CONFERENCE CALL.

 
                              Hits 
 
ATLANTIC     Virginia and Maryland. OK, so the 
COAST        competition is weak. The Cars, 10-0 
             before league play, have topped 85 points 
             in seven straight and the Terps have 
             three straight 100-point wins. 
 
BIG          Northwestern. Forget football. How 
TEN          about Bill Carmody's team, which stunned 
             No. 16 USC and through December had 
             seven wins, more than Kevin O'Neill's 
             5-25 bunch did last season? 
 
SOUTH-       Antonio Jackson, Mississippi State. 
EASTERN      The senior had 56 points in two wins, 
             including the game-winning shot vs. 
             Arizona, in the Fiesta Bowl Classic. It was 
             AU's first loss in 16 years of the Classic. 
 
BIG          Damone Brown, Syracuse. He equaled 
EAST         career highs for points (26) and rebounds 
             (13) last week in the team's demolition of 
             Niagara. His scoring average is up 7.1 
             points and rebounding is up 2.4. 
 
PACIFIC-     Oregon. Except for a four-point loss at 
10           Auburn, the Ducks have dominated lesser 
             teams, averaging 88 points a game. Bryan 
             Bracey and Fred Jones combine for 35 
             points and 57 percent shooting a game. 
 
BIG          The entire conference. More than half 
TWELVE       of it, anyway. On December 23, the league 
             went 7-0, with wins over three ranked 
             teams: Texas beat Illinois, Kansas State 
             beat Iowa and Oklahoma beat Arkansas. 
 
ATLANTIC     Xavier. The Musketeers won four straight 
TEN          and took formidable again with Lloyd Price 
             healthy. He's a threat from the wing and a 
             big-time stopper on the press. The team 
             needs to improve on its 3s. 
 
CONFERENCE   Bobby Simmons, DePaul. The junior 
USA          forward is taking his game to another 
             level. He's averaging 18.2 points and 8.9 
             rebounds and put up 35 points and had 15 
             rebounds against Northern Illinois. 
 
WESTERN      Greedy Daniels, TCU. Billy Tubbs might 
ATHLETIC     have found the second coming of Mookie 
             Blaylock. Daniels is a one-man press. 
             Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, he had 12 
             steals, one shy of Blaylock's NCAA record. 
 
MOUNTAIN     Trevor Diggs, UNLV. His scoring average 
WEST         is down slightly (15.1 to 13.6) this season, 
             but his shooting percentage is up (35.0 to 
             40.9). His all-around game is better, and 
             he's emerging as the team's leader. 
 
                             Misses 
 
ATLANTIC     Florida State. The Seminoles needed a 
COAST        second-half run at home to beat Morgan 
             State by 10. It doesn't get any easier, 
             FSU, 4-8, opens ACC play against Duke, 
             Wake, Maryland, Virginia and UNC. 
 
BIG          Luke Recker and Ryan Hogan, Iowa. 
TEN          Their 4-of-18 shooting against Tennessee 
             cost lows a chance to play for the 
             Rainbow Classic title. At least Recker had 
             an excuse: His knee is acting up. 
 
SOUTH-       Arkansas. The team dominated a soft 
EASTERN      home schedule, but both road games 
             ended in losses--to Oklahoma and 
             Oklahoma State. G/F Joe Johnson shoots 
             55 percent at home, 33 percent away. 
 
BIG          Todd Billet, Rutgers. He's struggling to 
EAST         provide the Knights with some much- 
             needed offense. He made only 21 of 73 
             shots in the last six games, and Rutgers 
             has gone 3-3 after a 5-0 start. 
 
PACIFIC-     USC. The Trojans' second loss came at 
10           the hands of Northwestern. F. Brian 
             Scalabrine, playing despite the flu, had 
             five turnovers in 16 minutes, and the 
             team hit only 3 of 20 3-point attempts. 
 
BIG          Nebraska. After losing to Minnesota in 
TWELVE       OT, the Huskers had 19 turnovers and 
             played lackluster defense in a home loss 
             to Murray State. Free-throw woes 
             continued, with the team hitting 15 of 27. 
 
ATLANTIC     Fordham. The once-hot Rams lost three 
TEN          of four and might be headed for more 
             trouble if G Bevon Robin's arch injury is 
             serious. The talent is there, but key 
             players must get more time together. 
 
CONFERENCE   Charlotte. The 49ers missed a big 
USA          opportunity by losing to Pepperdine and 
             Arizona State in the ASU Classic. The team 
             commuted 54 fouls and hit 8-of-39 
             3-point attempts in the two games. 
 
WESTERN      Terrance Green, Nevada. His string of 
ATHLETIC     consecutive starts ended at 29. Coach 
             Trent Johnson benched Green, the Wolf 
             Pack's leading scorer, because he was 
             late to practice. 
 
MOUNTAIN     Dick Hunsaker, Utah acting coach. It 
WEST         was a nightmarish run for the former Ball 
             State coach. Hunsaker was 6-6 filling in 
             for Rick Majerus, who took a medical leave 
             but returns this week. 
 
                             Coaches' 
                              Corner 
 
ATLANTIC     Wake coach Dave Odom, mindful of 
COAST        ACC play, is almost ready to push Rafael 
             Vidaurreta fully into the mix. The canter, 
             limited by a knee injury, played a season- 
             high 18 minutes last week vs. Navy. 
 
BIG          Illinois' Bill Self must decide soon 
TEN          whether to redshirt PF Damir Krupalija. 
             The junior had 13 points in 18 minutes 
             against Arizona but has knee problems 
             and has played only 37 minutes total. 
 
SOUTH-       Mississippi's Rod Barnes continues to 
EASTERN      rotate PGs Jason Flanigan and Jason 
             Harrison. The roommates were high school 
             teammates. Flanigan sets the tone with 
             defense. Harrison is smaller but quicker. 
 
BIG          A year ago, Vanderbilt refused to 
EAST         reschedule a game with Boston College. 
             B.C. coach Al Skinner vowed never to play 
             Vandy again but got his revenge last 
             Saturday with a 97-74 win. 
 
PACIFIC-     Eugene Edgerson's role might 
10           diminish. The Arizona power forward has 
             not contributed much lately, especially on 
             the defensive boards, and officials' hard- 
             line stance on fouls has not helped him. 
 
BIG          Texas Tech's James Dickey had his 
TWELVE       second departure of the season when 
             freshman Brannon Hays left the team for 
             the time ...