yellow & green

-- Is anything Bruin? Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that "the seat [Ben Howland] was sitting in was certainly starting to warm up" before UCLA's upset of the Washington Huskies. Perhaps. But I believe even impatient Westwood fans will give the former Pittsburgh coach the time he needs to lead the Bruins back to the Final Four.

-- The Forward's Andrew Muchin writes that the heir apparent to Travis Diener at Marquette, Israeli Niv Berkowitz, "chats with his family by phone and with his girlfriend via the Internet using Web cams." ESPN Radio's Tom Keegan reveals that Niv, son of Israeli legend and would-be NBA veteran Mickey Berkowitz, came to Tom Crean's program via his father's old college roomie, NBA agent Eric Fleisher. Having played but two minutes of college basketball, Niv is already drawing comparisons to Pistol Pete.

-- Penn State's athletic department is trying anything and everything to get students to home games. Up next, a promise JoePa will retire if enough fans cheer on the men's basketball team.

-- The Detroit News' Tom Markowski expects Kentucky's Joe Crawford to transfer to Michigan State, Michigan or Detroit Mercy. Fair enough. Yesterday I opined that Crawford ought to consider Connecticut. Today, I'll note that a trip out West, to Oregon, would reunite Joe with former Detroit Renaissance teammate Malik Hairston. I'm sure Ernie Kent could find a scholarship for a former McDonald's All-American.

-- The Modesto Bee picks up Caulton Tudor's column on Thursday night's game between Duke and North Carolina State, a match the "worldwide leader" a couple days ago moved from ESPN2 to ESPN. Tudor suggests the duel is a "must-win," and I agree, but not because a loss might cost the Pack an NCAA bid. (At least not yet, anyway). Rather, because Julius Hodge and Co. need a victory to restore their swagger. Not to mention their preseason hope for a Top 15 ranking.