Quick hitters the day after the title game:
• Expect the NBA draft this spring to be flooded with underclassmen declaring because of the perception that it is going to be a weak draft.
• The onus will be on the NBA to slim down the number of invitees for its new NFL-like scouting combine without games May 27-30 in Chicago. Workouts can begin after the April 30 deadline to declare. A number of programs won't know who will return for next season until mid-June, making coaches sweat out the results. The ACC proposal to get rid of the testing process and make players decide whether they're in or out of the draft shortly after the Final Four is up for discussion this month. No changes to the draft dates have been made for the 2009 edition.
• Connecticut junior center Hasheem Thabeet said Tuesday he will make his official announcement after school. When I reminded him that the deadline to declare is before the end of the spring semester, he said he would do it right before the deadline. There is no suspense. He knows he likely would not fall below No. 3 in the NBA draft behind Oklahoma sophomore Blake Griffin and Spain's Ricky Rubio.
• Pitt coach Jamie Dixon has had a number of conversations with sophomore forward DeJuan Blair and expects him to declare for the draft but isn't sure he will sign with an agent and stay in. A number of NBA personnel told ESPN.com they are skeptical about whether Blair can make the transition because he plays below the rim.
• The shocker will be players who do stay in school instead of trying to see where they stand. No one will be surprised if North Carolina loses Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington, two players who are expected to declare soon. Freshman Ed Davis scored 11 points in 14 minutes in the national title game but he said Monday night he would return.
• Kentucky's Jodie Meeks declared as expected. Don't be shocked if Patrick Patterson follows, too. New Kentucky coach John Calipari told me he would encourage them to see where they stand. That's the same approach Syracuse's Jim Boeheim is taking with Jonny Flynn.
• There is a sense among those at UConn that junior Stanley Robinson will investigate the draft, too. NBA personnel are intrigued by Robinson's ability to play in the league.
• South Carolina's Devan Downey declared. This is a classic case of a player simply wanting to see if he can get a sniff to see whether it's worth staying in the draft.
• The NCAA's agent-gambling-amateurism arm is going to have to stay on top of the situation. With so many players declaring, they likely will have agent contact and money could be flowing toward them. The good news for the NCAA is that NBA teams can pay for workouts. Not allowing that was only going to cause more heartache for the investigators trying to see whether anyone was taking money.
• Josh Pastner said he was cleaning up his office, expecting to go to Lexington, Ky., when he was asked whether he wanted the Memphis job. He had been openly politicking to get the Arizona job prior to Sean Miller's decision to re-accept the offer from Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood. Pastner was in sweat pants and a sweat shirt and had no idea the offer was coming. He accepted it without hesitation. He said he was hoping he could get involved for jobs in Texas (he's from Houston) if they came open. He never thought he would land a gig like Memphis. This will be a tough chore, though, as he follows the legend that is Calipari. He's in a no-win situation. Ask Bruiser Flint, Calipari's top assistant who had to follow him at UMass after the 1996 Final Four. Pastner will work as hard as any coach in the country, but the expectations are too high in Memphis. The key for Pastner will be surrounding himself with an experienced staff. No one gave Russ Pennell a shot as interim at Arizona, and he motivated the Wildcats to the Sweet 16. So Pastner, who is a constant optimist, has a shot if he stays grounded, gets the right talent and handles the pressure of retooling a national program.
• Xavier is ready-made to be a top-15 team again. If the Musketeers make the call to Siena's Fran McCaffery, they will have a great shot to go deep in the NCAAs. McCaffery has had similar teams and would be a perfect fit for the Musketeers.
• Central Florida's staff was thrilled with the Marcus Jordan recruiting get. Jordan's father, Michael, was quick to say during his news conference Monday that Marcus was proud he had something his father didn't -- a state title (Marcus won in Illinois with Whitney Young). But Michael joked and said he reminded his son that plenty of people win a state title and nothing else. Now that's a challenge!
• Basketball royalty were all over Ford Field with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, David Robinson and John Stockton in the house.
• Ford Field's operation was magnificent, even if the weather was brutal with wind, blowing snow and some bitter temperatures.
Andy Katz
