My name is Lucas

Quick, can anyone name last year’s Big Ten Conference Player of the Year?

New Mexico State’s Jahmar Young can – now.

But it was Young’s apparent unfamiliarity with Michigan State’s junior point guard Kalin Lucas that created the biggest stir during Thursday’s series of press conferences involving the eight teams scheduled to open play at the Arena in today’s opening round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Young, NMSU’s junior guard and leading scorer, claimed earlier this week to not know who Lucas was, even though the 12th-seeded Aggies are matched against him and the fifth-seeded Spartans in a first-round game that tips off at 4:20.

Lucas responded to the snub Thursday, saying he thought it was “disrespectful” on Young’s part.

“I don’t know if he was joking. I don’t know if he was serious,” Lucas said. “It doesn’t really matter to me. I’m just ready for tomorrow.”

MSU coach Tom Izzo downplayed the exchange.

“Maybe it’s inexperience on the other player’s part,” he said. “But trust me, those comments aren’t going to win or lose the game.”

Young’s teammate, Wendell McKines, said it was just Young being himself.

“That’s J-Y,” McKines said. “He stays in the gym a lot, and all he watches is Kobe, so I can see how he wouldn’t know who Kalin Lucas is.”

Breaking the tie

When Maryland and Houston tip it off at the Arena tonight, there will be more at stake than a berth in the NCAA’s round of 32.

The game will also break a tie between the Terrapins’ Gary Williams and the Cougars’ Tom Penders, who share fifth place on the list of winningest active coaches with 648 victories.

“The tie will be broken,” said Penders, who is 648-437 in 36 season as a head coach, the last six at Houston.

“Longevity helps,” added Williams, who is 648-365 in his 32-year career as a head coaching and in his 16th season at Maryland. “We’ve followed each other around, and I feel fortunate to have stayed in the game as a head coach.”

Thinking upset – again

No. 13 Siena will be seeking a first-round tournament win for the third straight year when it takes on fourth-seeded Purdue this morning.

The Saints knocked off Vanderbilt 83-62 two years ago and posted a 74-72 double-overtime win over Ohio State last March.

“I think the experience of being in the tournament and winning two first-round games really helps out a lot,” senior Alex Franklin said. “We know what to expect. We know what the atmosphere is going to be like. We know what it takes to win a first-round game. So I think experience … is the biggest thing.”

“Having beaten a terrific SEC team (Vanderbilt) and a terrific Big Ten team (OSU) gives us the confidence to know that we can play well when we get on this stage,” Saints coach Fran McCaffery said.

Not a typical No. 4

McCaffery was quick to point out that his Saints aren’t facing a true fourth seed in the Boilermakers, even though they are without junior forward Robbie Hummel, who suffered a season-ending knee injury six games ago.

“This is not a team that backed into this tournament,” he said. “This is a team that for most of the season was arguably the No. 1 team in the country. Had Hummel not gotten hurt, they have probably been sitting here at (30-2, not 27-5).

“And I think I’ve been more impressed with how they responded after he got hurt, because they had to really work that much hard to earn a share of the Big Ten championship. That says a lot about (Purdue coach) Matt Painter, and a lot about the character of his team.”

Turgeon familiar with NCAA

Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon, whose fifth-seeded Aggies open play against No. 12 Utah State, played in four consecutive NCAA tournaments for Kansas from 1984-87. He was an assistant when the Jayhawks won the national title under Larry Brown in 1988 and again when they reached the title game under Roy Williams in 1991.

He has taken Texas A&M to the tournament in each of his first three seasons, and guided Wichita State to the Sweet Sixteen in 2006.

Tickets still available

Tournament officials have announced that tickets for first- and second-round games at the Arena are still available and can be purchased through the Arena box office, which opens at 9:30 this morning.

– Steve Bergum, Greg Lee, Mike Vlahovich and Jason Shoot contributed to his report