Scandal and controversy at Memphis might be taking college basketball by storm these early summer days, but the NCAA is doing its best to improve the sport in every which way possible as of late.

Less than two months after it was agreed upon to move the deadline up to May 8 for underclassmen declaring for the NBA Draft, three other rules were modified for the upcoming 2009-10 season on Monday.

And while it may have taken longer than it should have to see such changes put in place, each is a step in the right direction for college basketball.

For one, the rule change involving block-charge calls has been long overdue.

The NBA, for quite some time now, has incorporated a restricted area inside the key, something that college basketball still does not have and still won't have next year.

But the NCAA has at least clarified that starting in the fall, secondary defenders cannot establish position underneath the basket, or in their words, "between the backboard and the front of the rim."

Because it's way too often - particularly during the conference tournaments and in the NCAA tournament - that a controversial charging call in the closing minutes influences the outcome of a game and sometimes a team's season.

All it takes is a dotted half-circle four feet from the center of the hoop, and we wouldn't have a lot of the bad calls that help decide games in late February and March.

The second rule change approved by the NCAA involves free throws following an injury and is suspect at best.

Unlike in previous years where the shooting team's coach would get to choose any player on his roster to take the shots, the opposing coach will now be allowed to select one of the team's four remaining players on the floor.

This rule adjustment certainly gives the opposing team a much bigger advantage than in the past.

Instead of allowing the shooting team to at least pick one of its four remaining players, the rule gives all the power to the opposing team in such a situation.

Not only would the shooting team be losing a player, but it also could lose out on two points should the opposing coach pick a weak free-throw shooter on the floor.

Therefore, coaches must be much more wary of who they have on the floor late in a game, because an injury could cost them a player, two points and possibly a win.

The final rule change passed by the committee has to do with officials expanding instant replay to help determine flagrant fouls, specifically ones resulting in ejection.

Similar to the NBA's foul system, college basketball referees can now still call an intentional foul or technical foul for contact without also ejecting the player.

This alteration allows for further investigation of hard fouls, giving officials more time and resources to make the correct call.

So though it might take a little bit longer for the zebras to get the call right with such a rule change, it's worth the extra two or three minutes for everyone involved - the players, the coaches and even the fans - to get the fairest and most honest officiating in each and every game starting next season.

The offseason is a time for reflection.

It's a time for relaxation.

But mostly, it's a time for recovery.

Because after three weeks of heart-thumping, nail-biting NCAA tournament action, college basketball is supposed to go back into its cave and hibernate for the next seven months until it's time for a new season to start.

Less than two weeks after North Carolina cut down the nets in Detroit and won its fifth national championship though, things haven't completely come to a halt.

Amid the coaching changes and the early NBA draft entries that have taken place since April 6, there's been plenty of college hoops news to hold our attention.

Former Duke point guard Greg Paulus, for one, is looking to return to football, whether it's in college at Michigan or in the NFL with possibly the Green Bay Packers.

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, whose son, Richard, left the Cardinals to join Billy Donovan at Florida as an assistant, is fighting an extortion case against the wife of his longtime friend and equipment manager.

And further south, Mississippi head coach Andy Kennedy is taking the blame for initiating a December altercation with a cab driver, earning himself 40 hours of community service and some time on probation rather than some time behind bars.

Yet of all the stories that have surfaced during the first three weeks of the offseason, who thought Isiah Thomas would be returning to college, not to finish his degree but to coach?

You'd think a guy would learn his lesson after shutting down the CBA, nearly tearing apart the New York Knicks organization while sexually harassing a team executive and almost overdosing on sleeping pills.

Obviously, the Hall of Fame point guard hasn't.

Instead, he's headed to Miami, a city full of distractions (i.e. crime, drugs and prostitution) with the hope of luring some of the top recruits in the country to a Florida International program that's only reached the NCAA tournament once - and that was almost 15 years ago.

"I think we can get good players from across Florida and around the country to buy into our plan to make this a top-tier basketball program," Thomas said in a statement after being hired as head coach. "I'm committed to growing something here, and strongly believe that over time, we'll put a team on the floor that everyone at FIU can be proud of."

If Thomas believes he's going to accomplish those goals in the five years he signed on for, he's living in his own Magic Kingdom.

The Panthers, to set the record straight, have lost 20 games in each of the last four years, and they haven't secured a winning record since the 1999-2000 season, finishing 16-14 that year.

"At the end of the day," Thomas said, "people know the kind of person that I am."

You mean the one that tried to cover up his own overdose by telling the authorities that his 17-year old daughter required the sleeping pills, when in reality, it was him?

Such blind arrogance can only be comical for so long.

After all, when it comes down to it, not even Thomas knows what he's really getting himself into.

And neither does Florida International.

But at least athletic director Pete Garcia will have Thomas' first-year salary to hand the NCAA when the school is hit with its first recruiting violation.

Alright people, tonight is the night we put the 2008-09 college basketball season to bed. So before you wake up tomorrow morning, a national champion will crowned in Detroit. But will it be preseason favorite North Carolina cutting down the nets at Ford Field or will a determined Michigan State team pull off one more upset to claim the title? Check back here for some post-game analysis and final thoughts on this year's NCAA tournament.

Championship Game: North Carolina 89, Michigan State 72

We're hours away from the 2009 national championship game, but before North Carolina and Michigan State tip off Monday night at Ford Field, here's five things to consider about the matchup (also in picture form here) we've been waiting five months to see.

UNC's 3-point shooting

If North Carolina wants to cut down the nets in Ford Field on Monday night, Roy Williams will need his shooters to find their rhythm early and often. Against Villanova in the national semifinals, the Tar Heels got off to a hot start and never cooled off, finishing the game with a 50-percent clip from three thanks to a 5-for-7 performance from wingman Wayne Ellington and a 2-for-4 effort from point guard Ty Lawson.

Michigan State's frontcourt

Michigan State handled Connecticut's physical and intimidating frontline Saturday in its national semifinal win, and the Spartans will have to do it again Monday night against North Carolina. If Goran Suton (pictured) and Raymar Morgan can match the intensity of Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of the Tar Heel big men, Tom Izzo's team will have a chance to pull off another stunning win in the Motor City.

UNC's transition game

When you have a point guard as quick as Ty Lawson, you have little choice but to run. Since returning from a toe injury that kept him out for the ACC tournament and North Carolina's first-round game vs. Radford, the 5-foot-11 speedster has been the difference for the Tar Heels' offense, and if he can create easy runouts off of Michigan State turnovers, UNC could cruise to its fifth national championship.

The Spartan faithful

North Carolina may be the favorite to win Monday night's national championship game, but there's no question which team will have the home-court advantage. With Ford Field looking like a belated St. Patrick's Day party on Saturday night, Michigan State will hope its "Sixth Man" can carry it to a national title only 90 minutes away from its East Lansing home.

The officials

They shouldn't decide the outcome of the title game Monday night, but they'll certainly be a factor. Both North Carolina and Michigan State will have to judge how the officials decide to call the game and adjust their defensive game plans accordingly. Whichever team can figure out how tight or loose the game is being called could gain an early advantage.

To check out my latest power rankings, click here.

There are only three games left in the college basketball season, and two of them will be played tonight at the Final Four in Detroit. Will Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun continue his streak of wins in the Final Four or will hometown favorite Michigan State make it back to the title game for the first time in nine years? Will North Carolina All-American Tyler Hansbrough get to play for a national championship on Monday night or will Big East foe Villanova pull the upset and continue its thrilling NCAA tournament run? Find out who the last two teams standing are and who's headed home with some tidbits from Saturday's Final Four.

Game 1: Michigan State 82, Connecticut 73

Tom Izzo couldn't have been happier last weekend to see Michigan State reach the Final Four and have a chance to play on college basketball's biggest stage only 90 minutes from the Spartans' East Lansing campus. But to have a chance to win the national title on Monday night is almost icing on the cake for the 14-year head coach. Izzo's team will have that opportunity thanks to another gusty effort by sophomore point guard Kalin Lucas (21 points and five assists) and a breakout performance from junior forward Raymar Morgan (18 points, nine rebounds and five steals) that sparked an 82-73 victory at Ford Field. Connecticut, of course, didn't help itself by committing 16 turnovers just a week after turning it over 17 times against Missouri in the Elite Eight, but the turnovers were only part of the problem for the Huskies on Saturday. Senior point guard A.J. Price never got comfortable against Michigan State's defense, shooting a dismal 5-for-20 from the field, and freshman backup Kemba Walker showed that he should spend the offseason working on his stroke from the free-throw line after making just 3-of-9 attempts. The Huskies' one bright spot, meanwhile, remained 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet, who tallied 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks in what may likely be his last game at UConn. In the end though, a better overall game plan from Izzo and a never-say-die mentality from his players is what has the Spartans preparing for another game - the last of the 2008-09 season - in the Motor City when few thought they'd still be playing by now. 

Game 2: North Carolina 83, Villanova 69

With all five starters returning after a trip to the Final Four last year, North Carolina was tabbed early on as the perennial favorite to cut down the nets in Detroit on April 6. And after Saturday's convincing 83-69 victory over Villanova, the Tar Heels now stand just one win away from accomplishing that highly-anticipated feat. That's in large part due to the recent play of junior point guard Ty Lawson, who is showing NBA scouts that he may be worthy of a lottery pick in June should he decide to leave Chapel Hill. Against the Wildcats, he made sure to bring his "A" game, contributing in every which way possible and finishing with an impressive stat line that read 22 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals. Lawson, however, didn't have to do it all on his own. His backcourt mate Wayne Ellington, for one, came ready to play, and he brought his jumpshot with him, canning 5-of-7 threes and finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes of floor time. Much like Ellington, Danny Green also found his stroke from deep, chipping in 12 points on four 3-pointers and adding three rebounds and three blocks on the defensive end. It was a night, after all, where not much seemed to go wrong for UNC, which will be playing for its second national championship in five years when it takes the floor Monday night against Michigan State at Ford Field. But for Villanova, it was a night to forget - a night in which Jay Wright's team fell in love with the 3-point shot too many times down the stretch and bricked too many of its attempts from beyond the arc before finishing a horrendous 5-for-24. Because as they often say this time of the year, you either live or die by the three.

To check out my latest power rankings, click here.