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The Morning Mix

- On Thursday, the most highly anticipated college announcement of the Fall will take place when Aaron and Andrew Harrison will decide between Kentucky, Maryland and SMU. The recruitment of the Harrison twins has been played out in public for what feels like the past 36 months. But thankfully, the saga will all be over with on Thursday (.....Until they decommit in 2013..... and transfer in 2014.....)

- Cracked Sidewalks has done it again. This time around the Marquette bloggers have determined the advanced rankings for the top-150 teams in 2014. Yeah, that’s two years from now,The rankings were made based on roster strength, available scholarships for recruits and NBA placement. It’s really good stuff if you don’t mind all the math lingo

- Several collegiate stars tweeted their reactions to the ESPN 30-for-30 documentary “Broke”, a film highlighting the numerous financial struggles of retried professional athletes. The film debuted last night and is a must-watch

- Speaking of the the film industry, former-VCU stud Larry Sanders is making is acting debut in an upcoming flick loaded with famous people you’ve probably heard of

- While major conferences continue to chase to buckets of college football gold, the Atlantic-10 is quickly building a high-major basketball-centric powerhouse. After adding VCU and Butler during the summer, the conference has reached an eight-year television deal with ESPN, CBS Sports Network and NBC Sports Group for its media and television rights (If I’m any of the basketball-centric Big East schools, I’m working my tail off to get in to the Atlantic-10 before 2014, exit fee or not)

- Speaking of ESPN, it looks like the World Wide Leader has been forced to get involved in the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit and must turn over any contracts related to the issue

- Julius Randle, one of the top class of 2013 recruits in the country, has narrowed down his list of colleges. Hint: Duke and UNC didn’t make the cut

- Jabari Parker, the top recruit in Randle’s class, will take official visits to Duke and Michigan this month, and is set to make his announcement in November

- Rush The Court’s Chris Johnson (Not to be confused with Chris Johnson of my 0-4 fantasy football team) provides an interesting piece on the court of public opinion in reference to the situations involving Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel and former-Duke forward Lance Thomas

- Belmont has been the leader of the pack in the Atlantic-Sun for the past decade. So the music-centric Nashville school is taking it’s talents to the Ohio Valley Conference, on the broad shoulders of the Bruins backcourt

- Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey is widely considered one of the best, most stand-up guys in the sport. Central Michigan head coach Keno Davis (Formerly of Providence and Drake), is on the opposite end of the spectrum. You’ll need to understand this in order to realize why it’s OK that Brey kinda sorta poached one of Davis’ recruits. But Ben Miraski of Mid-Major Madness does not feel as though Brey should be given “a pass”

- Akron’s Quincy Diggs, the reigning Mid-American Conference Sixth Man of the Year, has been suspended for the season by head coach Keith Dambrot for violating the university’s Code of Student Conduct

- Virginia’s starting point guard Jontel Evans will miss 4-6 weeks because of foot surgery. The senior guard was nagged by foot pain throughout workouts, and was diagnosed with a stress fracture last week. With the departure of Mike Scott, Evans was to be the key cog for the Cavaliers this season

- You could make the case that Florida State guard Michael Snaer has accomplished as much at the collegiate ranks as he possibly can. The preseason All-American won the ACC Tournament, received the tournament Most Outstanding Player award, hit not one but two buzzer-beaters last season, including one at Cameron Indoor stadium. But despite the achievements and accolades, the senior sharpshooter still has some unfinished business

- Mike Montgomery continues to haul in recruits at a premium pace. Florida native Sam Singer is the latest recruit to commit to the Cal Bears program. While Singer isn’t as talented as other 2013 recruits, Jabari Byrd and Jordan Maxwell, he is a quality mid-to-high major recruit. If Montgomery can reel in Marcus Lee, who is set to announce in the near future, the Cal Bears would have pulled off a mammoth-sized recruiting coup

- Many, including myself, believed that North Carolina had slipped through the administrative cracks and would not face NCAA punishment. Luckily for all of us, I was wrong. NCAA President Mark Emmert has stated that the University could still face sanctions for academic fraud

- College players flocked to “Naval Weapon Systems” class at UNC? (Or “Super-Soakers & Water Balloons” as Tyler Hansbrough referred to it)

- Murray State’s Zay Jackson is in discussion with prosecutors to get a plea deal arranged before his preliminary hearing on second degree assault charges

- Mike DeCourcy previews the challenges ahead for several preseason top-25 teams

- Louisville center Gorgui Dieng was the focus of a lecture held by a university-sponsored club. Seriously

- Anybody interested in a La Salle season preview? If so, this is the link for you

- Various Midnight Madness updates: Baylor, Creighton, Kentucky and Mississippi State

- Schedule previews and updates: Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, St. John’s,

- Bro in Syracuse jersey keeps stealing beer from Montana liquor stores (Yeah, I thought it was Devendorf too)

Troy Machir is the managing editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @TroyMachir.