Ran into coach Tom O'brian at my high school recruiting for Virginia. Talk about awkward ....

Miami big man Reggie Johnson is expected to miss about six weeks with a broken thumb, source told CBSSports. Tough blow for the 'Canes.

Good things are happening for NC State, which currently sits atop the ACC standings with a 13-1 and 3-0 ACC record. It is quite a feat for the Wolfpack, which not long ago lost 127 out of 128 ACC matches from 2001 to 2007.

Plus, for the sixth year, I have to go on the road for our first conference game, so that always changes things, too.

"When coach Williams opened the case you almost couldn't look directly in it for fear of going blind," Randle joked. "It was crazy."

Matt Kupec, a star quarterback for UNC-Chapel Hill who later returned to become its chief fundraiser, resigned Sunday after an internal investigation showed he and the divorced mother of former UNC star basketball player Tyler Hansbrough appear to have taken personal trips at the university’s expense, Chancellor Holden Thorp said Monday.

"One thing, you look at them on defense and they are much better up front,'' Jones said of the team that beat USA 35-13 last year in the Jags' first-ever game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent . "They've got some good lineman on defense and they are very athletic. That's the thing that jumps off the tape at you defensively."

Lance Thomas purchased five pieces of diamond jewelry at a cost of $97,800 on Dec. 21, 2009, in the middle of his senior season, according the lawsuit. Documents included with the suit indicate he made a $30,000 down payment and received $67,800 in credit from the firm, the balance that remains unpaid.

The Wolfpack are a popular sleeper nationally, but that has a lot to do with a non-conference trio of South Alabama, The Citadel and UConn. Still, N.C. State is one of the six ACC teams projected to have a winning record in conference. And the numbers give the 'Pack an 82.9% chance of avoiding a losing conference season.