The story out of Tucson is not good. Apparently, there is a major fraction in the basketball program over the return of Lute Olson, according to a source close to the situation. Interim coach Kevin O'Neill, who was announced as Olson's successor whenever Olson retires, wants the gig next season. Athletic director Jim Livengood will have a tough decision to make between Olson, who said when he took the leave of absence that he'd return next season, and O'Neill, according to the source.

The Cats have lost six of eight and still have to go to the Oregon schools this week, which could put them in the precarious position of being on the NCAA Tournament bubble despite the No. 1 strength of schedule. This should make for an interesting couple of weeks in Tucson.

My advice to O'Neill is simple. Stop trying to land Lute Olson's job for next season and worry about this season. The Cats have not improved markedly on defense, which was supposed to be O'Neill's forte, and they have lost six home games.

For Boeheim, it would be a second consecutive absence. For Williams, it would his third absence in four years.

Syracuse is 17-2 overall and 7-9 in the Big East. With an RPI of 57, the Orange are 1-5 in the last month, 1-7 against the RPI Top 50, and 4-7 away from home. Their only great win, over Georgetown on Feb. 16, is cancelled out by their only terrible loss, to South Florida three days prior.

A loss at Seton Hall on Wednesday would all but pop Syracuse's bubble. A win at Marquette on Saturday would keep the Orange on life support heading into the Big East Tournament.

Maryland is 18-12 overall and 9-7 in the ACC. With an RPI of 58, the Terrapins are 2-4 in the last three weeks, 1-6 against the RPI Top 50, and 5-6 away from home. Their only great win, over North Carolina in mid-February, is cancelled out by two bad losses, to American and Boston College a month prior.

And can't help but today highlight the following question, from a recent Stewart Mandel column for Sports Illustrated.

The rate of pro success for Duke's McDonald's alums is significantly lower than that of all others during the same time period, which begs the question: Did Duke recruit these players because they were good enough to be McDonald's All-Americans, or did many of them become McDonald's All-Americans simply because Duke was recruiting them?

For the time being, this blog will therefore be the yin to Dick Vitale’s yang.

Color me unimpressed. And disappointed, shocked, and flabbergasted. O'Neill is to Arizona as Mike Jarvis is to ESPN: a bad hire.

O'Neill has never taken a team past the Sweet 16 -- but at Arizona, a Sweet 16 is the minimum, not the max. He's also never stayed at a school for more than five seasons -- but will now succeed Olson, a living legend in Tucson thanks to 20-plus years in the desert. Nor has he ever signed the type of elite prospects necessary to keep Arizona as among the nation's premier teams.

At his last collegiate stop, O'Neill tallied a 30-56 (.349) record with Northwestern. In his only year as an NBA head coach, he went 33-49 (.402) with the Raptors.

Texas' upset of UCLA should not have been too big of a surprise. The Longhorns connected on 25 of 35 attempts (71.4 percent) from inside the arc in their 97-78 demolition of Tennessee. (Rivals' McClellan) LINK.

North Carolina is in the middle of a stretch it which it will go almost a month without a home game. During this period, the Tar Heels will play two games on neutral courts and four on the road. During the "preseason," frequent travel is to be expected from smaller programs, but from UNC? (SN's DeCourcy) LINK.

Duke is averaging eight more possessions per 40 minutes than it did last season. Necessity has been the mother of invention for the smallish Blue Devils. (SI's Winn) LINK.

On the other hand, Seth Davis, the SI scribe, CBS contributor and former stand-up comedian, thinks the Razorbacks are a "talented" squad.

Whose Side Am I On? Davis', despite Arkansas' early season struggles. If the Razorbacks were a stock, I'd rate them a strong buy.

Yes, Arkansas is averaging 22 turnovers a contest. In a 67-51 loss to Providence, John Pelphrey's players coughed the ball up 32 times. Per possession and according to kenpom.com, those numbers look even worse. The Razorbacks turn the ball over on 31.3 percent of their possessions -- good for fourth-worst among all Division I clubs.

Darian Townes, Sonny Weems & Co. are also connecting on only 26.7 percent of their three-point attempts. Among major conference squads, only Maryland, Kansas State, and Iowa State are less accurate from long range. As a result of poor outside shooting, Arkansas has struggled against not only Providence's zone, but also the College of Charleston's.

What's to like, then, about Arkansas in the post-Stan Heath era?

Experience. The Razorbacks returned every starter and their top nine players from last year's NCAA Tournament club. Townes, Weems and Gary Ervin -- who averaged nearly five assists per game in his last two seasons -- are all seniors.

Patrick Beverley. Last year's SEC Rookie of the Year is a do-it-all guard. He can score, drive, dish and connect from long range. Conventional wisdom dictates players improve the most from their freshman and sophomore seasons. If so, look for Beverley to start keeping his turnovers in check and become a more consistent offensive presence. Though he averaged 13.9 points per game last season, he scored fewer than 10 points on 10 separate occasions.

John Pelphrey. Though he was only Arkansas' seventh choice to replace Heath, Pelphrey can "flat-out" coach (and play and recruit). After the loss to Providence, he minced no words and suggested he'll run players in and out of games until his team starts taking better care of the basketball.

Steven Hill. Last season's SEC Defensive Player of the Year averaged nearly three blocks last season -- in less than 24 minutes of a play a game. On defense, he stands 7-foot tall and 250 pounts, clogging up the middle. On offense, he is disciplined and rarely takes bad shots.

Color me unimpressed. Any team that beats Siena and St. Josephs at home and by single digits on consecutive nights does not deserve to be ranked in the Top 25.