Barry Larkin is thrilled his son emerged as one of college basketball's top point guards this past season, but the former Cincinnati Reds shortstop can't help but wonder what would have happened if Shane had pursued baseball instead.

"He still tells me I could go out there and hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases," Shane Larkin said with a chuckle in late-January.

That may be true, but Shane's a little out of practice these days judging by his attempt at throwing the first pitch before Saturday's baseball game in Coral Gables between Miami and Clemson. Video shot by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel shows Shane's pitch sail wildly over the head of the catcher and to the backstop, a result that will no doubt earn him some ribbing on campus and at the family dinner table.

Russ Smith (AP)

Six days before the NBA's deadline for players to announce if they're entering this year's draft or not, a handful of top college prospects remain undecided. Here's a look at some of the decisions that will have the most bearing on next year's college basketball season:

1. Russ Smith (Louisville): Immediately after Louisville captured the national title by beating Michigan, Smith's father told reporters his son was entering the NBA draft. Since then, however, we've learned Smith himself isn't so sure. Both Smith and Louisville coach Rick Pitino have said the 6-foot-1 junior guard is 50/50 whether to stay or go, with a decision expected sometime this week. The Cardinals will be one of the nation's better teams with or without Smith, but his return would make the Bluegrass State the epicenter of college basketball again next season and give Louisville a far better chance of defending its title.
Why he should stay: The risk for Smith if he leaves is he is not a surefire first-round pick despite leading the Cardinals to a championship because he lacks the size to defend shooting guards in the NBA and the vision and passing ability to play point guard. His ability to provide instant offense off the dribble is unique enough to get him drafted, but Smith knows that going in the second round would mean an NBA contract and roster spot next season is certainly no guarantee.
Why he should go: It's probably going to be difficult for Smith to elevate his draft stock much if he returned as a senior because he wouldn't be playing point guard. Freshman Terry Rozier and junior college transfer Chris Jones are likely to inherit Peyton Siva's role, meaning Smith would not have much chance to showcase newfound passing and playmaking skills even if he were to improve in those areas over the offseason.

James Michael McAdoo (Getty Images)

At the end of a disappointing sophomore season in which he did not emerge as one of the nation's top players the way many expected, North Carolina's James Michael McAdoo had a difficult decision to make.

Leave school now and hope his upside is enough to entice an NBA team to select him in the first round? Or stay another year and hope to play his way back into the lottery in the 2013-14 season?

That McAdoo chose the latter option is great news for a North Carolina program hoping to return to the nation's elite next season. At worst, he solidifies his team's frontcourt and makes the Tar Heels a threat to Duke in the ACC. At best, he develops into one of the nation's premier players and elevates North Carolina into the national title picture.

"I am ecstatic about having the opportunity to coach James Michael for another season," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said in a statement. "He's an incredible young man who did some really nice things this year. He's going to be an even better player in the future. Coaching young people like James Michael is what makes me enjoy coaching so much."

[Also: Projected top-five NBA pick Marcus Smart stays in school]

Though McAdoo averaged a respectable 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds as a sophomore, there were glaring holes in his games where he can improve. He has an impressive physique and athleticism but he is neither a true post-up threat nor a consistent mid-range shooter, which leaves NBA teams unsure if he's well-suited to play either forward position at that level.

In addition to celebrating the accomplishments of a senior class that won four straight Big 12 titles, Kansas coach Bill Self unleashed a playful one-liner at the expense of one his players during Monday night's team banquet.

Self was reliving senior Elijah Johnson's 39-point outburst in a late February victory at Iowa State when the subject turned to the point guard's game-ending fast-break dunk after the outcome had already been determined. Johnson apologized for the needless showboating after the game, but the dunk enraged Iowa State fans so much that one of them went so far as to confront Self on his way off the floor.

Quipped Self on Monday night, "Talk about Elijah's 39 points, which I think is great, Elijah, but your last two almost got my ass whipped after the game was over."

Funny stuff. And a wise choice by Self not to make a joke of Johnson's struggles in the Jayhawks' season-ending loss to Michigan in the Sweet 16. It's probably still too soon for that.

Vander Blue (Getty Images)

Just when Marquette seemed to be on the verge of a preseason top 10 ranking next season, the Golden Eagles suffered a crippling loss that will probably diminish expectations a bit.

Vander Blue, Marquette's leading scorer as a junior, announced Tuesday morning that he will forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the NBA draft. The decision comes as a surprise since Blue is unlikely to be a first-round pick and would not be guaranteed a roster spot with the team that selects him if he goes in the second round.

[Also: James Michael McAdoo’s return boosts North Carolina’s hoops title hopes]

"I've had three great years here and appreciate everything Marquette has done for me during that time to help me develop," Blue said in a statement. "At this point I want to pursue my dream. I've prayed about it and discussed it with my family and think this is the right decision for me at this time."

A celebrated five-star recruit who developed incrementally during his three seasons at Marquette, Blue played his way onto the NBA's radar as a junior. He averaged 14.8 points per game as a slashing shooting guard, leading the Golden Eagles to a co-Big East title and a berth in the Elite Eight.

A 29-point performance against Butler in the NCAA tournament should boost Blue's stock, but the concern for NBA scouts will be his perimeter shooting. Can a 6-foot-4 shooting guard who hits only 30.3 percent from behind the arc realistically be a first-round pick? It seems unlikely because Blue is a good but not explosive athlete and because his outside shooting has never been a strength.

Norvel Pelle (screen shot via YouTube)

Before he began helping Norvel Pelle prepare for this year's NBA draft, athletic trainer Robbie Davis wanted to be sure his newest client understood what was at stake.

Davis pulled Pelle aside and urged the promising but unproven 6-foot-11 former St. John's signee to work harder than he ever has preparing for workouts with NBA teams because they could determine the trajectory of his pro career.

Unlike most draft prospects whose strengths and weaknesses are well established after a year or more competing in college or against pro players internationally, Pelle remains a mystery to NBA teams.

Once the No. 1 center in Rivals.com's Class of 2011 rankings and the centerpiece of a decorated St. John's recruiting class, Pelle never played a minute of college basketball because he was unable to meet NCAA minimum academic requirements. Instead the Los Angeles native has spent the past two years in anonymity at three different prep schools, meaning pre-draft tryouts will be most NBA teams' lone chance to scout him against top competition.

"Workouts for NBA teams are sometimes a little overrated, but for Norvel, it's make-or-break," Davis said. "Some guys they've scouted four years and the workout is more about getting to know the guy, shaking his hand and seeing how hard he works in person. For Norvel, it's way more than that because there's no tape on him. This is their one chance to judge him as a player too."

That Pelle's lifelong dream to play in the NBA may rest on a handful of 45-minute workouts makes him one of the biggest wildcards in this year's draft. NBA scouts who tracked him in high school recall being intrigued with his shot-blocking prowess, baseline-to-baseline speed and ability to defend multiple positions, but they also remember a player who gave spotty effort and often seemed content to get by on talent alone.

Davidson reportedly may be on the way to the Atlantic 10 (Getty Images)

When Butler and VCU left smaller conferences in favor of the Atlantic 10 this past season, they both validated that decision by cracking the top four in the league standings and making the NCAA tournament.

Such success is also possible for the Atlantic 10's newest potential addition, but chances are it will take longer to attain.

CBSSports.com reported Sunday night that the Atlantic 10 is close to adding Southern Conference power Davidson in time for the 2014-15 school year, a move designed to help the league absorb the impending loss of Temple, Xavier and Butler. The Atlantic 10 could also lose Dayton and Saint Louis to the new Big East if those schools receive offers.

Ditching the backwaters of the Southern Conference for a wealthier, stronger league is a major gamble for a Davidson program that has thrived at its current level but will have to prove it can handle a step up in class.

In the past 12 seasons, Davidson has won its half of the SoCon nine times, made six NCAA tournament appearances and landed two NIT bids. The Wildcats won 26 games this past season and went 17-1 in league play, advancing to the NCAA tournament where they lost to third-seeded Marquette by a single point.

The advantage of moving up to the Atlantic 10 would be joining a league that can offer far more exposure and TV revenue and the chance to compete for at-large NCAA tournament bids, something nearly impossible in the Southern Conference. Among the disadvantages are traveling longer distances to conference road games in the Northeast and entering a league where some schools pour more money into basketball than Davidson currently does.

Ryan Kelly (Getty Images)

The Dagger continues its season-in-review series this week with a look back at the top individual performances of the 2012-13 college basketball season. Let us know which ones we missed via Twitter or in the comments below.

1. Jack Taylor's record scoring barrage: College basketball's single-game scoring record now belongs to a 5-foot-10 sophomore who had no Division I scholarship offers. Jack Taylor, a 5-foot-10 sophomore at Grinnell College, set a single-game scoring record on Nov. 20 when he erupted for an unimaginable 138 points in his team's 179-104 rout of Faith Baptist Bible. That easily eclipsed the former all-division record of 113 points set by Rio Grande's Clarence "Bevo" Francis against Hillsdale College in 1951. Taylor attempted 108 of Grinnell's 138 shots on his record night, sinking 25 of 37 shots from inside the arc, 27 of 71 3-pointers and 7 of 10 free throws.

2. Ryan Kelly's heroic return: If Mike Krzyzewski's plan was to ease Ryan Kelly back into the rotation in early March, the senior forward quickly forced his coach to scrap that idea. Kelly, who missed the previous 13 games with a right foot injury, erupted for a career-high 36 points in his return against first-place Miami on March 3, carrying Duke to a 79-76 victory that avenged a previous 27-point loss to the Hurricanes. Kelly was sensational from the start, scoring 20 first-half points, sinking a 3-pointer with nine minutes to go to give Duke the lead for good and sealing the win with free throws in the final minutes.

3. Otto Porter sinks Syracuse: In the last meeting between Syracuse and Georgetown in the Carrier Dome as members of the Big East, Otto Porter sent 35,000 orange-clad fans home disappointed. The Georgetown forward scored a career-high 33 points on 12 of 19 shooting, a sterling late-February performance made all the more impressive by how poorly everyone else shot in the Hoyas' 56-45 win. Porter accounted for 63 percent of Georgetown's field goals since the rest of his teammates were a miserable 7 of 42 from the field against Syracuse's vaunted zone.