Western Kentucky coaching search won't include Bobby Knight
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Bob Knight is not a candidate for the basketball opening at Western Kentucky.
Athletic director Wood Selig said Thursday there was no truth to speculation that Knight would replace Darrin Horn, who left this week to become coach at South Carolina.
University president Gary Ransdell and Selig came forward Wednesday night to address the situation after hearing various reports that Knight was spotted in the area on Tuesday.
"We were getting inundated and it was hampering our entire search process," Selig said Thursday in a phone interview. "There was never any contact, direct or indirect, between WKU and coach Knight."
Selig said he wasn't sure how the rumor got started, though he was "flattered" Knight's name would be mentioned with the school.
Knight didn't rule out a return to coaching while speaking Wednesday night at a forum in College Station, Texas.
"I don't know," Knight said. "I enjoyed coaching (but) I like fishing. I like helping my wife around the house ... nobody could have enjoyed coaching and the people I've gotten to know more than I have."
Knight resigned from Texas Tech in February as the winningest men's coach in NCAA Division I history with 902 victories. He'll do analysis for ESPN of the Final Four in San Antonio this weekend.
Selig said he expects to bring in four or five candidates for on-campus interviews and hopes to select Horn's replacement in the next 10 days.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Now it's Wisconsin's turn to try and corral Curry in NCAA tournament
DETROIT -- Stephen Curry went off for 70 points -- 70 points! -- in the first two games of the NCAA tournament. Against two of the stingiest defensive teams in the country, no less.
Big deal. That was sooo last weekend.
Instead of kicking back and savoring his accomplishment, Curry is prepping for the toughest test of all. To keep little Davidson's wonderful ride going, Curry is going to have to figure out a way around the Wisconsin Badgers and their relentless defense. First up Friday? Michael Flowers, who might just be playing the best defense in the country these days.
"They play long. They play physical. They play quick. But I think the most important and significant aspect of their defense is they play like a team," Davidson coach Bob McKillop said Thursday. "If you beat one of them, which doesn't happen often, you're then going to have to face someone else because they really react to each other very well.
"Steph has a very big challenge in front of him. Our team has a big challenge in front of them."
By now, most people have heard how 10th-seeded Davidson, the exclusive liberal arts school with the free laundry, knocked off Gonzaga and Georgetown to reach this weekend's Midwest Regional semifinals. Not only were the victories the Wildcats' first over ranked teams in more than 30 years, they put Davidson (28-6) in the round of 16 for the first time since 1969.
The folks back in Davidson, N.C., were so excited, forward Thomas Sander got a standing ovation when he was spotted pumping gas. Point guard Jason Richards got a lift to class from someone on the campus maintenance crew. And the Board of Trustees sprung for bus fare, hotel rooms and tickets for any students who wanted to go to Friday night's game.
"It's been one of the greatest weeks of my life," Curry said. "It's just been crazy for us."
But don't think the Wildcats' are simply the NCAA tournament's latest warm-and-fuzzy story. They played a schedule that would make any team cringe, taking on North Carolina, Duke and UCLA. All three were losses, but the Wildcats gave the Tar Heels everything they could handle. Ditto for Duke. They hung 74 points on a Georgetown team that came into the game allowing only 57.6 points on 37 percent shooting.
Curry is the fourth-leading scorer in the nation at 25.7 points a game, and is first with 152 3-pointers. Richards is tops in the country with eight assists a game, and the Wildcats rank fifth in scoring margin (15.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4).
"We really don't want that title of Cinderella," Richards said. "We're just a good basketball team making a run in the NCAA tournament."
And now they've run into third-seeded Wisconsin (31-4).
The Badgers don't have the star power of North Carolina, or the stars of UCLA, Kansas or Memphis. They play in the rough-and-tumble Big Ten, where it's often hard to tell when football season ended and basketball season began. Their trademark is their textbook defense -- they're allowing only 53.9 points a game, best in the country, and have allowed only seven opponents to score more than 60 points -- and their offense is often overlooked because it's so balanced.
They're old-school, right down to the jerseys that have only a number on the back.
"People say we're slow, tempo-down, stuff like that," said Brian Butch, who leads the Badgers in scoring and rebounding. "That's the farthest from the truth. What we do is make sure we get a good shot on the offensive end, and we make sure we give the other team a tough shot. So most of the teams aren't shooting the ball in the first 10 seconds like they would against other teams because we don't allow them to.
"I don't think we play slow or we bring it down or we try to make the game slower. I think we just look for a good shot on offense and try to give them a tough shot."
No one more so than Flowers.
Though just 6-foot-2 and 183 pounds, he wreaks more havoc than anyone on the court. He routinely guards opponents' best perimeter players, and more often than not sends them home shaking their heads and wondering what happened. When Michigan State played at Wisconsin in February, Flowers allowed Drew Neitzel a single 3-pointer on 1-of-10 shooting. After Michigan freshman Manny Harris scored 26 points against the Badgers during the regular season, Flowers held him to a measly four points on 1-of-12 shooting.
And while Eric Gordon got his points against the Badgers -- 16 in the first meeting, 23 in the second -- every one was hard-earned.
"I really think Mike Flowers is the best defensive player in the country," Trevon Hughes said. "The only time players score on him is when he's out of the game."
Curry, though, is special. The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, the sophomore does more than just launch jumpers from beyond the arc. He's consistent, scoring in double figures in all but one game. He's accurate, too, shooting almost 50 percent from the floor. And he routinely contributes a bunch of assists and rebounds, too.
He's quick and has great court sense, and he doesn't get flustered. He missed 10 of his first 12 shots against Georgetown but kept on shooting, rebounding to score 25 of his 30 points in the second half.
And now another defensive-minded team is looking to shut him down.
"It's a help to have experienced that and play the same kind of system defensively from game to game," Curry said. "We can maybe apply the things that worked last week on Sunday to Friday's game. That's something that's going to help us."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Davidson not content with just being in NCAA tournament this time
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- The team that hasn't lost in nearly three months didn't get any rest on Monday.
"I think we're going to run them into the ground," Davidson assistant coach Matt Matheny said as he walked on the court just before practice began.
Minutes later, bodies were hitting the floor in a defensive drill that left every player, from star guard Stephen Curry to the reserves, gasping for air.
This time around, little Davidson isn't just happy to be in the NCAA tournament -- not with a nation-best 22-game winning streak and certainly not with a No. 23 ranking in The Associated Press poll.
The Wildcats (26-6) are determined to give the school its first NCAA victory in 38 years against Gonzaga in the Midwest Regional on Friday.
"The past couple of years we were a 15-seed and a 13-seed. Now we're a 10-seed and I think it really shows how we've progressed over the years," said senior point guard Jason Richards, who leads the nation with 8.0 assists per game.
"Taking the next step is winning a game in the tournament. That's definitely what we're going to try to do," Richards said. "It's definitely a great opportunity with where we're playing. We'll be ready."
Everything seems to be working in Davidson's advantage to end a six-game NCAA tournament losing streak and give the Southern Conference its first NCAA win in 11 years.
Davidson, making its third straight NCAA appearance, will only have to take a 2½-hour bus ride to Raleigh. Seventh-seeded Gonzaga must fly across the country, then play the first game on Friday in front of a hostile crowd.
And the 24th-ranked Bulldogs will be facing the hottest team in the country. The Wildcats haven't lost since Dec. 21 at North Carolina State, in the same arena where they play Friday.
"It's special to go through the conference with a bulls-eye on our back and everybody giving us their best shot and not have a misstep or anything for 2½ months now," said Curry, the baby-faced shooting guard who averages 25.1 points per game. "It's really special. Hopefully, we can keep our confidence and our flow going. I think we're playing better than we ever have."
Davidson has put up some gaudy numbers since a 4-6 start that included close losses to North Carolina, Duke and UCLA.
The Wildcats went 20-0 in the Southern Conference during the regular season, then won their three tournament games by an average of 26 points.
Curry, the son of former NBA player Dell Curry, has hit 139 3-pointers this season. Richards has 257 assists and only 96 turnovers. The front line, an area of weakness earlier in the season, has improved.
"There has not been any point in time where I could say, 'Wow, we've just dramatically improved," coach Bob McKillop said. "What's happened since that time is I think we've refined our shot selection. Our defense has picked up and our inside game has gotten better. I think the combination of those three factors has played itself out in producing the kind of season we've had."
But Davidson wants more, and that desire showed in the intense practice Monday afternoon.
"I want them to understand that they're in a very special situation right now," McKillop said. "They're enjoying an experience that many other teams won't have the opportunity to partake in. And they should certainly realize how lucky they are have this experience, to have this opportunity."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Low leads Cougars past Ducks, 75-70 in Pac-10 tournament
LOS ANGELES -- Derrick Low scored 18 points, and No. 21 Washington State blew most of a 20-point lead before beating Oregon 75-70 on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 tournament.
Taylor Rochestie scored 16 points, Kyle Weaver had 14 points and seven assists, and Robbie Cowgill added 12 points and six rebounds for the third-seeded Cougars (24-7), who won for the seventh time in nine games following a three-game losing streak.
Tajuan Porter scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half and Malik Hairston also had 20 points for Oregon (18-13), whose final hope for an NCAA tournament berth almost surely disappeared. Maarty Leunen added 11 points for the sixth-seeded Ducks.
The Ducks, who never led, drew within four points on Porter's fourth 3-pointer of the game with 1:25 remaining. But that was as close as Oregon would get as the Cougars were successful enough at the foul line down the stretch to earn the victory.
Both teams made more than half their shots -- Oregon shot 53.2 percent and WSU 52.1 percent. The Ducks committed 13 turnovers to only seven for the Cougars.
Oregon returned four starters from a team that won the Pac-10 tournament last year before reaching the final eight in the NCAA tournament. The Ducks started 8-1 this season, but losses to Nebraska and upstart Oakland (Mich.) at home in December signaled their downfall.
Oregon had been the only team that advanced to the semifinals in every Pac-10 tournament since the event resumed in 2002.
The Cougars had what appeared to be a comfortable 54-37 lead early in the second half, but Porter scored the last 10 points of a 14-4 Oregon run, trimming Washington State's lead to seven points with nine minutes remaining.
The Ducks used a three-point play by Hairston and a Churchill Odia's 3-pointer -- his only basket of the game -- to draw within five with 4:16 left.
Rochestie scored the game's first five points, the Cougars built a 16-5 lead in the first six minutes, and Rochestie's layup with 7:35 left before halftime made it 24-10.
The Cougars extended their lead to 20 points before a basket by Hairston and a 3-pointer by LeKendric Longmire in the final seconds of the first half made it 42-27.
WSU shot 16-for-26 including 5-for-7 from 3-point range in the first half and committed only two turnovers. Oregon was 10-for-21 including 4-for-11 from beyond the arc with seven turnovers.
Washington State beat Oregon by nine points in each of their regular-season games to end the Ducks' record 13-game winning streak in the series.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Purdue-Ohio State game delayed by electrical problems
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Purdue coach Matt Painter couldn't hide the hurt.
"It's frustrating, but it's one game," he said. "We controlled our own destiny, and now we don't."
Jamar Butler scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half and Othello Hunter, one of Ohio State's worst free throw shooters, hit two foul shots and made a big defensive play in overtime as the Buckeyes upset the Boilermakers 80-77 on Tuesday night.
The loss dropped Purdue (23-7, 14-3), one-half game behind first-place Wisconsin in the Big Ten. The 10th-ranked Badgers host Penn State on Wednesday and Northwestern on Sunday. The Boilermakers finish at Michigan on Sunday.
The Buckeyes (18-12, 9-8), who had lost their last four, may have revived their hopes for an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament.
"We tried to ignore it," Butler said of the talk that the Buckeyes' NCAA chances were dead. "Of course, a win like this can help us. We're just going to try to get another one on Sunday (at home against Michigan State) and then get a few in the Big Ten tournament, if not win it. And hopefully get in."
Butler was the biggest difference. He managed just two free throws, missing his only shot from the field, in the first half. In the second 20 minutes, he was 6-of-7 from the field including 5-for-5 on 3-pointers.
"At one point, Terrance Crump, their point guard, told me, they (the other eight players) are going to be playing four-on-four all night because you're not going to get the ball," Butler said with a laugh. "I was standing out there and he was denying me."
Painter said once Butler found his range, it didn't matter how many players were guarding him.
"If you let someone like Jamar Butler shoot a couple of 3s you can actually play good defense on him and he's still going to hit some shots," he said. "That's what he was able to do."
Hunter, averaging 9.3 points a game, had 15, as did Evan Turner.
E'Twaun Moore had 16 points for the Boilermakers, who had won 13 of 14, while Scott Martin had 14 and Robbie Hummel added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Martin's 3 with 3:14 left in regulation put Purdue up 62-58. Turner, who scored all of his points in the second half, beat his man baseline for a layup. After a Purdue turnover, Matt Terwilliger hit a 12-foot baseline jumper to tie it at 62.
Butler made two free throws with 49.5 seconds left, but Moore tied it again with two of his own with 32.2 seconds remaining.
The Buckeyes set up for a last shot but never got it. Turner drove the lane and drew multiple defenders, but his pass was intercepted by Hummel with a second left.
In the overtime, the Buckeyes built a three-point lead only to have the Boilermakers pull even on a 3 by Moore.
With 1:28 left, Hunter was fouled on a dunk attempt and the 56 percent free throw shooter hit them both for a 74-72 lead.
Hunter then got a hand on an inbounds pass under the Purdue basket that Butler was able to intercept.
"I looked him in the eyes and knew he was about to throw it, so I just jumped," Butler said.
The teams traded possessions until Turner hit a leaner with 25.8 seconds left to put Ohio State ahead 76-72.
Hummel countered with a 3 to cut the gap to a point, but Butler -- one of the nation's top free throw shooters at 93 percent -- was fouled and hit both with 16.7 seconds left for a 78-75 lead.
Moore missed a wild 3 with 12 seconds left and Turner rebounded and was fouled. He hit both shots to seal it and drop Purdue to 5-5 on the road.
"When I got into the game, the look in our eyes, I just knew we were going to come in and win," Turner said. "That's what we came here to do -- to win. We didn't want anybody cutting nets down on our floor."
Ohio State had been in tight games in the final minutes before. Almost every time, they had lost. But not this one.
"I'm very proud of our guys -- the word we used was resiliency -- in staying with it," coach Thad Matta said. "By any stretch I don't think we played perfect, but guys kept going, guys made some plays down the stretch."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Couisnard scores 25 to lead Wichita St. past Evansville 68-54
WICHITA, Kan. -- P.J. Couisnard scored a career-high 25 points in his final game at Koch Arena to lead Wichita State past Evansville 68-54 Tuesday night.
The Shockers (11-18, 4-13 Missouri Valley) moved past Evansville (9-19, 3-14) in the conference standings, leaving the Aces alone in last place.
Shy Ely led Evansville with 16 points.
Wichita State went into halftime with a 32-24 lead, but Evansville pulled to within three at 38-35 five minutes into the second stanza.
Wichita State still led by three midway through the half before breaking the game open with the help of a 3-pointer by Wendell Preadom -- who had just six 3-pointers in 91 games coming into Tuesday. Couisnard added a deep 3-pointer and two free throws to give the Shockers a 57-49 lead with 4:30 left in the game.
Ramon Clemente had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Wichita State, which outrebounded Evansville 39-21.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Moore scores 29 to lead Indiana St. over Wichita St.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Gabe Moore scored 29 points, including 12-of-13 free throws, as Indiana State beat Wichita State 83-73 Tuesday night in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Aaron Carter added 14 for the Sycamores (13-13, 8-8 MVC), who had seven players score. Indiana State outscored Wichita State off the bench 34-12.
Indiana State shot 26-of-57 from the field, including 9-of-23 3-pointers, and went 22-of-24 from the free-throw line.
The Shockers (10-17,3-13) outrebounded the Sycamores 34-31 and outscored them 32-26 in the paint. But they were just 24-of-52 from the field and 21-of-31 from the line. Wichita State was 4-of-17 from beyond the arc.
Matt Braeuer had 21 points to lead the Shockers. P.J. Couisnard and Ramon Clements each had 15, and Clements also grabbed 13 rebounds.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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