Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson III signed a six-year contract extension Thursday that will keep him with the Hoyas through 2013.

The Hoyas are 72-30 in three years under Thompson, including going 30-7 with a trip to the Final Four last season. It was the team's first berth in the NCAA tournament semifinals since Thompson's father took Georgetown that far in 1985.

Connecticut and Tennessee aren't continuing their rivalry on the court, but a war of words could be brewing.

According to the Hartford Courant, UConn coach Gene Auriemma called out Tennessee coach Pat Summitt on Monday for not giving a valid reason for canceling the series. The Huskies had sent a contract to the Vols to extend the series two more years but were rejected.

"I think she should just come out and say she's not playing us because she hates my guts," Auriemma told the newspaper. "And I think people would buy that. Then everyone [who seeks a reason] would be happy. She should just say that [Geno is] a dope, a smart-ass and then everyone could say that they agree with her."

University of Louisville freshman center Clarence Holloway is recovering in Jewish Hospital after having open heart surgery Saturday morning to repair the wall of his aorta and his aortic valve.

During a routine physical examination on Friday, Holloway was admitted to the hospital after an echocardiogram detected the heart condition.

Holloway is enrolled at Louisville but has not been working out with the Cardinals while he awaits initial eligibility approval from the NCAA Clearinghouse. He will be sidelined for the entire 2007-08 season, but doctors are optimistic he will be able to return to the court in time.

Ohio State is giving men's basketball coach Thad Matta a raise, boosting his salary to just under $2.5 million a year and adding another year to his contract through the 2016 season.

The Ohio State Board of Trustees approved the contract addendum yesterday.

Matta, in his fourth year as the head coach, won the 2007 Big Ten regular-season title.

Ohio State must pay former men's basketball coach Jim O'Brien more than $2.4 million for his wrongful firing in 2004, an appeals court ordered Thursday.

The 10th District Court of Appeals also ruled that O'Brien should not receive an additional $1.3 that he had said he was owed by the university.

In the majority ruling, Judges Donna Bowman and G. Gary Tyack affirmed a decision by the Ohio Court of Claims. Judge Judith L. French dissented.

University attorneys had argued that O'Brien committed a material breach of his contract and shouldn't receive any money.

The university has 45 days to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, which can elect not to hear the appeal.

Brandon Rush continues to make steady progress from his right ACL surgery on June 1. Rush was cleared to begin jogging Aug. 22 and started sprinting the first week of September.

?He?s actually getting up to that now,? KU coach Bill Self said of Rush making cuts on the court. ?He is doing more than running straight ahead. He looks good.?

Rush says there?s no definite timetable for his return, set for ?Dec. 1 or a month either way.?

Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl filed for divorce from his wife after 25 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.

"This is a very difficult time for my family and me," Pearl said Monday in a statement. "It is my hope that everyone will understand that this is a personal matter and respect our privacy."

The 47-year-old Pearl filed for divorce in Knox County on Sept. 10, two days before the couple's 25th anniversary. The couple has four children.

Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt might return to the team after being suspended for possession of psilocybin mushrooms.

Heytvelt, 21, has done nearly 300 hours of community service, far more than required, and is meeting other obligations.

"He appears to be on track to do everything that is asked of him," Gonzaga Sports Information Director Oliver Pierce said Wednesday. "We see no reason why he probably won't be back."

The tall, high-profile basketball-playing Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus, will not attend the University of Memphis.

After signing with Memphis last fall during their senior year at Prep Charter, and then backing out and recommitting over the summer, the 6-10 Markieff and 6-9 Marcus say they have now broken all ties.

In separate telephone interviews yesterday, the twins uttered the same phrase: "We just don't feel comfortable with that program."

Marcus added: "It's just like with high school. If you're going somewhere and you don't feel 100 percent comfortable with it, you transfer. We don't think Memphis would be our best fit."

A Rutgers University basketball player on Tuesday withdrew a slander and defamation lawsuit she had filed against Don Imus and CBS Radio, among others, after the shock jock called the team "nappy headed hos."

Kia Vaughn had contended in the lawsuit filed in August in New York state Supreme Court that the comments made by Imus had damaged her reputation. The lawsuit also named various media outlets that broadcast Imus' show.