The Morning Dish – Sunday, March 20th
Texas Tech Advances: In the first game of the day, Ronald Ross scored 24 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:06 to play and two clinching free throws with 7.5 seconds left to lead Texas Tech to a 71-69 win over Gonzaga. Jarrius Jackson added 18 points to support Ross as the Red Raiders (22-10) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since they became a member of the Big 12. Adam Morrison led Gonzaga (26-5) with 25 points and nine rebounds. For complete tournament coverage, including more detailed game recaps, visit Hoopville 2005 Tournament Central .
Huskies Coast to Sweet 16: Washington made it look easy in the second half, shooting 61 percent to break the game open en route to a 97-79 win over Pacific. Nate Robinson scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Huskies (29-5), leading their up-tempo game as they never trailed. Pacific (27-4) was led by Guillaume Yango’s 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Panthers Keep Rolling: Wisconsin-Milwaukee forced 22 turnovers and took full advantage of them in an 83-75 win over Boston College, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. In the first couple of minutes, it looked like it would be all Eagles as they scored the game’s first 11 points. But the Panthers (26-5) went on a 19-3 run to take the lead, which they held until an 8-0 run by the Eagles gave them a 31-30 lead with under five minutes left in the first half. The second half was back-and-forth, with the Panthers scoring the game’s last nine points for the win. Joah Tucker led the Panthers with 23 points. Boston College (25-5) was led by Craig Smith’s 25 points, and Jared Dudley added 22.
Illini Big Men Can Play, Too: Illinois got a career-high 23 points from James Augustine and 12 more from Jack Ingram en route to a 71-59 win over Nevada. As if the offensive boost from the frontcourt wasn’t enough, they also shut down Wolfpack star center Nick Fazekas, who scored just 11 points on 5-20 shooting. The Illini (34-1) have reached the Sweet 16 for fourth time in the last five seasons. Kevinn Pinkney led Nevada (25-7) with 21 points.
Utes End Sooners’ Run: Andrew Bogut did it all for Utah, scoring 10 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and handing out seven assists as the Utes advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 67-58 win over Oklahoma. Bogut’s support was solid as Justin Hawkins had 20 points and 14 rebounds, Marc Jackson had 17 points and Bryant Markson 16 for the Utes (29-5). Oklahoma (25-8) shot 32 percent from the field, getting 19 points and 15 rebounds from Taj Gray.
Wildcats Coast Into Sweet 16: Despite some struggles in the first half, Arizona managed to lead most of the way, then pulled away in the second half in their 85-63 win over UAB. In the second half, the Wildcats (29-6) committed just four turnovers, and they continued to shut down UAB as the Blazers shot just 32 percent for the game. Salim Stoudamire led Arizona with 28 points. UAB (22-11) was led by Donell Taylor’s 13 points and Demario Eddins added 12.
These Wildcats Are Also In: Kentucky rode its strong inside play to a 69-60 win over Cincinnati in just the sixth time the two nearby schools have played each other since 1948. A 34-12 advantage in points in the paint was the big difference for the Wildcats (27-5), who shot 48.1 percent from the field and had all five starters score in double figures, led by Kelenna Azubuike’s 19 points. Nick Williams led Cincinnati (25-8) with 16 points as the Bearcats shot below 33 percent from the field. The game was played in front of 40,331 fans, a one-session record for an NCAA subregional site.
Mountaineers Stun Demon Deacons: Mike Gansey scored 19 of his career-high 29 points in two overtime sessions to lead West Virginia to a 111-105 upset of Wake Forest. The game was certainly a war of attrition, as each team had three players foul out and three other players had four fouls when the game ended. Taron Downey, who led the Demon Deacons with a career-high 27 points, hit two clutch three-pointers that kept the Demon Deacons (27-6) in contention, including one that sent the game into the first overtime. Eric Williams had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Chris Paul added 22 points and nine assists before fouling out in overtime. Tyrone Sally helped Gansey with 21 points before fouling out, as five players scored in double figures for the Mountaineers (23-10).
Tigers Win Easily in NIT: Rodney Carney led five players in double figures with 17 points coming off the bench, leading Memphis to an easy 83-62 win over visiting Virginia Tech. Anthony Rice added 16 points for the Tigers (21-15), who made 10-of-22 three-pointers. Virginia Tech (16-14) was led by James Gordon’s 16 points.
Other NIT Winners: Also advancing in the NIT were Texas A&M (21-9), 75-72 winners at DePaul (20-11) behind 23 points from reserve Bobby Leach; St. Joseph’s (21-11), 55-50 winners over visiting Buffalo (23-10) behind 26 points from Pat Carroll; Davidson (23-8), which got 22 points from Brendan Winters to knock off host Southwest Missouri State (19-13) 82-71; and Wichita State (22-9), 84-81 winners over Western Kentucky (22-9) thanks to shooting over 57 percent from the field and making six free throws in the final 91 seconds.
Injured Huskies Should Play Sunday: Connecticut junior guard Denham Brown did not practice with the team on Saturday, but should be ready to play in Sunday’s second round game against North Carolina State. Brown has been bothered by a nagging knee injury, and head coach Jim Calhoun said in his news conference that not having Brown practice is strictly a precautionary move. Calhoun also said that sophomore point guard Marcus Williams, whose knee was injured Friday’s win over Central Florida, would go for about 50 percent of practice and will start tomorrow.
Knight Doesn’t Like Practice and Game Times: Even with his team continuing to surpass many expectations, Bob Knight still found something to gripe about in Friday’s news conference in Tucson. He was not happy with the practice schedules, which included some teams on Wednesday practicing after 8 PM, as well as the game schedule, which included his Red Raiders playing at 11 A.M. local time against Gonzaga on Saturday.
Lebo Signs New Contract: Jeff Lebo signed a seven-year contract with Auburn, keeping him in town through the 2011-12 season. The Tigers posted a 14-17 record in his first season as their head coach, but Lebo feels good about what was put in place for the future. His base salary will be $175,000, according to athletic director Jay Jacobs, while endorsements, radio and television agreements will bring his overall compensation to $750,000 per year.
Tonight’s Menu
• In Worcester, No. 2 Connecticut takes on No. 10 North Carolina State (Syracuse region), then No. 5 Michigan State takes on No. 13 Vermont (Austin).
• In Charlotte, No. 1 North Carolina takes on No. 9 Iowa State (Syracuse), then No. 1 Duke takes on No. 9 Mississippi State.
• In Nashville, No. 4 Louisville plays against No. 5 Georgia Tech and No. 4 Florida plays No. 5 Villanova.
• In Oklahoma City, No. 2 Oklahoma State takes on No. 7 Southern Illinois, then No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 14 Bucknell battle.
