JUST 7 SPORTS: Back to School Hoops and LeBron's "Modesty"

HEADLINER

Let the countdown to March Madness begin - college basketball is back. The season truly gets under way Friday night with top teams including No. 1 Kansas, No. 5 Kentucky, and No. 8 Duke kicking off their campaigns. Don't expect an upset in these opening games - the likes of UNC-Greensboro are unlikely to pose a significant challenge to the top-tier squads - but, if nothing else, tune in and watch a preseason All-American or two drop buckets against much feebler opponents. Aaaand boom goes the dynamite.


DELICIOUS DIGIT

6. That's the number LeBron James plans to switch to after this season, stating that Michael Jordan deserves the Jackie Robinson-like honor of having his number effectively retired across the league. Credit to LeBron for his class, but is he truly being all that modest? "Now, if I'm not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it," King James told reporters. Talk about a unilateral multilateral decision.


THE 7

1. Three Tennessee football players pulled off the bozo move of the century, allegedly attempting to rob a convenience store with a pellet gun. Not only were the players near campus, but one of the players was apparently wearing Vols gear, seemingly pleading for the wrong kind of attention. As much as the players are to blame in this situation, you have to wonder what kind of example loudmouth coach Lane Kiffin has been setting for his team. Once a Raider, always an.... antithesis of the Volunteer spirit?

2. Philippines' most famous face, Manny Pacquiao, enters the ring Saturday night to take on Miguel Cotto in a fight at 145 lbs. The Filipino legend is going for a title in a seventh weight class, up 40 pounds from where he started his career, while Cotto will attempt to preserve his near-perfect record. Oddsmakers have given Pacquiao the clear edge, but regardless of the outcome, plenty of left hooks promise to be on display. And if that isn't entertainment enough, Pacquiao announced that his band will be serenading Las Vegas on the strip later that night. What a boxer. What a man.

3. With Terrell Owens' career seemingly slipping away, Chad Ochocinco has become the most dynamic and entertaining player in the NFL, pulling a new stunt every single week. When he isn't trying to send condiments to upcoming opponents, he's fake-bribing officials during reviews with $1 bills and paying $20,000 fines for the "unbecoming" conduct. More importantly, he's logged over 600 yards to help lead Cincinnati to a 6-2 record and a tie atop the AFC North with Pittsburgh. If Ochocinco can help the Bengals pull off a victory on the road in Steel City on Sunday afternoon, he may finally prove that he's matured enough to lead a team into the playoffs.

4. In nearby Indianapolis, it's the AFC matchup we've all been waiting for: the Patriots and the Colts. While this matchup lacks some of the fire and buildup of years past, it still promises to tell us a lot about both teams. At 6-2, New England is off to a good start but faces the NFL's best in Indy and New Orleans over the course of the next three weeks - two tests that may define the season's expectations for the squad. Meanwhile, the Colts are still undefeated but are coming off of two unconvincing wins against the 49ers and the Texans. A win vs. the Patriots will have Manning and Co. thinking conference championship or better, but a loss could trigger the kind of doubts that have derailed Indianapolis in the past. What better way to spend Sunday night than watching this game?

5. Baseball, hockey - what's the difference? The NHLPA, still looking for an executive director, tapped (soon to be retired) MLBPA head Donald Fehr to help with the search. While Fehr is not being positioned to take on a larger role with the NHLPA, you have to wonder: a sports lawyer is a sports lawyer is a sports lawyer... right?

6. We're 20 games into the season, and look who's atop the NHL tables: the San Jose Sharks. The perennial regular-season-dominators-but-postseason-disappointments are off to another strong start, having recorded a point in 10 consecutive contests. While nothing should be more convincing than a 5-0 shellacking of defending champion Pittsburgh, the Sharks have lacked the killer instinct in games against Western Conference rivals such as Detroit and Dallas. If this is finally going to be the year for San Jose, it's going to have to find a way to increase its third-period scoring output - and to win more shootouts.

7. The Suns look good in the standings, but as the Lakers proved in a 121-102 triumph over Phoenix on Thursday night, Los Angeles is still the team to beat in the Pacific Division. Kobe Bryant has jumped out to a blazing start, logging 33 points per game on 50% shooting from the field despite having scored just three treys in 8 games. Meanwhile, the Celtics are 8-1 and already running away in the Atlantic. Is it too early to start imagining another Celtics-Lakers heavyweight bout?


HORIZON

ESPNU's No. 1 high school prospect, Harrison Barnes, has committed to play for North Carolina in 2010-11. Barnes will fill in at shooting guard or small forward for the Tar Heels, returning some of the athleticism that UNC lost with the departure of Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington last season. After a run of mediocrity in the late '90s and early 2000s, it appears that the Tar Heels are stacked for years to come. Which makes Virgina Cavaliers fans think: when did the ACC become the AL East?


THE Q

The NBA released the NBA Companion this week, a compilation of stats, highlights, videos, and analysis that is intended to provide TV watchers with all the details necessary to supplement their viewing experience. Is this any more useful to you than any of the "game center" tools already available? What would the ideal "companion" tool look like? Leave your comments below.


Tune in next week for your Just 7 Sports briefing.