Stupid Mediacom...haven't had internet in the house since yesterday morning...you'll get your Bowling Green BTBS preview soon, I promise!  I know you must have been getting the shakes without it...you've got to learn everything about the Falcons immediately, and Mediacom deprived you of that!  That, and instead of posting a couple of links last night, I've had to save them for this epic links post...

With the "stay or go" deadline for this year's NBA Draft passing, a couple local outlets took the opportunity to look at next year's Big 12 basketball race.  Here are Steve Walentik and the KC Star starting the conversations.  Usually it's the big-time schools that are hurt by early entry...only, in the Big 12, the rich got richer.  OU lost Blake Griffin, ATM (amazingly) lost Junior Elonu...but KU and Texas lost nobody.  Now KU's looking like an easy #1, while UT's probably starting '09-10 in the Top 8-10.

Speaking of basketball...Mike Anderson: not a fan of the JT Tiller/Kim English rule.

Anderson said other alternatives should have been considered, since the new rule enables the team that commits the foul to have the competitive advantage of putting the worst free-throw shooter on the floor at the line despite being the one to commit the transgression.

Among alternatives, he said, might have been allowing the team fouled to take the ball out instead of shooting free throws. Instead, he said, more weight is being put on officials.

"Let's let the (players) decide the game," said Anderson, reiterating, "I think it's a bad rule, but that's me personally, though."

It's not just you, Mike.  The strangest thing about this rule change is that, for the most part, the media seems to accept it as completely logical and fair.  They throw a fit about everything else, but this one's just fine and dandy.

And while we're still on basketball, unless you're a PowerMizzou subscriber, you probably missed this tidbit in an article about the nation's #2 recruit for 2011, Anthony Wroten, Jr.

"I have a top 10 list of schools," he said. "Kansas, Alabama, Syracuse, Villanova, Seton Hall, Louisville, Georgia Tech, St. John's, Missouri, and Washington are my top schools. I am going to wait and see who watches me in July and then go from there.

Now...clearly we've got at best a 10% chance at him right now, but...cool, right?  This guy comes from an area (Seattle) that is not anywhere near Mizzou's backyard, nor is it an area that Mike Anderson has successfully recruited before.  So based on maybe a couple phone calls and games watched on TV, he lists us as a school that has his interest.  Takes a long time for the recruiting tide to turn, but this is a nice start.

And naturally, like most big-time b-ball recruits, the dude's got a Youtube presence...

Some more goodies for PM subscribers:

• New Madrid Co. DE Kony Ealy talks Ole Miss and recruiting...and apparently wants to play both basketball and football at the next level.  We'll see.
• Rockhurst DB Dexter McDonald was a huge Illinois lean until visiting Mizzou...now, not so much.
• A fresh, new 2010 Defensive Hot Board for you.

Derrion Thomas (Derrick's son): likely Mizzou walk-on.  Now, the rumbling a while back was that there was no way he was going to qualify, but we'll see.  It's a potentially nice thing, though.  Good article, by the way...talks about him preparing for his father's HOF induction...

Mizzou: Pitcher U.  Has a nice ring to it.

Finally, the good doctor brings up a nice point...we need more Snow Bowls in our life...