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News Nuggets, 03.22.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Break over for East Carolina football team

A two-hour Monday afternoon workout brought an end to a lengthy hiatus from spring drills for the East Carolina football team.

The Pirates resumed their spring practice regimen at the on-campus Cliff Moore Practice Complex after taking 10 days off for spring break. The session, the team's second in full pads and fourth overall, focused on fundamentals.

"I thought we were a little rusty on our first day back but the spirit certainly was there," first-year head coach Skip Holtz said, according to an ECU news release. "Our work ethic and unselfishness to this point has been tremendous, which will give us a chance to get where everyone wants us to be."

In a personnel shift, Holtz said that senior defensive lineman Chris Sellers would be shifted over to the offensive side of the ball. Holtz had announced at the start of spring drills the move of senior linebacker Jamar Flournoy to safety.

The Pirates will practice again on Wednesday and will wrap up this week's schedule of drills by conducting the first of a series of game-like contact sessions on Thursday.

Scrimmages will be held on April 1 and April 8 and the annual Purple-Gold Spring Game will be staged on April 16.

From an ECU Athletics report.

Frogs in NIT quarterfinals after overtime win

KALAMAZOO — Corey Santee scored 26 points to lead Texas Christian to a 78-76 overtime victory over Western Michigan on Monday night in the second round of the NIT.

Santee hit six 3-pointers, including one in the first minute of overtime that put the Horned Frogs (21-13) ahead for good.

A steal and layup by Western Michigan's Ben Reed with nine-tenths of a second left in regulation forced overtime. Reed led the Broncos (20-13) with 26 points, but was called for traveling with 2 seconds left in overtime while driving to the basket.

Texas Christian hit 14 3-pointers, one shy of the team's season high. Nine of them came in the last 10 minutes of the first half, when the Horned Frogs overcame an 11-point deficit to lead 41-36 at halftime.

Marcus Shropshire added 17 points for Texas Christian, and Nile Murry had 13.

Levi Rost scored 16 points for Western Michigan and Brian Snider added 12.

The Horned Frogs, in the NIT quarterfinals for the first time since 1999, will play the winner of Wednesday night's game between Maryland and Davidson.

CBS reaping ratings bonanza from tourney

NEW YORK — The first four days of the NCAA tournament were the highest-rated in 11 years.

CBS averaged an overnight rating of 5.9 with a 12 share, up 7 percent from last year's 5.5 with a 12. It was the best average since a 5.9 with a 14 in 1994.

CBS began carrying full-day coverage of the tournament in 1991.

The rating is the percentage of all homes with TVs, whether or not they are in use. The share is the percentage of homes with sets in use.

Overnight ratings measure the 55 largest TV markets in the United States, covering nearly 70 percent of the country.

Baseball America & Collegiate Baseball Polls

(For both polls below, Conference USA teams, including future members, and Carolinas teams in bold; East Carolina opponents in red.)

(View last week's rankings)

BASEBALL AMERICA TOP 25

DURHAM — The top 25 teams in the Baseball America poll with records through March 20 and previous ranking; voting by the staff of Baseball America:

 1. Cal State Fullerton 16-4 2
 2. Tulane 19-3 3
 3. Louisiana State 17-4 5
 4. Texas 21-4 1
 5. Georgia Tech 19-2 10
 6. Miami (FL) 20-5 7
 7. Mississippi 17-4 14
 8. Arkansas 18-2 15
 9. South Carolina 17-3 4
10. Baylor 15-7 16
11. Florida 16-6 6
12. Stanford 12-7 12
13. Arizona 16-9 9
14. Texas A&M 17-7 8
15. Rice 15-8 11
16. North Carolina 15-5 13
17. Florida State 24-4 20
18. Oregon State 16-3 22
19. College of Charleston 16-4 18
20. Nebraska 18-2 23
21. Texas Tech 17-6 NR
22. Texas Christian 14-7 24
23. Southern California 13-6 NR
24. Mississippi State 13-3 NR
25. Central Florida 23-4 NR

COLLEGIATE BASEBALL TOP 25

TUCSON — The top 25 teams in the 2005 Collegiate Baseball poll with records through March 20, points and previous ranking; voting by coaches, sports writers and sports information directors:

 1. Cal State Fullerton 16-4 494 3
 2. Tulane 19-3 492 4
 3. Louisiana State 17-4 490 5
 4. Georgia Tech 19-2 489 6
 5. Arkansas 18-2 486 7
 6. South Carolina 17-3 485 2
 7. Texas 21-4 482 1
 8. Florida State 24-4 479 16
 9. Nebraska 18-2 474 21
10. Miami (FL) 20-5 472 11
11. North Carolina 15-5 470 9
12. Florida 16-6 468 10
13. Baylor 15-7 464 26
14. Stanford 12-7 463 15
15. Texas A&M 17-7 462 12
16. Arizona 16-9 460 13
17. Mississippi State 13-3 459 18
18. Mississippi 17-4 458 20
19. Louisiana-Lafayette 19-4 454 19
20. Central Florida 23-4 452 22
21. Wichita State 19-5 450 14
22. Michigan 11-3 448 23
23. Southern California 13-6 447 24
24. Rice 15-8 445 8
25. Coastal Carolina 17-3 443 NR

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 12:22 PM