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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Sunday / December 22.

  • LOUISVILLE, 
     Ky. — When Jae Crowder pulled up for a 3-pointer in transition with his team holding a 3-point lead late in its NCAA Tournament game against Murray State, he didn’t have a great track record from deep.

    In fact, the Big East Player of the Year had made just 3 of his previous 19 from beyond the arc at that point.

    But Crowder has a short memory and he let it fly anyway.

    The ball went through the net and Marquette pulled ahead by six points, quieting the heavily pro-Murray State crowd that included a mixture of yellow-clad Racers’ fans and blue-clad Kentucky faithful.

    The No. 3 Golden Eagles held on and advanced past No. 6 Murray State, 62-53, to advance to a Sweet 16 matchup against the Florida/Norfolk State winner. Murray State (31-2) lost for just the second time all season.

    By MATT SUGAM

    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — With 27 seconds left in a game that was already in hand, Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard decided to end the careers of Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope on his terms.

    The second-year head coach wanted to give his seniors one last standing ovation from the Seton Hall faithful that had packed Walsh Gym for UMass’s 77-67 victory over the Pirates in the second round of the NIT.

    LOUISVILLE,  Ky. — Rhode Island has targeted Wagner’s Dan Hurley to be its new basketball coach, but an online story suggesting Hurley has accepted the job is false, industry sources with direct knowledge told SNY.tv.

    Hurley met with Rhode Island officials this past week at an off-campus location, but no deal has been struck.

    The school is reportedly offering a multi-year deal worth more than $700,000 annually, significantly more than Wagner would seem to be able to match.

    Should Hurley opt to leave the Staten Island program, the school could offer the job to his older brother, Bobby, a current Wagner assistant.

    LOUISVILLE,  Ky. — Mike Chandler, a skilled 6-foot-10 center who has committed to three different schools, is awaiting word from the NCAA on his future and hoping to enroll in college this fall.

    According to his uncle, Allan Chandler, Florida State, Missouri, Kansas and St. John’s are among the schools interested in Chandler, who was ranked the No. 5 center in the Class of 2011 by Rivals and previously committed to Louisville, Xavier and Central Florida.

    “He’s got a couple schools that are interested in him right now,” Allan told SNY.tv Saturday by phone. “At this point we’re just waiting to hear from the NCAA as far as his eligibility goes and then once we hear from them he’s going to make a decision about where he’s going to school.”

    THIRD ROUND GAMES

    SATURDAY, MARCH 17 (12:00 Noon-12:00 AM, ET)

     

    Time Network Site Game Play-by-Play/Analyst//ReporterProducer//Director
             
    12:15PM CBS Pittsburgh I Syracuse. vs. Kansas St. Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller//
            Marty Snider
            Steve Scheer//Mike Arnold
             
    after conc. I CBS Pittsburgh II Ohio St. vs. Gonzaga Harlan/Elmore/Miller//
            Snider
            Scheer//Arnold
             
    5:15 PM CBS Louisville I Marquette vs. Murray St. Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//
     

    By JOSH NEWMAN

    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    NEW YORK – If you’re Baron Davis, the backup point guard to Jeremy Lin with the good fortune of having a new head coach whose philosophy suits you better than the starter, this is not the time to be dinged up and sitting. Fans know it, the media knows it and yes, Davis himself very likely knows it.

    On Friday night against the Pacers, the Davis of old was slowly starting to emerge at Madison Square Garden. A 15-foot fade away at the first quarter buzzer, a long jumper and a longer 3-pointer later, bang, a new problem.

    Davis left the Knicks’ 115-100 win on Friday with what the team is calling a strained right hamstring. He did not return and will not travel with the team to Indianapolis for the back end of a back-to-back with the Pacers on Saturday night.

    COLUMBUS, Ohio — As soon as his team was cast as a No. 16 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, LIU coach Jim Ferry was adamant that his club should have gotten a higher seed.

    He felt the Blackbirds — the Northeast Conference regular-season and tournament champions — deserved better.

    “I felt going into this tournament I felt there was a significant difference between the 1 seeds and the 2 seeds,” Ferry said late Friday night inside Nationwide Arena after the No. 16 Blackbirds fell to No. 1 Michigan State 89-67. “That’s how come I was extremely disappointed when we got a 16.”

    Michigan State coach Tom Izzo agreed.

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