Ken Davis

The world of college basketball has been bombarded with negative news this week. Suspensions and penalties were announced for Connecticut and Jim Calhoun. The NCAA accused Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl of unethical behavior. Kansas suspended starting guard Tyshawn Taylor. There’s news of a lawsuit involving unsavory behavior at TCU. And UTEP coach Tim Floyd had to be escorted off the floor by police after he was ejected from a game at East Carolina.

Where’s the love? Where’s the fun?

Maybe Saturday’s big tripleheader — Syracuse at Georgetown, BYU at San Diego State, Florida at Kentucky — can cure our case of the blues. Right now, it’s time to answer your questions.

Q: Ken, people keep talking about the Big East as the best conference, but does it have any team besides Pitt that can win the title? I consider it a collection of good teams rather than this uber-league that destroys all comers.
— Clint Jessep, Long Beach, Calif.

A: There are several ways to answer your question, Clint. I’m going to start with the simple fact that 11 Big East teams have the credentials to make the NCAA tournament. I don’t know if that is “uber” worthy, but anyone would have to admit that’s very impressive. Providence has only three wins in the Big East and isn’t one of the Big 11. But Marshon Brooks of the Friars is the second-leading scorer in the nation with a 25.4 average. The only guy ahead of him is Jimmer Fredette (you’ve probably heard of him). Tell me another conference that comes close to presenting that package. That’s why the Big East is the best and it has nothing to do with an East Coast media bias.

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When it comes to picking teams that can with the national championship, I’m looking for consistency, maturity, experience, and the chemistry to win six consecutive games. At this point last year, who knew that Duke would have the complete package? Only Butler fans could have predicted the Bulldogs as Final Four material. Without knowing how the brackets will be put together, it’s just a guess right now. But I agree with you about Pitt. The Panthers are on my list of six teams with the ingredients to win the title along with Duke, Ohio State, Kansas, Texas and Purdue.

My list is constantly evolving. Georgetown was close to moving in but the Hoyas just lost — at home to Cincinnati and Chris Wright suffered a broken hand. I love the way Purdue is playing right now. But having Purdue and Ohio State on my list doesn’t make the Big Ten better than the Big East. Same goes for the Big 12. Kansas and Texas are definitely capable of national championship runs, but that doesn’t make the Big 12 better than the Big East. If Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Missouri had lived up to expectations, it might have been close.

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And I’m not a big fan of these stats but the Big East is 5-1 against Big 12 teams and 6-2 against Big Ten teams this season. If you want to call that a “collection of good teams,” go ahead, but the Big East has been terrific this season whether or not there is a national championship involved.

Q: Time’s ticking down and you need one guy to take the last shot. Would you take anyone other than Jimmer Fredette?
— Ron Moore, Grand Junction, Colo.

A: I’d love to have Jimmer on the floor as an option to attempt a game-winning shot. But the fact that Fredette leads the nation in scoring doesn’t make him the one and only option. In fact I’d feel equally confident putting the ball in the hands of UConn’s Kemba Walker, Providence’s Marshon Brooks, Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins, Norris Cole of Cleveland State, or Purdue’s E’Twaun Moore.

You want me to pick just one? Give me Jenkins. Check this out.