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News Nuggets, 03.27.04
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NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Jayhawks put out fire in UAB's '40 Minutes of Hell'

ST. LOUIS — Wayne Simien, Aaron Miles and Kansas put Alabama-Birmingham through its own version of "40 Minutes of Hell."

Simien had 30 points, nine rebounds and five assists and the Jayhawks had few problems handling UAB's frenetic defense Friday night, moving a step closer to their third straight Final Four with a 100-74 victory in the St. Louis Regional semifinals.

Kansas (24-8) advanced to play the winner of the Nevada-Georgia Tech game for a trip to San Antonio. The regional final will be played Sunday.

The Jayhawks, who practiced against eight players this week to prepare for UAB's pressing defense, committed 17 turnovers and were forced into plenty of silly errors but offset that by beating the Blazers at their own chaotic game.

Miles keyed it all by outrunning the press, either hitting all sorts of twisting layups or dishing off to wide-open teammates. He finished with 10 assists.

Freshman J.R. Giddens had 18 points and Jeff Graves added 13 points and eight rebounds.

The ninth-seeded Blazers (22-10) made it to St. Louis after ousting the tournament's top overall seed Kentucky and had boasted earlier in the week about how their run-and-gun style of play had worn down the heavily favored Wildcats.

In the end, it was UAB that looked weary.

The Blazers shot just 32 percent from the field, were outrebounded 45-33 and allowed an opponent to score more than 100 points for only the second time this year — the other one came in a 102-100 victory over Washington in the first round of the tournament.

Second-year coach Mike Anderson learned the renowned "40 Minutes of Hell" defense while serving as an assistant under Nolan Richardson at Arkansas and Tulsa for 20 years.

That defense sent Arkansas to three Final Fours and the 1994 national championship. It also helped turn around UAB's mediocre program, propelling the Blazers into the round of 16 for only the second time in their 25-year history.

Kansas even looked ripe for an upset, with five key players all dealing with injuries.

It didn't matter in this one. The Jayhawks showed why underdogs rarely have their day deep in the tournament.

Anderson and Richardson, who sat a few rows behind UAB's bench, grew increasingly frustrated as a bigger, more talented team took over this game.

Anderson was eventually thrown out of the game with 5:24 left after getting hit with his second technical foul for berating official Bob Donato Jr. He was pleading for a foul after UAB guard Mo Finley was knocked to the floor after colliding with Giddens on a fast break.

That might have been the last time on the bench with the Blazers for Anderson, rumored to be a leading candidate for the vacant Auburn job.

If that was the end, it was an ugly way to go out.

Viewers flock to CBS tournament coverage

NEW YORK — The first five days of the NCAA tournament are the highest-rated since 2000.

CBS' five-day coverage of the tournament averaged a national rating of 5.6 with a 13 share. That's up 2 percent from 2002's 5.5 with a 13 share, and the best since a 5.8 rating with a 13 share in 2000.

It's an increase of 37 percent from last year's 4.1/8. CBS moved some first-round basketball action in 2003 to cable channel ESPN so the broadcaster's news division could air news about the war in Iraq.

The window from 9:35 p.m. to 12:17 a.m. Thursday night, which featured Saint Joseph's 84-80 win over Wake Forest, earned an average national rating of 7.2 with a 13 -- the highest for that window since 1994.

Tubbs succeeds fired ECU alum Dement at SMU

DALLAS — Jimmy Tubbs is home again on the Hilltop, as the former Mustang assistant was named head basketball coach at Southern Methodist on Friday.

He replaces East Carolina alumnus and former Pirate assistant Mike Dement, who was fired Feb. 27, with three games left and another year remaining on his contract. SMU was 10-15 at the time and had lost 12 of 16 games.

The 55-year-old Tubbs, who was an assistant under Dement for seven seasons before
leaving for Oklahoma two seasons ago, will guide the Mustangs next season in their final campaign in the Western Athletic Conference before the school joins Conference USA in 2005-06.

Tubbs returns to SMU after a successful tenure on the staff of North Carolina native Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma, where he helped guide the Sooners to a combined 47-18 record over the last two years.

While in Norman, Tubbs helped OU to an NCAA Elite Eight appearance, a Big 12 Tournament title and a ranking as high as No. 3 nationally by the Associated Press. He also helped the Sooners land a recruiting class ranked fourth nationally by HoopScoop in 2003, a group which included McDonald's All-American Drew Lavender.

Prior to his stint at Oklahoma, Tubbs spent 12 seasons altogether at SMU, as an assistant under Dement and John Shumate.

Tubbs, the 15th head coach in SMU history, received his degree in History from Bishop College in 1972 and a Master's of Education in Guidance and Counseling from Prairie View A&M in 1976. Born in Oakwood, TX, Tubbs has one son, Andrew (16).

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News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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