A year after title hopes ended at the Alamodome, Memphis hopes to be crowned champs there
SAN ANTONIO -- Remember the Alamo -- uh, Alamodome, that is.
Sure, it's not the most original catchphrase. But it's worked out pretty well for the Memphis Tigers.
Memphis' 2007 season ended with a regional finals loss to Ohio State. A picture from that game has hung in their gym all season, reminding them of narrowly missing the Final Four and of trying to get back to that very building, the site of this season's Final Four.
They're here now, of course, having won the South Regional. And after practicing at Trinity University on Thursday, they'll take the floor for practice Friday, then play UCLA in a national semifinal Saturday.
If all goes well, they'll be back Monday night with a chance for the school's first championship.
"This won't stamp the season we've had," coach John Calipari said Thursday, continuing a message he pushed last week, too. "It won't change what we've done this year, which is unbelievable. You can add to it and make it even bigger. But the reality of it is it will not take away from what we've done."
Hmmm. Being 39-1 and winning a title is a lot better than being 37-2 or 38-2.
Funny thing is, there's a good history to the "Remember the Alamodome" concept.
When the Final Four was last held here, in 2004, Connecticut won. Their theme? The very same idea, borne from a regional semifinals loss at the Alamodome in '03.
The Tigers practiced at Trinity last season, too, but they're not doing everything the same. Their hotel is different. The roster is mostly the same, too, with one standout difference: Freshman Derrick Rose, who almost certainly is playing his final college game or games before going to the NBA.
"All we're going to do is have fun," Calipari said. "If it leads us to something good on Monday night, have at it, we're going to have a ball. I want these kids to feel nothing but, 'Let's go play, show what we're about. Let's make statements.' But the biggest thing is when they watch us we're hugging each other, we're smiling. ... The reality of it is I want to have fun. I want to enjoy this. You're at a non-BCS school, you don't get to a Final Four very many times."
Memphis was known as Memphis State the last time it got this far, back in 1985. And that trip was wiped off the books because of rules violations. Memphis State reached the finals in 1973, losing to UCLA. This generation of Tigers and Bruins have some history between them, too -- a 50-45 loss in the 2006 regional finals.
"I think they're ready for this. But you don't know in these events. The wrong guy gets two or three fouls called on him early, and it changes the whole game," Calipari said. "We've made small adjustments for this game. We're not going to change what we do. This is how we play, what we do. Let's go."
One small change is out of necessity. Third-string point guard Andre Allen is suspended for an undisclosed rules violation, which means his 14.1 minutes per game will have to be absorbed by others.
"I feel bad," Calipari said. "I love Andre, I'll love him a month from now. It won't change what's going to happen this weekend. It may elevate us because sometimes, when something is taken away, a team comes together."
Perhaps one of those moments came in the loss to Ohio State.
The Tigers trailed at halftime, then surged ahead by five while Greg Oden was on the bench in foul trouble. They led until Oden made a three-point play and the Buckeyes got to keep the ball because of an intentional foul. Another basket put Ohio State in front, and Memphis never recovered.
Asked Thursday if these Tigers are more prepared than last year's squad, Calipari said: "Last year we weren't prepared for the No. 1 pick of the draft (Oden), the No. 4 pick of the draft (Mike Conley Jr.), the No. 21 pick of the draft (Daequan Cook). We were playing, like, who is this team? The next week, they played the Celtics and gave them a heck of a game. ...
"We hung in there," Calipari said. "But I think the attitude here is where we want it."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Thursday's NCAA Tournament Boxes
EAST REGION
At Charlotte, N.C.
NORTH CAROLINA 68, WASHINGTON ST. 47
WASHINGTON ST. (26-9)
Cowgill 1-7 0-0 2, Baynes 6-8 2-4 14, Low 6-16 0-0 14, Rochestie 1-8 0-0 2, Weaver 3-13 4-8 10, Koprivica 0-0 0-0 0, Cross 0-0 0-0 0, Harmeling 0-2 3-3 3, Henry 1-2 0-0 2, Forrest 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-57 9-15 47.
NORTH CAROLINA (35-2)
Ginyard 0-1 0-0 0, Thompson 3-5 0-0 6, Hansbrough 6-15 6-10 18, Lawson 5-11 1-2 12, Ellington 4-13 4-4 13, Campbell 0-1 0-0 0, Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, Graves 0-0 0-0 0, Green 6-10 0-0 15, Tanner 0-0 0-0 0, Wood 0-0 0-0 0, Wooten 0-0 0-0 0, Stepheson 1-1 2-3 4, Moody 0-0 0-0 0, Copeland 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-58 13-19 68.
Halftime-North Carolina 35-21. 3-Point Goals-Washington St. 2-16 (Low 2-9, Rochestie 0-1, Forrest 0-1, Harmeling 0-2, Weaver 0-3), North Carolina 5-15 (Green 3-5, Lawson 1-3, Ellington 1-4, Campbell 0-1, Thomas 0-1, Hansbrough 0-1). Fouled Out-Baynes, Cowgill. Rebounds-Washington St. 32 (Baynes, Cowgill 8), North Carolina 46 (Hansbrough 9). Assists-Washington St. 9 (Weaver 5), North Carolina 11 (Ginyard, Thomas 4). Total Fouls-Washington St. 18, North Carolina 16. A-19,092.
LOUISVILLE 79, TENNESSEE 60
LOUISVILLE (27-8)
Williams 4-7 4-7 12, Palacios 1-1 0-0 3, Padgett 4-5 2-4 10, McGee 4-10 4-4 13, Smith 3-6 5-6 13, Knowles 0-4 0-0 0, Clark 7-10 3-4 17, Sosa 0-1 2-2 2, Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Caracter 3-6 3-3 9. Totals 26-50 23-30 79.
TENNESSEE (31-5)
T.Smith 3-9 5-8 11, Chism 3-4 2-2 9, J.Smith 5-11 0-0 12, Lofton 3-15 7-7 15, Prince 1-3 0-0 2, R.Smith 2-9 2-7 6, Pearl 0-0 0-0 0, Tabb 0-0 0-0 0, Crews 2-4 1-1 5, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Childress 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-56 17-25 60.
Halftime-Louisville 37-30. 3-Point Goals-Louisville 4-14 (Smith 2-3, Palacios 1-1, McGee 1-5, Clark 0-1, Williams 0-1, Knowles 0-3), Tennessee 5-20 (J.Smith 2-5, Lofton 2-11, Chism 1-1, Prince 0-1, T.Smith 0-1, Childress 0-1). Fouled Out-J.Smith, Sosa. Rebounds-Louisville 43 (Clark 12), Tennessee 28 (J.Smith 6). Assists-Louisville 14 (McGee, Padgett, Williams 3), Tennessee 12 (R.Smith 3). Total Fouls-Louisville 23, Tennessee 26. Technical-Knowles. A-19,092.
WEST REGION
At Phoenix
XAVIER 79, WEST VIRGINIA 75, OT
WEST VIRGINIA (26-11)
Butler 7-15 1-1 16, Alexander 8-18 2-4 18, Smith 3-8 2-4 8, Nichols 1-6 4-4 6, Ruoff 6-11 2-3 14, Thoroughman 0-0 1-2 1, Mazzulla 2-7 6-9 10, Talkington 0-0 0-0 0, Smalligan 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 28-66 18-27 75.
XAVIER (30-6)
Duncan 7-15 9-10 26, Brown 3-4 2-4 9, Anderson 6-12 0-2 12, Lavender 3-11 0-0 9, Burrell 3-7 1-2 8, Raymond 3-5 0-2 8, Jackson 1-1 0-0 3, Love 2-4 0-1 4. Totals 28-59 12-21 79.
Halftime-Xavier 32-25. End Of Regulation-Tied 64. 3-Point Goals-West Virginia 1-11 (Butler 1-4, Alexander 0-1, Mazzulla 0-1, Ruoff 0-2, Nichols 0-3), Xavier 11-19 (Duncan 3-4, Lavender 3-6, Raymond 2-4, Jackson 1-1, Burrell 1-2, Brown 1-2). Fouled Out-Alexander, Anderson, Brown, Smith. Rebounds-West Virginia 38 (Alexander 10), Xavier 41 (Anderson, Love 10). Assists-West Virginia 16 (Mazzulla 5), Xavier 16 (Lavender 7). Total Fouls-West Virginia 21, Xavier 25. A-18,103.
---
UCLA 88, W. KENTUCKY 78
W. KENTUCKY (29-7)
Magley 1-2 0-0 2, Evans 2-3 0-1 4, Brazelton 10-21 5-7 31, Rogers 2-6 1-1 5, Lee 7-29 2-3 18, Gabou 1-1 0-0 2, Slaughter 1-4 4-6 7, Howard 0-0 0-0 0, Mendez-Valdez 0-1 2-2 2, Siakam 1-4 5-6 7, Frazier 0-0 0-0 0, Pettigrew 0-1 0-0 0, Maresca 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-72 19-26 78.
UCLA (34-3)
Shipp 5-9 2-4 14, Mbah a Moute 2-4 3-4 7, Love 10-14 9-12 29, Westbrook 3-15 7-8 14, Collison 1-6 1-2 4, Aboya 1-1 0-0 2, Keefe 7-9 4-5 18, Mata-Real 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-58 26-35 88.
Halftime-UCLA 41-20. 3-Point Goals-W. Kentucky 9-24 (Brazelton 6-10, Lee 2-8, Slaughter 1-3, Mendez-Valdez 0-1, Rogers 0-2), UCLA 4-9 (Shipp 2-3, Collison 1-2, Westbrook 1-2, Love 0-2). Fouled Out-Collison, Siakam. Rebounds-W. Kentucky 36 (Lee 8), UCLA 51 (Love 14). Assists-W. Kentucky 12 (Brazelton 5), UCLA 17 (Westbrook 5). Total Fouls-W. Kentucky 24, UCLA 22. A-18,103.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Coppin State, once 4-19, finds itself in the NCAA tournament
DAYTON, Ohio -- For Coppin State, the turning point came during the Florida A&M game.
It probably couldn't have come any later. The Eagles had already lost 19 games, and their confidence was flagging.
Coppin State pulled it out with a tip-in shot that gave them a one-point victory on Feb. 18 in a key road matchup.
"They started believing in themselves at that point," coach Ron Mitchell said of his players Monday.
They've only lost one game since then, and went on to win the Mid-Eastern Conference tournament sending Coppin State to the NCAAs, a feat that hardly seemed possible, let alone likely, just a month ago.
So what if the Eagles are playing in the so-called opening round, against Mount St. Mary's on a Tuesday night in southwestern Ohio two nights before the rest of the tournament grabs the country's attention? So what if the Eagles are the first team to get into the tournament with 20 losses, outdoing the 19 by Bradley in 1954-55?
"We're definitely not looking at their record to see how good they are," Mount St. Mary's coach Milan Brown said. "They're going to be a tough test."
Coppin State, from Baltimore, won the conference title by beating Morgan State 62-60. Mount St. Mary's (18-14), from Emmitsburg, Md., beat Sacred Heart 68-55 for the Northeast Conference title.
Brown is especially worried about Coppin State point guard Tywain McKee, a senior who is averaging 16.6 points a game and lifted the Eagles over Morgan State by tying his season-high of 33, including a floater in the lane with two seconds remaining.
"That's always scary in a one-game situation that a player can have a night where he can just beat you by himself," Brown said. "We're going to try to make sure we give him a few different looks, hopefully, and just make him take a lot of potentially tough shots."
Mitchell is focusing on the perimeter play of Mount St. Mary's guards Jeremy Goode and Chris Vann. Goode averages 14.3 points and 5.5 assists and Vann averages 14.4 points.
"We're overwhelmed that we're here. We have a chance to do big things," said Vann. "We're enjoying every bit of it."
Brown said he had a sense over the weekend that his team might end up playing Coppin State, so on Sunday his team practiced as if they would play the Eagles.
"I guess maybe it looked like I was a genius," he said.
The Mountaineers are making their third NCAA tournament appearance and first since 1999. Coppin State is making its fourth appearance and first since 1997.
Mount St. Mary's is 3-0 against Coppin State, and the two teams haven't met since 1984, despite being about 60 miles apart. The winner gets to face top-ranked and top-seeded North Carolina in the east regional in Raleigh, N.C.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Utah State rolls in WAC quarterfinals, beating San Jose
LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Warning to opponents when hot-shooting Jaycee Carroll gets off to a good start -- look out.
Carroll scored 24 points and freshman Tai Wesley added 15 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots as Utah State beat San Jose State 85-65 Thursday in the WAC quarterfinals.
Tyler Newbold added 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, Gary Wilkinson scored 15 and the top-seeded Aggies (24-9) won their sixth straight to reach the tournament semifinals.
"It's good to come here and get a win," Utah State coach Stew Morrill said. "We've had a tough time with San Jose."
Not this time, though, because it didn't take long for Carroll to seize control. He made his first five field goals and scored 10 points as Utah State raced to a 19-8 lead through the first 5½ minutes.
The sharpshooter from Evanston, Wyo., had a putback, hit a jumper, then made consecutive 3-pointers, forcing a San Jose timeout. Seconds later, Pooh Williams hit another 3-pointer and Carroll made a floater, putting the Aggies up 24-9.
It avenged Utah State's most recent loss, a 70-67 setback at San Jose on Feb. 18.
"We got after it early, which is something we didn't do at San Jose," said Carroll, who shot 10-of-13. "We were able to knock down a lot of shots. It's a good start when you get out on top. They were playing catchup the rest of the game."
DaShawn Wright and C.J. Webster each scored 16 points as San Jose State (13-19) wrapped up a 10-day road trip that included the final week of the regular season.
"Ten days on the road. It's been pretty tough," Webster said. "We did a lot of positive things. We played pretty hard. It just didn't show up on the scoreboard."
The Aggies showed they had more than just Carroll.
Newbold made 5-of-6 of his 3-point attempts and Wesley consistently worked the ball inside for layups. The youngster was a force with his interior defense -- evidenced by his blocked shots and seven defensive rebounds.
"Tyler Newbold is a very solid player," Carroll said. "It was very good to see him playing that well and seeing other guys step up and make plays. They are game-winning plays."
But make no mistake, this is Carroll's team.
He finished the regular season as the nation's most accurate 3-point shooter, hitting 50.2 percent. He was named WAC player of the year after leading the league in scoring at 22.7 points.
"It was pretty much our normal rotation until the end. Jaycee only played 38 instead of 40," Morrill said.
The Aggies put it out of reach early in the second half, when Carroll swished a 3-pointer to cap a 10-0 run. That came after the Spartans cut it to 39-31 with two baskets to begin the second half.
"They got out so quickly that it made it difficult for us to come from behind," Webster said. "By the time we got it even, they were already ahead by 12 points."
A 12-0 burst later in the second half pushed Utah State's lead to 70-49, and the Aggies improved to 20-0 when they hold their opponent below 70 points.
"We just didn't have enough solid plays to beat them," San Jose State coach George Nessman said.
Utah State is just one of three teams -- along with Gonzaga and Kansas -- to win 23 games over the past nine seasons.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Giddens leads New Mexico over UNLV, 59-45
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- J.R. Giddens will be leaving New Mexico. Steve Alford told a soldout arena he's staying.
Giddens, a senior who transferred from Kansas, had 17 points and 15 rebounds in what was likely his final homecourt appearance, lifting New Mexico to a 59-45 win over UNLV on Tuesday night.
The Lobos (23-7, 10-5 Mountain West) snapped a four-game losing streak to UNLV (22-7, 11-4) and logged a key victory as they seek to improve their resume for receiving an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament.
The night was capped by an emotional postgame sendoff ceremony, highlighted by remarks from Giddens and fellow seniors Jamaal Smith and Darren Prentice.
"Thank you for these wonderful three years," Giddens told cheering New Mexico fans.
Alford kept the excitement going moments later, ending speculation in Albuquerque news reports about his future. The former Indiana star has been mentioned as a possible successor to Kelvin Sampson.
"Let's keep the focus on the seniors," Alford told a capacity crowd at The Pit after the win. "This coaching staff isn't going anywhere."
Giddens was a force, collecting eight rebounds by halftime in his final homecourt appearance -- barring a trip to the National Invitation Tournament. He also had five assists and a steal in 40 minutes.
"You have to slow J.R. Giddens, and he's got 17 points and 15 rebounds when everybody is zeroing in on him," Alford said. "That's why he's the M.V.P. of our league."
Fans in the student section chanted Giddens' name in the closing minutes, then "M.V.P" after the final horn, lobbying for Giddens to be named the Mountain West's player of the year.
"We're happy we could go out together and get a win," Giddens said in the interview room, placing his arms around Smith and Prentice. "We're blessed to have the fan support we had. I don't know if anybody knows how it feels to get a win like that when you have that crowd supporting you."
UNLV point guard Wink Adams scored 12, four points below his average, going scoreless in the second half. The Rebels shot 33 percent from the floor, hitting just 18-of-54.
UNLV had won four straight over New Mexico, including a 79-60 decision in Las Vegas on Feb. 2 when UNLV opened with a 21-5 run. The Lobos refused to let it happen again, forcing a grinding pace for a 24-22 halftime lead.
From there, New Mexico turned the tables, starting the second half with an 11-0 burst that stretched the lead to 35-24. After a timeout, two free throws by Giddens made it a 13-0 run.
"I thought New Mexico played great," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "They took the initiative right from the start. We were basically on our heels, fought back at halftime, and then they opened the second half with a big run."
The Rebels missed their first four field goal tries and had three turnovers after the break, and the capacity crowd of 18,018 fans was at full roar as Chad Toppert hit a 3-pointer to force a UNLV timeout.
After the Rebels cut the deficit to 43-33 at the 10-minute mark, Prentice threw a long pass to Giddens for a thunderous slam dunk that kept the fans standing and the crowd noise at full volume.
"It was a good one to go out with on Senior Night," Giddens said, smiling.
Roman Martinez collected a miss and banked it in to push New Mexico's lead to 47-33 with 7:44 remaining, and UNLV trailed 51-37 with 5 minutes to go when Smith drew the fourth and fifth fouls on Adams.
Kruger was furious with the call, but his team never got the margin into double digits again.
"We got whipped," he said. "We have been whipped a few times. We don't have much margin. It's not like we're going to play great every night if we don't win the battles and do the little things better."
With the victory, Alford set a school record for most wins by a first-year coach. Dave Bliss went 22-11 in his first season coaching the Lobos, back in 1988-89.
"It's really been the same tune all year," Alford said. "This team has given incredible effort, and we knew we were going to have to give incredible effort to beat this UNLV team."
The Pit was sold out, just like a week earlier for an overtime loss to BYU. It marked the first consecutive sellouts since the Lobos faced Arizona and New Mexico State early in the 1996-97 season.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
College of Science coach withdraws application
WAHPETON, N.D. -- North Dakota State College of Science men's basketball coach Craig Irwin says he has withdrawn his application for the job.
Science suspended Irwin, who is in his eighth year at the school, last October, and later announced he would resign at the end of the current season.
Irwin announced earlier this month that he would reapply for the post. But in a statement on Wednesday, Irwin said he's no longer interested in the job.
The school said Irwin violated North Dakota State Board of Higher Education policy with his role in a National Junior College Athletic Association rules violation.
The Wildcats were placed on probation for one year after a former player racked up a $46,897 phone bill last year using a calling card given to him by Irwin.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Arkansas State basketball coach Dickey Nutt steps down
LITTLE ROCK -- Dickey Nutt resigned Tuesday after 13 seasons as Arkansas State's basketball coach and he will step down immediately.
Nutt announced his departure at a news conference in Jonesboro. He was two wins short of matching John Rauth's school record of 191.
Arkansas State (9-17, 4-11 Sun Belt Conference) has lost seven consecutive games.
Assistants Al Grushkin and Shawn Forrest will take over as co-interim head coaches. The Indians have three games remaining in the regular season, starting Thursday night at Arkansas-Little Rock.
"Our record doesn't indicate the fight that this team has in it," Nutt said. "But after conferring with (athletic director Dean) Lee this morning, I've agreed to step down and resign."
Nutt's brother Houston was the football coach at Arkansas for nearly 10 seasons. He left the Razorbacks in November after a tumultuous season and took over at Mississippi.
Dickey Nutt went 189-187 at Arkansas State and led the team to the NCAA tournament in 1999. Last season, a late winning streak brought the Indians within a game of another trip to the NCAA tournament, but they lost to North Texas in the championship game of the Sun Belt tournament.
Adrian Banks, the Indians' leading scorer, was suspended earlier this season and has started only 12 games.
Lee didn't shed much light on replacement candidates. One name that Arkansas State fans will no doubt toss around is Nolan Richardson, who has been out of college coaching since being fired by Arkansas in 2002. Richardson has coached at the international level in recent years and still lives in Arkansas.
Richardson was in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday when asked about Arkansas State.
"I might entertain the idea," Richardson told The Associated Press. "Never say never. ... I'm always a listener."
On Jan. 24, Nutt moved into sole possession of second place on the school's career list with his 189th win. Arkansas State hasn't won since.
"I encouraged our basketball team today to keep fighting, hang on to that rope," Nutt said. "I regret that we didn't get our team back to the NCAA tournament."
Nutt is also second on the Sun Belt's career list with 102 conference wins. He's nine victories behind Gene Bartow.
"We know it's a difficult decision for him, but commend his position to step down in the best interest of the program," Lee said. "We know it was a tough decision for him to make ... but he has handled it honorably and admirably."
Nutt left without taking questions, saying he had to be at his son's high school basketball game.
"It's been a difficult day, and it's been hard," Grushkin said. "The guys practiced hard today. We'll get them ready. It's about the kids."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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