Coach on the bubble Alabama Birmingham's Murry Bartow is coming off a 14-14 season, and his father, Gene, no longer is athletic director at the school. But two talented junior-college transfers could help the program get back on track. Over the past five years, no other coach in the country has had more top-10 finishes. If Huggins can fashion a similar season after spurning an NBA offer and losing Martin and three other starters, his stock could rise even higher. While you're thinking about it, consider that despite having some highly ranked teams and putting a slew of players into the NBA, C-USA has not produced a Final Four team.
Somebody needs to break the logjam.
Louisville's team that lost to North Carolina in the 1997 East Region final. With a totally new front line this season, the record could get worse before it gets better, though more help may be on the way from a highly anticipated recruiting class next year. There's no Kenyon Martin this year, but there are some good players ready to step into the spotlight. Cincinnati sophomore Kenny Satterfield is one who could be poised to break out as the Bearcats' first option. League coaches picked South Florida's rebounding specialist Waldon as the preseason Player of the Year, but teammate Altron Jackson could also contend for MVP honors.