College Basketball

Hey, is it warm in here? (Five coaches on the hot seat) Billy Gillispie, Kentucky: : Anyone who signs a contract in Lexington knows what's in store. Win a national championship early on, as Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith did, and you're playing with house money. If not, you're on borrowed time. Sidney Lowe, North Carolina State: : The Wolfpack finished 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference last year after being picked third, and J.J. Hickson left after only one season. Lowe's 1983 championship ring will get him only so far. Pat Knight, Texas Tech: : Folks in Lubbock might not be paying attention to basketball for a while, but The General's son should heed what happened to Sean Sutton at Oklahoma State after replacing his Hall of Fame father.

GEORGIA TECH Coach: Paul Hewitt, fifth season at Georgia Tech (76-54), eighth overall (142-81). 2003-04 record: 28-10, 9-7 (tied for third in ACC) Starters lost: One. Top returners: Will Bynum, Sr., G; B.J. Elder, Sr., G; Jarrett Jack, Jr., G; Isma'il Muhammad, Sr., F; Luke Schenscher, Sr., C. Key question: How will the Yellow Jackets react to increased expectations, resulting from their run to the national championship game? Hewitt has declared this a new season, but with six of his top eight players back and three players on the preseason list for the John R. Wooden Award, the comparisons to last season's team aren't going away.

When newly crowned CBS Sports executive producer Terry Ewert took over the reins, he decided a couple of big changes were in order for the network's crown jewel property, college basketball.One of those changes, scrapping the flat "wheel" format of staggering starting times and moving audiences from the end of one game to the end of another, makes sense. The other, taking time to tell stories about the players doesn't, or at least not at first glance.After all, these days, the best college players hardly stick around long enough to meet their professors, let alone allow the public to get to know them.

AROUND THE PERIMETER TIGERS LOOK TOUGH Memphis was a suspect team going into last season's NCAA tournament, mostly for a lack of competition in Conference USA. But the Tigers silenced their doubters by reaching the round of eight for the second straight year before losing to Ohio State. This season, John Calipari's team will play Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga and Tennessee. Come March, the Tigers should be legitimate contenders for a national championship. CROSSTOWN RIVALRY UCLA and Southern California are nearly as close in proximity as Duke and North Carolina - in terms of miles, not travel time - but nobody has confused the Bruins and Trojans with the Blue Devils and Tar Heels as far as their basketball rivalry.

Taking the next step: Mississippi State and Oklahoma made impressive debuts on the national stage last season. Can they continue to move forward? Fountains of youth: Nearly all the top title contenders (Connecticut, Tennessee, Duke, Purdue) will have freshmen in key roles. How quickly will they mature? Hoops al fresco: Arizona State and Tennessee will meet Dec. 27 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix with the roof open and a possible crowd of 30,000. Welcome back, Leon: Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore was coaxed out of retirement when longtime assistant Kim Mulkey-Robertson went to Baylor.

COLLEGE PARK -- Long red and black curtains that nearly brush the floor at Comcast Center shield outsiders and reporters from watching the Maryland men's basketball team practice. Behind them, the Terps have improved and the intensity has risen in the past week, players and coach Gary Williams said yesterday. Maryland@ Virginia Today, 3:30 p.m., Comcast SportsNet, 1300 AM, 105.7 FM Line: Virginia by 2

Coppin State men's basketball coach Fang Mitchell was released from University of Maryland Medical Center yesterday after a five-day stay to undergo major surgery. Mitchell said from his Reisterstown home last night that a persistent fever had broken, allowing him to leave the hospital. He said he was feeling well enough last night to work on some of his responsibilities as athletic director. As far as when he might return to coaching the Eagles, Mitchell said he would talk to his doctors.

COLLEGE PARK - The defending Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament champion Maryland men's basketball team will get an early start to its preseason with a five-game, 12-day tour of Italy from August 17-28. The tour gives the Terrapins an opportunity to play against some of Europe's premier professional teams. The Terps plan to play four Italian professional squads, with one game scheduled against Kiev (Ukraine), one of the most famous professional teams in the world. The NCAA allows men's basketball teams one foreign trip every four years.

MOUNT ST. MARY'S Coach: Milan Brown, second season at Mount St. Mary's(10-19) Affiliation: Northeast Conference 2003-04 record: 10-19 (8-10 NEC) Radio: WTHU (1450 AM) Arena: Knott Arena (3,000) Consensus NEC favorite: Monmouth Consensus Mount prediction: Sixth Starters lost: One Outlook: The Mount's young team closed last season with a rush to make the league tournament field, winning six of its final nine games, including the last three. The upward trend should continue with four starters back and the addition of 6-10 Jason Loughry in the middle to help replace Nick Dodson.