COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Before her first appearance for Ohio State in a competitive setting, albeit only a closed-door scrimmage against Louisville in October, Stephanie Mavunga experienced a moment of uncertainty. She looked to her teammates for an answer as the tip approached.They were playing the game in quarters, right?Change is in the details. A transfer from North Carolina, Mavunga sat out the 2015-16 season, the first to utilize quarters. She assured teammates who were both amused and incredulous that she had paid attention the previous season. But, you know, the world looks a bit different from the court.My teammates were laughing at me, Mavunga said.With Ohio State the most notable participant in a phenomenon of player movement, the college basketball season might turn on how comfortably the Buckeyes adjust to a whole lot of change.Ohio State has arguably the nations best player in junior Kelsey Mitchell. The supporting cast was already far from barren, but transfers Mavunga, Sierra Calhoun and Linnae Harper create what on paper looks like a super team as capable as any of stepping into the void left by the departure of Connecticuts senior class and its four national titles.Keeping Mitchell in the state was the first building block, and as Ohio State coach Kevin McGuffs fourth season begins, for the first time, a championship is a realistic objective.It was partly everybody was kind of looking at it [as] UConn and everybody else, McGuff said. And then we were still trying to add the right pieces to where I felt like we had the balance inside-out and the depth to do something like that. Now I think we have the pieces in place.Its obviously extremely difficult to do, but I feel like were one of the teams that have got enough talent and depth and balance that we could make a run at the national championship.The conundrum is that rarely -- maybe never -- has a team with so much proven talent provided so little evidence of how the pieces fit together. Calhoun, Harper, Mavunga and Mitchell have played a combined six and a half college seasons. We know they are excellent. Yet none has played an official college game with any of the others.We got a lot of chemistry-building to do, Mitchell said. Weve got a lot of growing to do, as far as knowing what people can do and what they cant do, where theyre most comfortable and where theyre most uncomfortable. I think its a growing stage for us.Ohio State is not alone in conducting an experiment under these conditions. Once novelties for elite programs, high-profile transfers are rapidly becoming commonplace. When South Carolina visits Columbus on Monday, the Gamecocks will have both Allisha Gray, Mavungas former teammate at North Carolina, and Kaela Davis at their disposal. Baylor is a title favorite in large part because Alexis Jones is settling into her second season in Waco after starting at Duke. That is the same Duke that hopes transfer Lexie Brown can help it bounce back from a disappointing season that ended with Azura Stevens transferring to Connecticut, where she will sit out this season.Why there is so much movement remains a topic of debate. Systemic answers range from a sense of entitlement among a generation raised in the often maligned AAU culture to the increasing empowerment of student-athletes to reject dictatorial coaches.Each player has her own story. Mavunga said she had no regrets about choosing North Carolina or spending two seasons in Chapel Hill and that being so far from her home in Indiana forced her to mature. She said she just didnt feel the program, which saw most of her recruiting class transfer, was the best place for her to keep growing.The larger debate will continue. That movement is the new reality isnt up for discussion.I think were going to keep seeing it, McGuff said. Its just hard. I think were in a generation when [if] expectations arent met quickly, then kids move on to the next thing. Its not always bad. Its not always bad at all. Ive had plenty of transfers come in, and Ive had some come out. Its just the way it is and every program is. I dont think thats going away anytime soon.The corresponding reality is that programs must incorporate new moving parts alongside returning players and incoming freshmen. Ohio State must do so three times over.Last we saw her, Mavunga averaged 14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game for the Tar Heels. She gives the Buckeyes a true back-to-the-basket post presence to pair with Alexa Harts shot-blocking athleticism. Harper, who will be eligible for the Buckeyes at the end of the fall semester, was a defensive and rebounding standout for Kentucky two seasons ago and the most-used sub on a United States Pan-Am roster that included the likes of Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson. Ranked 16th in her recruiting class by ESPN HoopGurlz, Calhoun started and averaged 10 points per game as a freshman at Duke. Then she left the team at midseason.On top of that, Ohio State added a well-regarded freshman class headlined by 6-foot-4 Tori McCoy, a prep All-American ranked among the top-10 recruits. That leaves the matter of chemistry. To those who believe teams that play well get along well, Mitchell remains the key figure. After leading the nation in scoring as a freshman, she averaged 26.1 points per game as a sophomore. Although a commendably efficient scorer, she attempted 1,308 field goals and 447 free throws in her first two seasons, in each case more than a quarter of the teams total. Yet not just her coach but also some of those who lose sleep about trying to slow her down think she is suited to the task at hand and that the most prolific soloist in the country can be the conductor of a multipiece ensemble.I think one of her greatest strengths, and well find out this year because shes surrounded by a lot of really great players, is her ability to pass the basketball and her ability to see the floor, Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. I think a lot of people see her as a pure scorer because thats what shes had to do for her team the last couple of years. But Ive seen her pass the ball, and she has vision as great as anyone Ive ever seen.For their part, as Mitchell alluded to, the Buckeyes seem to believe that a team plays well when it already has chemistry and common purpose.As talented as UConns been, theyve kind of out-cultured everybody for years, McGuff said. We had to make a lot of progress in that area, and were working on it.That ultimately comes down to the people involved. The transfers arent strangers. All were around a season ago. But like playing by quarters for the first time, its a different experience. Its about Mitchell learning that she and Harper are similarly soft-spoken and that the gregarious Mavunga is not.Different roads led them all to Columbus. Only one road will lead them to Dallas, host of the 2017 Final Four.Im still learning a lot about each and every one of them, Mitchell said. But I wouldnt want them anywhere else.Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys China .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. Wholesale Golden Knights Jerseys . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. http://www.cheapgoldenknightsjerseys.com/ . LOUIS -- St. Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. A decision to ban turban-wearing Sikh kids from Quebec soccer fields was loudly condemned Tuesday by the federal government. Conservative ministers weighed in on a provincial sports-association decision that has attracted coverage from some major international media. They criticized the Quebec Soccer Federations decision to uphold its ban and demanded that the association let turban-wearing kids play. The federation has stood pat on its decision, and dismissed criticism that the move was racist and intolerant. It said the policy was based on concern for player safety. But the countrys actual public safety minister wasnt buying it. "Telling 5 year old kids they cant play soccer because of bogus safety excuses is not acceptable in any province," Vic Toews tweeted Monday. The federal government next voiced its displeasure on several fronts Tuesday, including in the House of Commons. Bal Gosal, the minister of state for sport, denounced the ban and called for the federation to change its position. "We believe that amateur sports like soccer should encourage the participation of children rather than exclude them," Gosal said. "We see no valid reason why kids should be banned from playing soccer because of their religion." The federal reaction was far more vigorous than it was under comparable circumstances a few years ago. When a Quebec taekwondo meet expelled Muslim girls with hijabs in 2007, the federal Conservatives went out of their way to avoid commenting. At the time, minister Jason Kenney rushed up a staircase to avoid commenting. This time, the immigration minister was adding his voice to the chorus of condemnation. "A sport such as soccer should encourage children to participate, and not exclude them because of their religious traditions," Kenney tweeted in French. A day earlier, the Quebec association had held a news conference to explain its policy but struggled to provide any evidence or studies that turbans present a risk on the field. Brigitte Frot, the director-general of the provincial group, was asked what she would tell a five-year-old boy in a turban who shows up to register to play soccer with his friends. She replied: "They can play in their backyard. But not with official referees, not in the official rules of soccer.dddddddddddd They have no choice." The move ignores a non-binding directive from the Canadian Soccer Association, which has called for provincial associations to allow turbans by extending an existing rule that allows Islamic hijabs for girls. Quebec is the only province that has balked at the directive. That means as many as 200 Sikh soccer players will remain on the sidelines because the federation refuses to allow them on the field with turbans, patkas and keskis -- the religious headgear worn by Sikh men and boys. Practising Sikhs believe they must cover their hair with a turban. Fellow Conservative MP Parm Gill said Monday that hed written letters to the three main stakeholders -- the Canadian and Quebec federations, as well as FIFA, soccers governing body. In those letters, he condemned the ban and requested a compromise to get kids back on the pitch. The Opposition New Democrats say theyve already urged FIFA to clarify its policy on turbans and have not heard back. "If they (FIFA) would get their act in gear and respond, everyone would be able to move forward with this," said sports critic Matthew Dube. Dube wouldnt weigh in on the safety issue and said it wasnt up to politicians to tell provincial associations how to conduct their affairs. A quick ruling from the governing body would resolve everything, he added. While the NDP was taking a more nuanced position, the Liberals Justin Trudeau was, like the Tories, more squarely in favour of overturning the ban. "Wearing a turban shouldnt stop you from playing soccer or participating fully in any other activity," he tweeted, in both official languages. "The (federation) must drop its ban now." FIFAs media department offered an email following a request for comment on the Quebec issue. In July 2012, FIFA declared Muslim hijabs were okay and spelled out a temporary trial period. It also approved designs for headscarves specifically suited for the pitch and established rules for their use. Quebec followed suit in March 2013. FIFA has not explicitly added turbans to its policy -- at least not yet. "Any amendment to Law 4 - The Players Equipment in this regard would be made only on conclusion of the trial period in March 2014," FIFA said in its email. ' ' '