NCAA WiretapMarch 2007 NCAA Wiretap

Tar Heels Remain On Top Of Coaches' Poll

Dec 31, 2007 4:50 PM

The top five teams in the ESPN/USA Today men's college basketball poll - led by No. 1 North Carolina - remained unchanged this week.

But No. 6 Pittsburgh's 80-55 loss to Dayton had a dramatic effect on both teams. The Panthers fell to No. 13 in this week's voting of 31 coaches. The Flyers climbed into the poll at No. 23, thanks to their 11-1 start, including wins over Pittsburgh and Louisville.

Unbeatens Memphis (11-0), Kansas (13-0) and Washington State (12-0) are second, third and fourth in the rankings. UCLA (12-1) remains fifth. No. 6 Michigan State (12-1) and No. 7 Georgetown (9-1) each moved up a spot. Duke climbed two places to No. 8, followed by once-beatens Tennessee and Texas A&M.

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Auburn's Barber Out Four Weeks With Broken Hand

Dec 31, 2007 9:06 AM

Auburn forward Korvotney Barber, the national field-goal percentage leader at 72.0 percent, is expected to be sidelined at least four weeks after breaking his non-shooting left hand.

Barger, averaging 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds, was injured Saturday in the Tigers' 79-59 victory over Towson.

The injury leaves the team with just six available scholarship players.

"For our team, it is heartbreaking, and I feel for them. Obviously, it is an unbelievably difficult situation," Coach Jeff Lebow said Sunday.

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Pitt Guard Fields Out 8-12 weeks With Broken Foot

Dec 30, 2007 6:06 PM

Pittsburgh guard Levance Fields suffered a broken left foot in Saturday's loss to Dayton and will be out 8-12 weeks which could end his regular season.

Pittsburgh spokesperson Greg Hotchkiss said Fields will have surgery Monday and will have a pin inserted in his left foot.

"We're extremely disappointed for Levance," Coach Jamie Dixon said. "We expect him to make a full recovery and return sometime later in the season."

Fields' injury comes a week after the Panthers lost starting forward Mike Cook for the season with a torn ACL in a victory over Duke at Madison Square Garden in which Fields hit the game-winning 3-pointer.

Fields was averaging 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 12 starts for Pitt this season, his second as a starter. He had started 49 straight games at Pitt.

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Vanderbilt Equals Best Start In School History

Dec 29, 2007 5:02 PM

A.J. Ogilvy scored 21 points, and No. 15 Vanderbilt tied for the best start in school history with a 92-85 victory over Tennessee-Martin on Saturday.

At 12-0, the Commodores have equaled the 2003-04 Vanderbilt team for the school's best start.

After trailing by 13 points in the first half, UT-Martin stormed back in the second half and grabbed a 71-70 lead with 9:24 left.

The game was tied at 83 with 3:20 remaining on a 3-pointer by UT-Martin's Lester Hudson. Vanderbilt went ahead for good at 88-85 on a 3-pointer by Shan Foster with 3:08 left.

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Johnson Gets OK To Play For Longhorns

Dec 29, 2007 5:01 PM

Texas' inside game got a much-needed lift Saturday when team doctors cleared freshman forward Gary Johnson to play for the first time this season on Wednesday against TCU.

Johnson had been practicing throughout the season but hadn't been cleared to play in the regular season due to a heart condition. The condition, detected in June, kept him out of conditioning over the summer.

Johnson won't play in Saturday's home game against Wisconsin. Texas entered the game ranked No. 9 with an 11-1 record, including wins at UCLA and over Tennessee in Newark, N.J. The Longhorns' only loss came last Saturday against Michigan State in Auburn Hills.

Texas Coach Rick Barnes had said throughout the season he was confident Johnson would be cleared once he finished a full evaluation period. He also said Johnson would help the team's rebounding and interior scoring since it had relied so much on guards D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams.

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Weber State Spoils Sutton's Debut As USF Coach

Dec 29, 2007 9:21 AM

Eddie Sutton figures he'll get wins No. 799 and 800 soon enough. For now, though, the 71-year-old coach is happy to teach his new players the finer points of the game.

Sutton returned to coaching Friday night, but rather than recording win No. 799, the 71-year-old settled for loss No. 316.

Sutton, who retired from Oklahoma State following the 2005-06 season, replaced Jessie Evans as San Francisco's basketball coach. On Wednesday night, the school announced that Evans was taking "a leave of absence" for the rest of the season. Sutton will lead the Dons (4-8) on an interim basis.

After building a 15-point lead in the second half, Weber State held on and came away with a 62-54 victory over San Francisco.

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Polynice Leads Ole Miss To Best Start Ever

Dec 29, 2007 9:20 AM

Mississippi showed a little of the muscle it will need when the Southeastern Conference season starts in a couple weeks.

Chris Warren scored 17 points; Eniel Polynice was an assist shy of a triple-double; and Ole Miss (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today, No. 22 AP) got physical in a 78-58 win over Southern Miss that set the Rebels' school record for consecutive wins to start the season.

"This is probably the most physical game we've played all year," Polynice said. "This is a learning experience. Hopefully we can learn from this and get ready to go to the SEC and get better."

Warren got things started with 13 points in the first half, and Polynice and Dwayne Curtis scored the bulk of their points as Ole Miss held Southern Miss (8-5) scoreless over the final 6 1/2 minutes.

The Rebels, ranked for the first time since the final Associated Press poll of the 2000-01 season, went on a 23-7 run to end the game and finally put away the pesky Golden Eagles, who matched Ole Miss run for run in an entertaining game that was close until late.

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Sutton Loses USF Debut

Dec 29, 2007 3:11 AM

Eddie Sutton figures he'll get wins No. 799 and 800 soon enough. For now, though, the 71-year-old coach is happy to teach his new players the finer points of the game.

Sutton returned to coaching Friday night but rather than recording win No. 799, the 71-year-old settled for loss No. 316.

Sutton, who retired from Oklahoma State following the 2005-06 season, replaced Jessie Evans as San Francisco's basketball coach. On Wednesday night, the school announced that Evans was taking "a leave of absence" for the rest of the season. Sutton will lead the Dons on an interim basis.

After building a 15-point lead in the second half, Weber State held on and came away with a 62-54 victory over San Francisco.

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UNC's Frasor To Miss Rest Of Season

Dec 28, 2007 5:27 PM

The knee injury that will sideline North Carolina junior Bobby Frasor for the rest of the season is limited to a torn ligament.

Frasor tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the top-ranked Tar Heels' win over Nevada on Thursday night. The school said tests performed Friday morning found no additional damage to the knee.

The injury robs North Carolina (12-0) of a versatile veteran who can play either guard position. Coach Roy Williams said Frasor will need surgery, which is expected to be performed in the coming weeks.

Frasor stole the ball twice in the backcourt shortly before the injury in the second half, helping him earn the team's award for top defensive player for the fifth time this season.

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No. 1 UNC Rolls, But Reserve Frasor Injured

Dec 28, 2007 8:07 AM

Top-ranked North Carolina's latest lopsided victory didn't matter much in the locker room. Not after the Tar Heels lost a key contributor for the rest of the season.

Tyler Hansbrough scored 26 points, and Wayne Ellington added a career-high 23 to help North Carolina beat Nevada 106-70 on Thursday night, but the Tar Heels lost junior guard Bobby Frasor to a knee injury in the second half.

Frasor tore his left anterior cruciate ligament when his leg gave way while he was trying to make a steal near the sideline with 9:47 to play. He immediately clutched his knee when he went down before limping to the locker room. He did not return and will require surgery.

The injury robs the Tar Heels (12-0) of a versatile veteran who can play either guard position and provides defense and leadership off the bench.

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Sutton To Replace Evans As USF's Coach

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Knight Given Public Reprimand For Criticizing Officials

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Source: Evans Expected To Resign As USF Coach

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After Long Absence, UConn Women Back At No. 1

AP

Louisville's Padgett Cleared To Work Out

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NC State Point Guard Degand Out For Season

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UCLA Back In Top 5 In Latest Poll

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Fast Start Helps No. 22 Miami Protect Perfect Mark

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Kentucky Transfer Legion Chooses Illinois

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Behind Nelson, Oakland Stuns No. 21 Oregon

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WVU's Huggins Collects 600th Win

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Wiggins, Stanford Upset Top-Ranked Lady Vols In OT

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No. 8 UCLA Rallies In 2nd Half, Tops Michigan

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No. 1 North Carolina Blows Out UC-Santa Barbara

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Injury Likely To Shelve Pitt's Cook For Season

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OVC To Offer Courtside Replays At League Venues

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Oklahoma Edges Gonzaga Despite Pargo's Career-Night

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Gonzaga's Heytvelt Expected To Play Vs. Oklahoma

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No. 2 Memphis 9-0 For First Time Since '85-86

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Hansbrough Returns From Injury To Lead UNC

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