College Basketball Capsules - Men: UAB holds SMU to record low in 47-28 victory

DALLAS (AP) — Alabama-Birmingham held SMU to the lowest scoring output ever in a Conference USA game, defeating the Mustangs 47-28 Wednesday night.

The 28 points was fewer than the 36 points scored by UAB against Southern Miss on Jan. 12, 2002, in conference play. Overall, it was the lowest ever scored by SMU in the shot-clock era and its second-lowest since 1950 — barely surpassing the 26-point total against TCU on Feb. 15, 1956. The Mustangs' 12 first-half points Wednesday also set a record for futility in Conference USA play — their previous low for a half was 14 against Memphis on Feb. 18, 2009.

SMU (11-15, 2-9 Conference USA) made just 8 of 46 shots (17 percent) against the Blazers, including 3 of 29 3-point attempts. Robert Nyakundi led the Mustangs with nine points.

For UAB (11-14, 6-6), K.C. Whitaker scored 17 points, Cameron Moore added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Jordan Swing also had 11 rebounds.

McNeese State beats Texas-San Antonio

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Patrick Richard and Dontae Cannon scored 16 points each as McNeese State edged Texas-San Antonio 58-54 Wednesday night in Southland Conference play. 

It was the seventh straight win for the Cowboys (14-10, 10-2), who remain atop the Southland East. It's McNeese State's first win over the Roadrunners in four years. Last season, Texas-San Antonio beat McNeese State twice, including the finals of the Southland tournament.

The Roadrunners (15-11, 7-5) led 30-29 at halftime. They hit six of 11 3-point attempts against the McNeese State zone. After the Cowboys went man-to-man in the second half, Texas-San Antonio was 3 for 15 from the arc. The defensive switch enabled McNeese State to go on a 17-5 run and lead 46-35.

Melvin Johnson led the Roadrunners with 18 points. Jeromie Hill and Michael Hall had 11 apiece. Richard recorded his fifth double-double of the season, grabbing 12 rebounds. Desharick Guidry added 10 points.

Streaking Arlington beats Stephen F. Austin

NACOGDOCHES (AP) — LaMarcus Reed scored 16 points and Texas-Arlington rallied from a 15-point deficit to keep the nation's second-longest winning streak alive with a 51-47 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday night.

The Mavericks won their 16th in a row in a matchup between the top two teams in the Southland Conference West Division by holding Stephen F. Austin to 15 points and 19-percent shooting in the second half.

Bo Ingram added 13 points and Jordan Reves had nine rebounds and six blocks for Texas-Arlington (20-5, 12-0), which reached 20 victories for the second time in school history. The other came in 2007-08 when it went 21-12 and reached the NCAA tournament.

The Mavericks trailed 32-19 at halftime, their lowest-scoring half of the season.

Taylor Smith had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Lumberjacks (14-11, 8-4), who struggled against Texas-Arlington's full-court press in the second half.

Lamar rolls past Southeastern Louisiana

BEAUMONT (AP) — Anthony Miles scored 18 points, Mike James added 17 and Lamar kept pace at the top of the Southland Conference East Division standings with a 70-54 victory Wednesday over Southeastern Louisiana.

Devon Lamb and Charlie Harper chipped in 11 points each and Lamb pulled down 10 rebounds for the Cardinals (17-9, 8-4), who stayed two games behind McNeese State for first place in the division.

Lamar improved to 11-1 at home and completed a season sweep of the Lions (9-15, 3-9), who got 18 points and 12 rebounds from Roosevelt Johnson but shot just 36 percent from the field, including 0 of 11 on 3-pointers.

The Cardinals never trailed after the opening minutes. A 15-0 run, capped by a Stan Brown jumper, gave Lamar an 18-4 lead midway through the first half. The Lions cut it to 34-27 just after halftime, but Lamar pulled away and cruised to the win.

Texas State beats Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

SAN MARCOS (AP) — Matt Staff had 23 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday night and Texas State defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 79-61.

Three other Bobcats scored in double figures. Travis Jones had 17 points, Brooks Ybarra scored 13 and Wesley Davis had 12 points for Texas State (10-15, 3-9 Southland).

The Bobcats never trailed in the game and opened up a 46-19 halftime lead. Staff had 12 points and Ybarra 11 before intermission.

Chris Hawkins-Mast led the Islanders (4-21, 3-9) with 13 points and 12 rebounds — all but two points and two rebounds came after halftime. Myron Dempsey contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, and Jason Smith scored 10 points, all in the second half, for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Scoring balance key for Sam Houston State

HUNTSVILLE (AP) — Four players, led by Marcus James with 18 points, scored in double figures as Sam Houston State racked up its third victory in four games, defeating Central Arkansas 76-59.

The Bearkats dominated in the paint with a 49-32 rebounding advantage over the Bears. Sam Houston State also had a big 38-16 scoring margin in the paint.

Sam Houston (11-15, 5-7 Southland West) got 17 points from Steven Werner. Konner Tucker and Demarcus Gatlin added 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Central Arkansas (7-17, 2-10 Southland East) was led by Jarvis Garner with 16 points.

Big 12

No. 3 Missouri beats Oklahoma State

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — If seeking revenge for one of its only two losses this season was on No. 3 Missouri's mind, the Tigers kept that goal in the locker room Wednesday night.

"Just business," Missouri guard Kim English said after an 83-65 rout of Oklahoma State that wasn't nearly as close as the final score suggested. "But we definitely remembered how we didn't perform in Stillwater."

Marcus Denmon scored 17 points, Ricardo Ratliffe and sixth-man Michael Dixon both had 15 points and English and Phil Pressey scored 13 apiece for Missouri (24-2, 11-2), which is tied with No. 4 Kansas for first place in the Big 12.

Keiton Page led Oklahoma State (12-14, 5-8) with 23 points, but 14 of those came in the game's final 7 minutes once the outcome wasn't in doubt. He hit 5 of 9 attempts from beyond the arc.

Missouri held Cowboys freshman Le'Bryan Nash to 11 points after he torched the Tigers for 27 in a seven-point win in Stillwater in January. Nash sat out 5 minutes early in the first half after picking up two quick fouls.

"It did frustrate me a lot," Nash said. "As soon as I got that second foul, as soon as I went out, they went on their run. I fell like it was partly my fault because I got stupid fouls. If I would've stayed in the game, it would have probably been a different game."

Missouri started slow, making just one of its first six shots as the Cowboys took an early 4-point lead. But the Tigers soon found their shooting touch and it fueled a 23-4 run over 9 minutes in first half that helped Missouri put the game away. They led 44-22 at halftime and by as many as 35 points with 7 minutes remaining before a late Oklahoma State run with several Missouri starters on the bench.

English, the primary Missouri defender on Nash, said he learned what not to do after the prolific scorer had a career night in their previous encounter.

"I really was focused on getting him off the blocks where he's comfortable," English said. "I sniffed out some of their plays early and didn't let him get going early. With young, prolific scorers, if they make some baskets early, their jump shots get going, they get a little bit more moxie."

Dixon scored all but two of his points in the first half, connecting on all six of his shots. Pressey continued his strong outside shooting, making both of his 3-point shots in the first half, one game after hitting four 3s in a win over Baylor. And Ratliffe, who leads the nation with a shooting percentage of 73.7 entering Wednesday's game, had nine of his 12 rebounds in the first half while shooting 6 of 9 from the field for the game.

The Tigers, who start four guards along with the 6-foot-8 Ratliffe, had a 37-29 rebound advantage, their first after being outrebounded by an average of more than nine boards the previous five games. But for a change, the defensive matchup was favorable against a team that starts three guards and also has no starter taller than 6-8. That big man, redshirt freshman Michael Cobbins, had 12 points and seven rebounds for the Cowboys.

Missouri's lead was so large that coach Frank Haith was able to put little-used reserves Jarrett Sutton and Andrew Jones, a tight end recruited from the football team early in the hoops season to shore up a thin front line, into the game with nearly 5 minutes remaining.

Ratliffe's rebounds included a second-half offensive grab that he immediately flipped into the basket while falling down and getting fouled. That play gave Missouri its largest lead of the game.

Denmon had 13 points in second half —10 in the first 10 minutes — while going 3 of 7 from 3-point range.

The victory extended the school record of 101 for Missouri's four-man senior class, a group that consists of English, Denmon, Ratliffe and Matt Pressey, Phil's older brother.

But like his stone-faced public persona when asked about revenge as a possible motivation, English said the record is the byproduct of a more significant plan — one the Tigers hope will culminate in the school's first Final Four and a national championship.

"Those are product goals. We're stuck in the process," he said, repeating what has become a near-mantra for Haith and his team. "You're going to get some accolades along the way if you really consume yourself with getting better every day. That's a testament to us just getting lost in preparation every week, especially this season."

-- Alan Scher Zagier

Withey comes out of 'left field' for No. 4 Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Jeff Withey knew he was in trouble when he failed to track down a rebound and Kansas coach Bill Self immediately brought practice to a screeching halt.

Withey was coming off a miserable performance at Missouri, held scoreless in a game against the fourth-ranked Jayhawks' stiffest challenger for Big 12 supremacy, and Self was so annoyed by the 7-footer's lack of hustle that he told him to start running the stairs in Allen Fieldhouse.

There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 steps inside the historic arena.

Withey touched just about every one of them.

"He was disgusted, so he told me to touch all the stairs. I couldn't blame him," Withey said. "I think he was trying to light a fire under me."

It's been ablaze ever since.

Withey poured in a career-best 25 points in a victory at No. 9 Baylor, and followed it up with 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds against Oklahoma State. His performance against rival Kansas State on Monday night — 18 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocked shots — was pivotal as the Jayhawks avoided a second-half collapse in a 59-53 victory.

Not bad for a guy who could barely get on the court last season.

"For someone who kind of came out of left field, I don't remember anyone as dominant," said Self, who has tutored his share of NBA big men during his coaching career.

"How do you win without him?" Self asked.

It's a good question.

The Jayhawks (21-5, 11-2 Big 12) struggled early in the season against teams with length, such as top-ranked Kentucky and No. 5 Duke. But with Withey providing a complement for player of the year candidate Thomas Robinson in the paint, Kansas is playing its best ball in quite some time.

Since an upset loss to Davidson in December, its lone losses have come on the road against Iowa State and Missouri — the latter a turning point for Withey's season.

Perhaps his entire career.

"He's awesome. As a coach, I root for guys to get better," Kansas State coach Frank Martin said. "As a fan of the game, as a guy who tries to teach kids, when you see a kid play with the confidence that young man is playing right now — Bill tried to play him, put him in there and had to get him out. Now he's dominating games."

Withey didn't need to have much of a presence as a sophomore last season, when the Morris twins patrolled the interior and a bunch of veterans were holding the reins during a 35-3 season.

Markieff and Marcus both headed off to the NBA early, though. So did Josh Selby, and much of the leadership from that team graduated. Even the imposing Robinson was a role player last season, and he's taken on an expanded role as Kansas pursues its eighth straight Big 12 title.

Self knew that he'd need someone else to step up, especially after two high-profile recruits were deemed partial academic qualifiers. He never expected Withey to become that guy.

"I don't think there's a big guy in the country who plays like he does," Martin said.

There may be some truth to that, too.

The back-to-the-basket post player is a dying breed in college basketball. Teams are relying on athletic big men who can run the floor, get to the basket and extend defenses to the perimeter, rather than 7-footers who act as a pivot on offense, post up on the block and use an assortment of George Mikan-like baby hooks to get the ball in the basket.

"I've been telling Jeff for a while, 'When you get the ball in the post, unless they come trap you, just go one-on-one,'" Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor said. "He's been a really good shooter. It's hard to stop him. He's 7 foot. He can shoot right over guys."

Withey averaged 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds last season. He's averaging 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds this season, but 20.3 points and 12 boards over the past three games.

It's not like opposing defenses can simply foul him, either. Withey is shooting better than 85 percent from the free-throw line, fourth-best in the Big 12, and has been Self's choice when Kansas is awarded foul shots after a technical is whistled on opposing teams.

"He's got great timing. He's very skilled. He's not the most mobile guy, but I think he understands that and he makes up for it," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. "He has a very good understanding of what makes him good player, and what his strengths and weaknesses are."

Withey said it seems like games have been played in "slow motion" the past couple weeks, like he's the only on the floor who has the ability to move at normal speed.

If that doesn't change, the Jayhawks may be primed for another March run.

"I'd say being aggressive is a lot of it," Withey said. "At Missouri, I didn't score at all. I wasn't a factor. Coach was really angry about that. He feels like I just let them punk me. The last couple practices have been tough. He's been getting on me, getting me to be more physical in practice. He's a good motivator, and my teammates are, too."

-- Dave Skretta

WVU's move to Big 12 leaves Pitt rivalry in doubt

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh and West Virginia have met at least once a year in basketball since 1915, a rivalry that's endured a couple dozen coaching changes, various conference alignments and a half-dozen venues.

Yet there's a sense the 184th meeting between the schools on Thursday night might be the final page in a book whose first chapter was written more than a century ago. West Virginia's move to the Big 12 next season and Pitt's impending switch to the ACC by 2014 leaves the future of one of the country's longest running series very much in doubt.

Though West Virginia coach Bob Huggins would be "shocked" if the schools decide to avoid each other in nonconference play down the road, Pitt's Jamie Dixon isn't sure it's possible.

"I'm not the guy that makes all the decisions," Dixon said. "There's a lot of history way before I got here, so I don't know. A lot more people have been through a lot more games than myself. It means more to some and that's what we'll see."

Any renewal, however, may have to wait until 2013 at the earliest.

Pitt's nonconference schedule next year already includes the NIT Tip-Off, and besides, the Panthers have rarely loaded up on nonleague games against opponents from BCS conferences under Dixon. Only two of Pitt's 13 non-Big East games this season were against BCS schools, with the Panthers sweeping Tennessee and Oklahoma State.

Keeping the series alive would almost certainly require rotating venues, meaning both schools would have to trade a winnable — and revenue-producing — home game every other year for the right to play each other.

Huggins said he "would think" West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck and Pitt counterpart Steve Pederson will explore extending the rivalry, though considering Pitt is off West Virginia's football schedule next season, there's no reason to believe the basketball series would avoid the chopping block.

Pitt senior forward Nasir Robinson, who will play against the Mountaineers for the eighth time on Thursday, says it won't seem right if the Panthers don't make the annual 75-mile trip south to Morgantown to play in one of the Big East's toughest venues.

"We know the crowd's going to be fired up, talking that trash (when we go down there)," Robinson said. "We're going to miss it."

There's no time to get nostalgic, however, for two teams whose immediate future is hazy at best. The Mountaineers (16-10, 6-7 Big East) have lost five of six, while the Panthers (15-11, 4-9) have dropped two straight, ending a run of 10 straight years in which Pitt has won at least 10 Big East games.

The Panthers likely need to win out and have a healthy run at the Big East tournament next month to avoid missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001. Pitt appeared to be headed in the right direction after beating the Mountaineers 72-66 on the road on Jan. 30, but disheartening losses to South Florida and Seton Hall over the past week has blunted its momentum.

Dixon isn't quite ready to do the math, but he knows the Panthers can't afford another misstep.

"We've got to win some games, no doubt about it," Dixon said. "How many? Nobody knows. But we've got to play, we've got to play well."

Something the Panthers did with aplomb in the schools' first meeting of the season. Point guard Tray Woodall scored 24 points, Ashton Gibbs added 15 and Dixon became the first coach in Pitt history to win five games at the WVU Coliseum.

A sweep would give Pitt's postseason prospects a boost, a loss would almost certainly mean a trip to the NIT at best. It's those kind of implications that drive the Panthers, not the prospect of seeing their most familiar rival for perhaps the last time.

"I don't know if we can get any more layers at this point as far as what we need to do," Dixon said. "Being in the Big East people sometimes ask about extra motivation for a game, I've never been able to come up with extra motivation for a game in our league."

He doesn't think the Panthers need it, a sentiment echoed by Huggins.

The Mountaineers have spent the last three weeks playing in tight game after tight game. Their last five contests have been decided by six points or less. The problem is West Virginia simply isn't delivering in the clutch.

"We're very, very close to being a good basketball team," Huggins said. "And obviously there's been some things happen that we'd sure like to get back. You don't get any mulligans. We've got to finish games."

Getting the last word in against the Panthers would simply be a bonus.

-- Will Graves

Top 25

Capsules: Barnes helps UNC rally past Miami

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Harrison Barnes scored 23 points and No. 8 North Carolina rallied from an eight-point deficit in the second half to beat Miami 73-64 on Wednesday.

The Tar Heels, who came in leading the nation with 83.5 points per game, shot only 38 percent and went 5 for 18 from 3-point range. But they forced turnovers on four straight possessions in the second half and held Miami scoreless for nearly five minutes.

North Carolina (22-4, 9-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) took a half-game lead over Duke and Florida State atop the league standings.

Durand Scott scored 15 points for Miami (15-9, 6-5).

NEW MEXICO 77, NO. 13 SAN DIEGO ST. 67

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Kendall Williams scored 21 points and Drew Gordon had 17 points and 17 rebounds as New Mexico moved into first place in the Mountain West Conference.

The Lobos (21-4, 7-2) won their sixth straight game and held Chase Tapley, the conference's leading scorer, to seven points. He came in averaging 16.2 points and had been in double figures in 18 straight games. Tapley was held scoreless until making a layup with 4:38 to play.

Jamal Fenton had 15 points for the Lobos.

It was just the second home conference loss in two seasons for SDSU (20-5, 6-3) and the first time the Aztecs lost consecutive games since January 2010.

Jamaal Franklin scored 16 points for the Aztecs, while Tim Shelton had 13 and James Rahon 11.

NO. 16 MURRAY ST. 75, SE MISSOURI ST. 66

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) — Donte Poole hit four 3-pointers and scored 25 points as Murray State, despite a poor game from leading scorer Isaiah Canaan, clinched its third straight Ohio Valley Conference with a victory over Southeast Missouri State.

Ivan Aska had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Racers (25-1, 13-1), who have won two straight since getting upset at home by Tennessee State last week to end a 23-0 start.

Canaan, second in the conference with a 19.6 average, was held scoreless for the first 17 minutes and finished with nine points on 2-for-11 shooting.

Leon Powell had 13 points and eight rebounds for Southeast Missouri State (14-12, 9-5).

NO. 18 INDIANA 71, NORTHWESTERN 66

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Cody Zeller scored 23 points and Verdell Jones had all six of his over the final 4:03 to lead Indiana past Northwestern.

The victory gave coach Tom Crean his first 20-win season in Bloomington, and the Hoosiers (20-6, 8-6 Big Ten) are 15-1 at home.

John Shurna led the Wildcats (15-10, 5-8) with 29 points, while Drew Crawford had 18.

It was 63-63 with 4:29 to go when Jones finally warmed up. He hit a tie-breaking baseline jumper, followed that with a driving layup to give the Hoosiers a 67-63 lead and the Wildcats never got another chance to retake the lead.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 75, NO. 21 SAINT MARY'S 60

MORAGA, Calif. (AP) — Drew Viney scored 17 points and Anthony Ireland had 16 as Loyola Marymount bounced back from one of its most lopsided losses of the season.

Jarred Dubois added 15 points and Ashley Hamilton had 11 for the Lions (17-10, 10-4 West Coast Conference), who lost to No. 24 Gonzaga 78-59 in its last game.

The 10 conference wins are the most by Loyola Marymount since the 1989-90 Bo Kimble-led Lions made it to the regional finals of the NCAA tournament.

Rob Jones had 25 points and 15 rebounds in the first loss in 17 home games for the first-place Gaels (23-4, 12-2), who saw their lead over Gonzaga trimmed to one game. Saint Mary's lost starting guard Stephen Holt to a right knee injury in the first half.

NO. 23 NOTRE DAME 71, RUTGERS 53

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jack Cooley scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half to lead Notre Dame over Rutgers.

Cooley also had 18 rebounds for the Fighting Irish (18-8, 9-3 Big East), who won their seventh straight game. Jerian Grant added 11 points, Eric Atkins had 10 points and eight assists, and Pat Connaughton also scored 10.

Notre Dame's last loss came at Rutgers on Jan. 16.

Dane Miller scored 11 points as the Scarlet Knights (12-14, 4-8) committed 26 fouls, allowing Notre Dame to pour in 24 points from the line. Rutgers has lost four in a row.

NO. 24 WICHITA ST. 73, MISSOURI ST. 58

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Seven-foot center Garrett Stutz hit four 3-pointers and scored 21 points to lead Wichita State over Missouri State to clinch at least a tie for the Missouri Valley Conference title.

Stutz finished 7 of 8 from the field and had 10 rebounds for the Shockers (23-4, 14-2), who were playing their first game as a ranked team since 2006-07. David Kyles added 12 points.

Anthony Downing had 17 points for Missouri State (16-12, 9-7).

Kyles scored 10 points and had two 3-pointers in less than 3 minutes during a 15-3 run that gave Wichita State a 56-42 lead with 10:17 remaining. The Bears never threatened after that.

Top-ranked Kentucky opens doors on practice

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky opened its practice on Wednesday, allowing students, faculty, staff and a national television audience to watch the top-ranked Wildcats' workout and scrimmage.

"I want the students into it, I want the players alert and focused through the week," coach John Calipari said. "Our practices are pretty consistent in how we go about it, then it turns into ... 'Why don't we call ESPN?' Then it was like, 'I bet it rates higher than games.' It's Kentucky. That's the Kentucky Effect."

The Wildcats are trying to become the first team since 2003 to finish the Southeastern Conference undefeated. Next up for Kentucky (25-1, 11-0) is Mississippi (15-9, 5-5) on Saturday.

They also have games remaining at Mississippi State, home versus Vanderbilt and Georgia and the regular-season finale at Florida on March 4. The Wildcats' rotation includes highly touted freshmen Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kyle Wiltjer to go with sophomores Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones and senior Darius Miller.

"The way we're playing, I'm happy, but I'm not satisfied. I'm just not satisfied because I want to make sure we're getting better and I'm looking for areas where can we grow," Calipari said. "I guess we could be more perfect, but the reality is I'm happy how we're playing, but I'm not satisfied. I want us to improve on that."

Calipari decided to open practice after what happened in the days leading up to Kentucky's only loss. The Wildcats beat North Carolina by a point on Dec. 3, but fell at Indiana on Christian Watford's buzzer beating 3-pointer exactly one week later after he gave the team two days off. He also downplayed that any team would gain an advantage watching the practice on television.

"You say, 'Well what if this doesn't work?' I know the other doesn't work, because I lived it," Calipari said. "The other thing we did absolutely didn't work after North Carolina. So I'm trying something different. Maybe it won't work, but we'll see.

"We're really not changing anything."

The afternoon practice drew about 2,000 people to the 8,000-seat Memorial Coliseum who received free tickets as students, faculty or staff at the university. The Wildcats wanted to make it open to the public, but parking around the campus while school was in session proved to be too logistically complicated to solve on short notice.

Calipari was also unsure if they'll be able to do a similar event in the future or if the NCAA will outlaw similar live, televised practices.

"If it's allowed. It may not be allowed" in the future, he said. "But I'm not worried about that. What I do is worry about my program and my team and that's it. We go from there."

The practice included a question-and-answer session with Calipari from fans, drills, a shooting contest that included students and a scrimmage.

Calipari said his favorite part of taking the Kentucky job in 2009 has been walking into a sold-out Rupp Arena every time the Wildcats play there, where he's 48-0 since he's taken over. He also was asked humorous questions like who would win a beauty pageant among his players and who he would rather coach — Kobe Bryant or LeBron James.

Calipari took the high road on each, drawing the most laughs when he said he'd love to coach Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin over the other two superstars.

-- Colin Fly

News & Notes

NCAA providing glimpse of selection process

The NCAA, for the first time this season, is giving the public the same information the men's basketball committee uses to select teams for the NCAA tournament.

Even with all those numbers available, there's sure to be plenty of scrutiny when the final 68 teams are selected next month.

"There are frankly a lot of good basketball teams out there that are playing very good basketball and that adds to the challenge for the 10 committee members here in the selection room," NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee chairman Jeff Hathaway said Wednesday during a teleconference.

Selecting the teams for the NCAA tournament is one of the most dissected behind-the-scenes processes in all of sports. When the tournament added three teams to the bracket last season, the microscope seemed to zoom in even more.

This season, the NCAA added a link to its website that ranks teams by RPI, including an expanded comparison of overall and conference records, strength of schedule and records against teams within various categories of RPIs.

There's also a link for the team sheets of all 344 Division I teams, which break down the raw RPI numbers for every game on a team's schedule — the same sheets the selection committee looks at when deciding which teams to include in the bracket.

The idea was to give the teams, fans and media a look at what the committee is basing its decisions on, though the numbers aren't the only indicators they use.

"Certainly, you need to watch teams play and I think the majority of us see teams play on multiple occasions," said Hathaway, who retired as Connecticut's athletic director last year and is now an adviser for the Big East Conference. "That gives you some further insight. How a team looks is crucial and we get out and see games throughout the season. We need to go beyond the numbers."

Last year proved that.

Virginia Commonwealth was considered a bubble team last season, one many thought more deserving of the NIT than a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Rams not only got in, they proved nearly everyone wrong with an improbable run to the Final Four, where they joined fellow mid-major Butler in Houston.

VCU's unexpected finish and the strong class of mid-majors this season give the tournament selection committee another thing to factor in during what is already shaping up to be a tough process to fill the bracket.

"The bottom line for us as a committee is that there is more quality spread throughout college basketball than we've seen in the past couple years," Hathaway said.

One change the committee will make for this year's NCAA tournament involves the final four teams that make the bracket.

When the NCAA expanded to a 68-team field last season, it decided to have a pair of play-in games called the First Four, to be played in Dayton, Ohio, the Tuesday before the main bracket started.

Clemson was among the First Four and, after winning its opening game, had a short turnaround and a long trip, playing two days later in Tampa, Fla. The tired Tigers ended up losing to West Virginia in the first round.

After evaluating last year's First Four games, Hathaway said changes will likely be made this year to avoid the travel troubles Clemson experienced, possibly putting those first teams in a bracket where the next games aren't so far away.

"You won't see them play in the first afternoon session and that's what occurred last year in the Clemson situation," Hathaway said from Indianapolis, where the committee is going through a mock selection with members of the media. "The other thing you likely will see is that there are sites that are closer to Dayton — Columbus, Pitt — and it's an easier travel situation, also including Louisville and Nashville."

-- John Marshall

NBA sensation Jeremy Lin sparked Harvard hoops

BOSTON (AP) — Jeremy Lin majored in economics, enjoyed video games and didn't care much for the spotlight. He also was his college's best basketball player.

But at Harvard, a school known more for its GPAs then points per game, that only gets you so far.

"He wasn't a nerd," current captain Oliver McNally said. "He was just normal. You take out basketball and he's a very normal student at any school."

There's nothing normal about what Lin has done for the New York Knicks, though, with at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first five starts.

Back on campus, Crimson coach Tommy Amaker expects Lin's run to help him recruit new players. That, and Harvard is pretty good, too.

In fact, at 21-3 overall, the Crimson lead the Ivy League with a 7-1 record. With six games left, four at their 2,196-seat homecourt with foldout bleachers, the school that had its last NBA player 48 years ago would reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1946 if it finishes atop the conference.

And now Lin has taken the NBA by storm with his surprising success.

In short, Harvard's hot, folks.

"He is so deserving of it. He is such a good kid," said McNally, Lin's teammate in the backcourt for two seasons. "There's no better representation of Harvard basketball or Harvard University to be at such a big stage."

Lin's meteoric rise and nonstop publicity can be a huge recruiting tool, even more important than Harvard's third straight 20-win season.

Lamar Reddicks helped recruit Lin, who received no athletic scholarship offers coming out of Palo Alto High in California. Harvard doesn't offer them and Reddicks, who said he knew Lin would be good, recalled him as a weak "stringbean."

The NBA? The last Harvard player to get there was Ed Smith. And he lasted just 11 games with the Knicks in 1953-54.

But by Lin's senior year, he was Harvard's strongest player. And last Friday, he scored 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in Madison Square Garden.

"It really does help recruiting," said Reddicks, now athletic director and basketball coach at Milton Academy, a high school just outside Boston. "Those same kids that don't think that they can reach the NBA from Harvard, that they need to go to the big-time schools, now might take another look."

Keith Wright, Harvard's other captain, has caught a close-up glimpse of the Linsanity.

"Everywhere I go it's like, 'Did you play with Jeremy?' or 'Have you talked to Jeremy?'" Wright said. "I'll be out at Target. They see me (with) a Harvard basketball shirt on and oh, like, 'Jeremy Lin's doing awesome.'"

Amaker didn't know much about his players when he became coach in 2007-08, Lin's sophomore season. His background had been at major basketball schools — point guard and assistant coach at Duke and head coach at Seton Hall and Michigan.

Now, he's in the Ivy League, coaching back-to-back games on weekend nights, a conference tradition.

"One of the things you learn right away about Jeremy is how much he loves basketball," Amaker said. "It's pretty cool and it's pretty neat to see how he has kind of become somewhat of a global figure and a global star, but he has many layers to him. ... being a Harvard grad, being an Asian-American kid, being an outstanding basketball player, being a person whose faith is very important to him, being an incredible person, being a great teammate.

"You can go on and on about this kid."

Reddicks does. He remembers his first season after leaving Harvard to become an assistant at Boston University when Lin, then a sophomore, went there for a game. He chatted with Reddicks while other players were warming up.

"He comes over and he doesn't leave," Reddicks said. "Finally, I'm like, 'Jeremy, go get warmed up, man, you've got a game.' And he goes, 'Coach, I have 30 games this year. I only have one where I get to see you, so I'm going to spend as much time as I can with you.'

"My eyes start to water."

In the last season before Lin arrived, the Crimson were 13-14, their fourth straight losing record. Then, they went 12-16 and 8-22. But they improved to 14-14 and 21-8 in his last two seasons.

Last season, Harvard went 23-7 and tied Princeton for the Ivy League title. But its first year in which it won or shared the top spot ended with a one-point playoff loss to the Tigers. Princeton went to the NCAA tournament. Harvard went to the NIT, where it lost in the first round.

Amaker's crew is even better this season, though, and was nationally ranked for the first time. The coach, of course, traces that success back to Lin.

"He helped elevate our program to wherever we are now," he said. "That kid is directly responsible for this thing moving in this direction."

Harvard suffered its first league loss last Saturday at Princeton, 70-62. But it still holds the top spot over Yale (16-6, 6-2) and Penn (13-11, 5-2).

Harvard had beaten Penn 56-50 the night before losing to Princeton, and its players hoped to see the remainder of Lin's performance against the Lakers.

"We were on the bus," Wright said. "We were so upset that we couldn't stop somewhere and watch that Laker game, the end of it after the Penn game. But just seeing the highlights, it's incredible."

Incredible, improbable, unimaginable. Take your pick.

Who saw this coming?

Lin played sparingly in 29 games last season with Golden State, which signed him as an undrafted free agent and cut him Dec. 9. Houston signed him on Dec. 12, then cut him on Dec. 25. He joined the Knicks on Dec. 27, and has been the talk of the NBA the past two weeks.

"He's not afraid to take the big shot," Reddicks said of the humble Lin, "but probably getting all this attention may not be right up his alley."

Lin's last season at Harvard was the school's first with at least 20 wins. Now it has three in 101 years of basketball.

"That's what we signed up for when we came here," Wright said, "to change the history of Harvard basketball, to change the tradition, and it's just amazing and fulfilling to see that happening with us here.

''Jeremy was the leader of the team and a tremendous player, so it definitely all started with him."

-- Howard Ulman

Gant's home finale at Washington finally arrives

SEATTLE (AP) — When he decided Washington was the place to play his college ball, Darnell Gant believed it was a one- or two-year springboard to a future in the NBA.

Five years later, Gant gets grief for being the old man of the program.

"To me, he's always been the grandfather of the team," guard C.J. Wilcox joked.

Gant will close out his lengthy home career at Washington this week when the Huskies (17-8, 10-3 Pac-12) host Arizona State on Thursday and then face Arizona on Saturday afternoon. He'll be one of just two seniors honored on Saturday, along with fan-favorite reserve Brendan Sherrer, with the Huskies still in the fight for the Pac-12 Conference lead.

If Washington can reach the NCAA tourney in what's been a down year for the conference, Gant would become the first player in Huskies history to reach four NCAA tournaments.

"That's a big thing for me," Gant said. "I've always wanted to leave college being in the history books in some way, and if this is my opportunity then I'm going to try and take full advantage of it."

Gant believed he would be finding his name in Washington's record books for different reasons when he signed out of Crenshaw High in Los Angeles. He was brash and confident when he arrived, but it only took one practice getting thrown around by Jon Brockman for Gant to realize he needed to redshirt. His redshirt freshman season, when Washington lost in the second-round of the NCAA tourney, Gant started 34 of 35 games, but averaged just 3.1 points. That number dipped as a sophomore, as did his playing time.

Those aspirations of leaping to the NBA after a year or two were tempered pretty quickly.

"I feel like the struggle was the best part for me. At the time where I wasn't playing much and I had to look back and kind of watch everybody pass me up, I feel like that was the most memorable time because it kind of humbled me and made me work harder and be a better player and get my mind right and prepare for these next two years," Gant said. "And these last two years, for the most part, I'm proud of myself and just proud of the state of mind I'm in because I came from thinking one way to thinking in a whole different light."

Seeing his role and playing time diminish caused Gant to reinvent his game. He never attempted a 3-pointer during his first two college seasons, yet has grown into a being a nearly 37 percent 3-point shooter his final two seasons. He started 34 games as a freshman and a total of 36 in the three years since, becoming one of coach Lorenzo Romar's first options off the bench.

There's also a level of resiliency Gant showed earlier this season. Against California, in a key Pac-12 matchup and without an injured Wilcox, Gant had the worst night of his career. He finished with one point and missed all nine of his shots, including an open 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime. Instead of a hangover, Gant came back to score 17 points two days later against Stanford, the second-best scoring game of his career.

"That other guy was a young adolescent that came here; now he's much more of an adult than he was before. It's been great to see him blossom these last five years that he's been in school. It's been a joy to see that," Romar said. "Still has a great heart. He came with a great heart and is going to leave with a great heart — but just has matured so much."

Gant finished his degree in performing arts last June. He was part of a school production of a Midsummer Night's Dream in the spring of 2010 and was among the most excited players when the Huskies took a trip to New York in December that included the chance to take in two Broadway productions.

He still has the same NBA hopes that he did when he first arrived at Washington, but those now come with a different perspective.

"The years I've been here we've won and I'll forever be remembered because we won here," Gant said. "I feel like I've accomplished a lot."

-- Tim Booth

UConn coach will miss at least next two games

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun will miss at least two more games while he receives treatment for his ailing back, the school said Wednesday.

Calhoun has sat out four games because of spinal stenosis, including Wednesday's 80-54 win over DePaul. He also will miss Saturday's game against Marquette and Monday's game against Villanova.

"I am happy that we seem to have located the problem, and I am currently moving forward with treatment," Calhoun said in a statement. "We have to give that treatment time to see whether or not it is effective."

Calhoun, who has had back pain since last summer, took an indefinite leave of absence on Feb. 3.

The Huskies (16-9, 6-7 Big East) are 2-2 since then, with wins over Seton Hall and the Blue Demons, and losses at Louisville and Syracuse. UConn has lost six of eight, and has won just four times in 2012.

"I'm hoping by the middle of next week, we will have a much clearer picture of where we are and when I can look forward to getting back to doing what I do," Calhoun said.

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spine, normally associated with aging and sometimes with arthritis. If physical therapy and medicine aren't effective, surgery might be considered.

Associate head coach George Blaney, who has been leading the team in Calhoun's absence, said the coach is sounding stronger, but nobody has a timetable for his return.

"I would love to have him back, he would love to be back, I'm hoping that he's back," Blaney said. "I want him to take care of his back first, and get to a place in his mind that he feels comfortable enough to coach. And whether it's going to take what he's doing now or whether it's going to take a procedure, we don't know yet."

Calhoun has had a history of health problems. He is a three-time cancer survivor, overcoming prostate cancer in 2003 and skin cancer twice, most recently in 2008.

Calhoun has missed 25 games during his career at UConn, 21 for medical reasons. He has had to leave another 11 games because of health problems. His last extended medical leave came in 2010, when he missed seven games with stress-related issues.

He missed three games earlier this season because of NCAA sanctions.

"We're just dealing with what we have now," point guard Shabazz Napier said. "We have a lot of issues on our plate and we're taking it one game at a time, one game at a time, one practice at a time."

Calhoun is No. 6 on the career wins list with 869. He has won three national championships at Connecticut and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005. He coached the team to its fourth Final Four and third national title last April.

He gets credit for all the Huskies' wins and losses while he is out on medical leave.

-- Pat Eaton-Robb

N.C. State begins brutal stretch at No. 5 Duke

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State has made its way near the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

The next three games — against teams that all share the league lead — will determine if the Wolfpack deserves to stay there.

N.C. State (18-7, 7-3) begins a challenging gauntlet of three games in six days Thursday night at No. 5 Duke.

The fourth-place Wolfpack enter one game behind three two-loss teams — the Blue Devils (21-4, 8-2), No. 8 North Carolina and No. 20 Florida State — and they play host to the Seminoles on Saturday, followed by the Tar Heels next Tuesday.

The significance of this stretch isn't lost on anybody who has even a passing interest in the program — something first-year coach Mark Gottfried found out recently when he was approached by a fan in a grocery store.

"A guy says, 'Coach, you've got to win one of these three,'" Gottfried quipped Wednesday. "Is that guy on the (tournament selection) committee?"

Picking up a win or two against them certainly would help N.C. State's resume as it chases its first NCAA tournament bid in six years. Through Tuesday night's games, the Wolfpack were at No. 50 in an unofficial replication of the RPI formula with a schedule-strength rating of 59.

"I think they're an NCAA team and will be tough down the stretch," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

N.C. State put itself in the tournament conversation by beating the teams it should beat.

The Wolfpack's current three-game winning streak came against Boston College, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech — the three teams at the bottom of the standings — and five of their eight ACC wins have come against those schools.

After the current three-game run against the league leaders comes another three-game stretch of toss-up games against Clemson, Miami and Virginia Tech to end the regular season.

The challenge, Gottfried says, is to keep from looking at the schedule in terms of three-game clusters.

"There's not a walk in the park left on the schedule. We know it," he said. "And so what we can't do is try to group three together. We truly have to be mature enough ... to zero in on this Duke game. Then it's a quick — we have 24 hours and we'd better get ourselves ready to play Florida State. Then after that, but I don't think you can get ahead of yourself and, 'Oh, what happens in these three?'"

There's virtually no chance any of the Wolfpack is looking past Duke.

N.C. State hasn't won at Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1995, losing its last 10 trips to that corner of North Carolina's "Triangle," and has only beaten the Blue Devils five times since that season.

"There's a lot of streaks that I think we've inherited that need to change," Gottfried said.

Beating Duke on its home court could go a long way toward ending another one — the Wolfpack haven't made the NCAA tournament since 2006, with former player Sidney Lowe failing to take them there in five seasons at the helm.

Still, Gottfried insists it's way too soon to worry about making the field of 68, emphasizing his point with several familiar coaching mantras. 

"There are so many variables out there that you can't control them all," he said. "But one thing we can control is, let's try to be the best team we can be. One at a time. That's all we can control."

-- Joedy McCreary

Crucial stretch begins with Vanderbilt on Thursday

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi is about to embark on its most crucial — and brutal — stretch of the season.

In less than 48 hours, the Rebels (15-9 overall, 5-5 Southeastern Conference) will host Vanderbilt (17-8, 6-4) on Thursday night before travelling to face No. 1 Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Saturday.

Junior Murphy Holloway said his team isn't moaning about the quick turn against two of the SEC's elite teams, and instead is relishing the challenge.

"You might as well," Holloway said. "Because you can't run from it."

To stay in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament at-large berth, Ole Miss probably needs at least a split. The Rebels have had an up-and-down February, but are fresh off a come-from-behind victory over Auburn on Saturday.

Holloway was the catalyst in that win, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. And his wide 6-foot-7 frame will be needed against both the Commodores and Wildcats, who have some of the biggest and most talented teams in the SEC.

Like Holloway, Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said he wasn't going to complain about the difficult schedule.

"I try not to get too far ahead," Kennedy said. "When you get into the grind of the season, it's just getting to the next day. That's been our approach. That's what I want our kids to do so I try to live it myself. Vanderbilt's outstanding — just like Kentucky, there are not a lot of holes in their game."

Mississippi has proven to be a feisty — if flawed — team that depends on outstanding rebound and defense to offset poor outside shooting and a tendency to commit too many turnovers.

After the Auburn win, Kennedy joked that he occasionally checks the waiver wire for new players, but none are available.

Though the Rebels do have their warts, the sixth-year coach said his players are also starting to understand their strengths and limitations.

"We're kind of who we are," Kennedy said. "We continue to compete, we continue to try to win the effort areas. We've got to be good on the glass, make timely shots and try to value the ball better. Most games we've competed and put ourselves in a position if we make the necessary plays, than we have a chance. That's not going to change. It's who we are.

"My hope is we finish strong."

Vanderbilt has gone through its own tough stretch, losing three of four games, including Saturday's 69-63 home loss to Kentucky.

But those struggles appear more schedule-related than an indictment on the Commodores' talent. They have a veteran team led by wing players John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor, who are both among the SEC's top 3-point shooters. Jenkins averages a team-high 19.5 points per game while Taylor is right behind him at 17.6.

Stallings said the close loss to Kentucky was disappointing, but also a sign that his team is capable of playing well against anyone in the country. 

"I think we proved to ourselves — not that we didn't know this — but it showed that if we can get it where it needs to be consistently enough than we can probably play with anyone in the country," Stallings said.

Montana State guard likely out for season

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Montana State scoring leader Xavier Blount is expected to miss the rest of the season after injuring a shoulder and breaking his nose in a fight with other Bobcats athletes outside a bar early Sunday.

Averaging 11.7 points and tied for the team lead with 26 steals, Blount missed his first game Wednesday night when the Bobcats faced Big Sky-leading Weber State.

A bouncer at the bar found Blount barely conscious on the bar's back porch at 1:15 a.m. Sunday.

Blount went to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital and was treated in the emergency room for a dislocated shoulder, a broken nose and a split lip, university officials said.

Montana State linebacker Roger Trammel, 21, was charged with misdemeanor assault. Athletic Director Peter Fields said Wednesday that Trammel has been dismissed from the football team, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported.

Blount, 20, was charged with minor in possession of alcohol and disorderly conduct.

Two other university athletes also face charges. Track star Chris Wilson, 20, was charged with disorderly conduct and unlawful use of a driver's license. Defensive tackle Zach Minter, 21, was charged with unlawful use of a driver's license

Montana State is 6-7 in the Big Sky, including a five-game losing streak. Weber State is 12-1 in conference games.

Trammel, 21, was slated to be a starting linebacker for the Bobcats next fall. He started three games last year before being sidelined by an injury against Minot State.

Wilson will be suspended for the Montana State Open at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Friday. 

Minter's discipline is still to be determined, but Fields said the All-America defensive lineman will be punished by the football coaches, not the athletic department.

Wyoming junior guard cleared to play by NCAA

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming junior guard Derrious Gilmore has been reinstated by the NCAA and has been cleared to play immediately.

Gilmore has missed nine games after he was ruled academically ineligible, starting with Wyoming's Jan. 9 game against Idaho State.

Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt announced Wednesday that Gilmore's academic eligibility was reinstated by the NCAA through an appeal process. The NCAA notified Wyoming late Tuesday that Gilmore's appeal was granted.

Gilmore played in Wyoming's first 15 games of the season, starting one game versus Northern Colorado on Nov. 15. He was averaging 4.3 points and 1.2 assists per game when he was suspended from play.

UW player's play nominated for dunk of year

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming freshman forward Larry Nance Jr.'s slam dunk against San Diego State on Jan. 24 has been nominated for the Dunk of the Year on ESPN2.

Each week for four weeks, six rim-rattling dunks will be nominated for the honor. Two winners from each week will be determined by fan voting through the official Facebook page. Wyoming fans can vote for Nance Jr. until next Monday.

The eight finalists will compete in a two-week voting competition to determine the Dunk of the Year, which will be announced March 26 on ESPN2.

Nance's dunk occurred late in the first half against then-No. 12 ranked San Diego State. Nance took off from just inside the foul line to throw down a dunk over the Aztec's Chase Tapley.

Tennessee F Hall suspended indefinitely

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin has suspended forward Kenny Hall indefinitely for "conduct detrimental to the team. 

The Volunteers (13-12, 5-5 Southeastern Conference) announced Hall's suspension just before Wednesday night's game against Arkansas (17-8, 5-5).

Hall, a junior from Stone Mountain, Ga., has appeared in all 25 games this season and started 16 of them, including the last two games. He averages 6.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and one block in 20.2 minutes per game.

Western player honored by NAIA

DILLON, Mont. (AP) — Montana Western forward Kyle Erickson has been named the NAIA Division I men's basketball player of the week.

The senior from Broadview averaged 31.5 points, 12 rebounds, 4.5 assists and two steals in Western wins over Montana State-Northern and Great Falls.

In an 89-75 win over Northern, Erickson scored a career high 32 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and tallied seven assists and a steal. He added 31 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and three steals in a 66-63 win over Great Falls. 

St. John's associate AD fired

NEW YORK (AP) — St. John's senior associate athletic director Brian Colleary has been fired over misappropriation of tickets.

Colleary, who was suspended without pay on Feb. 9, was let go Wednesday after an internal review found he was involved in "inappropriate activities" regarding tickets to events such as the Big East tournament. The school said in a statement that this was an isolated incident and that it has strengthened controls and policies.

Colleary, who had been athletic director at Marist and Duquesne, had been at St. John's for six years.

49ers wing Mayfield suspended for one game

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte 49ers sophomore wing DeMario Mayfield has been suspended for one game for a violation of team rules.

Mayfield will miss the 49ers' game Wednesday night at Dayton. Mayfield is averaging 10.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and is shooting .397 from the field.

The school did not disclose the reason for Mayfield's suspension.