March 15 , 2007 - SPORTS NEWS - SPECIAL EDITION MARCH MADNESS COLLEGE BASKETBALL SPORTS NEWS

FREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS, COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS, FREE NCAA BASKETBALL PICKS, NCAA BASKETBALL PICKS.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (associated press): villanova senior still injured

Villanova point guard Mike Nardi suffered a setback Tuesday when he left practice because of lingering discomfort in his sprained left ankle.

Nardi, who also has a strained calf, hurt the ankle against Syracuse on March 3, and hoped a few days off would help. He played sparingly in the Big East tournament, but said nothing would keep him out of the Wildcats' NCAA tournament game against Kentucky on Friday night.

Oddsmakers have Villanova as 1-point favorites with the total set at 134.

''He struggled today,'' coach Jay Wright said. ''He started a little bit yesterday. Then he tweaked it. He said he felt good today. He started again and pulled himself out. I don't know. It's not drastic, but it's not where we want it to be.''

Villanova (22-10) earned its third straight trip to the tournament and is seeded ninth, scheduled to go against No. 8 Kentucky (21-11) in the West Regional





NCAA BASKETBALL PICKS: (covers.com): vegas resembles a morgue before march madness.

Las Vegas bet shops resembled morgues on Monday as bookmakers braced for huge NCAA Tournament crowds and the accompanying March Madness hoopla, while bettors wandered from store to store, searching for the best available numbers.

"It's like every party I've ever thrown," Mirage book boss Robert Walker joked to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

"Nobody shows up."

Robert Jaynes, the Stratosphere's race and sports director, offered a similar observation.

"It's real quiet," Jaynes said. "But it's still early. Right now players are trying to digest all the information, just like I am.

Tony Nevill, who runs betting operations at the New Frontier, anticipates wise guys will have the first say, with the general public putting their money up starting on Wednesday.

"The lines look good," he said.

First-round games are slated to begin tipping off at 12:15 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday as the field is slashed in half from 64 to 32 at eight sites throughout America, from Spokanne, Wash. and Sacramento, Calif. in the West, to Buffalo, N.Y. and Winston-Salem, N.C. in the East.

Other sites for the opening two rounds are Chicago, Ill.; New Orleans, La.; Columbus, Ohio and Lexington, Ky.

First-round winners play at the same sites again on Saturday and Sunday for the right to advance to the Sweet 16.

The Stardust for years has been considered Sin City's "Tournament Central," but with the venerable resort closing last fall many think the influx of college basketball junkies will fan out across the Vegas Valley.

"This is a great weekend for the hotels, books, restaurants, shows, everybody," Nevill said.

"It'll be jammed everywhere."

Like many Las Vegans, the trio of Strip bookmakers will be cheering for UNLV (28-6), which beat fellow Big Dance invitee BYU (25-8) to win the Mountain West Tournament last weekend. The Rebels, seeded seventh in the Midwest, will play 10th-seeded Georgia Tech (20-11) in Chicago on Friday, with the Yellow Jackets favored by a point.

"I don't think people appreciate how good UNLV is," Walker declared. "I think there's a tremendous East Coast bias and we have to factor that in there.

"People think the teams from the East Coast are better."

Jaynes believes UNLV's bracket placement was on the money, while Nevill feels the Rebels were slightly robbed and should have been seeded higher.

"That's OK, though," Nevill said. "It plays right into UNLV's hands, just like being the underdog.

The bookmaking brethren have few doubts UNLV will triumph.

"Early in the season, you'd find them on Page 2 of the sports section or below the fold on the first page," Jaynes said. "Then they started appearing above the fold. The last week, they've made headlines on Page 1 of the whole paper. That sort of tells you how their season has gone."

Nevill points to guard Kevin Kruger, Coach Lon Kruger's son, as the key to recent Rebel successes. Although he admits the Rebels have a tough first-round matchup, he sees them as a good bet to go deep into the tourney.

"Georgia Tech's a good squad, but I think UNLV has a solid chance to make the Sweet Sixteen."

Books generally have UNLV listed at between 100-1 and 150-1 to capture their second national championship to go with the one Coach Jerry Tarkanian's club won 17 springs ago.

A Thursday game Jaynes finds "intriguing" is the one between Boston College (20-11) and Texas Tech (21-12) in Winston-Salem, another matchup between seventh and 10-seededs. The Eagles are laying 3 points.

"I'm from Boston, so I'm biased," Jaynes said. "Yeah, I'd slightly favor BC."

Nevill's other first-round pick in addition to UNLV is Texas -9 over New Mexico State. The Longhorns, seeded fourth, and the 13th-seeded Aggies meet Thursday in Sacramento

"The Big 12 is strong this year," Nevill said. "Texas' defense isn't great, but offensively I think the Longhorns will just run up and down the court and overpower New Mexico State."

Texas was a 10-point favorite at the Mirage, where early wagering moved the numbers no more than one point either way in about a third of the first-round contests.

The Mirage's biggest favorite was No. 1 seed North Carolina (28-6), which is laying 27 points to No. 16 seed E. Kentucky (21-11).

They play Thursday in Winston-Salem.

Niagara (22-11) is an 8 ½-point favorite over Florida A & M (21-13) in Tuesday night's play-in game in Dayton, Ohio.

The winner faces No. 1 seed Kansas (30-4) in Chicago on Friday.

NCAA BASKETBALL FREE PICKS- (associated press): ucla point guard still hurting.

UCLA point guard Darren Collison sprained his ankle during practice Tuesday but will likely be ready to play in the Bruins' NCAA tournament first-round game against Weber State.

Oddsmakers have the Bruins as 19-point favorites with the total set at 128.

Collison suffered a first-degree sprain to his left ankle during practice Tuesday, UCLA spokesman Marc Dellins said. The sophomore guard is listed as probable for Thursday night's game in Sacramento.

Collison is third on the team in scoring at 12.6 per game and leads the team in assists with 179.

The Bruins are the second seed in the West Regional.

NCAA BASKETBALL PICKS- (associated press): marqutees leading scorer out of 1st rd game.

Marquette guard Jerel McNeal will miss the first round of the NCAA tournament because of an injured right thumb.

The sophomore has been sidelined for Marquette's last three games and won't play in the Golden Eagles' game against Michigan State on Thursday, associate athletic director Mike Broeker said Tuesday.

McNeal is a second-team all-Big East selection who's averaging 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.6 steals.

Golden Eagles coach Tom Crean said Sunday that he was ''not holding out great hope'' that McNeal would be available for their first-round NCAA tournament game.

''Would we love it? Would he love it? No question,'' Crean said. ''Are we going to go into the week planning on having him? Probably not. But we'll just wait and see how it turns out, what goes on with it. We'd love to have him. I mean, it's just not there yet. There's no way it's there yet.''

Marquette beat Pittsburgh at home without McNeal on March 3, then beat St. John's in the Big East tournament last week before losing to Pittsburgh


NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL FREE PICKS- (associated press): kansas ready for niagra.

None of the other No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament had to wait until Tuesday night to find out who they'd play in the first round.

Kansas coach Bill Self didn't sound too concerned.

''The quick turnaround is no different than a Wednesday-Saturday-Monday, and we've done four of those this year,'' said Self, whose second-ranked Jayhawks (30-4) are the top seed in the West Regional. ''I don't think it's a negative. We would not have prepared for whoever we're playing - the Celtics, the Lakers, anybody - on Monday. We took the day off.''

Kansas, which was 4-0 in those Monday games, will meet Niagara (23-11), which beat Florida A&M in Tuesday night's play-in game. That game will be Friday in Chicago.

Oddsmakers have yet to release a line for this game.

But while the other top seeds - No. 1 Ohio State, No. 3 Florida and No. 4 North Carolina - could start focusing on the first round when the bids were announced Sunday, Self said he wasn't in favor of adding a play-in game to each bracket to even things out.

''I know that the two schools that are playing are disappointed to be playing in the play-in game, so why would you put eight in the same scenario?'' he said. ''If you did that, you'd be adding three more teams to the tournament. If you're going to expand it, then do it, but not at the expense of teams that have busted their tail getting there.''

Kansas' situation actually benefits the Jayhawks, sophomore forward Brandon Rush said.

''We get to scout our opponents right away by watching the game tonight,'' he said. ''I think it's an advantage to us.''

If Self does have a concern, it's that the No. 1 seed brings more distractions for his players, especially those who want to move on to the NBA.

''Guys have to play for Kansas,'' he said. ''There will be agents and runners that will tell them to do this or that and tell them this is their moment to shine. I don't buy in to any of that stuff, and our players don't either.''

Players shouldn't even try to balance the two sides, Self said.

''I told our guys that they aren't so smart that they think they can handle what the coaches are saying because it is good for the team, but that they can also handle the other things because, 'They are good for me,''' he said. ''We all have to buy into the fact that this is all good for everyone. If we do that, we'll be fine.''

That shouldn't be a problem, Rush said.

''I'm focused on what I'm trying to do here,'' he said. ''I'm trying to win a national championship. I'm keeping my mind focused on that, and the whole team's keeping focused on that.''

Self said he expected both of his big men, freshman Darrell Arthur and junior Sasha Kaun, to be ready for Friday's game.

Arthur, who sustained a bone bruise when he was kneed in the groin in Sunday's Big 12 title game, said Tuesday that he was ready to practice.

''They told me it wasn't anything but a little bruise on the bone,'' he said. ''I knew I'd be able to go.''

Kaun hurt his back diving for a loose rebound in Sunday's game, an 88-84 overtime victory over Texas.

''Sasha will not do contact today and hopefully limited contact tomorrow,'' Self said. ''Sasha is very sore and swollen. That was a lot harder fall than I thought it was.''


NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL FREE PICKS: (covers.com): the number 1 stunners in ncaa tournament.

With all the parity and upsets during the college basketball season, could this finally be the year a No. 16 seed does the unthinkable and upsets a No. 1?

Probably not, according to oddsmakers who have tagged the top seeds with an average pointspread of -25, making an opening-game shocker about as likely as me making rent with most of my paycheck tied up in bracket pools.

While no underdog will be making history, the fact there isn’t a unanimous No.1 team in the land begs the question, "which top seed will go out first?"

You really can’t argue with the selection committee’s choice of North Carolina, Florida, Ohio State and Kansas as the No.1 seeds. All have more than 25 wins and three of them have been ranked No.1 in the nation at some point in the season. However, they have all shown flaws over the course of the schedule, the type of flaws that can come back to haunt them if they happen to face the wrong type of team.

It’s tough to spot a chink in the Florida Gators’ armor after they walked through the SEC tournament, beating their three opponents by an average of almost 20 points per game. The defending champs are hitting tourney stride at just the right time, much like last year, but the only difference is that last year they weren’t walking around with that giant bullseye on their foreheads.

Teams will get pumped up to play the national champs as they continue to jersey-pop and annoy the hell out of us in interviews. Like Joakim Noah said when he interrupted Al Horford, “It’s ours against theirs, it doesn’t matter!”

Well bud, “theirs” might be good enough.

A possible second-round meeting with eight-seed Arizona could spell a rude awakening for the Gators. The Wildcats, who underachieved all season, are one of the few teams that can match Florida’s depth and talent. Lute Olson is still one of the best tournament time coaches and is out to prove something after almost missing the postseason for the first time in 24 seasons.

Kansas, the West bracket's No. 1 seed has been slow out of the blocks its last few games, almost costing them the Big 12 championship. They started out lax against Oklahoma in their second-round conference tourney game, leading by only two at half and allowed Kansas State to keep pace for most of the semifinal. The 22 points they spotted the Longhorns in the Big 12 final spoiled most people’s bets before the halfway mark of the first 20 minutes.

The Jayhawks can’t afford early power outages with the defensive beasts that lay in their bracket. A second-round run-in with either Villanova or Kentucky could make it difficult to climb out of an early hole and things don’t get any easier from there. Possible foes in Southern Illinois, Duke, Pitt, Indiana and UCLA are waiting outside of Chicago, all of which rank in the top 50 in defense and allow a combined average of only 60.64 points per game this season.

In what is shaping up to be the “Bracket of Death”, the North Carolina Tar Heels have been crowned Kings of the East Region because they are tailor-made for the grueling schedule of a deep tournament run. Roy Williams began building the ultimate NCAA machine back in exhibition play with All-American starters, an army of talented reserves, experienced coaching staff, and also had his lungs bionically enhanced. Well, maybe not that last one...

The youth of UNC’s roster is its only downfall. The Tar Heels have plenty of freshman and sophomore superstars but no proven veteran leader to pull them through the tournament. Against gritty, hard-working teams like possible second-round opponent, Michigan State, North Carolina can get impatient and frustrated and lose track of its game plan. We’ve seen what can happen to the Tar Heels when they are forced to play a different style of basketball; just look at the losses to North Carolina State and Virginia Tech.

Last but not least are the Ohio State Buckeyes, who despite finishing the regular season as No.1 in both the AP and Coaches polls, are most vulnerable to an early upset. Tagged with the top seed in the South Region after an impressive showing in the Big Ten tournament, OSU hasn’t played a tournament-quality opponent, besides Wisconsin, since getting scissor-kicked in the back of the head by Florida at Christmas time.

As dominantly as Greg Oden has played lately, bettors still have to remember this guy is a freshman, despite what that beard is saying. Putting the weight of the team on his back doesn’t look like much of a task if you’ve seen this behemoth carry two and three defenders with him on way to a rim-rattler, but Oden, as well as fellow freshmen Mike Conley and Daequan Cook, are playing in the biggest games of their lives and it’s an awful lot to ask of a couple kids who are probably too young to remember Clear Pepsi and the old, pointy lawn darts.

Run-ins with veteran squads like Virginia or Tennessee, which have beaten No.1 seed material this season, could be the Buckeyes’ undoing in the regionals. Two of Ohio State’s three losses this season came at the hands of fellow one-seeds, UNC and Florida. The other was to No. 2 seed Wisconsin - not saying much for OSU’s chances in later rounds.

NCAA diamonds in the rough

There is something about the NCAA tournament that causes some players to explode like a bottle of soda and a pack of Mentos. Last year’s Big Dance served as a platform for players like Tyrus Thomas and Jordan Farmar to jump to the pros earlier than projected and bettors can expect others to step up and lead their school deep into the tournament this season.

D.J. Augustin (Texas)
The other Texas freshman has played in the shadow of Kevin Durant all season, quietly averaging over 14 points and six assists while maturing into the Longhorns' floor leader. During the Big 12 tournament, he only turned the ball over five times (all against Kansas) while dishing out more than five assists per game. The 5-foot-11 point guard will benefit from all the defensive attention on Kevin Durant and burn up opponents if they give him space to shoot or drive.

Stephen Curry (Davidson)
Speaking of playing in Kevin Durant’s shadow, Stephen Curry’s efforts this season were under the radar with the media fixated on Texas’ freshman phenom. The 6-foot-1 guard finished second in the nation in freshman scoring (21.2 ppg) behind you-know-who and helped lead the Wildcats to a Southern Conference championship, despite being baby-faced enough to pitch in the Little League World Series.

Randal Falker (Southern Illinois)
Southern Illinois’ junior forward is a brute under the boards, averaging eight rebounds and two blocks a game. The 6-foot-7, 230-pounder is one of many veteran leaders on the Salukis roster as well as the team’s second-leading scorer. SUI has the talent and experience to go deep into the tournament and they can ride a player like Falker, who shot 60 percent from the field this season.

Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis)
The Tigers have to be the most inconspicuous No. 2 seed in the history of the NCAA tournament and Chris Douglas-Roberts is just as stealthy. Many are poo-pooing Memphis’ place in the tourney, pointing to the weakness of C-USA for their 30-3 (15-15-1 ATS) this season. I seem to think it has to do with Douglas-Roberts' 15.4 points per game and any continued success will be because of his tournament experience last year in which he was Coach John Calipari’s top reserve all the way to the Elite Eight.

FREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (associated press): tar heels look to keep rolling.

When North Carolina wins its league tournament, look out in the NCAAs.

The last two times the Tar Heels won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, they went to the Final Four. Now coach Roy Williams hopes his top-seeded team - fresh off its first ACC tournament title since 1998 - can rest, refocus and make another deep run through the NCAA field.

''You've had two days of everybody patting you on the back and feeling good about yourself,'' Williams said Tuesday. ''Now let's really go to work.''

It's usually a good omen for the Tar Heels to win the ACC tournament because historically, they've followed those titles with even better showings in NCAA play.

North Carolina followed its two most recent league tournament titles in 1997 and '98 with trips to the Final Four. The school won conference and national championships in 1957 and 1982, also the last time the team concurrently won both the ACC regular-season and tournament titles.

And now, as North Carolina celebrates the 50th and 25th anniversaries of those championships, the Tar Heels want to add to them.

The top-seeded Tar Heels (28-6) joined the rest of the No. 1 seeds Florida, Ohio State and Kansas as conference tournament champions.

North Carolina enters its East regional opener against No. 16 seed Eastern Kentucky (21-11) as 26-point favorites in nearby Winston-Salem on Thursday after winning three games in three days to claim its 16th ACC tournament title - an achievement that left sophomore swingman Marcus Ginyard wanting more.

''It didn't feel as good as I thought it would, because I think that everybody still understood that this wasn't it,'' Ginyard said. ''If we didn't think that we could win the national championship, it would have felt better, but the fact that this team truly believes that that we have a higher goal set, it almost felt unfulfilling, knowing that there was more work to be done.''

Added freshman forward Brandan Wright: ''If we're going to be national champions, we've got to do the same thing over a six-game stretch.''

North Carolina brings a four-game winning streak into the tournament, and that streak must extend to 10 if the Tar Heels are to claim their sixth national title.

''Somebody said, 'Does it worry you that you have to win (so many) games in a row to win the whole thing?''' Williams said. ''Florida won 11 in a row last year, and they got it done. ... If what you did yesterday seems big to you, you're not doing much today.''

The Tar Heels seemed to find their groove just in time for the postseason, winning their last four games by an average margin of 13 points. They beat rival Duke 86-72 in the regular-season finale before sweeping through the ACC in Tampa, Fla.

The finish was significantly stronger than last year's. North Carolina was upset in the ACC semifinals by Boston College and squeaked past Murray State in the first round of the NCAAs before the Tar Heels became the second team knocked off during George Mason's improbable Final Four run.

''You understand that there's no room for a letdown. If this team doesn't understand that, then you're just way out of whack,'' Ginyard said. ''We've got to use that ACC tournament win as momentum, to keep everything flowing. That's going to be our momentum going into the tournament. If we sit back and relax, we'll be out in the first or second round again.''

FREE MARCH MADNESS COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICKS- (cover.com) finding a tourny dog with bite.

So did Santa Clara, Vermont, Bucknell and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. George Mason redefined the art of the NCAA tournament upset last season with its improbable Final Four run.

For those schools lacking exposure, the NCAA tournament is a chance to show a national audience they can break up tournament brackets from coast to coast.

One win creates a lifetime memory. Two wins makes them a national darling. Four wins puts them in the rarest of classes, mentioned with the likes of North Carolina, Duke, UCLA or Kansas - for one year anyway.

To those who live and breathe mid-major basketball, it takes more than luck.

''I call it the four Cs,'' George Mason coach Jim Larranaga said Monday. ''First, you have to have great cohesiveness and chemistry. Then you have to have a team that's totally committed to making the sacrifices necessary to win.''

''Third,'' he continued, ''you have to be able to communicate on the floor because if you don't, with the crowds, it's easy to get off on a different page. And, most important, is confidence. You have to believe in yourself and your teammates.''

What the George Masons of college basketball have demonstrated recently is that they will be more than a speed bump to the second round for those so-called power schools.

Remember Vermont and Bucknell? Or perhaps Hampton and Wisconsin-Milwaukee? Fans at Syracuse, Kansas, Iowa State and Alabama may never forget them.

This year's burning question: Who's next?

Start with experienced teams, winnow the field by finding those that have had success or near success on big stages, look for teams with balanced scoring. Then find teams that have solid guards and backcourt depth.

''You have to have good players, first,'' Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson said. ''Looking back when Santa Clara had Steve Nash, and you look at Arizona's guards. Who had the better player? College basketball is a guards game, and if Nash played in college now, he could play for any team.''

Sampson understands how close those cuts can be. At Oklahoma, in 2001, Sampson's fourth-seeded Sooners lost to 13th-seeded Indiana State in overtime. The next year, Oklahoma reached the Final Four in Atlanta.

Larranaga believes guard play and balanced scoring is critical to short-term success in the tournament. To continue advancing takes solid post players, too.

Teams with postseason experience and dominated by juniors and seniors tend to play better. Take 2003, when Notre Dame survived Wisconsin-Milwaukee's upset bid as the buzzer sounded. The loss helped the Panthers prepare for their next NCAA trip in 2005, and Bruce Pearl's team upset Alabama in the first round and Boston College in the second round that year before losing to eventual runner-up Illinois in the regional semifinals.

This year's field offers a handful of possibilities that fit the model.

Southern Illinois +4000
This is the sixth straight NCAA bid for fourth-seeded Southern Illinois, which reached the regional semifinals in 2002. The Salukis lost to West Virginia in the first round last year but have one of the nation's top defenses and good guards. If they shoot well, they could challenge anyone.

Butler +3500
Butler earned its highest seed ever, a No. 5 in the Midwest Regional. The Bulldogs, a regional semifinalist in 2003, are one of those experienced, guard-dominated teams that has already proved it can win in tourney play. Butler won the NIT Season Tip-Off title by beating Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee and Gonzaga, then beat Kent State less than 24 hours after the championship game in Indianapolis.

''It's been a fun and magical year, and, at the same time, it's a chance to start anew,'' coach Todd Lickliter said.

Nevada +7000
Nevada, the No. 7 seed in South, has one of the nation's top inside players in forward Nick Fazekas and is making its fourth straight NCAA trip. It reached the regional semis in 2004, thanks in part to Fazekas, before a 5-point loss to eventual runner-up Georgia Tech. The Wolf Pack was ranked No. 10 last week before its loss in the Western Athletic Conference tournament.

Creighton +10000
Creighton, which faces Nevada on Friday, also could be dangerous. The Bluejays finished strong, beating Southern Illinois in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game and is making its seventh NCAA appearance since 1999 and expects to duplicate first-round wins over Louisville in 99 and Florida in 2002.

Winthrop +8000 (Field)
Winthrop, the Big South champion, moved up to No. 24 in last week's Top 25 and could follow the lead of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. A year ago, the Eagles nearly knocked off Tennessee in the first round, losing 63-61 on Chris Lofton's buzzer-beater. This year, the No. 11 seed in the Midwest, gets Notre Dame on Friday.

Old Dominion +8000 (Field)
And Larranaga thinks Old Dominion, which plays Butler on Thursday, looks a lot like his 2006 George Mason squad, including a loss in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.

''We don't feel like we don't belong, but we don't feel like we're the Shrine Circus, either,'' coach Blaine Taylor said before his Monarchs got a No. 12 seed Sunday.

Selection committee chairman Gary Walters said Monday the panel that picks the teams doesn't take those factors into account when making decisions.

But if there's one team that could replicate George Mason run from last year, Larranaga has a choice.

''There is one team that had a phenomenal regular season and didn't win its conference tournament, and we didn't, either - and that's Southern Illinois,'' Larranaga said. ''Butler may be another, but they play Old Dominion and I always believe in my conference.''

MARCH MADNESS COLLEGE BASKETBALL FREE PICKS: (espn.com) Conference looking into incident with Nevada's Fox.

The Western Athletic Conference will conduct an investigation into an alleged confrontation between Nevada coach Mark Fox and a police officer and game officials after the Wolf Pack's loss at last week's conference tournament.

A report from New Mexico State University police details a confrontation inside the Pan American Center after then-No. 10 Nevada lost 79-77 to Utah State in the WAC semifinals on Friday night.

NMSU Officer Quent Pirtle said in the report he was escorting officials Bill Gracey, Winston Stith and Larry Spaulding to their dressing room when he heard Fox using "loud, boisterous and profane language toward the officials."

Fox was not arrested and no charges were filed, but WAC Commissioner Karl Benson said the league will investigate.

The day after the incident, Fox told the Reno Gazette-Journal that he and Gracey encountered each other after the game.

"We got stuck in the same hallway. I said something to the official that I regret. I apologize to him and the conference. I've got to realize when the game ends, it ends," Fox told the newspaper.

Nevada Athletic Director Cary Groth said in a statement late Tuesday that she has instructed Fox to make no further comment on the matter until after the NCAA Tournament. She said the incident occurred at the end of a "very emotional" game.

"We were in very confined quarters, and in the heat of the moment, Coach Fox made inappropriate comments to the game officials when leaving the floor. He knows he shouldn't have made those comments and by doing so violated the WAC's sportsmanship policy," Groth said.

"He has apologized to the officials, the conference, his team and the university, and both he and the university have cooperated fully with the WAC."

Nevada (28-4) plays Creighton (22-10) in a first-round NCAA Tournament game Friday in New Orleans. Benson said the incident would not prevent Fox from coaching the Wolf Pack during the tournament.

Pirtle said the confrontation began in a hallway leading from the court.

"As Mr. Fox continued to curse and be abusive toward the officials, he continued to close distance," Pirtle wrote. "I placed my hand on the back of the last official and tried to hurry him up the ramp."

Pirtle said at that point Fox was about 2 feet away.

"I slowed down and put my hand across his chest to prevent him from getting any closer to the official," Pirtle said.

The officer said Fox told him, "Don't put your [expletive] hands on me."

"I told Mr. Fox to back off and again pushed against him to keep him from the officials," Pirtle said.



NCAA BASKETBALL PICKS: (associated press): .lsu star decalring for nba draft.

LSU's Glen Davis will announce at a news conference next Wednesday that he will declare for the NBA draft, but a decision on whether he will sign with an agent and forgo his senior season is still undecided.

LSU coach John Brady told ESPN.com Tuesday that he and Davis were to meet next week after he returns from recruiting to finalize Davis' plans and his academic schedule for the remaining three months of the second semester. Under the new Academic Performance Report rules, schools are imploring students who declare for the draft to finish the second semester so they leave school in good standing. If they don't, it can cost a school a scholarship in future seasons.

Brady said Davis is going to meet with agents this week to see if he wants to sign with one.

Davis was the SEC player of the year in 2006 and led the Tigers to the Final Four. But this season injuries limited him to 29 of the team's 32 games. He still led the Tigers in scoring with 17.7 points and 10.4 rebounds. But LSU struggled mightily in the SEC, finishing in last place in the SEC West at 5-11, 17-15 overall. LSU wasn't invited to the NCAA or NIT.

Brady was heading on the road to recruit a point guard, something the Tigers were lacking all season long, even more so when Tack Minor was dismissed midway through the SEC.

Davis will likely be the first to officially declare for the draft, but hardly the last. NBA scouts and general managers expect a record number of underclassmen to declare for the draft this spring.