May 1st News and Notes

Dan Wolken of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes about the Tigers’ 2007-2008 non-conference schedule. The marquee match-up of the season should be when the Tigers face Tennessee at home on February 23, in what will be the “College Gameday” featured game of the night. Also on the docket are home games against Arizona, Gonzaga, Holy Cross, Appalachian State, Austin Peay, Arkansas State, and Pepperdine; road games against Ole Miss and Cincinnati; neutral-court contests against USC and Middle Tennessee; as well as an appearance in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. "I probably overscheduled again this year," coach John Calipari said. "But if you're going to do it, this is probably the year." Memphis is ranked #1 in several preseason rankings, and is a legitimate Final Four contender.

ESPN.com’s Andy Katz revises his pre-preseason Top 25 after the early-entry deadline passed Sunday night. Memphis moves up to the top spot after losing no one, while North Carolina sans Brandan Wright drops from #1 to #2. Kansas and Georgetown follow the Tigers and Tar Heels, while the surprise #5 is Washington State. Some other interesting ranking choices: UCLA at #6 behind Washington State, Gonzaga at #11, and Arizona at #13.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sportsline.com discusses the five winners and the five losers of the early-entry deadline. Florida leads the way in the “teams that were hurt badly” category, followed by Ohio State, Georgetown, Kansas, and Georgia Tech. Surprisingly, North Carolina is the top winner in the “teams that survived well” category. Stanford, Tennessee, Memphis, and UCLA round out the top five.

CBS Sportsline.com’s Gregg Doyel gives his picks for the worst decisions of this year’s early-entry period in his “Ten for Tuesday.” Ohio State freshman Daequan Cook leads the way, with Doyel writing “Get your passport, baby.” Josh McRoberts, Marcus Williams, and Arron Afflalo are also on the list. The only player in the top ten that decided to stay in school was Stanford’s Brook Lopez, as Doyel says that he should have gone pro with his stock as high as it currently is.