March 30 Men's Basketball Notebook

Larry O'Bannon

Louisville prepares for the NCAA Final Four this weekend in St. Louis. It is the Cardinals eighth trip, winning the 1980 and 1986 national titles. It is also head coach Rick Pitino's fifth visit to the Final Four, but first appearance with U of L. Pitino became the first coach to lead three different teams to the NCAA Final Four (once with Providence and three times at Kentucky).

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

Thursday, March 17
RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Ind.
(7) Cincinnati 76, (10) Iowa 64

Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho
(11) UAB 82, (6) LSU 68

Friday, March 18
DCU Center, Worcester, Mass.
(10) North Carolina State 75, (7) Charlotte 63

Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, Tenn.
(4) Louisville 68, (13) Louisiana-Lafayette 62

Saturday, March 19
(2) Kentucky 69, (7) Cincinnati 60
(3) Arizona 85, (11) UAB 63

Sunday, March 20
(4) Louisville 76, (5) Georgia Tech 54

Thursday, March 24
NCAA Tournament - Albuquerque Regional
The Pit, Albuquerque, N.M.
(4) Louisville 93, (1) Washington 79

Saturday, March 26
(4) Louisville 93, (7) West Virginia 85 (OT)

Saturday, April 2
NCAA Tournament - Final Four
Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Mo.
(4) Louisville vs. (1) Illinois (CBS) 6:07p

All Times Eastern.

NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT

Monday, March 14
Western Michigan 54, Marquette 40

Tuesday, March 15
DePaul 75, Missouri 70

Wednesday, March 16
TCU 60, Miami (Ohio) 58
Memphis 90, Northeastern 65
Wichita State 85, Houston 69

Sunday, March 19
Memphis 83, Virginia Tech 62
Texas A&M 75, DePaul 72

Monday, March 21
TCU 78, Western Michigan 76 (OT)

Wednesday, March 23
NIT Quarterfinals, Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis 81, Vanderbilt 68

Saturday, March 26
NIT Quarterfinals, College Park, Md.
Maryland 85, TCU 73

Tuesday, March 29
NIT Semifinals
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
St. Joseph's 70, Memphis 58

C-USA TOURNAMENT

2005 Kelly Tires C-USA Men's Basketball Tournament, FedExForum, Memphis, Tenn.

Wednesday, March 9
(8) TCU 60, (9) Marquette 57 (OT)
(5) DePaul 81, (12) Tulane 71
(7) Memphis 79, (10) Saint Louis 59
(11) USF 69, (6) Houston 64

Thursday, March 10
(1) Louisville 85, TCU 61
(4) UAB 59, DePaul 56
Memphis 83, (2) Charlotte 69
USF 80, (3) Cincinnati 68

Friday, March 11
Louisville 74, UAB 67
Memphis 81, USF 68

Saturday, March 12
Louisville 75, Memphis 74

2005 Conference USA All-Tournament Team
Taquan Dean, Louisville ** MVP **
Francisco Garcia, Louisville
Terrence Leather, USF
Anthony Rice, Memphis
Darius Washington Jr., Memphis

CONFERENCEUSA.COM

Get all the latest news on Conference USA men's basketball, as well as the league's 18 other sports, at the C-USA official website www.conferenceusa.com.

DID YOU KNOW?
Conference USA is the only league in the nation that has nine teams with 18 or more victories this season. The Big 12, MAC and SEC are the next closest with seven teams. All nine teams advanced to the postseason with four teams (Louisville, Charlotte, Cincinnati and UAB) playing in the NCAA Championships, while DePaul, Houston, Marquette, Memphis and TCU were invited to the 2005 NIT. Seven C-USA teams have 20 or more wins and Louisville is the second winningest program (Illinois is first) this season with 33 victories entering the NCAA Final Four. The Cardinals are also riding the longest win streak in NCAA Division I with 13 straight victories.


O'BANNON NAMED NCAA REGIONAL MVP
Louisville senior Larry O'Bannon scored a team-high 24 points, hitting 6-of-10 shots from the field, and was selected the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Albuquerque Regional. O'Bannon and the Cardinals defeated West Virginia, 93-85 in overtime, to advance to the NCAA Final Four. Louisville juniors Taquan Dean and Francisco Garcia also earned spots on the Regional All-Tournament Team. Dean sank seven of the team's 11 three-pointers in the game against West Virginia, while Garcia led the Cards in the first three games (averaging 23.7 ppg) and chipped in 13 points against the Mountaineers.

PITINO FIRST TO TAKE THREE TO FINAL FOUR
Louisville head coach Rick Pitino became the first NCAA Division I coach to take three different teams to the NCAA Final Four when his 2005 Cardinals defeated West Virginia in the Elite Eight on Saturday. In 1987, Pitino led Providence to the Final Four in just his second season with the Friars. In eight seasons at the University of Kentucky, Pitino's teams advanced to three Final Fours, winning the 1996 title with a 76-67 victory against Syracuse in the finals and defeating his alma mater UMass in the semifinals, 81-74.

AROUND C-USA

CHARLOTTE (21-8, 12-4): Conference USA Player of the Year Eddie Basden registered his seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but No. 7 Charlotte was defeated by 10th-seeded North Carolina State, 75-63, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The 49ers had a seven-point lead at the half, shooting 56 percent from the field. Senior Brendan Plavich hit four straight three-pointers (he leads the nation with an average of 3.9 per game) in the first nine minutes of the game and drained 5-of-7 three-pointers in the first half to tally 15 points before the break. However, he was held scoreless in the second half and the shots didn't fall for the Niners as they converted on 9-of-33 field goals in the second stanza. Junior Curtis Withers also tossed in 15 points for the game, while junior E.J. Drayton added 11 points.

NO. 23 CINCINNATI (25-8, 12-4): The Bearcats made their 14th straight trip to the NCAA Championships, earning a No. 7 seed, and advanced to the second round with a 76-64 victory against 10th-seeded Iowa. Four UC players scored in double figures, led by senior Jason Maxiell with 22 points. Junior forwards James White and Eric Hicks chipped in 15 and 10 points, respectively, and senior guard Nick Williams added 13 points. The Bearcats shot 57.1 percent (16-28) in the second half to extend their lead. Cincinnati also took a two-point lead, 35-33, over second-seeded Kentucky in the second round, but the Wildcats eliminated UC with a 69-60 defeat. Williams was the top scorer in that contest with 16 points. Junior guard Jihad Muhammad tossed in 14 points and Hicks posted his 10th double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds against UK. The game was played in Indianapolis and the tri-state teams drew 40,331 fans to set a NCAA First/Second Round record.

DE PAUL (20-11, 10-6): Sophomore guard Sammy Mejia scored a game-high 23 points and seniors Quemont Greer and Drake Diener combined for 38, but the Blue Demons were edged out by Texas A&M, 75-72, in the second round of the NIT. Greer registered his seventh double-double of the season (14th of his career) with 20 points and 12 rebounds against the Aggies. Diener scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Blue Demons to a 75-70 first-round NIT victory against Missouri on March 15. Diener tied his career-high with seven three-pointers and hit 11-of-15 shots from the field. This was the third postseason appearance for the Blue Demons in as many seasons under head coach Dave Leitao.

EAST CAROLINA (9-19, 4-12): Senior Moussa Badiane had another big night, but the Pirates dropped a 77-71 loss on the road at Tulane to end the regular season on March 5. The game was a winner-take-all situation, with the victor earning the final berth to the C-USA Men's Basketball Tournament. Badiane registered his eighth double-double (12th of his career) with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in what turned out to be the Pirates' season finale. Sophomore Mike Cook led the team with 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The Pirates did outrebound Tulane, 48-30. Junior Corey Rouse went 7-of-11 from the field with 16 points. ECU finished the season at 9-19 and 4-12 in conference play. Freshman Tom Hammonds was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

HOUSTON (18-14, 9-7): Despite a season-high performance from senior Andre Owens, the Cougars suffered an 85-69 loss to Wichita State in the opening round of the NIT. Owens, a second team all-conference selection, scored a season-high 33 points on the strength of seven three-pointers. Junior forward Ramon Dyer chipped in 14 points, but the Shockers closed out the game on a 19-3 run. The Cougars earned their first NIT bid since 2002 under first-year head coach Tom Penders and it was only the second time the Cougars had advanced to the postseason since 1993. Houston made one of the best turnarounds in NCAA Division I, winning nine more games overall and six more games in Conference USA.

NO. 4 LOUISVILLE (33-4, 14-2): The Cardinals are riding the nation's longest win streak of 13 games directly into the NCAA Final Four. Senior Larry O'Bannon scored a team-best 24 points as the Cardinals came from behind to defeat West Virginia, 93-85 in overtime, and was named the Albuquerque Regional MVP. O'Bannon layed in the tying bucket (77-77) to send the game into OT as U of L overcame a 20-point deficit. Junior Taquan Dean chipped in 23 points on the strength of seven three-pointers as the two teams set a NCAA record with a combined 29 treys in the regional final contest. Dean and classmate Francisco Garcia, who is averaging 21 points through the tournament, were also named to the Regional All-Tournament Team. The Cardinals' win total of 33 games entering the Final Four is second in the nation only to their next opponent, Illinois. The two teams will square off at 6:07 p.m. ET Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Mo.

MARQUETTE (19-12, 7-9): Four Marquette starters scored in double-figures and the other tied the tournament record for most rebounds in a single game, but the Golden Eagles were eliminated by TCU in the first round of the C-USA Tournament by a score of 60-57 in overtime. Junior Steve Novak led all scorers with 16 points, stepping up for senior point guard Travis Diener, the team and C-USA leader in scoring (19.7 ppg) and assists (7.0 apg). who missed the end of the season with a broken hand. Novak scored the team's first eight points on the afternoon and went 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Todd Townsend (14), Dameon Mason (12) and Joe Chapman (10) also scored in double figures. Senior Marcus Jackson grabbed 16 rebounds to tie former Golden Eagle Amal McCaskill for the C-USA Tournament record. McCaskill set the record in 1996 against Memphis. Marquette concluded its season with a 54-40 loss to Western Michigan in the opening round of the NIT. Mason tallied 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals in the game.

MEMPHIS (22-16, 9-7): Junior Rodney Carney scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, but Memphis was eliminated from the NIT on Tuesday with a 70-58 loss to St. Joseph's in the semifinals. It was the third time in five years the Tigers had advanced into the NIT semifinals. Carney was the Tigers' leading scorer for the third straight game and 17th time this season. Point guard Darius Washington Jr., the C-USA Freshman of the Year, chipped in 14 points. Memphis pulled to within two points (37-35) early in the second half following two free throws from Washington, but the Hawks responded with a three-pointer and never looked back. Carney and senior Duane Erwin grabbed six rebounds apiece. The Tigers were without the services of junior Jeremy Hunt, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in the quarterfinal game with Vanderbilt. Memphis has won six of its last seven games entering Tuesday's contest, shooting better than 49 percent on average and outscoring its first three NIT foes by an average of 20 points. The Tigers defeated Northeastern (90-65), Virginia Tech (83-62) and Vanderbilt (81-68) to advance to the semifinals in New York City.

SAINT LOUIS (9-21, 6-10): The Billikens had their two-game win streak to end the regular season snapped with a 79-59 loss to Memphis in the first round of the Kelly Tires C-USA Men's Basketball Tournament. Saint Louis had won the C-USA Tournament the last time it was held in Memphis in 2000 and it was only the second time the Billikens had lost a first-round game. Freshman guard Luke Meyer came off the bench to score a team-high 12 points. Junior Anthony Drejaj added 11 points and drained the 100th three-pointer of his career. His three on the night gave him 102 and the team made a season-high nine treys.

SOUTHERN MISS (11-17, 2-14): The Golden Eagles closed out the 2004-05 season with a 66-64 victory over TCU, snapping a nine-game losing streak. Junior guard Michael Ford came off the bench for a game-high 19 points. In front of a Senior Day crowd of nearly 4,000, senior guard David Haywood registered his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Another senior, Dante Stiggers, had a well-rounded afternoon with seven points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal. Sophomore Jerekus Singleton chipped in 10 points. Junior Jason Forte only made one field goal, but he made it count as he scored a put-back bucket with two seconds remaining for the win.

TCU (21-14, 8-8): Senior guard Corey Santee scored 22 points and junior guard Nile Murry added 21, but the Horned Frogs dropped an 85-73 decision to Maryland on Saturday in the NIT quarterfinals. TCU hit 9-of-18 three-pointers in the first half and was down by one point (44-43) at the intermission. The Horned Frogs came out of the break and went on a 23-6 run in the first five minutes of the second half. Santee, who drained five three-pointers in the game, finishes his career ranked fifth on the C-USA scoring chart with 1,832 career points. Seniors Marcus Shropshire and Aaron Curtis also chipped in 11 points against the Terrapins. Head coach Neil Dougherty's team put together one of the best turnarounds in the nation this season, posting nine more wins than last season's 12-17 mark. It is the first 20-win season for the Horned Frogs since 2000-01 when they were 20-11.

TULANE (10-18, 4-12): Despite the sixth double-double of the season from junior forward Quincy Davis, the No. 12 seed Green Wave was defeated by DePaul, 81-71, in the first round of the Kelly Tires C-USA Men's Basketball Tournament. Davis, who ranks 10th in the nation with a .612 field goal percentage, scored a team-high 17 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for his ninth career double-double. Freshman David Gomez came off the bench to add 16 points (two shy of his career-high) and classmate Taylor Rochestie, a member of the C-USA All-Freshman Team, chipped in 13 points and a career-high seven assists.

UAB (22-11, 10-6): The 11th-seeded Blazers upset No. 6 seed LSU, 82-68, in the first round of the NCAA Championship. Junior guard Marvett McDonald, playing less than a week after his mother's funeral, led his team with 21 points and six rebounds. Senior Donell Taylor and his twin brother Ronell Taylor combined for 23 points with 14 and nine, respectively. Junior Demario Eddins added 10 points in the win, all at the free throw line. The Blazers were plagued by poor shooting in their second round game with No. 3 Arizona, hitting a season-low 32.8 percent from the field and starting the game 1-for-19 from three-point range. Donell Taylor (13) and Eddins (12) were the only players in double figures. UAB currently leads the nation in steals and is on track to lead that category for the third straight season, which is a feat that has never been done. UAB matched its win total of a season ago, finishing up the regular season at 22-11.

USF (14-16, 5-11): Senior Terrence Leather registered three double-doubles in the No. 11 seeded Bulls' three tournament games to earn a spot on the C-USA All-Tournament Team. The Bulls upset No. 6 seed Houston, 69-64, in first-round action. They followed that up with an 80-67 win over No. 21 Cincinnati in the quarterfinals for their second win over a ranked opponent in a week. (USF knocked off No. 18 Charlotte in the regular season finale for both teams on March 5). Leather ends his collegiate career with 22 double-doubles. His 39 rebounds during the three tournament games broke the previous record of 37, set by Louisville's Luke Whitehead. Classmate Brian Swift scored in double-figures in each tournament game, tossing in a team-high 17 points against Memphis in the semifinals.

RECORD NINE C-USA MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAMS ADVANCE TO POSTSEASON
Louisville has advanced to the NCAA Final Four and Memphis is making its third trip in five years to Madison Square Garden for the NIT Semifinals this week. Conference USA sent a record nine teams to the postseason this year - four teams to the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship and five teams competed in the National Invitation Tournament. Besides C-USA Tournament and regular season champion Louisville, Charlotte, Cincinnati and UAB each earned a NCAA Tournament invitation.

Louisville (33-4) is making its 32nd appearance in the NCAA Championship, the fifth-most of any school in the nation, and its seventh as a member of Conference USA. The Cardinals are also making their eighth trip to the Final Four, winning the 1980 and 1986 national titles.

C-USA sent five teams to the 2005 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) - DePaul, Houston, Marquette, Memphis and TCU.

Memphis (22-15), the C-USA Tournament runner-up, defeated Northeastern, Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt to advance to Tuesday's NIT semifinal game. Memphis won the 2002 NIT under head coach John Calipari and placed third in the 2001 NIT. The Tigers hold a 19-15 (.559) all-time NIT record in 16 appearances. TCU (21-14) advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT before being eliminated Saturday by Maryland, 85-73. TCU won its first two rounds on the road, handing Miami (Ohio) its only home loss of the season, 60-58, on March 16 and defeating Western Michigan, 78-76 in overtime, on March 21.

Conference USA has produced 38 NCAA berths and 33 NIT bids since the 1995-96 inaugural season.

CONFERENCE USA IN THE FINAL FOUR
Louisville becomes the second Conference USA member to reach the NCAA Final Four in the last three seasons. Marquette advanced to the 2003 Final Four with wins over Holy Cross (72-68), Missouri (101-92 in OT), Pittsburgh (77-74) and top-seeded Kentucky (83-69). In the last three years, only five conferences have had a team progress to the coveted Final Four. The ACC and Big 12 have been represented by three teams each, while Conference USA along with the Big East and Big 10 have each had two team representatives.

Louisville also has the most Final Four appearances of all Conference USA programs with eight. The Cardinals were national champions in 1980 and 1986. Cincinnati is next with six, winning the 1961 and 1962 national titles, and Houston has advanced to the Final Four on five occasions. Future Conference USA member UTEP won the 1966 NCAA Tournament.

FUTURE CONNECTION
Another Final Four participant has a tie to next season's Conference USA membership. Michigan State associate head coach Doug Wojcik was hired as the new head coach at the University of Tulsa on March 14. Wojcik has been with the Spartans for two seasons, helping them to a 44-18 record and a trip to the 2005 Final Four. Prior to joining the Michigan State staff, Wojcik spent three years as an assistant at the University of North Carolina - the Spartans' opponent on Saturday.

PAST CONNECTION
Memphis Coordinator of Basketball Operations Milt Wagner, who is in his fifth season with the Tigers, was a member of the 1986 Louisville National Championship team. Wagner and his Cardinal teammates defeated Duke, 72-69, in the title game. Wagner was also on the 1982 and 1983 squads that advanced to the NCAA Final Four. He scored 1,834 points during his career (fifth all-time in school history) and his No. 20 jersey was retired by U of L in 2000.

CONFERENCE USA IN THE 2005 NCAA TOURNEY
Entering the 2005 NCAA Final Four in St. Louis this weekend, Conference USA has compiled the third-best winning percentage in this year's tournament. Here is a breakdown of those conference's that have compiled a .500 or better winning percentage:

Conference Bids NCAA Record Winning %
Big Ten 5 11-3 .786
Atlantic Coast 5 10-4 .714
Conference USA 4 6-3 .667
Pac-10 4 5-4 .556
Big East 6 7-6 .538
Big XII 6 6-6 .500
Southeastern 5 5-5 .500
Mountain West 2 2-2 .500

DIENERS TO COMPETE IN 3-POINT SHOOTOUT
DePaul senior Drake Diener and his cousin Travis Diener of Marquette, both All-Conference USA selections, will give a double dose of C-USA representation in the 17th Annual Mountain Dew College Slam Dunk and Three-Point Championship. Drake led C-USA this season in three-point field goal percentage (.462) and ranked fifth in the nation. He holds the DePaul school records for both career three-point field goals (216) and season (85) set this year.

Travis is returning from a left-hand injury that forced the senior to miss the Golden Eagles final five games and cutting his stellar collegiate career short. The first team all-conference selection was a career 41.3 percent shooter from behind the arc, and also holds his school record for career three-pointers (284) and season three-pointers (90, 2004).

The competition will be held Thursday, March 31 at the Washington University Field House in St. Louis at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN at 8 p.m. CT.

MEMPHIS IN THE BIG APPLE
Memphis made its third trip in five years to Madison Square Garden for the NIT Semifinals this week. The Tigers won the 2002 title with a 72-62 victory against South Carolina (a participant in the 2005 semifinals) for the program's first postseason national championship. This is the Tigers' fourth trip to the NIT semifinals, placing third in 2001 and as runner-up in 1957.

CONFERENCE USA IN THE NIT
Memphis was looking for its second NIT title in four seasons, but a total of six Conference USA teams have a NIT championship banner to hang. Memphis is the most recent champion (2002), while DePaul (1945), Saint Louis (1948), Louisville (1956), Marquette (1970) and Southern Miss (1987) also wore the NIT crown. Incoming member Tulsa has two NIT titles under its belt from 1981 and 2001.

GARCIA NAMED TO WOODEN ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Louisville's Francisco Garcia was named to the Wooden Award All-America Team, recognizing the top 10 college basketball players in the 2004-05 season. In addition to Garcia, the top ten Wooden Award All-Americans, in alphabetical order, are Andrew Bogut, Dee Brown, Sean May, Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Wayne Simien, Salim Stoudamire, Hakim Warrick and Deron Williams. Seven conferences are represented on the All-American squad with the ACC leading the way with three players, followed by the Big Ten with two nominees, and the Big 12, Big East, Conference USA, Mountain West and Pac-10 each accounting for one. Four Wooden Award All-Americans (Garcia, May of North Carolina, Illinois' Brown and Williams) have led their respective teams to this weekend's Final Four in St. Louis.

A special player who makes everyone on the floor better, Garcia is averaging 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals. He has stepped up his production in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 21 points, 4.3 assists and 2.3 blocked shots in four games and earned a spot on the Albuquerque All-Regional Team. A first team all-conference selection, Garcia was also honored on the Conference USA All-Decade Team announced last month. In just his third season, he ranks 16th on the C-USA all-time scoring chart with 1,409 career points entering the Final Four.

C-USA CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY
Conference USA celebrated its 10th anniversary during the 2004-05 season. In conjunction, the league is naming a Team of the Decade for each of the conference's 19 sports. Men's Basketball is the latest sport to have its All-Decade team released and the squad is led by former Cincinnati star Kenyon Martin, the 1999-00 National Player of the Year and three-time C-USA Defensive Player of the Year. The Men's Basketball Coach of the Decade award was won by Cincinnati's Bob Huggins, who has led the Bearcats to eight regular season championships and four tournament titles. Both Martin and Huggins were unanimous selections. Voting on the awards was done by a media panel with one representative in each of the league's cities. Cincinnati was the only school to produce three members of the squad, while Louisville and Marquette each had two selections. Charlotte, DePaul and Memphis had one player chosen to the team.

BASKETBALL AND BEALE STREET
The 2005 Kelly Tires Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament was held March 9-12 at the FedExForum in downtown Memphis. Located just a few steps from Beale Street, this state-of-the-art arena served as an outstanding showcase venue for this year's tournament. This was the third time that the city of Memphis has played host to the C-USA Tournament, as the event was played at the Pyramid in 1996 and 2000.

CARDINALS WIN SECOND C-USA TITLE
With no time left on the clock, Memphis freshman guard and C-USA Freshman of the Year Darius Washington Jr. went to the free throw line for three attempts with the Tigers down by two. Washington sank his first shot, but missed the next two as top-seeded Louisville escaped with a 75-74 victory over No. 7 seed Memphis in the 2005 Kelly Tires Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament championship game at the FedExForum. The Cardinals broke a championship game record with 15 three pointers (15-for-23), which also tied the record for most three pointers in any C-USA Tournament game. Louisville junior Francisco Garcia was 5-for-8 from behind the arc to tie a championship game record for three-pointers in a game and finished with a team-high 19 points. Freshman Juan Palacios registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Cards. Washington led Memphis with 23 points, while Anthony Rice matched his career-high with 20 points. Louisville's Taquan Dean was named tournament MVP. Dean was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Garcia, Washington, Rice and USF senior Terrence Leather. With the victory, the Cardinals earned their second C-USA Tournament title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Louisville became the first C-USA school other than Cincinnati to win the regular season and tournament titles in the same season. The Bearcats have accomplished the feat four times: 1996, 1998, 2002 and 2004. Three of those tournaments were held in Cincinnati, and the 1996 tourney was in Memphis.

C-USA TOURNAMENT NOTES
An odd seeded team has won the C-USA Tournament all 10 years. This year's champion, the Louisville Cardinals, were the fourth No. 1 seed to win the title. It was their third trip to the finals (winning in 2003, losing to Charlotte in 1999).

The host team had won three straight C-USA Tournament titles until the Cardinals ended the run with a 75-74 victory over host Memphis.

Memphis fell just short of becoming the fourth team in C-USA history to win four games in a row in the tournament. (Saint Louis 2000, Charlotte 1999 and Marquette 1997). It marked the first time Memphis had advanced to the C-USA Championship.

U of L senior Ellis Myles registered the first triple-double in C-USA Tournament history with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an 85-61 quarterfinal victory against TCU. DePaul sophomore Sammy Mejia was close the day before in the Blue Demons' 81-71 victory over Tulane. Mejia tallied 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Louisville set a tournament championship record with 15 three-pointers in the win over Memphis. Junior Francisco Garcia hit five treys in the game to tie Marquette's Travis Diener for the individual record.

USF senior Terrence Leather earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after leading his No. 11 seed Bulls to upsets over Houston (69-64) and No. 21 Cincinnati (80-68). Leather recorded three double-doubles in as many games and extended a string of eight in a row. He also tallied 39 rebounds for the tournament, breaking the previous record of 37 set by Louisville's Luke Whitehead during the 2003 Tournament.

The Bulls opening round victory over Houston marked only the second time in tournament history that the No. 11 seed won its first game. The last occurance was also in Memphis when the No. 11 Tigers defeated USF, 60-58, at The Pyramid in 2000.

Charlotte junior Curtis Withers scored 32 points in an 83-69 loss to Memphis in the quarterfinals. That is the third-best individual offensive output in tournament history.

UAB senior Ronell Taylor, the C-USA Sixth Man of the Year, returned to the Blazer line-up after missing the final seven games of the regular season with a broken left foot.

2005 ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS
First Team All-Conference USA
Eddie Basden, Senior, Charlotte
Travis Diener, Senior, Marquette
Francisco Garcia, Junior, Louisville
Quemont Greer, Senior, DePaul
Curtis Withers, Junior, Charlotte

Second Team All-Conference USA
Rodney Carney, Junior, Memphis
Terrence Leather, Senior, USF
Jason Maxiell, Senior, Cincinnati
Andre Owens, Senior, Houston
Donell Taylor, Senior, UAB

Third Team All-Conference USA
Taquan Dean, Junior, Louisville
Drake Diener, Senior, DePaul
Eric Hicks, Junior, Cincinnati
Corey Santee, Senior, TCU
Darius Washington, Freshman, Memphis

Conference USA All-Freshman Team
Joey Dorsey, Memphis
Tom Hammonds, East Carolina
Juan Palacios, Louisville
Taylor Rochestie, Tulane
Darius Washington, Memphis

Conference USA Player of the Year
Eddie Basden, Charlotte

Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year
Eddie Basden, Charlotte

Conference USA Freshman of the Year
Darius Washington, Memphis

Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year
Ronell Taylor, UAB

Ray Meyer Coach of the Year
Rick Pitino, Louisville


C-USA PAIR ON FINAL BALLOT
Senior guard Travis Diener of Marquette and Louisville junior guard Francisco Garcia were each named to the final ballot for the Naismith Trophy, which is selected based on individual performance and team records thus far during the 2004-05 season.

The Top 30 Naismith Trophy midseason list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. The board based its criteria on player performances this season. The list was narrowed down from the preseason list of 50 candidates who were announced at the beginning of the season.

BASDEN NAMED TO SI.COM ALL-AMERICA TEAM
Charlotte senior swingman Eddie Basden, the Conference USA Player of the Year, was named to SI.com's All-America Third Team. Basden ranks among the league leaders in four major categories: scoring (11th, 15.2 ppg), rebounding (seventh, 8.4 rpg), assists (ninth, 3.71 apg) and steals (first, 3.25 spg). Basden was also selected the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Conference USA first team.

Three other Conference USA players received Honorable Mention recognition from SI.com. Basden's teammate, junior Curtis Withers, as well as Louisville junior Francisco Garcia and DePaul senior Quemont Greer were each acknowledged in voting by SI.com's college hoops staff.

GARCIA NAMED TO NABC ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
Louisville junior Francisco Garcia was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-American Second Team. Garcia had earned District 7 First Team honors and was one of 10 Conference USA players recognized by the NABC. Garcia has been the leading scorer for the Cardinals in all three NCAA Tournament games to date, averaging 23.7 points per game.

CALL SECURITY
Charlotte senior forward Eddie Basden tied the Conference USA career steals record during the 49ers' 91-90 win over No. 17 Cincinnati on Feb. 5. Four days later, he swiped the ball from a visiting Houston team five times for 236 career thefts to take sole possession of the record, previously held by Cedric Smith of USF from 1998-2001. The two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, Basden led the Niners and C-USA with 93 steals this season (his per game average ranks fifth nationally). He becomes the first player in Charlotte history to record 60 or more steals in a single season three years in a row. He set the school record for career steals during the Feb. 12 overtime win against Saint Louis and ended his career with 264 thefts.


DOUBLE DUTY
USF senior Terrence Leather became the eighth player in C-USA history to finish among the Top 5 in scoring and rebounding during a single season. Leather has led the Bulls in both categories two seasons in a row. He averaged 18.2 points per game and 9.6 rebounds (which ranks third and second, respectively, in the conference). The last player to finish in the Top 5 in both categories was former Cincinnati standout and 2000 AP National Player of the Year Kenyon Martin.

LUTZ FINALIST FOR COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD
Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz is among 10 finalists for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, which were announced on Monday, Feb. 28. The 2005 recipient will be announced on April 1, at the 2005 NCAA Final Four in St. Louis, MO.

The Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, in conjunction with CollegeInsider.com, is voted on by a 21-member panel, which is chaired by the former Mount St. Mary's head coach. The voting panel is made up of current and retired head coaches, athletic administrators and distinguished members of the media. CollegeInsider.com renamed its National Coach of the Year Award to honor Coach Phelan. Mercer's Mark Slonaker was the first recipient of the award in 2003 and St. Joseph's Phil Martelli was honored in 2004. Previous recipients of the CollegeInsider.com National coach of the Year include Rod Barnes (Mississippi), Rob Evans (Mississippi), Bob Huggins (Cincinnati), Greg Kampe (Oakland), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) and Bo Ryan (Wisconsin).

HUNT REINJURES LEFT KNEE
For the second time in as many years, Memphis junior Jeremy Hunt has suffered a torn ACL of the left knee. It is the same knee that was injured in February of the 2003-04 season. Surgery will be scheduled following the Tigers' NIT trip to New York. The 6-foot-4 guard sustained the injury at the 8:01 mark of the first half of the March 23 NIT quarterfinal game against Vanderbilt, when he drove to the basket and was fouled. Hunt left the game at that point, and teammate Darius Washington Jr. shot the two free throws.

Hunt, a Memphis, Tenn., native, played in 26 games, starting the last seven. In the postseason (Tigers are 6-1), Hunt averaged 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds. He shot 45.5 percent from the field and had 18 assists and 18 steals in those seven starts. Hunt scored a career-high 24 points versus Northeastern in the NIT first round and had a career-best seven steals against USF in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals. For the season, Hunt averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. He had 70 assists and 39 steals. Earlier this year, he missed eight games from Dec. 7 through Jan. 9 with a broken bone in his left wrist. He missed the Nov. 26 game against Maryland with a chest bruise.

A GRAND COUGAR
With a 66-53 victory against Memphis at Hofheinz Pavilion on Feb. 5, the Houston Cougars achieved the 1,000th win in program history. The Cougars have now compiled a 1,004-678 record in the storied history of the program. Head Coach Tom Penders presented the game ball to former UH mentor Guy V. Lewis, who led the Cougars to 592 of those wins during his 30-year tenure. Lewis led Houston to 17 postseason appearances, including five NCAA Final Four participants. Southern Miss and TCU posted their 1,000th program wins last season. DePaul and Memphis have amassed more than 1,200 victories, Marquette reached the 1,300-win milestone last season and Cincinnati is just one victory shy of 1,500.

FASHION FORWARD
TCU head coach Neil Dougherty is defending his title as the nation's Best Dressed Coach on CollegeInsider.com's Runway to the Fashionable Four - The Gateway to Style. Dougherty is a top seed in the Midwest for the 2005 tournament, along with Louisville's Rick Pitino and future C-USA member Willis Wilson, head basketball coach at Rice University. Memphis head coach John Calipari is also in the running for this year's title as a No. 3 seed, along with fourth-seeded Dave Leitao of DePaul. All five advanced to the Sensational 16 and at least four could move on to the Elegant Eight (Dougherty and Leitao square off in the sensational round).

SEVEN C-USA TEAMS AMONG TOP 100 PROGRAMS
Seven Conference USA men's basketball teams were listed among the Top 100 in Street & Smith's Greatest College Basketball Programs of All Time. Louisville topped the C-USA honorees, coming in at No. 7 overall. The Cardinals success really began in 1944 and continued when Denny Crum arrived in Louisville and guided the Cards to a 1980 and 1986 NCAA National Championship title. Current head coach Rick Pitino, who was also instrumental in the history of the No. 1 Kentucky program, has led this year's U of L team to a 20-4 start. Cincinnati rounds out the Top 10 programs of all-time. The Bearcats won 1961 and 1962 National Championships and head coach Bob Huggins took them to the 1992 NCAA Final Four. Since joining C-USA in 1995, UC has won a share of eight regular season championships and four conference tournament titles.

Marquette, a 2003 NCAA Final Four participant, comes in at No. 33 on list. That 2003 squad was led by All-American and C-USA Player of the Year Dwyane Wade. Current head coach Tom Crean has built on the success of the legendary Al McGuire, who led the Golden Eagles to a 1970 NIT Championship and a 1977 NCAA Championship. The first nationally-televised college basketball game featured UCLA and Houston, which ranks No. 37 on Street & Smith's chart. These two teams were ranked one and two, respectively, at the time of the Jan. 20, 1968 tilt. DePaul earned the No. 57 spot, making 21 postseason appearances under former head coach Ray Meyer. Current mentor Dave Leitao took a share of the 2004 C-USA regular season title and led the Blue Demons back to NCAA Tournament and their first Round of 32 appearance since 1989. Memphis comes in at No. 61 with head coach John Calipari delivering a 2002 NIT Championship. The Tigers have made four postseason appearances under Calipari in as many years, and two trips to the NCAA Final Four as the 1973 runner-up and in 1985. Charlotte slots in at No. 88 as one of the youngest programs on the list, entering NCAA Division I competition in 1970. The 49ers earned a trip to the NIT finals in 1976 and the NCAA Final Four in 1977.

UTEP, Tulsa and SMU, three programs joining Conference USA next season, also made the list. UTEP, formerly known as Texas Western, ranked No. 49. The Miners won the 1966 NCAA Championship under legendary coach Don Haskins. Tulsa came in at No. 59, entering this season with 16 years of 20-plus wins, 14 NCAA berths, eight NIT appearances and 1,154 victories. SMU earned a spot at No. 71, with eight Southwest Conference championships under E.O. "Doc" Hayes.


FINNEY WILL NOT RETURN AT TULANE
Tulane's head men's basketball Shawn Finney, who just completed his fifth season as coach in 2004-05, will not return to the program, Green Wave Athletic Director Rick Dickson announced March 13. Finney, the 21st men's basketball coach in school history, finishes his Tulane tenure with a record of 60-86.

Tulane, which featured eight freshmen and sophomores on its 2004-05 roster, finished the season with a 10-18 record after falling to DePaul in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament. Finney's first three teams finished with nine, 14 and 16 wins, with the 2002-03 squad compiling a record of 16-15, including an 8-8 mark in Conference USA. Last year, the team's record fell to 11-17, 4-12 in league play, and Tulane earned the No. 12 seed in the league tournament.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Conference USA named a Player of the Week each Monday during the season. Players of the Week are voted on by a media panel with one representative in each league city.

Conference USA Players of the Week
N22 Travis Diener, Marquette
N29 Taquan Dean, Louisville
D6 Quemont Greer, DePaul
D13 Francisco Garcia, Louisville
Quemont Greer, DePaul
D20 Quemont Greer, DePaul
Jasper Johnson, Southern Miss
D27 Donell Taylor, UAB
J3 Francisco Garcia, Louisville
J10 Armein Kirkland, Cincinnati
J17 Taquan Dean, Louisville
J24 Sammy Mejia, DePaul
J31 Moussa Badiane, East Carolina
Larry O'Bannon, Louisville
F7 Eddie Basden, Charlotte
F14 Curtis Withers, Charlotte
F21 Eddie Basden, Charlotte
F28 Eddie Basden, Charlotte
M7 Larry O'Bannon, Louisville

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2005-06
The 2005-06 season will see the introduction of six new programs to Conference USA. Marshall University, Rice University, Southern Methodist University (SMU), the University of Central Florida (UCF), the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the University of Tulsa and will all begin competition in C-USA beginning with the 2005-06 season. These six schools will join current members East Carolina University, University of Houston, University of Memphis, Southern Mississippi University, Tulane University and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The teams will play a 14-game conference schedule with a single round robin and three mirror games. UCF and UTEP both won their respective conference tournaments this season and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive season. Rice also earned a trip to the postseason with an invite to the NIT.