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News Nuggets, 02.02.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

C-USA lead at stake as Cincinnati, Louisville collide

Cincinnati is the only team that has come close to defeating Louisville in nearly a month, losing in one of the most remarkable games the teams have ever played.

With first place in Conference USA on the line, the No. 18 Bearcats hope to avenge perhaps their most deflating loss of the season Wednesday when they visit the ninth-ranked Cardinals at Freedom Hall.

Louisville (18-3, 6-1) has won seven straight, beating opponents by an average of 32.9 points. The Cardinals' only real scare in that stretch came on Jan. 15, when they overcame a 17-point deficit to beat Cincinnati 69-66.

``I think we owe them,'' Cincinnati forward James White said.

That isn't the only loss Cincinnati will be trying to avenge. When the Bearcats (17-3, 6-1) played at Freedom Hall last season, they were beaten 93-66, matching the most lopsided defeat in coach Bob Huggins' 16 seasons at Cincinnati.

``We need to go down there and finish the game,'' Bearcats forward Jason Maxiell said. ``We didn't finish the game here. We know we can go down there and take them out of their plays.''

The rematch reunites the conference's best offensive team and its stingiest defensive one. Louisville averages 85.6 points per game and shoots 48 percent from the field. Cincinnati allows opponents to shoot only 35.7 percent from the field, second-best in the country.

The Cardinals used physical play and pressure defense to beat Tulane 105-69 on Saturday.

Louisville shot 41.8 percent from the field, but was 14-of-36 on 3-pointers (38 percent). The Cardinals also had 20 steals, one short of their school record.

Louisville leads the all-time series 47-37.

UNC-CH assistant caught up in Memphis trial

MEMPHIS — A former Michigan State assistant coach testified in federal court Tuesday that he was told money had been paid to a high school coach to influence a top Memphis recruit's choice of college.

Brad Lawing, now an assistant at North Carolina, was called as a rebuttal witness for the prosecution after the defense rested in the trial of millionaire businessman Logan Young, accused of paying $150,000 to a high school coach to get defensive lineman Albert Means to sign with Alabama.

Both sides made closing arguments Tuesday and the U.S. District Court jury is expected to begin its deliberations Wednesday.

Lawing said he was recruiting for Michigan State in 2000 when he spoke with Lynn Lang, who was Means' coach at Trezevant High School in Memphis.

Means testified earlier in the day that he had entrusted the coordination of his recruitment to Lang and that he had let Lang pick his college. ``He took care of everything else,'' Means said in court. ``That's why I trusted him.''

Lawing told a jury that Lang demanded $200,000 to persuade Means to pick Michigan State and wanted a $50,000 payment within about 10 days.

Lawing testified that Lang said he already had been paid $50,000 for Means and he needed to repay that money before a deal with Michigan State could go forward.

Lawing said when he asked who had given the money, Lang replied, ``I can't tell you but if you don't get in the game you'll find out on national signing day.''

Means ultimately signed with Alabama but, with NCAA permission, transferred to the University of Memphis the following year after reports of a payoff to Lang became public.

Means, who has not been accused of wrongdoing in the recruitment, expects to graduate this spring and hopes to play professional football.

Young is standing trial on bribery, conspiracy and money laundering charges.

Lang has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and is cooperating with prosecutors while awaiting sentencing. He testified that Young bribed him in cash handouts — each under the $10,000 threshold for IRS reporting — after he was referred to the longtime booster by former Alabama assistant coach Ivy Williams.

Lang also testified that eight schools offered inducements while recruiting Means, and that three — Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky — handed out money. He said former Georgia coach Jim Donnan gave him $700 cash, while Memphis, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Michigan State also made offers.

Alabama's recruitment of Means became part of an NCAA investigation that led to sanctions in 2002 depriving the Crimson Tide of scholarships and bowl eligibility.

Means also said someone else, who was not identified in court, took his college entrance exam for him, and he acknowledged lying about that to a grand jury. ``I was afraid,'' he said.

While entering his guilty plea in 2002, Lang said he arranged for a stand-in to take Means' college entrance exam.

Houston-Oregon football game set for TV

Houston's 2005 non-conference football schedule is highlighted by a national television appearance in the season opener versus Oregon of the Pac-10 Conference.

The Cougars will kick off the season by playing host to the Ducks on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 8 p.m. at Reliant Stadium, Houston athletic director Dave Maggard announced last week. The game is scheduled to be televised by ESPN.

"Oregon has had an outstanding football program for a number of years," stated Maggard, who spent almost two decades in the Pac-10 as AD at California. "They will be a very good opponent and a very strong opponent for us to open with in 2005. We look forward to this home-and-home series with the Ducks. We think it adds to our schedule and national appeal."

The Cougars are scheduled to travel to Eugene, Ore., on Sept. 1, 2007, to complete the home-and-home series.

Compiled from a Houston Athletics report.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:21 PM