Chuck Landon: Hilltoppers to blow out Hurricane in C-USA The obvious question is: Why has it taken Tulsa so long to pull the trigger? There are two reasons, it seems. No. 1, since Tulsa was hosting the Conference USA Tournament, school officials didn't want to announce the departure until after the tourney had been played. Granted, it would have created a rather uneasy situation, which would have detracted from the tournament. No. 2, there was no one to pull the trigger. First, Tulsa fired its president in September after only 74 days on the job. Next, Tulsa fired athletic director Ross Parmley in December after he was named in a federal investigation involving gambling. Tulsa hired a new athletic director, former Eastern Michigan AD Derrick Gragg, just three days ago. That's why Tulsa is just now getting around to saying adios to Conference USA. From a football standpoint, I will be sorry to see Tulsa leave. It has been the cornerstone of C-USA football since Marshall joined the league in 2005. It will be difficult to replace the Golden Hurricane football program. But I'm certain Western Kentucky will do its best. And, yes, that is who will replace Tulsa. The Hilltoppers want to join Conference USA and league officials have confirmed WKU will be invited. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x2114944955/Hilltoppers-to-blow-out-Hurricane-in-C-USA
Josh Pastner staying with Memphis Memphis coach Josh Pastner has committed to staying at the school and has been in ongoing negotiations prior to the postseason on an extended contract, Pastner told ESPN.com. Pastner, who just finished his fourth season at Memphis after replacing John Calipari in 2009, was in Year 1 of a new five-year contract. He said this new deal is very fair and is still being worked on. It would be a minimum of a new five-year contract. Pastner was high on USC's list of candidates for its coaching vacancy, according to sources.
CUSA commish likes 16-team league, but won't guarantee it RUSTON — Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said Thursday he likes a 16-member football model, but he said he doesn’t know if the league will expand soon. Banowksy visited the Louisiana Tech campus to chat with outgoing president Dan Reneau, a long-time friend, and to meet other officials as Tech prepares for its official move to C-USA this summer. “People that know me know that I am comfortable with large models of conferences,” Banowsky said. “There are efficiencies that grow from a two-division model of eight in each division that’s beneficial. http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/...team-league-won-t-guarantee-it?nclick_check=1
Donte Hill's appeal denied Old Dominion men's basketball coach Jeff Jones says the NCAA has denied Donte Hill's appeal for another year of eligibility, ending his college career. Hill played as a freshman at Clemson and transferred to Old Dominion the following year, but not before taking part in a preseason scrimmage. The 6-foot-4 swingman played the last two seasons for the Monarchs. Last year he averaged a team-high 30.8 minutes and 8.2 points per game.
Charlotte stuns No. 14 Michigan on last-second layup The Charlotte 49ers came to Puerto Rico an afterthought in a tournament that featured two ranked teams and two more from power conferences. They're going home champions. Terrence Williams put back his own miss with 0.4 seconds left, giving Charlotte a stunning 63-61 win over No. 14 Michigan on Sunday in the final of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400518935
Chad Frazier, UAB surprise No. 16 North Carolina Roy Williams was mostly focused on his North Carolina team after getting beat by UAB and coach Jerod Haase. Williams watched his 16th-ranked Tar Heels get outrebounded badly, struggle from the perimeter and fall 63-59 to the Blazers on Sunday. That was enough to occupy his mind, but not to wipe out the pride he felt for his protege. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400499301
UTEP players ousted for gambling Three UTEP men's basketball players have been dismissed from the program for gambling on athletic events, but the school said there is no evidence of point shaving or betting on Miners games. Leading scorer McKenzie Moore and reserves Jalen Ragland and Justin Crosgile have been kicked out of the program. All three received an automatic one-year suspension and will also lose a year of eligibility. Moore and Ragland are juniors and Crosgile is a senior, meaning they won't play for the Miners again Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...290/utep-miners-oust-3-hoops-players-gambling
Tulsa's Pat Swilling suspended Tulsa has suspended senior guard Pat Swilling Jr. pending a university disciplinary investigation and hearing. Details were not disclosed Wednesday. A school spokesman said it is against university policy to discuss ongoing disciplinary proceedings. Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...pat-swilling-tulsa-golden-hurricane-suspended
Louisiana Tech beats Iona 89-88 in NIT Kenneth "Speedy" Smith put back a rebound with 2.2 seconds left to give Louisiana Tech an 89-88 victory against Iona in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546967
Southern Miss tops Toledo 66-59 in NIT With less than 2 minutes remaining and Southern Mississippi nursing a tight lead, senior point guard Neil Watson knew the situation called for milking the clock. But Michael Craig was streaking toward the basket, there was eye contact, and Watson couldn't help himself. The long alley-oop pass was perfectly placed to Craig, who slammed it home to put the exclamation point on Southern Miss' 66-59 victory over Toledo in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546965
Louisiana Tech holds off Georgia, 79-71, in NIT Louisiana Tech was so dominant in the first 13 minutes against Georgia on Saturday that its biggest challenge became avoiding tentative play. It was a pleasant dilemma that Louisiana Tech overcame, though not without a late scare. Alex Hamilton scored 20 points and Louisiana Tech led by 26 points in the first half before holding off a late Georgia comeback for a 79-71 victory in the second round of the NIT. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400547501
Charlotte's Alan Major takes leave Charlotte men's basketball coach Alan Major is taking a leave of absence over health issues. It isn't clear when Major will return to coaching. The school wouldn't specify the nature of the health issues Friday citing privacy concerns, but Major says in a news release "my family has a history of heart and eye issues, and I plan to have procedures done over the next couple of months to address them." Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...r-charlotte-49ers-takes-medical-leave-absence
Once No. 25 Old Dominion settled down, it sparkled in its debut as a ranked team. Jonathan Arledge scored 13 points to lead the Monarchs to a 72-51 win over Marshall on Thursday night. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400591436
When No. 25 Old Dominion prepared for Western Kentucky, it was no secret who the Monarchs focused on. George Fant still had a terrific game, scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds to lead Western Kentucky over Old Dominion 72-65 on Saturday. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400591443
Southern Miss has decided to self-impose a postseason ban for this season due to an NCAA investigation involving former head men's basketball coach Donnie Tyndall. The administration told the coaches and players earlier on Tuesday and the players decided not to practice, sources told ESPN.com. Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...miss-golden-eagles-self-impose-postseason-ban
The UAB Blazers may not have a football program anymore. They do have the first big upset of the NCAA tournament and hope they can give their university something to rally around. William Lee scored the last four points for 14th-seeded UAB, and the Blazers knocked off third-seeded Iowa State 60-59 on Thursday in their opening game in the NCAA tournament. It's the third straight year a 14-seed has upset a No. 3 seed, and Georgia State followed up by joining the list within an hour with a 57-56 win over Baylor. Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400785446