Sports news briefs for September 23, 2003

Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2003 | 10:42 a.m.

Newspaper reports Big East plan in place

In the wake of defections by Miami and Virginia Tech, Big East Conference officials have put together a plan that will call for a 16-team, two-division basketball league and an eight- or nine-team football league, according to a report today in the Boston Globe.

The newspaper said the official announcement won't come until November after the school presidents sign off on the arrangement.

The added schools -- DePaul, Marquette, Cincinnati, and Louisville -- will come from Conference USA and join the Big East for the 2005 season. In football, Cincinnati and Louisville will replace Miami and Virginia Tech, who will join the ACC next fall. The University of Connecticut will become a member in football next season and Temple will leave after 2004.

There is a possibility that South Florida or Central Florida will be invited as an associate ninth member in football only, which would give the Big East a valuable presence in Florida.

Bryant ruling due

Eagle County (Colo.) Judge Frederick Gannett set a Monday deadline for both sides to submit arguments about whether Kobe Bryant's accuser should be ordered to testify next month at a preliminary hearing.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Swiss bodybuilder Patrick Graber, 31, was charged with solicitation of murder for allegedly offering to kill Bryant's accuser.

UNLV men in 13th place

The UNLV men's golf team shot a first-round 304 and was in 13th place, 17 strokes behind first-place Clemson, after Monday's first round of The Preview by PING and Golfweek at Hot Springs, Va. The second round was rained out Monday afternoon and rescheduled for today.

Rahman-Tua set

A third fight between heavyweight contenders Hasim Rahman and David Tua has been added to a Dec. 13 card that features a middleweight title fight between Bernard Hopkins and William Joppy and a welterweight title fight between Ricardo Mayorga and Cory Spinks.

More UNLV awards

Cornerback Ruschard Dodd-Masters was named Mountain West Conference defensive player of the week and kicker Dillon Pieffer the special-teams player of the week, giving UNLV its fifth and sixth weekly honors this season in the conference awards.