Other College Sports Capsules: Mountain West, C-USA to form new league
Members of Conference USA and current and future members of the Mountain West are taking a bigger-is-better approach to college sports leagues.
The 16 schools announced plans Monday to form a new league that will begin in 2013 and have as many as 24 teams located in five time zones.
"This is an exciting development that will stabilize the current conferences and create the first truly national conference with members in five time zones and television viewership from coast to coast," UNLV President Neal Smatresk said in a statement. "We are moving our plans forward rapidly and expect to complete our conversations in the near future. Look for further announcements soon as we work together on this exciting new venture."
The new conference likely will have 18-24 schools, split into divisions, and not only have a football championship game but also semifinals. It also will hold a conference basketball tournament, the statement said.
School leaders said they plan to complete work on the new league in six months.
"This is a member-driven initiative as opposed to a conference-driven initiative," Tulane President Scott Cowen said in a telephone interview.
In October, Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky and Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson announced the two leagues were working to merge their football operations starting in 2013.
At the time, both commissioners left open the possibility that the football relationship could grow into something bigger.
Since then four C-USA members — SMU, Houston, Memphis and Central Florida — have announced they will join the Big East in 2013. Boise State and San Diego State from the Mountain West also announced they would be joining the Big East for football and switching their other sports to new conferences. The Mountain West also lost TCU to the Big 12.
The new plan is for Conference USA and the Mountain West to join forces and start over, possibly with new television deals. Both conferences currently are in the middle of contracts with CBS Sports Network that run through 2015-16. CBS has an option to extend the deal with the Mountain West for four years. C-USA also has a deal with Fox Sports Network that runs through 2015-16.
"We've had some very preliminary and high-level conversations with the TV network, not at the detail-level," Cowen said. "We think this new conference will draw considerable interest from the networks."
The schools involved are:
—Air Force, Colorado State, UNLV, New Mexico and Wyoming, which all currently compete in the Mountain West;
—Alabama-Birmingham, East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Mississippi, Texas-El Paso, Tulane and Tulsa, which all currently compete in Conference USA;
—Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii, which all currently compete in the Western Athletic Conference, but are set to join the Mountain West in 2012.
"It is apparent that this association has great potential and there are leaders within the group that are committed to maximizing it," Banowsky said.
All the schools except Hawaii will compete in all sports in the new conference. Hawaii will be a football-only member, though the Warriors could rack up some serious mileage when they face East Carolina in Greenville, N.C., (4,864 miles away) or UAB (4,358).
"The divisions will be constructed around the regional bases," Cowen said. "Rivalries will be retained."
Thompson said: "There are a myriad of details and moving parts that will be finalized in the weeks and months ahead, but there is positive momentum toward long-term stability and a tremendous opportunity for all involved."
Cowen said the likelihood of major changes being made to the BCS prompted the discussions between the university presidents and chancellors to draw up a new plan for the future.
"As long as the system changes, and we are hopeful it will, this new association will not be hurt at all (by the changes)," he said. "We welcome the opportunity to prove our worth on the field."
Hockey
Arnold gives BC 3-2 win in OT vs. BU in Beanpot
BOSTON (AP) — Bill Arnold wristed a shot into the net, the clock froze at 6.4 seconds, and the Boston College forward was soon belly-sliding on the ice as his teammates piled on top of him. So few of them have known it any other way.
The BC sophomore scored the game-winner just before the end of the first overtime to give the No. 3 Eagles a 3-2 victory over No. 2 Boston University in the Beanpot on Monday night — BC's third consecutive victory in the tournament for the area's college hockey bragging rights.
It's the first time anyone other than BU has won three Beanpots in a row in almost 40 years.
"This was college hockey at its finest," said BC coach Jerry York, who was a sophomore when the Eagles completed their last back-to-back-to-back Beanpot wins in 1965. "It had all the makings of a classic college hockey game, and it unfolded just like that."
Pat Mullane and Chris Kreider also scored for the Eagles, and Parker Milner stopped 32 shots for BC (19-10-1). Garrett Noonan scored twice and Kieran Millan made 44 saves for BU (17-10-1).
BC led 1-0 and 2-1, but both times Noonan tied it — the second during a 5-on-3 advantage in the third period. The teams played a spirited overtime and seemed headed for another when Arnold took a cross-ice pass from Steven Whitney and wristed it over Millan's glove for the game-winner.
It was BC's 17th Beanpot title in all — still short of the 29 that BU has won as it dominated the tournament for most of its 60 years.
BU coach Jack Parker noted that the Terriers won eight times in the 1990s and seven in the 2000s but have yet to win in this decade.
"So we have some catching up to do," he said.
Boston University had won 12 of the previous 15 Beanpots — more than half, 29 of 57, overall — before BC's current streak, and the Terriers had not gone three years without winning it since 1983-85. BU is still 27-14 against BC in the Beanpot, including 12-9 in the title game.
"BU has a lot of victories, but that's all in the past," BC defenseman Brian Dumoulin said. "Just like our wins the last two years are in the past. We weren't trying to get my third Beanpot. Our goal was to get our freshman their first."
BU and BC, which won three of the past four NCAA championships, are 2-2 head-to-head this season and are tied for second in the Hockey East conference.
But it was the fourth straight time BC (19-10-1) has beaten its Commonwealth Avenue rival in the tournament.
"This was a very tough game to lose," Parker said. "You lose an overtime game, you lose a championship and anytime you lose to Boston College. We're 2-2 against them, but they have the big one so far — they have a championship."
Luke Greiner scored a short-handed goal in the third period and Steve Michalek stopped 24 shots as Harvard beat Northeastern 3-2 in the consolation game earlier Monday. Alex Killorn and Alex Fallstrom also scored for Harvard (8-7-10). Robbie Vrolyk scored and Clay Witt made 36 saves for Northeastern (11-14-3).
Harvard has not won the Beanpot since 1993, and Northeastern last won in 1988.
BC, which beat Northeastern last year 7-6 in overtime in the championship game, put the Huskies out in the first round this time 7-1. BU advanced with a 3-1 victory over Harvard.
Boston College took a 1-0 lead when Mullane moved left to get around BU defenseman Max Nicastro and put the puck in the net with 11:06 left in the first period. The Eagles had a chance to extend their lead with a 1 minute, 51 second 5-on-3 late in the second, but Millan made a handful of saves to keep BU close.
Then, when the Terriers went on a power play soon after, Matt Nieto connected with Noonan on a cross-ice pass to set up the game-tying goal.
It was still 1-1 when, with BC on another power play, Johnny Gaudreau dug the puck out from behind the net and hit Kreider at the right faceoff circle. He slid into the middle and wristed it into the net to give BC a 2-1 lead with 1:18 left in the second.
It stayed that way until BU earned a 5-on-3 of its own early in the third. Noonan was camped to the goalie's right when he got a pass from Adam Clendening and deflected it off Milner's right pad and into the net to tie the game with 12:48 left in regulation.
-- Jimmy Golen
Neb-Omaha, N. Dakota to play outdoor hockey game
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska at Omaha will play an outdoor hockey game at TD Ameritrade Park next season. One of the people organizing the game, speaking Monday on the condition of anonymity because details won't be announced until Tuesday, said the opponent will be North Dakota.
A United States Hockey League game between the Omaha Lancers and Lincoln Stars also will be played outdoors. They will be the first hockey games played at 24,000-seat TD Ameritrade Park, home of the College World Series.
At least 18 college hockey games have been played outdoors since Michigan State and Michigan met at Spartan Stadium in October 2001. Most recently, Ohio State and Michigan played before 25,864 at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Jan. 15.
-- Eric Olson
Baseball
Big Ten considers Omaha-area stadium for tourney
PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — The Big Ten is considering Werner Park in suburban Omaha as venue for the conference baseball tournament beginning in 2013.
Sarpy County Administrator Mark Wayne said a Big Ten official toured the 9,000-seat stadium in Papillion (puh-PILL-yun) on Monday. Wayne said he expects to find out in March if Werner Park is selected.
Wayne said the Big Ten approached Sarpy County about making a bid. Wayne said local interest would be high because the College World Series is played at TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha. He said the Nebraska Cornhuskers would have a huge following if they made the Big Ten tournament.
The Big Ten tournament typically runs four days in late May. The contract to hold the event in Columbus, Ohio, expires after this year's tournament.
Arkansas picked to win SEC Western Division
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' baseball team has been picked to win the Southeastern Conference Western Division this season.
Conference officials said Monday that Arkansas received 64 points overall, six points ahead of Louisiana State. Alabama is expected to finish third, Ole Miss fourth, Mississippi State fifth and Auburn sixth.
Florida was picked as the preseason favorite in the Eastern Division, earning 66 points. South Carolina was second, Georgia was third, Vanderbilt was fourth, Kentucky was fifth and Tennessee was sixth. Points were compiled on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division. Coaches weren't allowed to vote for their own team.
The Razorbacks open the 2012 season on Friday against Villanova at Baum Stadium.
Golf
Arkansas tied for third at Puerto Rico golf classic
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas sophomore Emily Tubert's second round two-under 70 is good enough for fourth place and the Razorbacks are tied for third in the second day of the 10th Annual Lady Puerto Rico Classic.
Tubert opened her round on hole 1B with a double but rallied with birdies on four and six to turn even on Monday. She picked up three more birdies on 10, 15 and 18 along with a bogey on 17 to finish two under. Sophomore Emma Lavy is tied for eighth overall after a second-round one-under 71.
Georgia continues to lead the field with a 585. LSU is second with 586, followed by Oklahoma State and Arkansas, and Texas Tech in fifth with a 594.
Play concludes on Tuesday.
