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THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
DAY MARCH 8,2007
>> NCAA BASKETBALL
Top seeds aren't clear-cut
Committee must select best teams from worthy field
BY MICHAEL MAROT ASSOCIATED PRESS
INDIANAPOLIS — Gary Walters understands the difficulty in filling those final spots for the NCAA field. This year, however, his selection committee faces a new twist — picking the top seeds.
With Florida's late-season struggles, Wisconsin's injuries and Kansas' power ranking, Walters acknowledged Wednesday that putting together the 65 team field this weekend will be far from clear cut.
"There appears to be less clarity at the top this year. Walters, the committee chairman, said during conference call day hours before the 10-member group was to meet. "So that could change the seeding if someone stubs their toes in the conference tournament."
While much of the talk focuses on whether mid minor schools such as Old Dominion and Drexel of the Colonial Athletic Association, Santa Clara of the West Coast Conference
and Missouri State of the Missouri Valley Conference have done enough to warrant at large bids, the debate among committee members may be driven more by seeding.
Among those in the mix are Florida and Wisconsin.
The Gators (26-5) are the defending national champions, the regular season Southeastern Conference champs and were ranked No. 1 as recently as four weeks ago. Yet consecutive losses at LSU and Tennessee, before beating Kentucky at home last weekend, have knocked the Gators down to No. 6 in The Associated Press poll. No. 9 in the RPI Index, a calculation that included victories over Division I opponents, strength of schedule and opponents' strength of schedule. So Florida could be fighting for a top seed when the SEC tournament begins Thursday.
Wisconsin (27-4) finds itself in a different predicament. The Badgers are No. 3 in the poll and No. 4 in the NCAAs RPI ratings, but haven't
looked the same since starting center Brian Butch went down with a right elbow injury during a 1-point loss to No. 1 Ohio State on Feb. 25. Butch was expected to miss four to six weeks, meaning he could miss the rest of the season, and the Badgers have struggled to score without him.
The only lock, heading into the weekend, may be top ranked Ohio State (27 3), which is No. 2 in the RPI and has steadily improved throughout the season. Otherwise, it's a muddled picture.
UCLA (26-4), which lost to Florida in last year's championship game, is ranked No. 4 in the poll and No. 1 in the RPI, so a strong showing in the Pac-10 tournament could solidify its bold on a top seed.
Kansas (27-4) is ranked No. 2 this week but has an RPI rating (15) that could force the Jayhawks on the top line if they make an early exit in the Big 12 tournament.
NHL
Penguins consider Las Vegas Owner, mayor lead delegation to discuss possible move
BY DANIEL LOVEING
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PITTSBURGH — Penguins owner Ron Burkle traveled to Las Vegas on Wednesday to meet with the mayor and discuss the possibility of relocating the team there.
Burkle, who lives in Los Angeles, led a delegation in talks with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, according to Penguins spokesman Tom McMullan.
Meanwhile, Burkle and co-owner Mario Lemieux all prepared to meet with state, county and local officials on Thursday in Philadelphia to try to resolve differences over plans for a new arena in Pittsburgh.
Elena Owens, a spokeswoman for Goodman, confirmed the meeting with Penguins officials and said, "they had a very pleasant conversation."
Jordan Hancock Awarded Associated Press
Ottawa Senators' Chirs Kelly gets put into the corner by Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) during first period. NHL basketball at Scotland Place in Ottawa Tuesday.
She declined to elaborate.
The Penguins issued a letter Monday saying the team planned to actively pursue relocation.
It blamed government officials for failing to reach a deal to build a new arena in Pittsburgh.
In the letter, Gov. Ed Rendell said: Wednesday he was optimistic the team would remain in Pittsburgh.
Rendell's office said the governor had put "an exceptionally attractive
offer on the table. He later said officials would ask the NHL to intervene if the team didn't accept
the deal.
Officials in Kansas City have offered the Penguins free rent and half of all revenues if they agree to play in the soon-to-be completed $262 million Sprint Center.
The Penguins' lease at 46-year-old Mellon Arena, the oldest facility in the league, expires June 30.
The Penguins have said they may move, or sell the team to a buyer who would relocate the franchise if an arena deal isn't in place by then.
Air time
Ed Andrieski/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Hernan Iribarren, left, throws to first forcing out Colorado Rockies baserunner John Marby on the front end of a double play during the second inning of a spring training baseball game in Tuson, Arizona. Anzio, on Wednesday.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Texas Tech coach Bob Knight wasn't about to guess whether his Red Raiders had already done enough to merit a spot in the NCAA tournament field.
ing," he said. "I never have gotten involved with that type of thought."
NCAA BASKETBALL
Big 12 teams seek to extend season
Knight's leading scorer, larrus Jackson, thought it best that the Red Raiders make a strong
"I'm not on the tournament committee, and I have no way of know
last impression at the Big 12 tournament, starting Thursday against Colorado.
"We're not for sure in the (NCAA) tournament yet, so we have to come to this tournament and try to make some noise and have a good run in this tournament to make sure that we're in," Jackson said Wednesday.
"We know that we've still got work to do."
The Red Raiders (20-11, 9-7 Big 12) appeared to be in good position after consecutive wins against top-10 teams Kansas and Texas A&M back in January. But Tech followed those two impressive victories with Knight's longest losing streak in decades, and the five losses put the Red Raiders' postseason hopes firmly in jeopardy.
Heading into their opening round game against twelfth-seeded Colorado (7-19, 3-13), the Red Raiders have won five of their last six games, beginning with another resume-building win at Texas A&M.
"We know that we've still got work to do," Tech guard Martin Zeno said. "We've just got to come to this tournament and just play every game better than we did earlier in the season."
uncertain of its postseason fate, while other teams are still clinging to hope.
The Wildcats won 10 games in league play — usually a benchmark for Big 12 teams seeking a bid to the 65-team NCAA field — but started this week with an RPI of 59. Texas Tech's RPI is 40 and Oklahoma States is 52, even with a 6-10 Big 12 record and zero road wins.
Along with Texas Tech, fourth-seeded Kansas State (21-10, 10-6) enters the conference tournament
MARTIN ZENO Texas Tech guard
The seventh-seeded Cowboys (20-11, 6-10) do have neutral site wins against Pittsburgh and Syracuse to their credit, but can't feel confident about their chances after
falling all the way from a top 10 ranking in December.
"Realistically to leave nothing out there, we've got to win the tournament." Oklahoma State coach Sean Sutton said. "In order to do that, we've got to play four good games. Is it going to be easy? No, but its been done before in other联赛. It
hasn't happened in the Big 12."
While Kansas State is off Thursday with a first-round bye, Tech will try to pad its win total against a Buffaloes team without second leading scorer Xavier Silas, who was suspended after fighting with Nebraska Ryan Anderson in a game Saturday.
Only two of the 15 Big 12 teams that have finished a season with 10 conference wins have been left out of the NCAA tournament. Nebraska missed
coach Greg McDermott said.
A Colorado loss would make the game the send-off for Ricardo Patton, who won't return for a 12th season as coach of the Buffaloes.
"I know that we can't have any slip-ups in this tournament," Jackson said. "We can't lose to Colorado or other teams. We still have to take care of business in this tournament."
Other first-round match ups feature six-seeded Missouri against Baylor, eighth-seeded Iowa State against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State against No. 10 seed Nebraska — which built a 29-point lead on its way to an 85-73 win over the Cowboys on Monday.
No. 2 Kansas, the tournament's top seed, Texas A&M, the two seed, and Texas also have first-round byes.
Oklaahoma (15-14, 6-10), which has lost its last six games, is look
"Realistically, to leave nothing out there, we've got to win the tournament."
SEAN SUTTON
Oklahoma State guard
out in 1999 when the Big 12 had six teams with at least 10 wins, and Colorado was left off the bracket in 2004 while Texas Tech got in with nine league wins.
Eight of the 10 Big 12 teams that had nine regular-season league wins have made the NCAA field.
ing to extend the nation's longest postseason streak to 26 years while first year coach Mike Anderson is trying to lead Missouri (18-11, 7-9) to its 10th straight postseason appearance, following back
"Any team that finishes in the top half of this league should go to the NCAA tournament. To think otherwise is crazy in my mind," Iowa State
to-back NIT bids.
They're among the teams needing four wins in four days to earn a spot on the NCAA bracket.
"I think 12 teams showed up here and 12 teams are looking at their shot to go to the NCAAAs, and the way to do that is youve got to win this tournament," Anderson said.
"We're in the hunt for something," he added. "I don't know what."
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