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Bailey's
Take on Conference USA Hoops
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From the Anchor Desk
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
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By Brian Bailey
Sports Anchor of WNCT-TV 9
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Cincinnati + Marquette = Big Early Flops
�2002 Bonesville.net
Huggins Should Be Wary of Recruiting in
Morganton
It was certainly not
a great NCAA Tournament for Conference USA. The league picked up seedings of
1, 5 and 9, but failed to make it past the second round.
Cincinnati was the league�s biggest flop. The Bearcats
were the top seed in the West, but fell in double overtime to UCLA in that
second round game.
Many in the media felt Oklahoma should have been the
top seed in the West. The �Cats certainly didn�t do anything to undermine
that opinion.
Cincinnati had tendencies all year of not coming out to
play 40 minutes of basketball. We had a chance to see it first hand, when
East Carolina almost upset Cincy in Greenville.
Now, Bob Huggins is a candidate for the West Virginia
job. That would certainly be a recruiting challenge. I guarantee you Huggins
couldn�t get the same type of player to go to Morgantown that he has
successfully lured to Cincinnati.
Marquette was also a disappointment. I really thought
the Golden Eagles would make a strong run in the tournament. Kentucky made
it through in that bracket in the East, but I think Marquette would have
given the Wildcats a good game.
I had a chance to see Charlotte in person in
Greenville, SC. The 49ers looked just like the team that East Carolina saw
twice this season in the first half. The second half, though, was totally
dominated by a Notre Dame team that almost beat Duke in the second round.
And who would have ever thought that Louisville would
be one of the last teams standing in the postseason for Conference USA? The
Cardinals took on Temple in the NIT�s second round on Tuesday Night, and
LOST.
Memphis lives on, and will play BYU tonight.
Tarrant High on ECU Hoops Coach
I ran into former
Richmond Coach Dick Tarrant while I was covering the NCAA regional in
that other Greenville.
If anyone knows anything about the tournament, it�s the
former Spiders' coach.
Tarrant led Richmond to several great upsets in the
NCAA Tournament. His teams beat Charles Barkley and Auburn in 1984, and they
ran through both Indiana and Georgia Tech in 1988.
�I call it March Gladness,� Tarrant told me. �I�m sure
glad that I had a chance to coach in the tournament.�
He asked me what it was like watching all of the
Conference USA games. Then he had kind words for the Pirate coach Bill
Herrion.
�Bill�s a tireless worker,� Tarrant said. �He is an
outstanding coach and did a great job with that team this year. I have a lot
of respect for Coach Herrion. I think the Pirate fans are lucky to have
him.�
Tarant is currently doing radio for the NCAA
Tournament. He loves his new job.
�It�s great. I�m still in the game, but I haven�t lost
a game in some time. I�m really having a lot of fun on this side of the
microphone.�
Final Four Picks
My NCAA brackets
resembled many of my college exam papers after the first two rounds. There
was plenty of red ink to go around.
 With
that said I present my Final Four picks: I like Duke in the South, Maryland
in the East, Oklahoma in the West and Kansas in the Midwest.
But don�t be surprised if 8th seed UCLA or
12th seed Missouri make it to Atlanta for the National
Semifinals.
It�s been that kind of tournament, hasn�t it!
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Brian Bailey.
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02/23/2007 01:22:39 AM
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