Q: From Stacy in Cincinnati: With the addition of DeForrest Riley-Smith it would appear Xavier has exceeded the scholarship limit for next season. Do you believe he will be a walk-on his first year and receive a scholarship the following year? Or will somebody transfer out?

A: All of Xavier's committed recruits, written and oral, are coming to Xavier next season, so Xavier indeed has exceeded its scholarship limit with the addition of Riley-Smith. This is not uncommon. Coaches have to over-recruit for a variety of reasons, largely because of players who transfer. No one is going to be forced out to make room for Riley-Smith, but it is not unreasonable to expect a player to want to transfer for more playing time, which would open a scholarship for Riley-Smith.

Q: From Jeff in Covington: What has happened to Will Caudle? Since he was taken out of the starting lineup, his minutes have dropped a lot.

A: Caudle has been sick most of the season, limiting his playing ability. He also has missed practice because he's sick.

Numbers game

48: Duke sophomore J.J. Redick has made 48 consecutive free throws, tying an Atlantic Coast Conference record set by Virginia's Jeff Lamp during the 1979-80 season. Redick, a Virginia native, will have a chance to break the record Sunday when the No. 2 Blue Devils play the Cavaliers in Charlottesville. Redick is 39-for-39 this season. He tied the record by hitting all four of his free throws Tuesday vs. Fairfield.

Must-See TV

Xavier at Rhode Island, noon Sunday (Fox Sports): Rams aren't the gimme they used to be.

Wake Forest at Texas, 8 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN2): Remember the saying, Skip: Don't mess with Texas.

Kentucky at Mississippi State, 9 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN): UK faces a post threat in 6-foot-9, 235-pound Lawrence Roberts.

Cincinnati at Marquette, 7 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN): This trip and Louisville are the toughest of the season.

Cincinnati women at DePaul, 4 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2): Bearcats take aim at the 18th-ranked Blue Demons.

THE LIST

The coaches for whom Gene Seals would like to play, outside of Miami:
• Marshall Thomas (Seals' high school coach)
• Tom Izzo
• Neil Barns
• Reginald Robinson (taught Seals to play basketball)
• Bobby Knight

Thumbs up

Sean May: North Carolina's big man scored 23 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in Wednesday's win vs. Miami.

Robert Hite: The former Winton Woods guard and current Miami (Fla.) standout scored 27 points with six rebounds in a losing cause in the same game.

SEC: The league has some surprise teams in Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, along with usual powers Kentucky and Florida.

Keydren Clark: St. Peter's sophomore guard is leading the nation in points, with 26.6 a game, and averages 5.4 assists.

Thumbs down

Missouri: The Tigers, now 5-5, have the market cornered on this category following their loss at Iowa State.

Mike Davis: Indiana's coach doesn't look good after the Hoosiers' third loss by more than 33 points Tuesday.

Michigan State: Not a good way to enter the Big Ten season, at 5-6 and opening at Wisconsin.

Providence: The Friars failed to defend Texas' P.J. Tucker as he drove the length of the court in three seconds to hit a game-winning layup Monday.

The best cold-blooded shooters

1. J.J. Redick, Duke: Confidence to hit any shot short of half-court. Hit six of 10 3-pointers against Davidson.

2. Bracey Wright, Indiana: Too much responsibility, but still a great shooter. Leads the Hoosiers with a 38.9 field goal percentage.

3. Gerry McNamara, Syracuse: Need a big shot, he's your man. He's shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, 40 percent overall.

4. Ben Gordon, Connecticut: Inside or outside the 3-point line, he has the touch.

5. Matt Lottich, Stanford: The best shooter in the west.

Tipoff rankings

Rank	Team	Comment
1.	Connecticut	Survived Rutgers; Oklahoma is next on Sunday.
2.	Arizona	Wildcats can gain an edge in Pac-10 with win vs. Stanford.
3.	Oklahoma	Must answer critics of team strength Sunday against UConn.
4.	Duke	Chris Duhon is averaging more than six assists.
5.	Wake Forest	Highest-scoring team in the nation.
6.	Saint Joseph's	Jameer Nelson is taking over.
7.	Stanford	Josh Childress' improved health will make Cardinal tougher.
8.	Georgia Tech	Can compensate for Georgia loss with win at UNC Sunday.
9.	Kentucky	Interesting matchup today against a solid Vanderbilt team.
10.	Cincinnati	First tough test at Marquette Wednesday.
11.	North Carolina	Needs to prove itself against Georgia Tech.
12.	Louisville	Cardinals have come long way since loss to Iowa.
13.	Gonzaga	Hard to get excited about Bulldogs' conference schedule.
14.	Syracuse	Unspectacular but efficient in winning 10 straight.
15.	Pittsburgh	Unbeaten at 15-0, but challenge awaits today it Miami.
16.	Kansas	Wayne Simien has been a steady force for Jayhawks.

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com and bkoch@enquirer.com