It's just after 4 p.m. on the east coast on the 12th day of the college basketball season and, so far, members of the Big East conference have yet to lose a game. Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, South Florida, St. John's, Syracuse and Villanova: They're all undefeated, a collective 36-0 so far in the young 2009-2010 season.

Yeah, a lot of those games have been played against the standard early season cupcakes like Marist and Prarie View A&M, but for an entire 16-team conference to play 36 games without a blemish is still an impressive feat. And it's not like every game was a guaranteed victory: Louisville beat Arkansas, Syracuse beat Cal, South Florida beat Virginia, Georgetown beat Temple, Villanova beat George Mason and, most impressively, DePaul (winless in the conference last year) stunned defending Missouri Valley champs Northern Iowa.

We wanted to post this now because given this evening's slate of games, there's a good chance the Big East won't make it to the weekend without a loss. Villanova just tipped off against No. 21 Dayton, while Syracuse plays tonight against the defending national champs, North Carolina.

The Hunt for the Most Interesting Team in the World is the Dagger's 2009-10 countdown preview series. Check out the overriding principles here.

Last year's record: 30-7 (11-5, ACC)

2009-2010's toughest games: Arizona State, NIT final/consolation vs. Connecticut or LSU, at Wisconsin, vs. Gonzaga, at Georgetown

Primary attraction: Because no matter how much you can't stand them, you know you can't turn away.

Three items of undeniable interest:

1. It's Duke -- Before you comment about any perceived anti-Duke bias, remember this: The Hunt set out to find "the most interesting team in the world" and this Duke team isn't very interesting. They're going to be good, yes. But there's little to separate this version of the Blue Devils from the other editions from the past quarter-century. They'll be fundamentally sound. They'll play smart basketball. They'll win 25 games. They'll get more calls than they don't. Coach K will scowl. The Cameron Crazies will be alternately obnoxious and clever. Kyle Singler is going to be an All-American. Dick Vitale will talk about how much he loves Steve Wojciechowski and will then comment that it's a crime J.J. Redick doesn't get more PT in the NBA. Somebody will slap the floor. We've seen this movie before.

2. Holes? -- Listening to some of the people hyping Duke this year, you'd almost forget that the Blue Devils lost its best player (Gerald Henderson), an up-and-coming guard (Elliot Williams) and a senior starter-turned off the bench threat (Greg Paulus). But the departures of the latter two create some serious thinness at guard for Coach K. Jon Scheyer isn't a true point and Nolan Smith has been streaky, at best, during his two years in Durham. Things are a better in the frontcourt, where Singler will line-up with 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek and freshman Mason Plumlee (when he returns from injury), but the forward-heavy lineup may force Krzyzewski to do the unthinkable and play some zone defense at Cameron.

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The Cram Session is a semi-daily melange of last night's most important hoops action.

Tuesday and Thursday's college basketball schedules were like the two halves of a delicious, toasted everything bagel. Wednesday was like the nasty hazelnut cream cheese spread in the middle. (Sorry, I'm projecting. That happened to me this morning. I still haven't gotten over it. Who buys hazelnut cream cheese and tries to pass it off as regular?)

Anyway, today's sked features Georgia Tech-Dayton, North Carolina-Ohio State and Syracuse-California. Yesterday's had Butler-Northwestern. But, as always, The Dagger can always find the bright side of any dreary college basktball day:

Cornell 74, Massachusetts 61 -- Cornell. Ever heard of it? You better, because the Big Red are for real. Wins over Alabama and Massachusetts bode well for the team's bid to win a third straight Ivy League title and bring the conference its first NCAA tournament win since 1998. For UMass, Ricky Harris had a historic night, moving past both Julius Ervin and Marcus Camby on the Minutemen's alll-time scoring list (he's now 12th).

Cincinnati 92, Toledo 68-- Lance Stephenson was much better in his second game, dropping 16 points in an easy Bearcat win over Toledo.

Oral Roberts 83, Stanford 81 -- Since beginning his head coaching 10-0, former Duke star and Mike Krzyzewski disciple Johnny Dawkins has seen his Stanford squad go 11-16, including two early 2009 losses to San Diego and Oral Roberts. Dominique Morrison scored 31 for the Golden Eagles, while Landry Fields got 28 in defeat.

The 2009-2010 college basketball season is only a week old, but the competition for ugliest court design of the year may be over. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the court at the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis:

Where to begin? What's the ugliest part? Is is the monstrous mid-court basketball with markings that makes it vaguely resemble an omega sign? How about the gigantic, slanted font that looks straight out of WordArt in Windows 95? Or perhaps it's the basketball fill inside the three-point line.

For me, it's the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup logo in front of the free throw line. Ads should be conspicuous, but there's a line, you know?

And in case you get thirsty while eating Reese's during the game, be sure to wash it down with Bud Light, because nothing goes better with chocolate than watery light beer. (And why are there even ads for beer on a court used for college basketball in the first place?)

This looks like something a fourth-grader would design when playing on the computer during indoor recess. The court is the polar opposite of the "less is more" approach. 

The Hall of Fame Showcase is a two-game event played in St. Louis. Arkansas and Louisville were first on, with Memphis and Kansas headlining afterward. For some reason, this tournament (which, again, is being played in the midwest) benefits the basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. If viewers can regain their vision after watching four hours of basketball played on the court, it's as good a cause as there can be. Except for all those actual good causes. 

The Hunt for the Most Interesting Team in the World is the Dagger's 2009-10 countdown preview series. Check out the overriding principles here.

Last year's record: 18-14

2009-2010's toughest games: vs. Vanderbilt (at Maui Invitational -- possible future opponents: Maryland, Gonzaga, Arizona, Wisconsin) at Xavier

Primary attraction: Can Lance Stephenson help the Bearcats get back to the tournament for the first time since Bob Huggins was run out of town?

Three items of undeniable interest:

1. Lance -- You don't hear too much about Lance Stephenson anymore. At the end of last spring you couldn't make it through any college basketball discussion without talking about where the uber-hyped, troubled Coney Island native would play his freshman year of college. But after his saga ended with a whimper -- a surprise commitment to Cincinnati that didn't make nearly as many headlines as his pursuit -- Stephenson has become overshadowed by John Wall, Xavier Henry and Renardo Sidney. Is he still worth following? If Cincinnati can get on an early run and make some noise before the Big East season starts, perhaps. But the Big East is deep and it's possible Stephenson and the Bearcats could become a forgotten story real quick.

2. The proven commodity -- Stephenson gets the headlines, but this is Deonta Vaughn's team. The senior could become the second all-time leading scorer in Cincinnati history behind Oscar Robertson, but hopes to distribute more to a frontcourt including Yancy Gates and Oklahoma State transfer Ibrahima Thomas.

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The Hunt for the Most Interesting Team in the World is the Dagger's 2009-10 countdown preview series. Check out the overriding principles here.

Last year's record: 21-14 (9-9, Big Ten)

2009-2010's toughest games: vs. Creighton in Old Spice Classic (possible later opponents: Marquette, Xavier, Florida State, Baylor), vs. Boston College, at Utah, at Kansas, vs. Connecticut

Primary attraction: Last year they went dancing for the first time since 1998. Can John Beilein's squad finish the rebuilding effort in Ann Arbor by turning the Wolverines into Big Ten contenders?

Three items of undeniable interest:

1. Manny being Manny -- As Manny Harris goes, so do the Wolverines. In Michigan's last seven losses of 2009, the guard averaged 10.1 points per game. In the team's final seven wins, he doubled his scoring output with 20.5 per game. With an off-season emphasis on improved ball-handling and a stated goal of going to the line more, expect Harris to get his points. If he can get his teammates involved when opponents are keying in on him, however, expect even more Ws for Michigan this year. Harris had a triple-double in Michigan's first win of the year.

2. John Beilein -- In his third year at West Virginia, Beilein's team came within an overtime of going to the Final Four as a No. 7 seed. This is his third year at Michigan. His guard-centric offense came into its own last year and should see some perimeter help from freshman guard Matt Vogrich. But the inside presence will still need another player to step up in rebounding. DeShawn Sims can only do so much in the paint.

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The Hunt for the Most Interesting Team in the World is the Dagger's 2009-10 countdown preview series. Check out the overriding principles here.

Last year's record: 21-14 (7-9, ACC)

2009-2010's toughest games: Maui Invitational (possibly Gonzaga, Cincinnati or Arizona), at Indiana, vs. Villanova, vs. Winston-Salem

Primary attraction: Maryland may be the most overlooked team in the country. Or everyone may be wary of the team's erratic play last year. With a bulk of its talent returning, anything from an ACC title to an NIT bid is in play.

Three items of undeniable interest:

1. Greivis Vasquez -- He's as talented as he is obnoxious and as inconsistent as he is passionate, and it's great to have him back in college basketball. The senior guard withdrew his name from the NBA draft last spring and returns to lead an enigmatic Terps team that bring back most players from a squad that defeated both national championship participants, but lost at home to Morgan State (hence the inclusion of Winston-Salem on the "toughest games" list). Terps fans will welcome his all-around play (Vasquez led Maryland in points, rebounding, assists and steals last year), while us bloggers are eagerly anticipating the return of his All-American trash-talking skills. It's never a dull moment with Greivis around.

2. Size matters -- The biggest problem Maryland faced last year was a lack of frontcourt size. The Terps were forced to use reserve Dave Neal much more than they would have liked, and it showed against physical, athletic teams like Clemson and Wake Forest. Two recruits will be charged to fill the void. Forwards James Padgett and Jordan Williams will be expected to produce almost immediately, especially given that no top returning Terp measures more than 6-foot-7.

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The Hunt for the Most Interesting Team in the World is the Dagger's 2009-10 countdown preview series. Check out the overriding principles here.

Last year's record: 18-14 (7-9, SEC)

2009-2010's toughest games: vs. Cornell, vs. Baylor, vs. Purdue,

Primary attraction: Can Anthony Grant turn around the Tide and make March in Tuscaloosa about more than just spring football?

Three items of undeniable interest:

1. The aforementioned Mr. Grant -- He was the hottest coaching prospect in the land for a solid three years. The near-heir to Billy Donovan in Florida (before Donovan got cold feet and spurned the Orlando Magic), Anthony Grant thrived for three seasons at Virginia Commonwealth. Now he's charged with turning a football school into a basketball school (for three months of the year, anyway), much like his mentor did at UF.  

2. New style -- "Up-tempo" and "pressure-filled" aren't words normally used to describe Alabama basketball, but they will be this year with Grant's new gameplan. JaMychal Green and Mikhail Torrance will be counted upon to lead the team, which should have more "roll" than any Alabama team in recent years. 

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The Hunt for the Most Interesting Team in the World is the Dagger's 2009-10 countdown preview series. Check out the overriding principles here.

Last year's record: 16-15 (7-11, Big East)

2009-2010's toughest games: vs. Butler, vs. Washington (in Anaheim), vs. Maryland, vs. Duke

Primary attraction: If not for Notre Dame, Georgetown would have been the biggest disappointment of the 2008-2009 season. Will the return of Greg Monroe help the Hoyas push back to the top of the BigEast?

Three items of undeniable interest:

1. Greg Monroe  -- He was the top recruit coming out of high school and showed why at points last year. But Greg Monroe's freshman campaign was beset by inconsistency and long stretches of inactivity (maybe he studied too much Roy Hibbert game film). Don't expect to see either of those this year. With one year of NCAA basketball under his belt and the NBA beckoning in 2010, expect a monster year from 6-foot-11 Monroe.

2. Avoiding collapse? -- When the calendar turned to 2009, Georgetown basketball was in a good spot. The Hoyas had just upset second-ranked and undefeated Connecticut to move to 10-1 on the season. Two straight losses to ranked teams followed, but Georgetown righted the ship with victories over Providence and No. 8 Syracuse before dropping one to No. 2 Duke. Then the bottom fell out. Over the next 37 days Georgetown would win just two games and would only manage four Ws from January 17 to the end of the season. Will the lessons of last year help this Georgetown team or will it prepare them for more of the same this season? Losing DaJuan Summers won't help, but the Hoyas may actually miss glue guy Jessie Sapp even more.

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The Hunt for the Most Interesting Team in the World is the Dagger's 2009-10 countdown preview series. Check out the overriding principles here.

Last year's record: 24-7 (11-5, ACC)

2009-2010's toughest games: at Purdue, at Gonzaga, vs. Xavier

Primary attraction: After a roller coaster year that saw Wake Forest reach No. 1 before flaming out in the first round of the NCAAs, can the team withstand the losses of two first-rounders and make a repeat appearance in the tournament?

Three items of undeniable interest:

1. Back on schedule? -- Wake Forest's arrival came a year earlier than expected. At this time last season, most were expecting Wake to be a middle-of-the-road ACC team that would improve throughout the year and enter 2009-2010 as a potential preseason No. 1. But a quick start and wins over North Carolina and Duke propelled the Deacs to the top of the rankings in January, before a 7-6 finish ended with a thorough beat-down to No. 13 seed Cleveland State in the NCAA tournament. Jeff Teague and James Johnson both went pro (and were first round picks), so now the Deacs will have to rebuild on the fly. Ish Smith, one of the quickest guards, will lead provide senior leadership along with the explosive L.D. Williams.

2. The Chief has arrived -- The bulk of preseason attention in the ACC has gone to Kyle Singler, Greivis Vasquez, Derrick Favors and Ed Davis, but Wake sophomore Al-Farouq Aminu (whose name means "the chief has arrived") may end up being better than them all in 2010. Though he was projected as a lottery pick, Aminu chose to return to Wake and is said to have worked on his ball-handling and perimeter range during the off-season. Expect a double-double average, particularly if Wake's green frontcourt players (Ty Walker, Tony Woods) can capitalize on their potential.

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