NIT Semifinal Recaps

NIT Title Game is Set

by Ray Floriani

NEW YORK – It will be St. Joe’s and South Carolina battling for the championship of the 68th annual National Invitation Tournament on Thursday. It promises to be an interesting final with the respective teams facing specific challenges.

St. Joe’s has to once again be concerned with tempo. South Carolina is dangerous in the open floor and runs the break well. Of greater importance, the Hawks have to take care of the basketball. The Gamecocks force about fifteen turnovers per game and run a great deal off those opposition miscues. All-SEC forward Carlos Powell leads South Carolina in scoring. The 6-7 Powell is effective in transition and is a lefty who is very effective inside. Dave Odom’s club is far from just Powell. They share the ball and have a number of players that can step up and beat you. A definite weakness for the Gamecocks is the foul line. They are shooting just above 60%, which can hurt in the waning moments of a close game.

St. Joe’s is playing with a great sense of purpose and confidence. Pat Carroll is a dangerous perimeter scorer and rarely forces or takes an ill advised shot. Dwayne Lee is running the point well and he will be tested by South Carolina’s cganging defenses. Dwayne Jones and John Bryant rebounded extremely well versus a Memphis club that had good size inside. Keeping St. Joe’s off the offensive boards will be a major concern in the finals.

St. Joe’s advanced with a 70-58 victory over Memphis in the first semifinal matchup at Madison Square Garden. “We had been playing well but tonight they out-toughed us,” said Memphis coach John Calipari. The Hawks outrebounded Memphis 40-31. In the first half St.Joe’s had 11 offensive rebounds. “that’s incredible,” Calipari said. “No one has done that against us this year.”

Dwayne Jones was largely responsible with a 13-point, 14-rebound (8 offensive) outing. The Hawks also showed outstanding poise against any Memphis pressure and dictated tempo. Point guard Dwayne Lee was a key factor there, and he forced Memphis lead guard Darius Washington into an uncharacteristic 4-of-16 shooting night. Another key factor was Carroll, who scored a game-high 24 points. Carroll drilled 6-of-9 from beyond the arc and had two huge threes in the final four minutes when St. Joe’s sealed the verdict.

Offense aside, Martelli credited the defense as crucial. “We have older experienced guys,” he said. “When we show them something on a break down they are able to acquire than information and use them in games.” Memphis, a smooth transition team that often gets in the lane, wound up forcing things. The Tigers assisted on only 6 of their 22 field goals while the Hawks patiently ran their offense and spread the ball around. The stats showed as St. Joe’s picked up 15 assists on their 20 field goals. St. Joe’s also did a good job of maintaing the lead and stopping Memphis runs. Rodney Carney led the Tigers with 21 points, 17 in the second half when Memphis threatened on several occasions.

In the second game, South Carolina and Maryland were tied at 18 with nine minutes remaining in the half. Over the next three minutes, the Gamecocks went on a 9-0 run and were never seriously threatened. South Carolina changed defenses, got in the passing lanes and ran on turnovers. Transition, quickness and balanced scoring led to the 75-67 decision. Lead guard John Gilchrist, who missed three prior NIT wins for the Terrapins, was still sidelined with ankle/wrist injuries. Without his presence, coach Gary Williams’ club never really got on track on the offensive end. Senior forward Carlos Powell paced the Gamecocks with a 17-point, 12-rebound effort. Chris McCray, Travis Garrison and Mike Jones had fifteen each for the Terrapins.

The final game is set for 7:00 on Thursday.

So much for a neutral site

The Garden is considered a neutral site, but this evening it was as if ‘Hawk Hill’ was moved to the Big Apple. The St. Joe’s fans came in droves, rocked the MSG and created a near home game atmosphere. Some samplings:

• Tom, a drummer in the band warmed up pounding his drum twenty something minutes before game time pausing to tell a friend, “I’ve got my cell phone and lighter. I’m set for the week.”
• As Maryland players assembled in before game one several members of the Hawk fan following chanted ‘you suck’, the same chant that greeted every Memphis player introduced.
• When Carroll drained his threes chants of ‘you can’t guard him’ rang out.
• Of course the traditional, ‘the Hawk will never die’ echoed throughout the building on several occasions.
• Overall, the St. Joe’s fans were animated and reveled in the moment. One member of the traveling party was asked if the fans are like this on Hawk Hill home games. “Kind of,” she replied. “But I think the availability of beer has got them a little more pumped up.”

Notes

• Calipari and assistant coach Derek Kellogg both praised the resiliency of Memphis during this run. “It was a heckuva year to come back from where we were,” Calipari said. “We had to deal with a lot (on and off the floor). To come back as we did the last few weeks makes me proud of these kids.” Kellogg specifically praised Darius Washington’s ability to bounce back from the missed free throws at the end of the C-USA final and become instrumental in the fine run in the NIT.
• South Carolina and Maryland had assistant coaches set to move on after the season. Ricky Stokes of Dave Odom’s staff will take over at East Carolina while Mike Lonergan of Maryland will replace Tom Brennan at Vermont.
• The Martellis are quite the basketball family. His children are all active in the game. Phil Jr. is an assistant at Central Connecticut, Jimmy is a senior player at Dickinson College and Elizabeth is a senior on the Merion Mercy Academy team. Wife Judy played with the legendary Immaculata College program. Judy’s teammates included coaching standouts Theresa Grentz and Rene Portland. As we spoke briefly about women’s basketball and how Rutgers was in the regional final against Tennessee, Judy reminded, “I played against (Rutgers coach) Vivian Stringer’s Cheyney State team when I was in college.” Back them in the early seventies Cheyney-Immaculata was as big a matchup as you could get in the women’s game.
• Pat Carroll drew praise from Phil Martelli for his work ethic. “We had practice at four on Saturday, and at two o’clock he was in the gym alone shooting jumpers two hours before practice.”
• Dave Odom will try for a second NIT title. He won it all in 2000 at the helm of Wake Forest and was runnerup at South Carolina losing to Memphis in 2002.
• Bob Valvano was working the game on radio. He was at the Albuquerque Regional for Louisville radio. “It was emotional going back,” he said in reference to the Pit, where his late brother Jim won the national title in 1983. “It’s nice to see they haven’t changed the place in 22 years,” he then added in jest. Valvano had nothing but praise for West Virginia and feels critics who feel they blew it are misguided, “being up 20 is not like it was about 20 years ago with no shot clock and a three-point lead. In today’s game a twenty point lead can vanish in a few minutes.”
• Mascot watch: The Hawk is the best, cased closed. The Memphis Tiger was verbally mocked by St. Joe’s fans who kept chanting, ‘what’s up Tony’. The Maryland Terrapin was good. The absolute worst was the South Carolina mascot. But one thing the Gamecock mascot did do was pick up a ball at halftime, walk to center court and heave a half court shot that swished. Not a great mascot but what a touch.
• CBS’ Len Elmore took in the Maryland contest. Elmore teamed with Tom McMillen to lead the Terrapins to the 1972 NIT title.
• Fordham coach Dereck Whittenburg was in attendance, lending support to fellow Atlantic Ten member St. Joe’s.
• Each of the NIT Final Four coaches has gone deep into NCAA tournament play during their careers. Gary Williams, in fact, won the 2002 national championship at Maryland. To a coach, they all respected and praised the NIT as a prestigious tournament in today’s game. As Dave Odom of South Carolina said, “in the NCAA tournament you play for THE national championship, in the NIT you play for A national championship. And that is very special.”

Spring Travel Tournament Preview

Spring travel tournaments are on deck

by Phil Kasiecki

Nowadays, there is no off-season as regards the sport of college basketball. Not only is there plenty of news even once the games have ended, but traveling team basketball at the high school level becomes a focus as well as kids work their way towards playing at the college level. It peaks in the hectic month of July, but it gets going before that. Most weekends have multiple tournaments in various locations.

The traveling team tournaments have already started, and they continue this weekend before they get going in full force. The Playaz Spring Fling often marks the unofficial start of it, as many of the top traveling teams in the northeast corridor head to northern New Jersey for one of the few tournaments where shoe company allegiances don’t rule. Teams sponsored by all three major shoe companies are present, and that’s one reason why the competition is always excellent. It is always held the weekend of the Final Four and provides a good break in the action from the exciting college game.

A weekend later, the Boo Williams Camp takes place in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, while Providence is home to one of the Hoop Group’s Jam Fest tournaments. Boo Williams annually has many solid teams from all over the country, making it one of the best early spring tournaments, while the Providence Jam Fest features teams mostly from New England.

The following weekend, April 15-17, features tournaments that are certified for college coaches, and they’re sure to be in full force since there won’t be many of them until July. The Las Vegas Spring Showcase is one of Hal Pastner’s many events that are always top-notch, while across the country, the nation’s capital is home to Charlie Weber’s Capitol Invitational. Both promise to be excellent tournaments with no shortage of future Division I players. In addition, on April 16, some current seniors play their final game as high school players in the Jordan Classic, which moves to Madison Square Garden in New York this year.

The weekend of April 22-24, the same two are at it again. This time, it’s Pastner’s Houston Kingwood Classic that takes center stage, fresh off an amazing turnout last year. We may never see a tournament field quite like it again, as it featured numerous national power traveling teams and came down to the Georgia Stars and Spiece Indy Heat for the championship. Another very strong field is expected this year, with many of the same teams. Meanwhile, Charlie Weber is running another tournament in the nation’s capital, the D.C. Hoop Fest. Both are certified for college coaches to attend, so that will be a busy weekend for many staffs.

Two good Midwest tournaments close out the month of April, the Howard Pulley/Sabes Invitational in Minneapolis and the Spiece Run ‘N Slam in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. They lead us into a quieter month of May that is dead to college coaches, but still has good tournaments.

Notable tournaments in May include the Five Star Invitational, held in New London, Conn., on May 15 & 16, the St. Louis Eagles Invitational the following weekend, and three Memorial Day weekend tournaments. The Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions headlines that weekend, held from May 27-29 in the Triangle area of North Carolina and with games at all three big schools and other sites. New Orleans is once again home to the Nike Memorial Day Classic, held May 28-30, and Charlie Weber debuts his adidas Memorial Day Tournament in College Park, Maryland from May 27-29.

The month of June is also quiet, but it still features major events such as Rumble in the Bronx, held June 10-12 at Fordham University; USA Basketball Youth Development Festival, which not only takes place earlier this year (June 8-11) but also moves from Colorado Springs to Seattle; Nike Hoop Jamboree, held from June 15-18 in St. Louis; and the NBPA Top 100 Camp, held June 20-26 in Richmond. For a little break in the action, the month of June also features schools participating in the AND1 High School Basketball Championship, with eight regional tournaments and a final weekend tournament with regional winners in Philadelphia.

Hoopville will provide coverage of some of the aforementioned major events. Stay tuned as we tell you more about some players that will be in Division I gyms near you in the future.

Austin Regional Final Recap

Regional Final Recap – Austin Region

by Neal Heston

Two overtime games on Saturday, a close game between UNC and Wisconsin earlier on Sunday were what Michigan State and Kentucky had to try and top. Sure enough, they managed to do just that. Thanks to a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer by Patrick Sparks, the Wildcats sent the Regional Final into the first overtime.

Michigan State had the game under control early in the first half with a 23-16 advantage. Kentucky bounced back with an 11-0 run to take a 27-23 lead, and the teams exchanged buckets until halftime.

Similar to Friday’s game against Duke, the Spartans came out strong in the second half and grabbed a 40-39 lead. The advantage ballooned to as many as eight midway through the half, but Kentucky fought back to put itself in position to force overtime at the buzzer. Michigan State’s Maurice Ager didn’t want to stop playing in overtime, as his free throw with just more than a minute left tied the game at 81. No team managed to score again, sending the contest into the second extra period.

This time, the Spartans proved to be too much, especially with Kentucky’s Kelenna Azubuike fouling out early in the second overtime period. Alan Anderson nailed two free throws in the final seconds to give Michigan State its final push to St. Louis.

Four Michigan State players scored in double figures, led by Shannon Brown’s 24 points and Ager’s 21. Randolph Morris paced Kentucky with 21 points.

Kentucky has not been to the Final Four since 1998 – Tubby Smith’s first season in the Bluegrass state.

Austin Regional Semifinal Recap

Regional Semifinal Recap – Austin Region

by Neal Heston

After taking out third-seeded Oklahoma in the second round, Utah’s bid for another upset and a chance to play and become the first six seed since 1992 to reach the Final Four fell short.

It was likely Andrew Bogut’s final game in a Utes uniform, as he is likely to announce that he will enter the NBA Draft.

An early 8-6 lead for Utah was slammed shut by a 13-2 Wildcat run, capped by a three-pointer from Ravi Moss to give Kentucky a 19-11 advantage. The Wildcats staved off a late Utah run to head into halftime with a 29-24 lead.

Kentucky came out in the second half on a 7-2 run to grab a 10-point lead that wouldn’t get deflated by Utah. Bogut was the leading scorer for Utah with 20 points. The sophomore forward also grabbed 12 boards. Chuck Hayes led the way for Kentucky with 12 points.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, March 30th

St. Joseph’s, South Carolina Move in on Title: Although both schools would have preferred a trip to the NCAA Tournament, St. Joseph’s and South Carolina are offering their fans a championship run in the NIT. St. Joseph’s started the NIT’s Final Four action last night with a 70-58 win against Memphis. The Hawks rode senior forward Pat Carroll to another victory as Carroll hit six three-pointers en route to a game-high 24 points. Memphis junior forward Rodney Carney came off the bench to lead the Tigers with 21 points.

Meanwhile in the night cap, South Carolina eliminated the inconsistent Maryland Terrapins 75-67. The Gamecocks overcame early struggles by holding Maryland to less 50 points during the final three-quarters of the game. Senior forward Carlos Powell led South Carolina with 17 points, while juniors Travis Garrison and Chris McCray joined sophomore guard Mike Jones as Maryland’s high men at 15 points apiece.

Nash to Coach St. Francis: St. Francis, N.Y., officials found their next coach – Seton Hall’s Brian Nash. Nash has been an assistant under coach Louis Orr for the past four seasons and has also been an assistant coach at Siena, St. Bonaventure and Sacred Heart. Although he’s covered several jobs in the Northeast, St. Francis, a member of the Northeast conference, will be his first job as a head coach. He replaces Ron Ganulin, who compiled a 187-207 record in 15 seasons. The coaching carousel continues to spin as more coaches are finding new jobs among this off-season’s Coaching Changes .

Ramsey Returns: Eastern Michigan also filled its coaching hole by hiring Michigan assistant coach Charles Ramsey. Ramsey is a graduate of Eastern Michigan and served as an assistant coach under Ben Braun from 1990-93. He also has experience as an assistant at Tennessee State, Drake and California, prior to working under Tommy Amaker at Michigan for the past four years. Ramsey replaces Jim Boone, who racked up a 48-96 record in five seasons.

Smith Staying at Kentucky: Despite rumors that Virginia officials would aggressively court Kentucky coach Tubby Smith for the Cavaliers’ vacant position, Smith met with Wildcat officials to reaffirm his dedication to the program. Smith said he plans to honor the remaining six years of his contract at Kentucky. Virginia officials have not contacted the Wildcats yet, and probably shouldn’t waste the effort based on Smith’s public announcement. Other members of Virginia’s short list include Texas’ Rick Barnes, DePaul’s Dave Leitao and Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, a Duke alum.

One Soph in the Draft, One Out: A pair of sophomore forwards, Connecticut’s Charlie Villanueva and Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison, have NBA aspirations, but only one will make a move this year. Villanueva confirmed what was already suspected – he will enter this year’s NBA Draft, forgoing two years of eligibility at Connecticut. On the other hand, Morrison will return to the Bulldogs for at least another season to help Gonzaga remain the preeminent force among non-major conference programs. Villanueva averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game last season, his first as a major contributor at Connecticut. Morrison averaged 18.5 points per game last season and was the Zags’ most reliable scoring options. With him back, Gonzaga should remain an NCAA-caliber squad capable of winning a few games in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

St. Mary’s to Keep Bennett Longer: Fresh off the school’s first NCAA Tournament since 1997, St. Mary’s extended the contract of coach Randy Bennett through 2011. Bennett led the Gaels to a 25-9 record, earning the team an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, in which St. Mary’s lost to Southern Illinois 65-56. Bennett’s new contract increases his pay to a competitive level with his West Coast Conference peers and also adds to the salaries of Bennett’s staff. Bennett joined St. Mary’s in 2001 after the Gaels finished a miserable two-win season.

Top Titan Rewarded: California State – Fullerton officials rewarded coach Bob Burton for guiding the Titans to the NIT, in which the team won two games, by extending his contract through 2010. Burton had completed his second year of his original four-year contract. At the Titans’ helm, Burton guided Cal State – Fullerton back to the post-season for the first time since 1998. The Titans finished the year 21-11.

The Grass Is Greener on the Other Side: As the season wraps up, several players will seek new starts by transferring to another program. After sitting out a year according to NCAA regulations, the transfers will look to get more playing time, enjoy a different playing style or simply spend more quality time closer to home. Several players who announced their intentions to transfer recently include Minnesota’s Miles Webb and Kerry Wooldridge, Purdue’s Adam Liddell and Xavier Price, and Colorado State’s Phillip Thomasson and Stephen Verwers. None of these players averaged more than 15 minutes per game or started more than nine games. Their losses primarily affects their teams’ depth.

And the Nominees Are…: NCAA officials have announced the five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, given to the nation’s best college basketball player for the season. The nominees are Illinois’ Dee Brown, North Carolina’s Sean May, Duke’s J.J. Redick, Utah’s Andrew Bogut and Kansas’ Wayne Simien. Each player helped get his team to the NCAA Tournament, but May and Brown are the only ones remaining as the Tar Heels and Fighting Illini will play in the Final Four in St. Louis against Michigan State and Louisville, respectively. The Final Four will also be the site for the announcement of the Wooden Award. Smart money goes on Bogut, whose stock is rising faster than any other player’s at this time.

Supreme Court Weighs in on Title IX: The country’s final judicial authority, the Supreme Court, ruled yesterday that Title IX protects whistleblowers from retaliation by their employers if they publicize unequal conditions based on gender. Title IX is the 1972 law that, among other things, requires equal treatment for women’s athletics. Courts have supported the rights of players to sue without fear of retaliation from coaches, administrators or others. But the Supreme Court was the first to extend that right to others who face retaliation. A former coach of a Birmingham, Ala., girls’ high school team was fired after complaining that the players’ facilities failed to match the condition of the boys’ team. The facility featured a smaller basketball court that had bent rims. School officials fired him, and he filed a lawsuit that worked its way through the system to the Supreme Court.

Tonight’s Menu

• It’s a lean night as we’ve got nothing on the plate for either the men or the women. But we do have a glimpse at next year’s fantastic freshmen in the McDonald’s All-American game. Or at least we have a glimpse at some of the NBA’s next generation of 18-year-old bench warmers.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Tuesday, March 29th

Knoxville is His Oyster: Bruce Pearl, who led Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history this season, was introduced as the head coach at Tennessee yesterday. Pearl replaces Buzz Peterson, who failed to guide the Vols to an NCAA Tournament appearance during his four years in Knoxville and was fired March 13. Tennessee gave Pearl a five-year, $800,000 contract and must pay Wisconsin-Milwaukee a $194,000 buyout of Pearl’s remaining contract with the Panthers. Wisconsin-Milwaukee associate coach Tony Jones and assistant Jason Shay will join Pearl in Knoxville. They are the latest names to enter the list of this season’s Coaching Changes .

Barnett Killed in Car Accident: Georgia State junior Tikoyo Barnett died Saturday night in a Pensacola, Fla., hospital after he lost control of his car on Highway 84 and was thrown from the vehicle after hitting a tree. Barnett, who averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season, his first at Georgia State after two years at Alabama Southern Community College, was 22.

Bogut NBA-Bound: Utah sophomore Andrew Bogut made it official Monday. The 7-foot center will forgo his final two years of eligibility with the Utes to enter the NBA Draft. The All-American averaged 20.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per game and hired agent David Bauman of SFX Basketball. Bogut is a lock to be a lottery selection and could very well be the first overall pick.

Diogu Declares: Arizona State junior forward Ike Diogu, the 2005 Pac-10 Player of the Year, will enter his name in the 2005 NBA Draft but will not hire an agent, thereby keeping open the possibility of returning to Tempe for his senior season. Diogu led the conference with 22.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.34 blocks per game. He is the third all-time leading scorer in Sun Devils history with 1,946 points in 91 career games.

Johnson to Transfer: Penn State junior forward Aaron Johnson, the Nittany Lions’ second leading scorer with 11.9 points per game, will transfer head coach Ed DeChellis announced yesterday. Johnson started 28 of Penn State’s 30 games and also averaged 9.9 rebounds.

Elite Eight Games Score Big with Viewers: Saturday’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament drew CBS an overnight rating of 8.1 with a 15 share, the network’s best since 1995. The overall average overnight ratings for this year’s tournament are up 10 percent from last year.

Tonight’s Menu:

• In NIT semifinal action at Madison Square Garden, Memphis takes on St. Joseph’s and Maryland battles South Carolina.

NIT Media Day

Notes from Media Day at the NIT Final Four

by Ray Floriani

NEW YORK – Gary Williams has coached over three decades. He has seen success in the Big Ten, Big East and ACC. He has a national championship on his resume. Still, the veteran mentor recalls his first NIT experience as a coach as it was last week.

“I was an assistant to Dr. Tom Davis at Lafayette in 1973,” Williams recalled. “We played Virginia, who had been as high as number five that year. We wound up winning that game on two Jay Mattola free throws in the final seconds.” Such is the lure of the nation’s oldest post season tournament.

Williams has been in the tournament with several schools. He made the finals in ’88, but lost to a UConn team that was just starting to turn the corner under Jim Calhoun. “They had Cliff Robinson,” Williams said, “who today is still in the NBA.” At Maryland, the recent tradition has seen the Terrapins go to the NCAA – eleven straight to be exact, highlighted by the 2002 National Championship. Make no mistake though, Maryland and Williams are proud to be here.

“You shoot for the NCAA,” Williams said, “but once we received the NIT bid we played through everything. We have one senior who doesn’t play a lot so this is a young club. This experience can only help us next year but to win this tournament would be great.” Interestingly, the champion of that 1972 NIT Williams alluded to? Maryland, with Lefty Dreisell on the sidelines.

The season didn’t start too kindly for St. Joe’s. As the new year rolled around the Hawks were 3-6. The only tournament, some felt, St. Joe’s might see was the Atlantic Ten post season one in March. Following New Year’s Day, the Hawks regrouped and are one of five teams to win twenty games past January first. “We are 20-5 since the New Year,” St. Joe’s coach Phil Martelli said. “A lot of the credit goes to the intestinal fortitude and determination of these kids.” Martelli was speaking at the NIT Final Four media day at New York’s Marriot Marquis. “I have to credit our seniors,” Martelli added. “Pat Carroll has shot the ball extremely well and John Bryant has been our spiritual leader.”

While Martelli credited his kids, especially the seniors, Carroll himself had a different opinion. “It (the turnaround) was definitely due to the coaching staff,” Carroll said. “We started 3-6 and were playing like last year.” Specifically, full court pressure from the opening tap and a read and react offense which afforded more spontaneous creativity. “We lost two pros (guards Jameer Nelson and Delonte West) so the coaches decided to make some changes.”

For one, the Hawks no longer opened up in full court pressure. They will press but use it more like a blitz in football, as an element of surprise. St.Joe’s also went to more structure on offense. “We had a lot of sets put in,” Carroll said. “So we work each possession more with a lot of structured sets.” Specifically the type that can free the sharpshooting Carroll who leads the Hawks with an 18.2 ppg average.

Against Memphis in the NIT semis, Carroll feels tempo is crucial. “They (Memphis) like to get up and down and get in transition,” Carroll said. “We have to dictate tempo and keep it more of a halfcourt game.”

Maryland’s Gary Williams will face a familiar coaching foe, with a little change. Before he moved to south Carolina a few years ago, Dave Odom paced the sidelines at Wake Forest and had some memorable meetings with Williams and Maryland. “If he looks at the old Wake tapes he’s be shocked,” Odom said with a laugh. “Back then we were big (don’t forget Tim Duncan played here) and rugged inside. At South Carolina we rely more on quickness and pressure.”

While Williams will notice a change, Odom expects much of the same – vintage Gary Williams basketball. “They still play you full court,” Odom said. “But the thing that is most impressive is whether they are in transition or half court, they do it well and are hard to stop.” No matter what the tempo, race horse or walk it up, Odom feels they key to winning will be decided in “the ten feet closest to the basket. We have to win the game in that area ten feet out right to the basket. Control that and we’re fine.”

For John Calipari and Memphis, the NIT is a second chance. The well-chronicled Conference USA final loss to Louisville left the Tigers out of the NCAA. In that game freshman Darius Washington missed the free throws that could have won it. Memphis, however, has rebounded in admirable fashion. “Right after that (final), Darius (Washington) and Arthur Barlclay were really down,” Calipari said. “As they started to come around and bounce back the rest of the team followed.” For Memphis, the NIT has given them a second season. And Calipari mirroers the enthusiasm. “I feel great about this,” he said. “We have young kids to coach and the, more games and chances to coach them the better. If (NIT Director) Jack (Powers) said let’s go another week, I would be all for it.”

Memphis faces St. Joe’s in Tuesday’s semifinal at 7 followed by Maryland-South Carolina at 9:30. The final is Thursday at 7 with no consolation. The third place game was eliminated last season. “A lot of the more veteran or older coaches didn’t care for it,” Jack Powers said. “And The Garden determined not having the third place game would not hurt the overall attendance and revenue.”

ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla was on hand with a few opinions on last weekend’s NCAA action. Fraschilla feels Rick Pitino is, “the best coach in America when it comes to preparing a team for a one-game situation. No one is better.” Fraschilla was also impressed with the job John Beilein did at West Virginia. “I coached against him when I was at Manhattan and he was at Canisius,” Fraschilla said. “And you know what? He ran exactly the same offense and things you saw during the tournament.”

St. Joe’s last trip to the NIT Final Four was 1996. The Hawks defeated Alabama in the semis before losing to Nebraska in the finals. Mark Bass, a member of Martelli’s staff, played for the Hawks back then. “He’s (Bass) told the kids about the experience,” Martelli said. “But we’ve reminded him he didn’t have a very good game against Nebraska,” the coach added with a spice of humor.

Dave Odom, conservative in appearance and demeanor, showed some humor of his own. After Calipari and Martelli recalled their A-10 battles when the former was at UMass, Odom remarked, “These Italians are something with their memory. I’m a Southern Baptist and lucky if I remember what went on at this morning’s practice.”

Gary Williams began his coaching career at Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden in the early Seventies. He was pleased to learn the Wilson girls team recently won the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title last week. “That’s great for them,” Williams gushed. “Camden is a tough community , there are obstacles and for them to reach an achievement like that is truly wonderful for them and the city.”

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Monday, March 28th

Spartans Take Austin: After a four-year absence, Michigan State is back in the Final Four with a 94-88 double-overtime win over Kentucky. The Wildcats forced the first overtime on a three-pointer from Patrick Sparks at the buzzer; the shot was the third three attempted in the final 10 seconds and rattled around the rim for a couple of seconds before falling in. Sparks’ feet were precariously close to the three-point line, and officials took six and a half minutes to review the shot before deciding it was indeed a three.

Kentucky had a chance to win at the end of the first overtime, but Kelenna Azubuike failed to get off a shot before the buzzer sounded. In the second overtime, Michigan State built a lead and hit eight straight free throws in the final two minutes to clinch the win. The Spartans’ Shannon Brown led all scorers with 24 points, including five threes. Randolph Morris led the Wildcats with 20 points. As a No. 5 seed, Michigan State is the lowest seed to reach the Final Four since 2002 when Indiana, also as a No. 5 seed, reached the final.

UNC Survives Badgers: North Carolina beat Wisconsin 88-82, and Roy Williams brings his alma mater to the Final Four in only his second season at the helm. From the start, the pace was in favor of the supremely talented Tar Heels. Wisconsin hung tough behind 25 points from Alando Tucker and 18 points from Kammron Taylor, but the 88 points allowed was 30 points greater than the average they allowed in the first three games of the tournament. Sean May led the Tar Heels with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Rashad McCants scored 21 points, including a back-breaking three that put UNC up six with one minute to go. Raymond Felton added 17 points, including 6-of-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch.

Final Four Set: Next Saturday’s schedule in St. Louis looks like this: Illinois and Louisville tip off at 6:07 ET with North Carolina and Michigan State tipping off 40 minutes after the first game ends.

Volunteers Lose Candidate: UAB coach Mike Anderson has removed himself from consideration for Tennessee’s top position. In three seasons, Anderson has a 65-35 record and led the Blazers to three straight post-season trips. Last season, UAB beat Washington and No. 1-seed Kentucky before losing in the Sweet 16 to Kansas. This season, the Blazers pulled off an upset of No. 6-seed LSU before succumbing to Arizona in the second round. The Volunteers fired Buzz Peterson two weeks ago after four years at the helm with a 61-59 record and no NCAA tournament appearances.

Tonight’s Menu

• No men’s hoops tonight. To get a college basketball fix, check out the ladies as LSU and Duke battle in Chattanooga and North Carolina and Baylor face off in Tempe for right to go to the Final Four.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Sunday, March 27th

Cardinals Outlast Mountaineers, First In: For most of a half, it looked like West Virginia would keep rolling. The Mountaineers made 10-of-14 three-pointers in the first half, including some deep shots, and led 38-18 at one point before Louisville cut into the lead with a late 9-2 run to go to the locker room down 40-27. The Cardinals (33-4) made a number of little charges in the second half, but the hot-shooting Mountaineers (24-11) often had answers, as they shot 18-of-26 from behind the three-point line. Louisville finally tied it on a layup by Larry O’Bannon, the Albuquerque region’s most valuable player, with 34 seconds left. In the extra session, the Cardinals put it away with an 8-0 run that turned a one-point game into a 92-83 lead with 40 seconds left. O’Bannon led the way with 24 points and Taquan Dean added 23 for the Cardinals. Kevin Pittsnogle led West Virginia with 25 points, making 6-of-9 three-pointers, and Patrick Beilein added 13 points.

Illini Come Back: As if Louisville’s rally wasn’t enough, Illinois decided to arguably one-up them. Trailing by 15 with 4:02 left in the game, the Illini went on a 20-5 run that ended with the last eight points of regulation to send the game into overtime. Then in the extra session, they scored seven unanswered points and held off Arizona for a 90-89 win to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1989. An 18-6 spurt by the Wildcats (30-7) opened the lead up to 75-60, and had them looking poised to head to St. Louis, but they never made a field goal in regulation after the 6:03 mark. Channing Frye ended his college career with a stellar 24-point, 12-rebound effort on 11-14 shooting, and Hassan Adams added 21 points and eight rebounds. Deron Williams led the Illini (36-1) with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Luther Head added 20 as both spearheaded the comeback.

Terrapins Off to New York: Nik Caner-Medley scored eight of his 20 points in the final minutes to lead Maryland to an 85-73 win over TCU in College Park. With the win, the Terrapins (19-12) are in the NIT semifinals for the first time since 1972, earning a date with South Carolina Tuesday night. Chris McCray helped in a 16-5 surge to end the game by making a key basket and six free throws in the final minute, finishing with 18 points. Corey Santee had a game-high 21 points to lead TCU (21-14), while Nile Murry added 20.

Theus Next in Line at New Mexico State: New Mexico State has hired Louisville assistant coach Reggie Theus and has scheduled a news conference on Monday to announce it, according to the Associated Press. Theus, who spent 13 years in the NBA, has been an assistant at Louisville during the past two seasons and has agreed in principle to take the job. The Aggies went 6-24 this season under interim coach Tony Stubblefield.

Sutton Will Return: Oklahoma State head coach Eddie Sutton said after Thursday night’s game that he will return next season, despite talk on the telecast that he was in his farewell run. The Cowboys, whose season ended Thrusday night with a 79-78 loss to Arizona in Chicago, lose six seniors and will be very inexperienced next season, a prime reason Sutton will stick around while his son, Sean, remains the head coach-designate.

Pearl a Possibility at Tennessee: Wisconsin-Milwaukee head coach Bruce Pearl could be a candidate for the opening at Tennessee, as ESPN.com reported that he was expected to talk with an official from the school either Friday or Saturday while in Chicago. He doesn’t have a meeting scheduled with the school, which has talked to three other head coachs, including Charlotte’s Bobby Lutz, UAB’s Mike Anderson and Creighton’s Dana Altman. The Volunteers are hoping to name a new head coach early next week.

Who Takes Over at Virginia?: There is new speculation that Virginia may eye Boston College head coach Al Skinner in their search for the next head coach. They have not called Skinner, and athletic director Gene DeFilippo isn’t worried because the move would be lateral (the Eagles join the ACC next season) and he just signed a six-year deal last year. Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey is apparently not a candidate at this point.

Grier a Candidate for Loyola Marymount: A newspaper reported Friday that Gonzaga assistant coach Bill Grier will interview for the head coaching position at Loyola Marymount Monday. Grier has an agreement to become Gonzaga’s next head coach if Mark Few were to leave and has said that he is very interested in looking at the Loyola Marymount job. The school has already interviewed four candidates and plans to interview three others, hoping to have a new coach named before the Final Four next weekend.

Lafayette May Add Scholarships: Lafayette’s athletic support group will send a recommendation to the Board of Trustees that may lead to the school becoming the sixth in the Patriot League to offer athletic scholarships. The recommendation will be accompanied by results of a survey conducted during the past few months where more than two-thirds of those who responded were in favor of awarding scholarships. There is a feeling that the school needs them to keep pace with the other five schools that offer them in the league, as the men’s team is below .500 since winning consecutive league tournament titles in 1999 and 2000.

Tonight’s Menu

• No. 1 North Carolina takes on No. 6 Wisconsin in the Syracuse regional final.

• The Austin regional final pits No. 2 Kentucky against No. 5 Michigan State.

Michigan State’s Incentive

Spartans Have Plenty to Play For

by Phil Kasiecki

When your team has to play one of the Cinderella stories of the tournament, things aren’t easy. Any fans who are neutral will swing to the underdog’s side, and it’s easy for people to forget that your team has some incentive to win. Tom Izzo already knew what it was like, and was reminded of it this weekend.

Michigan State’s 72-61 win over Vermont on Sunday was not the first time Izzo has coached a team to a win over a team poised for a surprise run. In 2001, they beat Gonzaga in the second round en route to their third straight Final Four, and they beat Princeton in the second round in 1998. While Izzo’s reputation as a big-game coach came mostly from the team’s three straight Final Four appearances from 1999-2001, peaking with the national championship in 2000, that reputation should only grow with Sunday’s win.

One might figure that the Spartans didn’t have as much to play for as Vermont. After all, this school has a national title just a few years ago, while Vermont never won an NCAA Tournament game until Friday night. Izzo said that he would have been pulling for Vermont if he wasn’t playing them. But these Spartans aren’t the ones who won that title; no players on this team were part of the championship team, and only Tim Bograkos was part of the Final Four team in 2001.

So we’ve established that this current group of players has something to play for besides the natural desire to win. All came in after the national championship, and the current seniors came in after the last of the three straight Final Four teams, so they would want to establish that legacy of their own. Besides that, this team has been a little non-descript during the season and has flown under the radar; they haven’t been world-beaters and they haven’t been a clear top ten team in the polls week in and week out. They’ve just quietly gone about their business and had a nice season, but Izzo always wants more. Izzo said that before Sunday’s game, he would remind his players of that.

“I’m going to make sure they keep in mind what we’re playing for, and that’s to get some pride back, to get the standards of the program back to a level that these seniors will remember for a long, long time,” he said.

This group of seniors came with high expectations, especially Kelvin Torbert. He was a McDonald’s All-American and ranked by most as perhaps the top shooting guard in his class. Torbert can’t be called a bust just because he hasn’t been an All-American, but certainly he hasn’t played to the potential many figured he had. Still, he’s closing out a solid career, having been the team’s top defender for four years and steadily improving all the time.

The seniors came in after the three consecutive Final Four appearances, so they certainly had a goal to shoot for. Two years ago, they appeared on the verge of becoming a consistent Final Four contender again when they reached the Elite Eight with a relatively young group. Personnel defections hit them hard, and playing arguably the toughest non-conference schedule also contributed to the team barely making the NCAA Tournament last year and losing in the first round. Now, as Izzo said, they’re trying to get back to a higher level.

Said senior Alan Anderson: “We’re just playing for memories. We don’t want our season to end.”

During the three consecutive Final Four runs, the team’s identity had a lot to do with toughness inside. Those teams had a lot of bodies up front, and the Spartans would just pound opponents into submission and own the glass. The last two years, theirs has been a guard-heavy team, one that can get out and run with just about anyone, but with questions at the point guard spot. Izzo isn’t sure about this team’s identity, though he did say last weekend that he feels that this “may be the best fast break team I’ve had, especially after made baskets.”

At the center of the point guard struggles has been Chris Hill. The senior looked primed to take on that role last season after a solid summer showing in the Pan Am Games, but had his struggles and they missed his shooting when he had the ball in his hands often. He’s putting the cap on an excellent career, shooting the ball as well as anyone, making the right passes, and also continuing to be a success in the classroom as an Academic All-American. Of late, freshman Drew Neitzel appears to have solved that problem, but he is still a freshman playing deep in the NCAA Tournament.

The Spartans have a tough matchup with Duke on Friday night. Their depth could be an asset, especially if they can also get Duke’s frontcourt players in foul trouble. They played Duke respectfully during the regular season, losing 81-74 in Durham, so there’s no question they won’t be overmatched. It will be time for Izzo’s big-game coaching ability to show up again.

“I just think this team is capable of big things,” Izzo said. “I think we have the athletes, I think if we get Paul (Davis) going – the rebounding he did today was good, he still kicked the ball out too much for me, I wish he’d take it at them a little more – I think this team is hungry enough.

“My job now is to make sure they realize there’s more around the corner, and see if we can get there.”

The Spartans will try to get there on Friday, and we’ll see if Izzo gets his players to realize what’s there.

New Jersey TOC Recap

Seton Hall Prep Takes Title

by Ray Floriani

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – It was unfortunate, but someone had to come out on the short end. Seton Hall Prep and St. Pat’s met in a classic battle at Continental Airlines Arena. At stake was the New Jersey Boys Tournament of Champions title. In the end, Seton hall prevailed 63-60.

The game began with many wondering if it would be a rout like two years ago. In that contest, St. Pat’s controlled from tap to buzzer in totaling dismantling a strong Camden Catholic squad. In Thursday night’s game the Celtics jumped out to a 19-6 first quarter lead. “We rushed things on offense,” Seton Hall coach Bob Farrell said. “That gave them some run offs (transition baskets). Once we ran our offense better, the run offs stopped and we settled down..”

A crucial juncture came in the second quarter. St. Pat’s was enjoying a fifteen-point lead. Seton Hall’s senior center Brandon Costner then hit two three-pointers. Those treys by the 6-9 Costner, who is as comfortable on the perimeter as in the lane, got the lead into single digits. More importantly, it energized the Pirates and increased their confidence. At the half the Pat’s lead was seven, but you could sense the momentum had already began to swing.

At halftime there were no major adjustments for Seton Hall. “Coach (Farrell) just told the team to run our offense as we normally do, be patient,” Prep assistant Marty Berman said. “And box out,” he added. “God they (St. Pat’s) are so big.”

A crucial adjustment was made by Farrell during the first half. A concern was St. Pat’s 6-9 center Derrick Caracter. “A lot of teams used a matchup zone against him (Caracter) earlier in the tournament,” Farrell said. “Once we got in more of a halfcourt game we could see where Caracter set up and how they got the ball to him.” To counteract, Farrell had one of his guards, Chris Andrews, double down on Character when he caught the ball in the low post. Several times the double team stripped Character of the ball. On other occasions it forced him to work for his team-high 23 points. It left the perimeter open but St. Pat’s couldn’t capitalize. “Fish (Corey fisher) has hit the outside shot through the tournament,” St. Pat’s coach Kevin Boyle said. “Tonight he was off (3 of 16 from the floor). If he hits just three three-pointers we could be having a different conversation now.”

Over the course of the final half, fans at the arena were treated to outstanding performances by the two teams’ respective big men. Costner lured Caracter outside with his outside shooting, then at the opportune moment would use his skills to penetrate. Caracter, on the other end, gave Pat’s a strong low post presence, especially on the offensive boards. In the end result, the game that came down to the final minute was decided simply because Seton Hall made plays in the clutch.

“We really haven’t had close games this year,” Boyle said. “We have either won handily or been beaten pretty good ourselves. We are young and not having close games hurt. We didn’t react well at the end.”

Costner led all scorers with a 31-point effort.

“He’s a McDonald’s All-American,” Boyle said. “And he certainly showed why tonight.”

Seton Hall finished the season 30-1 while St. Pat’s wound up 28-5. Seton Hall’s lone loss was a three-point setback to East Hall (Georgia) in the finals of the Red Cross Rotary Roundball Classic.

Game Notes

• Tony Costner’s rooting interests were in two places, East Rutherford and College Station, Texas. Tony is the father of Seton Hall Prep star Brandon Costner. In the early Eighties Tony had an outstanding career at St. Joe’s who happened to be playing Texas A&M in the NIT quarterfinals. “Yes, I’ll be keeping an eye on the scoreboard,” the elder Costner said smiling before the TOC final. “I went down (to St. Joe’s) for the Holy Cross game and I think they can win it tonight.” Costner was a bit disappointed the Hawks did not get an NCAA bid. “The Atlantic Ten was a bit down this year,” he said, “but off their performance last year and finishing runner-up in the (A-10) tournament, I thought that could get them in.” By the end of the night, Tony Costner exited Continental Airlines Arena happy on both counts. Brandon and his Seton Hall teammates captured the TOC and St. Joe’s defeated Texas A&M and will be headed to New York.
• Marcus Toney-El was in attendance and made his way down to courtside to congratulate Bob Farrell after the finals. Toney-El played for Farrell at Seton Hall Prep prior to heading to Seton Hall University, where he was a major part of that celebrated recruiting class that included Andre Barrett and Eddie Griffin.
• Bob Farrell is truly one of the outstanding high school coaches not only in New Jersey, but America. Still, the veteran mentor is willing to listen to input.
  “I was out to dinner with Tyrone Barley (who played for Farrell) when he was at St. Joe’s last year. He said jokingly that I probably lost the TOC final in 2000 against Camden. What he meant was we ran them a little hard the day before the game. This time I went easier on running the day before the final. I wanted them to have fresh legs the second half and they did. St. Pat’s might have expected us to fold but we didn’t.”
• The crowd was rather sparse at the arena. A late afternoon snow storm in the area made some roads slick and probably accounted for a less-than-expected turn out.
• Savor the moment: Seton Hall Prep fans and players were still gathered in the Arena lobby nearly an hour past the final buzzer. They snapped pictures and exchanged pleasantries. Each Seton Hall player that came up from the escalator leading to the lobby was greeted with thunderous applause. Fans and players of the victorious Pirates were in no hurry to exit the facility. And who could blame them.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Friday, March 25th

Stoudamire Shot Sends Arizona to Elite 8:
In a sea of Illini orange at AllState Arena, it was No. 3 Arizona’s Salim Stoudamire’s jumper with 2.8 seconds remaining that was the night’s most memorable play. Stoudamire scored 11 of his 19 points in the final four minutes as Arizona advanced to its fifth Elite Eight in nine years with a 79-78 victory against No. 2 Oklahoma State. Hassan Adams had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Channing Frye had 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Cats. After struggling in the first two rounds, the Cowboys’ Joey Graham finished with 26 in his last game for OSU.

Illini Send Partisan Crowd Home Happy:
After waiting patiently to boo Bruce Pearl, the Illini fans had plenty to cheer about as No. 1 Illinois advanced to its first Elite Eight since 2001 with a 77-63 victory against No. 12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., Thursday night. The Illini once again rode their guards to victory. Five Illini finished in double figures, led by Dee Brown and Deron Williams with 21 each. Joah Tucker kept the Panthers in the game deep into the second half by scoring 32.

Louisville One Step Away from First Final Four Since 1986:
Using the motivation of being snubbed from a higher seed, No. 4 Louisville upset top-seeded Washington with a 93-79 victory against the Huskies in Albuquerque Thursday night. Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean continued to lead the way for the Cardinals. Garcia had 23 points, Dean 19 points and Larry O’Bannon 18 points for Louisville. Jamaal Williams led Washington with 18 points and six rebounds.

West Virginia Outlasts Texas Tech:
Kevin Pittsnogle scored 22 points, and No. 7 West Virginia shot 42 percent from three-point range, as the Mountaineers continued their improbable NCAA Tournament run with a 65-60 Sweet 16 win against No. 6 Texas Tech. Ronald Ross led Tech with 16 points.

Cincinnati Suspends Assistant LeGree:
Cincinnati assistant coach Keith LeGree has been suspended by Cincinnati after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. LeGree’s DUI arrest came a year after Bearcat head coach Bob Huggins was arrested for the same crime. The school announced that LeGree has received a paid suspension and will be evaluated during that time. LeGree just completed his fifth season as an assistant in the Queen City after playing for Huggins from 1994-96.

Fife Takes Over at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne:
Former Indiana hero Dane Fife has been hired as the next coach at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. The appointment makes the 25 year old the youngest head coach in Division I. Fife will try to revitalize a program that has struggled badly since entering Division I in 2000. Former coach Doug Noll was fired in January, after amassing a 40-199 record in five years. IPFW concluded 2005 7-22. Fife joins a long list of coaches switching jobs during this off-season’s Coaching Changes .

Weber Named Naismith Winner for 2005:
After leading Illinois to a 34-1 record, the Big Ten regular and tournament titles and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Bruce Weber has been named the Naismith National Coach of the Year for 2005. This is the 19th season that the award has been given out. The United States Basketball Writers Association also awarded Weber with the Henry Iba award, signifying their Coach of the Year.

UAB’s Anderson Given Permission to Speak with Vols:
Tennessee has been given permission to speak with Alabama – Birmingham coach Mike Anderson regarding the Volunteers’ vacant coaching position. Anderson has led UAB to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances including a Sweet 16 trip in 2004 and has a 65-34 record in three years in Birmingham. Former coach Buzz Peterson was let go after a 61-59 record in four years in Knoxville.

Theus Interested in New Mexico State:
Louisville assistant coach Reggie Theus is reportedly interested in the top position at New Mexico State. Theus is in his second season on Cardinal coach Rick Pitino’s staff and has coached in the ABA. Theus had a 13-year career in the NBA, including stops in Sacramento and Chicago. He played at UNLV. Aggie athletic director McKinley Boston has met with Theus twice and hopes to name a new coach to replace Lou Henson by Final Four Weekend.

Tonight’s Menu:

• No. 1 North Carolina will play No. 5 Villanova, and No. 10 NC State gets No. 6 Wisconsin in Syracuse.

• Meanwhile in Austin, No. 1 Duke plays No. 5 Michigan State, and No. 6 Utah tries to take down No. 2 Kentucky for a spot among the Elite Eight.

Albuquerque Second Round Recap

Second Round Recap – Albuquerque Region

by Steve Sheridan

For the second year in a row, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are going home early despite having a top three seed. Bob Knight, meanwhile, is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1994 thanks to more excellent play from senior guard Ronald Ross.

Ross, a walk-on four years ago who has blossomed into one of the best point guards in the Big 12, scored a team-high 24 points – including the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:04 left and two insurance free throws that ended up accounting for the margin of victory. The guard also recorded nine rebounds and dished out four assists in 40 minutes of action, leading his team to a hard-earned victory.

In the first half, however, things didn’t look so good for the Red Raiders. The Bulldogs shot over 48 percent from the floor and jumped out to a 38-29 halftime advantage, as the Red Raiders were unable to get any momentum going against the favored Gonzaga squad.

After Gonzaga scored the first four points of the second half, it looked as if the Bulldogs might run away with the contest. But after hanging around for a few minutes, the Red Raiders went on a 13-4 run over a 6:44 span to grab a two-point advantage. The teams battled back-and-forth in the final eight minutes of the contest, but Ross’ three-pointer with just over a minute remaining provided for the final lead change of the game in Texas Tech’s favor.

Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison did all that he could to keep his team in the game – including scoring 10 consecutive points at one point in the second half – but his game-high 25 points could not carry his team to the win. Also, for Gonzaga, Erroll Knight scored 14 and Ronny Turiaf added 13 points and 13 boards in his final collegiate game.

Besides the great day had by Ross, Texas Tech also saw some solid performances from its starters. Jarrius Jackson scored 18 points and grabbed five caroms in 40 minutes of play, while Martin Zeno and Darryl Dora also reached double figures for Bob Knight’s crew – and it all was needed, since the Red Raider bench did not contribute a single point.

Albuquerque First Round Recap

First Round Recap – Albuquerque Region

by Zach Ewing

After helping the Huskies to leads of 18-2 and 27-8 in the game’s first 10 minutes, Washington’s fast-paced attack slowed down enough to allow the underdog Grizzlies back in the game. A 15-5 Montana run cut the lead to 32-23, and from that point on, all Washington could do is keep the No. 16 seed at arms’ length.

Brandon Roy had 17 points off the bench to lead Washington, and Tre Simmons, Will Conroy, Bobby Jones and Jamaal Williams all also scored in double figures for Washington, but even lowly Montana was able to exploit what many thought to be the Huskies’ weak point: their inside game.

The Grizzlies actually out-rebounded Washington 30-29 and got 24 points and 11 rebounds from Kamarr Davis. Up next for 28-5 Washington another up-and-down, fast-paced team, eighth-seeded Pacific.

Syracuse First Round Recap

First Round Recap – Syracuse Region

by Michael Protos

No. 1 North Carolina looked like a potential national champion in demolishing No. 16 Oakland 96-68. The Tar Heels stormed the Grizzlies in the first half with unconscious shooting from everywhere on the court. North Carolina shot better than 73 percent from the field in the first half, building a 59-33 halftime lead.

With the game firmly in hand, coach Roy Williams frequently rotated players so that only junior forward Sean May played more than 24 minutes in the game. May scored 19 points and added eight rebounds, while freshman forward Marvin Williams led the Tar Heels with 20 points.

The overmatched Grizzlies ended an admirable run in which Oakland went from 9-18 to end the regular season to a Mid-Continent conference championship and victory against Alabama A&M in the NCAA Tournament play-in game. Senior forward Cortney Scott led all scorers with 21 points. The Grizzlies shot a respectable 44 percent from the field but could not keep up with the Tar Heels’ torrid pace or rebound against the taller and stronger North Carolina post players. Oakland lost the battle of the boards 36-19.

With the victory, North Carolina advances to play No. 9 Iowa State Sunday. This game will be the second consecutive second-round match up against a Big 12 opponent as the Tar Heels lost to Texas in last year’s NCAA Tournament. This year, however, the Tar Heels will be heavily favored to win.

Austin Second Round Recap

Second Round Recap – Austin Region

by Steve Sheridan

For one game at least, Andrew Bogut wasn’t carrying the Utah Utes on his back. Luckily for Utah, there were plenty of other players to carry the shooting load.

Justin Hawkins scored a game-high 20 points and was aided by 17 from Marc Jackson and 16 from Bryant Markson, as Bogut was relied on in other areas: namely, rebounds (11) and assists (seven, a career-high). The Sooners, meanwhile, hit their first shot of the game and then things went downhill from there.

With the game tied at two, the Utes went on a 12-0 run over the next 4:46 to take a commanding lead early on, and the Sooners were unable to get closer than four points for the remainder of the contest. The deficit in large part was attributed to Oklahoma’s terrible first-half shooting, as the team made just 8-of-31 shots (26 percent).

In the opening half, the Utes showed that they could dominate the opposition without a big offensive performance from Bogut. At the break, the Utah big man had scored only two of his season-low 10 points, although his defensive presence neutralized Oklahoma big men Kevin Bookout and Johnnie Gilbert.

The second half was no different for both teams, as Utah continued to pour in the points – shooting a lights-out 77 percent (13-of-17) in the second stanza – while Oklahoma still struggled to find the basket. As a result, the Sooners couldn’t get any closer than seven points in the second half.

Taj Gray and Terrell Everett combined to score 35 points for Oklahoma – but on 35 attempts. The personification of the Sooner struggles on the offensive end was Drew Lavender, who led the team with 19 points in the first round win over Niagara but who hit only 1-of-6 shots for three points on Saturday afternoon.

For the game, Utah shot 60 percent from the field, while Oklahoma managed to hit only 32 percent of its shots – including only 2-of-19 (11 percent) from beyond the arc. The Sooners also took 29 more shots than the Utes over the course of the game, but all those extra opportunities could not spell more points for the aimless Sooners.

Austin First Round Recap

First Round Recap – Austin Region

by Michael Protos

No. 9 Mississippi State rallied from a 12-point deficit shortly before halftime and continued that momentum throughout the second half against No. 8 Stanford, completing a 93-70 romp in a first-round match up in the Austin region. The Bulldogs overcame a slow start in which Stanford battered Mississippi State with senior center Rob Little.

Mississippi State countered Little’s production with the overpowering inside-outside combination of senior forward Lawrence Roberts and senior guard Winsome Frazier. Roberts led all scorers with 23 points, and Frazier had 20, including six three-pointers. Roberts’ presence in the post forced the Cardinal to compensate with extra defenders, allowing Frazier to find open space to knock down the long-range jumpers.

In the second half, Mississippi State outscored Stanford 49-27 with excellent defense. The Cardinal finished the game with a field-goal percentage less than 38 percent. Junior guard Chris Hernandez led Stanford 17 points, adding seven assists. But the team’s production could not keep up with the Bulldogs’ hot shooting. They made more than 56 percent of their field goals, primarily because the offense stated and ended with Roberts in the paint. And he seemingly had point-blank looks at the basket every time he touched the ball.

Mississippi State moves on to play No. 1 Duke Sunday with an opportunity to flip the results of last year’s loss to Xavier. The Bulldogs were seeded No. 2 and lost to a hot shooting No. 7 Musketeers squad. The table is set for a similar feast for Mississippi State, which is on a tear based on its annihilation of the Cardinal.

Chicago First Round Recap

Play-in Recap – Chicago Region

by Zach Ewing

UAB won its third tournament game in its last four tries, using a frenetic pace and lots of pressure to knock off LSU, 82-68, in the first round. The Blazers made a run to the Sweet Sixteen last season before losing to Kansas.

LSU committed turnovers on two of its first three possessions but was still within 14-13 when the Blazers took off. A 12-2 run made it an 11-point game just minutes later, and UAB never got closer than nine again. The Tigers committed 12 turnovers in the first half.

It was more of the same in the second half. UAB forced a turnover the first time LSU had the ball in the second half and started with an 18-5 run. LSU eventually cut that lead to 75-66 in the last minute of play, but could get no closer.

In all, the Tigers (20-10) were no match for UAB’s pressure defense. They made 21 turnovers leading to 20 Blazer points. LSU also shot the ball horrifically. Brandon Bass scored 25 points on 8-of-10 shooting, but the rest of the team was 15-of-54. Bass also had 12 rebounds and Glen “Big Baby” Davis added 18 points and 11 boards, but the Tigers were only 6-of-31 from three-point range.

Marvett McDonald scored 21 points to lead three players in double figures for the Blazers (22-10). Up next is No. 3 seed Arizona.

Connecticut’s Season of Adversity

A trying season ends

by Phil Kasiecki

WORCESTER, Mass. – Defending champions are never supposed to have it easy the next season. It’s tough to repeat for a lot of reasons, but for the Connecticut Huskies, the 2004-05 season was perhaps an extreme case of this.

With Sunday’s 65-62 loss, a season that was trying at times on the young Huskies came to an end. No one can say that this team didn’t accomplish anything, especially in light of what they had to go through.

The Huskies still had plenty of talent and some experience, though they lost a lot of the latter with Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon going to the NBA with a season of eligibility left. Add in the graduation of four-year starting point guard Taliek Brown – easily a forgotten man since two first team All-Americans left as well – and this team took a real hit. Sure, the cupboard was hardly bare – plenty of coaches would love to have players like Marcus Williams, Rashad Anderson, Rudy Gay, Charlie Villanueva and Josh Boone – but any way you look at it, the Huskies took a big hit.

The talent and experience base wouldn’t be the only places where this team would take hits. The Huskies went through quite a season of adversity off the court, and for a couple of players, basketball became very secondary concerns. It started before the season, when assistant coach Clyde Vaughan resigned in late August after being arrested for soliciting a prostitute. Vaughan had recruited many of the current players, so they were losing someone they had a rapport with.

Things didn’t end there. In October, freshman A.J. Price nearly died from a brain hemorrhage. He spent two weeks in Hartford Hospital, with players and coaches frequently visiting him. Head coach Jim Calhoun recalls the impact this had on a few of his players when they saw the condition Price was in.

“We took the older kids in to see A.J. with a tube down his throat – three of the kids walked out of the room,” Calhoun recalls.

In early January, a cerebral angiogram revealed that Price has a vascular abnormality known as Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) – a mass of abnormal blood vessels which grow in the brain. Price is expected to make a full recovery and live a normal life, a recovery which can take several months. That remains his top priority.

From a basketball standpoint, it’s debatable how much Price’s absence hurt the team. Antonio Kellogg, not a natural point guard, filled in at the position and was often ineffective before being suspended for the NCAA Tournament. It meant that they were going to live and die by the play of sophomore Marcus Williams, and he responded with a tremendous season. Williams not only led the nation in assists, but he showed terrific leadership ability. He certainly wasn’t the reason they lost to North Carolina State on Sunday to end their season.

As if that wasn’t enough, Anderson was struggling to shoot the ball for a while. Prior to their loss against Pittsburgh on January 22, Anderson was shooting just 29 percent on three-pointers. That game started a hot streak for the junior guard, as he shot nearly 53 percent from the field and over 47 percent on three-pointers in the next six games. Just when he was starting to come alive, he suffered a skin abscess in the inner thigh of his right leg.

The injury seemed innocent enough, but complications would arise before long. At one point, Anderson was having breathing difficulties, saying later that he was probably about 20 minutes away from tubing because his lungs filled with fluid. The doctors still don’t know what caused the complications. One thing is for sure: the junior guard is happy to be alive, let alone playing basketball.

“You just have to put things in perspective,” said Anderson. “It could have been any one of my teammates. There was a point where they didn’t think I’d make it. My parents were in and out of the room; my mom had stepped out of the room, my father had to leave the room temporarily sometimes because he couldn’t stand to see me like that.”

If what happened to Price and Anderson hasn’t taught the young men – and they are young, as the team has just two seniors – about life, nothing will. Calhoun said the staff tried everything to help them along. The players were there to support their teammates, and to a man they say that this helped them get closer.

“It’s brought us close together. Anytime you go through life-changing events, it really makes you closer as a team,” said Anderson, who added that he and Price have talked a lot about what they went through.

The team chemistry will certainly help next season if everyone is back. Villanueva is expected to declare for the NBA Draft, which has long thought to be a foregone conclusion since he declared out of high school. But everyone else is expected back, and with only little-used Sami Ameziane and Jason Baisch graduating and at least three good recruits coming in, expectations will be very high in Storrs next fall. There will also be the knowledge that these players battled through everything that was thrown at them, already making them a battle-tested crew.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Thursday, March 24th

NIT Puts Two in Final Four: The calm before the storm of the NCAA Tournament produced three NIT games last night. Maryland opened the night with a 78-63 win at home against Davidson to advance to the quarterfinals, setting up a date with TCU. Junior forward Nik Caner-Medley the Terrapins with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Maryland played without junior point guard, who is out for the tournament with a sprained ankle. Junior forward Brendan Winters led the Wildcats with 16 points.

Last season, St. Joseph’s came within a John Lucas clutch basket of going to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four. This season, nobody could keep the Hawks out of the Final Four – of the NIT. St. Joseph’s advanced to play at Madison Square Garden by winning on the road at Texas A&M 58-51. Senior sharpshooter Pat Carroll led St. Joseph’s with 22 points, and guard Dwayne Lee hit a clutch three-pointer to help seal the win. Texas A&M was led by junior forward Antoine Wright’s 21 points.

St. Joseph’s will play Memphis in the NIT’s Final Four after the Tigers dispatched cross-state foe Vanderbilt 81-68. Overcoming a fast start by the Commodores, Memphis rallied to take a seven-point halftime lead and extend it throughout the second half. Junior forward Rodney Carney led the Tigers with 26 points, and freshman forward Shan Foster led Vanderbilt with 25.

Minuteman Coach Search Nearing Completion: Massachusetts officials are close to hiring a new coach, and the leading candidate is Eastern Kentucky coach Travis Ford, who led the Colonels to an NCAA Tournament appearance this season. The Minutemen fired coach Steve Lappas, who produced a pedestrian 50-65 in four seasons and failed to reach the post-season any year. Ford’s record is not much better at 61-80 in five seasons at Eastern Kentucky, but the Colonels were 22-9 last season. He has a solid pedigree as a former player at Kentucky while Rick Pitino was the Wildcats’ coach. Massachusetts officials will hold a press conference later today, presumably to announce Ford as the next coach. The Minutemen fill one of several positions opening in college basketball’s season for Coaching Changes .

Delayed Sportsmanship: Clearly disappointed and shocked, several members of the Kansas Jayhawks did not wait around to shake hands with Bucknell players after the No. 14-seed Bison knocked off No. 3-seed Kansas last week in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Bill Self called Bucknell coach Pat Flannery to apologize on behalf of his team. Flannery acknowledged the apology but said Self did not need to worry about his players’ actions because they were understandable. He said the Bison were celebrating as if they had won a championship, so Kansas players had good reason to not want to hang around to shake hands.

Haith Rewarded for Success: Nobody expected Miami to compete for a spot near the top of the ACC standings or vie for an NCAA Tournament bid in the team’s first year in the conference and first year under coach Frank Haith. But the Hurricanes achieved both, and Miami officials rewarded Haith with a five-year contract worth an undisclosed amount. Miami finished 16-13 and earned a spot in the NIT, in which the Hurricanes lost at South Carolina in the first round. Haith has already built a strong foundation and, with a young team, could do even more damage in the ACC next year.

Gray Will Stay: Oklahoma junior forward Taj Gray will pass on an opportunity to enter the NBA Draft to return for his senior season. Gray likely has the talent to be drafted this year, but he’s unsure how high he would be selected. The Big 12′s newcomer of the year said he has some elements of his game that he’d like to improve in addition to completing his studies to graduate. Gray transferred from Redlands Community College to play for coach Kelvin Sampson and Oklahoma. The No. 3-seed Sooners lost to No. 6-seed Utah in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Tonight’s Menu

• March Madness resumes tonight as the Sweet 16 features four games in the Chicago and Albuquerque regions. In the early games, top-seeded Washington plays Louisville in what may be the round’s premier match up. Fellow top seed Illinois will play No. 12 Wisconsin – Milwaukee, the official Cinderella team of the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

• In the later games of the evening, No. 2 Oklahoma State plays No. 3 Arizona in a pair of legitimate Final Four contenders. Meanwhile in Albuquerque, No. 6 Texas Tech takes on No. 7 West Virginia in a battle of unlikely Elite Eight candidates.

• Not to be forgotten, the NIT continues as South Carolina hosts Georgetown for the rights to join St. Joseph’s and Memphis in the Final Four.