Bad back will keep Bill Walton at home instead of at Final Four to cheer on UCLA
SAN ANTONIO -- Bill Walton won't be in his usual seat at this weekend's Final Four cheering on his beloved UCLA Bruins.
The former center who starred on John Wooden's national championship teams in the early '70s has been laid up for more than a month because of a pinched nerve in his back and an aching hip.
"His back is all jacked up. He's going through a tough time right now," his son Luke Walton said Thursday. "He can't go into the arenas and sit in those chairs. He definitely can't get on a plane. He said that's the most painful thing. He can barely get into a car right now. But he said he's getting better. Slowly getting better."
Walton is following the Bruins' run through the NCAA tournament from his San Diego home. He's been off the air from his ESPN job doing NBA commentary.
"Sadly I am down and out," he wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Go Bruins."
SUMMER SCHOOL: The NCAA and coaches are looking into a new, 3½-year program for basketball players that proponents believe would increase graduation rates by allowing players to complete big chunks of coursework during summer school.
NCAA president Myles Brand said the concept is based on the success many players have had starting coursework the summer before they start their freshman years. It would expand the program and place them in summer school after their freshman and sophomore years.
"It looks like those student-athletes who stay around ... during the summer do better academically and are in a tighter program," Brand said Thursday at his annual news conference before the Final Four. "They may take less credits during the school year, but more during the summer."
The plan is part of ongoing efforts to improve schools' academic performance rates. Brand said last year, 40 percent of Division I basketball schools faced sanctions under the NCAA's APR program, but that has declined to 17 percent this year.
He credited changes in the transfer rules -- notably, a new rule that forces players to be academically eligible before they transfer -- as a key to the improvement.
One of the biggest detriments, he said, is the high turnover rate in the coaching ranks, which often leads to players leaving, too. He said 18 percent of coaches left their jobs in the last two years.
The 3½-year plan does present problems: What would players who complete their degree in 3½ years do for the final semester, which would likely be their senior season? Brand suggests they could start work on a master's degree. And how would rules for coach-led practices change? There are specific windows during which coaches can run organized practices and the schedule would have to change.
"We'll have to balance that," Brand said.
THE X-FACTOR: You heard it here first: The key to Memphis' Final Four will be No. 20, sophomore Doneal Mack.
So says Memphis coach John Calipari.
Talking Thursday about how the Tigers will replace suspended backup guard Andre Allen, Calipari began throwing out names. When he got to Mack, Calipari said, "My prediction is he will be the difference in this tournament. He will be the guy we're all talking about."
In that case, here's what you need to know.
A 6-foot-5, 175-pound shooting guard from Charlotte, N.C., Mack has 13 points and 15 minutes this tournament -- with 10 of each coming in the opening round blowout over Texas-San Antonio. That might be why Calipari is trying to pump up his long, lanky lefty shooter.
Mack has proven capable of doing much more, leading the team with 66 3-pointers and scoring a career-best 23 points against Pepperdine.
ANOTHER AWARD: The awards keep rolling in for North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough.
The 6-foot-9 junior received the Rupp Award, a national player of the year honor named for former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp, on Thursday. It comes in the same week Hansbrough was voted an unanimous first-team All-America choice by The Associated Press. He already has been named national player of the year by Sporting News and Sports Illustrated.
Hansbrough attended the ceremony with coach Roy Williams and his father, Gene. They made a quick appearance before heading out to get ready for this weekend's Final Four game against Kansas.
"Coach Rupp would have loved Tyler Hansbrough," Williams said while presenting the award. "Coach Rupp would have loved coaching him every day in practice, would've enjoyed him ever day during game day and would have enjoyed him off the court."
Also at the ceremony, Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl received the Rupp Cup as national coach of the year. The awards are presented by the Commonwealth Athletic Club of Kentucky.
LEADING THE WAY: D.J. Augustin of Texas won the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard.
The sophomore led the Longhorns to a school-record 31 wins and the Big 12 Conference title before they lost to Memphis 85-67 in the South Region final.
Augustin averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 assists in the Big 12. He recorded better than a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, averaged 1.2 steals and shot 78 percent from the free throw line.
Augustin was chosen from 16 finalists among NCAA Division I, II and III schools nationwide in voting by 30 coaches, Hall of Fame members, sports information directors and media.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Michigan St. F Marquise Gray limited in practice
HOUSTON -- Michigan State reserve forward Marquise Gray was limited in practice Thursday with a knee injury, but coach Tom Izzo expects him to play against Memphis.
Izzo said Gray twisted it in practice but wasn't sure of the extent of the injury.
"He hurt his knee, and we're not sure if it was a recurring injury where it just locks up or whether there's more to it than that," Izzo said.
Gray is averaging 4.5 points and 3.8 rebounds this season and has averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in about 11 minutes a game in the tournament this year.
"If it's just locked up and they get it unlocked, he'll be 95 percent," Izzo said. "If not, we have to find a way to tape him up or put a steel cast on it or whatever, but he's got to play."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Calipari: Tuning out family, friends allows Tigers unselfish play
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Try splitting one basketball among five players. Now imagine finding enough playing time to keep 12 happy.
Welcome to No. 2 Memphis, where it's share and share alike.
"We have guys coming off the bench that would start around the country in bigger leagues than ours," coach John Calipari said. "They've accepted their roles on this team, and it's unique and special. That's why we're ... 33-1. You've got that many guys and they're capable of doing what they're doing."
Don't believe it's possible?
Well, No. 1 seed Memphis heads into Friday night's first-round game in North Little Rock, Ark., with Texas-Arlington (21-11) in the South Regional of the NCAA tournament stocked with talent.
Ten Tigers average at least 9.7 points per game. The balance is why only junior Chris Douglas-Roberts ranks among the top 100 scorers in the country, with 17.3 points. Yet six different Tigers have led Memphis in scoring in separate games this season.
Sophomore guard Doneal Mack said these Tigers truly are friends first, which keeps any problems from becoming so bad that they spill onto the court.
"Last year, I'm not going to say we had a lot of personal problems. But we weren't combined like we are this year. We weren't friends before team. This year, we're really friends before team. We really look out for each other, and it shows on the court," Mack said.
That unselfishness was on full display in the Conference USA tournament championship.
Freshman point guard Derrick Rose had the ball in his hands with his choice of driving to the basket or putting up a jumper. Instead, he passed to Antonio Anderson so the junior could try and hit a third consecutive 3-pointer.
Calipari had all five starters ready to go back into that game, but the reserves were playing so well the starters encouraged the coach not to pull them.
Usually, Calipari subs in two or three Tigers at a time. But Douglas-Roberts said it's easier when they go in and out five at a time.
"That's how we practice, and they're much more comfortable with each other as opposed to playing with us. ... Both teams are real unselfish, so whoever has it going no matter whether it's starters or subs, that's the person who's getting the ball," Douglas-Roberts said.
Really?
"It's a better way to play," Anderson said of the wholesale substitutions. "You get a lot more rest, and it gives the other guys opportunities to go out as well."
Calipari credits his talented and deep roster for tamping down egos and tuning out family and friends that prefer to see a loved one putting up 20 shots a game.
"It's natural for family to care more about the player than the team. It's a natural thing. If the kid's getting 20 shots, and they're 0-19, Mom and Dad's happy. If you're 19-0 and they're not playing enough and not getting enough shots, then Mom and Dad's not happy," Calipari said.
Now the only question that has mattered all this season is whether that unselfishness can help the Tigers reach the Final Four for the first time since 1985 and win the school's first national championship in the sport this city loves so much.
The Tigers average 80 points a game and won games this season by an average of 18.9 points per game that was second only to Kansas. But they also play defense.
Memphis ranked 10th in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot only 38.4 percent, and the Tigers were 23rd in scoring defense in giving up 61.2 points per game.
"The only way we lose is if we beat ourselves," Mack said.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Rice leads Boston College to upset of Maryland, 71-68
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tyrese Rice scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and Boston College snapped a six-game losing streak with a 71-68 comeback win over sloppy Maryland on Thursday in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Rakim Sanders, with 13 points, was one of four other players in double figures for the 11th-seeded Eagles (14-16), who rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to advance to play third-seeded Clemson on Friday.
James Gist scored 19 points and the Terrapins (18-14) shot 52 percent but committed 21 turnovers to end their NCAA tournament hopes.
The Eagles, who came in having lost 12 of 13 games, fell behind 20-5 and 36-25 to start the second half, only to come back behind their dynamic point guard and his young teammates.
Rice, who had been a one-man show for much of the season, hit two free throws in the closing seconds to send Maryland to its fifth loss in six games.
It was another inconsistent night for the sixth-seeded Terrapins, who have perplexed excitable coach Gary Williams all season. After consecutive home losses to Ohio and American early in the season, they won three straight ACC road games, including at top-ranked North Carolina to get into NCAA tournament contention.
Then Maryland began to slide again, including a stunning collapse at home against Clemson when the Terrapins squandered a 20-point lead with 11 minutes left.
Knowing now they'll likely need a deep run this week to get an NCAA bid, the Terrapins melted down again when it mattered.
Maryland turned the ball over on five straight possessions and Josh Southern's half-hook with 3:55 left capped a 13-0 run to give Boston College a 60-50 lead.
Maryland then scored seven straight points with turnover-creating full-court pressure, but Southern broke the streak with a layup with 2:11 left. Rice's free throws ended another late comeback bid.
The Eagles, a year removed from a second-round NCAA tournament loss, advance despite a roster with 10 freshman and sophomores.
With Gist hitting four of his first five shots and recording consecutive steals, Maryland scored 13 straight points to build a 20-5 lead.
Then the bad Maryland showed up. Gist didn't take another shot in the half, Maryland went six minutes without a field goal and the Eagles got within 31-25 at halftime.
Gist hit a 3-pointer and a jumper to start the second half, only to watch Rice lead the Eagles on a 17-3 run to take a 42-39 lead.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Kelly, Johnson, Gorney spark Hawkeyes
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Jake Kelly scored 18 points and Seth Gorney hit four straight free throws in the final 16.9 seconds for his only points as Iowa held off a furious rally to beat Northwestern 67-62 Tuesday night.
Justin Johnson added 17 points for Iowa (13-18, 6-12), which ended its first regular season under coach Todd Lickliter and now has a long break until the Big Ten tournament starts March 13. Iowa made 12 3-pointers Tuesday night to tie a season high.
Northwestern (8-20, 1-16) trailed by 13 with eight minutes left, but the Wildcats went on a 12-0 run before their rally fell short. Kevin Coble had 15 and Michael Thompson 14 for Northwestern.
The defeat marked the first 20-loss season for Northwestern's Bill Carmody in 12 seasons as a head coach -- four at Princeton and eight with the Wildcats.
Trailing by 13 with 8:07 left at 56-43, the Wildcats had a final run left. Nikola Baran had a basket, Coble hit a long jumper just inside the 3-point line and Craig Moore scored off a steal to make it 56-49 with five minutes to go.
After a Hawkeyes' offense foul, Jeremy Nash banked in a 3-pointer to cut it to 56-52, Baran made two free throws and then Nash came up with a steal and was fouled. He made one of two and Iowa's lead was down to one with 3:47 to go after the Wildcats' 12-point spurt.
Cyrus Tate got an offensive rebound and made a free throw for a two-point Iowa lead.
Moore faked and then let go with a 3-point shot, drawing a foul on Kelley. Moore then missed two of three from the line with 2:39 remaining and the Wildcats were still down one.
Tony Freeman hit a 3-pointer with 2:16 to go, but Moore answered with one at the other end. Kelly made a 3-pointer and again Moore responded, keeping it a one-point Hawkeyes' lead with 1:13 to go.
After a Northwestern steal and a miss by Thompson that would have put the Wildcats ahead, Iowa got a time-out with 43 seconds left.
Johnson missed a 3-pointer, but Coble was called for a foul on the rebound with 16.9 seconds remaining. Gorney bounced in the first free throw and hit the second for a 65-62 lead.
After Coble missed a 3-pointer, Gorney made two more from the line to seal the win.
Iowa nipped Northwestern by two last month in Iowa City, even though the Hawkeyes trailed by 14 with 13 minutes left.
This time they jumped out quickly, scoring the game's first 10 points, going up 18-4 and then jumping ahead 28-11 with four 3-pointers. Northwestern cut it to six by halftime.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
NIU takes another step toward normalcy; Western Michigan earns 56-49 victory
DEKALB, Ill. -- The message was impossible to miss: "Forward, Together Forward," read the banner hanging outside the arena.
A line in Northern Illinois' fight song, it's now a mantra for a school and community still recovering.
NIU took another small step Tuesday night, when it hosted Western Michigan in the first athletic event on campus since a gunman killed five students in a lecture hall before taking his own life on Feb. 14.
For the record, Western Michigan won 56-49 behind a 16-point effort from David Kool. But this clearly wasn't an ordinary game.
"It should serve as some therapy for all of us," NIU coach Ricardo Patton said.
The teams gathered arm-in-arm in a circle at midcourt while observing a moment of silence before the game. Then, they shook hands and stood at opposite foul lines as the NIU alma mater and the Star Spangled banner played.
Western Michigan (17-10, 10-3) is trying to capture the Mid-America Conference championship. NIU (6-18, 3-9) is simply seeking some semblance of normalcy.
"We felt like coming out here, playing hard and trying to get the win would help," Huskies guard Darion Anderson said.
Banners hanging from the arena's rafters commemorate various championships and postseason appearances, but on some level, a more meaningful game has never been played by an NIU team -- even if only 2,032 fans witnessed it.
Northern Illinois players and coaches wore ribbons, as did many in the crowd, while Western Michigan paid tribute with NIU patches.
The game itself was rather sluggish, but a bouncing ball was a welcome site in an arena that just two nights earlier hosted an emotional rally. A subdued crowd perked up when the Huskies went on a 7-0 run to grab a 44-38 lead with about five minutes left in the game, but Western Michigan answered.
"We certainly wanted to write a different story for you guys," Patton said. "We thought we could write a little different headline for you."
Although Patton thought the teams were "pretty competitive," Western Michigan coach Steve Hawkins acknowledged his "competitive juices weren't there."
"I couldn't even yell at the referees the way I wanted," he said.
And Jarvis Nichols, who led NIU with 16 points, added he had trouble focusing.
"At the beginning, it was a little weird," he said.
Makes sense, considering NIU is in the early stages of a much more serious comeback on this rural campus 65 miles west of Chicago.
The crime scene tape that hung outside the closed Cole Hall, site of the massacre, was gone late Tuesday afternoon, but there were plenty of reminders of the Valentine's Day rampage.
On one set of doors hung two large ribbons -- one with a newspaper clipping showing pictures of the victims. The other had the date "02-14-08" and the word "remember," and a bouquet of flowers was jammed between two door handles.
On a small knoll on the other side of the building, roses that people left jutted out from the snow and a sign leaning against a lamp post offered these words of encouragement: "Together we will prevail ... We are NIU."
Underneath two tents in a nearby courtyard were eight large boards jammed with messages, with prayers.
Ribbons adorned six wood crosses on the lawn outside the Lutheran Campus Ministry across from campus, on one of the town's main drags -- Normal Road. Its an easy street to find, but defining "normal" is a little tougher these days.
When classes resumed on Monday, counselors were in rooms offering to help students.
Although no athletes were killed or injured, a men's soccer player was in the room when the shots started. And everyone was shaken.
Some athletes, including a few who were on the court Tuesday, have class in Cole Hall. Huskies senior Shaun Logan was in that room earlier in the day for film analysis, and a friend of guard Michael Patton -- the coach's son -- escaped the shootings.
"If we can use basketball as a medium to get back to normal and get things the way they were going before a terrible tragedy like this happened, then I think that's really the only issue here," said Western Michigan's Joe Reitz, who had 15 rebounds.
On Tuesday, players and fans tried to use basketball to escape those awful memories -- for a few hours, anyway. But when it was over, coach Patton couldn't help but think about those who lost loved ones.
"To me, this is still about the families," he said. "It's not about the team. My heart goes out to the parents and the loved ones that they lost. That's what's most difficult."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Oral Roberts outlasts Southern Utah for nine-point win
TULSA, Okla. -- Marcus Lewis scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half and had a key late basket to help Oral Roberts outlast Southern Utah 71-62 in a Summit League game on Tuesday night.
Lewis, a 6-foot-8 junior, was 6-of-10 from the field and on free throws to help the Golden Eagles (19-6, 14-1 Summit) withstand 6-7 junior Geoff Payne's career-high 35 points and 15 rebounds for the Thunderbirds (8-18, 6-9).
The Golden Eagles went on a 17-0 run midway through the first half and led the rest of the game, including 36-29 at halftime.
But the Thunderbirds, who trailed 55-44 with 7:50 remaining, went on a 14-7 run that included eight points from Payne to cut their deficit to 62-58 before a Lewis basket with 1:30 left.
Tyler Quinney countered by sinking a 15-footer with 1:10 remaining to reduce Oral Roberts' advantage to 64-60. Southern Utah, however, did not get any closer as the Golden Eagles made 5-of-8 free throws in the final 55 seconds and Shawn King added a dunk in the final seconds to repel the Thunderbirds.
King, Adam Liberty and Robert Jarvis scored 10 points apiece for Oral Roberts, which swept the two-game season series with the Thunderbirds.
Dave Marek contributed 13 points and four assists for Southern Utah.
The Golden Eagles made 22-of-32 free throws compared to 13-of-18 for Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds outrebounded Oral Roberts 35-28.
The Golden Eagles have won 12 of its past 13, losing to IUPUI 69-66 on Saturday.
Southern Utah jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes as Payne scored four and Marek had a 3-pointer. Oral Roberts countered with 17 consecutive points, including eight from Liberty, to take a 21-10 lead midway through the first half.
After a Marchello Vealy trey and Kelvin Sango's two free throws gave the Golden Eagles their largest lead at 31-19 with 4:04 remaining in the half, the Thunderbirds responded with an 8-0 run that included four points each from Payne and Marek.
Lewis, however, countered with a three-point play that boosted Oral Roberts' lead to 34-27. Payne and Jarvis then traded baskets in the final 30 seconds of the half.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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