First of all, I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday.

Once we get past Christmas, my thoughts always start turning toward conference play, and one of the great stories so far in college basketball is unfolding in Conference USA. It’s not getting a lot of attention nationally yet, but SMU is 7-1 under first-year coach Matt Doherty.

I’ve always believed Doherty can coach, and he’s proving it big-time in Dallas. Don’t expect SMU to be an NCAA Tournament team this year, but the Mustangs do have a legit victory over Dayton, a nice win over Illinois State, and last Thursday they beat cross-town rival TCU. Given where they were, it’s a remarkable turnaround.
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Obviously, it was a pretty nice performance by the Tigers. They weren’t sloppy, they made shots, and they defended well. When you compare it to games Memphis has played against similar teams — Austin Peay, Manhattan, etc. — it was a much better effort.

So what do you take from it?

What I saw today was a few guys having breakthrough-type games, especially Doneal Mack and Willie Kemp. Those two freshmen have seemed a little behind schedule, but if they’re going to get better, this is a logical time to start seeing it.
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Andre Allen suffered a concussion at Friday’s practice after colliding with Jeremy Hunt. I didn’t have a great angle to see it, but the consensus was that they bumped heads.

It was a pretty scary scene because they were both down for about 10 minutes, with Hunt finally getting up and rubbing his head. I talked with him after practice, and he seemed cogent and said he’d be fine.

Though it’s standard procedure, it’s always a little unnerving to see somebody taken out of practice on a stretcher with their neck immobilized. Luckily, it appears he’ll be OK.
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As expected, the NBA handed down its list of suspensions from its Saturday night fights at Madison Square Garden. In case you’ve been in hibernation and still haven’t heard about it, or seen it, the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets got into a so-called fight.

It started when New York’s Mardy Collins hog-tied J.R. Smith as he was about to go in for a dunk late in the Nuggets’ blowout win at the Garden. It escalated from there, Carmelo Anthony threw a sucker punch, the little midget Nate Robinson tried to prove how tough he is by wrestling Smith and trying to fight whoever else he could find, Smith punched Robinson back.
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Folks, I won’t lie to ya. For a couple minutes during practice today, I thought senior Jeremy Hunt’s season — and career — were over.

Luckily, he emerged from a collision with freshman Pierre Niles apparently unscatched and finished practice at seemingly full speed. But given Hunt’s injury history, which reads like War and Peace, I can tell you that I was not the only person in Finch Center holding his breath while Hunt was down on the floor for a couple minutes in pretty severe pain.
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The NASCAR season has only been over for a few weeks, but race fans who want to hear the rumble of racecars before Daytona in February will have an outlet on Thursday at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Penske Racing drivers Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman will be testing at MMP starting at about 8 a.m. an it will last until the afternoon, weather permitting.

Fan can watch testing sessions from Grandstand G (start-finish line) at no charge. The garage and infield are not open to the public, and no concessions are available. Schedule subject to change.

There has been a Shawne Williams sighting. After not playing all season, rookie Shawne Williams, the Indiana Pacers first round draft pick from Memphis, FINALLY got in his first NBA game Monday night. In the Pacers 106-91 loss to Chicago, Williams scored 13 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the floor.

Helping his cause to get on the court was the fact the Pacers were without starters Al Harrington and Marquis Daniels, both of whom had a stomach ailment, and Stephen Jackson, who was suspended for one game after an altercation with coach Rick Carlisle.

Williams was inactive for the Pacers first 21 games.