College hoops links for Friday:
- ESPN.com’s Pat Forde writes on Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio. Forde: ” Between flaps, Prosser is probably telling everyone that he knew Gaudio could do this. He knew Gaudio could coach at the highest level of college basketball, if he finally got a chance at a place where winning isn’t impossible. The tragedy is that Skip Prosser had to die for his friend to get that chance. The healing postscript is what Dino Gaudio is doing with that opportunity.”
- At FoxSports.com, Ian O’Connor tells Bob to call it a Knight. O’Connor: “Knight isn’t just a dinosaur; he’s an angry dinosaur. Any college administrator who wants to scare off America’s blue-chip recruits by hiring Knight would gain rock-star popularity in the homes of rival coaches, athletic directors and chancellors desperately seeking a competitive edge.”
- In USA Today, Sal Ruibal writes that Gary Williams has hit rough waters at Maryland. Ruibal: “But now, with his team’s mediocre 14-8 record after Tuesday night’s 108-91 loss at North Carolina, “Garyland” is not a happy place. The Terps are in danger of missing the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in the past five years and the “halo effect” of his championship season is fading. Williams is not the first coach with championship credentials to face hard times, just the most recent.”
- In the Cincinnati Enqurier, Shannon Russell reports on Xavier’s continuing roll. Russell: “Raymond’s stellar defense and perimeter fireworks were major forces behind No. 9 Xavier’s 21st straight home-court win over an A-10 foe. The Musketeers’ depth and intensity on both ends of the court paved the way for an 83-74 victory over Temple Thursday at Cintas Center. Raymond scored 24 points and made five 3-pointers. Derrick Brown chipped in 13 points and a team-best eight rebounds, Jason Love added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Brad Redford contributed 12 points for the Musketeers (20-2, 8-0 A-10).”
- At SportingNews.com, Daniel Blocks looks at the national over and underachievers. Blank: “Tennessee and Arkansas squared off for this designation Wednesday, and the Razorbacks (13-7, 1-6) get the nod after losing in Fayetteville. While the Vols aren’t playing at the level expected of them in the preseason, they’re at least starting to hoard league wins. Not much was expected of the Hogs until they beat Texas and Oklahoma (still the only team to do so) in the span of a week. In early January, Arkansas was considered a contender for the league crown. But the young Razorbacks have collapsed in league play, with their only win coming against Alabama following Mark Gottfried’s departure. The only way Arkansas gets into the tournament now is with four wins in Tampa.”
- At the Raleigh News and Observer, Caulton Tudor warns not to count out Duke and Wake Forest. Tudor: “While it’s possible the meltdown against the Tigers was something of a fluke, that doesn’t change the fact that Duke’s overall talent is down compared to the glory years. Going into Wednesday, there were a lot of indications that Mike Krzyzewski had managed to disguise his team’s shortcomings.”
- MSNBC’s Ken Davis writes that plenty of teams need to end skids. Davis: “What happened to Notre Dame? Well, you’ve got to start with the schedule. The Big East Conference’s regular season came with a health warning this year. You’ve all heard about it being the most difficult league in college basketball. If figured at least one team would be chewed up by a tough stretch. That has happened to the Irish.”
- In the Austin American-Statesman, Cedric Golden writes that Texas, and its coach, are at a critical turning point. Golden: “The Longhorns just dropped consecutive home games for the first time in seven years, and Barnes suddenly is stuck in a coaching no-man’s land. He has to be real careful here. After his Top 25-ranked team lost two games by a total of eight points, does he blow this thing up or does he stand pat and hope things work out as they have in the past?”
- Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports on Washington’s missed chance to tie for top spot in Pac-10. Condotta: “But it not only gave Cal a season sweep of the series — the Bears beat UW 88-85 in triple overtime in Seattle on Jan. 10, rallying from 11 back in the final 10 minutes — but also knocked the Huskies (16-6 overall, 7-3 Pac-10) into second place in conference play, a game back of UCLA.”
