Memphis vs. Texas A&M
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -John Calipari realizes Memphis is again at a disadvantage in the NCAA tournament despite having a better seed.
When the Tigers play Texas A&M in the South Regional semifinal Thursday night, most of the fans will be rooting for the Aggies, whose campus is only about a 2 1/2-hour drive from the Alamodome.
While Calipari would prefer playing in front of the Tigers' own partisan crowd, he also knows the other side of that situation.
"The most pressure I've ever felt as a coach, not even close, was (at Massachusetts) playing Boston College on a neutral court. We had 75 percent of the fans. We were supposed to win," Calipari said. "I'm talking Kentucky in the Final Four, Elite Eight games, Chicago Bulls in the playoffs, the most pressure I've ever felt was that game."
Memphis (32-3), a No. 2 seed, is in the NCAA round of 16 for the second straight year. The Tigers' 24-game winning streak is the nation's longest, with the last loss coming Dec. 20 at Arizona before their undefeated run through Conference USA.
Texas A&M hasn't been this far in the tournament since 1980. But in three seasons under Billy Gillispie, the Aggies have gone from an 0-16 record in the Big 12 to the NCAA regional semis and a school-record 27 victories.
"Coming in as a freshman and talking to Coach before I got to campus, he said we're going to win, we're going to do great things and it won't take us long," said junior Joseph Jones, who wasn't part of that 0-16 team. "We have been riding that since then. It's been fun."
The Aggies now get a chance to do what Texas did four years ago in the same building, earn a spot in the Final Four by winning twice in front of their own fans.
Except, Gillispie knows it won't be that easy.
"I hope they talk about it being the greatest home-court advantage in the history of college basketball," Gillispie said. "But we have to play against a really talented, well-coached team, and that's going to determine the outcome of the game, not the crowd."
A crowd of more than 30,000 is expected Thursday, mostly in A&M maroon. If the Aggies (27-6) win, there might not be another color visible for the regional final on Saturday.
Texas A&M was in the same position for its second-round game last weekend as Memphis is in now. The Aggies had to beat Louisville at Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington, just more than an hourlong drive from the Cardinals' campus.
That's even more reason for the Aggies to be cautious.
"We'd be really dumb to think that we're going to have any kind of home-court advantage as far as once the game is being played," Gillispie said. "We just came from a situation where we were in the exact opposite situation. We know how we thought about that."
As a No. 1 seed last March, Memphis advanced to a regional final in Oakland, Calif., before losing 50-45 to local-favorite UCLA.
Joey Dorsey is still motivated by what happened against UCLA, when the 6-foot-9 Memphis forward had early foul trouble and was limited to only two points in 21 minutes. He still watches that tape.
Calipari expects another physical game against Texas A&M, which ranks second nationally in field-goal percentage defense (37.3 percent) and has allowed fewer than 60 points a game.
"If you're not sturdy, you're going to be pushed into the cheerleaders and you're going to have a pompom in your hand pretty fast," Calipari said.
Memphis hasn't been to the Final Four since 1985, when its NCAA run included four straight victories in Texas. The Tigers have won 10 straight tournament games in Texas, including two last year in Dallas.
No. 1 seed Ohio State and Tennessee play in the other South Regional game Thursday night.
"I want to play the toughest team every night," Dorsey said. "I would love to play Tennessee, but I'd love to play Ohio State."
The Tigers have to first beat Texas A&M and quiet the crowd.
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Smith leaving Kentucky to coach Minnesota
Tubby Smith is leaving Kentucky after 10 seasons to take the head coaching job at Minnesota.
Smith, who had four years remaining on his contract, will be introduced at a 1 p.m. ET news conference Friday in Minneapolis. A Kentucky source said that the school would still honor the $1.5 million incentive bonus that Smith is due on April 3.
Smith informed Kentucky players and athletics director Mitch Barnhart about his decision earlier Thursday and also phoned former Minnesota coach Dan Monson, who was fired in November, to tell him he was accepting the job.
However, in a statement issued late Thursday afternoon by Kentucky's athletics department, the university said Smith had yet to confirm with UK officials that he is leaving for Minnesota.
Minnesota athletics director Joel Maturi contacted Barnhart on Thursday morning requesting permission to speak with Smith, the statement said, and at that point Smith confirmed to Barnhart that his agent had been in discussions with Minnesota.
According to sources, Smith called Monson for an education about the opening, Minnesota's basketball facilities, the atmosphere around the program, and how the job compares to others in the Big Ten. The program was on probation for five of Monson's seven seasons after an academic scandal under former coach Clem Haskins.
Monson cleaned up the program, but the Gophers didn't win; they were 9-22 this season, 3-13 in the Big Ten.
During his decade at Kentucky, where he replaced Rick Pitino, Smith was 263-83 and reached the NCAA Tournament every season, winning the national championship in 1998 -- Smith's rookie season in Lexington. But the Wildcats have not been back to the Final Four since.
"Tubby is an outstanding individual and he's been a credit to the conference and a credit to the game," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said Thursday. "We definitely wish him well. Kentuucky has a great basketball tradition, and that great tradition will continue as the university moves ahead."
This season, in which the Wildcats finished 22-12 overall, 9-7 in the SEC and lost to Kansas in the second round of the tournament, saw a growing faction of Kentucky fans calling for Smith's ouster.
Earlier this month, before the Wildcats played their first-round NCAA Tournament game, Barnhart issued a statement supporting Smith, saying "Tubby's our basketball coach."
But Barnhart also said that he and Smith would sit down after the season to discuss potential changes -- and declined to say whether any of Smith's assistants might be replaced.
Meanwhile, while watching the defending national champion Gators practice in St. Louis in preparation for their Sweet 16 game against Butler on Friday, Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley did not seem particularly concerned if Kentucky pursues coach Billy Donovan.
When asked whether he expected Kentucky to contact Donovan, Foley replied, "It's a free world. There's nothing to prevent them from doing that."
"We're trying to win an NCAA championship. He's our coach and he's been tremendously loyal for a long time. That's all I'm going to say about it."
Donovan and Foley have been discussing a contract extension but have not agreed to one. Foley said he expected it to get done.
Donovan had not heard about Smith's decision when approached by a Louisville Courier-Journal reporter just before the start of practice Thursday. When asked about it, Donovan said, "I know you have to ask me that, but right now I'm here to coach my team and win a national championship."
According to sources, Marquette coach Tom Crean, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Memphis coach John Calipari, Gonzaga's Mark Few, Notre Dame's Mike Brey, Texas' Rick Barnes, Texas A&M's Billy Gillispie and Villanova's Jay Wright are expected to be candidates for what is one of the few premier jobs in men's college basketball.
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Seed was only sign Duke was upset
IN MY OPINION
TOM SORENSEN
BUFFALO, N.Y. The NCAA basketball tournament needed an upset and Duke finally provided it. Virginia Commonwealth made Duke look common, beating the Blue Devils 79-77 at HSBC Arena.
If you look at the history of the programs, this was an upset of major proportions. VCU has played in the tournament three times in the past 20 years. Duke has played in nine straight Sweet 16s, the longest current streak in the tournament by a whopping seven seasons.
Duke had not lost in the first round since 1996, and before that it had not lost in the first round since 1984. So, what happened Thursday was for Duke a once every decade development.
But, if you look not at the programs but at the teams, the result was anything but an upset. The Rams were quicker and they played together better. They were the team, the Blue Devils the collection of parts.
Sophomore Greg Paulus did what the best point guards do, trying to bring the pieces together. He scored 25 points, had four assists and three steals and six huge turnovers. He spent the evening getting knocked down or falling down or falling down with assistance from the Rams.
If he were a football player, his uniform would be covered with mud and grime. Because basketball is his sport, it was covered with sweat.
The Blue Devils looked not morose, but furious as they left the court. Freshman guard Jon Scheyer took a shot from VCU guard Eric Maynor, a Fayetteville native, when Maynor took a shot and his hand came down and smacked Scheyer in the face.
There's a term for the move. It's called a Kobe. Kobe Bryant does it routinely. So, Scheyer got Kobied.
But, after the shot Duke's Gerald Henderson delivered to North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough the week before last, who among us can say what's accidental and what's deliberate and what's ethical and what's good old hard nosed, broken nosed basketball?
The Rams were not intimidated by the Duke legend, especially Maynor, who hit the winning basket and scored 22. But this loss was as much about Duke as it was VCU.
The Blue Devils have talent. The roster is crammed with players other programs coveted, foremost among them sophomore Josh McRoberts, the top big man in the country when he signed.
At 6-foot-10, McRoberts is three inches taller than any VCU starter. As pretty as his numbers were 22 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and four assists he doesn't impose himself on an opponent. He doesn't say, I'm the best player on the court and unless you skew your defense to stop me, I'll prove it.
The most vivid image of McRoberts is not of a hook shot or a block. It's of a pout. You know the pout. Once again officials were mean to him, and so was the opponent, and so was life.
Duke was sloppy and played shaky defense, which is why, when the game ended, the teams went where they should have.
VCU went to the side of the court to celebrate with its fans.
Duke went home. IN MY OPINION Tom Sorensen
Charlotte.com
Bulldogs too much for Tide, clinch top spot in SEC
March 4, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Charles Rhodes had 18 points and four blocks to lead Mississippi State to its first division title since 2004 with a 91-67 win over Alabama Sunday.
Mississippi State (17-12, 8-8) finishes the season tied for the Southeastern Conference Western Division's top spot with in-state rival Mississippi. With its 7-3 division record, Mississippi State wins the tiebreaker and will have a No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament.
The West title is a league-high fifth for the Bulldogs. The loss drops the Tide to fifth place in the division.
Alabama (20-10, 7-9) led early in the game, but by halftime the Bulldogs had amassed a 41-29 lead they would never lose.
Mississippi State had 11 steals and forced 21 turnovers.
Sophomore guard Reginald Delk had 16 points followed by freshman Ben Hansbrough's 13 and Jamont Gordon's 11. Jarvis Varnado and senior Dietric Slater each added 10 points.
Varnado's 10 points and eight rebounds are both personal SEC highs.
Alabama center Jemareo Davidson led the Tide with 16.
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Strawberry's career high helps Terps sweeten strea
Feb. 25, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Down by 12 points against No. 5 North Carolina with just over seven minutes left, Maryland never abandoned hope of a comeback.
Perhaps it's because the Terrapins had already overcome so much this season.
D.J. Strawberry scored a career-high 27 points, Mike Jones had 18, and Maryland rallied to beat the Tar Heels 89-87 Sunday and extend its winning streak to five games.
"We could have given up. We're not going to give up," Strawberry said. "We're going to keep fighting. I wanted to win so bad."
North Carolina (24-5, 10-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) had a chance to force overtime with 3.5 seconds left, but Brandan Wright missed the first of two free throws and the Tar Heels failed to control the rebound of his second misfire.
"This is very frustrating," North Carolina center Tyler Hansbrough said. "We can't crumble whenever the game gets tight. We have to be tough."
The Tar Heels five losses this season are by a combined 21 points.
"We lacked focus. We didn't convert the way we should down the stretch," forward Reyshawn Terry said. "We had another breakdown. We keep hitting the same wall. It's making me a little nervous, honestly."
As the final buzzer sounded, fans rushed the court to celebrate the Terrapins' first win over North Carolina in six tries since Jan. 14, 2004.
James Gist had 12 points for Maryland (22-7, 8-6). Before their five-game run, the Terrapins were 3-6 in the ACC and in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season.
Now, after being all but written off three weeks ago, Maryland is all but assured a return trip.
"You get criticized around here when you lose," Terrapins coach Gary Williams said. "That's part of the deal, I guess, when you've won a national championship (in 2002)."
"They've got themselves right back in it," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said.
Maryland trailed 77-65 with 7:14 left before Jones scored nine points in a 16-3 run to give the Terrapins their first lead.
"That's what a team is," Terps center Ekene Ibekwe said. "We kept on fighting when we were down."
After Terry scored for North Carolina, two free throws by Ibekwe put Maryland back in front.
Terry then made two foul shots with 1:40 left, but Strawberry countered with a layup. Ibekwe followed with a steal and sank two free throws to give the Terrapins a three-point cushion with 1:11 to go.
It was 89-84 before North Carolina's Wayne Ellington made a 3-pointer. The Tar Heels got the ball back after a Maryland turnover, setting up Wright's missed free throws.
Hansbrough scored 22 points and Ellington had 17 for North Carolina, which went 8-for-17 at the foul line.
"I don't think we are showing what we need to be showing right now to achieve our goals," Terry said.
Roy Williams was seeking his 100th win in 127 games with North Carolina; no coach has ever been quicker to get 100 wins at an ACC school. The record is 128 games, held by Vic Bubas of Duke.
A sellout crowd of 17,950 assembled on a snowy day to see if the Terrapins could extend their longest ACC winning streak since 2003 and end their lengthy skid against North Carolina. Early on, it appeared that neither would occur.
Maryland missed 10 of its first 13 shots as North Carolina built a 13-point lead 7 minutes into the game. The Terrapins eventually found the mark, however, and got within three at halftime before pulling even early in the second half.
Three straight baskets by Strawberry made it 48-all with 17:24 left, the first tie since the opening tip. North Carolina then got two straight baskets before Maryland did the same.
Wright followed with a dunk and Danny Green made a layup, igniting an 8-1 spurt that made it 60-53.
It was 62-57 before successive baskets by Alex Stepheson and Ellington put the Tar Heels up by nine. The margin swelled to 12 before Maryland launched its comeback.
Ellington scored 12 points, and the Tar Heels overcame a 29-15 rebounding deficit to take a 44-41 halftime lead.
After Hansbrough opened the scoring with a basket and Maryland answered with a free throw, Ellington made two foul shots and added a 3-pointer for a 7-1 lead. Five more points by Ellington made it 12-5, and Maryland's Greivis Vasquez hit a runner in the lane before Hansbrough sank a layup to start an 8-0 run that put North Carolina up by 13.
It was 34-25 before the Terrapins recharged the crowd with seven straight points, including a dunk by Gist and a three-point play by Strawberry.
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