BOSTON - I just landed back home after spending exactly 10 hours in Norman, Okla.

I drove to Dallas late last night and got on an earlier flight home so I could catch No. 23 Florida State tonight at Boston College.

The Seminoles are one of the few ranked teams I haven't seen in person - and Florida State associate head coach Stan Jones has been raving about the play of star guard Toney Douglas.

I had a chance to talk to Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione -clearly one of elite AD's. Remember, this is a guy who has hired Bob Stoops and Jeff Capel - a pair of home runs.

While Capel will certainly have no shortage of suitors after this season, don't expect Castiglione to go down without a fight. Capel is an ACC guy at heart, having played at Duke, but has come to love his job at OU.

Blake Griffin still didn't look like himself last night on the bench in the loss to Kansas. He looked out of it - especially in the first half.

Capel said there was some thought to not allowing Griffin to come to the game at all. His younger brother, Jason, who played at North Carolina, suffered a concussion and said the noise and lights didn't help his recovery.

COACH OF YEAR: DANDY DOZEN

People have been telling me that I'm plugging too many guys for Coach of the Year. Well, here are my top 12 (I still reserve the right to make alterations with postseason around the corner).

1) Jay Wright, Villanova - The guy may not have an NBA player on his entire roster and the Wildcats are 22-5 and 10-4 in Big East play. If 'Nova can keep this up, Wright has the slight edge for National Coach of the Year.

2) Brad Stevens, Butler - Lost four starters and was picked to finish in the middle of the Horizon. He's got the Bulldogs with 23 wins and in first place in the league with a team that starts three freshmen.

3) Russ Pennell, Arizona - With all the drama and basically three guys on the roster that are Arizona-good, the guy with the interim tag has the Wildcats in the hunt for an NCAA tournament bid with an 18-9 mark and a 8-6 league record. He should be a lock to pick up a mid-major head gig after the season,

4) Leonard Hamilton, Florida State - Entering the season on the proverbial hot seat, Hamilton has done it with an inexperienced group and senior guard Toney Douglas. The 'Noles are a lock tourney team.

5) Jim Boylen, Utah - The second-year Utes head man has his club in first place in a Mountain West conference that will likely get three bids to the Big Dance. He's found a way to get the most out of Aussie big man Luke Nevill.

6) Ed Conroy, The Citadel - It's a program was virtually no tradition and one of the most difficult jobs in the country. Conroy has orchestrated one of the top turnarounds in the country and has the team 18-10 and just two games back from Davidson for first place in the Southern.

7) Mike Anderson, Missouri - There has been no shortage of impressive coaching jobs this year in the Big 12, but Anderson is ahead of the rest. The Tigers are 23-4 overall and 10-2 in the league.

8) Bill Self, Kansas - The defending national champs lost all five starters, but Self's coaching job has been far better this season with Sherron Collins, seldom-used big man Cole Aldrich and a bunch of young guys. The Jayhawks sit alone in first place in the Big 12 after their win at Oklahoma. "

9) Buzz Williams, Marquette - Sure, he took over a team that has three all-league caliber senior-laden guards. He also took over a team that is forced to play 6-foot-5