The Morning Dish – Tuesday, March 8th
Niagara Ends Drought: Niagara earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament behind 27
points from senior Juan Mendez in an 81-59 win against Rider in the MAAC Tournament final. The
Purple Eagles also got 16 points from Lorenzo Miles and 12 from David Brooks. For more detailed coverage of the MAAC Tournament and other conference tournaments, visit Thirteen Days: Championship Week 2005.
Zags Win WCC: Gonzaga captured the WCC Tournament title for the sixth time in seven
years with an 80-67 win against Saint Mary’s. Adam Morrison led all scorers with 30 points, and
Ronny Turiaf added 18 points and 14 rebounds for Gonzaga, which hasn’t lost since Jan. 20. The
Gaels, who could still receive an at-large bid, led 35-34 at hafltime, but Gonzaga went on a
10-0 run early in the second half to take control.
ODU In: Old Dominion punched its ticket to the dance with a 73-66 overtime win against
Virginia Commonwealth. Alex Loughton led the way with 28 points and 11 rebounds for the
Monarchs, whose last league title came in 1997 when VCU coach Jeff Capel’s father was at the
helm.
Creighton Wins MVC: The Blue Jays sank 12 three pointers in a 75-57 win against Soutwest
Missouri State, as Creighton captured the MVC title for the fifth time in seven years. The Blue
Jays led by six at the half and the Bears, who overcame a 23-point deficit to beat top-seeded
Southern Illinois in the semifinals, could not muster another comeback.
Spartans Coach Resigns: San Jose State men’s basketball coach Phil Johnson resigned
Monday after the Spartans finished the regular season 6-22. Johnson, who compiled a 31-82
record in four seasons at San Jose State that included a two and a half year hiatus as an assistant
with the Chicago Bulls, will coach the team in the WAC Tournament this week. Johnson joins a number of other coaches in the unemployment line. Find the complete list at Hoopville’s Coaching Changes
feature.
Langford Questionable: Kansas guard Keith Langford may miss this weekend’s Big 12
Tournament after injuring his left ankle three minutes into Sunday’s 72-68 loss at Missouri.
The Jayhawks’ second-leading scorer was on crutches Monday.
Paul Docked for Low Blow: Wake Forest suspended sophomore guard Chris Paul for Friday’s
ACC Tournament quarterfinal game for hitting North Carolina State’s Julius Hodge in the groin
during Sunday’s game in Raleigh, N.C. The incident occurred midway through the first half when
replays showed Paul, who would later nail the game-winning buzzer-beater, hit Hodge in the
groin after battling for a loose rebound. Paul, who is averaging 14.9 points and 6.6 assists
per game, will be allowed to practice this week and could play in Saturday’s semifinal should
Wake Forest advance.
DeFilippo Lashes Out at Tranghese: Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo
expressed his displeasure with Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese’s decision to present
Connecticut with a championship trophy after the Huskies clinched a share of the Big East
regular season title with an 88-70 win against Syracuse Saturday. DeFilippo was angry that
Tranghese did not do the same after the Eagles clinched a share of the league title and the top
seed in the conference tournament with a win Saturday night at Rutgers. DeFilippo speculated
that Tranghese was slighting Boston College for their decision to leave the Big East for the
ACC, but Tranghese denied the claim, stating that he just happened to be at Connecticut and that
the Eagles would get their trophy at the Big East Tournament banquet in New York.
Barkley Speaks: Former Auburn and NBA basketball star Charles Barkley said he doesn’t
believe the school’s athletic department was guilty of discrimination when it eliminated three
positions, including two held by black men last month. Barkley’s remarks came after the Black
Caucus called for black athletes to boycott Auburn.
Tonight’s Menu:
• Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Detroit meet in the Horizon League final.
• Denver and Louisiana-Lafayette will decide the Sun Belt’s automatic bid.
• Oakland looks to upset Oral Roberts in the Mid-Continent Championship.
