Koufos, Butler lead Buckeyes past Massachusetts to NIT championship
NEW YORK -- In a locker room outburst equal parts joy and angst, Jamar Butler finally dropped the charade Ohio State had been playing for nearly three weeks and revealed its main motivating factor for a roughshod run through the NIT.
"This is what happens when you put an NCAA tournament team in the NIT," Butler yelled, surrounded by his teammates after beating Massachusetts 92-85 in the title game Thursday night. "Write that down and send that to the committee."
A year removed from a loss in the national championship game, the Buckeyes have a trophy to carry home -- even if it's not the one they had wanted.
"Kind of a sore loser," coach Thad Matta said, when asked whether he would watch the Final Four this weekend. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I think I'm going to rest."
Butler had 19 points and eight assists in his final college game, which culminated with the kind of raucous victory celebration inside Madison Square Garden that he couldn't have last year in Atlanta.
The Buckeyes lost to Florida in the Final Four, and a snub by the NCAA selection committee kept them from playing for another trip there. They rebounded to dominate each of their four opponents on the way to New York, then had enough to withstand every UMass run.
"In 24 hours I've probably watched 10 or 12 games they played," Minutemen coach Travis Ford said, "and I never saw them shoot like that."
Kosta Koufos added 22 points and earned the tournament's most outstanding player award. Evan Turner finished with 20 for the Buckeyes (24-13), who shot 63 percent (19-of-30) from the field in the second half.
"They had their press coming at us," Butler said, "and once we broke out, I think we were fine on the open floor and I think we made great plays."
Ricky Harris scored 27 for UMass (25-11), hitting three 3-pointers in the closing minutes to help the Minutemen stay close.
The last of them made it 77-75 with 3:13 left, but Othello Hunter scored moments later and after Harris missed another 3 try at the other end, Butler drained a 3-pointer from the wing to give Ohio State some breathing room.
Turner took care of things from the free throw line over the final minute and a half, helping the Buckeyes wrap up the title.
"I've seen this team go through a lot," Matta said, moments before cutting down the net. "I'm happy for them."
Etienne Brower, one of four players in the starting lineup who grew up in New York, had 17 points and 12 rebounds for UMass. Gary Forbes finished with 16 points and six assists, and Dante Milligan scored 14.
Massachusetts dominated Ohio State on the boards, outrebounding the bigger Buckeyes 49-37 and corralling a startling 30 on the offensive end. But UMass figured to be in trouble when the frenetic pace that it also enjoys kept up in the second half: Ohio State was 15-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points.
"We didn't even know if we were up or down, we were just giving it all we had," Brower said. "They're a solid team."
Massachusetts put a scare into Ohio State from the moment the last notes of the national anthem were played, rushing the entire length of the court to shake hands with its stoic, startled Big Ten opponent.
The Minutemen kept racing once the ball was thrown up, forcing three turnovers in the first 2½ minutes and taking a 10-2 lead on a basket by Milligan.
The Buckeyes came right back, with Hunter scoring four of his 17 points to cap a 13-2 run and take a brief lead. But the Minutemen again edged ahead, and Forbes' 3-pointer with 3:50 left before halftime got the team's assistant coaches so animated the referees stopped to calm them down.
Fourteen busloads of people were ferried to New York from the UMass campus in Amherst, but they represented just a fraction of the partisan crowd. The school sold its allotment of tickets quickly, and appeared to have far more dressed in its slightly darker shade of red than its counterpart from Columbus.
"You can see by the fan support that came out, we made a difference since I've been here," said Forbes, a senior playing his last game. "A lot of fans have come out, supported us, and this has been a great roll."
Now they all have to sit back and wonder whether the popular Ford will stay in town. His name has popped up as a leading candidate for the opening at LSU, which could offer the former Kentucky player a chance to return to his roots in the Southeastern Conference.
One fan, wearing a UMass jersey a couple rows behind their bench, held up a sign that pleaded, "Please Stay Travis." A couple rows down was another sign that read, "Travis Ford, Forget LSU."
Ford said he hasn't spoken with any other schools, but wouldn't say whether he would listen to offers in the coming days.
"I'm looking forward to coaching this team next year," he said. "I've been reading the same stuff as everybody else. It makes me ask questions, to be honest, because I haven't talked to anybody."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Wisconsin Badgers Roster
Coach: Bo Ryan
No. Player Pos Ht Wt Yr Hometown
1 Marcus Landry F 6-7 222 Jr Milwaukee
2 Wquinton Smith G 5-11 200 Fr Milwaukee
3 Trevon Hughes G 6-0 193 So Queens, N.Y.
12 Jason Bohannon G 6-2 198 So Marion, Iowa
14 Tanner Bronson G 5-11 170 Sr Glendale, Wis.
15 Brett Valentyn G 6-4 193 Fr Verona, Wis.
21 Morris Cain G-F 6-5 210 Jr Milwaukee
22 Michael Flowers G 6-2 183 Sr Madison, Wis.
24 Tim Jarmusz F-G 6-6 200 Fr Oshkosh, Wis.
30 Jon Leuer F 6-10 208 Fr Long Lake, Minn.
32 Brian Butch F-C 6-11 235 Sr Appleton, Wis.
34 Greg Stiemsma C 6-11 260 Sr Randolph, Wis.
43 Kevin Gullikson F 6-7 240 Jr Stillwater, Minn.
44 J.P. Gavinski C 6-11 255 Fr Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
45 Joe Krabbenhoft G-F 6-7 220 Jr Sioux Falls, S.D.
52 Keaton Nankivil F 6-8 245 Fr Madison, Wis.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Like old times: Pelphrey gearing up to face Indiana
LITTLE ROCK -- As a native of Kentucky, John Pelphrey has plenty of appreciation for Arkansas' next opponent.
"When I was growing up, Indiana was doing it. That was in their heyday. It couldn't have been any bigger," the Razorbacks' coach said Monday. "Us playing Indiana in the NCAA tournament -- that's a big deal."
The ninth-seeded Razorbacks face the eighth-seeded Hoosiers in the first round Friday night in Raleigh, N.C. The teams have met only once before, over a half-century ago, so there's not much history between them.
But for Pelphrey, wanting to beat Indiana is nothing new.
Kentucky's rivalry with Indiana is one of the nation's most prestigious, and when Pelphrey played for the Wildcats, their December clashes against the Hoosiers consistently came down to final few possessions. In 1989, Pelphrey was a sophomore on Rick Pitino's first Kentucky team. The Wildcats, who had been put on probation by the NCAA earlier that year, lost to Bob Knight and Indiana 71-69.
The following season, Pelphrey scored 21 points before fouling out in an 87-84 loss to the Hoosiers.
"We were going through some difficult days ourselves, dealing with probation and everything," Pelphrey said. "The balance of power kind of shifted, so to speak."
Kentucky finally broke through against its rival to the northwest during the 1991-92 season. Led by sophomore Jamal Mashburn, the Wildcats beat Indiana 76-74.
"Jamal Mashburn became a superstar, and he was able to kind of carry us over the hump," Pelphrey said. "Just feel very fortunate to be a part of some of those games. Coach Knight was still the coach there, but that was a big game for us."
Kentucky went on to a 29-7 record and lost to Duke in the 1992 regional finals on Christian Laettner's famous buzzer-beater. If Laettner had missed, the Wildcats would have played Indiana again in the Final Four.
Pelphrey is in his first season as Arkansas' coach, and the Razorbacks are hoping for their own breakthrough against Indiana. Arkansas (22-11) is in the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year, but the Hogs haven't won a game there since 1999.
The Razorbacks have been to six Final Fours and won a national championship in 1994 -- an impressive resume for any program. In Raleigh, however, they'll have some elite company. The Indiana-Arkansas winner will likely play top-seeded North Carolina in the second round. Georgetown, another former national champion with multiple Final Four appearances, is also playing in Raleigh.
"It is a hard road in the tournament," Indiana interim coach Dan Dakich said. "The No. 1 seed gets a little easier road in the first game, obviously. The 8-9 game is always tough. You've got to win, but it is a great opportunity for us if we decide to take advantage of it."
Arkansas reached the championship game of the Southeastern Conference tournament -- an event that was moved to Georgia Tech's home court after a tornado hit the Georgia Dome on Friday night. With no way to accommodate all those with tickets, the SEC only let in those with working credentials, the bands and cheerleaders, and family and friends of the players.
"It was crazy," Arkansas forward Darian Townes said. "But we got used to it."
The arena figures to be a little more full when the Razorbacks take the court in Raleigh, and they could have their work cut out for them against Indiana. The Hoosiers (25-7) have lost three of four, but they were in the Top 25 as recently as last week.
Freshman guard Eric Gordon averages over 21 points per game. The question is how well the Hoosiers have recovered from coach Kelvin Sampson's resignation last month amid NCAA allegations of major rule infractions.
"Just not having coach Sampson around has been a big adjustment," forward D.J. White said. "A lot of guys are used to him being around, but we are through that stage right now. We haven't been playing good ball lately, and we know that. So we just have to figure something out going into the tournament."
Knight is now long gone from Indiana, and the Hoosiers haven't won an NCAA title since 1987. Still, there's no doubt Indiana has talent -- and Pelphrey understands how special this matchup will be.
"Our guys, I don't know if they understand everything there is to know about Indiana, in terms of the history," Pelphrey said. "Obviously, growing up in Kentucky, it's right there."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Texas A&M rides defense for gritty 60-47 win over Iowa State
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When Donald Sloan ran the wrong play to open the game, Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon wondered if it was a good idea for the sophomore guard to play just hours after his mother died.
Turgeon left him in and it paid off -- for the Aggies and for Sloan.
Sloan had 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and Texas A&M held Iowa State to 27 percent shooting to open the Big 12 tournament with a 60-47 victory Thursday night.
"I don't think I've had to deal with this my whole life, and for it to be somebody close (is tough)," said Sloan, who was just 4-for-11 from the field. "I was debating whether to come up or not. I think I made the right decision. I think she would've wanted me to come up and play today."
Sloan's mother, Sandra, called him to come see her one last time on Tuesday, then died early Thursday.
Sloan decided at the last minute to join his teammates. He flew to Kansas City on Thursday afternoon, then, after some shaky early moments, helped Texas A&M (23-9) pull out a win it had to have.
"We know how tough he is. We're around him every day," Turgeon said. "I don't think I could have done what that kid did today. It's pretty special."
The Aggies weren't sure if Sloan was going to play, then found out 7-foot freshman DeAndre Jordan was at the hospital with flu-like symptoms.
Sloan struggled early and so did Texas A&M in an ugly, physical game that featured lots of pushing and shoving in the lane and plenty of missed shots. But the sixth-seeded Aggies shook off the early troubles with smothering defense and just enough on offense to hang on for their second win in 13 Big 12 tournament games.
Brian Davis added 10 points for Texas A&M, which improved its NCAA chances and moves on to face third-seeded Kansas State in the quarterfinals on Friday.
"Long, nerve-racking day," Turgeon said. "I'm never going to sit up here and politick for where we were, but because the league did so well I thought we were pretty much in to the tournament. But tonight helped."
Craig Brackens led Iowa State (14-18) with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Bryan Peterson added 14 points. They just didn't get enough help, with the rest of the team combining for 13 points on 4-of-34 shooting.
Iowa State had two long stretches without a field goal in the first half and didn't shoot much better in the second. It was the third straight year the Cyclones lost in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.
"We couldn't get anything to fall," Iowa State coach Gregg McDermott said. "It wasn't necessarily just jump shots. We only took 10 3-point shots in the first half and one of them was late, so I don't think we were casting up a lot of bad shots."
The Aggies had to have this win.
The Big 12, with its No. 3 RPI rating, could get as many as six teams into the NCAA tournament. Of those teams, Texas A&M seemed to be the most in need of extra wins in the Big 12 tournament.
The Aggies seemed to be a lock for their third straight NCAA tournament appearance midway through the conference schedule, then lost five of their final seven games, capping the season with a disheartening 72-55 home loss to Kansas.
"We knew this game was very important," Kirk said. "It was always in the back of our mind, but we never let it affect us."
Texas A&M played like it needed a win -- at least on defense.
Iowa State missed 14 straight shots midway through the first half, then missed seven more at the end, finally getting a shot to fall when Brackens hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Cyclones shot 7-for-33 in the half, managing just 17 points.
The Aggies have their biggest team in school history, with six players at least 6-foot-9, and they gave Iowa State all kinds of trouble inside, blocking four shots and altering several others. But the Cyclones added to it, too, blowing lay-ups and tossing up airballs from 3-point range.
Scoring futility is nothing new to Iowa State this season, though.
The Cyclones scored 15 points in the first half against Colorado on Jan. 29 and had 11 against Nebraska on Feb. 16.
But Iowa State won both of those games. The Cyclones never put together a rally this time.
Texas A&M made enough mistakes to let Iowa State hang around for a while, with nine turnovers in the first 11 minutes and a couple of rough shooting stretches.
Iowa State cut the lead to 40-36 on Wesley Johnson's three-point play with 8 1/2 minutes left, but the Aggies slowly pulled away from there, making enough free throws down the stretch to finish it off.
"We went out there and gave it everything we had," Iowa State senior Rashon Clark said. "The guys never gave up. We tried our best and that's all I could ask for, even though we didn't come up with a win."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Gonzaga's Pargo is WCC player of year
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Gonzaga guard Jeremy Pargo is the West Coast Conference men's basketball player of the year, the eighth consecutive season a Zags player has won the honor, the league said Tuesday.
The junior averaged 11.8 points and a league best 6.2 assists per game for No. 24 Gonzaga (24-6, 13-1 WCC) which on Monday night clinched its eighth consecutive WCC regular season title.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few and Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett shared the coach of the year award. Saint Mary's (25-5, 12-2) finished second to the Zags and enjoyed time on the Top 25 this season.
Daimon Simpson of Saint Mary's was named defensive player of the year, while the Gaels' Patrick Mills (14.4 points per game) was named newcomer of the year.
The all-WCC first team included Pargo, Matt Bouldin and David Pendergraft of Gonzaga; Simpson and Mills of Saint Mary's; Brody Angley and John Bryant of Santa Clara; Brandon Johnson and Gyno Pomare of San Diego and Dior Lowhorn of San Francisco.
In winning the league's top award, Pargo follows fellow Zags Derek Raivio (2007), Adam Morrison (2006), Ronny Turiaf (2005), Blake Stepp (2004, 2003), Dan Dickau (2002) and Casey Calvary (2001).
"I'm honored to be recognized with some of these great players," said Pargo, who mentioned other past winners like John Stockton and Doug Christie. "It was a big surprise for me."
"The game means so much to him," Few said. "He works as hard as any player we've had over the years."
The 6-foot-2 guard from Chicago, brother of NBA player Jannero Pargo, is a hard-nosed player who has provided consistent production all season. He is shooting 49 percent from the floor, and added 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
Some of his biggest games were against the toughest opponents, including 23 points against No. 13 Connecticut, 28 points versus Oklahoma, 25 points versus No. 2 Memphis and 27 points and nine assists in a loss to Saint Mary's.
Few is in his ninth season as head coach of Gonzaga, and has taken the team to the NCAA tournament each season. This is his seventh coach of the year award.
Bennett, second to Few in tenure and victories in the WCC, guided the Gaels to one of the best seasons in program history.
Earning honorable mention All-WCC honors were Austin Daye of Gonzaga, Omar Samhan of Saint Mary's and Malcolm Thomas of Pepperdine.
The all-freshman team included Daye and Steven Gray of Gonzaga, Mills and Thomas, plus Rob Jones of San Diego.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Foster's 32 points lead No. 18 Vanderbilt's 72-69 upset of top-ranked Vols
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Volunteers have gotten a taste of just how big a bull's-eye No. 1 can be. Vanderbilt reminded everyone how dangerous the Commodores are when the top-ranked team comes visiting.
Shan Foster hit six 3-pointers and scored 32 points, and No. 18 Vanderbilt knocked off the top-ranked team for the fourth time in as many tries Tuesday night, beating instate rival Tennessee 72-69. This Vandy victory is sweeter than usual coming a day after the Vols had taken over the top ranking for the first time in school history.
This is one of the two opponents Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl wears his orange blazer against, and Memorial Gym was packed to cheer against Pearl and his Vols.
All the Commodores did was improve to 6-3 when they have hosted the No. 1 team in this 56-year-old gym. They also won their first game against a ranked opponent after losing the first two this season.
"Bruce's orange coat designated it as a big game for them," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. "UT handled us at its place. Tonight, we played better and only had eight turnovers. That's why we're winning. We're taking care of the ball. I'm pleased because they're the best defensive team in our league."
In the others Top 25 games on Tuesday, No. 12 Indiana beat Ohio State 72-69; No. 15 Connecticut topped Rutgers 79-61; and Missouri State upset No. 20 Drake 86-83.
Pearl and his Vols refused to make excuses.
This was their second straight road game against an instate rival before a sold-out crowd, and their first since downing then-No. 1 Memphis on Saturday night to take over that top ranking.
"We were absolutely fine," Pearl said. "We had no problems as far as our rest, our preparation. It wasn't a factor. We play best when everybody contributes, and tonight we just did not get a lot of contributions from a lot of guys that normally do."
Senior Chris Lofton led the Vols (25-3, 11-2) with 25 points. He also had six rebounds with no turnovers and one steal. Tyler Smith had 11 points and a career-high seven rebounds.
But the Vols shot 32.8 percent from the floor (20-for-61) and not much better at the free-throw line, which has been a weakness this season. They went 22-for-32.
Vanderbilt didn't shoot that much better and was actually worse at the line. But the Commodores did hit 25-for-37.
"I thought we put ourselves in a position in the second half on the road to be able to gut one out again, and they got a period there in the second half defensively where we just fouled them and sent them to the foul line a boatload of times. I thought that was a real difference," Pearl said.
Vanderbilt (24-4, 9-4) has taken a strong home advantage. The Commodores also have won all 18 home games this season and 31 of their past 32.
"It's special," Stallings said. "We needed a win. It was a home game. It's a big game for them. You want to win any game, but you certainly want to win big games. This was a big game."
Jermaine Beal added 17 points and Alex Gordon 11 as Vanderbilt won its seventh straight. The Commodores moved within a half game of Kentucky for second in the SEC East, and the Vols have a one-game lead in the loss column hosting Kentucky on Sunday.
"They came out with the passion and played with more intensity than us," Lofton said. "They wanted it more than us tonight, and it showed. They got the win and they deserved it."
The Commodores celebrated by high-fiving classmates as they walked and skipped between the student section and the campus officers keeping them off the court. Foster did a little dance before heading across the court and toward the locker room after remembering how Tennessee beat Vandy 80-60 last month in Knoxville.
"I thought we got punked in Knoxville," Foster said. "We wanted to show we were a different team." No. 12 Indiana 72, Ohio State 69
At Bloomington, Ind., Armon Bassett scored 23 points and Eric Gordon added 17 to lead the Hoosiers past Ohio State for Dan Dakich's first coaching victory at Assembly Hall.
Dakich replaced Kelvin Sampson as Indiana's coach Friday, after Sampson resigned amid a phone-call scandal. Dakich barely won his first game Saturday night at Northwestern. But after 410 games at Indiana (24-4, 13-2 Big Ten) as an assistant and one road game as head coach, he finally won one in Bloomington.
The Buckeyes (17-11, 8-7) were led by Kosta Koufos with 21 points. Ohio State lost its third straight, and has lost five of seven.No. 15 Connecticut 79, Rutgers 61
At Piscataway, N.J., Jeff Adrien scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Connecticut over Rutgers, the Huskies' 11th win in 12 games.
Stanley Robinson, who had 13 rebounds, and Craig Austrie both added 18 points for Connecticut (22-6, 11-4).
Freshman Earl Pettis had a season-high 18 points for the Scarlet Knights (10-19, 2-14), who lost their eighth straight game. Missouri State 86, No. 20 Drake 83
At Springfield, Mo., Deven Mitchell scored 20 points and Missouri State closed the John Q. Hammons Student Center with one of the most impressive victories in school history, holding off Drake.
Missouri State (15-15, 7-10 Missouri Valley) broke out to big leads early in each half, then withstood a barrage of 3-pointers by Drake to beat the Bulldogs for the seventh straight time at home.
Drake (24-4, 13-3) made six 3-pointers in a span of about 4 minutes to cut into a 17-point lead, then trimmed it to 85-83 on Adam Emmenecker's driving layup, but couldn't get closer.
Josh Young led Drake with 18 points.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Crocker's 4-point play in OT lifts Oklahoma to 92-91 win over Baylor
NORMAN, Okla. -- Tony Crocker would just as soon have Oklahoma win without all the late-game dramatics.
But for the second straight game, that's exactly what the Sooners needed.
Crocker converted a four-point play with 7.3 seconds left in overtime and Oklahoma came away with its second straight miraculous finish, beating Baylor 92-91 on Tuesday night.
Crocker was fouled by Aaron Bruce while making a 3-pointer from the left wing and then hit his free throw to put Oklahoma ahead. Curtis Jerrells missed two free throws with 1 second left that could have given the Bears the win.
Kevin Rogers got an offensive rebound on Jerrells' second miss but was unable to put it back at the buzzer.
"When you win like that, it's scary," said Crocker, who hit four other 3-pointers and finished with 20 points. "I'd rather not win like that, but a win is a win no matter how you get it done, just as long as you get it done."
In its last game, Oklahoma got a 28-foot 3-pointer from David Godbold with 1.4 seconds left to beat Texas Tech. The latest victory vaulted the Sooners (18-8, 6-5) past Baylor and into a tie for fourth place in the Big 12 standings with No. 22 Texas A&M.
"We've gotten very fortunate two games in a row," Sooners coach Jeff Capel said. "We still have a lot of room to play better and we need to play better, and I think we will play better. But it's a huge win for us, a huge game for us."
Blake Griffin had a career-high 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while Austin Johnson scored 19 points for Oklahoma, which squandered an eight-point lead in the final 3 minutes of regulation before overcoming a 7-0 surge by the Bears to start the overtime.
Jerrells scored 29 points and led Baylor's comeback in regulation, but then couldn't come through with the Lloyd Noble Center crowd cheering loudly when he stepped to the line. He said he thought both shots were good when they left his hand.
"Any loss is difficult but this one, we knew it would mean a lot to us," Jerrells said. "It would have been nice if we'd have came up with the win."
Crocker hit a 3 from the right wing to cut the Sooners' deficit to 89-88 with 19.7 seconds left.
Bruce hit two free throws to give Baylor a three-point lead, but then got caught under Crocker on what proved to be the game-winner.
"I was really just trying to get a shot up and he came in the way so I had to hold it a little bit and then shoot," Crocker said. "It just happened to go down."
Rogers finished with 18 points, Tweety Carter scored 17 and Henry Dugat added 13 for Baylor (17-8, 5-6), which has lost its last 28 games against the Sooners. The Bears had a heartbreaking defeat in their last game, when Bruce called a timeout the team didn't have to help Texas escape with an 82-77 win.
The Bears trailed 62-54 with 5 minutes remaining when a skirmish broke out that resulted in two Baylor players and an Oklahoma strength coach being ejected. The deficit was eight points after Griffin hit two free throws with 2:47 left in regulation.
Jerrells hit a 3-pointer to make it 70-66 and ignite the Bears' comeback, and he also hit two tying free throws with 14 seconds left in regulation. He answered Crocker's two foul shots by zipping past Griffin from the right wing to tie it at 75 with a layup that hung on the rim before falling through at the buzzer.
Jerrells spent the final portion of the game guarding Griffin, who is 9 inches taller, after Mark Shepherd was ejected and Mamadou Diene fouled out.
Shepherd got tangled up with Griffin during an extended scrum for a loose ball. Godbold came up with the ball, and Shepherd appeared to hit Griffin in the face with his left elbow as the two got up.
After the teams were separated following the brief skirmish, officials reviewed replays on a courtside monitor and threw out Shepherd and teammate Richard Hurd -- who had been on the bench -- along with Sooners strength coach Darby Rich, who left the Sooners' bench to enter the fray.
"I think you've got two teams fighting to get in the upper half of the conference. If the loose ball's down there long enough, you're going to have some issues," Baylor coach Scott Drew said.
"You'd have to look at it on replay and see exactly what happened, but I think it was just teams fighting and playing hard."
Only the thrilling finish overshadowed the emotional confrontation.
"It was louder in here than I've ever heard it since I've been here. We were very fortunate, lucky, whatever you want to call it," Capel said. "As good as it feels to be on this end, I hate it for the kids from Baylor because they played their hearts out and played really well. But we'll take it."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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