1. Jim Calhoun has to appreciate the support shown by many of his former players as the cloud of an NCAA investigation looms over Storrs, support that was evident on Saturday as many of his UConn family showed up to play in a benefit game for the Jim and Pat Calhoun Cardiology Center.  Heck, we’d pay $20 to watch Ray Allen, Emeka Okafor, Caron Butler and Rudy Gay in an alumni game, especially for a good cause.  The word “family” above is not used lightly, as Butler can attest to in speaking about his coach: “I’ll just sum it up like this.  He’s the closest thing to a father that I’ve ever had.”
2. It just won’t go away.  Karen Sypher says her trial was unfair because Louisville is a small enough town to feel the influence of Louisville coach Rick Pitino.  “I know now there is no justice system,” she told the AP.  And she also says that there was evidence in her favor that her defense attorney didn’t use, and that it will come out later.  Sypher will be sentenced on October 27th.  We’re fine with Pitino facing no disciplinary action from U of L, since this is a family matter more than anything else, but we’re still evaluating AD Tom Jurich’s statement calling his coach a “grand ambassador” of the program…
3. SI’s Luke Winn gave us stat nerds the warm-and-fuzzies when he broke out some serious numbers to predict some possible breakout players in the sophomore class for 2010-11 (a taste — Nebraska’s Christian Standhardinger makes the list).  His 2008 version yielded eerily accurate results to the point where we have our current crop of RTC interns investigating if there are some prop bets in Vegas on this topic.  And Luke, if you’re reading…yes, we’ll give you a cut.
4. Seton Hall announced on Friday that Ole Miss guard Eniel Polynice will be joining the Pirates as a transfer student next season.  Polynice will not have to sit out the typical year for transfers, taking advantage of an NCAA rule that allows early graduates to play their fourth season of eligibility elsewhere if their current school doesn’t offer postgraduate work in their field of study.  Polynice, a communications major who graduated in the spring from Ole Miss, sat out the 2008-09 season as a redshirt student.  He is a very nice late summer pickup for new Hall head coach Kevin Willard, who will need some experienced players to keep uber-gunner Jeremy Hazell under control and tutor a deep incoming class of freshmen.
5. If we were the president of Florida International University (and just to be clear, we’re not), we’d immediately call head coach Isiah Thomas into our office for a sitdown about a little something called focus.  Coming off a 7-25 season that finished on the high note of nine straight losses, you would think that if Thomas were fully committed to his current job, he wouldn’t be taking on part-time work as a paid consultant for the NBA team he helped destroy, the New York Knicks   The Miami media, to put it lightly, is not amused.

News out of Storrs today has the rest of the Big East cheering, as freshman wing Nate Miles (he of the five high schools) was expelled from UConn today, merely days after he had been arrested for violating a restraining order sixteen minutes after it was issued for assaulting a female student he may or may not have been involved with.  From the Hartford Courant:

The woman accused Miles, 20, of Toledo, Ohio, of becoming physical and trying to pressure her into having sex. A restraining order was issued Sept. 22 and Miles was arrested for placing a call to the woman, a 19-year-old from Manchester, 16 minutes later.  […]  According to a court affidavit obtained Wednesday, Miles’ accuser said the relationship began with consensual sex but that later Miles became physical and “extremely possessive.” The affidavit said the woman went to Miles’ dorm room on Sept. 14, at which time he began pressuring her to have sex. When she refused, he allegedly “would tap my face or dig his nails into me.” When she hit him back, he “slapped me and pushed me off the bed.” Miles has not been allowed to live on campus since the incident. His criminal case was continued until Nov. 25. No charges related to the alleged abuse have been filed.

(photo credit:  Hartford Courant)

Miles was quoted as being surprised that he was expelled from school.  Yeah, really surprising that an assault, restraining order and subsequent arrest would end so badly for someone.  More importantly, Miles was the kind of long impact player on the wing that the Huskies haven’t had since Caron Butler was slashing to the hoop – he could have made a perfect complement to the AJ Price/Hasheem Thabeet inside-outside show.  Miles plans to appeal, but is also reportedly thinking of moving to Texas to live with his youth league coach and legal guardian, Sean Patterson – do you think Big 12 coaches have this guy’s number on speed dial yet?

One thing is certain – Louisville , Notre Dame and Pitt fans should be rejoicing tonight.