According to the Syracuse paper, the Orange is under investigation and has been for some time.

It’s probably not what you think, at least not in part: it’s tied to an alleged 2007 case in which then-players Jonny Flynn, Scoop Jardine and Rick Jackson were accused of sexual assault and then, subsequently, some level of harassment. Details are always hard to come by in these cases, but that’s it in a nutshell.

There is more, including questions about Fab Melo and other recent players.

Jardine, incidentally, in a piece of spectacular bad timing, is supposed to help CBS broadcast the NCAA tournament. Also contributing this year: Alaa Abdelnaby, Chris Spatola and Bobby Hurley.

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Apparently Seth Davis irritated some people with his call for a Montana upset of Syracuse. It’s not as irrational as it may seem.

First, Syracuse has certainly been erratic of late. Second, although most in the East haven’t seen Montana, Duke fans have: the Grizzlies came to Durham in 2008 and acquitted themselves well. Duke won by 20, but that’s not the thing to look at in these games. What you look for is composure, skill and signs that the team is well coached.

With a name like Tinkle, we were prepared to laugh, but Wayne Tinkle‘s Grizzlies were an impressive team. We’ve seen a couple of (so-called) mid-majors who have impressed us thusly, Davidson on a regular basis.

This year, Montana’s 25-6 with an overtime loss to Davidson on the schedule.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that what mostly separates a Montana from a Syracuse is location and resources.

The coaching can be fairly even.

In a one-off format, that makes it a real crapshoot.  So it could just as easily be here as anywhere else. It’s not an outrageous upset pick. It might be kind of smart.

Another team worth reconsidering is Valparaiso. We know they’re playing Michigan State, and we don’t bet against the Spartans often in the NCAAs. Valpo is well coached though and full of experienced players. Ryan Broekhoff is a guy who knows how to make clutch plays. They’ll have to stay close obviously – they’re not blowing Michigan State out – but if they do, they have the tools to finish the job.

*****

We were amazed, frankly, to learn Wednesday that Julius Randle had signed with Kentucky. That gives them perhaps the strongest class ever, with Randle, the Harrison twins, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, James Young and Derek Willis joining returnees (prospectively) Archie Goodwin, Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress, Kyle Wiltjer, Jon Hood, Jarrod Polson and possibly Ryan Harrow and/or Nerlens Noel, although the latter seems unlikely.

But consider this: there are 11 potential draft picks in this group. What happens if they all leave for the same draft?

Just a stray thought but amazing to consider.