A few stories worth noting.

A list of top candidates for coach of the year.

5. Jamie Dixon, Pitt. Nobody has done a better job of establishing a culture that focuses on the team. In the game today, this is an astonishing achievement. And that 17-1 record isn’t bad, either.

Which is also why ex-coaches like Bob Knight love the Pitt team.

In the periodic looking towards how Arizona is coping, there seems to be a growing belief that they could not get Dixon.

As for the next coach in Tucson, Greg has thrown out some pretty good names, but out of those three, only Few strikes me as realistic. I really believe Louisville will be Rick Pitino‘s last coaching job. He has moved around too many times in his life, he has plenty of money, and he has a good quality of life that includes living next to the family of his late brother-in-law Billy Minardi. Jamie Dixon is an understandably popular choice, and I would imagine if Arizona could hire him they’d do it lickety split. But even though Dixon is from California and his wife is from Hawaii, he is in a great situation at Pittsburgh, where he has built phenomenal recruiting inroads into New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Also, when Arizona State tried to hire him two years ago, Dixon renegotiated his contract with Pittsburgh, and I’m told his buyout is extremely expensive.

We’re still two months away from Arizona’s search kicking into high gear, but besides Mark Few and Dixon, the names I’m hearing come up most often are Reggie Theus, Lon Kruger and Tubby Smith. And here’s a pair of sleepers for you I just heard this week: Oliver Purnell and Frank Haith. So stay tuned, Arizona fans, and don’t lose hope.

Tubby Smith’s name is coming up more and more. Though, that may be as much wishlisting as anything else. Getting Purnell from Clemson or Haith from Miami also makes sense. Both are at schools in a basketball conference but at football schools where the fans just don’t turn out very well.

Heresy alert. In complimenting Jermaine Dixon’s work on defense. Well…

5. Pitt. The addition of junior college transfer Jermaine Dixon — brother of former Maryland great Juan Dixon — has given the Panthers perhaps their best-ever perimeter defender. Julius Page was terrific, but Dixon is quicker, has longer arms and better hands. In Syracuse’s game against Louisville, it looked as though Orange guard Jonny Flynn was still feeling the effects of the number Dixon did on him.

Is that blasphemy?

So, if Pitt could make a trade for a late season pick-up this wouldn’t be a bad choice.

Biggest deficiency: We know the Panthers are one of the toughest defensive teams in the country. They’re ranked third nationally in rebound margin (+9.9) and they lead the Big East in field goal percentage defense (38.0 percent). Even though Pitt excels at a grind-it-out style, it’s impressive that the Panthers are still managing to score more than 77 points per game. The problem is, they have to work too hard to earn those points, partly because they’re only making 6.4 threes per game. What this team needs is a sniper to come off the bench, nail a few long-range jumpers and give the defense a little more breathing room.

Missing piece: Jimmy Baron, 6-3 senior guard, Rhode Island

Ask Mike Krzyzewski whether Baron can hit long-range jumpers. (The Jigsaw Man did. Coach K said, “Yes, he can.”) The kid only made 8 for 10 from behind the arc and almost shot the Rams to a victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium in November. Baron is both a high-volume and high-percentage shooter (he’s ranked 13th nationally in three-point percentage at 45.1 percent). He’s not a great defender, but he does have good size and experience. Plus, he’s a coach’s son (his dad is the head coach at Rhode Island), so he knows how to be a good teammate.

Finally, a personal look at Pitt’s headliner for the 2009 recruiting class, Dante Taylor.

Taylor left behind the comforts of home at the age of 14, when tiny National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Md., decided to gamble on the potential he displayed on and off the basketball court. Over the last four years, there has been a steady social and academic growth.

He is almost ready to move on again.

“In the beginning, coming here was hard for me,” Taylor said last week by phone. “But at the end of the day, it was the right thing.”

There were many sleepless nights in between.

“For a parent, it was a very difficult decision to make,” his mother, Lisa Sharpe, said with mixed emotions. “Especially at that age, but he just wasn’t focused. When the opportunity came to get out of here, it was for the best. It was hard to let him go, but it was a wise decision that’s paid off. He’s grown as a young man. We’re very proud of Dante.”

The next stop for Taylor is the University of Pittsburgh.

He gave an oral commitment in July and signed a letter of intent in November, and only needs a qualifying score on the SAT or ACT to continue on his newfound path.

“It was definitely worth the move,” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t be going to college otherwise.”

His intent is to get to Pitt in the summer session to get an early start. Please get that qualifying test score before enrolling.

Another thing that I’ve gotten away from for a while. The exchange of questions with an opponent blogger.  Chris from the I Bleed Blue and White blog contacted me and we exchanged questions about Wednesday game. You can find my responses to his questions here. This is what he had to say to me.

1. Scottie Reynolds, a junior at ‘Nova. Amazing. It seems he is always on the cusp of greatness and ready to go to the NBA, but is just not quite there. His numbers haven’t changed dramatically in each season, but this season there seems to be a more balanced team around him so he doesn’t have to carry the full load. Especially with Pena and Cunningham inside.

Is that reality? Or is it still, ultimately about what Reynolds can do?

It seems so long ago that Reynolds was lighting it up as a freshman. Without being too harsh, it does seem as though he has never met the expectations he put on himself. It would be a shock if he left early for the NBA (something that seemed inevitable after his freshman year). With the emergence of other players on the team such as Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Dwayne Anderson and especially Dante Cunningham, Villanova has been able to win games even when Reynolds hasn’t been putting up 20 points.

He’s been put (or put himself) in a role where he is playing a more distributive role. Even though he had 40 against Seton Hall, it seems as though the days of that are long gone. As Corey Fisher matures though you’ll see Reynolds playing more off the ball, where’s he most dangerous. That’s when you’ll see Villanova reach its potential.

2. Almost 1/3 of Villanova’s shots are from the perimeter. Does it seem like the guards are taking more or less of their shots from outside versus driving to the basket? Is there a bit more driving and dishing with Cunningham in full (healthy) bloom and Pena’s growth? Is this a more balanced ‘Nova team than the past couple years or is it still all about the guards? I’m trying to get a better feel for the way the Wildcats play this year.

Cunningham may be the team’s best player, but the majority of the offense is created by the guards. A guy like Corey Stokes is going to shoot it from the outside, while Corey Fisher takes it inside most often. Reynolds is a mix of the two. So it really depends on the personnel as fare as shot selection. Pena is making good strides, but he still doesn’t realize how good he can be.

As for balance, 3 years ago this team was starting 4 guards and couldn’t spell post-presence. Dante Cunningham has changed that. He can get it done inside and his new-found jumper came out of nowhere. You’ll see Villanova look to him a lot, where as in the past he was lucky to get 2-3 shots a game. But this is Villanova. It’s run by the guards. When it clicks for Fisher and Stokes this will be a fun team to watch.

3. Last game at the Spectrum. What does this really mean? Don’t get me wrong, there are great memories of the place. That said, it isn’t the Pavillion where Pitt hasn’t won in ages. What kind of crowd do you expect?

Last game at the Spectrum indeed, although I wouldn’t put too much significance behind it. I think Jay Wright and his boys would love to close the place out with a win, and I think that the students are getting behind this idea a little, but in the end, I don’t see it having a major impact on the game. The Pavilion, as you noted, is a true home court advantage in the Big East. I’ve personally never been to a game at The Spectrum (just The Wachovia Center) so I’m excited to take in this one.

It should be a good crowd though. The students will always be there and because Pitt is such a big name in the conference, I wouldn’t expect to see too many empty seats. Hopefully that provides Villanova a little extra edge.

4. Right back at you. Both teams play tough defense. Villanova goes with more of an attacking defense that tries to force the turnovers and disrupt the plays. Pitt plays mainly straight man, that forces clock to run and force contested and bad shots. How do you see this one playing out?

Pitt is always a frustrating team to play because they like to slow the pace down. If Villanova had their way they would press, press and press some more and try to run a little. Pitt won’t let that happen. I think Antonio Pena needs to continue his string of successful play and frustrate Blair. It would be nice if Scottie Reynolds had a big night too, but I won’t count on it against the smothering Pitt D. This could be a game where the total score barely reaches 100.

Last night at the Spectrum, there’s got to be a little mojo behind that. Plus, Villanova has taken a few close losses to Louisville and UConn.They are due for a win against one of the big boys. I’ll go with Villanova 62, Pitt 60.

Thanks to Chris for the exchange. The game is Wednesday night at 7pm on ESPNU.