bling bling

-- USA Today and Westchester (NY) Journal News basketball columnist Ian O'Connor will soon release the already controversial book "Jump." In the book, an anonymous source says an unnamed booster claiming to represent Georgia Tech offered Sebastian Telfair $250,000 to play for Paul Hewitt. Telfair is also quoted by O'Connor, confirming that he was offered money by a "middle-aged and white" individual at a "major school in the East." Since the book's allegations became public, both Telfair and Hewitt have denied O'Connor's claims. Yet as Rana Cash of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes, Georgia Tech athletics director Dave Braine has decided to investigate the matter. Developing...

-- Kansas State's 14-2 run late in the second half wasn't enough to overcome Kansas' large lead as Jeremiah Massey and the Wildcats fell to the Jayhawks. Bill Self could not have been happy to see his team become complacent against their in-state rival.

-- Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock makes a persuasive case that Kansas State ought to bring back fifth-year coach Jim Wooldridge. He also suggests that even without Jeremiah Massey, Fred Peete, Lance Harris, Clent Stewart, Cartier Martin and the Wildcats might be able to upset the Jayhawks next year.

-- The Merrillville (IN) Post-Tribune's Mike Hutton argues Notre Dame's victory over Boston College was no fluke. His rationale? Save DePaul, the Irish have played every game close. Losses to Georgetown and Syracuse could easily have gone the other way. He also gets Mike Brey to go on record defending himself against Ken Pomeroy's attacks. In October, Brey suggested that had the NCAA last year weighed road wins more heavily, his Irish would have gone dancing as a seven seed. (That turned out not to be true, as the adjustment dropped Notre Dame's RPI from 49 to 66). This year Brey adds, "Even though I'm not good at math, I can do the RPI stuff."

-- Stat of the Day: In defeating USC on Saturday, Washington State had no offensive rebounds.