The knock on Herb Sendek back in Raleigh was that the former N.C. State coach wasn't able to consistently beat his top rivals - Duke and North Carolina.

In just his second season rebuilding Arizona State, Sendek knocked off rival Arizona last night, 64-59, in overtime.

It snapped a 12-game losing streak for the Sun Devils against Arizona.

In all fairness, Wildcats standout freshman Jerryd Bayless didn't play due to a knee injury. However, that didn't matter to ASU - which is 13-2 overall and has jumped out to a 3-0 start in the Pac-10.

The Sun Devils got strong play inside from Jeff Pendergraph and a terrific performance down the stretch from freshman James Harden (26 points) - one of the most underrated frosh in the country.

Without Bayless, Arizona just doesn't have enough to win consistently in the Pac-10. Teams can focus their entire game plan on making life difficult for Chase Budinger, who scored 14 points (4-of-13) and grabbed just four rebounds.

REBEL YELL

A few observations after watching Tennessee's tight win at home against Ole Miss:

1) Andy Kennedy's Ole Miss team certainly wasn't intimidated going into Knoxville. The Rebels hung around and had a chance to win the game, but were unable to put the game away down the stretch.

``They're totally for real," Vols coach Bruce Pearl told FOXSports.com on Thursday morning. "They'll be contending for the SEC championship. No doubt."

2) Tyler Smith is one of the most versatile players in the entire country. While he won the game with a basket in the paint, one of the more overlooked aspects of his game is his unselfishness passing the ball.

3) Chris Lofton doesn't look like the same player he's been the last couple of years. He was just 3-of-9 from the field and finished with 10 points. He's shooting 34 percent from the field for the season and 34 percent from long distance. However, despite his struggles, Lofton's presence still opens things up for his teammates.

``He's playing on a team with a balanced attack," Pearl said. "He doesn't have to carry the load. But we'll see him step up when we need him."

RANDOM NOTES: Texas Tech's Bob Knight will go for his 900th career victory Saturday at Oklahoma State. The 67-year-old will look to join a pair of women's coaches as the only D-1 coaches in the 900-win club. Tennessee's Pat Summit has 959 and former Texas coach Jody Conradt has 900. ... By the way, I forgot to mention that North Carolina coach Roy Williams was at it again yesterday. The Tar Heels got a commitment from sophomore shooting guard Reggie Bullock out of Kinston High (N.C.) - the same school that produced former UNC star Jerry Stackhouse. It was the fourth verbal pledge in the last week for the Tar Heels.