About six weeks ago, the feeling at C-USA Media Day was that the league would be much better this year. There was hype about Houston. There was hype about Morris Almond and Rice. There was hype about Mike Davis landing at UAB.

It all sounded good at the time. But I’m here to tell you, the league doesn’t appear to be any better. In fact, it might be worse. I know that’s a horrifying thought for Memphis fans, but the early returns aren’t looking good.

Though C-USA is actually seventh as a league right now in the RPI ratings — ahead of the Big East and the ACC — I wouldn’t put much stock in that. The RPI is very volatile and a little bit wacky early in the season, and if I were to look into my crystal ball, I’d say C-USA will only get one NCAA Tournament bid come March (going to Memphis, of course).

Here’s my breakdown of where each C-USA team stands as we flip the calendar to December:
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Good evening and welcome to FedExForum, where the Memphis Grizzlies will take on the Washington Wizards, and I will take on the task of trying to keep up with the action and have fun with your comments.

Game time is 18 minutes away. The pregame notes are read, the pregame meal is digested — sort of — and it’s time to go.

William, a Wizards fan, asks how the injury to Kyle Lowry will affect the Griz tonight against his team. William, kind of like taking the engine out of your car. He’s what gives them the momentum, the energy. The loss is tough to take, especially since he’d been playing so well before the injury. But they’ve got to carry on. Eddie Jones is active again. We’ll see if he plays and how well he holds up.
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NOTES FROM EL PASO . . . . .

* Memphis will play the role of spoiler in its final game. UTEP has to beat the Tigers to become bowl eligible.

* The Tigers arrived in El Paso Friday afternoon and went through a light, and at times lighthearted, 45-minute workout at the Sun Bowl. Most marveled at the 51,500-seat stadium, which is cut into the side of a mountain. Memphis has never played a game in El Paso.
Long snapper Rusty Clayton sprinted to the top row of the stadium and began snapping pictures. Others took in the view that, while not particularly scenic, was unique. For a team that won’t be in the postseason for the first time in four years, the workout had the feel of bowl game practice.

* As the Tigers team charter landed in El Paso Friday morning, the New Mexico State team was boarding its charter. U of M offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner was able to speak briefly with NMSU coach Hal Mumme before Mumme had to board the charter. Fichtner said Mumme was seeking out Martin Hankins, the Memphis quarterback who played for Mumme two years ago when both were at 1-AA Southeastern Louisiana.

Wanna talk Grizzlies basketball? No better time than during the game.

Tonight, from courtside, I will be doing a live blog on the Grizzlies-Wizards game. If you’re watching the game — or even if you’re not and just want to keep up with what’s going on — come here to TheMemphisEdge.com and join the fray. Feel free to comment — make it witty, insightful, whatever — and I’ll include your thoughts as I bring you game details and observations from FedExForum.

Game time is 7 p.m., but I’ll get on by about 6:45 p.m. So come join me as we watch the Grizzlies and the Washington Wizards. See ya there.

LAHAINA, Hawaii — From a Memphis viewpoint, there are two distinct ways to look at this game against Georgia Tech, regardless of the outcome.

1) Memphis vs. Thaddeus Young — If Memphis wins, there will be a good bit of glee coming from the Tigers fan base (and privately, a good bit within the program). If Memphis loses, it will be hard to ignore the obvious question: How much different would the outcome have been if Young was in a different jersey.

2) Two top-25 teams trying to establish a pecking order early in the season — If Memphis wins, I think John Calipari and staff will feel very good about their trip here, no matter what happens in the final. Should the Tigers lose, however, the pressure will definitely be on in the consolation game against either Kentucky or UCLA because nobody wants to leave here 1-2. Though games this early in the season certainly are be-all, end-all kind of games, this test should give Memphis a pretty good idea whether that preseason top-15 ranking was justified.
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Here’s an interesting view from a Griz fan:

Dear Coach Fratello:

I don’t care if we win 10 games.

I don’t.

I really don’t.

Just as an observer, never as a player of any magnitude, here is my opinion of how you build an NBA basketball team. You get a combination of some veteran players; players who know the game. You get some young legs, some very talented young legs, and give them two or three years to develop a chemistry, an identity. Every team who has ever won an NBA championship knew who they were. They were not NBA champions, initially. They were a combination of veteran leadership and young legs, albeit young talented legs. They had patient ownership. They had patient coaches who knew that the most important goal was teaching. If, they had the magical combination of youth and veteran leadership, they reached the promised land.
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Dajuan Wagner’s NBA career suffered yet another bump in the road this weekend when the former University of Memphis star agreed to a buyout with the Golden State Warriors. Wagner, who sat out last season after having his colon removed in 2005, was an early training camp favorite of coach Don Nelson. He started six of Golden State’s seven preseason games, twice leading them in scoring. But Wagner, 23, was eventually passed in the rotation by players like Monta Ellis and former Grizzly Anthony Roberson. He only played in two regular season games, scoring four points in a blowout win against Detroit.
The former No. 6 overall pick of Cleveland will be paid handsomely for his release, though. He agreed to a buyout of his two-year contract. His salary of $798,112 this season was fully guaranteed.