The Morning Dish – Tuesday, March 29th
Knoxville is His Oyster: Bruce Pearl, who led Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history this season, was introduced as the head coach at Tennessee yesterday. Pearl replaces Buzz Peterson, who failed to guide the Vols to an NCAA Tournament appearance during his four years in Knoxville and was fired March 13. Tennessee gave Pearl a five-year, $800,000 contract and must pay Wisconsin-Milwaukee a $194,000 buyout of Pearl’s remaining contract with the Panthers. Wisconsin-Milwaukee associate coach Tony Jones and assistant Jason Shay will join Pearl in Knoxville. They are the latest names to enter the list of this season’s Coaching Changes .
Barnett Killed in Car Accident: Georgia State junior Tikoyo Barnett died Saturday night in a Pensacola, Fla., hospital after he lost control of his car on Highway 84 and was thrown from the vehicle after hitting a tree. Barnett, who averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season, his first at Georgia State after two years at Alabama Southern Community College, was 22.
Bogut NBA-Bound: Utah sophomore Andrew Bogut made it official Monday. The 7-foot center will forgo his final two years of eligibility with the Utes to enter the NBA Draft. The All-American averaged 20.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per game and hired agent David Bauman of SFX Basketball. Bogut is a lock to be a lottery selection and could very well be the first overall pick.
Diogu Declares: Arizona State junior forward Ike Diogu, the 2005 Pac-10 Player of the Year, will enter his name in the 2005 NBA Draft but will not hire an agent, thereby keeping open the possibility of returning to Tempe for his senior season. Diogu led the conference with 22.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.34 blocks per game. He is the third all-time leading scorer in Sun Devils history with 1,946 points in 91 career games.
Johnson to Transfer: Penn State junior forward Aaron Johnson, the Nittany Lions’ second leading scorer with 11.9 points per game, will transfer head coach Ed DeChellis announced yesterday. Johnson started 28 of Penn State’s 30 games and also averaged 9.9 rebounds.
Elite Eight Games Score Big with Viewers: Saturday’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament drew CBS an overnight rating of 8.1 with a 15 share, the network’s best since 1995. The overall average overnight ratings for this year’s tournament are up 10 percent from last year.
Tonight’s Menu:
• In NIT semifinal action at Madison Square Garden, Memphis takes on St. Joseph’s and Maryland battles South Carolina.
