Gary Parrish

Tobias Harris, as expected, committed to Tennessee on Thursday.

"I really have a great relationship with Coach [Bruce] Pearl and his assistant coach [Tony] Jones," Harris said. "It's just a family atmosphere down there. I got along with the players real well, and it's just a great opportunity and fit for me."

MaxPreps.com ranks Harris No. 21 in the Class of 2010. The 6-foot-8 forward joins Trae Golden (No. 59) and Jordan McRae (No. 87) to comprise a three-player class that should be among the Top 15 classes nationally when team recruiting rankings are finalized.

Harris is from New York.

He also had offers from Syracuse, Kentucky, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Louisville and West Virginia.

ST. LOUIS -- Louisville took 38 3-pointers, made 15 of them. And though those numbers are inflated because Arkansas played a soft 2-3 zone out of necessity, they aren't numbers you're guaranteed to never see again.

"We're a great shooting team," Rick Pitino said afterward.

At this point, there's no reason to argue.

The Cardinals took advantage of an Arkansas team down five players (suspended for various reasons) and cruised to a 96-66 season opening victory in the first game of this double-header here at the Scottrade Center. It was the type of debut that suggested the Cardinals haven't been distracted by their wacky offseason, and the best part is that the 15 3-pointers were spread throughout the team.

Jerry Smith and Reginald Delk each sank four.

Preston Knowles hit three.

Edgar Sosa and Jared Swopshire both hit two.

Add it up, and that's five players who hit at least two 3-pointers.

And that's why these revamped Louisville Cardinals could be tough to handle this season.

Bodog.com likes Kansas and Kentucky just as much as I like Kansas and Kentucky .

I visited the gambling site not because I'm a gambler, but because I wanted see the championship odds for certain schools. What I found is that Kansas (4-to-1) is the favorite followed by Kentucky (5-to-1). North Carolina (15-to-2) is third. Then it's Duke (10-to-1), Michigan State (12-to-1), Louisville (12-to-1), Texas (12-to-1), and Villanova (12-to-1).

Click this link (and scroll down) to check it out.

There is still no indication that Louisville's Jerry Smith and Terrence Jennings will be disciplined in a public and meaningful way for getting arrested this weekend, which is further evidence that the whole Karen Sypher Saga has put Rick Pitino in a tough spot.

Seriously, what can he do?

If he doesn't suspend Smith and Jennings, Pitino is open to criticism for not disciplining players.

But if he does suspend Smith and Jennings, Pitino is open to criticism for being, well, a hypocrite.

It's the classic no-win situation, and that's why acting as though the admitted affair with Sypher (and the abortion that followed it) wouldn't affect Pitino's ability to coach was short-sighted. My thought was always that, going forward, Pitino would have a hard time telling players how to act away from the gym because they'd unquestionably think of how he acted away from the gym, and if Pitino wasn't disciplined for conduct unbecoming of a Louisville Cardinal then how could he discipline players for conduct unbecoming of a Louisville Cardinal?

It's a tricky situation, obviously.

And that's why I expect Smith and Jennings to start the season as planned, because to suspend them would almost certainly cause a rift Louisville doesn't need. By handling this internally, Pitino can express his disappointment with Smith and Jennings while simultaneously playing the but-I've-got-your-back/we're-all-in-this-circus-together card. And at this point that's probably Pitino's best move, the lesser of two bads, sad as that might seem.

The following headlines can be found on our college basketball page right now:

• Pitino talks 'positive vibes' during tip-off luncheon

• Two Louisville players charged with resisting arrest

The first headline was on a story about Rick Pitino asking Louisvllle fans to forget the bad, focus on the good and get ready for another great basketball season. It moved Thursday. Then came Sunday and the second headline, and now Louisville fans have even more bad to forget than before thanks to two projected starters (Jerry Smith and Terrence Jennings) getting arrested this weekend.

Unreal.

And this really has been a wild offseason for the Louisville program, hasn't it?

Rick Pitino said the drama surrounding his personal life wouldn't affect recruiting.

He took a step toward proving it Tuesday by gaining a commitment from Zach Price -- a 6-foot-9 center Scout.com ranks as the 38th-best prospect in the Class of 2011. Price is the first recruit to commit to Louisville since Pitino publicly apologized for an affair that led to him giving money Karen Cunagin Sypher said she used to fund an abortion.

Price visited Louisville this past weekend.

He called Pitino and committed Tuesday night.

"I basically had a great feel about their school in June when I first visited and my second visit sealed the deal," Price told Scout.com. "What sealed the deal was we were taking pictures and Coach Pitino said, 'Come stand next to me because I'm going to be your coach.' ... I knew he was the coach for me."

Louisville now has three Class of 2011 prospects committed.

The others are Michael Chandler and Ryan Taylor.

Chandler is rated 13th in the Class of 2011.

Taylor is not ranked in the Top 100.

Tom Jurich is behind Rick Pitino. As is Dr. James Ramsey. So it appears Rick Pitino will survive this mess that would make more sense if it was a story lifted from "Days of our Lives," and I suppose the Hall of Fame coach simply had more equity built up over his distinguished career than Larry Eustachy and Mike Price, both of whom were removed from good jobs for less.

"Rick Pitino is the University of Louisville's basketball coach," Ramsey said via a statement released shortly after Pitino publicly apologized to his family, the university and its fans. "He has been a role model for countless young people and a positive influence on this community. Regardless of the truth or falsehood of specific actions that have been attributed to the coach, he's clearly made errors in judgment that have come under intense public scrutiny. We can't ignore these errors in judgment, and they have saddened and disappointed me. As we try to teach our students, when you make a mistake, you admit it and right it as best you can. Coach has done that today."

Translation: I'm pissed off, but I'm keeping my coach.

(Or at least that's the way I read it.)

Still, this is going to affect Pitino going forward.

There's no denying that.

I'd like to tell you his personal life won't come up in recruiting, but that would be a lie, because it will. Even if a prospect doesn't care, a prospect's family might. And even if a prospect's family doesn't care, opposing coaches will almost certainly try to make them care by floating theories about how Pitino's life is spiraling out of control, about how it'll lead to an early retirement, about how signing with Louisville isn't as likely to have you playing for Pitino as it is to have you playing for new assistant Ralph Willard.

In the business, it's called negative recruiting .

And it works.

So while Pitino spoke about the incident Wednesday and explained how telling the truth will help make it a part of his past, the reality is that this is very much going to be a part of his future, too. How much so remains to be determined. But when John Calipari moved down the street in April, Pitino's job immediately became more difficult, and I'm inclined to believe this latest episode is only going to make things worse.

So I was on a radio station in Iowa talking about the Rick Pitino situation, basically stating how there's no defense for the Louisville coach's behavior while also explaining that I didn't believe his job was at risk. But then the hosts mentioned Larry Eustachy, and I started talking about the parallels between the cases, and it suddenly occurred to me that perhaps this is more serious than I initially thought.

Why?

Because coaches have been removed for less, that's why.

Eustachy is the most obvious example.

Remember, Eustachy was pushed out of Iowa State after photographs of him partying with young women and drinking cheap beer surfaced. It was a bad deal, no question. But was it worse than a married man nailing a stranger on a table in a restaurant, and then paying for a subsequent abortion?

It doesn't sound worse, does it?

And that's really my point.

When you take a step back -- and consider Louisville president James Ramsey has been less than supportive in his public comments -- it doesn't seem like a given that Pitino's career will continue uninterrupted, which is not to say I would suspend or fire him. Just so we're clear, I would not. If I was in charge at Louisville, I'd keep Rick Pitino as my head coach, and all indications are that he will indeed continue as Louisville's head coach. But it took a couple of radio guys in Iowa to remind me that coaches (specifically Eustachy) have been removed for much less, and now I'm not so sure Pitino will coast through this soap opera the way I initially anticipated.

Could this really be the beginning of the end for Rick Pitino?

No, I don't think so.

But it's at least a reasonable question to ponder, and I wouldn't have said that last night.

To recap ...

Rick Pitino had sex with a woman at a restaurant.

Then she got pregnant.

Then he paid for her to have an abortion.

Then she married one of his friends.

Then she tried to extort money from Pitino.

Then she accused him of rape.

And, man, is this a bizarre story or what?

I'm not sure whether the lesson is to be faithful to your wife or fearful of crazy women, but there's a lesson in there somewhere, I'm certain. And what's up with this Tim Sypher character? How can you marry a woman six months after she had an abortion due to your boss getting her pregnant? Isn't that a bit weird? Unless, of course, he was under orders from Pitino, who might've figured the best way to keep this woman quiet was to have his friend marry her.

You know, keep your friends close and affairs closer.

(Or something like that.)

I guess I could be serious about all this, but, really, what's the point? It's such a strange situation on a lot of different levels, and the only people I can muster any sympathy for are Pitino's wife, Joanne, and his children -- particularly Richard Pitino, who was on the Louisville staff until this offseason and thus in the middle of a circus where he almost certainly found himself torn between being loyal to his boss and angry at his father.

Karen Sypher?

She's obviously loony .

Tim Sypher?

I don't get him at all.

Rick Pitino?

He's a helluva basketball coach, but he got himself into a mess that's impossible to defend.

Me?

I'm just sitting here shaking my head, mezmerized by the soap opera.

(PS: I wrote a column when this all started, and my central point was that no matter how the story ended, it wouldn't end well for anybody. Considering Pitino has been forced to admit to an affair and an abortion, and that Sypher is facing criminal charges, I think I was right in my assumption. Either way, you can read that column at this link , if you want.)

Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard is leaving his current job to become an assistant at Louisville.

"This is obviously one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make in my career, but after much thought and examination I think it is best for the program going forward and for me personally," Willard said in a released statement. "I'm tremendously proud of the student-athletes I have had the privilege to coach here, all they have accomplished and the way they have represented themselves and the school."

Willard will fill the opening at Louisville left by Richard Pitino.

He is now an assistant at Florida.

This development leaves Holy Cross and USC both looking for new head coaches.

There have been statements from both Louisville and Sacramento that suggest Rick Pitino is not a candidate for the Kings job, as reported late Thursday by Yahoo! Sports. But it's worth noting that Adrian Wojnarowski authored that story, and he's well connected with a solid track record, meaning you can trust this Pitino-to-the-Kings possibility is something he was told on authority (even if it's untrue) as opposed to something he just invented (as some Louisville fans have angrily suggested) to hurt the Cardinals' program.

In a related note, there was a strong rumor in basketball circles early Thursday indicating Pitino might resign from Louisville by the weekend. But two sources close to Pitino shot that rumor down instantly, with one going as far as to tell CBSSports.com by text message that "there's no way" that would happen. On Friday morning, another source discounted the idea that Pitino would leave for the Kings, at which point I was reminded of a story I was told last month, not long after John Calipari was hired at Kentucky. At the time, there was speculation that Pitino might listen to a ridiculous offer from Memphis or that he could accept the Arizona job. But a source close to Pitino explained in the simplest terms possible that Pitino wouldn't make either move given the circumstances because he'd "never follow Calipari" at Memphis and hesitate to leave for any other job right now because he wouldn't want it to look like he was "running from Calipari."

(Rest assured, that's the way Calipari would interpret it. And he'd love it.)

So if you believe that theory, that's at least one reason why Pitino will likely remain at Louisville for the time being.

A move would be perceived by some (particularly in the state of Kentucky) as a surrender to Calipari.

And Pitino might rather rebuild at Louisville than deal with that perception.

Jeremy Tyler isn't just skipping college.

He's skipping his senior year of high school, too.

“This is what I want to do,” Tyler, a Class of 2010 star, told the New York Times on Wednesday while announcing his intention to play professionally in Europe next season. “It will help me get better and grow up.”

Tyler, 17, was committed to play at Louisville in 2010-2011. But now the 6-11 center is set to spend the next two years in Europe (Spain, perhaps) developing and earning an expected six-figure salary before entering the NBA Draft in 2011, which seems to be the first year Tyler would be eligible to be selected because of the NBA's controversial age-limit rule. Assuming he follows through on his announcement, Tyler will become the first American-born player to leave high school early to play professionally overseas. He'll be the second high-profile prospect to choose Europe in as many years -- joining Arizona signee Brandon Jennings, who just completed a season in Italy in which he reportedly made $1.2 million thanks to a basketball contract and endorsement deal.

Scout.com rates Tyler as the seventh-best prospect in the Class of 2010.

The person doing the alleged extorting in the Rick Pitino case is Karen Sypher, multiple sources have confirmed.

She is the wife of Louisville equipment manager Tim Sypher.

They have five children.

Tim has worked for Pitino at Louisville for seven years, according to an official bio. He was also a personal assistant to Pitino for more than three years with the Boston Celtics, meaning he's worked with Pitino in some form for a decade. By pure coincidence, Daniel Acker of Bloomberg News took a picture of a Karen Sypher sources have said is the Karen Sypher last year at The Kentucky Derby.

Click this link to see it.

(She really does look like she's up to something, doesn't she?)

Records show Tim and Karen Sypher are in the process of getting a divorce.

Tim Sypher issued a statement Sunday morning.

"I am devastated by the bizarre allegations that my estranged wife is making against both Coach Pitino and myself," he said. "At this point, my primary concern is for my young daughter and four stepsons, both to the impact of their mother's actions on them, as well as the impact on Coach's family and the University. I love my children, and want to protect them. At the same time, I intend to defend the allegations vigorously and will have no additional comment at this time."

DETROIT -- Bruce Pearl is a realistic candidate at Memphis.

Rick Pitino, not so much.

CBSSports.com was the first to report Pearl as a legitimate candidate to replace John Calipari, and multiple sources have since added that if the Memphis boosters approach Pearl with a lucrative deal he would be open to considering a move to the western side of the state. Meantime, The Commercial Appeal has reported that, in addition to Pearl, the Memphis boosters have expressed an interest in trying to lure Pitino from Louisville with a deal that would give him more money than Calipari just took from Kentucky. But an industry source told CBSSports.com that there's "no way in hell" Pitino would move to Memphis, even if the school promised to make Richard Pitino, Rick's son, the designate coach in waiting.

So the bottom line is this ...

Pitino: No.

Pearl: Show me the money.

NEW YORK -- By most accounts, there are still six schools in play for the four No. 1 seeds.

They are Pittsburgh, Duke, North Carolina, Louisville, Memphis and Connecticut.

The following is a look at what each has done this season, to date.

-- PITTSBURGH --

• RPI: 1
• Record vs. projected NCAA tournament teams: 8-3
• Losses to projected non-NCAA tournament teams: 1 (Providence)

-- DUKE --

• RPI: 2
• Record vs. projected NCAA tournament teams: 11-6
• Losses to projected non-NCAA tournament teams: 0

-- NORTH CAROLINA --

• RPI: 3
• Record vs. projected NCAA tournament teams: 6-4
• Losses to projected non-NCAA tournament teams: 0

-- LOUISVILLE --

• RPI: 4
• Record vs. projected NCAA tournament teams: 8-3
• Losses to projected non-NCAA tournament teams: 2 (UNLV, Notre Dame)

-- MEMPHIS --

• RPI: 7
• Record vs. projected NCAA tournament teams: 2-2
• Losses to projected non-NCAA tournament teams: 1 (Georgetown)

-- CONNECTICUT --

• RPI: 8
• Record vs. projected NCAA tournament teams: 8-3
• Losses to projected NCAA tournament teams: 1 (Georgetown)

(All projections are based on Jerry Palm's Sunday morning bracket .)