Ken Davis

We found out Wednesday night that the college basketball season is wide open.

Florida State handed Duke its first loss of the season and as long as Kyrie Irving is sidelined, the Blue Devils are as vulnerable as anybody else. Ohio State went on the road and had to fight off Michigan. Fred Hoiberg's Iowa State team battled and battled but No. 3 Kansas remained undefeated with a good win in the Big 12 opener for the Jayhawks. Don't look now, but the Morris twins might be growing up.

Are the Buckeyes or Jayhawks the new No. 1? Maybe the weekend will give us a clue.

But right now, it's time for your questions.

Q: If you could coach at one school, what would it be? Tradition, facilities, pay, fan base — everything. Where you live matters too. Nobody wants to live in Upstate New York.
— Corey, Los Angeles

A: Nothing personal Corey, but I’d rather live in Upstate New York than Los Angeles. I live in Connecticut now, but my wife grew up in the Syracuse area. We lived in Binghamton, and I worked for the newspaper there for about three years. One of my beats was Syracuse basketball. It wasn’t much fun driving I-81 to games during the winter, but the Carrier Dome had just opened and, from Leo Rautins to Red Bruin to Pearl Washington, there were always exciting players to cover. If you are looking for a college basketball hotbed, it doesn’t get much better than Syracuse. I think Jim Boeheim has enjoyed hanging out all these years in the ‘Cuse.

During my writing career, I’ve been lucky enough to cover Syracuse, Maryland and Connecticut — three of the top programs over the last 30 years. But I was weaned on Kansas basketball. I grew up less than an hour from the KU campus. The first player I remember seeing in person was JoJo White. Kansas is my alma mater and I never considered going anywhere else. The top two reasons: the School of Journalism and Jayhawk basketball. If I had the qualifications to coach — and I certainly do not — I’d want to be in Lawrence.

Tradition is the overriding reason. From James Naismith, to Phog Allen, to Bill Self, the place has always held true to its heritage. If you’ve never been to Allen Fieldhouse (and you love college basketball) you owe it to yourself to see at least one game there. Yeah, the place is old, but it’s fresh. It’s a museum, a Hall of Fame, a noisy old-fashioned building where the students make it rowdy and loud. If you go to a game there and don’t get goosebumps, there’s something wrong with you. The recent renovations, from the practice facility to the concessions and restrooms, have kept The Phog up-to-date and comfortable. With all due respect to Cameron Indoor, Maples Pavilion, Pauley Pavilion, Madison Square Garden and The Palestra, Kansas has college basketball’s best shrine.

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The quality of life in Lawrence is outstanding. The campus is beautiful. I’ve been in a Lawrence restaurant with Self, and even though he is beloved and respected, he is allowed to have his space. Pay? Bill is compensated just fine. I’d coach at Kansas for free, but I think I should stick to writing. Newly hired athletic director Sheahon Zenger would be well-advised not to make that change.

Q: What’s with Georgetown? Can’t John Thompson coach defense?
— Troy M. Washington

A: The Hoyas have lost four of their last five and I don’t think anyone saw that coming. Georgetown was 11-1 after an 86-69 win at Memphis on Dec. 23. The Hoyas had a great win in that thrilling OT victory over Missouri and they were playing the type of mature basketball you would expect from a veteran lineup built around guards Austin Freeman, Jason Clark and Chris Wright. More than anything else, I think the Hoyas miss center Greg Monroe and all the things he brought to the floor.

The Hoyas haven’t been terrific defensively. They rank 12th in the Big East in scoring defense and 12th in field-goal percentage defense. But I don’t think you can blame that on an inability of coach John Thompson III to teach defense. JT knows what he is doing. Interior defense was a problem against Pittsburgh Wednesday night when the Panthers won 72-57, but Pitt can do that to opponents.

Since Big East play started, the Hoyas have had trouble with turnovers and shot selection. When a team gets in a rut in conference play, it can be hard to turn things around. I think that is an issue right now. Wright has mentioned confidence and morale problems. That’s strange for an experienced team, but sometimes one victory can turn an entire season around. The Hoyas need that win soon, because time is starting to slip away.

Q: Do you think Temple can finally win an NCAA tournament game this season? We got screwed with Cornell last year and I’m worried we’re not going to get a seed anywhere near that good now.
— Derrick Morris, Wilmington, Delaware

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A: You know, Derrick, that’s a hard question to answer until Selection Sunday. Cornell, Arizona State, Michigan State … the NCAA draw hasn’t been kind to Temple in recent years. But I don’t think it is time to worry. The Owls are 3-0 in conference play and all they can do at this point is take care of business in the Atlantic 10.

NBCSports.com's own Dave Ommen has the Owls as a No. 5 seed, while Joe Lunardi of ESPN gives Temple a No. 7 seed at this point and that 7 vs. 10 game is always a concern. Temple certainly is capable that higher seed. There’s a lot of basketball to be played. As a wise coach once said, “Enjoy the ride.” You can worry in March.

Q: Is this the year St. Mary’s finally beats Gonzaga for the WCC crown?
— Tim Harkins, Spokane

A: My memory isn’t great, but I think Tim writes in with this question every year. Honestly, if I knew what team would win every conference every season, I wouldn’t be writing these mailbags. I’d be in Vegas making my money. I know St. Mary’s is 14-2 overall and 2-0 in the West Coast Conference. I’m sure Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga will stage a wonderful conference race.

But I still think Gonzaga will come out on top – again.