You know all those so-called "secret" scrimmages where fans and media aren't allowed to attend and coaches aren't supposed to comment on. They actually started this past weekend when Richmond and N.C. State went at it in Raleigh on Saturday. Washington went to St. Mary's, and Albany traveled to Bucknell on Sunday.

There are a ton of them scheduled for this weekend, and I'll have a comprehensive list tomorrow:

I've gone back and forth on which team is the deepest in the nation between Kansas, Kentucky and Texas.

I'm going with the Longhorns, whose 14th man – Florida transfer Jai Lucas – isn't even on scholarship. Freshman Shawn Williams is probably No. 13, and he could start for about 250 or so programs in the country.

"I don't think we have a bad one in the lot," Texas coach Rick Barnes said of his quality depth. "I can't think of any team we've had here that's been deeper."

Barnes has all sorts of combinations that he can go with since he's two and even three-deep at some spots.

"We can go a lot of different ways," Barnes said. "The depth is there. I can play a lot of different ways, and I'm not afraid to play any of them."

Barnes said he'll change his rotation and starting lineup daily if need be.

"I'm willing to change every day if I have to," he said.

He's got veterans such as senior Justin Mason who could be supplanted in the starting lineup by freshmen, such as Avery Bradley. There's no shortage of big bodies with Dexter Pittman, Gary Johnson, Clint Chapman, Matt Hill and Alexis Wangmene.

There are multiple wings: Damion James, who is a Big 12 Player of the Year candidate, talented scoring freshman Jordan Hamilton and Williams.

And Barnes will have three possibilities to run the team: holdover Dogus Balbay, freshman J'Covan Brown and Lucas, who isn't eligible until after the first semester.

To me, Brown is the key.

"He's behind conditioning-wise," Barnes said. "From a basketball standpoint, I don't know how long it'll take him to get it, but he'll get it. Once he does, people will realize he's got special skills.

"He plays at a great pace. You're not going to speed him up. He has great vision, and he can shoot the ball. He's big, and he knows how to score. He's also a guy everyone wants to play with because they know he's going to get them the ball."

If Brown does earn the starting point guard spot, there's a fairly high probability that Barnes could go with an all-frosh backcourt somewhere down the line because freshman Avery Bradley will be difficult to take off the court due to his stellar defense and improved offensive game.

"He's a stud," Barnes said. "He wants to be coached on every possession – almost to a fault."

Pittman, who was once close to 400 pounds, is down to about 285, which will allow him to be more mobile and also log more minutes than the 16.6 he averaged a year ago.

Texas was terrific on the defensive end last season with Balbay and Mason, but now Varez Ward has emerged and Bradley might be the best of all of them.

"If we're not a good defensive team, we've got no one to blame," Barnes said. "Because this team has a chance to be very good defensively."

VERMONT'S LONERGAN HAS LEAGUE'S TOP PLAYER

Now that Binghamton's D.J. Rivera has been kicked off a team that was supposed to be the frontrunner to repeat as America East champions, the clear-cut top player in the league is Vermont senior Marqus Blakely.

The 6-foot-5 Blakely, an undersized power forward, averaged 16.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game for the Catamounts, who are expected to challenge Boston University for the top spot in a league that is now wide open following the recent events at Binghamton that resulted in head coach Kevin Broadus being placed on paid leave and three starters being kicked off the team.

"He's stronger, and I think having guys like (Ben) Crenca and (Luke) Apfeld will give us some size and we can play him at the three some," Vermont coach Mike Lonergan said.

Lonergan knows the key for his team will be getting solid point-guard play out of Nic Vier and Joey Accaoui.

"It's been the key since I've been here," he said.

Lonergan lost Mike Trimboli after last season due to graduation, but he was forced to move Trimboli off the ball due to his inability to cut down on turnovers.

Former Michigan State transfer Maurice Joseph should have an expanded offensive role with the loss of Trimboli (16.0 ppg) and Colin McIntosh (12.6 ppg).

"He's a great shooter and will play more," Lonergan said of his Canadian wing. "He's got a great shot and runs well off screens."

Look for Crenca, a big bruising 6-foot-10, 260-pound freshman out of Worcester Academy (Mass.), to earn immediate playing time.

"He's the strongest guy on our team," Lonergan said. "He could turn into one of the best big men in the league."

However, Lonergan said that 6-foot-8 Evan Fjeld (4.6 ppg) is the team's most improved player from a year ago and should get first crack at starting in the middle. Garvey Young, who started 21 games last season and is arguably the team's top defender, will likely round out the starting lineup.

Apfeld is going full-contact, but Lonergan said he's sporting a brace and is trying to shake off the rust after suffering a pair of major knee injuries over the past couple of years.

"He's starting to get his athleticism back," Lonergan said.

RANDOM NOTES: Austin Peay dismissed sophomore guard James Harris from the team. ... Northern Colorado received a commitment, according to a source, from Paul Garnica from San Antonio Lee. ... I forgot to mention that Rider received a pledge from Neuman Goretti (Pa.) 6-foot-6 wing Daniel Stewart, according to assistant John Mosco. ... North Carolina transfer Alex Stephenson led all scorers with 13 points in USC's intrasquad scrimmage, which was only 20 minutes in length. ... The ACC may not be as strong at the top, but it's deep – and that was clear by Miami being picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll. ... Wisconsin got a good sign with big man Keaton Nankivil finishing with 13 points and seven boards in the Badgers' Red-White game.

To check out Jeff Goodman's Twitter, click here.