The Morning Dish – Tuesday, March 23rd
NIT marches on: The battle for the biggest NCAA tournament snub continued with four more teams advancing to the quarterfinals. Chris Thomas scored 39 points for Notre Dame as they overcame a one point deficit at halftime to beat St. Louis 77-66 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Hawaii blew a 19 point lead but still managed to hold on for an 84-83 win over Nebraska. Jason Carter had 21 points for the Rainbow Warriors before sustaining an injury when punched a sideline advertisement. Michigan beat Oklahoma 63-52 behind 17 points from Dion Harris. The Sooners played the game with only eight players as surgeries, suspensions and transfers depleted the bench. Rutgers won a Big East battle with West Virginia 67-64 behind 26 points from Ricky Shields. Wednesday, they will face another Big East squad in Villanova for the right to go to Madison Square Garden.
Schwab out of the Hospital: Three weeks after open heart surgery, Marquette assistant coach Trey Schwab left the hospital. The open heart surgery was needed to remove a blood clot which resulted from a double lung transport two weeks prior. He was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2001 and had been waiting two years for a donor for the procedure. His Golden Eagles take on Boise State tonight in the NIT.
Houston has decided: Houston athletic director Dave Maggard has denied reports that Tom Penders has been offered the head coaching job with the Cougars. Tom Penders confirmed this report late Monday night but added that if offered, he would accept the post at Houston because he was very impressed in his interview with the future direction of the program. Regardless, a press conference has been announced for Tuesday afternoon to present the new coach, whoever it may be.
Offenders beware: The NCAA has announced plans to collect and publish graduation reports for 2003. The decision was made after the Department of Education decided not to publish the information itself. The objective is to catch schools not educating their athletes, especially those who play football and men’s basketball. According to reports, four schools in this year’s NCAA tournament had a graduation rate of zero, something that would not have been discovered without these plans.
Patient Utes: Utah athletic director Chris Hill said publicly that there is no timeline set for deciding the next coach of the Utes. Rick Majerus left the team back in January for health reasons and replacement candidates are being kept secret. Kerry Rupp filled in as interim coach and led the team to a 9-4 record and a Mountain West Championship but it is not known if he is a possibility for the fulltime gig.
Davis Contact News to Him: Reports out of Alabama say that the Auburn Tigers are seeking Mike Davis to be the next head coach. Davis, who suffered his first losing season in four years at Indiana, said no one from the school has contacted him. He is linked to the Tigers since he grew up in the state and played for the University of Alabama. With four years left on his current $800K per year contract, the chances that Davis will leave Indiana are slim.
Tonight’s Menu:
• After tonight, the quarterfinals of the NIT will be set. Oregon hosts George Mason for the right to face Notre Dame, Iowa State travels to Florida State with the winner playing the winner of the night’s third game, Boise State at Marquette.
