COLLEGE BASKETBALL: 1994-95 PREVIEW : NATIONAL : Arkansas Is Simply Not in Jeopardy

Nothing against the folks at “Jeopardy,” but who exactly was writing those clues for the recent celebrity contestants . . . Forrest Gump? The night we watched, host Alex Trebek was lobbing answers to a Baywatch lifeguard, some actor we can’t remember and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the aspiring college coach who won, like, $311,000 for a Los Angeles charity.

Sample exchange from U.S. Presidents category:

Alex: This honest Abe wasn’t born in Lincoln, Neb., but he did see the country through the Civil War.

Baywatch woman: Who was Abe Vigoda?

Actor guy: Who was Abe Gibron?

Abdul-Jabbar: You’re kidding, right?

Faced with clues softer than his skyhook, Abdul-Jabbar cleaned up. Now comes word that the big guy still is interested in pursuing a college coaching job. Might even entertain an offer at USC if the interim thing with Trojan Coach Charlie Parker doesn’t work out; or at UCLA if Jim Harrick doesn’t do something to keep the alums happy--like walk on water.

If true, Kareem needs tutoring, which is where we come in. Abdul-Jabbar might know his presidents, but does he know the 1994-95 basketball season? Can he properly explain what new and ridiculous motivational tool Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson will use this year? Does he know the 10 best players in the land? Has he considered which is worse: A middle seat in coach, or a first-class seat, but with a well-rested Dick Vitale next to you?

Play along at home, if you like, but remember your answer must be in the form of a question.

* This team starts the season as No. 1 and will end it there, too.

Who are the Arkansas Razorbacks, the defending national champions?

Of course, this time Richardson will have to come up with a new shtick to psych up his players. During last season’s NCAA tournament, Richardson kept insisting he didn’t receive proper respect from the nation’s media. It would have been a swell argument except for one thing: It wasn’t true.

Didn’t matter. The Razorbacks were appropriately riled and played as if they were out to prove a point. Now they return, their championship roster almost entirely intact.

* These seven men could be selling life insurance by next summer.

Who are . . . ?

Ohio State’s Randy Ayers--As recently as 1992, the Buckeyes were Big Ten champions and seeded first in the NCAA tournament. Now they’re not even the third-best program in the state, trailing 1) Cincinnati, 2) Ohio U., and 3) Xavier. Ayers got a contract reprieve this year, but key player defections, NCAA probation and player police-blotter stories have made him vulnerable. Ohio State will be lucky to finish ninth in the 11-team conference.

North Carolina State’s Les Robinson--Nice guy, wrong situation. A solid recruiting year and something close to a tournament bid might save him.

Memphis’ Larry Finch--Supporters are tired of hearing about Finch’s recruiting coups and then watching the Tigers finish 13-16, as they did last season.

Rutgers’ Bob Wenzel--After two consecutive seventh-place finishes in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Wenzel doesn’t have much margin for error. The Scarlet Knights move to the Big East next season. Will Wenzel be with them?

Miami’s Leonard Hamilton--The Hurricanes were 0-18 in the Big East last season and have yet to win a conference road game in three years.

Georgia’s Hugh Durham--Not even Athletic Director Vince Dooley, who just got a five-year contract extension, can protect Durham if the Bulldog coach has another average season.

UCLA’s Jim Harrick--Fair or not, Harrick can’t afford another first-round NCAA tournament blowout.

* A Kelly Girl replacement record could be set at this school.

What is Arkansas State, new home of Wimp Sanderson, the former Alabama coach who was dismissed for, among other things, allegedly hitting his secretary?

* Six are seniors, two are juniors and two are sophomores.

Who are the 10 best college players, but not necessarily the 10 best pro prospects?

Our first team:

--Corliss Williamson, Arkansas junior forward.

--Alan Henderson, Indiana senior forward.

--Bryant Reeves, Oklahoma State senior center.

--Kerry Kittles, Villanova sophomore guard.

--Travis Best, Georgia Tech senior guard.

Second team:

--Joe Smith, Maryland sophomore forward/center.

--Michael Finley, Wisconsin senior forward.

--Rasheed Wallace, North Carolina sophomore center.

--Bob Sura, Florida State senior guard.

--Randolph Childress, Wake Forest senior guard.

* North Carolina’s Dean Smith, Indiana’s Bob Knight, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Louisville’s Denny Crum and Michigan’s Steve Fisher have this in common with former UCLA coach John Wooden.

What are national championships? Wooden had 10. Smith, Knight, Krzyzewski, Crum and Fisher have 10--total.

Footnote: In 1975, the season Wooden won his 10th title, he earned $32,000. That doesn’t even pay a coach’s cellular phone bill these days.

* Rarer than Bruce McNall’s most prized coin.

What is a regular-season game that means something?

It doesn’t happen often, but here is the short list of matchups that will influence NCAA tournament committee selections and seedings and separate the contenders from pretenders (sorry, pre-January games don’t count; too early in the season):

--Jan. 19, UCLA at Arizona (ESPN).

--Jan. 24, Michigan at Indiana (ESPN).

--Jan. 29, Kentucky at Arkansas (CBS).

--Feb. 2, North Carolina at Duke (ESPN2).

--Feb. 3, Cincinnati at Memphis (ESPN2).

--Feb. 5, Syracuse at Kentucky (CBS).

--Feb. 7, North Carolina at Maryland.

--Feb. 12, California at Arizona (ABC).

--Feb. 15, Arkansas at Alabama.

--Feb. 19, Maryland at Cincinnati (ABC); Arizona at UCLA (ABC).

--Feb. 26, Duke at UCLA (ABC); Georgetown at Syracuse (CBS).

--Feb. 28, Arkansas at Florida (ESPN).

--March 4, Duke at North Carolina (ESPN).

--March 5, Oklahoma State at Kansas (ABC); Georgetown-St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.

--March 8, Indiana at Wisconsin.

* St. John’s guard Felipe Lopez, Georgetown guard Allen Iverson, Michigan forward Jerod Ward, Duke guard Trajan Langdon, Valparaiso guard Bryce Drew and Colgate center Adonal Foyle.

What six freshmen will make the biggest difference for their teams?

Lopez, the national high school player of the year, earned votes on assorted Big East preseason all-star teams . . . and he hadn’t played a minute.

Iverson, who missed his entire senior season of high school because he was serving prison time for his role in a brawl-riot at a Virginia bowling alley, is now under John Thompson’s protective umbrella. Iverson, who gives the Hoyas their first true offensive guard in years, should flourish.

Ward could make the off-season losses of Jalen Rose and Juwan Howard to the NBA a little easier to take.

Langdon, who already has worked himself into the Duke starting lineup, is drawing rave reviews from Blue Devil coaches for his Grant Hill-like maturity and style.

The much-heralded Drew turned down nearby Notre Dame to play for his father. Homer Drew, who is 56-111 in recent seasons, can’t thank him enough.

Foyle, among the top 10 recruits in the nation last year, shocked everyone by signing with the Red Raiders of the Patriot League. Instead of scratching their heads, people ought to be patting Foyle on the back. He says he signed with Colgate because of the school’s academic tradition, its small enrollment, its small-town flavor and because he trusted the coach, Jack Bruen.

* These are to be taken with a grain of salt the size of a charcoal briquette.

What are the annual preseason rumors?

At the moment, consider them nothing more than semi-informed gossip, but. . . .

--If Wenzel gets fired at Rutgers, Florida State’s Pat Kennedy would be on the school’s short list of replacement candidates.

--St. John’s Coach Brian Mahoney had better enjoy Lopez this season, because there is talk he might turn pro next year. The same might happen at North Carolina with sophomores Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse.

--If Harrick gets bounced, John Calipari would leave Amherst in a UMass minute.

--Turns out that Tommy Massimino, Rollie’s younger son and a former assistant coach at Villanova and Nevada Las Vegas, also is being blamed for the Runnin’ Rebels’ problems. At least one UNLV official who worked closely with the team says Tommy wasn’t exactly the most popular guy on the staff, the team or in the community. Worse yet, Rollie listened to him.

--DePaul was this close to signing a deal with the Atlantic 10, but then got cold feet when certain alums and supporters started to complain. The Blue Demons still might join the Atlantic 10, or they could join the yet-unnamed all-sports league that will included lots of their pals from the Great Midwest Conference: Cincinnati, Memphis, St. Louis, Marquette and Alabama Birmingham.

--Brooklyn point guard Stephon Marbury, the No. 1-rated high school senior in the nation, supposedly is leaning toward Syracuse. But because he didn’t choose the Orangemen during the recent signing period, there is talk that he might go elsewhere. Also, Chicago center Kevin Garnett, another top-five high school senior, continues to whittle his list. Illinois apparently is the front-runner.

* This coach should be in the Basketball Hall of Fame, but isn’t.

Who is Texas El Paso Coach Don Haskins?

All Haskins has done in 35 years is win 645 games--second among active coaches (North Carolina’s Dean Smith is first)--win a national championship and become one of the first Division I coaches to use an all-African American lineup.

* City council, executive director of the Black Coaches Assn., Congress, a TV booth.

What are four places where George Raveling could end up?

* P.J. is gone here, but not forgotten.

What is Seton Hall, where P.J. Carlesimo ran the Pirate program at high intensity for 12 years?

Carlesimo, who left to become coach of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, was loud, demanding, combative and successful. In his place is the soft-spoken George Blaney, who comes to Seton Hall from Holy Cross, where he won 357 games. Since his arrival, the daily decibel level is down and beleaguered guard Danny Hurley’s confidence is up.

Blaney is one of three new coaches in the Big East. Ralph Willard of Pittsburgh and Pete Gillen of Providence are the two others.

* You heard it here first.

What is, UNLV isn’t half as bad as you might think and will win the Big West title and qualify for the NCAA tournament in new Coach Tim Grgurich’s first season?

* Rollie Massimino and Darrel Johnson.

Who are two former coaches you won’t be hearing about for a very long time?

Massimino ruined his reputation at UNLV with his arrogance and by agreeing to a secret supplemental contract. Johnson had a nice two days recently. He was fired from Baylor on Nov. 16 and then, along with his former assistants and four officials at other schools, was indicted Nov. 17 on federal charges of mail fraud, conspiracy and wire fraud.

* These four teams can contact their travel agents and book passage for an April trip to Seattle’s Kingdome.

What are Arkansas, Massachusetts, UCLA and Alabama?

The Razorbacks won’t flirt with an unbeaten season, but they will court another national championship.

Massachusetts will make it to the Final Four, thanks to the tireless Lou Roe.

Southern California talk-show hosts will be in mourning after Harrick leads the Bruins to a Pac-10 title and a Final Four appearance. Afterward, he will announce his retirement and join the cast of “Baywatch” as Jimmy, everyone’s friend at the beach snack shack.

Alabama will be there because no one expects the Crimson Tide to be there.

* And the winner is. . . .

What is Arkansas?

* TEAMS TO WATCH: C6

* PAC-10 OUTLOOK: C7