College Basketball Capsules: Kruger leads Oklahoma home against No. 22 Kansas State
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Lon Kruger speaks fondly of his time at Kansas State, as native sons are apt to do. He stays in touch with folks back in Silver Lake, the small town in central Kansas where he grew up. He reminisces with teammates who together won back-to-back Big Eight championships, and the players on the teams he led to four straight NCAA tournaments as their coach.
Throughout his basketball odyssey, there have always been pangs of nostalgia whenever Kruger has had to lead a team against the Wildcats. The emotions are still that strong.
They may be overpowering on Saturday.
When Kruger takes Oklahoma into Bramlage Coliseum to face No. 22 Kansas State, it will be the first time as the opposing coach in the building where his name hangs from the rafters.
"It will be different, but that's the way it is and we understand that," said Kruger, who is in his first season with the Sooners. "We'll be cheering for them on all but a couple of occasions on the year. But certainly we'll go up there and try to play as well as we can."
It's an important game for both teams.
Oklahoma (12-7, 2-5 Big 12) beat the Wildcats last month, but has lost two straight and seen its NCAA tournament hopes virtually disappear. Kansas State (15-4, 4-3) has won three in a row since that defeat in Norman and kept its Big 12 title hopes alive.
But the importance will be only magnified considering the ties Kruger has to Manhattan.
He was a star for the Wildcats under Jack Hartman from 1971-74, helping the team to a pair of conference championships and earning Big Eight Player of the Year honors in 1973 and '74.
Kruger was even a shortstop on the Wildcats' baseball team.
He began his coaching career at Pittsburg State in southeast Kansas in 1976, and by the following year had been invited to join the Kansas State staff. He would serve as an assistant until 1982, when he left to become head coach at Texas-Pan American.
Four years later, the fairy tale appeared complete when Kruger returned to Kansas State.
"Coach Hartman had a lot to do with that," Kruger recalled. "When coach retired, he was instrumental in me getting that opportunity for sure.
"I leaned on what he said as a coach," Kruger added, "as a player and all that kind of tied together. There was tons of stuff that I leaned on from him, for sure. He was a terrific mentor and a terrific coach. I leaned heavily on things he said."
After leading Kansas State to four straight NCAA tournaments, taking one of his teams within a game of reaching the Final Four, Kruger left to take over at Florida.
It left a lot of fans in the heartland feeling jilted.
Animosity has waned over time, though, as Kruger continued his journey at Illinois, in the NBA and most recently with UNLV. He led the Rebels to a win over the Wildcats last year at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, and received a warm welcome from a partisan crowd.
"I understand that he is coaching at Oklahoma, but that purple still runs through his blood," Kansas State coach Frank Martin said. "He has got tremendous pride about his alma mater. I think it is going to be an emotional moment for him because I know how much he loves this school."
Kruger won't be the only one returning home this weekend.
Steve Henson, the Wildcats' career leader in assists, is an assistant at Oklahoma. Also on his staff is Mike Shepherd, who was a team manager for Kansas State.
"As alums we've got great memories and still a lot of friends right there," Kruger said, "and great relationships and former teammates. A lot of them will be there."
That's because this weekend is also Kansas State's annual alumni reunion. Former players were invited to a social event with current players and coaches on Friday, and many of them will be in attendance for Saturday night's game.
Kruger said he doesn't expect a lot of folks to remember him when he returns, especially students who weren't even alive when he was coaching the Wildcats.
He may be selling himself a bit short.
Several guys on the Kansas State roster played with Kruger's nephew, Jarrod Kruger, who was a walk-on for Kansas State last season and is now a member of the Sooners. They're keenly familiar with one of the best players to have ever suited up for the Wildcats.
"Personally, I heard about him a lot from playing with his nephew last year," junior guard Martavious Irving said. "Basically, he's a K-State great — a great player and a great coach."
Martin said he exchanged text messages with Kruger this week, and he expects there to be a lot of emotion when Kruger steps onto the court for the first time as a coach since 1990, when he led Kansas State to a win over Nebraska in his finale.
The current coach of the Wildcats also knows there will always be a soft spot for Kruger in the Flint Hills, something that became apparent when the teams met last month in Norman.
"I just told him, before our game at Oklahoma, that there are some things that I want to visit with him about when the season is over," Martin said. "And he immediately said, 'Frank, all you have to do is call'. He has been tremendous to me as a coach and as a friend. I am very appreciative of that."
Jayhawks back atop Big 12 as they usually are
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Bill Self tried to temper expectations surrounding fifth-ranked Kansas as the season began, pointing out all the big-name players lost to graduation and the NBA.
He didn't fool his fellow Big 12 coaches. They picked the Jayhawks as co-favorites again.
Now, after rolling through their first seven conference games without a miscue, Kansas is in a familiar position. Missouri's upset loss to Oklahoma State earlier this week created a two-game cushion in the standings heading into the Jayhawks' game Saturday at Iowa State.
It's the start of a brutal stretch that includes a home game against Oklahoma and back-to-back road games against the second-ranked Tigers and No. 6 Baylor.
"Statistically, those are the four teams that are the best in the league," Self said. "As a matter of fact, I think they are the only four teams in the league with winning records, if I'm not mistaken. Besides us. So yes, without question, this is the toughest part of the season."
The two-game lead may sound luxurious, but senior guard Tyshawn Taylor remembers what happened to Texas last season.
The Longhorns beat the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse in late January, and then took a two-game lead when Kansas lost to rival Kansas State on Feb. 16. But the Longhorns eventually lost three of four to lose the lead, and the Jayhawks ultimately won their seventh straight league title.
"It's always good to have a cushion, especially now," Taylor said. "It's good to have, but it really doesn't mean much. Those are good teams and them being two games behind us, I'm sure they're going to bounce back. We're not going to be too giddy."
The fact that Kansas plays four of its next six games on the road doesn't help. The home team is 23-12 in conference play, with the Jayhawks and Tigers perfect. Five teams have yet to win on the road, including Texas Tech, which is winless in the Big 12.
"A two-game lead can be squandered quickly," senior guard Connor Teahan said. "We still have to go out there and take every game seriously and I think that's what we'll do Saturday."
The Cyclones gave Kansas all it could handle when the teams met in Lawrence. Behind the superb play of Royce White, Iowa State controlled the tempo of the game well into the second half, when the Jayhawks finally pulled ahead and won 82-73.
"I thought we played a little — 'soft' is not the right word, I'm not saying that, but I didn't think we were as active or as energetic," Self said this week.
While the Jayhawks (17-3, 7-0) have won 10 straight since a surprising loss to Davidson in Kansas City, the Cyclones (14-6, 4-3) have positioned themselves for an NCAA tournament run. They beat Oklahoma State and Texas Tech after losing to Kansas.
"Trust me, Iowa State should have our full attention after the way they handled us for 25 minutes, or whatever it was, at our place," Self said. "When you go on the road, it's going to go down to the last few possessions, usually, if you play well. Certainly, I hope we're in that position again Saturday."
If not, that two-game lead in the Big 12 could be trimmed in half.
"We've done some good things on the road," Self said, "but I don't think we've had a performance on the road that would guarantee us winning. I think we've got to get better."
Top 25 Men
No. 1 Kentucky, Calipari receives letter from dog
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky coach John Calipari thought he had seen it all, then he received fan mail from a dog.
Calipari said Friday the letter arrived complete with a paw print "signature."
"You think about it, this is a unique place. I have dogs sending me letters and they put their paw prints on it and their picture," Calipari said. "I have 95-year-old ladies in nursing homes asking what I'm doing about our free throw shooting, do you practice it? I've got accountants cussing me up and down. It's a different deal here.
"You can't hide. I can't hide. My players can't hide."
The coach of the top-ranked Wildcats said the canine correspondence ranks among the most unique things he's ever received. But it was somewhat fitting as Kentucky's defense has been pretty doggone good.
The Wildcats (20-1, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) rank first in the nation in field goal percentage defense at 36.2 percent, just ahead of Wisconsin, and have won all three of their conference road games so far after going 2-6 in league play away from Rupp Arena last season.
"We all feel kind of comfortable on the road," Kentucky guard Darius Miller said. "I think we've been doing good job as far as road games so far and hopefully we can continue on that path."
Next up is a trip to LSU (12-8, 2-4) on Saturday, where Tigers coach Trent Johnson is impressed with the defense Kentucky is playing.
"One of the things John does well that I don't think he gets enough credit for, forget how talented they are and forget about how talented the teams he had are, he gets a lot of guys that are really talented to play hard and guard," Johnson said. "I think this (Kentucky) team is special. Most guys have a sense of entitlement, but they come after you now. There is some talent there."
Enough that even dogs have noticed. The four-legged letter included a photo of a cocker spaniel named Mr. Maverick watching Kentucky play with its paws on a TV stand.
"There is an area of fandom you have failed to mention since arriving in the Bluegrass and that's fans like me," according to the letter posted on the coach's website. "Where in the world do you find dogs rooting for Cats? Let me answer that for you, 'Kentucky.'"
Calipari joked when asked about the contents of the letter, barking at reporters before leaving the podium.
"He was saying, 'Arf, arf, arf, arf, arf, arf, arf, arf,'" Calipari said. "And I said, 'Rarf, rarf, rarf, rarf, rarf, rarf, rarf.'"
-- Colin Fly
No. 11 Murray State mindful of home loss to EIU
MURRAY, Ky. (AP) — No. 11 Murray State hasn't lost at home since Eastern Illinois knocked the Racers off last season.
Panthers guard Jeremy Granger dribbled the ball to the top of the key, drove to his left and pulled up from 12 feet for the game winner against the Racers.
Murray State is still smarting from that fade away.
But the undefeated Racers (20-0, 8-0 Ohio Valley Conference) haven't lost at home since — a span of 16 games — are the only unbeaten team in men's Division I basketball. And because of what the Panthers (9-10, 2-5) did last season, for one of the rate times Murray State is looking back to prepare for Saturday's matchup.
"It's our home court and they came here and they beat us," senior Ivan Aska said of the 61-60 loss. "I'm not with it."
Last year's game was a surprising setback for the Racers, who won their second straight regular-season OVC title but didn't make the NCAA tournament after being beaten in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Eastern Illinois finished 9-20 last season and has lost seven of its last eight conference road games since last year's win at Murray.
In the teams' Dec. 30 matchup this season in Charleston, Ill., Murray State dominated in a 73-40 victory, but the ability for a letdown has the Racers on alert after having a week between games.
But Murray State is getting back to full strength.
Aska will back for the first time in six games after he broke his hand in the first victory against the Panthers this season. Reserve guard Stacy Wilson is also back after missing one game because the death in the family.
"I'm very excited for them getting back on the court," said Jewuan Long, who was defending Granger when the Panthers guard hit the game winner.
Aska said he believes Long has a bitter taste from last year's game and is eager for another opportunity.
"He's motivated because Jewuan, he locks up players," Aska said. "He's one of our best defensive players."
Aska is motivated, too — Murray State was outrebounded in four of the six games he missed. The 6-foot-7 senior leads the Racers in rebounds with six per game while averaging 12.6 points. He also is a vocal leader and is the inside complement to the outside game of point guard Isaiah Canaan, who is averaging 18.7 points per contest.
"We both listen to each other and know each other's opinions," Aska said. "We hold each other accountable. That's what makes us great."
Murray State is off to the best start since St. Joseph's won its first 27 games in 2004. While the Racers quickly acknowledge the attention and call it positive, they're not breaking from their routines.
"I think that's a downfall of people who become successful ... they either forget what they've done to get to that point or they think that they've done enough so they relax," Racers guard Donte Poole said. "I think once you relax that's when you lose or that's when things start going bad for you.
"The moment we start forgetting one thing or letting people come in and do this or start letting people influence our team, we'll lose."
Top 25 Women
Liston's 16 keep No. 5 Duke women perfect in ACC
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Tricia Liston scored 16 points and Elizabeth Williams added 14 to help No. 5 Duke remain perfect in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 81-37 victory over Clemson on Friday night.
The Blue Devils (17-2, 8-0 ACC) came in to Littlejohn Coliseum off an 80-72 win over No. 8 Maryland last Monday and didn't miss a beat against the Tigers (5-13, 1-6), pulling away to their 11th consecutive win this season.
Duke, which has 15 straight victories over Clemson, used a 15-2 run the last five minutes of the opening half to gain control and continued the surge after the break. It was the eighth straight game they've defeated Clemson by 24 points or more.
Quinyotta Pettaway had 12 points to lead the Tigers, who scored just 13 points in the second half.
Men's News & Notes
Blue Raiders surging at 20-2 in best start
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are enjoying the results of their chemistry experiment. Coach Kermit Davis had built a roster featuring four transfers from other Division I programs and three junior college players to a group returning three starters from a .500 team.
LaRon Dendy sat out last season as a transfer from Iowa State and says they swapped phone numbers followed by lots of texts. By the time the Blue Raiders hit campus, nobody felt like a stranger as they started playing pick-up games.
"Everybody wanting to win. That's where it all started off at," Dendy said.
And the Blue Raiders have been winning. They are off to the best start in Middle Tennessee history at 20-2, winning 12 straight going into Saturday's game at Vanderbilt. It's their first 20-win season since 1990-91, and their 71-58 win over Troy on Thursday night for a 9-0 start in the Sun Belt Conference that is their best since 1974-75.
A mid-August trip to Calgary, Alberta in Canada for four games also helped speed up the new teammates figuring each other out on the court. Junior guard JT Sulton, who has started 33 straight games, points to the Canada trip helping the Blue Raiders learn what each could and couldn't do. He said the players simply took ownership of the team then with NCAA rules limiting how much time coaches could be with them.
"We had to take it upon ourselves to become a better team," Sulton said.
Now only No. 11 Murray State (20-0), No. 3 Syracuse (21-1), No. 2 Kentucky (20-1) have better records this season than Middle Tennessee.
"It's a lot of fun," said Davis, who became the winningest coach in Middle Tennessee history earlier this season, passing Jimmy Earle, and now has 173 wins. "Our guys are a fun group to coach. They've got a great personality. They just work really hard, and it's a team that you can have a lot of fun with off the court. But on the court, they really play and have great effort, so it's been a fun time so far."
Middle Tennessee gave a strong hint of what this team might be capable of with a win at Loyola Marymount, then the Blue Raiders stunned UCLA in an 86-66 rout hitting 10 of 11 3-pointers and set a school record shooting 71.4 percent. The Blue Raiders also won at Mississippi 68-56 in December and avenged their first loss in double overtime to Belmont with a 65-62 home win in December.
Of their 20 wins, 16 have come by double figures including eight straight, which helped Middle Tennessee received votes for the first time Monday in The Associated Press' rankings.
Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said Belmont coach Rick Byrd warned him Davis had a team that wasn't just good by Middle Tennessee's standards or the Sun Belt Conference.
"He said they're really good, and they've certainly proven him to be 100 percent correct," Stallings said.
Davis has a team filled with size with seven Blue Raiders taller than 6-foot 4 with 6-9 Dendy averaging a team-best 13.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. They share the ball well with 10 players scoring in double figures at least one game this season, and Middle Tennessee ranked eighth nationally through Monday, holding opponents to 37.5 percent shooting.
Sulton said this group loves playing defense first since everyone can have off nights offensively.
"But you can always defend, so we try to preach that a lot and practice and stay on it," Sulton said. "Our goal is to keep our opponents under 30 percent, so ... we try to stick to that goal. We let our offense come to us."
Words every coach loves to hear, and the timing is great for Davis, who had his critics after going 16-16 in his ninth season. Middle Tennessee has a proud basketball history with NCAA tournament wins over Kentucky in 1982 and Florida State in 1989. But the Blue Raiders haven't been in the tournament since then, and patience had been waning.
Davis focuses on coaching his team. He grew up in the coaching business and remembers people hollering at his dad, Kermit Davis Sr., from the stands.
A win Saturday could clinch an at-large NCAA tournament berth for Middle Tennessee in case the Blue Raiders don't win the Sun Belt tournament and automatic berth.
That is something Davis wants to keep control of himself.
"In my mindset, we have to win the conference tournament. I think that's always got to be your mindset at our level. If the season ended today, would we be considered for an at-large? No question about it. Whether we get in, it's up to those people, but we're right in that mix. But at our level, you have to go in thinking you're trying like heck to win your regular season championship and understand more than likely you're going to have to win three games in March," Davis said.
"And if you don't have to, great. But that's our mindset right now."
-- Teresa M. Walker
Rams making noise again behind 'Havoc' defense
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The surge comes almost every game, usually in the second half.
That's when VCU's relentlessness "Havoc" defense that the Rams employ for 94 feet often takes its toll and the Rams gain the upper hand on another worn out opponent.
Sometimes, though, the intensity of the press that overwhelms a team at the start.
The Rams (17-5, 8-2 Colonial Athletic Association) had to replace four starters from last year's team that reached the Final Four, but they haven't sacrificed anything on defense — even with the largely new cast.
Coach Shaka Smart's team is second nationally in steals with an average of 10.2 per game, fourth in turnover margin at plus six, and 14th in scoring defense, allowing an average of 58.3 points.
And in the same way that watching speed on film doesn't prepare an opponent for what it's like in person, familiarity doesn't seem to help teams prepare to handle the Rams' pressure.
In the Rams' annual meeting with Richmond, the Spiders had 10 of their 17 turnovers by halftime, but trailed only 47-45 with 11:03 to play. Thereafter, they shot 1 for 13 from the field, turned the ball over seven times and saw a close game end in a 73-51 defeat.
The Rams outscored the Spiders 20-4 in a span of less than seven minutes to put the game away, leaving Richmond coach Chris Mooney hoping fatigue wasn't a factor for his team.
"I don't want to think that that was the case, but it very well could have been," he said.
Conference rival Old Dominion, which plays the Rams two and often three times a season, arrived at the Siegel Center on Jan. 21 averaging 14 turnovers. The Monarchs, with senior guards, trailed just 38-35 with 14:33 to play, but made just three field goals and had 12 turnovers the rest of the way and lost 61-48. On the night, ODU had 25 turnovers, and in one stretch of the second half, went 10 minutes without making a field goal.
In two key stretches of the game, Monarchs coach Blaine Taylor said, "we were trying a little bit too hard, just trying to keep the game tight, and that getting tight really slowed us down to where we made a miscue here and there."
Or a whole bunch of miscues, which helps the Rams mitigate their offensive shortcomings.
"It's as easy as we get more shot attempts when we turn teams over and we need that because we're not the highest percentage shooting team," Smart said.
The Rams are so confident that they will wear a team down, they look for the signs.
"We can see them. They're over there grabbing their shorts, breathing heavy," senior swingman Bradford Burgess said. "We can tell that the game is taking an effect on them.
"They're missing shots, their shots are short, they're turning the ball over. When we see that, we have to get even more aggressive to take advantage of their getting tired."
VCU's "Havoc" defense gained national acclaim last season when the Rams knocked off Southern Cal, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas to reach the Final Four.
Smart said teams can psyche themselves out trying to prepare for something they don't see often.
"I think it can be somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy for other teams if they work and work and work for two, three days on beating the press and they really dwell on not turning the ball over," the third-year coach said. "It can be what we call an avoidance goal. Sometimes if you set avoidance goals, you end up doing exactly what you want to avoid."
Even, perhaps, if you have just reinforced those goals at halftime.
Freshman Briante Weber played just 20 minutes against UAB, but had four of VCU's 14 steals. He had four more against Old Dominion.
Weber is the kind of player Smart always hopes to have in duplicate.
"Defensively, he's the definition of wreaking havoc," Smart said. "And just overall as a member of our program, he is an unbelievable energy giver. Every program, team or company has energy givers and energy takers. Briante is probably the best energy giver I've ever coached."
Through 22 games, Weber has more steals, 55, than field goals, 47.
The Rams had an eight-game winning streak earlier this season, and will take a six-game roll into Saturday's game at Georgia State trying to keep building toward another postseason push.
"We've got a chance," Burgess said. "The way we're playing, anything is possible."
-- Hank Kurz Jr.
Coll. of Charleston's Cremins takes medical leave
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Bobby Cremins' assistant says the veteran basketball coach hasn't looked well the past few weeks and Friday evening the College of Charleston announced Cremins will miss the rest of the season because of a medical problem.
Yet, Mark Byington — who will take over as the Cougars' coach — was still surprised when the 64-year-old Cremins called him Friday morning with the news.
"The despair in his voice last night and this morning, I knew something was wrong," Byington said.
Cremins was at his home on Hilton Head Island when the announcement was made at the school. The college did not specify Cremins' medical condition or put a time frame on his return, and asked reporters to respect his privacy. Charleston athletic director Joe Hull did say Cremins' condition was not life threatening.
"I personally hope he coaches for many years to come," Hull said.
The AD also plans to speak with Cremins over the next few weeks to determine it the coach will be out even longer.
Cremins issued a statement through the school, saying he knows his top assistant for all six of his years at Charleston will do well in his new role.
"I have complete faith in him as do our players," Cremins said.
The Cougars started this season 10-2 with wins over Clemson and Tennessee, but have lost six of their last eight. Hull said the goal is still to make it to the NCAA tournament. They are 4-5 in the Southern Conference and will need a late season run to get a bye into the second round of the conference tournament.
"It will be business as usual," Byington said. "There will be a different guy calling the signals, but we will move on."
Hull said he will keep in touch with Cremins, but has no plans for the program's future beyond having Byington finish the season.
Byington said Cremins has not looked healthy for the past few weeks, but he thought the coach just might need a day or two off. Instead, he got a phone call from a distraught Cremins at 7:15 a.m. Friday. He told athletic officials that Cremins was taking the rest of the season off, then gathered his team.
"I was very upset. The first thing the team asked when they heard is he OK?" guard Andrew Lawrence said. "Obviously if this has happened and he needs to take a leave of absence we are completely behind him."
Cremins is in his sixth season with the Cougars after spending 19 years coaching Georgia Tech. He has led Charleston to 20 victories in each of his seasons, but his teams haven't been able to win the Southern Conference tournament to get to the NCAAs. He is 579-375 in 31 seasons of coaching, and the Yellow Jackets named their home court for him before he returned to coaching in 2006.
Cremins grew up in the Bronx then came south to play for South Carolina and fellow New York-transplant Frank McGuire. He got his first head coaching job at Appalachian State, leading the Mountaineers to the NCAA tournament in 1979.
Three years later, he left for Georgia Tech and the Atlantic Coast Conference. He led the Yellow Jackets to nine NCAA tournament appearances and reached the Final Four in 1990. He also won three ACC tournament titles and two regular-season crowns before the program tailed off and he was let go after the 2000 season.
Cremins spent the next several years as a college basketball analyst, playing tennis on Hilton Head, until deciding to come back to coaching at the College of Charleston.
Byington has been at Charleston nine seasons. He led Friday's practice and told players they needed to play well for Cremins and just concentrate on Saturday's game against Wofford.
"We're going to make it through," Byington said. "You're going to deal with worse things in your life."
-- Bruce Smith
USC's Dedmon out with left knee injury
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California forward Dewayne Dedmon has a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and a bone bruise in his left leg, making him the fifth Trojans player to sustain a season-ending injury.
The 7-foot sophomore hurt his knee early in a game against Colorado on Thursday night when a Buffs player fell back into Dedmon, hyperextending his leg. Dedmon won't have surgery; instead, he'll rest and rehabilitate.
Coach Kevin O'Neill says Dedmon's injury is another "huge blow" to the team. The Trojans are 5-16 and 0-8 in Pac-12 play, having lost nine straight games overall.
Dedmon has been plagued by injuries since he transferred to USC. He broke his right hand in October and he had a stress fracture in his right foot in November. Dedmon averaged 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 20 games this season.
Other Trojans out with season-ending injuries are Jio Fontan, Aaron Fuller, Evan Smith and Curtis Washington. That leaves USC with six scholarship players on its active roster.
Miami extends Larranaga through 2019
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Jim Larranaga has received a three-year extension from Miami, keeping him under contract at the school through April 30, 2019. The school announced the deal Friday.
Larranaga is 11-7 so far in his first season with the Hurricanes. In a release distributed by the school, Larranaga says he is thrilled about the "extension and the commitment it shows to our program."
Larranaga is on pace for his 14th consecutive winning season. Perhaps best known for leading George Mason to the 2006 Final Four, Larranaga took over at Miami last April after Frank Haith departed for Missouri. Miami athletic director Shawn Eichorst says Larranaga is "a first-class representative" of the school.
Aden will miss Saturday's game at ASU
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Washington State has announced that Faisal Aden, the reigning Pac-12 basketball player of the week, will not be able to play at Arizona State on Saturday because of a knee injury. Aden was injured in the first half of Thursday's loss at Arizona.
Coach Ken Bone said that Aden appeared to have a sprained knee and possibly an injury to his MCL. His injury will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Pullman.
