NCAA Picks

Title Goes Here

by Michael Ermitage

There are all sorts of ways to make NCAA bracket picks. You could stick to completely numerical data like the RPI, Sagarin ratings or something called the Pomeroy. Or you could flip on the television and hear three fine gentleman in expensive suits voice their opinions while a former coach sits idly by complimenting anyone within DirecTV’s reach. Then again, you could look up the Vegas odds and make your picks based on where the money is going. But I find good ol’ common sense does the trick. College basketball is about matchups, momentum and luck. Here’s how I filled out my bracket:

Chicago (Although I prefer “Midwest”)

Round 1

• Illinois slams Farleigh Dickinson; Mike Deane calls a timeout 8 seconds in.
• Texas’ bigs too much for Nevada
• UWM doesn’t have enough offense to hang with Alabama
• Boston College simply hammers an under-manned Penn squad
• UAB has yet to win a big one away from home; LSU romps
• Channing Frye leads Arizona past a game Utah St. club
• St. Mary’s abuses Southern Illinois inside
• Okie St. moves on

Round 2

• Illinois makes Texas point guard Daniel Gibson look like the freshman he is
• In a tight game, Alabama’s Kennedy Winston is the difference over BC
• This time, its Arizona’s guards, Salim Stoudamire and Mustafa Shakur, that get them past LSU
• Okie St. has no problem dispatching St. Mary’s

Round 3

• Alabama can’t match up defensively on the perimeter with Illinois
• In a classic game, Arizona is able to exploit Okie State’s inside game with Channing Frye and prevail

Round 4

• Again, Frye is the difference and Region MVP in upsetting Illinois in Chicago

Albuquerque

Round 1

• Washington cruises
• Pacific wants to play a half-court game and they’ll regret it when Pitt hammers them inside with Chris Taft and Chevon Troutman
• George Washington will allow Georgia Tech to play at an up-tempo pace and it’ll be the end of the Colonials
• Louisville proves far too athletic for La.-Lafayette
• Texas Tech is on a roll and that momentum carries them past an under-rated UCLA squad
• Gonzaga trounces Winthrop
• This bracket is full of teams that have been playing well lately and West Virginia rides that second half surge past Creighton
• Wake will simply embarrass Chattanooga

Round 2

• In a first weekend upset, Pitt frustrates Washington with its deliberate half-court style and imposing inside game. Carl Krauser finishes it off with a game winner.
• Georgia Tech and Louisville will put points on the board, but it’ll be the Yellow Jackets’ trio of B.J. Elder, Jarrett Jack and Will Bynum that out duel Louisville’s trio of Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean and Larry O’Bannon. Look for Georgia Tech’s Luke Schenscher to be a difference-maker in this one with his size.
• Gonzaga is going to get a game from Texas Tech, but Bob Knight simply cannot match the Zags’ inside play of Adam Morrison and Ronny Turiaf.
• Wake will look like a certain Final Four team after crushing West Virginia

Round 3

• With a week to prepare, Georgia Tech gets past an inspired Pitt club.
• You will have to make sure you watch Gonzaga versus Wake because it’ll be a good one. It’ll come down to foul trouble, and Turiaf will get Eric Williams out of the game and Wake (and its horrible defense) will be bounced.

Round 4

• We’ve waited a long time for this to happen, but Gonzaga will make the Final Four. Their guards are good enough defensively (especially Errol Knight) to slow down Georgia Tech and their inside game will be too much.

Syracuse

Round 1

• UNC in a laugher
• Good first round matchup here between Iowa State and Minnesota. The pace will be a bit slow and Minnesota might get a bit too sloppy to compete.
• Everyone says guards, guards, guards for the NCAA Tournament and Villanova has that. But it’ll be the big men that make a difference in this tournament (just as it did last year with Emeka Okafor and Luke Schenscher), and Danny Granger and New Mexico will upset the Wildcats.
• Ohio is talented but young. They’ll give Florida a run but the Gators will move on.
• Northern Iowa will simply not get enough good looks from the perimeter against Wisconsin to win this game.
• Kansas will be on a mission and it starts by dominating Bucknell.
• With Charlotte reeling and N.C. State surging, I have to with the Wolfpack in this one.
• UConn will have no trouble in the first round

Round 2

• UNC will roll past Iowa State as they have a talent advantage at almost every position.
• Again, Danny Granger and New Mexico will cause problems, but Florida will have enough to prevail in a narrow game for the second straight game.
• Nice matchup here with Mike Wilkinson of Wisconsin and Wayne Simien of Kansas. Kansas’ experience and ability to get out on the break will allow them to move on.
• N.C. State will be overwhelmed by UConn’s frontline of Charlie Villanueva and Josh Boone.

Round 3

• While Florida has learned to play half court ball much better this year than in previous years, its tendency is still to get out in the open floor. And against UNC, that’s a death knell.
• Great third-round game here with Kansas and UConn meeting up. Simien will be overwhelmed by UConn’s nasty frontcourt and spend much of the game on the bench in a loss.

Round 4

• If I felt that Rashad Anderson was going to be a seamless member of this UConn squad, I’d pick them here against UNC. But often there’s an adjustment that needs to be made when a player of his caliber returns from injury and UConn will not have completed that process by the time this game rolls around. UNC in a tight one.

Austin

Round 1

• Duke moves on
• Mississippi State couldn’t beat Stanford with Dan Grunfeld, but they can beat them without him.
• Michigan State topples Old Dominion in a game that’s not as close as people expected.
• Similar to Michigan State, Syracuse dismantles Vermont in a game that is not as close as people expected.
• UTEP pushes the tempo just enough to keep Utah’s Andrew Bogut from completely dominating the game and move on in a buzzer beater.
• Oklahoma’s big men Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout abuse Niagara.
• I think Iowa is a bit underrated, even without Pierre Pierce. This team has solid outside shooting and Greg Brunner and Erik Hansen are formidable inside. I think they upset a cold-shooting Cincy squad.
• Sorry Travis Ford, Kentucky rolls.

Round 2

• A disappointing Mississippi State team ends its season here against Duke
• Michigan State simply does not have the shooters to punish Syracuse’s effective zone.
• Again, Oklahoma imposes its might inside with Bookout and Gray while Drew Lavender takes care of the ball against UTEP.
• In a halfcourt game, Iowa battles Kentucky but eventually falls.

Round 3

• Will J.J. Reddick and Daniel Ewing be enough to bust the zone? Normally I’d say yes, but the Dukies’ lack of depth is their downfall in this one as Syracuse pounds it inside to Warrick and penetrates consistently with Pace.
• Oklahoma is simply more talented than Kentucky and while I expect the Wildcats do a solid defensive job on Lavender, they won’t be able to match up inside.

Round 4

• Penetration by Lavender will be the key in Oklahoma’s trip to the Final Four, as he breaks down Syracuse’s zone to key the Sooner offense. Warrick gets no room to maneuver against Oklahoma’s imposing front line.

Final Four

• Gonzaga’s guards finally wilt when they matchup against Arizona’s duo. The nation becomes familiar with Salim Stoudamire as he has a huge game.
• UNC is the most talented team in the country. Motivated talent is hard to contend with and Oklahoma comes up a little bit short in this one. While Bookout and Gray play evenly with Sean May, it’s the perimeter play of Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants that is the difference.
• In the national title game, Stoudamire does all he can to keep Arizona in the game. But the Wildcats will be unwilling to play a half court style necessary to down the Tarheels. Roy Williams wins his first national championship.

Mid-Con Tournament Recaps

Mid-Continent Conference Tournament Recap

by Michael Ermitage

First Round

No. 1 Oral Roberts 82, No. 8 Southern Utah 59

The top-seeded Golden Eagles took care of business in its first round matchup with Southern Utah. Oral Roberts jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead en route to a dominating victory. They were led by sophomore Ken Tutt’s 18 points, which included four three-pointers. Southern Utah struggled mightily on offense, turning the ball over 20 times and shooting just 40% for the contest. They were led by two bench players, Lubor Olsovsky and Jason Baker, who each contributed 13 points.

No. 7 Oakland 67, No. 2 UKMC 63

Every Cinderalla run starts somewhere, and for seventh-seeded Oakland it started with the defeat of UKMC. Led by sophomore Rawle Marshall’s 25 points, the Grizzlies earned just their 10th win of the season. The Golden Grizzlies were able to outlast the Kangaroos with solid defense and superior ball handling. The Kangaroos were held to just 39% shooting and committed 13 turnovers, compared to just seven for the Golden Grizzlies. UMKC finished the season 16-12.

No. 4 IUPUI 70, No. 5 Western Illinois 62

The four vs. five seed lived up to the close matchup it was billed to be. Both teams played well, but IUPUI was able to outlast Western Illinois behind excellent guard play. Junior Brandon Cole and senior Akeem Clark combined for 41 points in the victory. Western Illinois did all it could to keep pace, dropping 11 three-pointers on the Jaguars. The Leathernecks were led by T.J. Gray, who hit five three-pointers and finished with 15 points.

No. 6 Chicago St. 72, No. 3 Valparaiso 67

The second upset of the first round was a big one as Chicago State, who had just eight wins all season, stunned defending champ Valpo with a deadly inside-outside combination. Sophomore Royce Parran manned the outside game, scoring a game-high 23 points while connecting on 5 of 8 shots and an amazing 10 free throws. Freshman Jeleel Akindele, who measures 7-foot-1, scored 19 points in the post. The combo enabled Chicago State to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit. Valpo was led by junior forward Dan Oppland, who scored 20 points in the loss.

Semifinals

No. 1 Oral Roberts 80, No. 4 IUPUI 69

The Golden Eagles tallied their 25th win of the season in surprisingly easy fashion over IUPUI in the semifinals. Oral Roberts jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead and were never truly threatened in the contest. Three players logged double digits in points for the Golden Eagles, led by sophomore Caleb Green’s 22. Green added 7 rebounds in the win. Freshman George Hill led the Jaguars’ scoring attack with 15 off the bench. IUPUI finished the season 16-13.

No. 7 Oakland 56, No. 6 Chicago St. 53

In a battle of first-round upset winners, Oakland prevailed in a tight game. Going just seven deep, the Golden Grizzlies were able to squeak by the Cougars primarily behind some solid free throw shooting. Oakland was able to get to the line 11 more times than the Cougars and made 7 more attempts. Rawle Marshall again led the charge for the Golden Grizzlies with 17 points, including 7 of 8 from the line. The Cougars were led by Tony Weeden with 18 points. The inside-outside duo of Parran and Akindele were completely shut down, combining for just 19 points. Akindele was a miserable 1 for 8 from the free throw line.

Championship

No. 7 Oakland 61, No. 1 Oral Roberts 60

The Oakland Golden Grizzlies ended an improbable tournament run with an improbable shot. Pierre Dukes buried a three from the left corner with just over a second left in Oakland’s Mid-Continent Conference title win that secured a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 12-18 squad. It was Dukes’ only shot of the second half as he finished with 7 points for the game.

The seventh-seeded Golden Grizzlies are in the tournament for the first time since becoming a Division I program eight seasons ago. It’s the fourth straight season a team with a losing record has made the NCAA Tournament. Oakland (Mich.) took possession after Jonathan Bluitt hit one of two free throws to make it 60-58. Rawle Marshall passed it to Dukes on the left side, and his shot splashed through the net.

The Golden Grizzlies started the season 0-7 against a murderous schedule that included Illinois, Xavier and Missouri. But they finished the season with five straight wins, three in the conference tournament.

Oral Roberts was led by Caleb Green’s 13 points. The 25-7 Golden Eagles don’t figure to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Saturday, March 5th

MWC Reprimands Four Players: Utah’s star forward Andrew Bogut was one of four players reprimanded by the Mountain West Conference after a confrontation in the Utes’ 69-60 win against BYU last Saturday. Bogut, teammates Richard Chaney and Marc Jackson and BYU’s Austin Ainge were each reprimanded Thursday for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy. Bogut and Ainge were both called for technicals after a confrontation late in the first half when Ainge and Jackson got tangled up and Bogut stepped in. Chaney was reprimanded for a physical altercation early in the second half.

McFadgon to Play Today: Tennessee senior guard Scooter McFadgon intends to play today against Georgia in his home finale at Thompson-Boling Arena. McFadgon has missed the last four games with a bruised right kneecap. He dressed for Tennessee’s 73-61 loss to Kentucky Wednesday but didn’t play in the game. McFadgon, the Vols’ leading scorer at 14.1 points per game, said he’s about 80 percent after suffering the injury Feb. 12 against Florida.

Texas Tech Dodges a Bullet: Texas Tech trainer Jon Murray said starting forward Darryl Dora probably only suffered a sprained MCL and bone bruise to his right knee in the team’s most recent victory against Baylor. The original fear was that Dora suffered a torn ligament and would be lost for the season. Murray said Dora’s status for the regular-season finale today against No. 20 Oklahoma is doubtful, but it depends on how the forward feels come game time. Dora suffered a similar injury to his left knee before the season and missed a week of practice. The Red Raiders have already secured a first-round bye in next week’s Big 12 Conference Tournament.

Angry Olson Takes on Pac-10: Arizona coach Lute Olson sent an angry letter via e-mail to Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen for what he thought was a blatant oversight by the Pac-10 office in regards to the league’s Player of the Week Award. Olson was livid that the Wildcats’ Channing Frye was not awarded the Pac-10 Player of the Week honor after averaging 28 points and shooting 85.7 percent from the field in games at Washington State and Washington last week. Washington’s Tre Simmons earned the award after averaging 26.5 points and hitting 64.7 percent of his three pointers in wins against the Arizona and Arizona State. Olson guaranteed the Pac-10 that he’d make Frye’s accomplishments known through the national media.

Vanderbilt Coach Takes Shot at ESPN Analyst: Vanderbilt’s tenuous NCAA Tournament chances drew criticism from ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb, who believes the Commodores don’t belong in the field of 65. Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings responded by bringing up the fact that Gottlieb, who finished his playing career at Oklahoma State, was kicked off Notre Dame’s team after being charged with credit-card fraud. In short, he said he doesn’t listen to felons that take cheap shots at his program.

Phone Calls Pay Off for New Mexico Coach: In an effort to get his team recognition with the selection committee before next week’s Selection Sunday, New Mexico coach Ritchie McKay called both Andy Katz and Joe Lunardi to lobby for media coverage. McKay informed both analysts that his 22-6 Lobos deserved to be in the field, and lo and behold, both Katz and Lunardi ran stories the very next week that included New Mexico in the field of 65.

Friday’s Conference Tournament Winners: There were 11 conference tournaments in action yesterday – here are your winners: America East – Maryland-Baltimore County and Stony Brook; Atlantic Sun – Gardner Webb and Central Florida; Colonial Athletic Association – William & Mary and Delaware; Horizon – Loyola (Chi.) and Detroit; Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Iona, Canisius and Manhattan; Missouri Valley – Indiana State and Drake; Ohio Valley – Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky; Patriot League – American, Lehigh, Holy Cross and Bucknell; Southern – UT-Chattanooga and UNC-Greensboro; Sun Belt – Florida International, Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee State; West Coast – Pepperdine and San Francisco. For scores and recaps of these games and more detailed coverage, visit Thirteen Days: Championship Week 2005.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Saturday, February 26th

Chaney Suspended for Rest of Regular Season: After some reflection, Temple University officials decided that coach John Chaney’s self-imposed one-game ban was not sufficient. They suspended Chaney for the team’s remaining three games during the regular season. Chaney admitted earlier in the week to sending in Nehemiah Ingram into Tuesday’s game against St. Joseph’s to “send a message.” Chaney was upset at the officiating during the game, particularly in regards to screens St. Joseph’s was setting on offense. That message eventually came in the form of a hard foul on the Hawks’ John Bryant. It was later revealed that Bryant had suffered a broken arm and is out for at least the rest of the regular season. Embarrassed by his actions, Chaney suspended himself for one game, Saturday’s home contest against Massachusetts. But the school determined that wasn’t enough of a penalty when it learned that Bryant would miss three to four weeks and added another two games, March 2 at Rhode Island and March 5 against La Salle, to the suspension. Chaney will be allowed to return to the bench when Temple begins play in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.

McNamara Could Play Today: Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara will likely play today against Providence after injuring his left ankle during Wednesday’s game against St. John’s. McNamara was hurt with 12:21 remaining in the game, appearing to twist the ankle while trying to dribble past a St. John’s defender. The 15th-ranked Orange (23-5, 10-4 Big East) went on to win the game 83-69.

Alabama Caucus to Call for Black Recruits to Boycott Auburn: Lawmakers in the state’s black caucus are calling for a black athletes’ boycott of mostly white Auburn University until the school agrees to rehire two black administrators fired in a reorganization of the athletic department. The roughly 30 caucus members met last week with Auburn president Ed Richardson and asked him to rehire associate athletic director Stacy Danley and assistant athletic director Eugene Harris, even if they had to be placed in positions outside the athletic department. Both were fired earlier this month as part of a department restructuring; a white assistant athletic director also was fired. Richardson sent the caucus a letter outlining efforts by university officials to address the issue of diversity on campus, but he did not commit to rehiring Danley and Harris.

Tennessee’s McFadgon Expected to Miss Today’s Game: Tennessee senior guard Scooter McFadgon is not expected to play today against Arkansas. The senior has a bruised right kneecap. McFadgon, the Vols’ scoring leader at 14.1 points per game, has missed the last two games. He’s struggled through one of the worst shooting slumps of his career. Since scoring 23 points in the win at Florida Jan. 19, McFadgon is just 24-of-80 from the field (30 percent) in his last seven games. McFadgon suffered the injury, which was first described as a thigh bruise, in the 84-73 loss to Florida on Feb. 12

Team Chemistry

Fun Teams Win

by Michael Ermitage

The date was Feb. 16, 2005, and the undefeated Illinois Fighting Illini were playing at Penn State. It was a packed house, as usual, to see the #1 team in the country play. And while Penn State was 20-point underdogs, there is always a palpable feeling in the room that maybe tonight is the night Illinois is a bit off. Maybe tonight is the night they lose. Until… CLANK! CLANKCLANKCLANK!! The Illini were heaving half court shots during pre-game preparations. First Dee Brown; then James Augustine. Like kids at recess, they heaved one shot after another. They were laughing with smiles as wide as the Mississippi. And you just knew… Illinois 83, Penn State 63.

There are some that say winning breeds chemistry but I’m not so sure about that. It seems there aren’t a lot of analysts out there that take time out to talk about the makeup of a team. This Illini group is as easy-going as a hippie on vacation. It was that way before all the wins started to pile up in Champaign like Christmas presents.

I look around sports these days and I see easy-going, fun-loving teams on top. The Boston Red Sox define easy-going. The New England Patriots are confident cool. And the Detroit Pistons hide a big Ben Wallace smile underneath all that grit.

Perhaps there is more to this ‘chemistry’ thing than most of us thought. Maybe there is something more to sports than speed and agility, than strength and intelligence. I have to look at my own teams and I see a correlation. The 2004 Chicago Cubs had more cancer than the Mayo Clinic; it showed on the field. The 2003-2004 Chicago Bulls were shackled with disgruntled mopes like Jalen Rose and Eddie Robinson before they trimmed the duo and added fresh-as-orchard-apples Chris Duhon, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng. The Bulls will be in the playoffs this year.

And when I look back in history, I see a tattooed Dennis Rodman as comic relief/media distraction for the championship Bulls. I see Jim McMahon. I see Kirby Puckett. I see Michael Irvin. I see Al McGuire. I see Jim Valvano.

I think people, and men for sure, like to live life in measurable quantities. We want to know how much something costs. We want to know how long it’s going to take. We want to measure our athletes in 40 times and squat totals. We value them by points per game and touchdowns scored. But I think there is more to sports than that. I think we all do; we just forget to talk about it because ‘chemistry’ doesn’t have a column in the scoreboard section of the newspaper, and because sabermetricians and RPI analysts and BCS statisticians have boiled sports down to a calculable entity.

Go ahead and tell Dee Brown his team isn’t tops in the RPI; I’d like to see the reaction. You’d probably get the same reaction if you told Boston College’s Jared Dudley the Eagles aren’t tops in the polls. In five weeks from now, the entire college basketball world will turn its collective head to St. Louis and the Final Four. It’s good to know that the teams having the most fun will be there.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Saturday, February 12th

Horton Has History of Abuse: Michigan guard Daniel Horton has been suspended from the Wolverine basketball team for an incident stemming from a domestic abuse charge. Now it has been revealed that the woman involved in the incident, Horton’s girlfriend Deborah Johnson, had gone to the police several times to report Horton, although she never wanted to press charges. That determination, however, is not up to the victim in this type of case but up to the prosecutor’s office. Police said Johnson told them “that she had been abused several times during their dating relationship, where Horton primarily pushed” her, and that there “were also occasions where he drug her across the floor, and had once slammed her head against a wall.”

Jackson State Guard Suspended for Punch: Charles White, a freshman point guard on the Jackson State basketball team, has been suspended three games by the Southwestern Athletic Conference for punching an opposing player. White was ejected after punching Southern’s Chris Alexander late in the first half of Monday’s game at Baton Rouge. White’s punch wasn’t just one of those swing-and-miss jobs, he connected on the face and knocked Alexander down. White faced a one-game suspension mandated by the NCAA, but the SWAC added two games to the punishment.

Sacramento State’s Coach Suspended: Jerome Jenkins has been suspended one game for his comments about poor officiating in a recent Big Sky Conference game. In a game against Weber State, the contest was tied at 55-55 with 2.5 seconds left when Weber State’s Coric Riggs stole the ball from Sacramento State’s Jason Harris and raced three quarters of the court to score as the buzzer sounded. The officials counted the basket, sparking a vehement protest from Jenkins and his bench, who argued that the shot came after time expired. Without the presence of an instant replay, the argument grew so heated that all three of the officials had to rush off the court.

St. Louis’ Top Scorer Leaves Team: Senior Reggie Bryant has left the Billiken basketball program for an undetermined amount of time to attend to some family issues, according to Coach Brad Soderberg. Bryant’s brother is hospitalized in his hometown of Baltimore. In 19 games this season, Bryant has scored 13.8 points despite shooting just 38 percent (87-of-230). He is also the club’s top 3-point threat, connecting on 34 percent (42-of-122) of his attempts from the arc.

Georgia’s Felton receives reprimand: Georgia coach Dennis Felton was reprimanded by Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive on Friday for his criticism of South Carolina forward Carlos Powell. On his radio show Sunday, Felton called Powell “the biggest faker and flopper. He’s fraudulent.” Powell was struck in the left eye twice during South Carolina’s 60-53 victory at Georgia on Feb. 5. Both times he wound up on the floor, apparently in pain. Felton said Powell’s reaction was a “kind of effort in manipulating” and said it “is almost … cheating.”

MAC Says Shot Shouldn’t Have Counted: Ball State can at least take solace in that their loss may serve the greater good. Mid-American Conference commissioner Rick Chryst hopes to have courtside video monitors at all league games in the aftermath of a game-winning shot by Miami of Ohio that came after the final buzzer to beat Ball State. On Wednesday night in Muncie, Ind., Miami’s Nathan Peavy grabbed a rebound in the foul lane and dropped in an 8-foot shot as time expired, giving the RedHawks a 54-52 win. Referee Tom Clark ruled that Peavy’s basket was good, although officials were unable to review the play at the scorer’s table because the game was not televised. On Friday, Chryst said that Peavy’s shot shouldn’t have counted and the game should have gone to overtime. However, Miami’s win will stand.

Pierce’s Attorney Seeks Dismissal of Felony: The attorney for Pierre Pierce filed a motion Friday seeking the dismissal of a burglary charge against the former Iowa basketball player. Pierce, 21, was arraigned this week on charges of burglary, domestic abuse assault, assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, false imprisonment and criminal mischief. The charges stem from a Jan. 27 incident at a woman’s home in West Des Moines. Pierce has said the woman was his girlfriend. The most serious charge is first-degree burglary, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of up to 25 years upon conviction.

Dotson is Facing Life in Prison: A judge on Friday set a June trial date for the former Baylor University basketball player charged with gunning down his teammate. Carlton Dotson, 22, will go to trial June 13, state District Judge George Allen said Friday during an informal meeting with prosecutors and defense attorneys. Dotson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of killing Patrick Dennehy, 21, who was missing six weeks before his body was found in July 2003 in a field a few miles from Baylor’s campus. Dennehy had been shot twice in the head, according to autopsy reports.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Saturday, Feruary 5th

MSU to Make Lineup Change: The normally sharp shooting Chris Hill may be replaced in the starting lineup by freshman guard Drew Neitzel. Hill has struggled to find his jump shot recently. Hill, a natural shooting guard, has been playing out of position for the Spartans at point guard. The added duties have seemed to affect Hill’s game. Izzo is hoping that a change will give his slumping senior a boost of confidence.

Ticket Issue Spurs Death Threat: Someone in Kansas is taking basketball a little too seriously. Jayhawks athletic director Lew Perkins received a death threat via email this past week. According to associate athletics director Jim Marchiony, the student was upset that administrators were using a lottery system to give out the final 200 tickets for Kansas’ games against Texas and Missouri. Perkins said the university police department is handling the matter. Perkins is hoping that the situation is just a couple of college kids that did something stupid and are regretful.

Red Raiders Lose Forward: Texas Tech forward John Ofoegbu, who played limited minutes this season, is no longer with the team. The sophomore left “due to personal issues, which need his attention,” according to a basketball spokesperson. Ofoegbu was not with the team during its 97-90 win over Colorado on Wednesday. Farley said Thursday no further details would be released. Ofoegbu averaged 2.4 points and three rebounds per game.

N.C. State fans deface UNC landmark: Two N.C. State freshman were picked up by UNC public safety in connection with vandalism of the school’s Morehead-Patterson bell tower. The pair spray painted profanity and the block “S” logo of N.C. State onto the tower. Two other students are thought to be accomplices but have not been apprehended. The pair also sprayed sandwiched boards currently being used for UNC’s student elections. The total damage was $1200. The two were charged with misdemeanor defacing of public property, which carries a penalty of 30 days in jail or a $50 fine. They are due in court March 7 at the Orange County Courthouse in Hillsborough. Furthermore, N.C. State lost to UNC, 95-71, Thursday night.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Saturday, January 29th

All It Takes Is a Few Wins: Minnesota coach Dan Monson was all but fired entering this season. His tenure at Minnesota had seen a lot of losing and a lot of turmoil in his short stint there. But this season, Monson has turned the Gophers around. And now he has the support of his athletic director. University of Minnesota athletics director Joel Maturi made his strongest public comments to date in favor of Monson. Maturi said Monson needs more time to coach without the weight of NCAA sanctions weighing down the program. This is the first season since the sanctions were lifted against Minnesota for NCAA violations stemming from the academic scandal under former coach Clem Haskins.

Illini Celebrate 100 Years of Hoops Today: Life just keeps getting better for top-ranked Illinois. In addition to enjoying one of its finest seasons of all-time thus far, the team will celebrate 100 years of Illini basketball with a throng of former Illini stars. The marquee guest will be former Illini coach Lou Henson, who recently announced his retirement from New Mexico State. Henson coached the Illini for 21 seasons, compiling a 423-224 record. He’ll be watching new coach Bruce Weber and the Illini host a surprising Minnesota team.

Cameron Crazies Hoodwinked: As if a loss to Maryland wasn’t bad enough for Duke’s famous student section on Wednesday night. But also, a clever Maryland supporter entered a fake cheer on Duke’s game-day “cheat sheet.” The prankster planted false information about Maryland star Nik Caner-Medley. In the section on Caner-Medley, in addition to details of his summer arrest in Maine, was a statement about his girlfriend: “NCM’s girlfriend is named Myra, and her pet name for him is ‘Piggy.’” The Duke fans made oink noises and chanted “Piggy” not only while Caner-Medley was attempting free throws but also throughout the game. But the information about his girlfriend and her pet name for him was false, planted by a person who wished for the Cameron Crazies to embarrass themselves. If the Cameron Crazies had chanted “Myra Piggy,” it would have sounded like “Myron Piggie,” the name of a former basketball coach and crack cocaine dealer who pleaded guilty to giving money to college basketball players, including former Blue Devil Corey Maggette, in one of Duke’s scandals.

Former Duke Star to Try Broadcasting: Bobby Hurley has signed on to try broadcasting for the YES Network. The 33-year-old New Jersey native started last night by calling the Yale vs. Penn women’s game. He plans on doing a six-game YES Ivy League schedule – the other five will be men’s games – before deciding if he wants to pursue more. Since finishing his NBA career in 1998, Hurley has done some high-school coaching and some NBA scouting, but has mainly been involved in the purchase and breeding of horses. In 2001, Hurley’s horse, Song And A Prayer, ran in the Kentucky Derby.

Dotson Deemed Ready for Trial: The former Baylor basketball player accussed of killing a teammate has regained his competence to stand trial and is ready to be returned from a state hospital, a psychologist says. Teh 22-year-old Dotson had been taken to North Texas State Hospital in Vernon after a defense psychologist, state psychiatrist and court-appointed independent psychiatrist all found that Dotson was incompetent to stand trial in the death of Patrick Dennehy. Dennehy’s body was found in a field near Baylor’s Waco campus in July 2003. He had been missing for about six weeks. Dennehy played two seasons for the New Mexico Lobos before transferring to Baylor in the spring of 2002.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Saturday, January 22nd

Player Dies on Court: There is some sad news to pass along in college hoops. Eastern Connecticut guard Antwoine Key died Thursday night after collapsing during the opening minutes of a game at Worcester State, officials said. Police and emergency personnel used defibrillators to try and revive Key, 22, a Boston native and 2001 graduate of West Roxbury High School. He was rushed to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Worcester where he was pronounced dead, officials said. It seems trivial to list stats for a player that has passed away, so Hoopville will refrain from that practice.

Air Force Un-Sportsmanlike: The Mountain West Conference has cited Air Force coaches and players with violating sportsmanship codes by criticizing officials after a loss to St. Mary’s last week. Coach Chris Mooney, center Nick Welch and guard Matt McCraw complained about the referees after the 59-58 loss on Jan. 11. Officials called 36 fouls and three technical fouls and disallowed a tip-in just before halftime by Air Force’s Tim Keller. The code bars coaches or athletes from criticizing “a game official, conference personnel, another member institution or a student-athlete or personnel of another institution.” The MWC handbook says a team can be given a public reprimand after a first offense and suspended after a second offense. What did they say? Welch said that the official called a technical because “he didn’t want us to win.”

Tar Heels Get Surprise Visitor: I can’t imagine that there could be anything more inspiring than to have Michael Jordan visit to share some words. And that’s exactly what the North Carolina Tar Heels were treated to when Jordan came by Thursday. Jordan posed for a picture with the players before the workout — they were in practice gear, he was not. It’ll be interesting to see how North Carolina responds in their game Saturday, although it seems Jordan has left town.

Minnesota Center’s Injury Not Serious: Jeff Hagen is not expected to play this weekend, but the big center’s MRI revealed no damage in his injured left knee. Hagen was diagnosed with a Grade 1 medial collateral ligament sprain and is listed as day to day. The injury occurred when Hagen got tangled up with Ohio State’s Terence Dials under the basket late in the first half of the Gophers’ 60-56 overtime victory Wednesday. The Gophers are hoping to continue their surprising play without Hagen, and Coach Dan Monson is not allowing Hagen’s injury to be an excuse for poor play.

Utes Getting Player Back: After being out for nearly a month, Utah forward Richard Chaney will be back in action for Saturday’s game against New Mexico at the Huntsman Center. It isn’t known how much he will be play. The Utes can use his 11.5 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per game. Chaney will have to play with a cast fitted for his left hand, which he broke in practice Dec. 27.

Cincy Reserve Guards Banged Up: Bearcat reserve guard Jamaal Lucas suffered suffered a cut on his cut on his chin and hurt his wrist on one play Wednesday night. On a drive to the hoop, Lucas was in a collision where he was unable to break his fall in time as he hit the floor. He had to get four stitches in his chin. He expects to be able to play in Cincy’s next game against Wake Forest, but he’ll have to play with a brace on his right wrist. Lucas isn’t the only injury concern for the Bearcats, however, as backup point guard Chadd Moore has been playing with pain in his left foot. He is also expected to suit up and play against the Demon Deacons, unless an MRI shows some serious damage. Moore has started four games this season and is third on the team with 49 assists. He has one fewer assist than starting point guard Jihad Muhammad, despite playing 211 fewer minutes than Muhammad. In other Bearcat news, guard Nick Williams is expected to start again Saturday after pouring in 22 points in a starting role earlier this week. Williams started in the place of Armein Kirkland, who has had trouble rebounding and thus earned the wrath of Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins.

Myles Out for Louisville: A fractured left thumb will keep Louisville senior forward Ellis Myles out of Saturday’s game against Tennessee. The thumb on his non-shooting hand is splinted and he is expected to return for Wednesday’s game against Marquette. It’ll be a matter of playing through the pain.

Support Illinois

Support Your Team, Chicago!

by Michael Ermitage

Hello? Chicago?

Do you realize that the number one team in college basketball is playing right outside your precious Chicagoland borders? It sure doesn’t seem like it.

Oh sure, the Sun Times will run a back page spread on the Illini opening conference play. And the Chicago Tribune has run an article about Vegas’ odds on the Illini staying undefeated. But it feels more like lip service than genuine excitement. Instead of “Holy crap this team is great!!” exuberance, we’ve got “Well, they’re number 1 so…” apathy.

I’ve heard nothing from anyone outside of the Illinois alumni base, who, of course, won’t shut up about it. Well, I take that back, my wife’s brother-n-law did one of those “Hey, Illini look good” off-handed Holiday comments. You know the one I’m talking about – where two dudes are together and you have to talk about something so inevitably its sports. Even that conversation turned towards the Bears, which it seems all of Chicago was talking about for Illinois’ first 16 victories. Yep, that’s right, the 5-11 Bears. Since the NFC was doing its best NBA Eastern Conference impersonation, the Bears were mathematically alive for the playoffs about 12 weeks longer than they deserved. (Insert your best Jim Mora “PLAYOFFS!!” here) Now that the Bears are officially done, Chicago has begun talking about baseball’s hot stove season, the resurgent Bulls (again, insert your best Jim Mora “PLAYOFFS!!” here) and the Bears upcoming draft pick.

I know, I know, Chicago is a pro sports town. For some reason, there is something inherently emasculating to Chicago folks about endearing themselves to college sports. It’s like the sports equivalent of your buddy ordering salad for dinner – you have to give him that “did you just pass up meat?” raised-eyebrow look.

Well, pick up your European handbags and slip on your man-capris, I’m declaring that it’s cool to like the Illini. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t like them. I graduated from a rival Big Ten school; I’m entitled to hate them. But you other Chicago people, who have no such excuse, must embrace this team. It doesn’t happen like this very often in college hoops. Trust me.

Not only does Illinois have the number one team in the nation, it has a likeable team made up of primarily home-grown talent. It starts with Coach Bruce Weber, whose only fault is that he’s a Packers fan. Other than that, the scratchy-voiced leader of this team is never pompous despite his team’s dominance, yet never sells his team short. He’s an honest, hard-working guy that is reaping the rewards of many years on the job. On the court, Illinois starts four kids from within the state – Dee Brown, James Augustine, Luther Head and Roger Powell, Jr. Aside from Head, who had some off-the-court problems last year, each of them is a likeable kid. Brown lights up the court with his speed, acrobatics, and gigantic smile. He’s simply having fun out there. Augustine is like an oversized kid on Ritalin, bouncing off bodies like a super ball in a small room. Powell just sneaks up on you out of nowhere, kind of like his hometown of Joliet, Ill. The out-of-state starter, Deron Williams, is simply a pleasure to watch. He’s the consummate collegiate star who’s improved each year.

This isn’t a group of ipod-having, Escalade-dreaming, “gimme the damn ball” group of kids. In fact, I have a hard time envisioning any of these guys having lengthy successful NBA careers, aside from Williams. And I don’t think Williams will be Lebron-good on the next level, but solid. Nope, this is the kind of group that makes you think they call mom every Sunday. This is the kind of group that’s just damn happy to be playing college ball.

And man, can they play. Currently, the undefeated Illini are vanquishing opponents by an average margin of just under 19 points per game. This talk of an undefeated season isn’t a joke. It’s not like last season when St. Joe’s was undefeated and you could almost hear the broadcaster snicker when discussing the possibility of an undefeated season. With the Big Ten offering little in the way of competition (sorry Wisconsin and Michigan State fans), it is quite possible that the Illini run the table. And we all know the last team to do that was Bobby Knight’s 1976 Hoosier squad. Now there’s a bad memory. Wouldn’t it be nice to erase Knight from the conversation and insert this year’s Illini team?

Get behind this team Chicago. For unlike your bickering Chicago Cubs, you’re middling White Sox, your baby Bulls and your punch-less Bears – this is a team you’ll end up liking win or lose.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, January 19th

FSU stuns Wake Forest: After making an NCAA record 50 consecutive free throws over two games, the Demon Deacons picked the worst time to miss. With the game tied at 76 and four seconds left, Wake’s Taron Downey missed a potential game-winning free throw. The real story of the game, however, was Florida State’s Von Wafer, who scored 30 points, including six three-pointers. The Seminoles twice built 19-point advantages, but needed overtime to prevail 91-83.

Syracuse Upends Georgetown in OT: Syracuse snuck into overtime after Georgetown’s Brandon Bowman hit a game-tying two-pointer that was inches from being a game-winning three pointer. Hakim Warrick led the Orange with 25 points, who prevailed 66-59.

St. John’s Upsets Pitt: Daryll Hill scored 26 points, including three free throws in the final 25 seconds, and St. John’s ended a three-game losing streak with a 65-62 victory over Pittsburgh. The win was the Red Storm’s second win over a ranked team this season. Pitt continues to struggle and has lost three of five.

Alabama Crushes Mississippi State: Behind 34 points from Earnest Shelton, the Crimson Tide dominated Mississippi State, 98-49. Alabama jumped out to a 49-18 halftime lead and never looked back.

Arkansas Green and Blue?: Yep, that was Arkansas practicing in Walton Arena even though there wasn’t a spec of red uniform on the floor. Instead, Stan Heath’s Razorbacks practiced in uncustomary blue and green jerseys. The ploy was used to send a message to the team that every player is important. Heath wanted to eliminate the starters versus bench mentality and just get the most out of his team. Following Arkansas’ embarrassing 80-55 loss to Mississippi State, it’s likely the coach will try just about anything to light a fire. Heath will find out if it worked when his team tackles LSU tonight.

Walsh May Return Sooner Rather Than Later: Florida’s Matt Walsh sprained his ankle Dec. 29 and was estimated to miss four to six weeks of action. But now coach Billy Donovan is hinting that Walsh may return sooner than that. Last week, doctors removed his boot cast and allowed Walsh to do some light shooting drills. Donovan insists that he’ll wait to see how Walsh responds to contact before making a decision on an early return. Walsh was Florida’s leading scorer at 16.0 points per game. The Gators are 3-1 without him.

Richmond Down a Player: Richmond will be without freshman guard Courtney Nelson when it plays at Xavier tomorrow night. Coach Jerry Wainwright said yesterday that Nelson will miss the Atlantic 10 Conference game because of “failure to fulfill an academic obligation.” The Spiders’ backcourt already is thin. Sophomores T.J. Paterick and Tim Mayes are out indefinitely because of back and hip problems, respectively.

Michigan Gaining a Player: Michigan might be welcoming back forward Brent Petway soon. Petway practiced for the first time Monday since injuring his shoulder Jan. 8. His shoulder popped out in Michigan’s win versus Fairfield. He hasn’t played since but is expected to get some minutes tonight versus Indiana.

Colorado May Be Getting Inside Help: Forward Julius Ashby, dominant inside player for Colorado, is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation of a torn tendon in his left foot. Ashby may even return for the Buffs’ game against Iowa State Saturday. If he isn’t ready for Saturday, he’ll target Colorado’s Jan. 26 home matchup with Missouri. He was originally expected to miss as many as 10 weeks with the injury. But the quick healing Ashby has missed just four weeks of action since suffering the injury Dec. 21. The 6-foot-9 Ashby is averaging 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for Coloarado. The Buffs have sorely missed his presence inside.

Duquesne Forward Cleared to Practice: Freshman forward Chauncey Duke, who has been suffering with a stomach virus, has been cleared to return to practice. Duke missed two games and is still taking medication for the ailment. The 6-foot-6 Duke has appeared in 15 games — eight as a starter — and is averaging 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Saturday, January 8th

Henson Remains Hospitalized: Just as New Mexico coach Lou Henson was ready to rebound from viral encephalitis and coach his first game of the season, he fell ill with pneumonia. The veteran coach is expected to make a full recovery, but it is unknown when he’ll return to the bench. Viral encephalitis is an acute inflammatory disease of the brain, and it has left Henson’s right leg paralyzed. The Lobo coach is enduring significant rehab to regain the use of that leg. Henson turns 73 on Monday.

A Puncher’s Chance: Texas center Jason Klotz has been suspended for one game by coach Rick Barnes for throwing a punch in the Longhorns’ victory against Memphis Thursday night. Although officials and Barnes missed the punch during real-time action, video cameras picked up the transgression, and Barnes felt it necessary to punish Klotz. Texas hosts Baylor on Sunday.

Three Strikes and You’re Out: Auburn’s Ronny LeMelle will be sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering his third leg injury in an eight month period. LeMelle has averaged six points and 2.3 rebounds in four games this season. The Tigers and LeMelle are petitioning the NCAA for a medical hardship redshirt season. If granted, LeMelle will have one full year of eligibility remaining.

Bye Bye Banks: Cincinnati freshman Vincent Banks has been ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA. Banks has not played in a game this season but is enrolled at the university. If he gets his academics in order, he will be able to play next season. Banks arrived at Cincinnati as ineligible, but he was hoping that he’d be able to earn eligibility once he arrived. Banks was named Georgia’s top player in high school last season after averaging 31.4 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game.

The Law Has Spoken: Two Southern Illinois University basketball players were placed on one-year of court supervision after being involved in a fist-fight at an off-campus apartment complex. Stetson Harrison and Mike Dale also were ordered to do 100 hours of community service and attend anger management classes. Additionally, the duo has a 1 a.m. curfew and has to pay a $100 fine along with court costs. The charges stem from a July 17, 2004, altercation at the Lewis Park apartment complex. The pair used the old “we were attacked first” excuse. The two guards, both from Fairview Heights, plead guilty Dec. 6 to misdemeanor battery. In exchange, prosecutors dropped felony charges of mob action and criminal trespass. Under the terms of the players’ court supervision, the convictions will be vacated if they stay out of trouble for the next 12 months. Hairston tied with another player for a team-high 18 points Wednesday in a 63-61 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. Despite the loss, Hairston reached a personal milestone by surpassing 1,000 points as a Saluki. He has 1,003. Hairston, a senior, is averaging 10 points and 2.7 rebounds a game this season, while Dale, a sophomore, is averaging 4.5 points and 1.6 rebounds.

Floyd or no Floyd?: USC is in ongoing negotiations with Tim Floyd to become their next men’s basketball coach. The former Iowa State coach has been on the forefront of the search ever since Rick Majerus backed out of the job. USC fired Henry Bibby Dec. 6 — just four games into the season. Assistant Jim Saia was promoted to interim head coach for the remainder of the season, and Majerus hadn’t planned on taking over until after the season before reneging on accepting the post.

Floyd’s most recent work has been as an NBA coach, for both the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets. He was considered a failure at that level, but it is his outstanding college record (81-49 in four seasons at Iowa State) that has intrigued USC. Floyd coached Iowa State to the Sweet 16 in 1996-97, finishing the season 22-9. He also posted a 127-58 record at New Orleans, where he won at least 20 games in six of his eight seasons.

Pepperdine Cruises in Opener: It took some time for the Pepperdine Waves to get going, but when they did, it was over for San Diego. Pepperdine was trailing by 12 late in the first half before reeling off a 23-2 run. Led by Glen McGowan and Yakhouba Diawara, who each scored 22 points, the Waves prevailed 83-67.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Saturday, December 18th

The Walking Wounded: As the season begins to approach conference play, teams are starting to suffer a variety of injuries. It is cliche, but it is often the teams that can withstand these injuries, or avoid them all together, that end up being the most successful.

UCLA’s Dijon Thompson, who has missed a week of practice with a hand injury is expected to play limited minutes when Michigan visits town today.

Wake Forest junior center Eric Williams is also likely to see limited minutes Saturday after leaving the team’s last game with a high ankle sprain.

Former Syracuse starter Demetris Nichols will continue to see limited action from the bench with a back injury. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim generally lets the players decide how much pain they can endure, but it seems Nichols is sufferring significantly. Syracuse’s Terrance Roberts has also been sufferring with an injury. He missed the Orange’s last game with an injury to his non-shooting hand, but is confident that he’ll play today against Binghamton.

For today’s big Kentucky/Louisville matchuip, neither coach is too eager to indicate which players are going to be available. We do know that Louisville will play junior forward Otis George. The 6-foot-8 spark from the bench was sidelined with an injured foot. Kentucky is much more vague about its injury situation, saying that it might play forward Sheray Thomas, who has been sidelined the entire year to date. The Wildcats, desperate for inside help, may use Thomas today after he missed time with an undisclosed ailment.

RPI Calculation Change: The NCAA has announced that it is changing the way it calculates the Ratings Percentage Index. It is now going to give more weight to playing and winning road games. A long overdue change, the RPI will now reward teams that can win outside of their home arena. The NCAA began using the RPI as a tool for selection and seeding in 2000.

Watch Your Mouth: Wake Forest senior Vytas Danelius was banished to the bench Wednesday for utterring a profanity during his team’s game against Elon. A frustrated and aggravated Skip Prosser sent Danelius to the locker room and has made no guarantees that Danelius will start, or even play, today against Texas.

Xavier to Try Zone: The Xavier Musketeers are out of answers defensively. So, they’re going to try playing a little zone. The 2-3 Musketeers have allowed opponents to shoot 46.1 percent per game this year. Head coach Sean Miller is going to mix it up defensively against Mississippi State today. Miller is hoping the zone will frustrate MSU, which is shooting just 31.5 percent from three-point range and relies offensively on primarily inside players, including All-American Lawrence Roberts.

Forth’s Jersey Retired: Syracuse senior center Craig Forth was allowed to miss practice this week to attend a ceremony at his high school where they retired Forth’s jersey. His No. 00 jersey was the first jersey retired in Columbia High School (East Greenbush) history.

Local Kid May Play for SDSU: Former Rancho Bernardo High star Muhamed Akubar is considering playing for San Diego State after getting a release from his scholarship from the University of Florida this week. The 6-foot-10 sophomore forward played sparingly for the Gators, but was a member of the U.S. Junior National Team. He averaged more than 27 points per game in high school and would give the Aztecs the athletic big man that they covet.

Southern Miss Guard Leaves Team: Solomon Brown, described as the Golden Eagles’ floor leader, left the team this week. Coach Larry Eustachy said Brown has been dealing with some family issues and needed some time to sort through his issues. The Los Angeles native stayed through the semester to finish finals and is not in any academic trouble. It is likely that Brown will not return to the team.

Academics Sidelines Cal Poly Player: Junior point guard Kameron Gray will not play the rest of this season, and perhaps never again, for Cal Poly because of academic issues. Gray’s academic problems will cost him a year of eligibility and it is possible that the University will chose to expel him for continued under-performance.

East Carolina Gains Transfer: Jeremy Ingram, a 6-foot-3 guard, chose East Carolina as his destination after leaving Wake Forest. Ingram will be eligible to practice with the team during the Spring 2005 semester, but will not be eligible to play until the Spring 2006 semester. He has 2 1/2 years of eligibility remaining. Ingram was a 2003 McDonald’s All American finalist but received little playing time at Wake Forest behind star guard Chris Paul.

Hodge Declares Himself Best Player: It seems as if nobody likes himself better than North Carolina State’s Julius Hodge. After scoring a basket earlier this year, Hodge struck the Heisman pose, and admitted afterward that he believes that he is the best player in college basketball. The not-so-modest Hodge does rank in the Top 10 in four different offensive categories in the ACC. Hodge squares off against Washington and its star Nate Robinson Sunday. Although the pair is unlikely to guard each other, they’ll certainly be trying to out-play each other.

Hawaii Coach Receives Stent: Hawaii coach Riley Wallace had a stent inserted this week into an artery that was 90 percent blocked. He missed two days of practice but is now back at the helm of the undefeated Rainbows. He had a similar procedure performed in 1998 and says he is feeling fine.

Wisconsin AAU Team

It’s Just Not Fair

by Michael Ermitage

Major college basketball is not fair. It never has been and likely never will be.

I’m not going to pretend that the good ole’ days of freshmen ineligibility and outlawed slam dunks were devoid of recruiting scandal and overzealous, rule-breaking “boosters.” Today’s college basketball landscape is full of creative ways to maneuver around the NCAA’s often too-strict rules and regulations. Some teams like to hire the high school coaches of big-time recruits to the University’s staff. Some other teams like to direct high school stars to prep schools in an effort to get both the player qualified and coordinate his arrival with an open scholarship. Speaking of open scholarships, some coaches like to force out under-performing players to make room for a recruit. The general college basketball viewing public turns its collective head from these sorts of shady transgressions. And as a college basketball enthusiast, sports columnist and overall average dude, I generally turn my head to these sorts of activities.

But one recent news item has forced me to re-evaluate my apathy towards college basketball’s culture of rule bending. The headline: “Wisconsin Swing Ready to Go.” What’s Wisconsin Swing you ask? No, it’s not a fancy dance-step involving Brett Favre and a bratwurst. It’s a brand-shiny-new AAU basketball team based in Madison, Wisc., named after the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s offense, and potentially coached by University of Wisconsin-Madison’s head coach Bo Ryan’s son.

Whew! That’s a mouthful of under-handed activity. Let me start at the beginning.

The Wisconsin Swing is an AAU team, or Amateur Athletic Union team. AAU teams are traveling all-star teams, made up of various aged kids looking to improve their status with college recruiters. These teams are often sponsored by athletic shoe companies, travel all over the U.S., and attract the dregs of the college basketball community, ranging from shady agents and boosters to hangers-on and entourages. The AAU circuit is virtually free from the NCAA’s tyrannical rule because it is not sponsored by the NCAA. While the AAU circuit provides an opportunity for some kids to receive a college scholarship when they otherwise wouldn’t have due to a lack of exposure, it simultaneously exploits its better athletes and undermines the recruiting process. That aside, it is perfectly legal within the realm of the NCAA’s current rules. Now, let’s get to the shady part.

Will Ryan, son of Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan, has been asked to coach the Swing’s 17 and under team. This will be a team consisting of top talent, most likely top in-state talent. The same talent that would interest… oh, I don’t know… Bo Ryan. Will Ryan, who by the way is the video coordinator for the Badger basketball program, would likely teach these kids the swing offense employed by his father. And let’s not forget that the team is based in Madison, where there will be plenty of Wisconsin alumni, boosters, cheerleaders etc. singing the praises of Bucky Badger. Finally, and most interestingly, the Wisconsin Swing will likely secure sponsorship from a large athletic shoe company. It may even be Adidas – coincidentally the same athletic shoe company that sponsors Badger basketball. You don’t need to be Oliver Stone to see the conspiracy at work here.

In short, it is quite possible that you are going to have a team full of all-star high school basketball players coached by Bo Ryan’s son, playing and practicing in Wisconsin’s home town, sponsored by Wisconsin’s shoe company and running Wisconsin’s offense. The shadiness at work here is as plain as Ron Dayne’s gigantic belly. Yet, none of this is illegal. Will Ryan is allowed to coach a summer team while working at a University as long as he’s not an “on-the-floor” coach. And since the NCAA has nothing to do with the high school summer basketball leagues, these teams can recruit whatever talent they’d like, play in whatever city they’d like, secure sponsorship from anyone they’d like and employ just about anyone they’d like.

Welcome to college basketball’s version of minor league basketball. I can just see Jerry “Tark” Tarkanian sitting in a hot tub in Vegas right now, thinking to himself, “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!”

SoCon Season Recap

Southern Conference 2003-04 Recap

by Michael Ermitage

The 2003-2004 basketball season for the Southern conference began with a conference realignment that separated rivals between Chattanooga and Charleston and ETSU and Davidson. For 2004-2005, it is possible that none of these traditional Southern Conference powerhouses finish in the top five. Charleston was hit by graduation hard last season after finishing 19-11. Chattanooga lost head coach Jeff Lebo to Auburn. East Tennessee State loses two primary players and Davidson returns a lot of talent but finished just 17-12 last season.

In 2003-2004, the league was centered all around diminutive star Tim Smith, who led ETSU to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. And in that appearance, Smith almost led ETSU to a huge first round upset of Cincinnati. The regular season featured a surprise team in Elon, which battled back from a horrendous start to finish tied for third in its first season in the conference. Appalachian State was the major disappointment, finishing sixth in the North Division despite significant preseason hype.

Conference Tournament

Quarterfinals

#1N East Tennessee State 94 #4S Furman 84
Tim Smith picked up right where he left off from last season’s SoCon Tournament. The 2003 MVP scored a team-high 24 points and had 4 steals to lead ETSU to a 94-84 victory over Furman.

#2S Davidson 68 #3N Elon 61
Elon, who finished the season strong, looked like it would become the Cinderella of the SoCon tournament. Having rallied late in the season to secure the 3 seed in the North, the Phoenix then moved past The Citadel and appears to have Davidson’s number in their Quarterfinal contest. But a late rally by Davidson squashed Elon’s hopes.

#2N Chattanooga 89 #3S Charleston 79
Although it won’t go in the books as an upset, very few people in North Charleston expected the College of Charleston to be going home in the Quarterfinals of the 2004 SoCon Tournament, the first time since 2001 in which they did not make the semi-finals.

Chattanooga, down seven at the break, outscored the Cougars 54-36 in the second half, and they did so with a three-point barrage. The two teams combined for 25 three-pointers,

#1S Georgia Southern 82 #5S Wofford 69
A very tough Georgia Southern defense held Wofford in check.

Semi-Finals

No. 1N East Tennessee State 96 No. 2S Davidson 84
Tim Smith proved once again that he is a big game player and ETSU overcame both foul and injury problems to advance to the SoCon Championship game with a 96-84 victory over Davidson. Smith tied a career-high with 29 points and finished with 9 assists and 5 steals.

No. 2N Tennessee Chattanooga 90 No. 1S Georgia Southern 87 (OT)
You might as well call Chattanooga the “Comeback Kids.” One night after rallying from 14 down to beat College of Charleston, the Mocs found themselves down 27-8 early on against Georgia Southern, yet they were able to come back and send the game in overtime. Ashley Champion scored 8 of his 20 points in the extra session to push his team to victory and a rematch with ETSU in the SoCon Championship game.

No. 1N East Tennessee State 78 No. 2N Chattanooga 62 Championship games have a tendency to bring out the best in a player. They say that “Big time players make big time plays in big time games,” and that is what makes a champion.”

Introducing Tim Smith.

For the second year in a row, the sophomore guard from ETSU was voted the SoCon Tournament MVP as he led the Buccaneers back to the NCAA Tournament by helping to defeat Chattanooga 78-62. Smith finished the game with 25 points and 6 rebounds, and on the tournament averaged 25.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 3.3 steals per game. Smith was voted Tournament MVP on every ballot that was turned in.

NCAA Tournament

13th seed ETSU – The diminutive Tim Smith (5-foot-9) scored 26 points in winning over a neutral crowd in an 80-77 first-round loss to Cincinnati. It was the second year in a row that ETSU narrowly missed scoring a huge upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2003, Smith missed a three-pointer in the waning seconds that would have put the Bucs ahead of No. 2 seed Wake Forest.

SoCon Post-Season Awards

Coaches

East Tennessee State’s Zakee Wadood was voted as the SoCon 2003-2004 Player of the Year according to the coaches. Wadood averages 14.8 points a game and a league-high 7.8 rebounds and 2.83 steals. This is Wadood’s third selection to the All-Conference team, and the first ETSU player to win POY since Dimeco Childress in 2001-2002.

Joining Wadood on the All-Conference team include teammates Tim Smith and Jerald Fields, Georgia Southern’s Frank Bennett and Terry Williams, Thomas Mobley (Charleston), Kevin Martin (Western Carolina), Brendan Winters (Davidson), Ashley Champion (Chattanooga), and Maleye Ndoye (Furman).

First-year head coach Murry Bartow was voted as the leagues Coach of the Year. Bartow took over for Ed DeChellis, who left for Penn State before the beginning of last season. Bartow led the Buccaneers to a 24-5 regular season record, 15-1 in conference, and the 2003-2004 regular season SoCon championship.

Furman placed three players on the SoCon All-Freshman team including Freshman of the Year, Quan Prowell. Prowell is second amongst freshman scorers at 10.1 points per game. Prowell is joined by teammates Moussa Diagne and Robby Bostain, Elon’s Matt Nowlin, and from The Citadel, J’mel Everhart.

Media

For once, the coaches and media were on the same page, as the Southern Conference Sports Media Association voted ETSU’s Zakee Wadood as the 2003-2004 SoCon Player of the Year. Wadood, Tim Smith (ETSU), Kevin Martin (WC), Brendan Winters (Dav), and Ashley Champion (UTC) make up the 1st Team All-Conference. Amongst the top 10 players, the only difference between the media had from the coaches was the inclusion of Elon’s Jackson Atoyebi instead of Terry Williams from Georgia Southern.

The media also voted Quan Prowell (Furman) and Murry Bartow (ETSU) as Freshman and Coach of the Year respectively.

Team by Team Recaps

ETSU (27-5, 15-1)

With Smith back, the Bucs are very dangerous. The do lose Zakee Wadood and Jerald Fields, both of whom served as diversions to Smith’s attack.

Team MVP: Tim Smith

Top Scorer: Tim Smith, 16.4
Top Rebounder: Zakee Wadood, 7.8
Top Assists: Tim Smith, 4.4

Chattanooga (19-11, 10-6)

Gone is Jeff Lebo, the talented coach of Chattanooga, who took a position at Auburn. Lebo had been on the top of the many potential coaching lists for some time, so it is no surprise that he is gone. In his place is the energetic Jeff Shulman. He’ll need former role players Mindaugas Katelynas and Chris Brown to step up.

Team MVP: Ashley Champion

Top Scorer: Ashley Champion, 18.4
Top Rebounder: Ashley Champion, 7.0
Top Assists: Ray Trowell, 4.8

Elon University (7-9, 12-18)

With four starters returning to a team that finished strong, the Phoenix feel like they can compete with the upper division.

Team MVP: Jackson Atoyebi,

Top Scorer: Jackson Atoyebi, 15.9
Top Rebounder: Jackson Atoyebi, 7.7
Top Assists: Montell Watson, 3.5

UNC Greensboro (11-16, 7-9)

Ronnie Burrell returns as the star for UNC Greensboro. The rising star scored 20 or more points in seven games last season and leads the Spartans into the 2004-2005 season.

Team MVP: Ronnie Burrell

Top Scorer: Jay Joseph
Top Rebounder: Ronnie Burrell
Top Assists: Ronnie Taylor, 5.2

Western Carolina (13-15, 6-10)

No team suffered a greater loss in the Southern Conference than when the Sacremento Kings nabbed Kevin Martin and his 25 ppg average in the first round of the NBA draft. Perhaps a more balanced attack will lead to a better finish than fifth this season.

Team MVP: Kevin Martin

Top Scorer: Kevin Martin, 25.2
Top Rebounder: David Berghoefer, 7.5
Top Assists: Greg Taylor 2.7

Appalachian State (9-20, 4-12)

ASU lost 10 games last season by eight points or less. But the return of four starters gives the team hope that it can improve on that record.

Team MVP: Noah Brown

Top Scorer: Noah Brown, 13.1
Top Rebounder: Derek Thomas, 5.2
Top Assists: Corwin Davis 3.1

Georgia Southern (21-8, 11-5)

Frank Bennett is no longer around to be the inside presence for Georgia Southern, who has won three out of the last four South Division titles. The team will look to its outstanding guard tandem of Elton Nesbitt and Terry Williams to lead the way.

Team MVP: Frank Bennett

Top Scorer: Frank Bennett, 15.4
Top Rebounder: Jean Francois, 6.7
Top Assists: Terry Williams 5.4

College of Charleston (20-9, 11-5)

This team has found a way to pick up 20 wins in 11 consecutive seasons. Despite losing a lot to graduation, it will be no surprise if guard Tony Mitchell leads this team to another excellent record.

Team MVP: Thomas Mobley

Top Scorer: Thomas Mobley, 15.4
Top Rebounder: Mike Benton, 6.7
Top Assists: Tony Mitchell 4.0

Davidson (16-12, 11-5)

Three of the four returning starters for Davidson averaged in double figures last season. This trio could lead the Wildcats to another South Division championship.

Team MVP: Brendan Winters

Top Scorer: Brendan Winters, 18.2
Top Rebounder: Logan Kosmalski, 7.2
Top Assists: Kenny Grant 3.3

Furman (16-12, 8-8)

This club will look to its youth to bring it to the next level. Nearly 50 percent of Furman’s scoring last season came from its freshmen class.

Team MVP: Maleye Ndoye

Top Scorer: Maleye Ndoye, 15.5
Top Rebounder: Nick Sanders, 6.1
Top Assists: Tony Carter, 3.7

Wofford (9-20, 4-12)

Another team built on youth last season, Wofford returns its top seven scorers.

Team MVP: Howard Wilkerson

Top Scorer: Howard Wilkerson, 13.5
Top Rebounder: Howard Wilkerson, 7.5
Top Assists: Greg Taylor, 2.7

The Citadel (6-22, 2-14)

Despite a woeful 2003-2004, The Citadel has much to look forward to in the new year. Its roster is made up of more than 60 percent freshmen and sophomores.

Team MVP: Max Mombollet

Top Scorer: Dante Terry, 11.3
Top Rebounder: J’mel Everhart, 7.0
Top Assists: Kevin Hammack, 4.5

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Sunday, May 30th

Sutton Admonished by Judge: A judge in the Nolan Richardson trial told Oklahoma State basketball coach Eddie Sutton to calm down when Sutton responded heatedly to questions about his son being named as his eventual successor at the head of the Cowboys’ program. The issue arose when lawyers were trying to point out that some policies at Oklahoma State keep black coaches from getting ahead. Under cross-examination by Walker, Sutton became upset and was told by U.S. District Judge William R. Wilson to restrain himself from speaking out of turn. During a break, Sutton apologized to Wilson and to Walker for his outbursts.

What’s in a Name?: The University of Georgia is involved in a messy break with a private fund-raising foundation, and the fallout may affect the school’s official name. The “University of Georgia” trademark lapsed and the foundation applied for the rights to all things labeled “University of Georgia.” The foundation indicated that it did not apply for the trademark to take over the school or its name, just as a protective measure. The foundation raises funds for the University, covers some of the school’s costs, endows scholarships, and has an agreement to license UGA products.

Vermont Loses Two: Men’s basketball players Mike Goia (Branchburg, N.J.) and Matt Hanson (Plymouth, Minn.) will not return to the University of Vermont. Goia, a reserve guard, averaged 0.5 points per game last season while Hanson, a backup forward, averaged 3.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.

ODU’s Taylor to Transfer: Old Dominion’s junior forward T. J. Waldon is transferring to Clayton State (Morrow, GA.). Waldon, 6-4, 214-pound forward averaged 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in 27 games for the Monarchs. The move will bring Waldon closer to his Florida home.

Former Irish player injured in Baghdad: Former Notre Dame women’s basketball player Danielle Green lost her left hand during an attack in Iraq while serving in the Army. The athletic department at Chicago State, where Green was an assistant women’s coach in 2002, said Thursday she lost her hand this week during a rocket-propelled grenade attack while she was on duty at a Baghdad police station. Notre Dame said Green also sustained significant injuries to her left leg and was recovering at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Green graduated from Notre Dame in 1999. She averaged 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds for her career.

Additional Tournaments

Those Other Tournaments

by Michael Ermitage

The NCAA Tournament committee is a tricky bunch. Every season it proves it cares more and more about one thing – selling tickets and enticing television audiences (hence, the pod system, fodder for a whole different column). Like a Madonna – Britney Spears kiss, the NCAA Tournament sometimes feels like manufactured tripe. But in its quest to sell out arenas and garner Nielsen rating points, the committee sometimes stumbles upon a good idea. This year’s brackets, while not spectacular, did contain a few interesting manufactured matchups:

Michigan State v. Gonzaga – A second round matchup that never happened that would have pulled at the heartstrings of Jud Heathcote, former MSU coach and die-hard Gonzaga fan.

Syracuse v. Maryland – A matchup of the last two national champs.

UConn v. DePaul – A second round matchup between Jim Calhoun and his former assistant, Dave Leitao

There is always some discussion if the NCAA purposely puts these teams together, often making coaches face old schools or former assistants. And I can assure you that they definitely do it on purpose. While I think the “tension” of a coaching change is not a good reason to force a matchup (for example, those that thought Illinois should face Kansas this season), I do think there is some merit to getting two teams together that otherwise would never play. And almost all of these involve intra-state rivalries. I believe that every state that has four or more Division-I college basketball teams should have an in-state tournament early in the season.

This tournament should be sponsored by the NCAA (since they are so fond of forcing teams to play each other) and should occur in a semi-neutral large arena. Also, these tournaments should be exempt from the NCAA’s current ridiculous limit on pre-conference tournament games. They can easily make these tournaments exempt because student-athletes should miss minimal class with an in-state tournament, thus eliminating significant travel for most teams.

Each school in the tournament will get appropriated a designated amount of cash received from the gate, the television revenue, etc., and the tickets will be evenly distributed. Of course, there will be a requisite amount of tickets available to the public.

Most large schools complain that they don’t want to play smaller intra-state schools because they have nothing to gain. And they’re right. Larger schools are better off playing a higher-profile opponent in a desirable recruiting area than potentially losing face in a loss to an in-state opponent. With this tournament, however, the large school finally has something to gain. It’ll receive significant media exposure, an opportunity to sell tickets for in-state but off-campus alumni, make some portion of the gate, and lastly quell the political chatter that accompanies intra-state rivalries. Oh, and potentially win a nice shiny trophy and bragging rights. The smaller schools would have to earn a matchup with the large state schools, but still receive significant gate and exposure from the tournament.

I’ve taken the liberty of putting together four such tournaments to further enhance this brilliant proposal (although not entirely original).

Indiana State Tournament: Why not start in the state most associated with hoops? The site would be the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, perhaps the best arena to watch a basketball game in the country. This tourney could potentially pit Purdue vs. Notre Dame, a game played just once in the last 38 years (in this season’s NIT). It also gives upstarts Butler and Valparaiso a chance to gain some measure of respect, as well as allow Purdue and Indiana to meet on a neutral court. Evansville and IPFW miss out after terrible seasons. Here are the matchups:

Indiana vs. Valparaiso
Purdue vs. IUPUI
ND vs. Indiana St.
Butler vs. Ball State

North Carolina State Tournament: This would arguably be the best state tournament of them all. Held in the Charlotte Coliseum., this would pit some of the nation’s best teams against each other. This could include North Carolina vs. Duke for a third time or N.C. State vs. Charlotte.

Duke vs. Davidson
North Carolina vs. UNC-Greensboro
N.C. State vs. UNC-Wilmington
Wake Forest vs. Charlotte

Illinois State Tournament: Finally, DePaul gets its much-desired matchup with Illinois, if it can win a couple of games. UIC and Southern Illinois get a shot at a high-major team, while Bradley can use the trip to recruit Chicago. Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Chicago State and Loyola miss the cut. The games would be played at the United Center in Chicago.

Illinois vs. Northern Illinois
DePaul vs. Illinois State
Northwestern vs. Bradley
UIC vs. Southern Illinois

Wisconsin State Tournament: While Marquette and Wisconsin would have to end its yearly battle to make this tournament work, it might well be worth it for both parties. The Golden Eagles would get to play the game every year in its home arena, the Bradley Center, easily the best venue in Wisconsin for this event. The Badgers would be guaranteed a yearly trip to Milwaukee, its largest alumni base and important recruiting ground.

Wisconsin vs. UWGB
Marquette vs. UWM

Of course, there are some problems with the tournaments. Some teams already are scheduled to play each other every year such as Cincinnati and Xavier. I say cancel the yearly game and settle it in the tournament. Some matchups may occur as many as five times in one season (pre-season, twice in conference, once in conference tourney, post-season). I say some already occur four times, what’s five times? Some schools will have a huge advantage based on the locale of the tournament. I say tough – there’s never really a truly neutral site anyway. Perhaps the only problem that concerns me is the fact that this event would lose its appeal after a few years, ala inter-league baseball. But it’s a chance I’m willing to take.

The NCAA should be crafting this as I write, dreaming of an Ohio State vs. Cincinnati final, dreaming of sold-out arenas in numerous states, and dreaming of bad blood turned into good basketball. It’s about time the NCAA did something right outside the month of March.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, March 31st

Minnesota stuns Duke in Women’s NCAA Tournament: Lindsay Whalen and the seventh-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated top-seeded Duke, 82-75, Tuesday night to earn a berth in the Final Four. Whalen scored 27 points in the win. Janel McCarville scored 20 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Gophers. The scorching hot Gophers knocked off the Mideast Region’s top three seeds to reach the national semifinals. The Gophers had previously never advanced past the Sweet 16.

Butts rescues Tennessee: Tasha Butts scored a runner in the lane with 1.7 seconds left to lead Tennessee into the Final Four and past Stanford Tuesday night, 62-60. Just two nights earlier, Butts hit two critical free throws to upend Baylor. Stanford was led by All-American Nicole Powell, who scored 31 points, but got little offensive help from her teammates.

Rutgers edges Iowa State in OT: Rutgers guard Quincy Douby and Iowa State guard Curtis Stinson felt right at home in their native New York City, as Rutgers slipped past Iowa State, 84-81, in Madison Square Garden Tuesday night in the NIT semifinals. Douby scored 35 in the win, while Stinson scored 32. Iowa State erased a 10-point halftime deficit to force overtime, led by Stinson’s 27-point second half. Rutgers was able to hold on after Stinson fouled out in the overtime period.

Michigan crushes Oregon in NIT: It was a blowout from the beginning as Michigan hit eight first half three pointers and went on to throttle Oregon, 73-58, in the NIT semifinals. Michigan was led by Dion Harris’ 15 points and Daniel Horton’s 14 points. Oregon’s Luke Jackson had a game-high 17 points. Michigan will meet Rutgers in the NIT championship game Thursday night.

Eastern Washington coach to take Utah job: Eastern Washington’s Ray Giacoletti was hired Tuesday by Utah to replace long-time head coach Rick Majerus. Majerus led Utah to 10 NCAA Tournaments but resigned in January due to health reasons. Giacoletti was 69-50 in his four seasons in the Big Sky conference, taking Eastern Washington to the title game of the conference tournament each year he was at the school. The specifics of the contract have not yet been released.

Johnson staying at Nevada: Nevada coach Trent Johnson agreed Tuesday to a new five year deal that will double his salary to $450,000. Johnson just completed his fifth year at Nevada, increasing the school’s win total from nine to 25 in that time. Johnson is still waiting on star swingman Kirk Snyder to see if he’ll stay or go to the NBA. Snyder, the Wolfpack’s unequivocal star, averaged 18.8 points per game last season while playing every position but center.

Olson wants decision from Iguodala: Arizona coach Lute Olson has told forward Andre Iguodala that he wants to know his plans for entering into the NBA draft by Easter. Iguodala led the team in assists, rebounds and steals last season, and is reportedly 50-50 on entering the draft.

Tonight’s Menu

• No games tonight in the NIT or NCAA Tournaments, just more coaching rumors, transferring speculation and NBA Draft considerations.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, March 24th

Gillispie to Texas A&M?: Texas A&M’s search for a new men’s basketball coach may end with UTEP’s Billy Gillispie. According to ESPN, Gillispie has been contacted and is ready to accept an offer today. Gillispie led the Miners to a terrific turnaround this season, bringing them from six wins to 24 wins. The Aggies, on the other hand, did not win a league game all season. Gillispie has numerous connections to the state of Texas, always recruiting it well, even as an assistant to Bill Self at Tulsa and at Illinois.

Auburn has not contacted UAB coach: UAB coach Mike Anderson, who has his upstart Blazers in the Sweet 16, said Tuesday that he has not been contacted by Auburn about its coaching vacancy. Anderson surfaced as a candidate as his Blazers defeated top-seeded Kentucky Sunday. The ninth-seeded Blazers face Kansas next. Anderson is a Birmingham native.

Hewitt denies St. John’s job offer: Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt has plenty of distractions as he attempts to prepare his team for its Sweet 16 matchup with Nevada. Hewitt’s name has been connected with the St. John’s job opening since former coach Mike Jarvis was fired. Hewitt was considered the runner-up candidate when Jarvis was hired six years ago. Hewitt, however, denies being contacted by the school and says he is happy at Georgia Tech, where he has received a contract extension every year he has coached.

Penders hired at Houston: Tom Penders has accepted the head coaching position at Houston. Penders and the university agreed on a five-year contract Tuesday. The long-time Texas coach is the seventh Houston coach. Penders replaces Ray McCallum, who was 44-72 in four seasons.

Okafor and Nelson unanimous All-Americans: Both Jameer Nelson and Emeka Okafor were unanimous selections to the Associated Press’ All-American team. It was the first time since 1985 two players were unanimous selections to the team. The rest of the first team included Mississippi State’s Lawrence Roberts, Stanford’s Josh Childress, and Providence’s Ryan Gomes.

Childress to stay at Stanford?: Speaking of All-American Josh Childress, Stanford coach Mike Montgomery expects the Pac-10 player of the year to return for his senior season. The Cardinal loses starting forward Justin Davis, starting guard Matt Lottich and reserve forward Joe Kirchofer to graduation.

Women’s NCAA Tournament action: In the second round of the Women’s NCAA Tournament, top seeds Duke, Penn State and Texas advanced. So did two-seeds UConn and Purdue. Second-seeded Kansas State, however, was not so fortunate, as they were defeated 80-61 by Minnesota. The Golden Gophers were led by Janel McCarvell’s 15 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists.

NIT action: Iowa State went on the road in the NIT and defeated Florida State, 62-59. They Cyclones were led by Jake Sullivan’s 19 points. They will play Marquette, who used a big second half run to outlast Boise State, 66-53. Travis Diener had 15 points and seven assists in the win. In late-night NIT action, Oregon easily defeated George Mason, 68-54.

Tonight’s Menu

• Just two NIT games on the ledger tonight as Hawaii travels to Michigan and Villanova visits Rutgers.

Morning Dish

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, March 17th

Florida A&M wins play-in game: The Florida A&M Rattlers, complete with a 15-16 record, will play Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, thanks to its 72-57 win over Lehigh in the NCAA Tournament’s play-in game Tuesday night. The Rattlers controlled the game from the start, opening up a 7-0 lead to begin the game. Sharp-shooter Terrance Woods finished with 21 points for Florida A&M. The Rattlers have a short trip to play the top-seeded Wildcats. After the game, Florida A&M said all the right things, including voicing a want to even the team’s record after a 1-10 start to the season. Chances are the Rattlers will never see that .500 mark, but they’ll always have their first NCAA Tournament win to remember.

Murray State suspends leading scorer: You have to wonder what was going through Murray State forward Kelvin Brown’s head. The Racers leading scorer was arrested on drug charges, as was teammate Adam Chiles. Brown, however, was the only player suspended from playing in the team’s operning round NCAA Tournament game against Illinois. Brown was charged with theft, possession of marijuana and a second charge for possession of drug paraphenalia. The police responed to a 911 hang up call at the pair’s off-campus apartment, where they found Brown hiding in a closet.

Cincy reinstates Whaley: Cincinnati center Robert Whaley quit the team earlier this year because of limited playing time. The 6-foot-9 player sat on the Bearcats’ bench during the CUSA Tournament in street clothes, and now has been reinstated to play. He averaged 6.2 point and 2.7 rebounds in 20 games. Cincinnati faces East Tennessee State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday. Apparently, Whaley asked his teammates and coaches for another chance.

DePaul guard may be suspended: CUSA is investigating a suppossed unintentional punch Saturday in DePaul’s loss to Cincinnati in the CUSA Tournament Championship game. Lavar Seals apperaed to punch Cincinnati’s Tony Bobbit in the groin and was ejected from the game for fighting. CUSA is determing if the junior should sit out DePaul’s opening round game against Dayton.

Buffalo site snowed in: All teams have reported to snowy Buffalo for Thursday’s NCAA Tournament games except for Texas Tech Tuesday. The Red Raiders, slowed by the snow that has enveloped New York, indicated that they’d attempt to fly from Lubbock, Texas, Wednesday morning. Vermont, who’s scheduled to play UConn, needed nine hours to fly from Burlington, Vermont, to Buffalo, normally a two-hour trip. However, compared to last year’s 40 hour snow-delayed trip, the Catamounts are fine with the nine-hour nuisance.

Both starting forwards leave Penn State: Starting forwards Jan Jagla and Rob Summers left the Penn State Nittany Lion basketball program Tuesday. Jagla, a seven-footer from Germany, led the 9-19 Lions in scoring and rebounding. He intends to play professionally in either Europe or the U.S. Summers, a sophomore, plans to transfer. Five players have left the Penn State program in the past year.

Michigan edges Missouri: In first round NIT action, Michigan topped Missouri 65-64 Tuesday night. The Wolverines were led by Dainel Horton’s 20 points. Missouri used Arthur Johnson’s big second half (he scored 26 points overall) to get back in the game, but Michigan was able to fend off the rally.

St. Louis stuns Iowa: St. Louis erased a nine-point halftime deficit to beat Iowa in first-round NIT action Tuesday night, 70-69. With the game tied at 67, Iowa’s Pierre Pierce hit a driving layup for a two-point lead. But the Billikens’ Anthony Drejaj hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Drejaj led the team with 23 points.

Other NIT scores: Nebraska defeated Creighton, 71-70, on a Nate Johnson layup with 11 seconds left. Utah State….

Georgetown fires Craig Escherick: Georgetown fired George Escherick Tuesday after a 13-15 season. It was the Hoyas’ third straight season out of the NCAA Tournament. Esherick, who recently told reporters he may be there another 30 years, replaced John Thompson in 1999. The Hoyas ended the season on a nine-game losing streak, its longest since 1972.

Tonight’s Menu

• More NIT action tonight highlighted by Purdue’s trip to Notre Dame on St. Patrick’s Day. Other notable NIT games include Colorado versus Oregon and LSU versus Oklahoma.