1. Stanford is scrambling to find a marquee home game to replace Saint Louis after the Billikens canceled a home-and-home series that was to start at Stanford on Dec. 2. The Cardinal were supposed to be the back end of a two-game swing through the Pac-12 for the A-10 favorites. SLU is still going to Washington on Nov. 28. SLU also is set up for a potential showdown with Kansas in the CBE Classic if both can get past Texas A&M and Washington State, respectively. The Billikens also have a return home game against New Mexico, one of the top four teams in an NCAA-bid rich Mountain West. SLU will get plenty of power-rating pop in the A-10 this season, too, with the additions of VCU and Butler. But Stanford now doesn't have the name home game. The Cardinal play in the Battle 4 Atlantis against Missouri with Louisville-Northern Iowa in the same portion of the bracket. Duke-Minnesota and Memphis-VCU is on the the other side. Stanford also plays host to Belmont, a perennial NCAA team. The Cardinal also has a rugged two-game trip to NC State and Northwestern in December. Stanford, a predicted top-three Pac-12 squad after winning the NIT, can still get a quality RPI but the home slate is now light.

2. The biggest potential free-agent prize is Central Florida's Keith Clanton. The one-year postseason ban means the senior forward can leave without sitting out a year. The assumption was that Kentucky, Florida State and South Florida would be the schools of choice for the Orlando product. But throughout this past week none of the schools have heard from him and the thinking is that he still might stay put. He has time to move on to another school. But it would be perfectly normal if he decided to finish his college career where he started and compete for the Knights for one last season even though they can't play in the Conference USA tournament or any postseason event. He can play in front of his family, stay with teammates and one would assume friends and get to the NBA draft from his original destination. And it wouldn't be the strangest thing to actually finish his college career academically in one place instead of fleeing simply because of a postseason ban that may not have mattered if UCF isn't good enough to make a tournament.

3. UConn assistant coach Kevin Ollie said Jim Calhoun is resting and recuperating after hip surgery last Saturday. He said Calhoun is a fighter and he fully intends on seeing him back on the bench to start the season. But one thing continues to be certain: Ollie is emerging as the next head coach barring some sort of obstruction. I've said this since Ollie was hired that he was the ideal choice to replace Calhoun whenever he retires. (He has two years left on his contract.) He has the connections within the NBA, the infectious personality and is beloved on campus and in the state. Ollie has continued to represent himself, Calhoun and the program in his absence exceptionally well. He did so again throughout Calhoun's charity weekend events last week. He also isn't afraid to ask former coaches for advice. Oh, and the Huskies continue to get recruits committed, despite Calhoun's injuries and his uncertain status. This week the Huskies nabbed Long Island power forward Kentan Facey over other New York-area Big East schools as well as 2013 Big East member Memphis.