The Morning Dish – Friday, February 18th
Virginia Tech Shocks Duke: Zabian Dowdell’s three pointer with 14.6 seconds to play put Virginia Tech in front to stay, and the Hokies held on for a 67-65 victory over Duke. After Daniel Ewing missed a three at the buzzer, the crowd in Blacksburg erupted and rushed the floor. Carlos Dixon led Virginia Tech with 18, Jamon Gordon scored 17, Coleman Collins had 14 points and 18 rebounds and Dowdell finished with 11. J.J. Redick led Duke with 19.
Louisville Escapes Brewtown: In a game that featured a first half of runs, Louisville used a 14-0 blitz to end the game to cap off a remarkable comeback in a 64-61 victory Thursday night. Francisco Garcia’s three pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining provided the Cardinals with the margin of victory. But the game turning play came with 1:37 remaining. After Larry O’Bannon hit his first foul shot, Otis George was fouled by Marquette’s Ryan Amorosso on the rebound. O’Bannon made the second free throw and George hit both of his to knot the game at 61. O’Bannon was the leading scorer with 15, while Steve Novak paced the Golden Eagles with 14.
Arizona Throttles Oregon 92-67: Salim Stoudamire scored 22, Channing Frye had 19 and a career-high seven blocked shots, and Arizona made 21-of-30 shots in the second half to blitz Oregon in Tucson. Arizona improved to 22-4 and 12-2 in the Pac-10 to maintain their conference lead. The Ducks who lost for the seventh time in their last nine games dropped to 12-10 and 4-9 in the conference and are in danger of not making the Pac-10 tournament. Only the top eight teams in the conference qualify. The Ducks were led by Malik Hairston’s career-high 21 points.
Gonzaga Wins to Keep Lead in WCC: Derek Raivio scored 29 points, J. P. Batista had 19, and Ronny Turiaf scored 15 points and had 13 rebounds as Gonzaga coasted to a 90-72 victory over San Diego in Spokane Thursday night. Brandon Gay led the Toreros with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Former Bulldog stars Dan Dickau and John Stockton were in attendance.
Marquette’s Thompson to Sign off at the End of the Season: Marquette radio analyst George Thompson will retire at the end of this season. Thompson, 57, wanted to focus more on his full-time position as vice president of communications for Briggs and Stratton. The former All American for the then Warriors is Marquette’s all-time leading scorer and also holds the record for career scoring average at 20.4 points per game. He is only one of five former Marquette hoopsters to have his jersey retired.
Sun Belt Needs More Time to Review Coach-Fan Clash: After interviewing 27 people, Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters stated he needed an extra day to decide whether Arkansas-Little Rock coach Steve Shields should be disciplined for a confrontation with a fan at Arkansas State. Shields claimed that a fan grazed him with a water bottle while he was on the UALR bench. Replays showed that Shields tried to knock the bottle out of the fan’s hand. Any disciplinary action that is taken will remain confidential between Shields and the school..
‘Canes’ Haith Undergoes Appendectomy: First-year Miami coach Frank Haith underwent an appendectomy Thursday morning. Haith has led Miami to a 15-8 record this season in Coral Gables. Haith is trying to lead the Hurricanes to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002.
Morris Suspended by Seton Hall:
Seton Hall’s third leading scorer, J.R. Morris, has been suspended by coach Louis Orr to concentrate on academics. Morris had started 20 games and was putting up 10.1 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game and led the team with 1.8 steals a night and 30 three-point field goals for the season.
Minnesota’s Boone Granted Sixth Year: Minnesota point guard Adam Boone has been granted a sixth season by the NCAA after sitting out this season with a torn right biceps suffered in October. In 2003-04, Boone averaged 8.4 points per game and his 123 assists were 10th most in school history. Boone came to Minnesota after two seasons at North Carolina and had to sit out the 2002-03 season as a transfer.
Daniels Dismissed After Winless Season at Savannah State: After only the second winless season in Division I in the last 30 years, Savannah State dismissed coach Ed Daniels. The Tigers’ season ended at 0-28 after a 49-44 loss to Florida A&M Monday night. Savannah had to forfeit its four wins last season for using an ineligible player. The Tigers lost by an average of 23 points per game. They became the first team since Prairie View in 1992 to achieve the ignominious mark. Savannah had to compete with only three scholarship player compared to the 13 allowed by the NCAA.
Brand Set to Testify: NCAA President Myles Brand, a former Indiana University president, will testify at a hearing to determine if IU officials must release a report on the firing of former coach Bob Knight. Brand fired Knight in 2000 after instituting a zero-tolerance edict to him for choking former player Neil Reed. The hearing is necessary because the Indianapolis Star filed a freedom of information act for access to the report. Knight had also sued Indiana last year, but the case was dismissed by a Monroe County judge. Knight was fired after grabbing a student’s arm. The court also said that IU does not have to release a report related to Knight’s incident with the student.
Students Might Cover Gamecocks Fine: A new SEC rule that states fans are not allowed to rush the court might cost South Carolina $5,000. The USC Student Senate might be willing to pay the fine according to Student Senator Adam Piper. The $5,000 fine is for a first offense. SEC commissioner Mike Slive will review the Gamecocks’ game management policies and might not levy a fine if it is determined the school tried to keep fans from rushing the court.
