1. Xavier coach Chris Mack is legitimately concerned about the cramps that forced Dee Davis to sit during stretches of Wednesday’s loss to Cincinnati and rendered star freshman Semaj Christon useless for the Musketeers after 23 minutes. “I’m not a doctor, but this isn’t high school anymore, this is big-time Division I basketball,’’ Mack said. “They have to take care of their body. They have to hydrate, get the right amount of sleep.’’ Not having Davis and Christon at full strength had a dramatic effect in the second half for Xavier. The Musketeers controlled the game in the first half, but were at half-speed in the second and were overrun by the Bearcats.
2. Missouri coach Frank Haith said Wednesday that Jabari Brown has proven to have a high basketball IQ. Haith added that Brown is more than just a shooter -- he passes well, moves without the ball and has turned into a quality defender. The Oregon transfer made his debut for the Tigers on Monday against South Carolina State and scored 12 points in 20 minutes (although he did go 1-for-7 on 3s). Brown could prove to be crucial for the Tigers in Saturday’s game against Illinois in St. Louis.
3. I’ve seen the New Mexico-New Mexico State rivalry up close for five years. The Aggies aren’t at the level they were under Neil McCarthy in the 1990s. But this is still an intense affair and the Lobos deserve plenty of credit for sweeping a rivalry series in consecutive games, winning on both teams' courts. No other non-conference rivals play home-and-home in the same season on each other’s courts in consecutive games as the Lobos and Aggies do. The Lobos are now undefeated along with Arizona, Cincinnati, Duke, Illinois, Michigan, Syracuse and Wyoming. The Cowboys played the weakest schedule of that group, but the start has to be applauded and, barring a collapse, Wyoming will be in the postseason.