Oregon loses its AD

COUGARS UPDATED: 11:45 A.M.

We’re in Buffalo with Gonzaga’s basketball team – the Zags play Florida State this evening – but we couldn’t resist passing this on. The University of Oregon has scheduled an 11:30 a.m. press conference to have an “announcement about leadership at Athletics Department.” Here’s the Oregonian’s John Canzano’s take and a story in the Eugene Register-Guard. We’ll have more later.

• UPDATE: It’s official. Mike Bellotti has stepped down as UO athletic director and will join ESPN. It must have been too tough to have to fire his former colleague Ernie Kent.