Each time Baylor players take part in pick-up games this summer, they can't help but be reminded of both their past accomplishments and future goals.

As a result of a rainstorm that severely damaged the court at school's practice facility in late June, Baylor officials have rented the floor the Bears played on last March during the South Regional at Houston's Reliant Stadium. And, of course, they hope to return to that very same venue again next spring when Houston hosts the Final Four.

Whereas other schools might have shied away from early chatter about a hometown Final Four, Baylor is embracing the idea of playing for a national championship a few hours from its campus. Bears coach Scott Drew told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that his team hopes to emulate the runs that Michigan State and Butler made the past two years and play in front of a pro-Baylor crowd like the one that filled Reliant Stadium for last March's Elite Eight shodown with Duke.

"The upperclassmen are talking about it with

Anthony Davis may have overtaken Michael Gilchrist in the eyes of many recruiting analysts as the No. 1 player in the class of 2011, but the Chicago power forward doesn't appear to have the support of his peers.

In a survey of 30 of the nation's top high school players conducted by FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman and Matt Norlander, Davis was not among the three leading vote-getters for best player in the class of 2011. Gilchrist and guard Austin Rivers each received seven votes and Florida-bound guard Bradley Beal earned six.

Naming the best player in their class was just one of 10 survey questions players answered in FoxSports.com's poll. They voted Beal the best shooter, Gilchrist the hardest worker and best defender, Kentucky-bound guard Marquis Teague the best play-maker and forward Quincy Miller the biggest trash talker.

Maybe the most impressive result was the landslide victory from Deuce Bello in the category of most athletic. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard from High Point, N.C.

For Kansas sharpshooter Brady Morningstar, taking on a pair of local news anchors in a game of H-O-R-S-E last week must have been a lot like facing a directional school in a non-conference matchup.

Either Morningstar receives minimal credit for dominating as expected, or the senior shooting guard endures weeks of ribbing from his teammates for losing to a couple of guys more comfortable in wingtips than high tops.

Morningstar emerged from the game with his pride intact, though 6News anchors Kevin Romary and Andrew Baker managed to take a few letters off him in the process. The Kansas guard missed a corner three-pointer, an eyes-closed free throw and a 15-footer while sitting in a folding chair, but eventually closed out his victory with a layup from a seated position underneath the rim.

By far the best part of the video is Morningstar's self-deprecating humor in reference to the missed free throw he took against Texas on national TV last season

If Matt Painter has any aspirations of leaving Purdue for an even more high-profile gig, his best chance to bolt may be after next season.

His team will begin the season in the top five in the nation. His three best players are all seniors. And according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier, the eight-year contract he signed a year ago contains an intriguing clause that would allow him to leave after July 1, 2011 without financial penalty.

Painter told the Journal & Courier he's "happy at Purdue," but he also acknowledged that he likes the "freedom" the clause provides. He said he negotiated to have the clause inserted into his contract to help make up for the fact that Purdue couldn't afford to pay him as much as some of his Big Ten peers receive.

"Once you get into negotiations, there's going to be a hard line drawn in the sand somewhere by both parties," Painter said. "When those things happen, sometimes their side can't move any more financially and then you're going to look at

If Wake Forest fans are searching for signs of hope heading into a rebuilding season in which the Deacons are expected to finish in the bottom half of the ACC, here's a video that should provide some renewed optimism.

Guard J.T. Terrell, the centerpiece of a promising five-man recruiting class, showed that he deserves to be mentioned along with Kyrie Irving, Harrison Barnes and C.J. Leslie in the argument over who the ACC's best freshman will be. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard went off for 47 points on 10 for 15 shooting from behind the arc on Monday night in a summer-league game.

Granted summer-league basketball isn't exactly known for structured half-court sets or fierce body-to-body defense, but Terrell's performance is nonetheless a positive omen for Wake Forest next season. He routinely put up 30-plus a game as a senior at West Charlotte High School, so this sensational effort suggests the step up in competition won't prevent such scoring binges.

Terrell figures to have the green

Marist University lost 29 of 30 basketball games last season, but the Red Foxes managed to earn a landmark victory away from the court.

In a decision released Monday, New York Supreme Court Justice Charles D. Wood ruled that former coach Matt Brady breached his contract by contacting players he'd recruited at Marist after he left for James Madison in March 2008. A clause in the four-year contract Brady signed at Marist in 2007 forbade him from contacting any prospects he'd previously recruited if he left for another university without written permission.

Lawyers from both schools will return to court next Monday to determine the monetary damages Marist will receive, but what makes this case nationally relevant is the legal precedent it sets for college athletics. If other schools insert similar clauses into the contracts of their coaches, it may become difficult for current or prospective players to follow a coach who leaves their program for another.

Marist initially pushed for the

The mutual respect between Roy Williams and Kyrie Irving is strong enough that the North Carolina coach feels comfortable joking that he has two reasons to hate the Duke-bound point guard.

Of course, the first is that Irving selected Duke over Williams' Tar Heels last year. And the second is that his transfer to Dexter Strickland's school two years ago prevented the current North Carolina sophomore from getting the experience he needed at point guard as a high school senior.

"I'm really mad at Kyrie," Williams told ZagsBlog.com last week. "I don't like Kyrie. I do laugh at that and say that with tongue in cheek."

Williams was under the impression that Strickland would play the point his senior year at St. Patrick, but when Irving transferred in from Montclair (N.J.) Kimberley, he played the point and Strickland stayed at the two. The duo led the Celtics to the 2009 New Jersey Tournament of Champions title, their third in four years.

"[St. Patrick coach] Kevin Boyle was going to play

If national TV appearances are the surest sign that a program has earned a spot among college basketball's elite, then ESPN formally rolled out the red carpet to welcome Kansas State on Monday.

The network announced that the Wildcats will appear on the Big Monday schedule four times next season, the same number as rival Kansas and twice as many as any other Big 12 program. Kansas State appeared on Big Monday just once last season when it advanced to the Elite Eight.

Also making multiple appearances on Big Monday this season are Baylor, Missouri and Texas. The Bears and Tigers are expected to contend for the Big 12 title along with Kansas and Kansas State, while Texas will be trying to rebound from a disappointing second-half collapse last season.

Oklahoma State and Texas A&M will each make one appearance next season, but it's a tad surprising that a Colorado team hoping to compete for its first NCAA bid since 2003 was left off the schedule altogether. Perhaps league officials felt like