansas – spoiled only by freshman Josh Selby’s fantastic debut.

Now, it is time for the first mailbag of the season.

Q: What’s with UNLV? The Rebs start hot, stumble against Louisville, then can’t hit a shot against Santa Barbara. Is this team good enough to make the NCAA tournament, or am I just gonna be let down by them in March?

— Eli, Casper, Wyo.

A: There’s no doubt the Rebels are good enough to make the NCAA tournament. I was very impressed with UNLV watching their victories over Wisconsin and Virginia Tech. Coach Lon Kruger knows how to get teams into the dance. And any team that plays defense the way UNLV digs in and defends has a chance to do damage.

But, Eli, let me answer your question through the words of Virginia Tech’s Malcolm Delaney. During a recent interview with Delaney, who led the ACC in scoring last season, I asked him to name the opponent that had impressed him the most this season. Without hesitation, Delaney said UNLV. “They’re relentless on defense,” Delaney said. “They threw a new defender at me like every three minutes. They have a deep bench where they can just throw people at you. They shoot the ball well, defend well, and their coaches do a good job with scouting reports and having their guys ready.”

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Teams will have bad shooting nights, as the Rebels did against Santa Barbara. UNLV plays an emotional road game Tuesday night against Kruger’s alma mater, Kansas State. The Rebels must find a way to battle an outstanding rebounding team from Manhattan, Kan. That’s a very interesting game now.

Q: A bunch of people were writing off Purdue as Final Four worthy after they lost Robbie Hummel. What do you think?
 
— Dave, Greencastle, Ind.

A: Let’s start with Robbie Hummel. Like most college basketball fans, I was devastated to hear the news of Hummel’s injury. Robbie is one of the good guys in the college game. I love his attitude. I love the way he hustles and stays focused. Hummel is fun to watch and the type of player who can elevate his team to the Final Four.

That said, Purdue is still a terrific team — lead by E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson. In fact, Johnson could be on his one to first-team All-America honors. I think the key for the Boilermakers will be emerging from the Big Ten race with confidence and without additional injuries. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Purdue in the Elite Eight and anything can happen at that stage of the tournament.

I’m not writing them off at all. Their task is a little tougher without Hummel, but losing him before the season started was better than trying to regroup midway through the season.

Q: OK, I give up: How is Cincinnati undefeated?

— Gus Howard


A: Pretty simple Gus. Cincinnati’s strength of schedule ranks No. 327 in Division I, according to InsideRPI Daily on ESPN.com. The list of victims for the Bearcats: Mount St. Mary’s, IPFW, Florida A&M, Savannah State, Dayton, Wright State, Toledo, Utah Valley State, Georgia Southern, and Oklahoma. Cincinnati is 7-0 at home, with two neutral site wins and a road win at Toledo. Cincinnati’s RPI is 82.

The Bearcats’ highest ranked opponent? IPFW at 138. There are 10 Big East teams with a higher RPI than Cincinnati. If Cincy is still undefeated a month from now, please write again.

Q: Have you seen Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins play? He’s putting up more than 25 a game! Why doesn’t he get more national attention?
— Troy M., Paterson, N.J.

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A: Troy, I have seen Charles Jenkins in person just once, but several more times on TV. When it comes to prolific scorers, there haven’t been many more exciting players in college basketball the last two or three seasons. Last week, he ranked fifth in Division I in scoring. And he will likely win the Haggerty Award — given to the best college hoops player in the New York metropolitan area — for a third consecutive year.

More importantly, he is the only active player in the nation with more than 2,000 career points. Jenkins reached that milestone Saturday night with 21 points as Hofstra defeated Manhattan 71-58. He is the seventh player in Hofstra history to reach 2,000 and only the 10th in Colonial Athletic Association history. And unfortunately, that is the answer to your other question. Jenkins doesn’t get more national attention because he plays at a small school in the Colonial — not in the Big East, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 or SEC. The Colonial is a competitive, exciting conference, but TV exposure and other media coverage is very limited. Sad, but that’s the way it works.

You know what? Jenkins could care less about the publicity. Sunday he picked up his diploma at Hofstra’s midyear commencement ceremony. He’s got his act together on and off the court.