High altitude entices Huskies to leave early

The top-seeded Washington Huskies flew to Albuquerque on Monday, one day earlier than they would usually leave, to get in an extra day of practice in the city’s 5,314-foot altitude.

The Huskies, coming off first- and second-round victories in Boise, will face fourth-seeded Louisville Thursday night in the NCAA regional semifinals.

“When you first hit the altitude, you run up and down the floor three, four times and you feel like you’re exhausted and you can’t catch your breath,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said.

“Some are just able to play through it, no big deal,” he said. “Then some others it just affects a little more. I’ve been told if you’re there two days, three days, then you become used to it and it doesn’t affect you at all.”

Romar, 46, will be visiting Albuquerque for the first time. He said he’s talked to a lot of coaches and former players about playing at “The Pit” at the University of New Mexico.

Romar was more concerned about coach Rick Pitino’s Louisville team and its star player, 6-foot-7 junior forward Francisco Garcia. The Cardinals captured both the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles.

While Washington beat Pacific by 18 points in its second-round game Saturday, Louisville won by 22 over Georgia Tech Sunday.

The Huskies beat Pac-10 regular-season champion Arizona in the conference tournament. They’re a quick, talented team that lacks size, but still has gone 29-5.

The similarly athletic Cardinals are a mirror image of Washington, with no starter taller than 6-foot-8.

In two tournament games, Garcia is averaging 24 points, including 21 against Georgia Tech, when he had 18 in the first half.

While Louisville has Garcia, the Huskies rely heavily on their 5-foot-9 junior guard, Nate Robinson, a starting cornerback on the Washington football team as a freshman. Against Pacific, Robinson scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half.

“Nate’s been playing good basketball all year,” Romar said. “You watched him enough to know the bigger the game, the bigger the event, the bigger he gets. And there’s a lot at stake here.”

Sumpter out for rest of tourney

Villanova forward Curtis Sumpter will miss the rest of the NCAA Tournament after a MRI exam Monday revealed he has a torn ligament in his left knee.

Sumpter was hurt in Villanova’s second-round win over Florida on Sunday, leaving the game after 12 minutes after scoring eight points and twice tumbling to the court and clutching his left knee.

Sumpter, the team’s second-leading scorer didn’t play again, instead cheering his teammates on from the bench.

Durham retires after 45 years

Jacksonville’s Hugh Durham retired, saying it was time to end a 45-year coaching career in which he took two schools to the Final Four.

The 67-year-old coach steps down with one year left on his current contract, which the school will honor.

“You’ve got to do what’s best for the program,” Durham said. “And in this case, it’s time to step down right now. You ask kids to do what’s best, you’ve got to do the same.

“I just couldn’t commit to four more years on a new contract,” he said.

Jacksonville athletic director Alan Verlander will be in St. Louis for the Final Four later this month to begin the search for a new coach, said Durham, who also will play a role in the search.

Durham finishes with 633 victories, 25th in college basketball history. Among active coaches, the only ones with more wins are Bob Knight, Eddie Sutton, John Chaney, Lute Olson, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Calhoun and Jim Boeheim.

Durham was 106-119 in eight seasons at Jacksonville, which was 16-13 this season. He also coached at Florida State (1960-78) and Georgia (1978-95).

NCAA ratings highest since 1994

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.