V-MAIL: Aug. 9

Q: I was just wondering about your opinion of the Kentucky Wildcats for the upcoming season. Do you think they have a shot at winning the national championship? -- Jordan Noble, Corbin, Ky.
VITALE: A lot will depend on the status of Jason Parker. If he can return to provide an impact player up front, the Wildcats have the potential to win it all. Even if Parker doesn't return to the form he showed late last season, Tubby Smith welcomes back Jules Camara, who sat out last season due to a suspension. Of course, Smith was ecstatic to have Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans pull out of the draft and return to Lexington. Kentucky will be among the nation's elite all season long.

	Is this the season Brett Nelson and the Gators gain revenge on the Spartans?

Q: After losing Kwame Brown to the NBA draft, can Florida still have a shot at a national title? -- Charley Bishop, Gadsden, Ala.
VITALE: Even without Brown, Billy Donovan's team has the talent to compete for the national championship. The incoming talent is still outstanding with James White and David Lee. Brett Nelson is one of the best guards in America. Udonis Haslem remains an important player up front. If the Gators had Brown, I might have picked them No. 1 in the preseason. Without him, they are still very much in the national championship picture.

Q: Duke is your favorite team. Do you think they can repeat as champions or do you think they will be beaten by UCLA or Maryland? -- Girard C. Warren, Greenville
VITALE: I picked Duke as my preseason No. 1. Maryland was my second choice, and UCLA is also in the top 10. This is going to be a great season of college basketball with a number of teams capable of cutting down the nets in Atlanta. I picked the Blue Devils because of the return of the nation's premier player, Jason Williams, along with Mike Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer and Chris Duhon. Then add transfer Dahntay Jones from Rutgers, and Mike Krzyzewski has something special again.

Q: Could you please give me your best prediction on who will come out on top in the Big Ten this season and what Big Ten teams you think will make the tourney? -- Matt Sherman, East Lansing, Mich.
VITALE: When you look at the Big Ten this year, I think there will be a lot of balance, especially at the top. It comes down to the three I's -- Illinois, Iowa and Indiana, with Michigan State and Minnesota up there. They are the crème de la crème of the conference. I would give the edge to Illinois. With Frank Williams and Cory Bradford, the Illini have an experienced backcourt that understands how to play. A lot will depend on Robert Archibald's consistency on the interior. Iowa is going to be dynamite as well, with Reggie Evans and Luke Recker.

Q: I appreciate your knoweledge and enthusiasm. I want to ask you to make mention of Alan Anderson when you talk about Michigan State. You are great at mentioning Kelvin Torbert, but Anderson is a top-30 player who some say has been the best player on the court in practice sessions. Players from Minnesota and Wisconsin are often underrated. Troy Bell and Caron Butler are two players who have proven they should have been rated higher. Please give Anderson his respect. He will surprise you. -- Mark Stucker, West Chester

	UConn's Caron Butler is making a strong impression for the U.S. at the World Basketball Championships.

VITALE: Mark, you make a good point. I have heard a lot of good things about Anderson. He came in highly rated, but Torbert is one of those unique, special guys who is going to have an instant impact making big-time noise for a program. He's explosive and dominant. Anderson has a feel for the game and the ability to handle the basketball. Butler is an interesting name. People who have seen him at the U.S. trials over the summer praised him big-time. Butler averaged 16 points a game for Connecticut, and now he has to take it to the next step with his star potential.

Q: With the addition of the four new teams (Hofstra, Delaware, Drexel and Towson) into the CAA, do you see the conference gaining recognition nationally in the near future? -- Lou, Wilmington, Del.
VITALE: Everything is relative. Those teams have ability on a given night to beat higher-caliber opponents. Right now, the main goal of those schools is to survive the conference tournament and make it to the big dance. Look at some of the outstanding things Hofstra has done. Will this be a conference like the ACC with the Dukes, Carolinas and Marylands? Obviously not. Budgets and fan interest are different. If you have more dollars available and interest, it ties into the recruiting of blue-chip players. Over the years, we have seen the Gonzagas of the world make noise.

Q: I have two questions pertaining to the UConn men's basketball team. With the addition of Emeka Okafor, a healthy Scott Hazleton and the returning Johnnie Selvie, do you feel that the inside game will be improved? Also, will Ben Gordon and Chad Wise help their woeful three-point shooting and open up the inside? -- George Valakos, Groton, Conn.
VITALE: There are question marks in the frontcourt, but there is potential there. Potential itself doesn't win games, so you have to go and get the job done. I think they like the make-up of the team. Again, Butler has to become a star player. They have, over the years, had the big-time player who could step up and make the key play in crunch time. Selvie showed he could score and gave the Huskies good productivity last year. The jury is still out. Jim Calhoun understands how to win and always has his kids ready to play. This will be a very good Connecticut team. The Huskies play with intensity and emotion; if you have talent, you can win. The addition of Gordon gives them another perimeter player. The Huskies will be a factor in the Big East.

Q: How do you think Virginia will fare this season? Will Todd Billet help the Cavs? -- Mike Hunt, New York
VITALE: First of all, Billet, the transfer from Rutgers, is not eligible this season. In the future, he will certainly help in the backcourt. This should be a big-time year for the Cavaliers. Peter Gillen's club will be in the thick of the competitive ACC. Last year was one where Virginia needed to gain experience. The Cavs had so many young players. Unfortunately for them, Duke and Maryland are not only two of the best teams in the conference, but also two of the best in America. That doesn't make life easy. Virginia is outstanding with Chris Williams, Travis Watson and Roger Mason returning.

Q: It's not a college question, but what do you think about the new zone defenses in the NBA? How will it affect the NBA game? -- Swade, Indianapolis
VITALE: It's going to be very difficult to play the traditional zone on the NBA level because they will have a three-second defensive rule. For example, you can't take a Shaq or Dikembe Mutombo and keep them in a three-second area and have them zone up. They will have to rotate out of there or there will be a defensive call against them. Coaches now will have the opportunity to try the zone. Another interesting thing is the ability to double-team a star player, even when he doesn't have the basketball. We'll have to see how that works.

Q: Earlier in the 1990s, it was rare that a high school player skipped college and went straight to the NBA. Today it is almost routine and is happening every year, with this year's first pick being a high school player. If a high school junior decides to skip his senior year in high school and enter the NBA draft, would this be possible due to the current collective bargaining agreement in the NBA? Would the player win the court case and be allowed to enter the NBA? -- Jonathan D. Chu, Lewis Center, Ohio
VITALE: I know some have talked about LaBron James in Ohio going to the NBA, but I've heard him say he plans to graduate high school. I think there would be a legal battle there if a kid tried to go out that early. I don't know the legalese involved in determining an individual's rights. I don't think we will see that happen in the near future, anyway.

I'm not as caught up going bananas about the high school seniors coming out early. We're talking about a handful of kids; we have to get a grip on reality and understand it's only four or five big names at the most, like this year with Brown, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and DeSagana Diop. Remember, these kids can go to college during the offseason and still make their millions of dollars. Again, they aren't going to affect the entire status of college basketball.

What hurts college hoops is the number of kids who leave college early and give up their eligibility and don't even get picked, like Maurice Evans of Texas, Zach Marbury of Rhode Island, etc. Kids who come out of college who aren't ready make mistakes. I am biased and feel every kid should go to college and enjoy those years, but it doesn't work out that way. I am not going to lose sleep over it. Those are years where you can enjoy your youth, but I won't fault a kid who is going to make millions of dollars.

Q: With Ronald Curry and Julius Peppers possibly sitting out the basketball season, who do you think will step up to bat for North Carolina? What's going on with the 7-foot-6 center who is supposed to dominate? -- Chris, Champaign, Ill.
VITALE: Curry and Peppers are not going to playing basketball this season. Neil Fingleton is 7-6, but we haven't seen him on the floor yet, so I don't know about the term "dominating" being associated with him. North Carolina has developed big guys in the past.

The Tar Heels need others to step up this year. One kid who may do that is Brian Morrison in the backcourt. I like his athletic ability, and he should get more consistent minutes. Veteran players Jason Capel and Kris Lang have experience and will have to lead North Carolina. The Tar Heels will have a difficult time keeping together their streaks of 37 straight years finishing third or better in the ACC, 31 straight seasons with 20 or more W's, 27 straight seasons in the NCAA tournament. It will be a challenge for Matt Doherty and company.

Q: I have a comment, not a question: For whatever reason, you were pretty rough on Lawrence Funderburke when he was playing college ball with the Ohio State Buckeyes, but it seems that Lawrence is quite a bit involved with the community and is trying to help out the not-so-fortunate. Just thought you should know. -- A fan in Fairfield, Ohio
VITALE: I like to hear that. I don't know if I was tough; I think I was being fair and honest at the time. I thought I was being objective. Lawrence and I spoke in those days back in Columbus after I made some strong comments. I had questioned his attitude on the court. But people mature. I'm glad to hear he's reaching out to those less fortunate and using his celebrity status in a positive way.