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Like every year, I had a lot of fun putting together the annual early Top 50 ranking. It might seem too early to rank teams, but I nailed all four of this year's Final Four participants in last April's ranking: Duke #1, Michigan St #5, West Virginia #9, and Butler #10. It goes without saying that a lot can change in coming weeks as final Draft decisions are made and the final recruits get "hired" by their respective programs. A Brandon Knight or a Josh Selby could put a contender over the top..

What goes through the mind of a player who's in "the zone"? CHN writer Jon Teitel had the opportunity to find out, talking to Montana star guard Anthony Johnson about his performance against Weber State among a variety of topics in advance of the Grizzlies' first round matchup with New Mexico. 

CHN writer Jon Teitel recently spent some time talking with one of the most improved players in the Big East, Notre Dame forward Tim Abromaitis. Abromaitis and the rest of the Fighting Irish will take on Old Dominion on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Jon Teitel: Your older brother Jason played at Yale. What did he teach you about the sport, and who is the better player?
Tim Abromaitis: Since he is older, he was always beating me in 1-on-1. He taught me how to be competitive and have a good work ethic.

Next up in Jon Teitel's interview series is Lehigh point guard Marquis Hall, the man whose responsibility is to get the ball to stars C.J. McCollum and Zahir Carrington. First up for the Patriot League champion Mountain Hawks: none other than top-ranked Kansas. 

In the latest installment of his interview series, CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Lehigh head coach Brett Reed, whose Patriot League champion squad will take on top overall seed Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Jon Teitel: You began your collegiate coaching career at Oakland CC where you were an assistant for your father Lynn (who won the National Junior College championship in 1987). What role has your father had on your coaching life, and what role has he had on your non-coaching life?

In the latest installement of his interview series CHN's Jon Teitel interviewed Mychal Thompson, who is widely regarded as one of the best players in the history of the University of Minnesota program. Thompson also won a pair of NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Jon Teitel: You were born in the Bahamas, moved to Miami during high school, and decided to attend college at Minnesota. How did you first get into the sport of basketball while everyone around you was playing soccer, and how did you survive the move north for college?

In the latest installment in his interview "series", CHN writer spent some time with University of Colorado great Cliff Meely, who was a two-time All-America and is currently the school's third all-time leading scorer. 

Jon Teitel: You were heavily recruited out of high school until you suffered a knee injury in a playoff game and ended up in a cast for several months: how did you cope with the injury, and what effect did it have on your recruiting process?

One of the greatest players in the history of the University of Vermont is Taylor Coppenrath, a star on Tom Brennan-coached teams that made three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament and won a game in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, beating Syracuse in overtime. CHN's Jon Teitel had the honor of spending some time with the legendary Catamount. 

Jon Teitel: You did not play varsity basketball until your junior year of high school: were you a late bloomer, or did you just grow into your body/game?

With UNC rebuilding and Duke lacking depth, the ACC is more wide-open then its been in quite some time. Adding to the intrigue are top-notch prospects like Derrick Favors, Michael Snaer, and John Henson.