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News, analysis, feature stories, random thoughts... if it's about college basketball, either in season or during the summer doldrums, you'll find it in Beyond the Arc.

Mike Miller

Mike Miller has been NBCSports.com's college basketball editor since 2003. It's a position he relishes; no wonder considering he transferred to Kansas to watch Paul Pierce play. Most of his favorite sports memories involve college hoops, usually during March, when every waking moment is spent thinking about March Madness.



Pac-10 (RSS)

Pac-10's teams, coaches, style of play.

Injuries add to Howland's UCLA issues

Posted: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:06 AM
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Ben Howland isn’t coaching a basketball team right now. It’s more like a M*A*S*H* unit.

Six scholarship players are nursing injuries, most of which are the nagging kind that could linger. Malcolm Lee’s suffered a mild concussion Sunday. Freshmen Brendan Lane (sprained ankle) and Mike Moser lower back sprain) both hurt themselves at Monday’s practice.

Throw in already ailing forward James Keefe (shoulder) and guard Jerime Anderson (groin) – neither of whom will be available until Nov. – and it’s a thin roster out in Westwood.

As if Howland wasn’t dealing with enough already. CONTINUED >>

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Robinson stressed by Oregon St. expectations

Posted: Friday, September 25, 2009 10:02 AM
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A down year for Pac-10 hoops means a couple of things.

1. The conference may have to endure the catcalls the SEC dealt with in 2008-09. Cal and Washington are going to get most of the hype, but the jury’s out on everyone else.

2. If usual conference powers like UCLA and Arizona are struggling, that opens the door for another team to sneak toward the top.

Perhaps someone like Oregon State? CONTINUED >>

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Washington's going up-up-up tempo

Posted: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 4:24 PM
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Pundits (thus far) aren’t giving the Pac-10 much attention. Conventional wisdom is that the league doesn’t have a true national title contender, so it’s been slotted 6th in most conferences rankings I’ve seen. That’s from ESPN, Fox, Lindy’s and yours truly.

But it’d be foolish to sleep on the Pac-10.

California is going to be a Final Four contender and UCLA’s always tough. But the most entertaining team could be Washington. CONTINUED >>

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Bill Murray may now be an Arizona fan

Posted: Sunday, August 23, 2009 4:34 PM
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Arizona coach Sean Miller made a couple of notable signings this summer in Lamont Jones and Derrick Williams, but my favorite move hiring graduate assistant Luke Murray.

Anything that raises the odds of Bill Murray attending a game is a bonus.

Yep, that Bill Murray. CONTINUED >>

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Floyd fallout: Just who would want USC job?

Posted: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 12:00 PM
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The predictable consensus on Tim Floyd’s resignation? He fell on the basketball sword to save USC’s football program.

That’s what happens when a one-paragraph letter lands on the athletic director’s desk and is accepted without a second thought. All that was missing was a return letter. “Thanks Tim, and enjoy the time off, Pete.”

The school – reeling from allegations of payments to O.J. Mayo from Floyd and the ongoing investigation of more alleged payments to Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush – certainly hopes the resignation carries some weight with the NCAA.

And, after all the turmoil clears, just who is going to want this job? CONTINUED >>

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Turns out Arizona won't be horrid next year

Posted: Sunday, June 07, 2009 9:45 PM
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Even if Arizona doesn’t land prize prep recruit Lance Stephenson, new coach Sean Miller got perhaps the best news of the springs: point guard Nic Wise is headed back to Tucson.

Wise isn’t the biggest name to return to school – that’d be either Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson or Miss State’s Jarvis Varnardo – but I’m not sure any player will be more crucial to his team’s fate in 2009-10.

“Now that I’ve made the decision, I’m really looking forward to my senior year,” he said. I bet. Instead of dragging the depths of the Pac-10, Arizona could be a darkhorse for next season. CONTINUED >>

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Tim Floyd sounds like a man on the brink

Posted: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 11:39 PM
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Tim Floyd has had better springs. The cracks are starting to show. The boosters at Monday’s USC Coaches Tour 2009 got the unfiltered version.

"Kansas has two players who would have been NBA lottery picks, Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, and they are returning to school. Good for them. Our guys get an offer from Islamabad and they’re gone.” CONTINUED >>

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West Coast hoops becoming quite the show

Posted: Friday, January 23, 2009 10:28 AM
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Leave it to Craig Robinson to help bring about some change in the Pac-10.

After partying it up in Washington D.C. Tuesday for his brother-in-law inauguration, Robinson flew into California and led Oregon State to a stunning 69-65 win at Cal.

That sets up a huge game Saturday in Seattle between UCLA and Washington. The winner will be all alone atop the Pac-10.

If you didn’t know, hoops on the West Coast is becoming quite the show. CONTINUED >>

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Does Robinson's life get less hectic soon?

Posted: Thursday, January 15, 2009 6:09 PM
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Determining how many people will attend Barack Obama’s inauguration is an inexact science. A million? Two million? About the only certainties are that it’ll be a star-studded event.

Oh, and at least one Beaver will be there. Guess that means Craig Robinson will skip Tuesday’s Pac-10 coaches’ conference call. CONTINUED >>

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Cal already contending under Montgomery

Posted: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 4:30 PM
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It’s amazing what a good coach can do. Just look at the Pac-10.

UCLA (12-2) continues to thrive under Ben Howland. Herb Sendek’s turned Arizona State (12-2) into a Final Four contender. Heck, Craig Robinson’s even made Oregon State (6-6) into a decent team – still not great – and earned plaudits from his brother-in-law.

But Mike Montgomery at Cal has turned the most heads. CONTINUED >>

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