Time for less talk, more action

IT IS THE last week of January, which means coaches are getting frustrated with overworked officials, players are getting frustrated with hyper coaches and we all begin to wonder if there is a greater meaning to the games and all that surround them.

It is about this time every year when I wonder who exactly invented the "talk about" question, as in "Coach, can you talk about the offense?" I always thought if you asked an actual question, you would get an answer when the coach talks.

It is also that time of year when I have heard too many players and coaches say that "I/We need to step up."

And what exactly does this mean: "We need to score the ball." If the ball goes in the basket, you score.

Any TV commentator who says "big fella" or "little fella" needs to be muted forevermore.

By the way, is there anything better than Bill Walton on West Coast games? Almost none of what he says makes any sense, which is exactly why I love it. He knows way more about Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead than he does about the players on either team and has no problem letting the viewers know that.

It is college hoops as we are about to hit February, always the cruelest month when reality overtakes the bravado of November and the record can't be ignored. Too many coaches are just hoping nobody asks them to talk about what they thought might happen and what has actually happened.

Wisconsin beat a hot Iowa team last week, 82-50. But that really wasn't the story.

Bo Ryan's team nearly went 40 minutes without a turnover. The only turnover came early in the second half when a Wisconsin shot was blocked and the ball did not hit the rim. The Badgers apparently did not realize this and were eventually called for a shot-clock violation. That was "the" turnover.

Wisconsin scored those 82 points on just 54 possessions, which should be impossible unless you shoot 54 percent inside the arc, 41 percent from the arc and 79 percent from the foul line on a night when you get a shot off on every possession, even the one that resulted in a turnover.

By the way, the Badgers lead the country in fewest fouls (13.1 per game) and fewest turnovers (7.8 per game).

Top five offenses: 1. Notre Dame. 2. Wisconsin. 3. Gonzaga. 4. Davidson. 5. Duke.

Top five defenses: 1. Kentucky. 2. Virginia. 3. San Diego State. 4. Louisville. 5. Oklahoma.

Just four teams rank in the top 20 in offense and defense - Kentucky (14/1), Virginia (6/2), Arizona (13/7) and Villanova (11/20).

You could make a reasonable case that the city players having the two best seasons are Saint Joseph's sophomore DeAndre' Bembry and Drexel redshirt junior Damion Lee.

Neither has been getting a ton of support, so their coaches are playing them major minutes.

Bembry is sixth in minutes (37.43 per game) and Lee is seventh (37.41).

I could not imagine anybody in town having a better single-game line this season than Villanova's Daniel Ochefu when he got 19 points and 24 rebounds at Seton Hall.

I was wrong. Bembry put up a line for the ages last Wednesday when SJU beat Massachusetts - 25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, five steals, three blocks. There may have been lines as good in city history, but there can't be many much better or more complete than that.

If you want to get a coach crazy, bring up the schedule of the officials who just worked, or are about to work, one of his games.

Each season, a few college refs will work 100 games. To put that in context, the NBA regular-season lasts 82 games. College refs are independent contractors who get paid per game, so more games equals more money.

David Hall leads the games race at the moment with 59, followed by Roger Ayers with 58. St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli will be especially pleased to learn that Jamie Luckie is third with 57. Brian Dorsey and Bryan Kersey are next with 56.

The list of former NBA players coaching at their alma maters is just six and includes Jerome Allen (Penn). The other five are Bryce Drew (Valparaiso), Fred Hoiberg (Iowa State), Eddie Jordan (Rutgers), Kevin Ollie (Connecticut) and Lorenzo Romar (Washington).

The 2014-15 Kentucky box scores will be mined for years by basketball archaeologists. Consider last Saturday at South Carolina. Kentucky blocked nine shots. The Gamecocks made 12 shots. I am waiting for the game when Kentucky blocks more shots than the opponent makes. It could happen. South Carolina shot 12-for-53 (22.6 percent).

* Temple was at least eight teams out of the tournament in Joe Lunardi's Monday ESPN.com bracket. The Owls were not among his first four teams out or next four teams out. I still think the Owls have a solid chance of playing their way into the field, but they need to get on a roll. The strong nonconference schedule, the rout of Kansas and the fact that they still have not lost when all of their players have been available for the entire game will certainly help their chances.

* Going into last night's game against DePaul, Providence's Kris Dunn leads the nation in assists (7.6 per game).

* Iowa State point guard Monte Morris has a crazy 5.05/1, assist-turnover ratio ... VCU's Briante Weber leads in steals (3.79 per game) and has 366 steals in 125 career games.

* BYU's Kyle Collinsworth, a 6-6 guard, is the only player with more than one triple double. He has four (points, rebounds, assists).

* Murray State has won a nation's-best eight road games. Virginia, Hofstra, Gonzaga, Rider, Albany, Northern Florida and Maryland-Eastern Shore have all won seven.

* Gary Payton II leads Oregon State in points, rebounds and steals. The Beavers are 14-5 and 5-2 in the Pac-12, the best record after 19 games since 1990. The point guard then when OSU was 16-3, 6-1? Gary Payton I.

* There are only six seniors among the top 30 CAA scorers.

* How exactly is NCAA president Mark Emmert still employed?