Check out my national insider here -- where I pick my All-Big Ten first team plus other honors, plus notes around college basketball and this week's nutty power poll (perhaps as nutty as any this year).

Five tidbits while I remain giddy about my new apartment addition.

1. Recruiting update: Gophers 2014 recruit, JUCO Carlos Morris (Chipola College) was named first team all conference in the Panhandle conference. Fellow commit Josh Martin (Bothell High School) was named first team all-state.

2. More fodder for your bracketology fever: Gophers among about eight teams fighting for about three spots in the Big Dance. From The Daily Gopher. The Big Lead says seven teams for those three spots. Plus Big Ten tournament projections from BT Powerhouse -- gives the Gophers a 55 percent chance of winning their first-round game.

3. Gophers are not in Busting the Bracket's new field of 68. But the Big Ten Geeks over at BTN.com say the Gophers can still get there with two more wins.

4. Interesting stuff from Minnesota basketball: a Q&A with the Gophers' three assistant coaches.

5. Tweeted:

"Terran Petteway averaged just 3.1 points per game at Texas Tech. Now leads the Big Ten in scoring. #TeamMiles." -- @BTpowerhouse

"An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's J.D. SALINGER" -- @AdviceToWriters

"If Austin Hollins got to play Iowa every game of his career, he's be an NBA lottery pick. True story. #Gophers" -- @FromTheBarn

Random ranking: Mpls coffee shops

1. Anodyne (a little far out to be convenient for me but such a warm, inviting place)
2. Spyhouse, Uptown (by far the best atmosphere in downtown/uptown area and very good coffee)
3. Urban Bean, Lyndale (exceptionally good coffee/ cool t-shirts)
4. Moose & Sadies (sunny spot with tasty breakfast)
5. Dogwood coffee bar (maybe they're a little snobby here but the coffee holds up)