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News Nuggets, 04.07.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Legendary USM punter headed to Hall of Fame

SOUTH BEND — Former Brigham Young University coach LaVell Edwards and Penn State star Lydell Mitchell were among 14 players and coaches selected to the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

The Hall will also add a pair of members with ties to Conference USA schools, punter Ray Guy of Southern Mississippi and quarterback Andre Ware of Houston.

Other who will be inducted are former Virginia coach George Welsh, defensive back Jack Tatum of Ohio State, running back Bob P. Anderson of Army, nose guard Tony Casillas of Oklahoma, linebacker Frank Emanuel of Tennessee, guard-linebacker Wayne Harris of Arkansas, quarterback Joe Kapp of California, tight end Jim Mandich of Michigan, defensive tackle Tracy Rocker of Auburn, and tight end Charles Young of Southern California.

The new members will be inducted during an awards dinner in New York on Dec. 7, and will be officially enshrined at the Hall in South Bend during ceremonies in August 2005.

"I'm fully aware of what it is," said Mitchell, the second Penn State running back after John Cappelletti to be selected. "I don't quite know what it means yet. It hasn't quite sunk in."

Edwards retired in 2000 after 29 years as BYU's coach. He led the Cougars to a 13-0 record and national championship in 1984, and finished with a 257-101-3 record, sixth in Division I-A victories behind Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno, Bear Bryant, Pop Warner and Amos Alonzo Stagg.

"Before I got there, BYU was averaging, I think, just over three wins a year," Edwards said. "I figured, 'Might as well do something different,' so we started to throw the football."

His offense produced four College Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks: Gifford Nielsen, Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon and Steve Young. Ty Detmer won the Heisman Trophy in 1990.

UConn-Tech TV ratings hit rock bottom

NEW YORK — The NCAA men's basketball championship game drew the lowest rating since CBS began broadcasting the event in 1982.

Monday night's game between UConn and Georgia Tech drew a 11.0 national rating, down from last year's previous low of 12.6.

UConn grabbed a double-digit lead early and went on to beat Georgia Tech 82-73 in a game that was all but decided by halftime.

Despite the championship game low, the overall ratings for the tournament were up 24 percent this year. The tournament averaged a 6.2 rating, up from last year's 5.0.

The rating is the percentage of all homes with TVs, regardless of whether they are in use.

This was the second tournament under a deal in which CBS is paying the NCAA $6 billion over 11 years.

Final USA Today/ESPN Coaches basketball poll

The top 25 teams in the final USA Today-ESPN men's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, 2003-04 records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:

[Conference USA teams — present and future — and Carolinas teams in bold.]

RANK TEAM RECORD PTS PVS
 1. Connecticut (31) 33-6 775 7
 2. Duke 31-6 722 6
 3. Georgia Tech 28-10 721 15
 4. Oklahoma State 31-4 688 3
 5. Saint Joseph's 30-2 644 5
 6. Stanford 30-2 553 1
 7. Pittsburgh 31-5 544 8
 8. Kentucky 27-5 522 4
 9. Kansas 24-9 465 14
10. Texas 25-8 437 11
11. Illinois 26-7 419 13
12. Gonzaga 28-3 415 2
13. Mississippi State 26-4 373 9
14. Xavier 26-11 361 _
15. Wake Forest 21-10 357 16
16. Wisconsin 25-7 334 10
17. Alabama 20-13 248 _
18. Cincinnati 25-7 239 12
19. Syracuse 23-8 218 24
20. N.C. State 21-10 157 17
21. Nevada 25-9 156 _
22. North Carolina 19-11 135 20
23. UAB 22-10 124 _
24. Maryland 20-12 119 21
25. Vanderbilt 23-10 102 _

Others receiving votes: Southern Illinois 37, Memphis 34, Providence 29, Arizona 28, Boston College 24, Texas Tech 23, Michigan 13, Utah State 12, DePaul 10, Pacific 7, Manhattan 6, Western Michigan 6, Seton Hall 5, Air Force 4, Central Florida 4, Michigan State 2, South Carolina 2, Louisiana-Lafayette 1.

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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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