Nate Miles’ departure from UConn was a significant hit for the Huskies.

This is a team that has virtually everything – quality and experienced big men with Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien. One of the top point guards in the country in A.J. Price.

Jerome Dyson hasn’t quite materialized into what the Huskies had been hoping since he arrived in Storrs, but Miles and Dyson together on the wing would have been a deadly combination.

Jim Calhoun even has plenty of depth with Craig Austrie and talented freshman point guard Kemba Walker coming off the bench, Charles Okwandu, Gavin Edwards and Jonathan Mandeldove as big bodies to replace Thabeet and Adrien up front and big-time shooter Scottie Haralson (trust me, this kid can really shoot the ball).

Calhoun is also hoping to add foreign big man Ater Majok to the fold after the first semester.

But Miles was the wild-card, the X-factor.

I’ve seen him play numerous times and he is exactly what UConn needed – he’s a potent scorer from the wing who is also capable of making his teammates better. However, his track record with five schools also suggested he was a risk for the Huskies.

Unfortunately for Miles and the Huskies, the long and versatile 6-foot-6 Toledo, Ohio, native won’t ever get an opportunity to play a game for UConn.

He was kicked out of school yesterday after an investigation whether he assaulted a female student.

With Miles and a healthy Price, I’m not sure there’s anyone better in the country – sans North Carolina. Now the Huskies move back into a large contingent of teams that has minimal separation from No. 2 to No. 25.

CREMINS RETURNS EVERYONE AT C OF C

Bobby Cremins jokes that he never would have gotten the opportunity if Gregg Marshall hadn’t pulled a, well, Bobby Cremins.

Cremins decided to leave Georgia Tech for South Carolina back in 1993, but had a change of heart and opted to return to Atlanta.

Cremins had been out of coaching for six years and had started to become extremely bored when he was walking on the beach at Hilton Head and received the call to coach at the College of Charleston.

``The irony is that I got the job by Gregg Marshall pulling a Bobby Cremins,” Cremins laughed.

Cremins is in Year 3 down at Charleston, but calls it the second year of the rebuilding process because he took over a veteran, senior-laden team in his first season with the program.

A year ago, with a team full of inexperience, C of C finished one game under .500 at 16-17 overall.

Cremins has virtually everyone back and will also have the advantage this season of playing in an exempt tournament on the Cougars’ new home court, John Kresse Court (which is named after the former coach).

``The building is supposed to be ready a few days before,” Cremins said. “They just started the floor. It’s not down yet.”

Charleston will likely start junior Tony White (13.2 ppg), the son of the former Tennessee guard, alongside shooting guard Drew Goudelock (13.2 ppg) in the backcourt. Long and athletic wing Antwaine Wiggins (6.9 ppg) has improved his shot after starting all but one game as a freshman. Dustin Scott (10.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) started 29 games at power forward and he’ll be joined up front by undersized, tough big man Jermaine Johnson (11.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg). Cremins will also add freshman point guard Quasim Pugh to an equation that already has depth with guards Donavan Monroe and Marcus Hammond and forward Jeremy Simmons.

``I was nervous last year,” Cremins admitted. “I thought we could finish with five wins, but we survived year one of the rebuilding and our kids played well.”

UConn freshman Nate Miles was expelled from school following a hearing that investigated whether he assaulted a female student.

Miles, 20, was arrested last week of violating a restraining order just 16 minutes after it was issued.

According to a court affidavit, the victim, a 19-year-old female student, said Miles attempted to pressure her into sex and became physical. The two began dating earlier this month and she said that “the first time we had sex it was consensual”, but she said that Miles “began to dig his nails into my thighs or side when he would become angry with me”.

The university’s decision can be appealed within five days. However, the Hartford Courant reported that Miles was on his way back home to Toledo, Ohio, with his mother.

Miles is extremely talented and could have been the difference-maker for a program that is arguably as loaded on paper as anyone except for North Carolina. The long 6-foot-6 wing has attended five schools.

It didn’t take long for UConn freshman Nate Miles to get his name in the news.

While the word is that the talented Toledo, Ohio, native has been tremendous in workouts, Miles was arrested for violating a restraining order. In fact, he was served with the restraining order and violated it about 16 minutes later, according to the Hartford Courant. He was released yesterday after posting a $2,500 bond and has a court date later this month.

Miles could be the difference-maker for the Huskies this season. Yes, he’s that talented. Jim Calhoun has guards with A.J. Price and freshman Kemba Walker, has big men with Jeff Adrien and Hasheem Thabeet. Jerome Dyson hasn’t quite materialized into the player that Calhoun was hoping, but Miles could be the answer from the wing spot.

The key will be whether Miles can stay out of trouble long enough.

This is a kid who has attended a handful of high schools and hasn’t had much parental supervision over the years.

If he can buy into what Calhoun is selling, there’s no telling how far the Huskies can go this year. In fact, Miles could be the difference in terms of potentially hanging another national title banner in Gampel Pavilion.

However, Miles isn’t exactly off to a stellar start.

LES MAY BE MORE

Shortly after losing big man Patrick O’Bryant early to the NBA, Bradley coach Jim Les was on the phone with his friend, Marc Iavaroni, then an assistant coach with the Suns.

Les was talking about losing his big men and the challenges he faced with a team full of guards.

``Marc told me to come over there and that what they were doing can work for what we had,” Les said. ``He knew we were going to have to tweak it some – and we have.”
 
``Every spring I spend a few days,” Les added. “He and (former head coach) Mike D’Antoni have been unbelievable.”

Les has picked up plenty from watching the European-esque system and implemented many of the principles. That may be one of the reasons why Les doesn’t seem quite so concerned despite losing a pair of talented guards in Daniel Ruffin and Jeremy Crouch.

Rightfully so, since the Braves won 22 games the year after O’Bryant left.

``If our big guys come around, and people might think I’m crazy, but I think we can be a better team this year,” Les said. ``We’ll play four guards – that’s who we are and what we’ve been – and we’ve got great depth.”

Les and the Braves went through a challenging season in which numerous injuries resulted in an appearance in the inaugural CBI tournament – where they lost a best two-of-three series to Tulsa in the championship.

``It was a great situation for us because we finally got to realize our potential,” Les said.

The positive was that the injuries forced other players – inexperienced ones – into expanded roles. Now Sam Maniscalco, instead of being a freshman without any legitimate playing time, comes into the season with 15 starts on his resume. Andrew Warren and Theron Wilson also return after averaging nearly 25 points between the pair.

Bradley added freshmen guards Eddren McCain and Darian Norris as well as former Iowa State guard Dodie Dunson and athletic junior college guard Chris Roberts.

As Les mentioned, it’ll be key what he can get out of a rotation of big men – senior 7-footer David Collins, sophomore Will Egolf and redshirt 6-foot-10 freshman Anthony Thompson.

``Those guys can put us over the top,” Les said. “They’re our X-factor.”

CENTENARY LOOKING BIG

Greg Gary knows the state – having played and coached at Tulane.

The new Centenary head coach also realizes it’s going to take a little while to get the Gents, who are the smallest school in the D-1 ranks, back to the postseason.

This season’s schedule is daunting to say the least. Gary & Co. will travel to Kansas State, Missouri, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, Wichita State, LSU and Baylor. The first time Centenary will play in its own gym won’t be until after the New Year when the Gents face Oakland on Jan. 8

Gary brought in three players – junior college teammates Gary Redus II and Roman Tubner and 6-foot-4 freshman Daman Starring. Redus is the son of the former major league baseball player with the same name and brings versatility to the table, Tubner is an athletic point guard while Starring is a skilled wing.

Gary feels as though his backcourt – 5-foot-10 junior Chase Adams (8.2 ppg) and 6-foot-1 senior Nick Stallings (15.9 ppg) – should be able to hold their own with anyone in the league. It’ll be the frontcourt that poses its share of questions.

``We’ve got some guards coming back that will make us competitive,” Gary said.

RANDOM NOTES: Georgia Tech will host Scout.com’s top-ranked player in the country, Derrick Favors, and elite guard Kenny Boynton in what could be a huge weekend for Paul Hewitt and the Yellow Jackets. … Don’t be surprised if Brewster Academy forward Thomas Robinson pulls the trigger shortly for Kansas. According to sources, Jayhawks coach Bill Self will head to Washington, D.C., to meet Robinson’s mother and if all goes well, a commitment could be forthcoming shortly thereafter. … Scout.com’s Evan Daniels broke the story that Georgetown landed 2010 point guard (Scout.com, No. 54) Markel Starks out of Georgetown Prep – the same school that produced ex-Hoya big man Roy Hibbert. … Indiana has added big man Bawa Muniru, according to Daniels. … According to IEBP coach Keith Howard, Creighton received a commitment from Rialto Eisenhower (Calif.) point guard Andrew Bock. … Colorado, just days after getting a pledge from Keenan Hornbuckle, received a verbal commitment from Alec Burks out of Grandview Senior (Mo.).

UConn scoring guard Jerome Dyson should remain on the bench.

I’m not saying Dyson shouldn’t play at all, but Huskies coach Jim Calhoun shouldn’t tinker with the starting lineup – and should bring Dyson in as the sixth-man for the rest of the season.

UConn has been playing its best basketball in two years since Dyson was suspended for failing a drug test.

The Huskies won eight of nine without Dyson in the lineup.

While Dyson is a dynamic scorer and talented player, UConn has been more effective with Craig Austrie in the lineup.

Austrie averaged 12.1 points with Dyson on the sidelines and while he’s not nearly as explosive, he is a better passer and he gives Calhoun the ability to play with two point guards on the floor – Austrie and starting floor leader A.J. Price.

I can’t believe I’m saying this after watching UConn struggle early this season, but the Huskies have a chance to go to the Elite Eight – and maybe even the Final Four.

Sophomore Hasheem Thabeet has improved dramatically, Price has become arguably the top point guard in the Big East, Jeff Adrien is a double-double machine and while Stanley Robinson needs to become more consistent, he’s shown flashes of dominating at times.

DOUBLE-DIP

Austin Peay’s Dave Loos is the only coach in the country who doubles as the men’s basketball coach and also the athletic director.

Loos has led the Governors to a 19-10 record and a 14-4 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference.

"It takes up a lot of time, but it works for us,” said Loos, who has been doing both for the last 10 years. “But I’m not sure it’s the perfect way to do it.”

Loos needs to win one of the final two regular-season games to clinch the regular-season title, but he’ll have to do it without leading scorer Drake Reed.

Reed (15.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) was hit with two technicals – the second for reacting to the call – and faces an automatic league suspension for Thursday’s game at Eastern Kentucky.

Reed’s absence would have hurt a lot more a year ago, but Loos has a more balanced club with five players all averaging in double figures.

"That’s probably our biggest asset,” Loos said. “It’s a different guy every night.”

Loos also said that Ernie Fields, who is hearing-impaired, will get his first start Thursday in place of Reed.

MERCER COACH FIRED

Mercer coach Mark Slonaker won’t be back next season.

The school announced that Slonaker’s contract won’t be renewed after 11 years.

Slonaker will coach the team in its final regular-season game Friday night against Kennesaw State – and also in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament.

RANDOM NOTES: Hofstra’s Antoine Agudio is 10 points shy of tying the school-record of 2,222 points, which was set in 1965 by Steve Nisenson. Agudio, who has been in double-figures in 59 of his last 60 games, will get the opportunity tomorrow night at Delaware. … Arizona freshman Jerryd Bayless is averaging 24.1 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 50 percent since coming back from a knee injury on Jan. 12. … Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz became the school’s all-time winningest coach with a victory over St. Louis this past weekend. Lutz is 183-123 at the school. … UNC Greensboro senior forward Kyle Hines has already accepted an invitation to attend the Portsmouth Invitational from April 9-12. … Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik booted sophomore guard Xavier Silas off the team. Silas was third on the team in scoring ay 9.7 points per game.

HARTFORD, Conn. – This isn’t the same UConn team as last season or even as earlier this year.

In fact, this Huskies team may be more dangerous without Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins. At least for now.

Neither UConn or Louisville came into the game ranked.

The Huskies left the Hartford Civic Center with their second consecutive victory without Dyson and Wiggins – who are both suspended indefinitely.  

"Sometimes a wounded tiger is much more dangerous,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. “Where it hurts you is usually over the span of time.”

Jeff Adrien no longer has to carry the Huskies.

He’s finally got help from the likes of A.J. Price, Stanley Robinson and Hasheem Thabeet.

Price has turned himself into the player everyone thought he’d be – prior to the two years off due to medical and off-the-court issues.

Robinson has begun to assert himself. The talented Alabama native finished with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds).

Even though Thabeet got into foul trouble and pulled down just two rebounds, he was a major factor. He finished around the basket, blocked three shots and is playing with more confidence than he has since he arrived in Storrs.

CARDINALS MISSING SHOOTER

If Pitino had one knock-down shooter, it would be a different story.

Louisville took 60 shots from the field and 33 were from beyond the arc. The Cardinals made just 5-of-20 prior to the break – and most of them were quality looks.

"You have to make 3’s against UConn,” Pitino said. “They give you a lot of 3’s because of their shot-blocking ability.”

"Some of my old teams would have picked it apart,” Pitino said. “If you can’t make the 3-point shot in college, you’re in trouble.”

The good news for Pitino was that sophomore guard Edgar Sosa, who has struggled much of the season, gave the Cardinals quality minutes. He scored seven points and had four assists in 24 minutes.

"He played like he finally understands how to play the game tonight,” Pitino said.

DAVIDSON CRUISING IN SOCON

Davidson coach Bob McKillop wouldn’t have done it any differently.

The Wildcats coach opted to go with a brutal non-conference schedule that included games against North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, N.C. State and Charlotte.

Davidson came away from that stretch with five losses.

"We wanted to get exposure for the program and wanted to get better,” McKillop said. “And we felt it was productive.”

Some coaches would have been concerned with the psyche of his players after a stretch in which they came up empty. However, McKillop said that nearly all of his players have won their fair share of games, so he wasn’t quite as worried.

McKillop’s team has won nine straight games since the loss at N.C. State and he points to the improvement in production in the post as a key reason for the team’s 11-0 start in conference play.

McKillop is also well aware that it’s extremely unlikely his team will get to the NCAA tournament unless they win the Southern Conference tourney.

"I have a sense the Southern Conference will be a one-bid league,” he said. “When you put yourself in a position to play good teams and you win those games, then you can start talking about multi-bids.”

RANDOM NOTES: A late transfer is UTEP freshman forward Manual Cass. The 6-foot-6 small forward is from Chicago and attended South Kent (Conn.) before committing to the Miners. … Kent State suspended Chris Singletary for violating team rules. … San Francisco’s Eddie Sutton lost in his latest bid for his 800th career win in a 66-48 setback at home to Santa Clara. … Arkansas coach John Pelphrey suspended starting forward Charles Thomas (violation of team rules) for tomorrow night’s game against Mississippi State.

SUMPTER READY TO GO

Villanova senior forward Curtis Sumpter, who missed all of last season after tearing a knee ligament for the second time in less than a year, has progressed so well that he doesn't even want to wear a knee brace.

"He's doing everything," one source said. "He's ready to go."

Sumpter initially tore his ACL in March of 2005 against Florida and re-injured the left knee on Oct. 19 in practice. If he's healthy, the Wildcats have a chance of getting back to the Sweet 16.

BIG EAST ASSISTANTS POW-WOW

Nearly all of the top assistants in the Big East have been asked to attend a meeting on Friday in Philadelphia at the Airport Marriott.

The idea came about back in May, when all of the head coaches convened at an annual meeting.

"They want to make sure everyone's on the same program," one head coach said. "It's a way to get all the assistants together and make sure they know they aren't just representing themselves, but also their head coaches."

"It's not a big deal and isn't about one particular thing," he added. "The league just thought it would be a good idea."

Another source said that it comes in the aftermath of the UConn-Doug Wiggins saga and also is about the abundance of negative recruiting that is ongoing throughout the conference.

"It's about negative recruiting and tampering with kids," the source said.

FRESHMEN UP IN AIR

Seton Hall freshman point guard Eugene Harvey hasn't gotten cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse, but his former coach at St. Benedict's, Dan Hurley, isn't worried.

"He'll qualify," Hurley said. "He's already qualified, but the holdup is over one course he took after he finished his fourth year."

Harvey isn't the only one still waiting the official word.

Marquette's Lazar Hayward and UConn big man Hasheem Thabeet haven't gotten through the clearinghouse, either.

According to a source, the problem with Hayward stems from the fact that his old high school, Buffalo Traditional, closed down and some records haven't been able to be found.

The Clearinghouse still needs more info regarding the 7-foot-2 Thabeet, who is expected to be the "X" factor for the Huskies this season.


PADG-INATION

Louisville big man David Padgett is making progress, but don't expect the 6-foot-11 forward to put up numbers such as the 27-point, 8-rebound performance he did against UConn anytime soon.

Padgett had significant surgery on both knees on March 6 and while he is participating in individual workouts, he isn't close to being able to make an impact. In fact, it's unlikely that he'll be anywhere near what he was last season until the middle of conference play in February.

Padgett averaged 11.8 points and 6.1 boards in 26.8 minutes per game a year ago after transferring in from Kansas.