LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Greetings from Orlando, Fla., land of early-bird specials, white driving gloves and rampant commercialism.

Pregame K-State vs. George Mason We're here to watch K-State face George Mason in the opening round of the Old Spice Classic at the Milk House, which, as my esteemed colleague Levi Wolters noted, might be the worst-named arena in America. The George Mason band just belted out a stellar rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'," which inspired a quick Google search. The group goes by the moniker "Doc Nix and the Green Machine," and the conductor - Doc Nix, we'll presume - is decked out in a white suit, top hat and Elton John-style sunglasses. Seriously, this band is legit. More on this later.

Halftime George Mason 39, K-State 30 Chatted with a couple NBA scouts who were checking out Michael Beasley and Bill Walker. They couldn't talk on the record, but they seemed to be looking pretty closely at both players. These guys do their homework - they asked about Beasley's attitude, his family background, whether he was definitely going pro after this season. They also asked about Walker's knee - the question everyone will be asking if Walker continues to struggle. He has the talent to be a lottery pick, but I get the feeling he will have to prove he can stay healthy first.

Postgame George Mason 87, K-State 77

K-State was out-classed by a senior-laden team, which wasn't totally unexpected. Beasley was a beast in the second half, but K-State was woeful from the outside. Teams are going to double- and triple-team Beasley relentlessly until the Wildcats demonstrate they can hit the occasional 3-pointer. This is nothing new. Afterward, Mason coach Jim Larranaga made a point to thank the band, which broke into a "Rock Chalk" chant in the waning moments. Frank Martin on Beasley: "Mike's a competitor. Mike don't care about scoring 30 points or 40 points or any of that stuff. Mike's the most crushed guy in the locker room right now, because Mike cares about winning." A few minutes later, Beasley sauntered out of the arena, headphones on, singing along to his iPod. The guy is clearly a transcendent talent, and there's no doubt he wants to win. But winning a Division I basketball game isn't easy, as Beasley and the rest of K-State's youngsters learned today.

Halftime K-State 27, UCF 26 Beasley swishes a right-wing 3-pointer to give K-State the lead going into the half. It's fascinating to watch him operate against better competition. A week ago, Western Illinois coach Derek Thomas essentially said no one is going to shut down Beasley, but athletic teams will make him score in different ways. With teams like Western Illinois, Beasley can score 30 points just by hitting the glass and overpowering defenders in the low post. More athletic teams are going to keep him off the boards, force some foul trouble - as both George Mason and UCF did - and make Beasley score more within the offense. Yet, he still drops 30 on both Mason and UCF, and he does it shooting better than 50 percent from the field. The guy is the real deal, folks ... well worth the price of admission. (Thomas, a former NBA scout for Lon Kruger in Atlanta, also said Beasley was a definite top-five pick.)

Postgame K-State 73, UCF 71, OT A good, scrappy win for the Wildcats, but one that probably shouldn't have required overtime. K-State led by 13 in the second half, but some defensive lapses allowed the Knights back in it. "That's on me," Martin said afterward. He refrained, however, from using any confusing analogies about fathers and orphans. Everybody talks about K-State's freshmen, but it should be noted that Martin is essentially a freshman himself. He's going to make some mistakes. But the guy can coach - I really believe that. Remember, a lot of people questioned Bob Huggins' coaching style early last season, saying the players were scared to screw up and weren't responding to the screaming and ranting. Those people also had 500-some fewer Division I victories than Huggins. Frank will be fine. Trust me on that one.

Pregame K-State vs. Rider We're at halftime of the last-place game between UCF and Penn State, and this Penn State mascot is all over the place. He just tried to dunk, but got stuffed by the rim. Then he posed in a picture with Frank and a lady clad in purple. What was that conversation like? Now he's drinking a cup of Gatorade by pouring it through a narrow opening in his long, furry snout. A man of many talents, clearly.

Halftime K-State 40, Rider 30 The Rider band is struggling. "Jungle Boogie" just didn't do it for me. This doesn't bode well for the Broncs.

Postgame K-State 82, Rider 69 Again, the game was a bit closer than it needed to be. But after shooting 36 free throws on one possession, the Wildcats were able to build a comfortable lead in the final minute. Rider held Beasley in check as well as anybody, but the Wildcats got 22 from Andre Gilbert and 19 from Jacob Pullen, who continues to look like the biggest surprise in K?State's touted recruiting class. Well, that's all from Orlando. If I leave now, I can catch the early-bird special at Charley's Steakhouse.

Austin Meek is a senior in print journalism. Please send comments to sports@spub.ksu.edu.