Memphis’ Final Four run Gone from the Books

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)—Memphis has lost every one of the 38 victories it piled up in a basketball season that ended with John Calipari’s Tigers just missing out on a national title.

The NCAA stripped Memphis of all its wins from 2007-08 Thursday, saying the Tigers used an ineligible player who is believed to be NBA star Derrick Rose.

The university isn’t accepting the punishment, not yet.

Memphis president Shirley Raines said shortly after the NCAA’s announcement that the school is appealing what she called an unfair penalty.

“We know the rules,” Raines said. “We did our due diligence. We did everything we could to determine the student-athlete was eligible and that the rules were being followed.”

The NCAA announcement came 16 months after the Tigers lost the national championship to Kansas in overtime at the end of the 2007-08 season. It marks the second time both Memphis and coach John Calipari had to vacate Final Four seasons. The Tigers were stripped of their 1985 appearance and Calipari’s Massachusetts team lost its 1996 berth.

Now the basketball coach at Kentucky, Calipari said in a statement he was “very disappointed and disheartened by the NCAA’s findings” and that he would not comment again until Memphis’ appeal is concluded. Calipari said he’s looking forward to coaching Kentucky this fall where officials are fully supporting him despite the Memphis scandal.

“I’m not worried about it because they have never said Coach Cal did anything wrong at all,” said Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, who appeared with Calipari at the Kentucky State Fair on Thursday before the NCAA announcement. “I think he’s a very upstanding guy. I think that’s his reputation and I think that reputation will be with him here. I really don’t foresee any problems.”

Memphis finished 38-2 in 2007-08, setting the NCAA record for wins in a season.

The NCAA report did not identify the ineligible player by name, though descriptions of the athlete involved lead to the conclusion it could only be Rose. He was the only player who played just that season at Memphis—a fact noted by the governing body of college sports. Rose went on to be selected by the Chicago Bulls as the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft and later won the NBA rookie of the year award.

The player was accused of having another person take his SAT exam in Detroit so he would be eligible as a freshman after failing the ACT three times in Chicago.

Memphis argued that the university did not have enough information to substantiate the allegations in November 2007 and cleared him to play. Memphis officials defended their investigation Thursday and said four people interviewed the player, with neither Calipari nor athletic director R.C. Johnson involved.

“That person responded that he took the test, and we believed him,” university legal counsel Sheri Lipman said.

However, the SAT officials later conducted their own investigation and notified the player, the university and the NCAA’s eligibility center that they were canceling his test in May 2008.

The agency said it sent letters to the player in March and April 2008; the second letter was sent three days after Rose and the Tigers lost to the Jayhawks. The player did not respond to either letter.

The infractions committee said it struck hard with its penalties because the ineligible player was used the entire season. Rose played in all 40 games, starting 39.

In a statement released by his attorney Thursday, Rose said “it is satisfying to see that the NCAA could find no wrongdoing on my part in their ruling.

“I think it is important for people to understand that I complied with everything that was asked of me while at the university, including my full participation in the university’s investigation of this issue, and was ultimately cleared to play in the entire 2007-08 season by the NCAA clearinghouse and the university.”

In addition to the lost season, Memphis also must return the money it received from the NCAA tournament to Conference USA and will be prevented from receiving future shares doled out in the conference’s revenue-sharing program— a total loss estimated at $530,000 on top of the $85,000 already paid by the school. If Memphis loses its appeal, Johnson said approximately $300,000 in bonus money Calipari earned from that season would be paid back.

The NCAA said the committee pressed Memphis officials during a hearing on the matter about why steps weren’t taken in November 2007 to bench the ineligible player and avoid problems.

Part of Memphis’ appeal will be the role, and possible flaws, in the NCAA clearinghouse. Officials declined to be specific but noted the eligibility center cleared the student twice—before being admitted and after the university pointed out a grade change in high school.

The committee also said the player’s brother received free transportation on the team’s charter plane and hotel lodging that season. Investigators said the total cost would have come to $1,713.85. Such an arrangement is considered an impermissible extra benefit.

“Neither the travel coordinator nor the business director had an explanation as to how the brother was permitted to board without having paid for the two flights,” the NCAA report said.

Memphis officials called those honest mistakes that have been fixed.

The school’s women’s golf team also received three years probation and lost a scholarship for violations in its program.


from yahoo sports

USC hires Kevin O'Neill

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin O'Neill returned to the college ranks Saturday when he was announced as Southern California's basketball coach, taking over from Tim Floyd.

The school announced O'Neill's hiring in an e-mail. Floyd suddenly resigned June 9 amid allegations that he paid to have O.J. Mayo delivered to the Trojans. He said he was quitting after four seasons because he no longer had enthusiasm for his job.

O'Neill is scheduled to be introduced Monday at a campus news conference.

"We're thrilled to have Kevin O'Neill as our men's basketball coach," athletic director Mike Garrett said in a statement. "I love his coaching philosophy and principles: he's a no-nonsense coach who is very detail-oriented and prepares his teams well. He stresses defense and I've always believed that defense wins championships."

O'Neill's NBA tenure seemingly appealed to Garrett as well.

"His 30 years of experience at the college and professional levels has prepared him well for this opportunity," Garrett said.

The 52-year-old defense-oriented coach was an assistant with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies this past season. Mayo plays for the Grizzlies. O'Neill led the Toronto Raptors to a 33-49 record in 2004.

O'Neill also had stints with the New York Knicks, Detroit and Indiana.

He returns to the Pac-10 after serving as interim coach at Arizona in 2008 when Lute Olson took a leave of absence.

During his tenure in Tucson, O'Neill led the Wildcats to a 19-15 record and the school's 24th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, the nation's longest active streak.

He was designated Olson's permanent successor, but when the Hall of Famer returned that spring he announced O'Neill would no longer be part of the program.

O'Neill is 171-180 in 12 seasons as a college head coach, including stints at Marquette, Tennessee and Northwestern.

O'Neill takes charge of a USC program that won at least 20 games and made the NCAA tournament each of the last three seasons, both school records, at a university best known for its powerhouse football program, which is also being investigated by the NCAA.

"I'm very excited about this opportunity to coach at such a great institution as USC, with its tremendous athletic and academic tradition," he said in the statement. "I appreciate Mike Garrett's confidence in me. I will work my hardest to coach us to a championship level every single day. I can't wait to get started."

But all is not well with the Trojans as O'Neill moves into a program under investigation by the NCAA for alleged improprieties involving Mayo, who played one season at USC before leaving for the NBA.

If the NCAA can prove Floyd paid to have Mayo delivered to USC, that would be considered a major violation. The Trojans could be forced to forfeit victories, and they could face recruiting restrictions and lose scholarships.

Floyd has never addressed the allegations involving Mayo.

Since the Trojans' season ended in March, starters DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett, along with Marcus Johnson, declared for Thursday's NBA draft, and the Trojans have lost eight recruits.



by the associated press

Celtics 112, Magic 94

BOSTON — Rajon Rondo had 15 points, 18 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the playoffs, and Eddie House scored a career high-shattering 31 points on Wednesday night to lead the Boston Celtics to a 112-94 victory over the Orlando Magic and even the Eastern Conference semifinalsDwight Howard had 12 points and 12 rebounds and Rashard Lewis had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who stole Game 1 and home-court advantage Monday night despite blowing almost all of a 28-point lead late in the game.

Game 3 is Friday night in Orlando.

Rondo had 12 assists without a turnover at the half and finished one assist short of his career high. The only time the 6-1 point guard has had more than 18 assists was the triple-overtime Game 6 of the first-round series against Chicago in which he played 57 1/2 minutes.

"He picked up where he left off last game,” House said of Rondo. "He had a lot of energy on both ends of the court.”

Ray Allen scored 22 points and Kendrick Perkins had 16 points and nine rebounds for the defending NBA champions, who avoided heading to Orlando down 0-2 and assured themselves of at least one more game in Boston.

Paul Pierce of the Celtics scored three points in 16 minutes, hitting a 3-pointer for the first basket of the game, but he picked up two fouls in 50 seconds early in the first quarter and headed to the bench. He played just 2 more minutes in the second quarter before picking up his third foul, and lasted 4:07 into the third before drawing his fourth and sitting back down.

By the time he came back in — to give House a rest — Boston was nursing a double-digit lead in the last 4 minutes and the crowd was chanting "Eddie!” for the backup who helped them open a 26-point lead and coast to victory.

House went 11 for 14 from the field, making all four of his 3-point attempts and adding four 2-pointers from at least 20 feet in 27 minutes — the most he’s played in a playoff game since he was a rookie with Miami in 2001. In the last three games, House is 18 for 24 from the field and 10 for 12 from 3-point range.

by the associated press

Hornets Stings Denver

NEW ORLEANS — In a relieved New Orleans locker room, Chris Paul and James Posey chatted about all the hard fouls, all the flying bodies that more than anything defined the Hornets’ first win of this postseason.

"This is the fun part of the playoffs, all the contact, all the flagrant fouls,” Paul said. "You never want anyone to get hurt, but after it’s all said and done, you smile about it because that’s the nature of the sport.”

Playing a grueling 46 minutes and shaking off a hard foul committed against him, Paul had 32 points and 12 assists, helping New Orleans hold on for a 95-93 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in Game 3 of their first-round series.

The Hornets cut Denver’s lead in the series to 2-1, with Game 4 on Monday night.

Posey, who sprained his right knee in the first quarter but returned before halftime, had 13 points and nine rebounds, none more important than his last, which came after Carmelo Anthony’s jumper for the lead bounced out with under 5 seconds left.

Posey also played the last 4:39 with five fouls.

"I wanted to finish out the game, just be smart about it,” Posey said. "The fouls I did commit, I felt were needed at the time — nothing easy, make them earn it at the free throw line.”

The game was loaded with hard fouls; there were 58 personal fouls called in all, 29 on each team. Two players on each team fouled out — David West and Tyson Chandler for New Orleans, and Nene and Kenyon Martin for Denver.

Chandler, Posey and Denver’s Chauncey Billups were called for flagrant fouls. J.R. Smith was called for a technical foul after he collided with Paul late in the third quarter, sending Paul crashing to the court during a fast break.

Breathing heavily and in pain, Paul seemed in no hurry to get up, but eventually made his way to the foul line and hit a pair of key free throws.

Paul’s only rest came early in the fourth quarter, with the Hornets leading by eight. He sat for only two minutes.

"I had in my mind that CP was going to play the whole 48,” said Hornets coach Byron Scott. "He came out and played like the best point guard in the world. He understood what was at stake.”

Scott also was called for technical foul when he argued with official Bennett Salvatore over the flagrant called on Posey, during which the Hornets forward grabbed Chris Andersen to stop him from scoring and Andersen fell.

"It was a terrible call,” Scott said. "Chauncey Billups’ (flagrant) foul on Rasual (Butler), if it would have been James Posey, they probably would have thrown him out of the game. Posey didn’t do anything. He tried to hold (Andersen) up on the foul. It was a good hard foul, but to get a flagrant on the foul, you have to almost throw the guy down as well. It was a terrible call.”

Billups gave Butler a bloody nose on his hard foul during a Hornets’ fast break, and Butler crashed to the floor and slid across the baseline.

Before the game, Scott had his son give Paul a note reminding the point guard that great players aren’t always great, just most of the time. Paul understood it as a message to forget about losses in the series’ first two games and rise to the occasion with the team desperate to win Game 3.

"He’s so good that he’ll always get something going,” Denver coach George Karl began, "but this was the first night where he kind of got everything.”

Paul shot 11-of-20 with two 3-pointers and was 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He also helped the Hornets slow down Billups, who’d surpassed 30 points in each of the first two games, but finished with 16 points in Game 3.

by the associated press

Blake Griffin Stats , Oklahoma Sooners

Blake Griffin Stats .


2007-2008 28.4 14.7 9.1 1.8 2.3 .80 1.0 .8 2.5 .568 .589 .000 1.49
2008-2009 33.2 22.5 14.4 2.3 3.4 .68 1.2 1.2 2.5 .646 .588 .375 1.72
Season Totals Rebounds
SEASON GP MIN FG FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA PTS OFF DEF TOT AST TO STL BLK PF
2007-2008 33 937 184 324 116 197 0 2 484 108 193 301 61 76 33 28 82
2008-2009 33 1094 279 432 180 306 3 8 741 121 353 474 76 112 38 41 83
2008-2009 Game Log Rebounds
DATE OPP RESULT MIN FG FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA PTS OFF DEF TOT AST TO STL BLK PF
11/14 American W 83-54 33 9 11 5 14 1 1 24 2 16 18 1 0 1 1 1
11/17 MVSU W 94-53 31 8 9 4 8 0 0 20 4 15 19 2 5 6 0 0
11/18 Davidson W 82-78 38 7 11 11 12 0 0 25 3 18 21 3 6 1 0 3
11/22 Gardner Webb W 80-76 39 14 20 6 12 1 1 35 8 13 21 5 3 3 1 3
11/26 UAB W 77-67 39 11 14 10 14 0 0 32 2 13 15 3 6 1 0 3
11/28 @Purdue W 87-82 40 5 13 8 13 0 0 18 7 14 21 3 2 2 2 3
12/4 USC W 73-72 37 8 12 9 13 0 0 25 1 5 6 2 2 0 1 2
12/7 @Tulsa W 69-44 29 8 14 3 8 0 0 19 2 7 9 1 6 3 3 4
12/10 Maine W 78-52 26 11 13 0 1 0 0 22 2 8 10 3 0 2 3 2
12/13 Utah W 70-52 23 0 3 11 14 0 1 11 1 10 11 2 1 0 0 3
12/20 Va Common W 81-70 26 5 8 8 12 0 0 18 0 7 7 1 3 0 0 4
12/22 @Rice W 70-58 37 9 11 9 17 0 0 27 1 10 11 3 6 1 4 2
12/30 @Arkansas L 96-88 34 8 15 5 8 0 0 21 6 7 13 4 4 1 3 5
1/3 Coppin St W 93-62 26 5 9 4 4 0 1 14 2 10 12 2 1 0 0 1
1/5 UMES W 100-64 22 9 14 2 2 0 0 20 4 12 16 2 0 3 4 0
1/10 @Kansas St W 61-53 38 13 24 3 9 0 0 29 7 8 15 3 4 1 1 4
1/12 Texas W 78-63 39 8 13 3 8 1 1 20 1 9 10 3 4 1 2 3
1/17 @Texas A&M W 69-63 24 6 14 4 5 0 0 16 4 2 6 1 1 0 0 4
1/21 Nebraska W 72-61 37 11 16 5 10 0 1 27 3 15 18 2 4 2 3 2
1/24 Baylor W 95-76 33 6 15 8 10 0 0 20 4 13 17 4 2 1 0 0
1/26 @Oklahoma St W 89-81 38 9 11 8 13 0 0 26 4 15 19 3 7 1 1 2
1/31 @Iowa St W 78-68 37 10 13 3 7 0 0 23 6 9 15 3 5 0 1 2
2/4 Texas A&M W 77-71 34 6 14 4 9 0 0 16 3 11 14 4 1 0 1 3
2/7 Colorado W 77-72 35 11 14 4 10 0 0 26 5 7 12 1 6 1 1 2
2/11 @Baylor W 78-63 36 6 10 6 12 0 0 18 3 7 10 1 1 0 2 3
2/14 Texas Tech W 95-74 31 16 22 8 10 0 0 40 7 16 23 2 5 2 1 3
2/21 @Texas L 73-68 11 1 5 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 3 0 2 1 0 2
2/23 Kansas L 87-78 Did Not Play
2/28 @Texas Tech W 78-63 37 9 17 2 3 0 1 20 5 13 18 2 4 0 2 3
3/4 @Missouri L 73-64 39 7 11 2 7 0 0 16 5 16 21 3 6 1 1 3
3/7 Oklahoma St W 82-78 37 12 15 9 13 0 0 33 4 10 14 2 4 2 1 3
3/12 Oklahoma St L 71-70 38 6 9 5 8 0 1 17 4 15 19 0 5 0 0 3
3/19 Morgan St W 82-54 31 11 12 6 10 0 0 28 2 11 13 2 3 0 1 2
3/21 Michigan W 73-63 39 14 20 5 10 0 0 33 8 9 17 3 3 1 1 3
3/27 Syracuse 7:27 PM

Stats provided by STATS LLC

OU mens Basketball Showdown with Syracuse

OU Men's BasketBall Showdown with Syrause , is on Friday Night at 6:27 .

Can Blake Griffin , and the rest of the team get passed Syrause?

Which brings me back in the mid 80's when oklahoma made it to the final. Only to lose to Kansas in the final round, so the Sooners have never won a basetball championship in the NCAA. Is Oklahoma only going to be a football progam. That wins the big game?

As much as I would like to see Oklahoma win the NCAA championship, I doubt that they will get passed the final eight. Only to have the Sooner fans heartbroken again, just like in the 80's when the Sooners lost to the kansas Jayhawks with Danny Manny.

Which brings to the thought should we be a one man show with Blake Griffin contolling the game. Or should we be a run and gun offense. Which works other teams such as North Carolina. I don't want OU to lose however with Blake being the main offensive weapon, and the rest of the team picking up the scraps that he leaves behind.

In conclusion I hope along with the rest of the fans that history does not repeat itself. Can Oklahoma have their hearts broken in another championship series?