The 49ers loaded up their nonconference slate with the likes of Kansas, North Carolina, San Diego State, Louisville and Xavier. The team struggled through many of those games, ending up with a 7-6 record heading into Big West play.

But don’t be fooled. The 49ers were more than competitive against the big boys, with single-digit losses on the road at San Diego State, Kansas and North Carolina. Plus, the 49ers beat Pittsburgh, Xavier and Auburn. None of those are particularly outstanding — the Xavier win came during the Musketeers’ tailspin following the brawl against Cincinnati. But in short, Dan Monson’s team learned how to win and how to believe in itself.

This team has taken that lesson and applied it well through the first seven games of Big West play. Long Beach State sits atop the conference standings with a 7-0 record, and only Cal Poly stayed within 10 points of the 49ers.

If Long Beach State can continue to plow through the Big West and claim an automatic to the NCAA Tournament, the 49ers should be a popular first-round upset pick. Their lack of hefty wins will prevent the team from earning a seed much higher than a No. 12 or 13 spot. But that just makes this team a sound pick to upset any No. 4 or 5 seed from a major conference on a neutral court.

The benefits of such a tough schedule might not show up in the win-loss columns immediately. But if Long Beach State goes 1-1 or 2-0 during the first weekend of March, that tournament success will be partially due to the team’s preparation early in the season.

We take you coast to coast with news from around the college basketball nation.

Murray State will get back leading rebounder Ivan Aska, who grabs 6.0 rpg and scores 12.6 ppg, for the team’s game against Eastern Illinois Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

Michigan could have big Jon Horford back for the Wolverines’ game against Purdue Tuesday, coach John Beilein told Wolverine Nation’s Chantel Jennings for ESPN.com. Horford has been out with a stress fracture since early December.

Arguably the most intense and spite-filled rivalry in the ACC, Maryland and Duke will clash for the first time this season Wednesday night in College Park. And the Terrapins will likely have freshman 7-footer Alex Len, even though he twisted his ankle during the Terps’ loss at Temple last weekend, according to the Washington Post’s Liz Clarke.

Of course, that’s no disrespect to the North Carolina vs. Duke rivalry. And this year, coach Roy Williams won’t have his best defender, Dexter Strickland, who tore his ACL in the team’s win against Virginia Tech Thursday, according ESPN.com’s Robbi Pickeral.

Arkansas coach Mike Anderson is considering adding a hometown hero to the Razorbacks squad, according to the Associated Press. Former Oklahoma State guard Fred Gulley has enrolled at Arkansas and plans to play for Anderson as a walk-on or scholarship player. He was a star high school basketball player in Arkansas before leaving the state to play for the Cowboys.

Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan railed against the rule that allows graduated players to transfer and play immediately during a news conference Monday, writes Benjamin Worgull for Badger Nation.com.

Friday:

• Creighton at Illinois State
• Cleveland State at Butler
• Missouri State at Northern Iowa
• Seton Hall at South Florida

Saturday:

• UNLV at San Diego State
• Alabama at Mississippi State
• New Mexico at Wyoming
• Kentucky at Tennessee
• North Carolina at Florida State
• Rutgers at West Virginia
• Texas at Missouri
• Colorado at Stanford
• St. Bonaventure at Xavier
• Connecticut at Notre Dame
• Kansas State at Oklahoma
• NC State at Wake Forest
• Oregon at Arizona
• Ohio at Akron
• UCF at Marshall
• La Salle at Dayton

Sunday:

• Indiana at Ohio State
• Cleveland State at Valparaiso
• Youngstown State at Butler
• Loyola (Md.) at Iona
• Georgia Tech at Maryland
• Washington State at Washington

We go coast to coast with news from around the college basketball nation.

In case you missed it earlier this week, Pitt kinda struggled against Rutgers. And by kinda, we mean the Panthers totally stunk. According to ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nationg” blog, the Panthers had their worst home performance in more than 60 years, scoring only 39 points in the 23-point embarrassment against the Scarlet Knights.

Texas Tech’s Terran Petteway will miss tomorrow’s game against Texas A&M because coach Billy Gillispie suspended Petteway for elbowing Kansas’ Connor Teahan, earning himself an ejection, according to an Associated Press report.

Chairs, beware. Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said he has no regrets for slamming a chair on the court to motivate the Hawkeyes during a 28-point beatdown at Michigan State, according to an Associated Press report.

Fresh off a national championship in football, Alabama fans got to stick it to LSU once again Wednesday night when the Tigers came to Tuscaloosa. One of the more creative Bama fans brought a sign that mocked the Tigers football team’s struggle in getting past midfield in the BCS Championship Game, writes USA Today’s Nicol Auerbach. Check out the Tide fan’s cheeky taunts here.

Former Clemson guard Cory Stanton hopes he’s found a basketball home in Knoxville after walking on to the Volunteers, according to an Associated Press report. Stanton arrives at Tennessee via Lipscomb after playing one season at Clemson.

Already, about half of Division I conferences have played at least one conference game. The Summit League’s South Dakota State sits at 3-0, giving the Jackrabbits the most conference wins of any team in the country. There’s a random fact for you.

In many ways, it feels like the season starts anew when conference play begins in earnest when the calendar turns to a new year. Yes, there are plenty of fantastic nonconference games throughout the season, and some of the best rivalries involve teams from different conferences, such as this weekend’s bout featuring Louisville and Kentucky. However, no matter how intense those rivalries might be, the stakes just aren’t as high when the winner doesn’t gain ground in the win-loss column of its conference standings.

I like to view the nonconference schedule as a time for growth. Teams get two months to adjust to new arrivals — on the roster or coaching staff — while playing only a few games conference games. That gives the coaching staff a chance to settle on an effective rotation and integrate any late additions because of transfer rules or early season suspensions.

In addition to growth as a team, the nonconference slate gives teams a chance to build their résumé for the NCAA Tournament. For the vast majority of D-1 programs, the only route to an NCAA Tournament is the automatic bid awarded with a conference tournament championship. However, for a bunch of teams, November and December help set expectations for conference play. Just look at Indiana, which entered the season unranked. The Hoosiers beat up some overwhelmed competition, which wouldn’t do Indiana any good in the eyes of the selection committee members come March. Then the Hoosiers went out and beat Kentucky. That’s a massive win that will help solidify Indiana’s NCAA Tournament status, even if the Hoosiers scuffle a bit in Big Ten play, finishing with only a .500 Big Ten record.

On the other hand, teams like Vanderbilt enter conference play knowing they have some work to do. The Commodores started the season as a top 10 team, but they have dropped games to Cleveland State, Xavier, Louisville and Indiana State. A couple of those losses are surprising while a couple are missed opportunities. Right now, the Commodores’ best wins are against Oregon, Oregon State and North Carolina State. None of those teams is a lock for the NCAA Tournament. So Vanderbilt must make hay in the SEC, especially against Florida, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi State. The Commodores get those teams six times, and Vanderbilt probably needs to win at least three — preferably one on the road — to feel secure about an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

And that just spices up already-compelling conference slugfests.

We go coast to coast with news from around the college basketball nation.

We’ll have at least two undefeated teams heading into 2012, as Baylor and Syracuse don’t play again in 2011 after winning last night. And that’s more than previously unbeaten Indiana and Louisville can say after dropping their first game of the season last night. Missouri plays Old Dominion Friday, and fellow unbeaten Murray State will also be in action Friday, against Eastern Illinois.

Connecticut might not be undefeated, but the Huskies are 1-0 without Jim Calhoun on the sidelines this season, CBS Sports.com reports. The Huskies beat South Florida last night, the first game of Calhoun’s three-game suspension, which is his punishment from a recruiting scandal in which he was cited for creating an atmosphere of compliance in Storrs.

Rhode Island is 1-11 this season, and that’s with senior guard Jamal Wilson in the lineup for 11 of those games. Life won’t be any easier for coach Jim Baron after he suspended the team’s leading scorer for breaking team rules, according to an Associated Press report. Wilson is averaging 17.5 ppg for the struggling Rams.

One of the complaints about conference expansion/realignment/destruction is the loss of rivalries that get the fans going. The Big Ten and Pac-12 are looking to avoid those situations via a strategic partnership that will allow the conferences to schedule multiple games between its members to encourage compelling match ups, which could include rivalry games, according to an ESPN.com report.

Maryland had to wait 10 games to get Ukrainian big man Alex Len on the court, writes Eamonn Brennan for ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog. However, he could become a critical player quickly, as evidenced by his 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in his first game Wednesday against Albany.

In case you missed the big news of yesterday, Louisville coach Rick Pitino announced that he intends to call it a career when his contract expires in 2017, according to the Associated Press. At 59, Pitino is already looking ahead to the end of his coaching run, which includes trips to the Final Four with three different teams (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville).

The NCAA is entering new levels of ridiculous mismanagement. The Associated Press reports that the NCAA might reconsider giving new scholarship student-athletes a $2,000 stipend, though it would have to allow players who have already signed letters of intent to receive the extra cash while banning those who sign later.

Ohio State superstar Jared Sullinger is still hurting from recurring back spasms, and coach Thad Matta didn’t want to say when Sullinger will be back in the lineup for the Buckeyes, according to a CBS Sports.com wire report. But Sullinger answered that question Wednesday night when the Buckeyes beat down USC Upstate 82-58 and Sullinger played 24 minutes and got 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Nobody will face criminal charges in the Xavier/Cincinnati brawl, the Associated Press reports. Joe Deters, a Hamilton County, Ohio, prosecutor, looked into the matter, deciding not to pursue charges against anyone. One of the factors was Xavier center Kenny Frease’s satisfaction with an apology from Cincinnati’s Yancy Gates, who decked Frease in the head during the debacle.

Seton Hall will gain some more depth this weekend with the return of freshman Brandon Mobley, who had been out with a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum since the summer, according to the Associated Press.

Don’t skip your court appearances. Nothing good can happen. Just ask Kansas’ Ben McLemore. The freshman is under arrest after skipping a Dec. 6 court appearance for a citation related to underage alcohol possession, according to a CBS Sports.com wire report.

Also on the list of bad behavior is taunting fans by grabbing your crotch. New Mexico State sophomore Christian Kabongo did that, and now he’s suspended, writes Diamond Leung for ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog.

Syracuse still has Melo — Fab Melo that is. If you thought I was talking about Carmelo Anthony, well, I kinda was. The NBA star who led the Cuse to a championship is convinced that Melo 2.0 and the rest of the crew have the talent to win another championship for the first time since 2003.

I’m not gonna lie — I love the fan experience. And if you tell me that a team in California’s tradition is to throw tortillas when a victory is in hand, I find it amusing. I mean, a flying tortilla — presumably uncooked soft tortilla — won’t hurt anyone. Except when your team is only up two and the officials consider giving the home crowd a technical. Yep, that’s how UC-Santa Barbara’s 65-61 win against San Diego went down, writes Diamond Leung for ESPN.com. When the fans started tossing tortillas, the officials considered tossing out a T. They opted to go with a public announcement that any more thrown items would produce two free throws for the Toreros. The fans settled down, and the Gauchos won.

If the average Total Impact Quotient means anything, the Big 12 and Big Ten have a slight edge over the Big East. Our player rating system credits players for all the various contributions they make during a game, such as points scored, assists, blocks, steals, etc. The Big 12 and Big Ten players average 24.1 points per game, with the Big East not far behind at 23.9 points per game. All three conferences are a cut above the ACC, Pac-12 and SEC, which we critiqued last week.

Although the Big 12 and Big Ten have the slight edge, the Big East has the most productive player of any power conference team. Pittsburgh’s Travon Woodall has been in beast mode all season, at least until a groin injury and abdominal tear forced Woodall to the sidelines for one month. That’s about the only thing that’s been able to stop Woodall, who is shooting 52 percent from the field, 46 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the free throw line.

In addition to scoring at a very efficient rate, Woodall has been one of the best floor leaders in Division I thus far, averaging 8.3 apg. The cherry on top is Woodall’s 3.4 rpg. He’s got four double-doubles already this season, coming three rebounds short of a triple-double in the Panthers’ 86-78 win against Rider in the second game of the season.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 most productive players for each conference, ranked by TIQ per 40 minutes. Here are the conference averages.

Big 12 = 24.1
Big East = 23.9
Big Ten = 24.1

Big 12

Big East

Big Ten

Now that’s take a closer look at production based on playing time. For this, we’re labeling players who play at least 80 percent of his team’s possible minutes as Heavy Usage guys. Players who log 60-80 percent of their team’s minutes are in the Major Contributors category, while everyone else qualifies for In the Rotation.

Big 12

Big East

Big Ten

And here’s the full TIQ player ratings for the Big 12, Big East and Big Ten. The TIQ listings are sorted by team and Real TIQ per Game.

Big 12

Big East

Big Ten

No team can ever rely on one player, and certainly not Penn State. Frazier is a good player, but he’s not exactly at the top of people’s minds as a first team All-American. He’ll do all he can for this team, and he’s certainly done plenty thus far, but the plain fact is that if this team is to be better than one of the Big Ten’s bottom-feeders, other players need to get going on something resembling a consistent basis.

On Wednesday, Frazier had to sit for stretches in the first half after he picked up his second foul before the halfway point. At first, they didn’t score for more than two and a half minutes with him out, but they managed to stay close in the first half despite getting just two points from their star. With that, you had a feeling that they would have a chance in this game as long as he didn’t get in more foul trouble in the second half.

Granted, Boston College is not a good team, as the Eagles are not only young but inexperienced all over and trying to find out combinations as well as learn about the college game. It’s not like Penn State knocked off North Carolina on Wednesday. But the game served to illustrate what might be possible for this team if Frazier gets some help.

Frazier didn’t get in more foul trouble in the second half, and Boston College never broke away from Penn State despite leading for much of the first 12 minutes of the second half. The Eagles ultimately paid the price with the game.

One player who could be that second scorer is Jermaine Marshall, who had a career-high 22 points on Wednesday night to go with eight rebounds. Marshall has now scored in double figures twice on the season and looks athletic enough to be a scoring threat from the wing. One factor with the sophomore is that he had not played for two years before last season, as he missed his senior season of high school with a torn patella tendon in his knee and then redshirted his true freshman year to continue rehabbing the injury and put on weight. He’s scored his points in bunches in his career, scoring 18 against Purdue in one game last year and half of his points on the season before Wednesday night against South Florida in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off.

Now that he’s played a full season and is en route to getting more consistent minutes this season, Marshall may have a lot of the rust shaken off. Frazier said he saw some of Marshall’s potential last year albeit in spurts. Chambers said he had practiced well leading up to Wednesday’s game and had a sense that Marshall might have a good game coming, as did Frazier.

“He had great practices coming up to this, and it showed on the court today,” Frazier said of Marshall. “He was hitting shots, playing defense, led the team in rebounding.”

Another candidate is third-leading scorer Billy Oliver, and like Marshall he spent last year getting some rust taken off. Oliver missed nearly two seasons due to a concussion and related symptoms following it. Chambers thinks on any given night, the second scorer could be Marshall, Oliver, Cameron Woodyard or freshman Trey Lewis among others. Lewis is the only Nittany Lion besides Frazier who is in double digits in assists on the season.

No matter who it is, getting someone to help Fraizer in the scoring department will be important. Frazier is a competitor and will do everything he can for this team to win, and thus far he has with his scoring and passing. But take some of the load off of him and this team will only be better.

“I think it’s crucial,” Chambers said. “I thought BC did a really good job on Tim. Let’s give BC their due right there.”

The Nittany Lions are 6-2 while relying a lot on Frazier. As the players get adjusted to new roles and the new coach, if they improve this team could be better than many think.

From top to bottom, the Big Ten has the most quality, and those teams were on display Tuesday as the conference grabbed a 4-2 lead in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Among the premier teams, Ohio State thumped Duke 85-63 as the Buckeyes tore through the Blue Devils’ Swiss cheese defense. Four of Ohio State’s five starters scored at least 17 points, led by Jared Sullinger’s 21. As a team, Ohio State shot nearly 60 percent from the field and from 3-point range. When they did miss, they collected the rebounds nearly 30 percent of the time, which is actually off their season average of about 34 percent, according to Ken Pomeroy’s stats. But when you’re already shooting 60 percent, any second chances at all could be devastating for your opponent.

Although the convincing victory is excellent, it’s not altogether shocking. Duke entered a hostile environment in Columbus coming off a tough trip to Maui last week in which the Blue Devils battled tooth and nail three straight days to claim the EA Sports Maui Invitational title. Yes, they had nearly a week off, but Duke looked tired, as several players launched air balls from deep throughout the game. With eight days off until their next game, look for the Blue Devils to rest up and rebound well.

Perhaps the best win of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge last night was Northwestern’s 16-point victory at Georgia Tech. For a team searching for its first NCAA Tournament bid in school history, the Wildcats had to win this one. Georgia Tech does not figure to be competitive for the ACC title this year, but the Thrillerdome remains a tough place to play. Northwestern was on its game, shooting 55 percent from the field, with John Shurna leading the way with 25 points. The Wildcats’ win is impressive because it’s not like the team is totally unfamiliar to the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory was an assistant to MIchigan State’s Tom Izzo for several years, including in 2003, Bill Carmody’s first season in Evanston. And it’s not like his style of play has changed much in eight years, according to Pomeroy’s stats.

The Big Ten will look to continue its strong play tonight, highlighted by a huge match up in Chapel Hill between North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Here are some other news and notes from across the college basketball nation.

North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes is expected to play in that clash with the Badgers tonight after spraining his ankle in the Tar Heels’ loss to UNLV last weekend, ESPN reports.

Bernie Fine is out at Syracuse after new and more troublesome allegations of sexual abuse emerged during the past week. However, the Associated Press’ John Kekis writes, Orange coach Jim Boeheim isn’t worried about his own job security, despite vehemently defending Fine when the allegations first appeared, going as far as to call the accusers liars. The investigation continues in this case, so Fine is innocent until proven guilty. But there apparently was enough smoke for Syracuse to find cause to ditch the veteran assistant before a raging fire broke out.

USC forward Dewayne Dedmon, averaging 7.7 ppg and 6.0 rig, will miss about a month because of a stress injury in his right foot, the Associated Press reports. The Trojans have been struggling already this season with one of their big men in the lineup. This certainly won’t help the cause.

Eamonn Brennan notes for ESPN’s College Basketball Nation blog that Florida coach Billy Donovan picked up win No. 400 in his career when the Gators dismantled Stetson 96-70. At age 45, Donovan is one of the few coaches in the game who have the early success that could put him in position to challenge Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s record for Division I wins — whenever Coach K calls it a career.

But when you need a break from the shopping malls or a respite from scouring the Internet for cyber deals, tune in to the 13th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

In 2011, the Big Ten will look to pick up its third consecutive victory in this interconference duel, after a decade of futility. When the challenge started in 1999, the ACC simply controlled the entire thing, winning the first 10 challenges. However, the Big Ten is starting to turn the tide, winning six games to five in the past two challenges.

However, there’s no guarantee either conference will win this year. With the addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten, we have an even 12 teams in both conferences. Considering seven of the first 12 challenges were decided by one game, the addition of another game makes ties in the challenge almost an inevitability.

But not this year. I might be an ACC guy by nature as a UNC alum, but I’m going with the Big Ten to win its third consecutive ACC/Big Ten Challenge, by a count of 7-5. Here’s the schedule for the week (all times EST).

• Michigan at Virginia: Tuesday, 7 pm
• Northwestern at Georgia Tech: Tuesday, 7:15 pm
• Illinois at Maryland: Tuesday, 7:30 pm
• Miami at Purdue: Tuesday, 9 pm
• Clemson at Iowa: Tuesday, 9:15 pm
• Duke at Ohio State: Tuesday, 9:30 pm
• Indiana at North Carolina State: Wednesday, 7:15 pm
• Penn State at Boston College: Wednesday, 7:15 pm
• Florida State at Michigan State: Wednesday, 7:30 pm
• Virginia Tech at Minnesota: Wednesday, 9:15 pm
• Wake Forest at Nebraska: Wednesday, 9:15 pm
• Wisconsin at North Carolina: Wednesday, 9:30 pm

Challenge highlights:

Quick! Besides Nebraska, which is new to the challenge, name the only team that has won every ACC/Big Ten Challenge game it has played? Duke? Michigan State? Wrong. Boston College. The Eagles will put their 5-0 record on the line against Penn State when the Nittany Lions come to Chestnut Hill Wednesday night.

Northwestern plays its first true road game at Georgia Tech, a game in which the Wildcats will be favored. The Wildcats are one of a small handful of teams that have never made it to the NCAA Tournament, and this is the type of game that they must win.

Duke and Ohio State are no strangers to the NCAA Tournament, and this game will be a top-notch quality win for the victor. Duke is the only team from either conference to have double figure wins (11-1), while the Buckeyes are 5-5 in the challenge. Another point of intrigue is the coaching match up. At age 44 and possessor of 298 career wins, Thad Matta is one of the few coaches alive who has any prayer of coming close to Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, who recently passed Bob Knight for the most Division I wins in NCAA coaching history.

It’s hard to tell how good Indiana is after rolling to a 6-0 start against mostly cream puff opponents. The Hoosiers will start getting into the beef of their schedule when they come to Raleigh to play NC State. The Wolfpack are 4-1 at home in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and this game will be a test of the development of this talented team.

North Carolina is still smarting from its loss in Sin City to UNLV. The Tar Heels return home to face one of the top teams in the Big Ten when Wisconsin storms the Dean Dome. On paper, the Badgers look like they could cause trouble for the Tar Heels as they can shoot very well from the perimeter, and they have a sure-handed point guard in Jordan Taylor who can slice and dice his way through North Carolina’s defense to set up his teammates.

Prediction time:

Virginia wins a hard-fought, low-scoring battle at home against Michigan.

Northwestern takes care of business in Atlanta, beating Georgia Tech by at least six points.

Illinois hands Maryland its first home loss in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in a game that gets ugly in the second half.

Purdue gets past Miami in a game that features several big runs and shaky defense. In the end, Miami falls short as Purdue rebuilds a late lead.

Clemson sneaks past Iowa in a game that is harder for the Tigers than expected, coming down to clutch free throws.

Ohio State wins the marquee game of Tuesday night by beating up the Blue Devils and then shooting them out of the building for a somewhat surprising double-digit win.

NC State protects the lair against a competitive Indiana team that remains close until the final minute.

Penn State joins Illinois as the only Big Ten teams with three roads wins in the challenge by beating Boston College.

Michigan State wins a very physical game that features prolonged scoring droughts, especially by Florida State.

Virginia Tech migrates north to beat Minnesota and Tubby Smith, as Dorenzo Hudson and Erick Green have big games from the perimeter.

Nebraska starts to like this whole challenge thing with an easy win against Wake Forest.

North Carolina gets past Wisconsin in a game that keeps the fans in blue nervous until the final minutes as the Tar Heels show some grit in getting past a Wisconsin team that controls the pace.

The Nittany Lions were humbled 85-47 by Kentucky on Saturday. A game like that is usually indicative of the winning team playing very well and the losing team playing very poorly, two things that don’t come together often but isn’t the rarest combination of events, either. Since they started out 3-0, including a nice win over a good Long Island team that played later on Sunday, it was a big change in the bottom line for this team.

“Everything was very glaring – our youth, our mistakes, our inexperience, it all came out,” said Chambers of the blowout loss.

The question coming out of a game like that is how the team will respond right after it, and at first it wasn’t good on Sunday. The first half between Penn State and South Florida was bad basketball from an offensive standpoint as the teams combined for 34 points. They were better in the second half, shooting over 52 percent from the field, and Chambers mentioned the big basket by Billy Oliver late in the game that helped them seal it as they led by six at that point.

Tim Frazier has been carrying the Nittany Lions thus far. The junior guard had 27 points and six rebounds on Sunday, and he’s done it all for them as he’s not only their leading scorer but also the only player with double digit assists through five games and the only player making more than 43 percent of his field goal attempts. They certainly need others, such as Oliver, Jermaine Marshall (14 points on Sunday), Cameron Woodyard and Trey Lewis, to contribute.

“These guys have got to step up for (Frazier),” said Chambers. “These guys need to step up and make plays for Penn State. We can’t rely on Tim every game, or it’s going to be a long season for Penn State.”

Related to that, the Nittany Lions had just five assists on 17 made baskets on Sunday and have 55 through five games. Chambers cited the need to move the ball better so other players besides Frazier can get good shots and so that he doesn’t have to bail them out so often. Frazier is very good, but he’s not an all-world player. In some sense, this challenge is similar to last year at Boston University for him, when he had to get younger players to make themselves a factor instead of deferring to veteran players.

Chambers isn’t a bad man for the job. He’s charismatic and very personable and those characteristics can go a long way with recruits. He appreciates the chance he has with the game of basketball as much as anyone after he was stabbed and almost died nine years ago before he entered the world of college coaching. So Penn State did well with the hire from a lot of angles. But no matter who the coach is, this is a very difficult job because it’s proven to be difficult to recruit the talent there to win with on anything remotely resembling a consistent basis.

The Nittany Lions have just one senior and three juniors, so there’s a lot of inexperience and untapped potential on this team. There’s a lot Chambers can do with the current group at an impressionable point in their college careers even if some of them are not players he recruited.

The remainder of the non-conference schedule will be a little tougher than the first couple of weeks, save for the Kentucky game. Penn State has to go to Saint Joseph’s, Boston College (Big Ten/ACC Challenge) and Duquesne and host Mississippi. This team has more challenges ahead, and once Big Ten play starts they go on the road for the first two games (Michigan and Northwestern).

The early going has had some bright spots, but also had a humbling point on Saturday. If the Nittany Lions emerge well from it, Chambers will have them well on their way to ultimately succeeding, even if it doesn’t quite happen this season.

That said, we’ve got some fairly expected results here in addition to the unexpected. For example, who would guessed that after about a week, Kansas’ Kevin Young would have the biggest impact per 40 minutes of any Jayhawk? But that’s the kind of TIQ that a player can post when he shoots 6-of-8 from the field in 16 minutes — and grabs nine rebounds while committing only one turnover. Of course, there’s no guarantee that Young, who averages eight minutes per game, would really have that much of an impact if given more playing time.

That’s where the Real TIQ per Game comes into play. For that measure, we basically multiply a players TIQ per 40 Minutes by the percent playing time he actually logs.

So sticking with the Big 12 analysis, Texas’ J’Covan Brown is by far the most productive player in the conference through the first week and change. He’s putting up 47.3 points per game in Real TIQ. That’s nearly 14 points better than the No. 2 player in the conference, Iowa State’s Royce White with 33.9 points per game.

Brown has been the dominant veteran on a really young Longhorns team. In three games, he’s got 88 points, 23 assists, 16 rebounds, six steals, 28-of-55 shooting from the field and 13-of-27 from 3-point range. Brown has put up those numbers against Boston University, Rhode Island and Oregon State, which aren’t the most challenging teams in the world, but they’re not exactly cream puffs either.

Let’s get into the TIQ charts, which are presented in descending order of TIQ per 40 minutes. If someone looks unusually high on the list for a team, check out his percent playing time. Then ask whether you think that player would continue to produce with more playing time. The answer is usually probably not.

Average TIQ per 40 Minutes = 26.3 points

Average Real TIQ per Game = 14.3 points

BIG 12

BIG EAST

BIG TEN