They will have to wait more than a year to take the court on opposite sides of college basketball's greatest rivalry, but that didn't stop North Carolina-bound James McAdoo and Duke-bound Michael Gbinije from engaging in some friendly banter.

In an interview with DraftExpress.com during the walk-up to Saturday's Boost Mobile Elite 24 event in Venice, Calif., McAdoo and Gbinije needled each-other as though they were a couple of diehard fans in a sports bar. They joked about each-other's appearances, college choices and chances of making it to the NBA one day.

"Recap what their problem was last year because we won the whole thing and they went to the NIT?" Gbinije said.

Responded McAdoo: "What happened to y'all two years ago when we beat you twice, home and away."

The interview was reminiscent of a pair of similar smack-talk sessions DraftExpress conducted with class of 2010 recruits Kyrie Irving, Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall the week of the McDonald's

A reminder to all the underage sons of multi-millionaires out there: If you're going to blow a chunk of your trust fund during a crazy weekend in Las Vegas, don't publicize the details afterward.

Central Florida guard Marcus Jordan has found that out the hard way since he Tweeted last week that he and his older brother spent $56,000 in a single day at Liquid and Haze, the poolside lounge and swanky nightclub at Aria Resort & Casino. Not only were Michael and Juanita Jordan apparently not thrilled that their youngest son would divulge his spending habits, the Nevada Gaming Control Board is also reportedly investigating whether Marcus broke any laws, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The primary issue, of course, would be whether Marcus either drank alcohol or gambled at the casino.

It's hard to imagine any major consequences coming from this for Marcus, but it's also difficult to imagine him spending $56,000 at a casino anywhere besides the bar or the tables. Bottle service at

When Xavier coach Chris Mack played for the Musketeers in the early 1990s, he quickly learned to dread morning shootarounds at the Cincinnati Gardens.

There was a sheet of ice beneath the gym floor since the aging multipurpose municipal facility also housed Cincinnati's minor league hockey team, yet the owners rarely turned on the heat in advance for the Musketeers.

"Guys would sometimes practice wearing hats or gloves or heavy sweatshirts," Mack said. "You could see your breath in the morning. That always woke you up."

Trading the hard-back seats and video-less scoreboard of the Cincinnati Gardens for the luxury suites and spacious locker rooms of the state-of-the-art Cintas Center is just one of many signs Xavier is no longer the Cinderella team Mack once knew.

Marquee schools who once wouldn't dream of deigning to play at Xavier are now clamoring to try to schedule a game. Analysts who once routinely mispronounced the school's name as "Eggs-Avier" are now touting the Musketeers as

Our conference preview series continues with the Atlantic Sun. Here's a look at the projected standings, three must-see games and the conference's three most intriguing storylines entering the new season.

Can Adnan Hodzic propel Lipscomb to the NCAA tournament?

If standout center Adnan Hodzic doesn't want his college career to end without leading Lipscomb to the NCAA tournament, next season is his last and perhaps best chance to end the drought.

Hodzic, the nation's leading scorer as a junior, led the Bisons to a share of the conference crown last season, but they flamed out in the first round of the Atlantic Sun tournament. The 6-foot-9 big man flirted with entering the NBA draft but opted to return to Lipscomb in hopes of finally winning the championship that has eluded him.

Lipscomb figures to have an opportunity to send Hodzic out in style because all five of its starters return. Complementing Hodzic's interior punch are high-scoring guards Josh Slater and Jordan Burgason, both

Our conference preview series continues with the America East. Here's a look at the projected standings, three must-see games and the conference's three most intriguing storylines entering the new season.

1. Can Stony Brook earn its first-ever NCAA tournament berth?

Stony Brook had been a conference doormat most of its 11 Division I seasons until sixth-year coach Steve Pikiell's rebuilding process produced a winning 2008-09 season and regular season conference title in 2009-10. A loss to Boston University in the conference tournament semifinals prevented the Seawolves from making their NCAA tournament debut, but Stony Brook figures to contend again this March.

Although America East player of the year guard Muhammad El Amin has graduated, all but one other member of the rotation return including second-team all-conference contributors Bryan Dougher and Tommy Brenton. Dougher, a Cousy Award nominee, averaged 13.8 points per game and shot 42.4 percent from three-point range, while the

About the only competition George Mason encountered during its visit to Livorno on its Italian exhibition tour came during an impromptu dance off after the game.

Hours after the Patriots thumped GMV Ghezzano, 108-38, on Monday night, the Italian club invited its opponents to a post-game dinner party at a local tennis club. George Mason coach Jim Larranaga explains on his blog what happened next:

"Before too long, music was playing and the two dozen girls who were also invited were dancing," Larranaga wrote. "A 35-year old guy from Livorno started dancing as well and soon enough the roof top was like a scene from 'Dancing with the Stars.' Vertrail Vaughans was urged, cajoled, and finally volunteered to represent. The whole team was up dancing and cheering on 'V' who put on a dance performance that had everyone standing, laughing, cheering and applauding."

Although I'm about as qualified to judge a dance-off as Elaine Benes from "Seinfeld," I'd have to give Vaughans a landslide victory

As if the offseason already hadn't been challenging enough for Rick Pitino, the Louisville coach learned this week that neither his projected starting small forward nor a key reserve wing will be on his roster next season.

Memphis transfer Roburt Sallie was hoping to take advantage of an NCAA rule granting transfers immediate eligibility if their new school has a graduate program not offered by their former school, but Louisville announced he did not meet admission requirements. Both the Louisville Courier-Journal and Memphis Commercial-Appeal reported that Sallie did not graduate from Memphis in time to meet the deadline to apply for graduate school.

Louisville would have been better equipped to absorb the loss of Sallie had 6-foot-5 incoming freshman wing Justin Coleman not failed to qualify academically. Coleman, Louisville's highest-profile recruit and Rivals.com's No. 50 player in the Class of 2010, signed with the Cardinals in May and would have competed for immediate playing

In an era in which a coaching change almost inevitably leads to a handful of transfers, five promising Wake Forest signees proved this spring that loyalty is not truly dead in college basketball just yet.

Each of them could have asked for their release when Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman unexpectedly fired coach Dino Gaudio in April. Each of them instead reaffirmed their committment to the Demon Deacons after separate face-to-face visits with new coach Jeff Bzdelik.

Incoming center Carson Desrosiers, one of the jewels of a recruiting class Rivals.com ranked eighth in the nation, joined me recently to discuss his decision to remain with Wake Forest. He also explained why he thinks the Demon Deacons will surprise folks this season despite losing stars Ish Smith, L.D. Williams and Al Farouq Aminu off a team that faded late last season and lost by 30 to Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

JE: When you got the news that Dino Gaudio got fired, how big of a