AM Rumble: Old Big East rivalries take center stage

Today in the AM Rumble, old Big East rivalries are emerging from the 2016-17 non-conference schedule, a four-star recruit de-committed from UConn, point guard Jaylen Fisher finds a new home, and transfers continue to make waves across the country.

But first, former Johnnie and current Portland forward Moe Harkless made some interesting comments about defending Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson.

Scheduling updates

The Johnnies will be traveling to the Carrier Dome in late December to take on the Orange, but another current Big East team is headed upstate as well. Georgetown will play the Orange seven days earlier (December 17) in the return game of a home-and-home series that started last year.

Meanwhile, Jim Boeheim's unit will be playing a THIRD former Big East rivalry game. The Orange will face off against the UConn Huskies at Madison Square Garden on December 5 in what should be a riveting atmosphere.

The Never Forget Tribute Classic will be played in mid-December at the Prudential Center. The showcase game will be between the defending champs, Villanova, and former Big East school, Notre Dame. Pittsburgh and Penn State will play in the second game of the afternoon.

Another intriguing non-conference tournament was announced earlier this week as Duke, Cincinnati, Rhode Island and Penn State will play in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic at Mohegan Sun. The event (November 19-20) will feature Duke versus Penn State and Rhode Island versus Cincinnati in the first round.

High level recruits make difficult decisions

Four-star center from Miami, FL, Zach Brown, has de-committed from Kevin Ollie and UConn. The 2017 big man (25th on ESPN's top 100) left Putnam Science Academy (CT) after being involved in a postgame fight following a match-up in Rhode Island. South Carolina is said to be a major player in his recruitment but he will "re-evaluate his options."

The knock on Jamie Dixon at Pittsburgh was his inability to reel in high level recruits. At TCU, the head man has already landed a massive addition that will greatly help the Horned Frogs in the Big 12 next season. Point guard Jaylen Fisher, a four-star recruit and former UNLV commit, is headed to Fort Worth. Fisher is ranked 34th in ESPN's 2016 top 100 and will give TCU a legit ball handler from day one.

Transfers galore

Former UNLV forward Ben Carter has decided to take his talents to East Lansing to play for Tom Izzo and Michigan State. Carter, who is coming off a torn ACL, played the first two seasons of his college career in Oregon before transferring to Las Vegas. He is immediately eligible for MSU. Carter will give the Spartans a big body that can rebound, play a consistent role and provide energy for a team that will be without Deyonta Davis (NBA Draft) and Matt Costello (graduation).

Texas A&M also landed a plug-and-play transfer as Lipscomb's leading scorer, J.C. Hampton, has committed to the Aggies. The 6'0" guard averaged 15.9 points per game last season and will provide depth in the backcourt as a graduate transfer. The Aggies are losing Alex Caruso, Anthony Collins and Danuel House so more production on the perimeter is needed.

Other game breaking headlines

How about Julian Jacobs? The guard, who was projected to have a monster role on USC next season, is hiring an agent and will surprisingly remain in the 2016 NBA Draft pool. Jacobs averaged 11.6 points per game last season while shooting 47 percent from the floor. The Las Vegas native can attack the basket and was a force in the team's NCAA Tournament match-up against Providence.

The bad news for Villanova: Phil Booth had knee surgery. The good news: He's only out 6-8 weeks, which means he will surely be good to go for the start of the season. Booth scored 20 points in the National Title game and should have a breakout season in year three.