The ultimate competition. It???s no secret that women???s basketball is a rapidly growing game and the sport is hoping to take it to a new level this season. Between January 1 and February 17, participating Division I institutions will compete in a ???Pack the House Challenge,??? stuffing as many fans as possible into their arenas. Institutions will predetermine one home game as its ???Pack the House??? entry and marketing staffs will work to fill the stands for that contest. The goal is for each institution to eclipse its previous year???s single-game attendance record. Thirty-two institutions will be selected as champions and the NCAA will donate $500 to a non-profit organization of each winning institution???s choice. Competition within competition ??? you have to love it.

One fast dude. Are you kidding me Nicodemus Naimadu? The Abilene Christian senior won his fourth Division II cross country title this weekend, becoming the first runner in NCAA history to accomplish the feat. Naimadu didn???t just win by a little bit, he finished nearly 30 seconds ahead of Adams State???s Aaron Braun. Naimadu has also won eight individual titles in indoor and outdoor track competition. Want to know more about this phenomenal student-athlete? Check out this month???s ???NCAA On Campus,??? which will air tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN Classic.

A special tournament. I have touched down in New York City, where I will spend the next few days behind-the-scenes of the NIT Season Tip-Off. In addition to attending the ancillary events held for the student-athletes during their special Thanksgiving in the Big Apple, I will also be spending time with the Syracuse program. It???s going to be a great week, so stay tuned!

My kind of education. If I could find six weeks, I would be heading out to Scotland this summer. Yesterday, I caught wind of a sports journalism class that will be taught this summer through the Wisconsin-River Falls ???Wisconsin in Scotland??? program. Students from any college in the country are eligible to sign up and get credit for the course. In addition to learning about sports journalism, students will attend several Scottish sporting events ??? including soccer, rugby and tennis matches. Of course, the class will culminate with a trip to St. Andrews, the mecca of golf. Is it me, or does this class sound like a ton of fun?