Of the three Gonzaga players participating in the World Basketball Championships, Canadian forward Kelly Olynyk was probably the least likely guy to emerge as a breakout star.

Whereas Germany's Elias Harris averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds as a freshman last season and fellow Canadian Robert Sacre was a productive starting center for the Zags, Olynyk rarely saw significant playing time. The floppy-haired sophomore-to-be tallied 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12.3 minutes a game last season as a true freshman and had more fouls than points in Gonzaga's two NCAA tournament games.

Based on Olynyk's performance for Canada this week, however, the Zags can expect Olynyk to make a far more significant contribution next season. He averaged 11 points per night the last three games, doing his best work against the top two teams in Canada's group with 13 points on Tuesday against France and 14 on Thursday against Spain.

The 6-foot-11 Olynyk's perimeter skills and agility have made him a centerpiece of Canada's basketball future and a potential contributor at Gonzaga later in his career, but few thought the 19-year-old was ready to make an impact at this level. Canadian coach Leo Rautins didn't think enough of him to give him more than 30 seconds playing time during the team's opening two losses.  

"I was kicking myself in the rear end, we didn't bring him here to sit him on the bench," Rautins told the Toronto Star after the France game. "This kid's a big part of what I think our future is going to be. He's a talented kid; he plays with balls.

"He's not afraid and there's not been one game where I've put him in and he's been timid, and we've had some other guys who've been timid at times."

If Olynyk can play with this level of consistency and aggressiveness for Gonzaga next season, it could give the Zags one of the deepest and most versatile front courts in the nation. The 6-foot-8 Harris is a legit NBA prospect and the 7-foot Sacre averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds as a sophomore.

Sacre tallied eight points and three rebounds against Spain on Thursday but managed just four points and seven boards in Canada's other four games combined. Harris had a combined 10 points in Germany's opening two games but went scoreless in the next two entering Thursday's group stage finale against Jordan.

If you've never heard a ubiquitous college fight song chopped up and remixed into an even more unpleasant rap song, Tennessee forward Renaldo Woolridge is giving you the opportunity to change that.

In honor of the start of college football season, Woolridge, who goes by the rap name Swiperboy, released a new track this week that's sure to be beloved by Vols fans and belittled by the rest of the SEC. It's called "FootVol," a name as subtle as most of the lyrics.

In between school and basketball, Woolridge has found time to release a handful of songs beginning with last December's debut, "Tip Off (College Hoops Time). He told the Knoxville News Sentinel he was a little nervous about the reaction to his latest effort since he was altering a song as beloved in Knoxville as Rocky Top.

"There was a fine line, because it's the Rocky Top song, and people have loved that here for years," Woolridge said. "I remember watching a tape of Marvin Gaye singing the national anthem in 1983, and he sang it differently, and some people liked it, and some people hated it."

There is one aspect of "FootVol" that both Vols supporters and opposing fans can probably both enjoy: A gratuitous shot at former Tennessee and current USC football coach Lane Kiffin.

Raps Woolridge: "Neyland Stadium stand up, let's get it done. We drivin in a new Lane. Forget the last one."  

(Thanks, Rush The Court)

As HBO's "Hard Knocks" winds down with NFL training camp is nearing its conclusion, Marquette is hoping you'll get your reality TV sports fix from its new behind-the-scenes show.

Marquette Basketball: Revealed, an all-access look at the Golden Eagles' program, made its debut this week on the school's official athletic site. The premiere webisode focuses on the team's first meeting of the season during which charismatic coach Buzz Williams imparts some life lessons to his players about displaying strong character and having each-other's backs.

Whereas a show like "Hard Knocks" has a built-in story arc following players' bids to make the New York Jets' roster, the problem with Marquette's show is that there isn't a similar plot line to keep general viewers interested. The show is only slated to run through the team's rivalry game against Wisconsin on Dec. 11, so viewers won't even be able to follow the Golden Eagles' progress throughout the season.

On the other hand, if Marquette is simply hoping this series will attract diehard fans and serve as a recruiting tool, then there's a great chance the school will find success.

A glimpse of players and coaches in an environment in which we wouldn't normally see them will be interesting for Marquette fans hoping to better get to know team personnel entering the season. Potential recruits also will surely enjoy familiarizing themselves with the inner workings of the program, even if the scenes they're allowed to watch are surely heavily edited and hand-picked by members of the school's athletic department.

Our week-long Atlantic 10 preview continues with a look at the conference's 15 most intriguing matchups next season.    

1. Temple at Duke, Feb. 23

Comment: The Atlantic 10 favorites travel to the home of the defending national champions for a rare non-conference showdown just days before the calendar turns to March. Temple's stingy defense facing off with Duke's talented guards should be a treat to watch.

2. Butler at Xavier, TBD

Comment: Add Xavier's quest for revenge after a timekeeper's error cost them a victory at Butler last year, and what already would have been a marquee non-conference game gets that much more intriguing.

Comment: The Atlantic 10's preeminent rivalry will again play a role in shaping the conference title race again next season. Xavier and Dayton split a pair of games last year, with the Musketeers grinding out a home win and the Flyers returning the favor in a 90-65 blowout a few weeks later.

4. Georgetown at Temple, Dec. 9

Comment: On a Temple schedule loaded with challenging non-conference games, this might be the most anticipated home matchup. The Hoyas lost elite center Greg Monroe to the NBA, but return one of the Big East's top backcourts.

5. Florida at Xavier, Dec. 31

Comment: What's the recipe for a wild New Year's pre-party in Cincinnati? How about an afternoon showdown between Atlantic 10 contender Xavier and a Florida team hoping to challenge Kentucky and Tennessee in the SEC West? 

6. Temple at Xavier, TBD

Comment: Temple beat Xavier at home in their lone meeting last season on the way to sharing the conference title with the Musketeers. The two Atlantic 10 contenders again play only once next season, but this time it's in Cincinnati.

7. Saint Louis at Duke, Dec. 11 2010

Comment: It's probably too much to ask for the Billikens to upset Duke at Cameron Indoor Arena, but we learned last year the danger of underestimating Rick Majerus' team. Either way, this should be a great barometer of how much Saint Louis has improved heading into conference play.   

8. Xavier at Cincinnati, TBD

Comment: There was a time when the Crosstown Showdown was the only marquee game on Xavier's non-conference schedule. Even now that it's just one of many, it's still one of the nation's fiercest inter-conference rivalry games.

9. Wake Forest at Richmond, Dec. 29

Comment: Youthful Wake Forest likely won't be as strong as it has been in the past, but getting the Demon Deacons at home is still a nice coup for Richmond. The Spiders rode wins over Florida, Missouri and Old Dominion to an NCAA tournament berth last season.  

10. Temple at Villanova, Dec. 29

Comment: The victory that signaled Temple's strength last season was a 75-65 win over previously undefeated Villanova in December. The Owls will meet their Big 5 rivals again this season, but this time it will be on the road. 

11. Richmond vs. Purdue, Nov. 27 (Chicago)

Comment: If Richmond beats Wright State and Purdue defeats Southern Illinois, it will set up this fun matchup in the title game of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. It's a difficult test for the Spiders, but a nice Thanksgiving treat for the rest of us.

12. Temple at Dayton, TBD

Comment: Two of the league's top defensive teams produced a 49-41 Temple victory last season. Will the Owls be able to hold down Dayton again next season in the lone meeting of the Atlantic 10 contenders?

13. Charlotte vs. Tennessee, Dec. 17 

Comment: If the 49ers are going to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years, this is the type of game they need to win. Tennessee wouldn't play on Charlotte's campus, so they'll play at the Bobcats' home arena instead.

14. Rhode Island at Providence, Dec. 4

Comment: A November visit to Big East favorite Pittsburgh may be the bigger game nationally, but Rhode Island fans would take great pleasure from adding to what has been a miserable past few months for Providence. A Rams win would be their third in four years. 

15. Xavier at Gonzaga, TBD

Comment: Xavier and Gonzaga have been the nation's two premier non-BCS programs the past decade along with Memphis and Butler, but they haven't met in a regular season game during that span. Their lone meeting was a 79-75 Gonzaga victory in the first round of the 2006 NCAA tournament. 

If anyone suspects that other West Coast Conference programs are intimidated by adding a school whose enrollment, funding and facilities dwarf theirs, the league's coaches and administrators would like to put that notion to rest.

Gonzaga officials are excited about BYU joining the WCC because it elevates the league's profile and makes it more difficult for detractors to discount the achievement of winning the conference each season. And basketball coaches from the league's seven other schools believe the extra TV revenue and exposure generated by BYU will aid their quest to consistently compete with the league's two flagship programs in the long term. 

"To be able to add a quality institution like BYU is what we've been looking for since the conference began talking about expansion," Portland coach Eric Reveno said. "I don't feel it makes our challenge any harder because Gonzaga's already in our league and we were already trying to catch Gonzaga. It's like we're in a 100-meter race and there's already one really fast guy in the race. Well, once we get as fast as him, if there's two really fast guys in the race, then it makes no difference."

The arrival of BYU instantly gives the WCC a chance to earn as many as three NCAA tourney berths each year, which puts them in select company among non-BCS conferences. In the past five seasons, the Mountain West, Atlantic 10 and Missouri Valley Conference are the only other non-BCS leagues to earn that many NCAA bids in a single season.

Whereas the WCC had studied the possibility of adding the likes of Seattle, Denver or Pacific for the past year without pulling the trigger, commissioner Jamie Zaninovich wasted little time in snapping up BYU once it became available. The Cougars won 30 games last season, they've been to four straight NCAA tournaments and their large fan base, top-notch facilities and proven commitment to athletics make them a valuable commodity.

The only real risk for Gonzaga is that the Zags find competing with BYU more difficult than expected and damage their national brand by consistently finishing second in what will be regarded at first as a two-team conference. Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth said Tuesday night that such a risk was far out-weighed by the boost BYU could give to the league on the court and off.

"One of the things that they will do for us is make our league more competitive," Roth said. "That's a positive thing. BYU is a national brand. Let's face it, they're nationally known. They will raise that profile of Gonzaga and the league."

The lingering question facing the league's other programs is whether BYU's arrival will help the rest of the WCC bridge the gap with Gonzaga or further widen the gap between the haves and have-nots. Saint Mary's made a surprise run to the Sweet 16 last season and San Diego and Portland have enjoyed successful spurts, but no team has consistently matched Gonzaga's success during the past decade.

Although former San Diego coach Brad Holland fully understands why the league will benefit from adding BYU, he said his initial reaction as a coach would have been that his job was about to get even more difficult. He believes that most of the WCC teams will have to strain to compete with BYU and Gonzaga at first, but he's hopeful that the exposure and TV revenue will eventually help those schools recruit better and improve their facilities to the point where they can hold their own.

"It elevates the significance of the conference in a variety of ways, so the trickle-down effect will be positive for a lot of programs," Holland said. "You're getting closer to getting three teams into the NCAA tournament every year which helps in television and recruiting."

For the league to maximize its potential, Holland said he believes it needs to add a 10th member to make scheduling easier and give BYU a travel partner. League officials said no addition expansion is imminent, but Holland said he thinks Denver's facilities and location make it a strong candidate.

"Denver was definitely making hard overtures to the league during my time in the league," Holland said. "Seattle doesn't have a facility. Denver has a really nice facility and you can tie them in with BYU. Denver, on the surface, makes a lot more sense."

In addition to their legacy as the first team to win back-to-back national titles since John Wooden's UCLA dynasty, members of Duke's 1991 and '92 championship teams seem to share something else in common.

They aren't too great at investing their money wisely. 

The latest victim of a bad investment is former point guard Bobby Hurley, who the Lexington Herald-Leader reports is leaving the thoroughbred business after a bank foreclosed on his 140-acre farm in Florida. PNC Bank is expected to auction off Hurley's Devils Eleven Farm next month to help pay off the $3.3 million debt he owes.

Hurley's financial woes are making headlines slightly more than a year after two of his former Duke teammates hit a similar well-publicized rough patch. San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman filed a lawsuit in May 2009 against Blue Devil Ventures, owned by Christian Laettner and Brian Davis, for failure to repay a $3.64 million loan he had given the company in 2007.

It's a bit more surprising to see Hurley in this predicament considering that his foray into the thoroughbred industry began with so much promise. One of his first horses, the aptly named Songandaprayer, won the 2001 Fountain of Youth Stakes and emerged as an early Kentucky Derby favorite before eventually placing a midly disappointing 13th later that year.

Obviously, the trouble Hurley, Laettner and Davis have experienced is related to the nationwide recession, but it's probably safe to assume a segment of Duke-hating North Carolina and Kentucky fans are taking some perverse pleasure in this.

The rest of us can hope that Hurley's new assistant coaching gig alongside his brother at Wagner helps him land on his feet. And that the current crop of Blue Devils are taking thorough notes in their economics classes.  

Each Wednesday until the college basketball season starts, an ex-player will help The Dagger preview his former conference. Ex-Richmond point guard and current Spiders radio analyst Greg Beckwith was kind enough to join us this week to provide a scouting report on the Atlantic 10:

1. Who's your pick to win the Atlantic 10 next season? 

I expect the conference to be very competitive, but I still say the usual suspects will be at the top of the league. The upper echelon, consistently you've got to look at Xavier, Dayton and Temple to always be in the mix. And then that second tier you've got Richmond, Saint Louis and then Rhode Island should be pretty good as well.

2. Is there a team you like as a dark horse in the league race?

I would say Saint Louis would be the dark horse team. It will be interesting to see if they build on what they did last year now with the higher expectations. You kind of overlook them because they're a great defensive team, but they don't do anything sexy. Nowadays in college basketball it's up-and-down and run-and-gun, but they don't do that. They beat you with good fundamental basketball, especially on the defensive end, and make you play their game.

3. What team do you expect to struggle more than usual?

Xavier's losing a lot, but they always seem to rebound so it's hard to say them. So if there's anyone, I would say Dayton. Even though they've got athleticism and they've got Chris Wright, they lost a lot of seniors and they lost a lot of leadership. They went 8-8 with a really senior-laden team last year. They won the NIT, but can they maintain what they were without that backcourt?

4. Who's your pick for preseason Atlantic 10 player of the year? 

I think Kevin Anderson (from Richmond) will have a phenomenal year again. He lost his backcourt mate (David) Gonzalves, but I think he'll pick up where he left off. And let's put it this way, he has the green light to shoot as many times as he wants, so he'll rise to the occasion and be a very strong candidate to win it again. From there you have Lavoy Allen from Temple who could be a good candidate and Chris Wright of course could be a big-time candidate.

5. Which incoming freshman will make the biggest impact?

Dayton has a really good guard in Juwan Staten. And I'm close to Richmond and there's a really good player I saw the other day (forward Derrick Williams) from Saint Anthony's. His body looks like he's a senior and I know they're really high on that kid. I would think that he would be able to make some noise, but the kid from Dayton is probably the strongest rookie of the year candidate.

6. Which Atlantic 10 player is the most underrated?

I like the kid at Saint Bonaventure, Andrew Nicholson. I think he's an underrated player. He's a really good player for them. He's a great rebounder, very athletic, a great shot blocker. I really like him and he doesn't get a lot of press. They've knocked off some teams at times at home and everything really centers around how he plays.

7. Who is the best defender in the Atlantic 10?

I think Chris Wright is a heck of a defender because of his athleticism. He can change the game. I've seen him have some ferocious blocks that really got the crowd involved. I also like, Kwamain Mitchell, (from Saint Louis). I think he plays tremendous defense on the ball.

8. If you could go back in time, what Atlantic 10 coach would you most like to play for?

I really like (Temple's) Fran Dunphy. I really like what he does, how he coaches and his demeanor with his kids. I've always admired him as a coach and I think he'd be a lot of fun to have a chance to play for. 

It'll be cats and dogs living together.

The Cougars are ditching the Mountain West and joining in the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the West Coast Conference.

A few reporters have been tipped to Brigham Young University's decision to leave the Mountain West. The school will go independent in football and join the West Coast Conference in all other sports.

At this point we're waiting for official announcements from BYU and the WCC, which Andy Katz writes will be happening before the night is over.

(Update: Here's the WCC's press release. There will be a press conference at BYU Wednesday at noon local time, 2 ET.)

The MWC's deadline for BYU's decision was set for tomorrow. That deadline only dealt with what the university was going to do for the 2011-12 academic year. Sneaking in 24 hours before, we now know the Cougars have less than 12 months remaining as a Mountain West school.

They'll be leaving the conference they helped concoct in 1999.

From a basketball perspective and what it does to the Cougs' strength of schedule, it's a demotion, no question. The Mountain West has produced multiple legitimate tournament-caliber teams over the past half-decade, while the West Coast Conference has occasionally given us an inconsistent second fiddle to Gonzaga but not much more. Top to bottom, the MWC is/was a better basketball league.

Now, if Portland and St. Mary's can continue to ascend, the gap is not so grand. That remains to be seen. As of now, the Cougars will not be facing teams that can equate to UNLV, San Diego State, New Mexico and Utah on a year-in, year-out basis. They'll go from playing 15,000-seat arenas in the MWC, in storied venues like The Pit (New Mexico) to balling in 2,500-seat, glorified high school gymnasiums. But the move is based on football and football alone, of course.

BYU instantly becomes the bread-winner in the conference, which prides itself on its privatized religious institutions. BYU is certainly that. 

It didn't take long for North Carolina's new beefed-up social-media policy to drive one of the school's top basketball players off Twitter.

One day after the school revealed each of its teams will have a coach or administrator responsible for monitoring the contents of players' postings, sophomore forward John Henson made it clear he's no fan of the new policy.

Although North Carolina officials told the Raleigh News & Observer that changes to the policy aren't in response to any single incident, it's probably safe to assume that the accusations against defensive lineman Marvin Austin have played a role. Austin, who's at the center of the NCAA's investigation into whether football players had improper contact with agents, posted pictures of an expensive watch for his younger sister and a bag from an ritzy sunglass store before terminating his Twitter account for good.

It's a shame that Henson felt the need to follow suit because he was one of the rare athletes whose Twitter account showcased his fun-loving personality. Henson wrote that he was being "censored" earlier this week and expressed frustration a few months ago after the coaching staff apparently addressed the team about the topic.

"Well, coach just talked to us about twitter and told us we offend some people n what not so this is a farewell to bein' myself," Henson and fellow sophomore Dexter Strickland both Tweeted. 

North Carolina's new policy is more heavy-handed than those of its peers, but the school is certainly not alone in implementing social-media guidelines for its athletes. Most Division I schools warn high-profile players that they are scrutinized as public figures, reminding them not to post incriminating Facebook pictures or write anything that will become bulletin board material for an opponent.

Still, actually assigning a coach the task of poring over his players' Facebook and Twitter posts seems dangerously close to crossing the line between vigilant and invasive. If current Tar Heels feel as though the institution doesn't trust them and treats them as though they're at military school, eventually that message is going to start filtering back to potential recruits. 

Only weeks after Michigan State severed ties with senior guard Chris Allen as a result of a series of team rules violations, Allen's potential replacement in the Spartans' starting backcourt apparently is also in trouble of a different sort.

Promising junior guard Korie Lucious was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving at 2:30 a.m. Monday morning, according to Lansing TV station WLNS. The 20-year-old guard apparently took a breathalizer test and blew a .09, slightly above the legal limit of .08 even if he were already 21.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo isn't commenting on the report until he gathers more information about the incident. It's difficult to project how Izzo will discipline Lucious, but a suspension during the preseason seems like the most likely outcome unless there's some previous history here that we don't know about.

The incident involving Lucious will surely raise questions about whether Izzo would like to have Allen back on his roster. Allen, who since transfered to Iowa State, has said Izzo kicked him off the team because of tardiness, missed curfews and academic issues. 

Michigan State fans weren't overly concerned with the loss of Allen in part because of the presence of Lucious, the hero of the Spartans' second-round NCAA tournament win over Maryland last season. Lucious replaced injured Kalin Lucas in Michigan State's backcourt for the rest of the tournament and helped the Spartans reach a second straight Final Four.

A prolonged absence for Lucious could be damaging for Michigan State with Lucas still recovering from his Achilles injury and the Spartans set to face a difficult preseason schedule as usual.

Among the opponents on Michigan State's non-conference schedule are national champion Duke, Syracuse, Texas and South Carolina. They could also face Kentucky, Connecticut or Washington in the Maui Invitational