Wednesday, March 17, 2004 | 10:14 a.m.
Apologies, to Rebels athletic director Mike Hamrick and Dr. Carol Harter, UNLV president. Both acted quickly and decisively, contrary to how we figured it would unfold, in nabbing Lon Kruger's coaching services. Splendid move.
Best first-round matchup in the NCAAs? Texas Tech vs. Charlotte, Thursday, between Bobbys in Buffalo. Excellent coaches (Knight vs. Lutz) and tough players, some bruises and maybe a little blood, and possibly an overtime session or two.
California, no longer an NCAA power broker. For only the second time in 16 years, only two Golden State teams (Pacific and Stanford) are playing in the elite tournament. The state is officially falling apart.
Don't think Western Michigan warrants much attention? Think again. The Broncos, who feature Mike Williams, play a Southeastern Conference squad (Vanderbilt) Friday in Phoenix and are favored by a point in the books.
East Tennessee State is making its second consecutive NCAA appearance with a new coach, Murry Bartow, and a dynamic senior forward who just might own the most exotic name in the tournament -- Zakee Wadood.
For Nevada-Reno, there might not be a more challenging draw. The Pack gets Michigan State, always one of the country's toughest teams that just happened to play one of the most difficult schedules ever this season, in St. Louis on Thursday.
Gordon, Ben Gordon, as in, the most dangerous player in the NCAAs. UConn's junior ace has scored 125 points in five of his past six games, averages 18.1 points, and almost five assists and rebounds, and hits 44.6 percent of his 3s.
Heaven, to us, would be Air Force vs. Princeton in the second round in Denver on Saturday. Anyone for a 26-24 game? Hoosiers II? It would be the first time Vegas would set an over-under proposition on back-door layups.
In the NCAA first round, a No. 12 seed has upset a No. 5 seed in 14 of the past 15 years, for a total of 20 victories. This year's pick? Manhattan against Florida in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday.
Jay Spoonhour, to Southwest Missouri State? Barry Hinson might be on thin ice, and AD Bill Rowe, who hired Charlie way back when, could have a popular replacement in Junior. The Bears have been to the NCAAs once since the elder Spoonhour coached them.
Ken Korach, the popular Rebels radio play-by-play broadcaster, ends his 12-year stretch for UNLV after its next loss. His experience and perspective will be missed as he focuses his career on Oakland Athletics baseball.
Louisiana State suffered a major loss similar when center Jamie Lloreda injured his left foot a few weeks ago. The Tigers (18-10) then lost three of four, a swoon that sent them to an NIT game tonight against Oklahoma.
Most lopsided NIT first rounder -- Notre Dame (17-12) against Purdue (17-13). The Irish have won seven of their past nine, including that spanking of UCLA at fabled Pauley. Meanwhile, the Boilers have dropped nine of their past 12.
Niagara needs a big game from Las Vegas High graduate Tremmell Darden tonight in its NIT home game against Troy State. A 6-foot-4 senior shooter, Darden averages 17.9 points, second-best on the Purple Eagles.
Overload. That's ESPN most often, anyway. Three minutes of Dukey, er, Dickie Vitale is too much, but three hours? We yielded early Sunday, opting for Courage the Cowardly Dog.
Play-in games stink. The past three years, that "lucky" winner has gone on to get blasted by an average of 26 points a few days later by a top-seeded foe. Thanks for comin'.
Quite a conspiracy between Kentucky and Utah. They've played in five of the past 11 NCAAs, and came very close twice in that stretch. Could happen again in the Elite Eight. But the Utes are 0-5 vs. the 'Cats.
Remember. When Connecticut won it all, in 1999, it did so via a West Region semifinal and final in Phoenix. It is again slated to pass through the Valley of the Sun, in the third and fourth rounds, this year.
Starch, our nickname for ESPN analyst Jay Bilas -- acts and talks as if he triple starches his boxers, right? -- doesn't get it. Air Force deserves to be in the NCAAs and will give North Carolina plenty of headaches.
That's life. Utah State won the Big West regular season but the league isn't even rated among the nation's top half. Then it stumbled early in their tourney. Coach Stew Morrill & Co., play Sinatra's Greatest Hits, Track 7.
Uh oh. Murray State juniors Kelvin Brown and Adam Chiles picked the wrong week to get arrested for various indiscretions. Brown was the Racers' No. 2 rebounder. Somehow, Chiles, the starting point guard, gets to play Friday against Illinois.
Very slick, Dr. Tout. A local medical professional made his hospital rounds Monday with a stethoscope in one of his lab coat pockets and multiple folded-up brackets in the other. Looked like research material. Riiiiiiiiight.
Will Alabama State score more than the 35 points it tallied in its first NCAA appearance, a 34-point whipping by Michigan State, three years ago? No. The Hornets play Duke in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday.
Xavier. Kids, it's Zave-yur, not Ecks-eh-vure. And Gon-zay-guh, not Gon-zah-guh. And Ill-i-noy, not Ill-i-noise. Fax this one to CBS and ESPN pronto.
Yango, Guillaume Yango. Pacific's 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior from Martinique is third on his team in scoring (10.2 points a game) and second in rebounding (5.8). Hey, we needed someone whose name ended in "Y."
Zzyzx, as in Road, as in, where St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli will permanently relocate if his top-seeded Hawks lose their first one to 16th-seeded Liberty.
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