Hoopville - Horizon League

Butler Coach Gets Extension: The Bulldogs gave coach Brad Stevens an extension through 2014-15 after he led Butler to a school and league record of 30-4 in his first year. The Bulldogs won the Horizon League regular season and tournament championship while being ranked in the top 25 for most of the season. Stevens was an assistant coach at Butler for six years before becoming head coach. [4/19/08]

Titans Find Replacement Coach: Ray McCallum will coach the Detroit Titans after serving as Indiana's assistant coach for two years and leading Ball State to two NCAA Tournament bids from 1993-2000. He is replacing Perry Watson, who retired with a 258-185 record. [4/16/08]

East Region - Second Round: No. 1 North Carolina demolished No. 9 Arkansas 108-77 to sweep through Raleigh into the Sweet 16 in Charlotte. The Tar Heels lit up a team known for its defense by shooting 67.7 percent from the field. Sophomore guards Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson led North Carolina with 20 points and 19 points, respectively. Arkansas' offense did not play poorly, but the Razorbacks could not match the Tar Heels' level of efficiency. Senior swingman Sonny Weems led the Razorbacks with 19 points. North Carolina will play Washington State next.

No. 2 Tennessee worked overtime to beat No. 7 Butler 76-71 and move into the Sweet 16. Senior guard JaJuan Smith hit all four of his free throw attempts in the final seconds of overtime to help the Volunteers hold on to the win. He finished with 11 points, and sophomore forward Wayne Chism led the team with 16 points and five rebounds. Butler guard Willie Veasley tied the game in regulation with 37 seconds remaining, and neither team got off a shot to win the game in the final seconds of regulation. Senior guard A.J. Graves led all scorers with 21 points.

No. 3 Louisville squashed No. 6 Oklahoma 78-48 with strong defense and a balanced offensive attack. The Cardinals shot 59.3 percent from the field and hit nine three-pionters. Sophomore forward Earl Clark led Louisville with 14 points and five rebounds. The Sooners never got on track, shooting just 31.9 percent. Freshman forward Blake Griffin had only eight points in the loss. [3/23/08]

East Region - First Round: Sophomore point guard Ty Lawson proved he is healthy and ready to lead No. 1 North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament after providing 21 points, four assists and no turnovers in the Tar Heels' 113-74 blowout against No. 16 Mount St. Mary's. The Tar Heels shot better than 60 percent from the field and had five players in double figures as North Carolina's offense was no match for the Mountaineers. Junior forward Tyler Hansbrough also had 21 points for North Carolina, while senior guard Chris Vann led Mount St. Mary's with 16 points.

No. 2 Tennessee had its hands full with No. 15 American for 38 minutes before pulling away at the end to win 72-57. The Eagles hung with the Volunteers by outrebounding them 37-25 and hitting nine three-pointers. The prolific Tennessee shooters hit only six three-pointers, which helped American remain competitive until late in the second half. Senior guard JaJuan Smith led the Volunteers with 19 points, and junior guard Garrison Carr led all scorers by putting up 26 points for the Eagles. Tennessee has Butler up next.

No. 3 Louisville had no troubles getting past No. 14 Boise State 79-61 to move into the second round against Oklahoma. Sophomore swingman Earl Clark led the Cardinals with 15 points and seven rebounds. Louisville shot better than 55.8 percent from the field, including 50 percent from three-point range.

After battling to a tie midway through the first half, No. 6 Oklahoma went on a 25-6 run spanning halftime to pull away from No. 11 Saint Joseph's. The Sooners' senior guard David Godbold scored 25 points to lead Oklahoma. Senior forward Pat Calathes struggled against Oklahoma's defense, shooting 2-of-11 from the field for only six points. The Sooners were hot on offense, shooting 57.1 percent from the field to help survive a late rally by Saint Joseph's.

No. 7 Butler rained three-pointers on No. 10 South Alabama in a crushing 81-61 win. The Bulldogs hit 15 three-pointers, led by senior forward Pete Campbell's eight long shots. Campbell finished with 26 points to lead Butler, which built a double-digit lead midway through the first half after the Jaguars kept it close during the first 10 minutes. Senior guard Daon Merritt led South Alabama with 14 points, but he was the only Jaguar to score in double figures.

No. 9 Arkansas mercifully brought No. 8 Indiana's controversy-laden season to end with an 86-72 win. Senior swingman Sonny Weems was on fire for the Razorbacks, shooting 12-of-14 for 31 points. He also hit three three-pointers and grabbed five rebounds. Indiana's defense was porous as the defensive-minded Razorbacks shot 54.2 percent from the field. The Hoosiers' freshman point guard Eric Gordon struggled, going 3-of-15 for only eight points and one assist to three turnovers. Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson resigned in February amid NCAA violations for improper recruiting practices. [3/21/08]

Jackson Injures Ankle Again: Cleveland State guard Cedric Jackson injured his ankle during the second half of his team's 70-55 defeat to Butler in the Horizon League Tournament championship game. Jackson had already sustained the same injury to his left ankle in January. He was the Vikings' second-leading scorer and had four points before going down against the Bulldogs. [3/17/08]

Horizon League Tournament Championship: A few bubble teams can breathe a little easier after No. 1 Butler beat No. 2 Cleveland State 70-55 to win the Horizon League title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, ensuring that the conference will remain a one-bid league. After Monday's upsets in conference tournaments likely diminished the at-large pool, bubble teams nationwide were happy to see senior guard Mike Green deliver a 24-point, 13-rebound performance to lead Butler. The Bulldogs held Cleveland State to 36.4 shooting from the field, and junior forward J'Nathan Bullock was the only Viking to reach double figures in scoring with 21 points. [3/11/08]

Horizon League Tournament Semifinals: No. 2 Cleveland State took care of business against No. 6 Valparaiso, winning 78-73 to setup a championship game against No. 1 Butler. The Bulldogs are the favorite, but the Vikings already have one win against Butler this season. Junior guard Cedric Jackson led Cleveland State with 22 points, his best game in Horizon League play. No. 1 Butler delivered some relief to anxious bubble teams by remaining on pace for a Horizon League title after beating No. 4 Illinois-Chicago 66-50. Senior guard Mike Green led the Bulldogs with 19 points, eight of them coming from the free throw line. [3/08/08]

Horizon League Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 6 Valparaiso took out No. 3 Wright State 72-67 to move on to play No. 2 Cleveland State in the semifinals. Four Crusaders scored in double figures, led by senior swingman Shawn Huff's 21 points. No. 4 Illinois-Chicago took out city rival No. 8 Loyola-Chicago 60-49 thanks to a big second half in which the Flames outscored the Ramblers 41-28. Junior guard Josh Mayo led Illinois-Chicago with 17 points to help put the Flames into the semifinals against No. 1 Butler. [3/07/08]

Waston Calls It Quits at Detroit: Detroit coach Perry Watson has resigned as the Titans' coach. He has been on indefinite leave since Jan. 7 because of medical reasons. Associate coach Kevin Mondro has been the interim head coach. In his 15 seasons as Detroit's coach, Watson tallied a 258-185 record. Watson came to Detroit after being Michigan's top assistant for two seasons, helping to bring the Fab Five to Ann Arbor. The Titans ended the season with a 6-23 record after losing to Wright State in the opening round of the Horizon League Tournament. [3/05/08]

Horizon League Tournament First Round: No. 3 Wright State opened the Horizon League Tournament by blasting No. 10 Detroit 60-37. Senior forward Scottie Wilson had 15 points to lead the Raiders, who held the Titans to 33.3 percent shooting from the field. Wright State will try to avoid a three-game season sweep at the hands of No. 6 Valparaiso in the quarterfinals after the Crusaders beat No. 7 Wisconsin-Green Bay 75-67. Senior forward Shawn Huff helped the Crusaders overcome a bad shooting night by leading the team with 16 points, including 8-of-8 shooting from the free throw line. As a team, the Crusaders were 31-of-45 from the free throw line compared to the Phoenix's 12-of-22.

No. 4 Illinois-Chicago got 14 points from senior guard Robert Bush to lead the Flames to a 70-59 win against No. 9 Youngstown State, which shot only 36.1 percent from the field. Illinois-Chicago advances to the quarterfinals to play No. 8 Loyola, which upset No. 5 Wisconsin-Milwaukee on the road 57-51. Junior guard J.R. Blount was two short of his season-high with 23 points, and the Ramblers held Wisconsin-Milwaukee to 31.7 percent shooting. [3/04/08]

Detroit-Mercy Coach to Take Indefinite Medical Leave: Perry Watson, Detroit-Mercy's coach, is taking an indefinite leave of absence for medical reasons. Kevin Mondro, the team's associate head coach, will take over the lead position. In 15 seasons at Detroit-Mercy, Watson has 10 winning seasons and has led the team to four post-season appearances. [1/07/08]

Panthers Kick Out Leading Scorer: Wisconsin-Milwaukee will move forward without two players who combine to average 22.9 points per game. Coach Rob Jeter dismissed senior forward Torre Johnson, who leads the team in scoring at 17.8 points per game and rebounding at eight rebounds per game, after Johnson was arrested this past weekend. He hit a woman, causing her to need 10 stitches. Jeter also announced that sophomore guard Roman Gentry will leave the team to move closer to his home in Iowa. Gentry averaged 5.1 points per game and started the first four games of the season. [12/18/07]

Panther Arrested: UW-Milwaukee senior Torre Johnson was arrested early Saturday morning, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The report said Johnson, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, was involved in an argument with a 23-year-old woman at about 2:15 A.M. and allegedly punched her in the mouth, requiring 10 stitches. The school released a statement later in the day saying it had suspended him from the team, with nothing said about whether or not he may return at a later time. Johnson is the second Panther to be in trouble in recent months, as Avery Smith was dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules prior to the season. [12/15/07]

Avery Smith Booted from Wisconsin-Milwaukee Team: Wisconsin-Milwaukee's basketball star Avery Smith was dismissed from the team Wednesday, a day after his suspension. Smith, who last season averaged 15.5 points per game, was suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules before Wisconsin-Milwaukee's preseason opener against Wisconsin-Parkside on Thursday night. Smith was also a Horizon League preseason all-conference pick this year. The school said Smith would remain on scholarship. [11/08/07]

Memphis Looks to Toughen Schedule by Playing Georgetown: The Memphis Tigers, who have been criticized in recent years for playing weak schedules, are looking to deflect that criticism by scheduling a four game, home-and-home series with the Georgetown Hoyas. The games will be played during the next five years. Memphis will host the first game this year. [6/16/07]