LEXINGTON, Ky. — Aaron Linn is the dude with the funny shot, the funny socks and the mouth piece. But by the end of the game, he’s scored 11 of his team’s 15 points because you thought it would be smart to make your team’s third-best player guard him.

LOS ANGELES — Before Ben Howland first came to Westwood, Calif., the UCLA men’s basketball program had already hung 11 banners from the rafters of Pauley Pavilion. Four years later, the wait for No. 12 continues.

If you’re like us – and how could you not be? – you’re too busy calculating the exponential permutations of Oregon’s mix-and-match football uniforms to notice college basketball season has already started. But it has!

DURHAM, N.C. — A funny thing happened over the last few years as the Duke Blue Devils jetted to Boston and South Beach in search of ACC victories in football and basketball. The Duke-N.C. State rivalry died.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — I hate to break it to you Gators fans, but this basketball season is going to be just like football, so brace yourselves now.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Coming out of high school, Dayshawn Wright thought it would take him two years to make it to the NBA. Three years and four teams later, the situation is different.