1. Is the Grim Reaper pointing toward Iowa City and the Hawkeyes? Leading scorer Matt Gatens is out indefinitely after tearing a tendon in his left hand, according to an Iowa news release.
2. No zombie recruit in Louisville —the NCAA cleared freshman center Gorgui Dieng to play after the NCAA looked into his eligibility, according to a Louisville news release.
3. Yes, recruiting can get messy with the involvement of third parties. But the NCAA isn’t ready to introduce an all-out ban on summer recruiting yet, which could have all kinds of consequences, according to a CBSSports.com report.
4. Nasir Robinson needs about a month to recover from surgery on his right knee, writes Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Robinson started every Panther game last season, averaging 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
5. Binghamton will pay former coach Kevin Broadus $1.2 million to just leave and stop haunting university officials, writes John Kekis of the Associated Press. Broadus took Binghamton to the NCAA Tournament, and the team promptly imploded with criminal mischief, recruiting violations and academic shenanigans.

Don’t get sick at Long Beach State. You might be a bubble boy, but you’re still gonna be practicing your butt off.

This is how they get down in Hong Kong. One-handed three-pointers like it’s not a big deal.

Throwback special! Maybe the best combo of Halloween and hoops in a movie.

Wright State opens practice for a night of tricks and treats, including a costume contest. Here’s a contender.

Some ballers are just evil.

Get your undead game on.

March Madness, which extends to April, is like Christmas (or Hannukah, etc.) in spring. June brings the NBA and NHL finals, plus the NBA Draft and an occasional World Cup. January has college and pro football playoffs with college basketball conference action getting started.

But October is great across the American sports landscape. College basketball practices get started, and the hype machine gets rolling into high gear as the first polls come out. NBA action returns, and this year couldn’t be more dramatic with the Miami LeBrons drawing more attention than election season races. In the NFL and college football, we’re starting to figure out the contenders and pretenders.

And if that weren’t enough, we have the World Series to demand our attention for almost two weeks. San Francisco and Texas offer a change of pace from the recent East Coast domination, but both teams are worthy contenders.

So sit back and enjoy the moment.

1. Connecticut will try to convince NCAA officials that self-imposed sanctions are punishment enough for recruiting violations, writes the Associated Press’ Pat Eaton-Robb. The Huskies will have one fewer scholarships this season and next season, and fewer assistants will place calls to recruits.
2. Baylor’s top returning Bear, LaceDarius Dunn, can practice but not play during an investigation into allegations that he broke his girlfriend’s jaw, writes the Associated Press’ Schuyler Dixon.
3. Mississippi is ditching its Confederate-conjuring Colonel Reb in favor of a true rebel…a black bear, the Associated press reports.
4. The 2011 EA Sports Maui Invitational will expand to 12 teams and feature an utterly confusing format that includes several games not actually in the tropics. But the teams that will play in Maui form a formidable group: Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee and UCLA — in addition to host Chaminade.
5. UCLA celebrates what would have been John Wooden’s 100th birthday, writes Peter Yoon for ESPN Los Angeles. The iconic Bruins coach died June 4.
6. With two gigantic video screens, new locker rooms, club seating, more bathrooms, more vendors and wider concourses, New Mexico’s Pit will be even more welcoming for Lobo fans, but probably not for opponents, writes the Associated Press’ Tim Korte.

The defending champs, Duke, headline ESPNU’s coverage.

Northwestern somehow convinced Snoop Dogg and Kid Cudi to show up for the Wildcats’ midnight madness.

Memphis will woo Adonis Thomas with some Yo Gotti-style madness.

The Hoyas attracted local Washington hip-hop artist Wale — and will thump their chests in the general direction of College Park.

In short, covering the latest news isn’t the primary mission of Hoopville. However, we want to give you a quick rundown of some of the top stories and point you in the right direction if you want more about that story. Same deal with game results.

Hoopville’s sweet spot is covering the recruiting trail and digesting the trends that emerge each season. We’d like to engage our readers as much as possible by offering insights that educate you, make you think and hopefully  inspire you to comment on our work — because you agree with our analysis or think we’re totally off base.

We welcome your feedback on this new format.