Washington-Louisville a respect game
A painted message on the wall leading from the locker rooms to the court here heralds proudly the fact that The Pit – the site of tonight’s Louisville-Washington Sweet 16 battle in Albuquerque, N.M. – sits a mile high.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino, however, apparently thinks that isn’t the only thing around here piled up to such a lofty perch.
Standing in his locker room on Wednesday after practice for today’s battle with the Washington Huskies in the Sweet 16, Pitino said he couldn’t understand how Washington could complain any longer about being unnoticed or disrespected.
“They’ve gotten tremendous respect, without question,” Pitino said. “They are on TV more than any team in the country five times over. That’s what I don’t understand about the whole equation, about them not getting the respect they deserve. They won the Pac-10, they are on TV, Lorenzo (Romar) is a high-profile coach. It’s almost themselves saying it more than anybody else. Like it’s a figment of their imagination.”
Any last shred of doubt that really may exist about the Huskies – either legitimately expressed by others or just perceived to be out there by UW players and coaches – will disappear if Washington can beat the Cardinals tonight.
A victory would put the Huskies into the Elite Eight and set up a game with either Texas Tech or West Virginia for a spot in the Final Four.
It would also be their school-record 30th win, a plateau usually reached only by the best of the best in college basketball.
And it would stamp this team as the best in school history in the modern era. The only two UW teams to get this far since 1953 – the 1984 and 1998 teams – each saw their dreams dashed in the Sweet 16.
While it would seem to pale in comparison to all of those above achievements, a win tonight would also finally legitimize the Huskies in the eyes of those who still doubt.
“There’s still something to prove,” said Washington guard Brandon Roy. “I think people feel like Louisville should have had this one seed.”
Eastern Kentucky’s Ford talks to UMass
Eastern Kentucky basketball coach Travis Ford interviewed for the vacant job at Massachusetts.
School officials confirmed that Ford, a protege of UMass graduate Rick Pitino, was in town to discuss the position that became open when Steve Lappas was fired last week.
“He’s here, but we do not expect an imminent announcement,” Jason Yellin, a spokesman for athletic director John McCutcheon, told The Associated Press.
Pitino, who played for Massachusetts and coached Ford at Kentucky, is among those pushing Ford’s candidacy.
Also on the short list are Tony Barbee, who played for the Minutemen and is an assistant to former Massachusetts coach John Calipari at Memphis; Kent State coach Jim Christian; and Manhattan coach Bobby Gonzalez.
Ford guided the Colonels to a 22-9 record this season – the most wins in school history – and the team’s first NCAA Tournament bid in 26 years. The Colonels lost in the first round to Kentucky.
Ford, 35, took over a team that had seven straight losing seasons before his arrival. He was 61-80 in his first five seasons at Eastern Kentucky after compiling a 67-31 mark in three seasons at Campbellsville (Ky.) – an NAIA school.
Miami’s Haith signs five-year contract
Frank Haith, who led Miami to 16 wins in his first season as basketball coach, signed a five-year contract.
Terms of the new deal weren’t released but when Haith was hired last year, he signed a five-year pact worth an estimated $350,000 annually.
Miami went 16-13 this season and finished sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference – easily exceeding preseason expectations in the school’s first year in the conference. The Hurricanes, who came off consecutive losing seasons in the Big East, were widely chosen to finish last in the 11-team league.
Haith spent 15 years as a college assistant before coming to Miami.
His team beat three ranked opponents this season and reached the postseason for the first time since 2002, losing at South Carolina in the first round of the NIT.