Collegiate athletes that get caught taking gifts from agents, coaches, etc., generally don’t just step forward and admit their wrong-doing. Even when caught, they often deny it. No matter the proof. No matter the evidence. No matter how badly damaged their image is, they’ll fight it to the end.

OJ Mayo has taken that path.

Reached late Sunday night, Mayo told ESPN.com, “I don’t know anything about it. It caught me by surprise. I’ve got to get to L.A. to see what’s going on. I’m just focusing on the draft.”

Like he said, the guy was caught by total surprise. Total. Utter. Surprise. Sadly, it’s OJ who’s the victim here, and I think the rest of America should give him a hand and get off his back.

USC was once looked at as a clean program that just somehow attracted great players, but that once clean image is starting to get more and more tarnished. First, you had Reggie Bush, who was given whatever he wanted in lieu to a National Championship, Heisman Trophy and great college career. Now, you’ve got OJ Mayo, who also reportedly took gifts.

Louis Johnson, who was a part of Mayo’s inner circle until recently, said Mayo accepted around $30,000 in cash and gifts during the past four years from Rodney Guillory, a 43-year-old Los Angeles event promoter. In addition to cash, the gifts included a flat-screen television for Mayo’s dorm room, cell phone service, a hotel room, clothes, meals and airline tickets for Mayo’s friends and a relative, according to Johnson, others with knowledge of the gifts and store receipts.

This is nothing new to anyone who follows sports. Agents give these guys cash, and these guys, broke as they are, happily accept it. Unfortunately for Mayo, where he received a flat screen, hotel rooms, and lots of loot, he wasn’t given a jump shot, any sense of team play, or the ability to pass.

UNC would’ve been the clear-cut favorite for preseason No. 1 seed had Ellington, Lawson and Hansbrough all returned, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Though Tyler Hansbrough has decided to return to UNC for his senior season, Ty Lawson, the super-quick point guard, and Wayne Ellington, the sharp shooter with all-around game.

Neither Lawson nor Ellington will hire an agent, leaving them a window to return to school. Though unlikely — I’d guess Ellington could crack the top 10, and Lawson’s a sure first rounder — they do have the option to return and team up with Hansbrough in what would be a ridiculous Fab Three.

We all know Pat Summitt. We all know Geno Auriemma. We all know the two hate each other. If you follow Lady’s Basketball, or at least watch the final few games, we all know they’re often in consideration for the National Championship. What we don’t know is why these two hate each other. Now we do.

Auriemma said last year that Summitt could not publicly explain her decision to end the series because “she would be put in a position of needing to back it up.”

On Tuesday, he said that if Summitt would not explain, he would.

“Pat knows … So she should just tell you why instead of saying, ‘Geno knows.’ I do know,” he said. “I already told you. She accused us of cheating at recruiting. She doesn’t have the courage to say it publicly. So yeah, Geno does know. And I’ve said it.”

It’s too bad that game was cancelled. I can truthfully say I’d watch the first five minutes of that game, which is five minutes more than I’ve ever watched of any other game.

There was the early buzz that Kevin Love, stud freshman from UCLA, was going to enter the NBA Draft after just one short season at UCLA. His mom said it wasn’t true, the school said it wasn’t true, but c’mon: We know it’s true.

Love will announce today what his future plans are, but don’t be too shocked if the guy decides to turn pro. He seems like nothing more than a fat white guy to me — kinda reminds me of Big Country — but that shouldn’t stop some NBA team from taking him seven picks too high thinking about all the “potential” he has.

Michael Beasley is leaving Kansas State, as if there was much question in doubt there. The Freak Freshman, who made Kevin Durant’s scoring look like someone coming off the bench, has apparently had it with classes, teachers, school life, and carrying his otherwise sorry team.

“That’s what he wants to do. Mike feels he can play with anybody,” Curtis Malone, Beasley’s former AAU coach, told the Kansas City Star.

Malone told the newspaper that he talked with Beasley as late as Sunday.

“My last words to him were, ‘Do what you feel is best.’ He’s considered the option of going back,” Malone told the Star. “He doesn’t want to be selfish, either. But he also wants to take care of his family.”

It’s nice he wants to take care of his family, and that’s his first priority. And by “taking of care of his family,” I mean buying cars, prostitutes, and lots of drugs to smoke.

In an attempt to probably capture more money, Bill Self said he woudl entertain the possibility of coaching for Oklahoma State. Once the money came pouring in for Kansas, Bill Self suddenly wasn’t very interested anymore.

“Home called,” Self said. “And we love home. But this is home now.”

“There was never serious interest on our part in leaving the University of Kansas,” said Self, who has won 142 games, four Big 12 titles and a national championship in five highly successful seasons with the Jayhawks.

“But there was serious interest in listening and helping Oklahoma State in a way that would put their basketball program in the position they want it to be in. We visited and slept on it and came to the conclusion that I felt all along that the time is right for my family to be in Lawrence, Kan., and lead this program, hopefully, to bigger and better things in the future.”

The noise you just heard? It was many Kansas fans, all collectively breathing a sigh of relief.

You’ll have to excuse the title, but I’d been hearing about OJ Mayo and how great he was for about three years now. All in all, he went to USC where he didn’t do anything but maybe worsen his team.

Now he wants to go pro.

“I am so thankful for the fans and alumni at USC and around the nation that have been so supportive of me and my teammates throughout the season,” Mayo said in a statement. “I’d like to express my appreciation to my coaches and teammates for their support in one of the most important decisions I’ve ever made.”

This is an instance of a guy that could’ve come out of high school and made a lot more money than he will now. He would’ve gone No. 1 out of high school, where he’ll now probably fall somewhere in the top 10 (I’m guessing six, seven or eight).

My guess is OJ will be like a Kevin Durant, who, as most know, I’m not very fond of. Hog the ball, pass seldomly, score 30 points, but do nothing to better your team.

You see what winning a National Championship does for a man? Three weeks ago, 1st and 10, a show I rarely watch, pondered whether or not Bill Self was on the hot seat. He hadn’t been to a Final Four, had fallen short each year with lots of talent and, generally, was known as a guy who could only coach in the regular season.

Three weeks later, the man is going to be able to go to any school he wants for about any amount of money he wants. With Oklahoma State looking like they’re going to back in the Brink’s truck, Kansas donors are willing to empty their pockets, as well.

Immediately after Kansas beat Memphis in overtime Monday night for the NCAA championship, speculation intensified that oil and energy magnate T. Boone Pickens might be coming after the Jayhawks’ coach on behalf of Oklahoma State.

“If they’re going to need to raise a lot of money, I’m sure there will be many people who step forward,” Dana Anderson, a businessman/developer and prominent Kansas donor, told The Associated Press. “Bill Self is a great individual and a great coach and he’s perfect for Kansas.”

I like basketball. But $165 million? Give me a plane ticket, a hotel in Vegas, and a couple of cheap strippers, and I promise I’ll do more with that money that any delight winning a National Title can give me.

I hardly admit to being an avid fan of Women’s Basketball, but I did go to school at UT, so I think I’m at least a little obligated to watch the Stanford/UT game tonight. Not knowing anything about women’s b-ball, I figured UT would be a shoe-in to win it, but I’m finding out that Stanford’s favored by most experts.

To hell with experts. I went to school there. Go Vols.