Austin Rivers joined ESPN Radio with Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo to talk about the feeling of hitting the game-winning shot over North Carolina, on the idea that his shot was one of the greatest in the history of the two teams, what the play was designed to do, on the expectations placed on him, and what it’s like to have a father coaching in the NBA.

How it feels to hit the game-winning shot over North Carolina:

“It was just an amazing feeling. It was a big team win. I think everybody contributed to the win and just to get the win at North Carolina, versus a great team, meant a lot. Everybody stepped up and when that ball went through the net I couldn’t even tell you what I was thinking man. Everything went so fast.”

On the idea that his shot was one of the greatest in the history of the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina:

“I don’t even know what to think just because I’m just a freshman so in your first year in college to do something like that is amazing. It was a good moment for our team but we’re really focused for Saturday and that’s what we’re looking forward to now.”

What the play was designed to do:

“It was kind of like a dual option where the play started. Dre (Andre Dawkins) kind of just ran off a screen and I could kind of choose what I saw and just read the play. I saw a pick and roll option and I went off it. Once I saw Zeller on me I think the guys were telling me to go for the two. If you look at the play you see Seth (Curry) like ‘go, go, go,’ but Zeller was kind of backing off me a bit and I just kept stepping toward him a little bit and he kept backing off and kept backing off and then I just kind of got in rhythm and I just shot the shot. It felt good when it left my hands but your heart drops because you just don’t know. Then when it goes through the net it felt amazing.”

On people’s expectations:

“You can’t ever worry about people’s expectations because if you do that you’re just going to drive yourself crazy because you can never please everybody. You just have to worry about your own expectations and most importantly your team’s expectations. If you can fulfill those then that should make you happy. I’ve just come in here and worked really hard. Coach K and them never give up on anyone here and they challenge me every day to get better and be a leader. That’s one thing I’m trying to do right now and I think I’ve gotten a lot better here at Duke and the team has gotten a lot better. Every day you have to fight. That’s the way here at Duke. Every single day you have to fight here in practice. Every game you play people want to beat Duke so you have to fight. I think that makes you into a better player and why so many players come out of here successful. That’s one thing I’m learning to do now and one thing I have learned to do and we have to continue that habit.”

What it is like to have a father coaching in the NBA:

“I think it’s unique because my dad, he knows what he’s talking about as far as basketball goes and he’s always there for me. He always helps me out with things and he’s been there for me. It’s not all basketball with him. People like to think on the outside I bet you know Austin and his dad talk about basketball but at the end of the day he’s a normal guy to me. He’s a father. He has always been for me. It’s unique to have someone who is a father but at the same time someone who can really help you in the game you love the most and I think that’s the most unique aspect of it.”

Listen to Austin Rivers on ESPN Radio here (Audio begins 10:00 into the podcast)

The Blue Devils have played one of the toughest schedules in the country and have just four losses, but they’ve come against some strange opponents like Temple and an overtime loss to Miami over the weekend. Krzyzewski says the team simply hasn’t learned to play with consistency.

Mike Krzyzewski joined 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis with Dan Dakich to discuss overcoming tough early seasons in his career, this season in general, giving teams that beat Duke credit, how he’s fighting a team that’s battling inconsistency and Duke having the same problems as every other team in the country.

How did you persevere through three tough seasons to start your career?:

“First of all, I always felt we were going to win. But I also felt that I was on a team here at Duke, with my president and the administration. … They were always behind me. Not publicly, necessarily, but privately, I knew they had their support and backing. It was a total team effort, and I’m not sure that that’s done as much anymore in college athletics for high level, not even high level, basketball and football.”

How do you feel about this year’s team?:

“I like the fact that we’ve won 19 out of 23 games against an extremely difficult schedule, one of the top schedules in the country. I’m not happy with the way we’ve developed. Based on that schedule, we should’ve learned more, so that we wouldn’t be inconsistent from game-to-game and within a game. We can play really good basketball at times, or for a game, and then all of the sudden not play well.”

Isn’t it weird that when Duke loses, nobody gives the other team credit?:

“I agree with that. Jim Larranaga is a heckuva coach. [Miami] has really good talent. They have as much talent as we do, and other coaches know how to use their talent. So much for us is like what we’ve done in the past. We were ranked in the top five or six or seven in the preseason, but none of our guys were ranked in the top 50 in the country. Usually we have one or two of those guys. … This year’s team has gotten a lot from what we’ve done in the past, and then lived up to it. We beat Kansas and Washington and Michigan and Michigan State and those teams, but still not the dependable, consistent group that you need to have to get into the tournament and advance far.”

What are you fighting every day with that?:

“Just consistency. When you played and when you coached at Indiana, you were a good player. You were like Jon Scheyer for me. You weren’t going to be a lottery pick or first-round pick, but you could be a really good college player. You came to practice wanting to be that. But then you had a couple, one or two, other guys who could be pros, really good players. To me, that’s the type of combination. We don’t have guys who, you were on a mission to be good every day, and when you have guys that have been role players before, and then freshmen coming in, that’s something you have to learn. I don’t think our guys have learned that yet. As a result, we get some inconsistent play against good teams.”

That seems surprising because people realize that’s a problem for programs around the country, but it doesn’t seem like something that happens at Duke:

“To me, it’s the biggest insult a player can give a coach, is not to listen and not to really listen to what a coach says. When I played for Coach Knight, I heard one voice, his. I didn’t hear mine. I didn’t hear my parents, AAU coach, friends, Twitter. I heard one voice. When the guys here have been really good, they’ve heard one voice. … That doesn’t make our kids bad kids. They’re good kids and they’ve played real well. They’re 19-4 and have played some outstanding basketball, but in order to be really good, you have to listen to that one teacher.”

Listen to Mike Krzyzewski on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis here

Now Weeden is 28 years old and coming off a great season at Oklahoma State where the Cowboys found themselves in the national championship argument before a loss to Iowa State sent them to the Fiesta Bowl where they would beat Stanford.  By most accounts, Weeden was one of the winners at the Senior Bowl week last week, perhaps solidifying himself as a second-round pick — again.

Brandon Weeden joined WCNN in Atlanta with The Rude Awakening to discuss the Senior Bowl experience, what areas of his game people have been critical about, playing baseball first before pursuing a college football career, why he made that decision, why he doesn’t have a bad taste in his mouth over his final college season, the argument that Oklahoma State should have been in the title game, and his 2012 NFL Draft prospects.

On having a successful week of practice leading up to this past Saturday’s Senior Bowl:

“I had three good days. That’s kind of what I heard coming in, that the practices are more crucial than the game. … I think my first three days went good, throwing the ball well, had command of the offense. Of course there’s mistakes — it’s all new to me — but for the most part I thought [it went] pretty good.”

In what areas of your game have people been critical?:

“It might be playing in the spread offense and not being under center. That was one thing coming in, but I think that’s one thing I’ve handled extremely well, going under center and taking a five-step drop, a seven-step drop.”

What was the experience like playing minor league baseball?:

“It was a great experience. I played for five years and ended up at High A. I played in Adelanto, Calif., my last year. I don’t know if you guys have ever heard of it, but the wind blows about 40 out to dead center and the ball just flies out of there. It’s not really a place you want to be if you’re a pitcher. … I always knew that if I didn’t make it to the big leagues, I wanted to go back to college and pursue the dream and play college football. That’s what I did and it looks like I made the right decision.”

Was it a situation where baseball was your first love as a kid and that’s why you went there first?:

“Baseball was kind of my thing growing up as a kid. I started playing when I was three and fortunately I was bigger and a little bit better than everybody growing up. There was an area there where I was not very good and everybody was better than me and I kind of growth-spurted again. I knew my senior year that I’d have an opportunity. Obviously being taken in the second round and being the Yankees first pick was an outstanding opportunity. It’s hard being an 18-year-old and turning down that much money and have the opportunity to pitch for your favorite baseball team and still have school be paid for in your contract. The opportunity was just too good and I think I made the right decision.”

Did the way this past college football season ended leave a bad taste in your mouth?:

“No, we won a conference championship, went on to win a BCS bowl game and a lot of firsts at Oklahoma State and a season that a lot of people will remember. I think everybody was extremely excited about the way things turned out and I think there’s a lot of people that wear orange proudly.”

But what about the argument that you guys should have been in the title game?:

“Yeah, I mean, I think there’s a lot of people that believe that and people that just kind of believe in the system and you’ve got to just let it work. That’s kind of the way you’ve got to handle it. There’s the BCS in place and that’s the way we approached it. Whether you like it, love it or hate it, it’s in place and you’ve got to play by it. We had a great year. We came up 0.009 percentage points from playing in that game and it was unfortunate, but we enjoyed the Fiesta Bowl.”

Is there a particular NFL team that you’d like to play for?:

“I’ll be honest, I’m not just saying it because it’s the politically correct answer, I really didn’t grow up having a team. I followed football and followed players. But in my position right now, whoever wants to give me an opportunity to play and give me a shot to be on their roster, I’m all about it.”

Are your people giving you a range of where you’re expected to be drafted?:

“Not really. It’s a little bit early in the process. … There’s still some work to be done, interviews to be made and all the stuff to kind of handle and get a grasp.”

Listen to Brandon Weeden on WCNN in Atlanta here

Murray State put together a pretty decent non-conference slate and has solid victories over Southern Miss, Dayton and at Memphis. But playing in the OVC isn’t really doing the Racers any favors, despite coach Steve Prohm speaking up that the league isn’t given enough credit.

Steve Prohm joined 790 The Zone in Atlanta with Barnhart and Durham to discuss having the bullseye on their backs, the increasing hype, the biggest victories of the season, the early debates on where Murray State should be seeded and the Ohio Valley Conference.

Can you feel the bullseye on you? Are opponents gearing up to try to take down the unbeaten?:

“Yeah, it’s definitely been like that. It’s been exciting, though, as well. We’ve had basically sellouts since we played at Memphis December the 11th. … Every road game that we’ve had in conference has either been sold out or right at capacity. … You’re going to get everybody’s A game and our guys recognize that, so they’ve got to be really dialed in.”

As the hype increases, do you try to keep having discussions with your guys to tell them it’s just another game?:

“It’s been great for our community. They’re having the time of their lives with this. USA Today’s been here, ESPN All Access has been here, the New York Times has been here, CBS Sports is coming down here. It’s been a remarkable run and it’s exciting, but we talked to our team early in the year about just a little slogan that says, ‘Don’t seek honor; honor will find you.’ What that basically means is if you continue to do your job, you do things the right way, you continue to win games and represent this program the right way, all the accolades, the postseason honors and appearances, that will come. One thing that our guys have done a great job with is going practice to practice, game to game, turning the clock, turning the page.”

Nationally, everyone wants to talk about the victory at Memphis, but the one at Austin Peay might have been just as big, right?:

“It’s in conference play now, so every game is so big. The undefeated record’s great, but we’re 8-0 in our conference and our first goal is to win a conference championship. … If you look at all those games, we led Memphis in both halves by 12. We were up 10 or 11 with about a minute to go at Memphis. Austin Peay, we had a very good showing down there, but that’s a huge rivalry. To go down there in a sellout crowd and offensively we played very well down there and were able to get out to a big lead and then withstand many runs by them. … Even going to Morehead and kind of figuring out and grinding out a tough road win there, those road wins like that there … I think those speak volumes for your kids’ character and their resiliency.”

On what will likely become a debate about where Murray State should be seeded:

“There’s no question, but to be in that debate, be in that discussion, that means our program is doing the right things if we’re getting talked about, about what seed we should get. The NCAA committee, they do a great job every year. … The committee, they’ll make the right decisions with seeding. At the end of the regular season, our goal is to put ourselves in a position to where we’re going to get an at-large bid regardless of what happens in the postseason tournament. I think what we’ve done so far, we’ve put ourselves in a great position with three top-35 RPI wins, the most road wins in college basketball up to this point and a very tough nonconference schedule.”

On the basketball being played in the Ohio Valley Conference:

“Our league doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Morehead State finished second in our league last year. We won the regular season. Our second-place team moved on to the second round of the NCAA tournament. And then two years ago, we went to the second round. Two out of the last three years, we had an NBA draft pick in our league.”

Listen to Steve Prohm on 790 The Zone in Atlanta here

Sure, it’s still early, but Missouri has already beaten Baylor and Iowa State — the only other two teams above .500 in league play — on the road and Kansas has yet to lose. There’s sure to be more intrigue, but first-year coach Frank Haith has his Tigers controlling their own destiny.

Frank Haith joined WHB in Kansas City with Between the Lines to discuss beating Baylor on the road, why the team has been so good on the road, having a team that can shoot this well, where this team ranks against others he’s coached, keeping the team in check mentally and the Big 12 race shaping up.

On beating Baylor on the road:

“I thought our guys did a great job. We had great focus all week preparing for those guys and I thought we went out and played with great toughness and tremendous poise down the stretch. It was really good to see and I’m sure from a fans standpoint it was a fun game.”

You took over a team that struggled on the road last year. Why the success this season?:

“They’re a year old, so that helps. The fact that we got taken out to the woodshed a couple weeks ago in Manhattan and I think our guys came back and regrouped and talked about it a little bit, talked about what it takes to win on the road and toughness was a key topic of conversation. … Our guys understand that we’re a good team, but we’ve got to play with great toughness in order to win on the road.”

On having a great shooting team:

“We’re taking good shots. That helps. We’re not going to shoot the ball great every night. We’ve got to find other ways to win games, too, and that’s being good defensively and rebounding. … We have found a way to understand great shots and they share the ball and I think that’s why we shoot a high percentage. We don’t hunt shots. I’ve stressed this to these guys, we should hardly ever have to shoot a contested shot because we’ve got such great ball skills and we have to play with unselfish play.”

Where does this team rank against others that you’ve coached?:

“Obviously I think in terms of this team and what we’re doing, keep in mind we won like six ACC games in a row and Duke was I think ranked second in the country and Wake was ranked like sixth in the country and we had a run there. And obviously we had a run at Texas where, with T.J., we got to the Final Four. I’ve told this team that we’re capable of doing great things. We are, because we’ve got the intangibles, chemistry, ball skills … and now we’ve started to show we’ve got a little toughness. … This team is very capable but it’s still a long year.”

How do you keep this team in check mentally?:

“I think that’s going to be on us. They’ll feel the sting a little bit and we’ll keep them on point as much as we can, but you always worry about that when you have success. … We always have a session in film that we go over after every game, the good, the bad and the ugly, and they’ll see things we’ve got to get better at. But I really believe if you enjoy the process as a player — enjoy the preparation and get focused on that — you’ll get yourself ready to play.”

How much are you starting to hear from fans about Kansas and the Big 12 race?:

“I don’t pay attention to a lot of that stuff other than I do know Kansas is playing outstanding. … You’ve got to think Bill’s done an outstanding job with probably a team that’s not typical, from a talent standpoint, that he’s had in the past. He’s still got this team right here undefeated in the Big 12. He’s done a great job and you’ve got a really good team that’s playing extremely hard. That’s down the road for us.”

Listen to Frank Haith on WHB in Kansas City here

John Calipari joined 790 the Zone in Atlanta with Barnhart and Durham to talk about the strength of the SEC in college hoops, he youth of his team and how getting tested is helping, on his desire for super-conferences, and Anthony Davis.

On the strength of the SEC in college hoops:

“Right now what you’re finding out is there is no league that is like way beyond any other. I made this statement to a couple of friends, the SEC right now has five teams that are Sweet 16 or better. When you talk Mississippi State goes to Vandy and Vandy was playing great, that went to Alabama and Alabama doesn’t lose there and did what they did, and no one is even talking about Florida anymore. Now you have Arkansas, they go and beat Michigan, and when we played Tennessee, they didn’t have that freshman. So whatever they did before that doesn’t matter. Now you’ve got Tennessee and they go and just womp on Connecticut. All of the sudden you’re going to talk about the five teams but what about Arkansas and how about this team? Mississippi is playing well. Here’s what happens. Our media doesn’t do what the media in these other leagues do but it starts with the coaches. We don’t promote each other so what happens is ‘well a team that loses at so and so.’ Well let me tell you something; go try to win at Tennessee, go try to win at Georgia who beat us a year ago, go try to win at South Carolina who beat us a year ago. Vanderbilt? I mean you’re in the end zone trying to coach and you can’t even talk to your team. The only league that I think has got, the Big 12, those top three teams are really good but our top five are really good and those other being Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi aren’t far back. Go try to win at Auburn right now. This is a very difficult league especially on the road.”

On his team getting tested the way they have been and if he thinks that will help them:

“My team as you know we’re starting three freshman and two sophomores and what happens is every experience for these guys is new. That’s why I liked what Alabama did to us. They basically, one of their players said ‘our coach told us to be aggressive, hit ‘em, and rebound.’ I don’t know what hit them means but they hit us. What happens is every game we play is a different kind of experience. We played Arkansas and they pressed us. We needed that a whole game. We played other teams that played us a whole zone. It’s all a new experience. I have a point guard who has made great strides in Marquis Teague but you just don’t know. You just don’t know yet. The same with Anthony Davis. Anthony wasn’t ready for the body to body contact. Anthony missed three dunks. How can he miss a dunk when his head is near the rim? Well when that body is on you and shoving you into the cheerleaders it’s harder to dunk. You have to figure out how I hold my ground, how I bend over, and hold position as they get physical. All this stuff is new to my team. I like our will to win down the stretch. In all these close games you’re gonna start getting nipped. You know what I told them last night Tony? We met at my house. I said ‘we probably need to get beat so you guys will understand that you cannot let a team come in and kick sand in your face and accept it.’ You can’t do it.”

On his desire for super-conferences:

“What I hope what this starts moving us to is four super conferences. We separate from the NCAA, we do our own thing, we have a playoff in football, and now if you want to include eight teams or four, each league winner or their winner and runner up, and we have a playoff. The other teams all play in a bowl. We have our basketball tournament and you know what? We will include the other people from around the country. You’ll have to play your way into our tournament. Then we get a National Title and all the money stays within. Instead of having 20 schools vote against, vote against a stipend, a deserved stipend, for these players, vote against it because Tony do you understand now that the player I signed early get the 2,000 dollars? It should be 4,000. The other ones I signed in April will not get that money. How about that on your team? You like that? We need to separate. We need to separate. We need to have compliance go through league offices like it used to. How did you get me talking about that?”

On Anthony Davis and his shot blocking ability:

“He blocked about nine of mine when we’re doing walkthroughs. He’s a great kid. He’s like the kid Marcus Camby that I had. He doesn’t command the ball offensively, will do all the dirty work, he and Michael Gilchrist both do. Dive on the floor, come up with balls, and I get mad at my other guys because I say ‘oh you let him dive on the floor and you shoot all the balls. That’s how this is supposed to work?’ How fair is that? I look at those two and I said if I were you two I’d be walking over to the bench and I’d say hey coach, how about running a play for me? We have some issues we’re dealing with because you have to have a team full of guys that understands toughness isn’t one guy’s responsibility, it’s everybody’s. Either you’re aggressive and tough or you’re not. For us to do anything unique with this team I’m coaching, this young, we have to get tougher both mentally and physically.”

Listen to John Calipari on 790 the Zone here

What Self does see is a team embracing who it is and winning thanks to 10- and 15-minute stretches, usually jump-started by stingy defense. The Jayhawks beat Texas over the weekend to push their winning streak to nine. They’ll try to make it double digits against Texas A&M this week.

Bill Self joined KCSP in Kansas City with Bob and Josh to discuss the team embracing its style, its most improved player to this point, unrealistic expectations for 7-footers, Tyshawn Taylor’s season and the improvement of Thomas Robinson.

When did you see this team really start to embrace and enjoy the style of play?:“

“Against Baylor, second half, we didn’t guard anybody, but the way I think you can kind of see that is K-State we weren’t great offensively by a longshot, but we had runs off our defense. Oklahoma no doubt we were average at best and played a great 10 minutes, Tech we were average at best, maybe below average, and play a great 10 or 15-minute stretch. We’ve become more of a spurt team because we’re basically scoring off our defense. … We’re never going to look unbelievable offensively for 40 minutes.”

Who has grown the most so far this season?:

“If I was going to pick one person, the guy that impacts our games and probably dictates when we play well as much as anybody is Jeff Withey. He protects the rim, he’s close to a double-figure rebound guy whenever he’s playing well. He’s got nice touch, doesn’t get a lot of shots, but he’ll go 4-for-6 or 5-for-7.”

Is there too much pressure put on 7-foot guys to go out and dominate games?:

“I think from a fan’s perspective, it’s why didn’t he just dunk it? That’s the one I get. Well, you’ve got people weighing on you. … I think in some people’s cases, and Jeff might be one of them, when you wake up every day 7-foot tall, people just assume that you should be really good at this. So much of getting really good is having the heart for it and I think he’s got the heart for it.”

How would you describe Tyshawn Taylor’s season?:

“Very good. He turns that ball over. Even against Baylor he had five turnovers, and that’s not good, but I think he’s played very well. He’s had a couple of games where it kind of got away from him. That’s probably as much coaching as anything else. … He’s played well in my opinion. He’s so talented and he puts pressure on the defense and is getting the ball to the paint. If there’s anything I’d say he can work on it would be his defense.”

On the improvement of Thomas Robinson:

“He’s trying so hard and he tried hard in the offseason and we said before the season started that for us to be a good team, he’s going to have to play to an All-American type level. I think a lot of people thought, ‘How can a guy that only played 14 minutes a game play to an All-American type level?’ He has. … I hope he can keep it going.”

Listen to Bill Self on KCSP in Kansas City here

Instead, the former Oklahoma State receiver said he’s just looking ahead and seeing what he needs to do to improve on the field — and consequently improve his draft stock. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t become a standout receiver at the next level. What do you think?

Justin Blackmon joined 790 The Zone in Atlanta with Arch and Bell to discuss his decision to leave school early, the Fiesta Bowl, playing for Mike Gundy, what the combine will be like, what quarterbacks he’d like to play for, the training leading up to the draft, why he’s not looking back on his career, if the deaths within the Oklahoma State family affected the team in the loss to Iowa State and how his team would’ve matched up with LSU or Alabama.

How tough was the decision to leave Oklahoma State?:

“It’s very tough. I’ve enjoyed my time here; Oklahoma State’s been real good to me. But I just feel like it’s time for me to see what’s in store for me at the next level.”

Did you feel like you were in a zone during the Fiesta Bowl where you could do anything you wanted?:

“I wouldn’t say that. I was in a zone and I was really locked in, just happened to be really locked in that game and everything seemed to be working my way.”

How intense is Mike Gundy as a coach?:

“He’s a great head coach. He’s a player’s coach. He’s going to sit there and back you like you’re one of his own kids. He’ll take care of you, he’s a player’s coach and I’ve enjoyed playing for him.”

What will you do now leading up to the draft in terms of workouts and combines?:

“I think I will be [doing all of the stuff at the combine]. As it gets closer, I’ll know for sure. I’ve just been enjoying the time working out. I’ve started working out and am trying to stay focused and get in the best shape I can before the combine.”

If you could pick an ideal team to be drafted by, who would it be?:

“Any team that would [draft] me. Obviously a team that had a quarterback and somebody that could kind of balance out the offense.”

Is there a quarterback out there that you see and really want to play with?:

“There’s a lot of guys. Like you said, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. If Peyton comes back, you’ve got him there. There’s a lot of great quarterbacks that I wouldn’t mind being out there and playing with.”

What other kind of training will you be doing?:

“Just a lot of things, working on explosiveness, route-running, coming in and out of breaks, quickness, changing directions. There’s a lot of things I feel like I can work on and try to get better at in this short time.”

Do you go back through your college career and critique yourself?:

“No, I mean, I kind of put all that in the past. To me, it’s ground zero and how can I get better? It’s not looking at my numbers. I’m not going to be satisfied. I try to forget about it, the good and the bad, and just try to improve every day.”

Did the outside factor of the deaths of the women’s basketball coaches play a role in the loss to Iowa State?:

“It affected us. That’s something hard to try and forget about and try to go out there. You can’t go out there and play that game without having it in the back of your head. It was a weird day for us, a very quiet day, nobody was really that vocal. But we don’t use that as an excuse. They came out and played and ended up finishing the game.”

How do you think you guys would have done against LSU or Alabama?:

“I think we would’ve matched up well playing against either. It would have been nice to see our receiving corps against the DBs of LSU or even the Alabama DBs. It would’ve been nice to just see how we would’ve matched up against them.”

Listen to Justin Blackmon on 790 The Zone in Atlanta here

For Jim Boeheim it was win No.876. That ties him on the list with Adolph Rupp. Mike Krzyzewski sits at No. 1. (915 wins and counting)

It’s been a magical year so far for the ‘Cuse as the number one team in the country. Boeheim’s team went through some growing pains last year with some young players. Now Fab Melo and Dion Waiters are delivering on all the hype surrounding their names.

Jim Boeheim joined 1260 The Score in Syracuse with Bud and The Manchild to discuss being amongst the top three coaches all-time in college basketball wins alongside Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Calhoun, the progressions of Fab Melo and Dion Waiters, Syracuse being underdogs throughout this season despite being undefeated, Brandon Triche reaching his full potential at Syracuse and the current progress of Syracuse moving out of the Big East.

If you and Coach Calhoun and Coach Krzyzewski remain healthy and assuming continue to coach for a few years are going to be the top three guys all-time in college basketball wins and still all be coaching theoretically. Have you given any thought to it?

“Well I mean it is different. In this age it is hard to coach in one place for a long time. I think it will get harder to do that as we move forward. I think it’s possible. I think Bob Huggins’s health is fine. He’ll get to 900 [wins] in West Virginia. He’s got 10 years left at least and he’s on that kind of track, but it’s a lot more wins than we thought we could ever get. I don’t think anyone thinks they are going to coach for 30 plus years, so that’s all quite incredible really. It’s not something you ever think could possibly happen.”

One of the remarkable changes has been Fab Melo and Dion Waiters. Did you guys personally sit down and talk to these guys? What happened in the off-season that got them on track?

“Well you’d have to be naive to think we don’t talk to them every day. We talked to them every day and always pushing to see what we can help them to get better. They work out individually each day. They worked out with the team and they have a strength coach who they work out with, Ryan Cabiles, who is very good. Part of it is usually what they are eating. They are not eating the right things and the other thing part is the natural progression from freshmen to sophomore year. If these guys were playing the same as they did last year we would be the same team we had last year okay. We are a better team because these two guys have improved tremendously. You look at our team every body is playing about what you would expect in terms of improvement. I think everybody has gotten a little better including Scoop Jardine, C.J. Fair. I think Baye [Moussa Keita] and C.J. Fair have improved. Brandon Triche a little bit. The major improvements have come from Fab Melo and Dion Waiters. They are completely different. Well, Fab is a completely different player. Dion is a much improved player. That’s why we are a better team. We’re not just a transition team. I think people – Jay Bilas is a good friend of mine, but he says I tell him all the time seldom always right. They say we are not really a half court team. Maybe you could explain what is a good half court team? How do you determine that? Do you know how you would determine that?”

In response to Jim Boeheim believing Syracuse will be underdogs in four games this season despite being undefeated: Which four places?

“Connecticut and Louisville. I’d say Cincinnati will be very close. There are very good this year. They are 4-1 in the league. I would say it would be a toss up kind of game. Notre Dame has lost one game at home over the past two years. It will be a fairly close game there. Rutgers beat Florida, Connecticut and who did they just beat the other night at home? Notre Dame. They have beaten two ranked teams at home. Connecticut and Florida. It’ll be a fairly close game. We’ll see what people or who the experts think will win. In 3 or 4 games we’ll be close to underdogs.”

Do you see Brandon Triche as someone who will harness his full potential at Syracuse?

“I’ve said that a couple of times, but I think he does. I think he defers a little bit to other players sometimes. I think this year he’ll be ready to step in and be a starting point guard and have the ball more. He’ll play at the end of the year, but I have reservations about that at this point in time, but if he’s playing with someone like Michael Carter-Williams, who’s a great passer, Brandon will look to score more. I think he’ll put up pretty big to substantial numbers on the board next year.”

Today was the 27 month deadline for the Big East departure. For the football team the schedule is coming out and it looks like at this point the football team won’t be playing outside the Big East next year. Your thoughts about where that process is?

“As far as I know the plans are to be in the Big East next year. I don’t see that changing. I don’t know that. It could change. I think that will be the case. I would doubt we would be in the Big East more than one more year. Their football schools are going to come in – in two more years. I would think that would be the time to leave, but I don’t know that. That’s all speculation. That could change tomorrow.”

Listen to Jim Boeheim on 1260 The Score in Syracuse here

Ohio State coach Thad Matta says he tried not to make it about revenge. He says he’s got a young team that needs to simply play like it practices and realizes why it is they play so well when they do. Ohio State returns to action Saturday at Nebraska.

Thad Matta joined ESPN 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis with Dan Dakich to talk about getting some revenge on the Hoosiers after Indiana had beaten Ohio State earlier in conference play, the play of Lenzelle Smith Jr. in the victory, not letting the team get ahead of itself as it continues to grow as a young team, a pregame speech by football coach Urban Meyer and the importance of a connection between football and basketball staffs.

On exacting some revenge for an earlier loss to Indiana and a loss to Illinois by beating the Hoosiers by 17 points Sunday:

“It’s funny. I’m trying to get where we’re not in a revenge mode. We had three great practices leading into the game. I’m just trying to get these guys to play like they practice. We did a great job; we wanted to get off to a good start and I thought [defense] was going to be the key. When you play a great team like Indiana, you’ve got to slow them down.”

How about the performance by Lenzelle Smith Jr. despite being sick?:

“I didn’t know until Saturday evening that he was going to play. We hadn’t even seen him. We had him away from the other guys. He had a case of strep throat and came in on his own and watched some film, but we didn’t want anyone else to get it. It was amazing what he was able to do [Sunday] in knocking down the shots.”

Is this a game that you have to make sure that your team doesn’t get ahead of itself, because it’s blown out other teams at home this year?:

“No doubt about that. I think anytime you have a team as youthful as we are, you’re trying to find the buttons to push in getting guys to understand that in today’s day and age of college basketball, it’s an everyday grind, that you’ve got to do all the little things and continue to build a camaraderie and friendship with your teammates and understand that we’re playing for more than ourselves. Hopefully guys can continue to learn why we play well and why we don’t.”

On Urban Meyer addressing the team:

“He came in before the game and I was sitting in the locker room and we were talking and I said, ‘Hey Coach, do you mind saying a few words?’ He was unbelievable. A lot of people don’t know this, he’s a Buckeye. Like he was telling me, ‘I grew up the biggest Ohio State fan and as a young kid my dream was to play basketball at Ohio State.’ So he was very honored and did a tremendous job.”

Will it be the same as when Jim Tressel was there for you, that football and basketball can coexist?:

“That’s the one thing that when I got here eight years ago, I reached out to Jim and now with Urban, the things that we can do together. Football is such a big part of this university and obviously Urban and Jim are or were kind of the faces of the university. A football Saturday here in Columbus is one of the greatest sporting events I’ve ever seen. It’s definitely beneficial for us to be connected with the football staff.”

Listen to Thad Matta on ESPN 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis here