Memphis coach John Calipari confident backup Andre Allen's suspension won't distract team
SAN ANTONIO -- Backup point guard Andre Allen missed only two games the last three seasons for the Memphis Tigers. Now he might miss the two most important.
Allen was suspended for a violation coach John Calipari said he couldn't reveal because of privacy rules. Allen did not travel to San Antonio for the Final Four, counting him out for the national semifinal against UCLA on Saturday and the title game Monday night should Memphis (37-1) get that far.
"Sometimes these guys do stupid things at inopportune times," Calipari said. "He has."
Allen scored only one basket the last five games and averaged just 3.3 points, 2.1 assists and 1.2 rebounds over 14.1 minutes per game this season. So his absence is likely to affect intangibles more than Xs and Os.
Will it be a distraction? Hardly, according to Calipari, saying it instead might "elevate my team."
"Because if you've ever coached or been part of a team, someone gets hurt and what happens? They come together, and they step up," Calipari said Thursday before a practice at Trinity University. "So at the end of the day, it may help us. It will not hurt us. ... It's like a guy making a bad play with 4 minutes left and the guys saying, 'We've got your back. We got this.' I bet you they'll want to, but I don't think they feel the pressure of it."
Allen's minutes will easily be absorbed by others.
Allen was the third-string point guard, so second-stringer Willie Kemp could see more time. Starting shooting guard Antonio Anderson also is capable of running the offense.
"And obviously I got this kid that's not bad, Derrick Rose," Calipari said.
Rose, the freshman sensation, played 39 minutes in the second round and obviously could go all 40 if necessary. After all, this is probably his last weekend in college basketball.
Allen, one of two Memphis natives on the roster, did not play as a freshman because he was an academic non-qualifier. He's on track to graduate this summer and could possibly seek a fifth season of eligibility.
"I don't know," Calipari said. "We'll see."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Ford Field, Reliant Stadium raise NCAA regionals to new level
DETROIT -- Players and coaches alike talked Thursday about how they hadn't seen a setup quite like the one at Ford Field, site of the Midwest Regional.
There is a reason for that.
No one has seen anything like it.
The NCAA tournament is experimenting with a new-look configuration during the regionals in Detroit and Houston, putting the court on the 50-yard line of football stadiums instead of tucked toward one end.
The hardwood will be 27 inches off the ground and some players acknowledged some trepidation.
"What if we go for the loose ball and dive off the court?" Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds asked. "I mean, that's the thing I was scared about."
The raised court also creates a unique perspective for coaches, who will have the option of sitting on stools a few feet above their players.
"I like to coach sitting down," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "But if you do that here, you're 15 feet away from the court."
The Final Four next week at San Antonio's Alamodome is expected to be the last one in which the court is near an end zone, with bleachers on one side and curtains cutting off some of the sections.
"It really opens up the whole stadium and makes it so much better for the fans," said Laing Kennedy, Kent State athletic director and a member of the NCAA Division I Basketball Committee. "Having the court elevated like that just makes for a terrific view from the upper level."
While the fans may enjoy it, some of the players were not too excited about the height of the court.
"I'm definitely not jumping in the stands," said Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis, which plays Michigan State on Friday night in Houston. "I'm not even going to act like it. If it's going out of bounds and I can't get it, hey I'm not going to fake hustle and act like I'm diving for it."
After the court was placed, officials decided to add a border of carpet around it to act as a buffer for players who do get caught up in hustling. It is 10 feet wide under each basket and five feet wide on the two other sides.
There is a curtain covering the north and south ends of the court, so seating is only on two sides of the playing area. That leaves a rather long blank space between the baskets and any wall or occupied area.
"There's going to be an obvious depth perception (problem) just from the goals, but nothing you can't handle," said A.J. Abrams of Texas, which plays Stanford said. "Just go out and get a couple shots up and get the feel of it and that's what it's all about."
When the Motor City hosts the Final Four next year, the NCAA plans to use the same setup it is using Friday night when third-seeded Wisconsin plays 10th-seeded Davidson and No. 1 Kansas faces No. 12 Kansas.
In Houston, the curtains will be gone when it hosts the 2011 Final Four. Reliant Stadium officials are anticipating 60,000 fans over the course of two days this weekend, putting its crowds in the top five of regional sites.
Ford Field officials expect their paid attendance to surpass the 100,000 mark, a total that will exceed the regional-record crowd of 85,568 set in 1999 at St. Louis.
The home of the Detroit Lions, though, is not set up to break the basketball world-record crowd of 78,129 fans that watched Kentucky beat Michigan State in 2003. During that event, the field was filled with seats -- creating obstructed views -- and thousands of students were in standing-room only areas on the artificial turf.
NCAA officials expect the crowds at the four regional sites this season to break the previous record more than 20 percent, drawing a combined total of 250,000-plus fans.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
SEC sorting out refunds after tornado strikes league tournament
ATLANTA -- The Southeastern Conference is still sorting out a refund policy for fans who couldn't attend the men's basketball tournament after a tornado struck the Georgia Dome.
The conference released a statement saying fans would be informed through its Web site, www.secsports.com, as well as the official sites of the 12 member schools when the plan is finalized.
"The SEC advises fans to retain any unused tickets for the 2008 tournament," the SEC said.
The storm Friday night, which damaged the dome and caused widespread damage in downtown Atlanta, forced the SEC to postpone one game and move the last two days of the tournament to Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
Citing the smaller capacity of the 9,191-seat coliseum, compared to 26,000 at the dome, the SEC only allowed working officials, bands, cheerleaders, and friends and family of the players to attend games Saturday and Sunday.
The crowd was estimated at 3,700 for the championship game, compared to the 20,000 that likely would have attended at the Georgia Dome.
The conference will surely issue refunds for the final two days, but is likely trying to decide how to handle Friday's evening session. One game was played, and about 20,000 fans were already in the building when the tornado struck.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Wink Adams leads UNLV past TCU 89-88 despite Horned Frogs' 3-point prowess
LAS VEGAS -- UNLV answered TCU's record onslaught of 3-pointers with a three-point play by Wink Adams in the closing seconds that gave the Runnin' Rebels an 89-88 win over the Horned Frogs in a Mountain West Conference quarterfinal Thursday night.
The Horned Frogs sank an incredible 17-of-23 shots from beyond the arc, including six by Brent Hackett, whose final 3-pointer with Joe Darger all over him put TCU ahead 88-86 with 30 seconds left.
The 17 3-pointers were the most ever in a Mountain West Conference tournament game, as were the 28 combined.
After two timeouts, Adams got the ball beyond the arc and drove to the hoop. His shot fell through as he was fouled by Kevin Langford with 3.4 seconds left, and his bonus made it 89-88, the 16th lead change to go with 15 ties in a thrilling seesaw game at the rocking Thomas & Mack Center.
The second-seeded Horned Frogs (14-16) had one more shot at the upset of the second-seeded Rebels (25-7), who won this tournament a year ago on their home court. But Hackett's running jumper at the buzzer hit the front of the iron.
Nobody would have been surprised had he pulled up and fired up another 3-pointer.
Hackett led the Frogs with 26 points and was 6-of-8 from long-range. Langford had 21 points, including two 3-pointers, and Ryan Wall scored all 15 of his points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Horned Frogs actually were much sharper from beyond the arc than inside of it, making 74 percent from 3-point range and just 37 percent (10-of-27) on regular field goal attempts.
The Rebels, who won this tournament a year ago, joined the fun in the final seven minutes, sinking four 3-pointers of their own, two of them by Adams, who led UNLV with 29 points.
UNLV, which allowed more than 74 points just once this season, in an 81-73 loss at Utah, tied its season high for 3-pointers, sinking 11 in 25 tries.
Adams was 10-of-15 from the floor, 3-of-5 on 3s and 6-of-8 from the line. Rene Rougeau made all seven of his shots for 17 points, Curtis Terry scored 15 and Darger and Matt Shaw had 11 each.
Of the Horned Frogs' dozen first-half baskets, 10 of them were 3-pointers, and they trailed the second-seeded Runnin' Rebels 40-38 at halftime.
TCU used a 15-2 run to take a 61-56 lead, a run fueled by 3-pointers from Langford and Wall.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Valpo beats Wis.-Green Bay 75-67; Igbavboa has double-double
VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Urule Igbavboa had 14 points and 10 rebounds as five Crusaders scored in double digits and Valparaiso beat Wisconsin-Green Bay 75-67 Tuesday night in the first round of the Horizon League tournament.
Valpo (20-12) will face Wright State (21-9) in the second round Friday in Indianapolis.
Shawn Huff led the Crusaders with 16. Jake Diebler and Jarryd Loyd had 13 each and Bryan Bouchie had 11 points for Valpo, which led 29-17 at the break.
The Phoenix (15-15) outshot Valparaiso from the field and 3-point range, but the Crusaders enjoyed a sizable advantage at the free-throw line, where they were 31-of-45. Green Bay was just 12-of-22 from the line.
Valpo outrebounded the Phoenix 39-38.
Mike Schachtner paced Green Bay with 14, and Rahmon Fletcher and Ryan Tillema had 13 each. Randy Berry had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Northwestern beats Michigan, snaps 20-game Big Ten winless streak
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Craig Moore made four 3-pointers in the first 3½ minutes and connected on another trey that gave Northwestern the lead with a minute left, lifting the Wildcats over Michigan 62-60 Tuesday night for their first Big Ten victory in more than a year.
Northwestern (8-18, 1-14) had lost 20 straight conference games, including the Big Ten tournament, after beating Penn State on Feb. 10, 2007.
Manny Harris scored 17, Anthony Wright had 13 points and Ekpe Udoh added 10 for the Wolverines (9-19, 5-11).
The Wolverines -- who had won four of their previous five games -- tied the game with 5:46 left for the first time since it was scoreless only to fall behind 56-50.
Harris' free throws with 1:15 left gave Michigan its first lead.
Moore answered with a 3-pointer -- his career-high eighth -- and Harris turned the ball over on the ensuing possession. Wright missed a jumper that would've tied the game with 5 seconds left, then the Wildcats could be heard screaming with joy at the sparsely attended game.
Northwestern's Kevin Coble scored 16 and Ivan Peljusic had 13 points.
In the first half, the teams alternated spurts.
The Wildcats went ahead 16-4, then Michigan scored eight straight before they had an 11-0 run. Northwestern led by as much as 19 in the first half, but the Wolverines scored the last eight points to pull to 36-25 at halftime.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
No. 13 UConn overcomes 13-point deficit, beats DePaul 65-60
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut extended its winning streak with another close one.
Sophomore center Hasheem Thabeet had 16 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots and the 13th-ranked Huskies won their 10th straight, rallying from a 13-point deficit in the second half to beat DePaul 65-60 on Tuesday night.
Eight of the wins in the streak have been by single digits, including Saturday's 74-73 overtime victory at South Florida.
"I would like to get some more blowouts and stop being so nerve-racking all the time," Huskies guard A.J. Price. "But as long as we keep winning, I'm fine by that."
Craig Austrie had 14 points and Jeff Adrien added 12 points and 11 rebounds for UConn (21-5, 10-3 Big East).
Draelon Burns had 20 points for DePaul (10-15, 5-8), which has lost six of seven, while Will Walker added 10 points.
The Huskies outscored the Blue Demons 23-7 over the last 10:30 of the game, and held them to three field goals during that stretch.
"We just wouldn't let them score," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said.
Burns had 10 points in DePaul's 14-0 run to open the second half that turned a one-point deficit into a 42-29 lead.
Calhoun was forced to use two timeouts during the run, as the Huskies missed their first five shots.
UConn trailed 53-40 with just over 10 minutes to play, then went on an 8-0 run.
The Huskies trailed 57-50 with 5 minutes to play, before Austrie hit a 3-pointer, then a drove for a layup. A block by Thabeet led to a jumper by Price that tied the game at 57 with 4:06 left.
Price, who had been averaging 18.0 points and 6.0 assists during the streak, had six points Tuesday, all in the second half.
"Tonight was one of those nights where other guys stepped up," Adrien said. "Hasheem, Dougie (Wiggins), Craig and Stanley (Robinson) really stepped up for us tonight and got some points."
After Burns hit one of two free throws, Thabeet made a spinning layup with 3:31 left to give UConn a 59-58 lead, its first of the second half.
Adrien and Burns exchanged baskets but Burns missed a 3-point attempt that would have given DePaul the lead with under a minute left.
Austrie hit two free throws to give UConn a 63-60 lead. Walker then missed a 3-pointer on the other end, and Robinson iced the game with two foul shots.
"We were down and desperate," said Austrie, who hit the game-winning shot against South Florida with less than a second to play. "Time was running out. We had to do something, really get something going, so we turned something on and played with a lot of heart the last couple minutes."
Connecticut took a 12-6 lead thanks to seven points from Thabeet, who hit his first two shots -- a hook and a layup -- with his left hand.
The Huskies hit eight of their first 12 shots, then went cold, going just 3-of-15 for the rest of the first half as they struggled with the Blue Demons' zone.
But DePaul had its own shooting troubles, and was 12-of-34 before intermission, and just under 36 percent for the game.
Connecticut, which came into the game leading the nation in blocked shots with 217, finished with 15.
Thabeet had three during the Huskies' final push.
"I thought that one down the stretch might have been goaltending, but one basket does not determine the game," DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright said. "He is such a factor. I only wish our post players might have made a shot or two. I think we could have stopped the run."
The winning streak is the Huskies' longest since an 11-game run from Nov. 10-Dec. 27, 2006, and the win was UConn's seventh over a team the Huskies lost to last season.
DePaul, which joined the Big East for the 2005-06 season, beat the Huskies 66-58 last year in Rosemont, Ill. It was the Huskies' fifth straight loss during a 17-14 season that saw UConn finish 6-10 in the conference.
Calhoun said the Huskies came into this season with the goal of making the NCAA tournament. With 10 conference wins, UConn's new goal, he said, is to win the conference title.
But to reach that goal, and go farther, his team will have to play better.
"There were some great efforts down the stretch, but we can't live on that," Calhoun said. "If we keep living on that, we will die an unexpected death someplace in the tournament."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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