Experts Don’t Believe In Umass

Poor Massachusetts.

The Minutemen have the best record in the country and were ranked first for 10 weeks, longer than any other team. They have All-American center Marcus Camby, a “Refuse to Lose” motto and a spot in the East Regional semifinals.

So why is coach John Calipari saying others don’t expect his team to win the NCAA basketball championship? Maybe he’s trying to instill an us-vs.-them attitude in his players.

“People are picking us not to get out of the region,” Calipari said. “That’s the consensus of all the experts in the media.”

Geary steps up for Arizona

He responds to the cheers of “Reggie, Reg-gie.” And maybe in a few more weeks, Arizona fans can start calling senior point guard Reggie Geary “Mr. March.”

Geary had 16 points and 13 assists in Sunday’s 87-73 win over Iowa that sent the Wildcats to the NCAA’s round of 16 in Denver.

“You can take any guard you want in the country and I’ll take Reggie,” said Arizona coach Lute Olson. “He’s the heart and soul of our basketball team.”

Louisville not surprised by success

Louisville has reached the round of 16 for the third time in four years, and everyone seems surprised but the Cardinals themselves.

“What we did is what we’ve done all year,” Tick Rogers said after the victory that advanced the Cardinals. “We’re always beating teams that nobody gave us a chance to beat.”

“If people want to call this a fluke, fine,” Damion Dantzler said. That’s their problem.”

Advice offered for ailing stars

Everywhere Wake Forest coach Dave Odom turned he was getting advice on remedies for ailing stars Tim Duncan and Tony Rutland.

“I saw two professors on campus today and both said (Duncan) looks horrible, feed him more,” said Odom. “We’ve had no less than five or six calls from the general public with all sorts of herbal cures.”