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Matt Rennie and Eric Prisbell
Washington Post College Sports Editor and Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 21, 2005; 11:00 AM

Washington Post College Sports editor Matt Rennie and Washington Post staff writer Eric Prisbell took your questions online Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 11 a.m. ET to examine the college basketball season.

The transcript follows.

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Matt Rennie: Welcome, hoops fans. A splendid holiday season to you all. I'm joined by arguably the greatest mid-major basketball writer in the country, Eric Prisbell.

Eric Prisbell:

Thanks, Matt. Brings a tear to my eye. It's better than low-major, though.

Our last chat before the holiday, so this should be a great one. Already looks like we have some tough questions from feisty fans, so fire away. I'm sure there will be a lot made of Northern Iowa's landmark victory over LSU, so let's start.

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Las Vegas, Nev.: What are Savannah State's chances against Georgetown tonight?

Matt Rennie: About as good as the chances of you getting a white Christmas in Vegas.

Eric Prisbell: Slim. None.

Check out Mark S-E-Chlabach's story on Sav. State for solid insight into their situation.

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Chapel Hill, N.C.: Texas may not flat out suck but they sure appear to be short-handed. Unlike Barnes.

Matt Rennie: Since our last chat, let's count the ways I was wrong: (1) Texas might have actual issues NOT named J.J. Redick; (2) the SEC might not be execrable after all; (3) well, surely there was something else.

Eric Prisbell: I don't think they flat out stink. One coach I talked to about them noted the injuries, sure, but also said it doesn't look like the guys are playing as hard as they once did. They are probably the most talented team in the country, when healthy. When you get hammered by 30 points, it could take a while to recover. Kind of like when Jason Williams clawed Duke back from, what, 10 down in the final minute against Maryland a few years ago and the Terps went into a tailspin only to eventually recover and reach the Final Four, only to once again offer a second-half collapse vs. Duke. But that's Duke.

Matt, the SEC is really down. Check out LSU's loss to Northern Iowa!

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Philly, Pa.: What game are you most looking forward to seeing?

Matt Rennie: Texas-USC in the Rose Bowl should be fabulous. You meant hoops? In that case, Gonzaga at Memphis on Dec. 27 might be a pretty good chance to see teams you don't normally get to see every day.

Eric Prisbell: A game I have been looking forward to all season: Gonzaga vs. Memphis. Will Carney cover Morrison? Will Darius be healthy enough to face Raivio, who is back from his own injury? Raivio said the Zags played awful in struggling to beat heated in-state rival Eastern Washington recently. Personally, I'll take Memphis because I have them in the Final Four and I don't see Cal's team finishing with more than four losses in the regular season.

Please send tough questions, everyone, this is the last chat before the holiday.

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Baltimore, Md.: Is D.J. Strawberry good, bad, or mediocre?

Eric Prisbell: Great question. What to make of DJ? He's shaky at the point. He struggles at times getting the team in its offense. He struggles against pressing teams. He moves at full speed all the time, almost like Iverson does. He excels though his emotion and his ability to jump into passing lanes defensively.

That said, he might be Maryland's most valuable player in a sense, because he is the emotional leader, a great defender and the only real option, for better or worse, at PG. He's not "bad". But he is not great in many areas either.

Matt Rennie: As a defender, he is almost always great. As a leader, he might be this Maryland team's last best hope. As a point guard on offense, he is a mixed bag, with plenty of bad mixed with good and mediocre.

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Patriot Land: Where does GMU hoops stand in the pecking order of coverage for the Post? I don't believe that you have assigned a specific beat writer for consistent reporting. It seems like local college hoops in the metro area is as strong as ever this year, so that is likely a big factor. Thanks.

Matt Rennie: We've covered more Mason games than ever befiore at this point in the season, and we have another non-game story in the works. Dan Steinberg splits his time among a bunch of local schools that aren't Maryland or Georgetown, and this year, that will mean he will concentrate on GW, with his next priority being Mason. This is certainly a good season locally. I hope we have four or five tournament teams.

Eric Prisbell: The D.C. area will be kind of a hoops hotbed this season as GW paves its way to Indy.

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S. Rockville, MD: Will Virginia win any games in the ACC this year or are they just too:

a. young

b. small

c. thin up front

d. reliant on the back court

e. thin on the bench

f. something else

g. all of the above

Matt Rennie: The Cavs won't go winless in the ACC but otherwise, your diagnosis is about right.

Eric Prisbell: UVA will get a few ACC wins this year. Remember, though, it's tough to predict this league. Last year Miami and V-Tech were thought to be the rear of the conference and it did not turn out that way. It will take time for Leitao to recruit well, but, trust me, he will recruit well.

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A Tough Question: What is the average annual rainfall in the Amazon River basin?

Matt Rennie: Approximately 7 and a half feet, annually. Which I believe you'll find is the same measurements of our gym back in Hickory.

Eric Prisbell: I'll have to ask Jerry Palm.

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Oak Hill, Va.: How do you see Virginia Tech finishing in ACC play after playing Duke to the last second and a good win over Stanford this past weekend?

Eric Prisbell: I see Virginia Tech sneaking into the NCAAs. Hold me to that.

Matt Rennie: Tech has surprised me because I thought injuries would be too big a factor. But the Hokies have a lot of athleticism, and there's no one besides Duke that they can't play with. Oh wait, they DID play with Duke.

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Arlington, Va.: Did you guys cover the tournament when Dwayne Wade went crazy?

If so, did either of you see him doing what he's now doing at the NBA level?

And did you know Bosh would be as good as he is?

And who are a couple or recent standout college players that you are surprised haven't had an impact in the NBA?

Matt Rennie: Dwyane Wade is so good, I'm getting used to spelling his name correctly. I thought Drew Gooden would be more of an impact pro than he has been. On the other hand, I didn't think Tayshaun Prince would be nearly as good as he is.

Eric Prisbell: I did cover that Final Four in 2003 and Wade was impressive. I thought the top player out of Wade's high school class would be Dajuan Wagner, who I watched score 80 in a HS game. Wade was a sleeper's sleeper. LeBron is the king. But Wade is still in the kingdom. He's sensational.

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Washington, D.C.: GW's next two games are -NC State and -Temple. how much do they move up in the polls if they win them both? How much do they drop if they lose one?

Eric Prisbell: I told D. Steinberg I see a split. Two tough games. They'd be in the top 10 with two wins. They'd probably be where they are now with one. I see them losing to NC State, then beating Temple. GW should have three losses, I would think, in A-10 play.

Matt Rennie: GW is the best of the three teams in my opinion and I think the NC State game getting moved up a day helps the Colonials with regards to the Temple game. I'm going to call for a GW sweep just to win friends in Foggy Bottom and on the various msg. boards where our opinions are of such interest.

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Augusta, Maine: Excuse me, Mr.Prisbell, but did you just use "GW" and "Indy" in the same sentence? What's your take on their matchup next week vs NC State?

Eric Prisbell:

Yeah, Butler should host GW in the NIT second round, right? Butler's got a strong postseason history.

Matt Rennie: Oh, boy, here we go.

((Eric is using something we in the word business call SARCASM. Don't have an aneurysm this close to the holidays, people.))

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Washington, D.C.: Eric/Matt,

I would like to help put the discussion about why certain teams get different degrees of coverage to rest. Sports content is driven by what the majority of the readership would like to see on a daily basis. You both have stated that in the past. What you did not explain was why.

Revenue from circulation alone does not pay for the salaries of the Post's employees or the production of the paper. Advertising is as important a factor, if not moreso, in paying for the paper's overhead. Advertisers want to reach as many prospective consumers as possible. The Post runs surveys to find out what will type of content will encourage the public to read the paper and acts accordingly. More people reading tailored content means more people seeing the ads. This is not a complicated concept.

As a GW fan I find this disappointing, but understand the reality of the situation. Until GW generates as large a fan base in the DC Metro region as Maryland or the Redskins they will not receive the same amount of coverage. In the end it comes down to simple economics.

Now, if I am wrong, please say so.

GO COLONIALS - BEAT NC STATE!

Bleeding Buff & Blue

Matt Rennie: You're not wrong, and your sense of perspective is appreciated. But the factors you cite, while significant, are not the sole basis for our decisions. As I mentioned in the last chat, newsworthiness is our main criterion. In gauging that, we have to say "Newsworthy to whom?". But as I've also cited before, last March, when GW made the NCAA tournament and Maryland was in the NIT, GW was what we played more prominently, despite the difference in fan numbers. At some level, we could write about the Redskins every day and it would be the most-read story in the section -- even in June -- but there are other considerations.

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Red Oak, Iowa: "Rumors are circulating that the University of Iowa is going to buy out the rest of Steve Alford's contract. Have you heard any of this. Is he on the hot seat?

Eric Prisbell: Is Red Oak anywhere near the Northern Iowa campus? If so, grab me a Panthers bib so I can put something in my wife's stocking.

Iowa is a strong state for hoops this year and the Panthers will carry the state through March. Ok, we've heard the rumors regarding Alford for the past few years. Iowa has lost to the two other good Iowa schools, and it needed the win over Drake, really needed it. I think he probably is on the hot seat, although I hate saying that about a coach in December. His team this season has some potential, so we'll see how the conference season plays out.

What I keep hearing is that Prosser at Wake could take a serious look at Cincy. That's the hot buzz.

Matt Rennie: Skip back to the city of Cincinnati?? Hmmm. As for Alford, I wouldn't be shocked to see him coaching somewhere else next season, and he WOULD be somewhere else in about five minutes if Iowa decided it was done with him.

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New York, N.Y.: Hey guys,

What do you think of GW's chances with NC State? Would a loss force them to lose all their credibility with the public, and would a win reinforce their impressive ranking and quiet opposers?

Eric Prisbell: A loss won't change much in my eyes. I still see GW is having the best chance of reaching the Sweet 16 of any mid-major program, with N. Iowa and Nevada not far behind. GW can beat State, but I am picking State.

There are a ton of GW haters in southern Utah that need to hush up, that's for sure.

Matt Rennie: OK, that WASN'T sarcasm, folks. Let the aneurysms commence.

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Silver Spring, Md.: What do you think about silver spring's native son James Gist? I think he can really be an asset for MD this season and beyond. He was holding his own with Pops in the GW game and he really doesn't ever try to do too much or take shots out of his range...

Eric Prisbell: I thought Gist would be a little bit better this season. A lot of Wilcox comparisons before the season. That said, he has pro potential in two more seasons.

Matt Rennie: It's tough to call someone in the second month of their sophomore season a disappointment, but I thought Gist would make the biggest leap this season for the Terps and that hasn't happened yet. There's nothing WRONG; I just thought he would have found more ways to employ his athleticism.

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Washington, D.C.: With Charlotte looking down this year, what team becomes GW's most serious challenger for the A10 title?

Eric Prisbell: Temple.

Matt Rennie: St. Joe's, maybe.

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NYC: Who would you consider to be the 3 to 5 WORST major college programs of the past decade? For argument's sake, let's stick to the (dreaded) BCS conferences.

Eric Prisbell: Great question that is nearly impossible for me to answer accurately off the top of my head.

Baylor, post-Bliss, was poor. Rutgers was poor time and time and time again. Stanford's got three losses this year that will stun you. I'll have a top five bottom five ranking next week, promise. Great question.

Matt Rennie: It's true. Over the past 10 years, almost EVERYONE has had at least a couple decent seasons. Northwestern and Oregon Staet might be exceptions, but I could be forgetting something.

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Washington, D.C.: Hey guys,

What your's take on the Maryland program. To me, this year's team has to be the most experienced, yet erratic and fundamentally unsound team I've ever seen play in college basketball, and I've watched since the mid 80's. Maryland's core is of juniors and seniors, but they don't reflect it in the way that they play.

Could it be that Gary Williams is not a coach of TALENT, ala Coach K and Calipari, and just a coach of specialized basketball players?

Eric Prisbell: "To me, this year's team has to be the most experienced, yet erratic and fundamentally unsound team I've ever seen play in college basketball, and I've watched since the mid 80's."

Did you see last year's squad much?

McDonald's All-Americans have a way of not living up to hype or not coming to school at all -- check out some at Duke and Memphis.

Matt Rennie: I don't think you can blame Gary for this team. It could be the worst thing that happened to this senior class is that it won the ACC tournament as sophomores. Keep in mind that team had similar problems to these past two, but everyone forgot about them because of those three days in Greensboro.

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Greensboro, N.C.: Where will UNC place in the ACC race this year?

Eric Prisbell: Right in the middle.

Matt Rennie: Is that sixth or seventh?

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Atlanta, Ga.: Following on the question of DJ and his role this year, what chance do we have of remaining competitive with him running the offense. Everything that's been said about him proves that he is not a point guard - just the same, do you see his skill-set improving enough to make a run at the ACC title/championship, or at least deep into the tournament come March?

Eric Prisbell: Without a natural point guard, I think Maryland's ceiling is the Sweet 16.

Matt Rennie: I would agree with that assessment. But I'm not optimistic about the Terps reaching that ceiling.

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Knoxville, Tenn.: While I'm normally following my alma mater Colonials' successes, this was a good weekend for Tennessee basketball as well.

What kind of statement does this make for Bruce Pearl's squad on a national stage, given Tennessee's, well, checkered basketball history?

Oh, and GW is not a mid-major. They aren't even a major. They're a super-major. I think they could easily play with any NBA team. You should dedicate an entire section to GW basketball every day, and I hate you because you don't.

Eric Prisbell: Thanks for the comment, Mr. Penders.

Matt Rennie: Lots of GW questions today. you almost get the feeling that they're all coming from the same couple people.

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Westcliffe, Colo.: Who knocks off UCONN this season and helps to dismantle the scaffold that keeps them atop the polls when they really don't belong there?

Like Texas.

Other then that, it's the Big East winning all the marbles again. Sorry, Illinois It ain't gonna be a repeat.

Rufus

Eric Prisbell: I like a Nova-Duke final with Duke winning.

Memphis will beat UConn in the Final Eight at MCI.

Matt Rennie: Westcliffe, my friend, happy holidays. May all the flammables in your homestead burn bright with joy. I don't think U-Conn. is overrated as you've implied here (tho I didn't think Texas was overrated, either). I need to see Villanova more to truly believe.

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Rockville, Md.: Hi guys:

On the news that Gary Williams just got a new contract that could keep him in College park through 2013, what circumstances can you see would have him actually leave the Terps? Is coaching in the NBA something he aspires to do?

Thanks and go terps!

Eric Prisbell: If Thad Matta takes up the morning shift at Home Depot next year and Ohio State triples Gary's salary and Greg Oden pledges he will play for four years under Gary, then maybe.

Seriously, though, Gary told me recently he will not take another college job for the remainder of his career. He used to think it would be cool to win titles in college and in the pros but doesn't get tempted anymore at 60. Part of him would like to retire when he still has a few active years to pursue another endeavor, golf, whatever. I see him coaching and cursing in College Park until 2013.

Matt Rennie: I will tell you this: If I'm ever making that kind of money at that age, ain't no way I'm volunteering to work eight more years.

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Arlington, Va.: I remember about 5 years ago, Jim Harrick proposed eliminating conference tournaments and arranging the top 256 teams (based on RPI), then allowing them to play down to the final 64. This would prevent "snubs", and in theory, the best 64 teams would be in the actual "tournament". Do you guys want to weigh in on the viability of that kind of system?

Matt Rennie: Can you imagine tryign to fill out THAT bracket?

Eric Prisbell: My head is still spinning thinking about Harrick on the selection team.

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Tenleytown: Hey guys,

Will American ever consider letting go Jeff Jones?

Eric Prisbell: That's blasphemy.

Matt Rennie: Say it ain't so.

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Anchorage Alaska: What happened to..

Texas Tech

Pete Gillen

St. Mary's

Ben Howland

West Virgina

Later..

Eric Prisbell: Howland is building a national title-quality program in Westwood, for sure.

West Virginia is sending Mike Wise hate mail and priming for March.

Texas Tech is banning more football players from the media.

St. Mary's returned its best player but is not nearly as good as it was last season. The WCC is a one-team league.

Gillen will be back at some point using all of his timeouts.

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Oakton, Va.: Are there any compelling stories in college basketball anymore? Maybe I'm exagerrating it a bit, but the best athletes and players are in the NBA.

JJ Reddick - really, who cares? He'll be a bench warmer in the NBA.

Not trying to be difficult, but is college basketball not getting pretty boring? Unless you have a rooting interest for a school, I could care less about watching two random Big Ten or ACC or Big East schools play.

Adam Morrison is the only intriguing player I can think of, and I haven't even seen him play.

Eric Prisbell: I get excited for stories like Mike Gansey last year ... Butler in 03 ... Gonzaga's rise and fall every year ... Uconn vs. Maryland ... redemption for Darius washington's missed free throws ... UCLA is back.

There are a ton of strong storylines each year.

Matt Rennie: I don't agree, either, Oakton. But that's why Eric and I prefer doing what we do to what Michael Lee, Ivan Carter and Alexa Steele do for our NBA coverage. I find the NBA regular season mind-numbing. Regular-season college basketball isn't NCAA tournament basketball, but I love watching good conference rivalries or different styles of coaches matching up. I think it depends on what you watch basketball for.

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Raleigh, N.C.: What are your thoughts on NC State and the emergence of Cedric Simmons? Where will the Pack finish in the ACC this year? I've seen UNC in person once this season and NC State on TV three or four times and the Pack looks like a stronger and more complete team.

And what about South Carolina's tourney chances? How will the SEC East stack up?

Eric Prisbell: I've found myself involved in a handful of heated debates the past few weeks regarding the legitimacy of NC State. Finally, my wife relented and agreed that they are for real and probably worth picking to win a game or two in the NCAAs.

Maybe it's just me, but I really enjoy watching that system work well. Without a star this year, it has to work particularly well. Simmons has been impressive, making like 60 percent of his shots. Right now, I'd take NC State or Virginia Tech as the ACC darkhorse.

Matt Rennie: Eric had to overcome the fact that his wife keeps a photo of Herb Sendek taped to the bathroom mirror to reach this opinion.

I think everyone is playing for second in the SEC East behind Florida, who I think could put together a gaudy regular season record before another tournament disappointment.

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Vienna, Va.: So which team in the ACC will knock off Duke?

Eric Prisbell: None.

Matt Rennie: duke will clearly win the league, but I think the Devils will lose twice in the regular season -- to Maryland and Boston College.

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Judy the Cat Fan: Eric-- Two Questions. One--Is there any chance the the awesome Judy the Cat will return for the basketball season to make some predictions? I thought she came awefully close on some of her football picks in the fall & I think she may have some insight to the conference tournaments and/or even the Final Four. Also, is she more of an ACC gal or a Big East fan? Anyway you look at it, she is one fine looking feline.

Second-- Now the the BCS rants & whines have ebbed is it time for the RPI rants & whines to begin? Is it the RPI that local coaches are alluding to when they say, "There's nothing in it for us" when talks of having a local Big Five tournament are always batted down? Thanks!

Eric Prisbell: The cat could make a return championship week for the Missouri Valley Conference tourney.

RPI is almost like the BCS. I'm not sure a lot of coaches really understand it.

Matt Rennie: Eric is being too modest. He in fact trounced Judy in the prognostication contest, so much so that she is in rehab for a catnip addiction.

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Silver Spring, Md.: So I take it Dudley wasn't aware that yelling "shut up!" at the MD crowd on the 5th posession was a dumb dumb idea? Too bad he was such a punk and the crowd effected his free throw shoting so much, they might have one that game if he wasn't such an -ss....

Eric Prisbell: Bad move by Dudley. When he did that, I turned to the writer next to me and said, "Maryland wins this game."

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Southern Maryland: How much of a snoozefest will the Terps vs. American game be on Friday?

And what about the upcoming Duke-Wake Forest game?

Eric Prisbell: "snoozefest" Are you reading my notes about that game?

I'm having a hard enough time writing an advance for it.

Duke should beat Wake by double digits.

Matt Rennie: how about a story on Gary Williams facing his former school? Oh, wait, we did that.

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Anonymous: Temple and St. Joes? For me I would have to say Xaiver would be the biggest challange for GW - what do you think about X?

Eric Prisbell: Xavier, obviously, is right there, too, and could beat GW. I just like Mardy Collins a lot. Temple could beat Maryland.

Matt Rennie: Yeah, no question Xavier will be in the mix. The A-10 has plenty of depth and might get four teams in the NCAA tournament.

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Silver Spring, Md.: What did you think about Ibekwe's performance against BC? He really held his own with Craig Smith who was pretty impressive. Can we expect this out of Ibekwe on a regular basis?

Eric Prisbell: I think Ibekwe is getting closer and closer to becoming a real force. The staff is really high on him.

Matt Rennie: He could be the difference between a fifth-place finish and a nervous Selection Sunday and a thir-place finish and a decent seed.

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Allentown, Pa.: Who do you like in the GW NC State matchup?

Eric Prisbell: NC State. Hold me to that.

Matt Rennie: My guess is a few people will.

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re: JJ Reddick... will be a bench warmer in the NBA: I'm no Duke fan, but I have to disagree with this statement. That kid has improved his game tremendously each year, and say what you want about him, he works his butt off.

What's your guys take on JJ at the next level.

Eric Prisbell: He'll be a pro. But he'll be no Morrison.

Matt Rennie: Anyone with that kind of range will have a job in the NBA for a while. Now, sticking around the league and being a major factor are two entirely different things.

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Between Mid-Major & Major: Matt and Eric,

Instead of railing on you guys for coverage or lambasting you for your classification of GW's "majority status," I will ask you a question you may be able to answer: How does GW improve its schedule? Do you think offering 2 for 1's and away-only games to some major teams will get something done? Or would you recommend playing second-tier teams in major conferences (Rutgers, Northwestern, South Florida, Tennessee, Florida State) in order to improve the RPI?

Eric Prisbell: GW is a mid-major-plus program. The Missouri Valley is better than the A-10 this year. But the MVC is clearly a mid-major league. Anyway, GW has a chance to beat two ACC teams early in this season, two upper division ACC teams, so that would be impressive. 2 for 1s have a chance to work, but realistically, GW will have to go on the road to play stiffer competition. They are kind of in a bind with the Zags and Nevada, teams no one wants to play anywhere, so it is very tough. Playing road games against bottom tier power conference teams could be an option.

Matt Rennie: Frankly, there's nothing THAT wrong with GW's schedule. Yeah, they play a bunch of cupcakes, but they also will have played two ACC teams, as Eric mentioned, and they're unbeaten and have generated a good buzz around the program. In my opinion, for name recognition, it's better to be unbeaten and ranked 13th with a weaker schedule than it is to upgrade and be among the "others receiving votes."

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Washington, D.C.: Matt, you mention Florida is getting set up for another tourney disappointment, but remember when Billy D went to the final four in 2000 with a young inexperienced team? He does so much with a team without egos, just like this year.

Matt Rennie: True. In the times, I've seen the Gators, they've played very hard, but you could see them having a dreadful shooting night.

Eric Prisbell: Billy D is a great recruiter. No further comment.

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Lincoln, Neb.: Thanks for the chat fellas. The question I have for you is on the Terps Will Bowers. Being a huge Terps fan I find it very frustrating that Bowers has not developed more than I would have thought. I thought with his size he would be banging people around alot more than he is and surely getting alot more playing time. What do you feel like the problem is?

Eric Prisbell: He worked hard in the offseason. So I thought he would do better. He'll get his shot vs. Shelden Williams. He has decent post moves on occasion.

Matt Rennie: It's hard to say, because as Eric mentioned, he seemed like someone who might be on the verge of a minor breakthrough. I don't see practice, so it's tough to say. My guess is you may see more of him in conference play.

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Tobacco Road: ACC fan quiz, fill in the blanks:

Most knowledgeable fans are:

Least knowledgeable fans are:

Most obnoxious fans:

Most crude fans:

Rowdiest/loudest crowd:

Least rowdy crowd:

Best looking coeds in the crowd:

Eric Prisbell: 1) Duke fans. They even have dirt on the beat writers.

2) Clemson

3) Maryland. Check those message boards, boys and girls.

4) Maryland. Ditto.

5) Maryland. Fun crowd.

6) Virginia/Clemson

7) Is Arizona State in the ACC??? Wife says no more trips to Tempe.

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French Lick, Ind.: Did either of you play hoops growing up, high school, club, college, after-work pick-up at the Y? Also please rate the local college coaches. Thank you.

Eric Prisbell: I played hoops every day from 9th through 15th grade. If you look at my college GPA, you'll know where my efforts went -- basketball not school work.

My career highlight is beating Troy Murphy, who worked with me for two summers at a carnival, in one on one in HS.

Many people think Gary Williams is one of the best coaches in the college game.

Matt Rennie: Growing up outside Detroit, I had neighbors yell at me for bouncing the ball in the driveway during late-night practice sessions. I also had teammates yell at me when those sessions didn't pay off.

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Maryland: Which players would be in your ACC dream team (besides Redick, of course)?

Eric Prisbell: I'll take Diaz at Miami, Shelden Williams at Duke. I'll take McCray and I'll take Greg Paulus to dish everyone the ball.

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Eric Prisbell: There are scores of questions we have no chance to get to because of time. Thanks for everyone who wrote. If you want to email me directly, try prisbelle@washpost.com. See everyone next week. Take care, be safe.

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