When it gets hot out, and sportswriters in our fine state start sweating to come up with story ideas, we tend to gauge the temperature of a potential return of a great college rivalry that was lost to a combination of conference realignment, hurt feelings, pride and Bill Self's stubbornness.
But Long's hire is an interesting twist, if nothing more. At the least, perhaps it continues momentum for more charity basketball exhibitions moving forward. Last year's basketball clash at the Sprint Center in Kansas City raised nearly $2 million for hurricane relief efforts. Not exactly a terrible idea, considering it was competitive and both teams felt they benefited from the experience.