Could the core of Catholic universities — Villanova, St. John’s and Georgetown — lure a few like-minded basketball-centric partners — Xavier, Dayton, Richmond, St. Joseph’s or Butler? — for a Garden party each March and plenty of N.C.A.A. tournament bids?

As a competitor, it’s so disheartening to go to these various schools throughout the conference and check out these state-of-the-art, expansive facilities. When you compare those facilities to the meager accommodations at McDonough, you can’t help but frown… Beyond that, it is even more frustrating to be a member of one of the 29 teams that is forced to share this small space that is McDonough… We all work hard in practice and we smell like hard work after practice, and that just litters the building as various teams are in the hallway… It’s pretty awful.

But with or without Nerlens Noel, Thompson’s incoming recruiting class is promising, highlighted by a six-foot-three, 230-pound combo guard who can shoot the lights out.

There’s not a single player on the Georgetown roster that has ever won an NCAA Tournament game — and throw in the fact that Belmont is a very good basketball team, and its it seems like an easy upset to pick.

But it’s not.

During a decade in which Syracuse basketball reached the pinnacle of national prominence, the program was awash in positive drug tests and, in many cases, failed to adhere to its internal drug policy while playing ineligible players, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

This team doesn't have an overall physicality, and it doesn't have someone who can just break you down off the dribble. The Hoyas' system is the same as it was last year, but the difference is the ball doesn't stick in people's hands. They bring 6-foot-8, 6-9 guys from all over the place, and then they play so damn hard. The type of team that would give them trouble is a team that doesn't mind playing at that pace. Henry Sims doesn't like contact; he likes to deal in space. He's the one thing you can take away and hurt them. Our staff loves Jason Clark. He is a great leader who really gets Georgetown basketball. Makes all the little plays that people don't see. He's just a winnner.

Coach plays who he wants to play," Starks said. "It wasn't any punishment. Coach wanted to go with a different lineup, and it's working.

The Hoyas didn't magically gain natural ability or athleticism, and they're still not among the elite teams in the country. Instead, this is a testament to resilience and discipline. There are other strong candidates, but for me, Thompson is the coach of the year.

"If I had to bet, I think they look like a team that would win one and lose one and not make it the round of 16," Lunardi said.

I find it extremely odd that a competent athletic director would choose that method to try to schedule a game.