Each weekday, our college hoops experts discuss the biggest issues, trends and themes in the college basketball world.
1. Was there anything in Indiana's loss to Wake Forest that hints at a bigger problem?
Andy Katz: Defense will be an evolving issue as well as rebounding. But most importantly, it's lost opportunities. There is a chance that Indiana could leave Maui without playing an NCAA-tournament bound team. The Big Ten provides enough RPI-influencing games, but the nonconference schedule will take a hit if the Hoosiers don't face an NCAA-type team. Losing out on playing Vandy is a hit.
John Gasaway: If I'm Tom Crean, one worrisome takeaway is that the Demon Deacons were so successful on their offensive glass. Danny Manning's guys pulled down 49 percent of their misses, and those rebounds led to a lot of easy baskets.
Dana O'Neil: The frontcourt was always going to be a weakness, so the lack of rebounding isn't a surprise. The issue is defense. No, the Hoosiers don't come by it naturally, but they have to find a way to be at least serviceable or this is going to happen more often.
2. What's the biggest key for UCLA against Kansas? And do the Bruins have any shot against the Jayhawks in Maui?
Katz: Confidence. This is a golden opportunity. All the pressure is on Kansas here. If UCLA makes 3s, it has a shot.
Gasaway: The Bruins have a shot if they can hold onto the ball -- and that's a big "if." So far this season, Steve Alford's men have committed turnovers on nearly 23 percent of their possessions. In UCLA's overtime loss to Monmouth, for example, freshman Aaron Holiday gave the ball away six times.
O'Neil: Kansas loves run-outs and is very good at executing them. If UCLA wants a chance against the Jayhawks, it can't afford costly turnovers. As for whether the Bruins can win, in a topsy-turvy season, I am never saying never
3. It might be rough now, but will North Carolina benefit in the long run from not having Marcus Paige?
Katz: Yes, it will be rough. Paige is the Tar Heels' best player. So getting through this time period will be a slog. Take the best player off any team, and it will be an issue.
Gasaway: I've never understood the alleged long-term value of losing your best player. If coaches really believed that playing time for others is such a season-changing benefit, they'd play entirely different lineups against cupcakes. Maybe this "make us better in the long run" is just a soothing incantation coaches recite when confronted with a key injury. Call me a skeptic.
O'Neil: To me, saying a team is better off without its best player is like saying it's good luck when it rains on your wedding day. It's just to make you feel better about a lousy situation. Sure, it's nice that other guys get time minus Paige, but UNC needs its best player on the court.