Hoopville - Southland Conference

Texas Southern Hires Tony Harvey: Tony Harvey, who resigned as a Missouri assistant coach after an NCAA investigation found he violated rules, will be named head coach at Texas Southern. Harvey, who was an assistant at Missouri under Quin Snyder from 1999 to 2004, will replace interim coach Robert Moreland. [4/09/08]

South Region - First Round: No. 1 Memphis used a 15-2 first-half run to pull away from No. 16 Texas-Arlington and eventually win 87-63. Junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts led the Tigers with 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Memphis shot 51.9 percent from the field to overwhelm the Mavericks in waves. Junior forward Anthony Vereen did his best to keep Texas-Arlington close by scoring 20 points, but the Mavericks didn't have enough firepower to stay close.

Sophomore point guard D.J. Augustin had only six points for No. 2 Texas in a 74-54 win against No. 15 Austin Peay. But Augustin didn't need to score in bunches this afternoon with junior guard A.J. Abrams shooting 10-of-17 from the field and finishing with 26 points. Augustin orchestrated the dissection of the Governors with eight assists. Austin Peay could not answer Texas on offense, shooting only 28.3 percent from the field. Texas will play Miami in the second round.

Trailing by five at halftime, No. 7 Miami used a 25-5 run to seize the lead and cruise to a 76-61 win against No. 10 St. Mary's. Junior guard Jack McClinton dominated the second half, scoring 32 of his 38 points in the half. McClinton was unstoppable going to the basket or shooting from long range, and he finished 12-of-18 from the field and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line. The Gaels struggled against Miami's defense, shooting 37.5 percent from the field. Only freshman guard Patrick Mills scored in double figures, with 21 points.

No. 9 Oregon started the first half on a torrid shooting pace and built a 13-point lead moments into the second half after hitting the team's eighth three-pointer. But the Ducks didn't hit another three until the final seconds in a 76-69 loss to No. 8 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs clamped down on defense, holding Oregon to 9-of-38 shooting from three-point range for the game. Senior forward Charles Rhodes provided much of Mississippi State's offense with 34 points on 10-of-12 shooting. [3/21/08]

Southland Conference Tournament Championship: No. 7 Texas-Arlington completed a run through the Southland Conference Tournament with an 82-79 win against No. 5 Northwestern State. The Mavericks will make their first trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Southland championship as a seven seed. Junior forward Anthony Vereen led the Mavericks with 25 points and nine rebounds. Texas-Arlington held off the Demons in the final minutes, finishing 22-of-29 from the free throw line. [3/16/08]

Southland Conference Tournament Semifinals: No. 7 Texas-Arlington continued its run in the Southland Conference Tournament by beating No. 3 Sam Houston State 72-66 to earn a spot in the championship game. The Mavericks shot 50 percent from the field, and junior forward Anthony Vereen came off the bench to lead the team with 20 points.

The Southland Conference Tournament championship will feature a No. 7 seed and No. 5 seed after No. 5 Northwestern State upset No. 1 Stephen F. Austin 69-66. The Demons rallied from 17 points down in the first half to shock the Lumberjacks. Junior forward Trey Gilder led Northwestern State with 22 points. [3/14/08]

Southland Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 7 Texas-Arlington upset No. 2 Lamar 81-75 to move into the semifinals. The Mavericks dominated most of the game before the Cardinals used a 13-3 run late in the second half to cut the lead to three. But Lamar scored only two points during most of the final three minutes. Senior guard Rod Epps led Texas-Arlington with 24 points.

No. 3 Sam Houston State worked overtime to beat No. 6 McNeese State 64-62. The BearKats scored the first seven points in overtime, then held off McNeese State in the closing minutes. Senior forward Ryan Bright led Sam Houston State with 17 points, 15 rebounds and five steals. The BearKats face Texas-Arlington in the semifinals.

Despite a good shooting performance by No. 8 Texas-San Antonio, No. 1 Stephen F. Austin overcame a five-point halftime hole to win 71-60. Junior forward Matt Kingsley led the Lumberjacks with 26 points and 11 rebounds, nine of which were offensive rebounds. The Roadrunners shot 55 percent in the game to keep it close despite committing 17 turnovers to Stephen F. Austin's seven.

No. 5 Northwestern State built a 15-point halftime lead and cruised to a 71-51 victory against No. 4 Southeastern Louisiana. The Demons will play Stephen F. Austin in the semifinals. Junior forward Trey Gilder led the Demons with 18 points. [3/13/08]

Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Player Returns to School: 2007 Southland Conference Player of the Year Chris Daniels has removed his name from the NBA Draft and will return to Texas A&M - Corpus Christi next season. Daniels averaged 15 points and seven rebounds per game last season for the Islanders. [5/15/07]

New Coach Carter Promises Excitement: Former Texas-San Antonio leading man Tim Carter has been introduced as South Carolina State's new head coach. Carter, an assistant coach at Florida State last season, promised South Carolina State fans that they would enjoy watching the team play. He replaces Bulldogs' ex-coach Jamal Brown, fired in March for violations of the federal Title IX law. [5/7/07]

Midwest Region - First Round: No. 1 Florida was able to roll into the second round after defeating No. 16 Jackson State 112-69 in the first round. Jackson State was able to take the lead early in the contest until the Gators put up 71 points in the second stanza. Florida will now play No. 9 Purdue in the second round. Joakim Noah was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, but teammate Corey Brewer led the Gators with 21 points in the victory.

No. 2 Wisconsin let No. 15 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi build a 25-7 lead in the first half. The Badgers couldn't hit any shots to open the game, while the Islanders seemingly could do no wrong. Wisconsin climbed back before halftime to trail only 27-19. The Badgers were sensational in the second half, outscoring Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 57-36 to win 76-63. Senior leaders Kammron Taylor and Alando Tucker had 20-plus games to help the Badgers overcome the Islanders. Taylor finished with a game-high 24 points, and Tucker was right on his heels with 23 points.

No. 3 Oregon proved it can do more than run up the score against No. 14 Miami, Ohio. The Ducks persevered 58-56 in a slower defensive battle. Senior Aaron Brooks helped Oregon pull off its first NCAA Tournament win in five years by scoring 18 points. Sophomore Michael Bramos missed a three-pointer that would have tied the game with 10 seconds remaining. He finished with 18 points, and junior Tim Pollitz had a game-high 21 points. Oregon committed only five turnovers in a clean game.

No. 11 Winthrop completed its destiny by beating No. 6 Notre Dame 74-64 to win its first NCAA Tournament game. The Eagles have played well in two consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament but failed to break through for the upset. Winthrop ended the game on an 11-2 run to negate the Fighting Irish's furious second-half rally, which erased a 20-point hole. Seniors Craig Bradshaw and Torrell Martin scored at will against Notre Dame. Bradshaw finished with 24 points, and Martin added 20.

Senior-laden No. 7 UNLV got big games from Wendell White and Michael Umeh to lead the Rebels to a 67-63 victory against No. 10 Georgia Tech. White and Umeh scored 19 points apiece to form a masterful inside-out combination that flustered the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech got 11 points from junior Anthony Morrow and sophomore Alade Aminu. But freshmen stars Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton struggled, shooting only 7-of-23 from the field and combining for 16 points.

Purdue was able to ride an 11-point lead after an 8-0 run to start the second half to advance to the second round to play Florida. Purdue was led by Senior Carl Landry with 19 points and 12 boards to a victory over a staple of the NCAA Tournament -- Lute Olson's Arizona Wildcats. The No. 9 Boilermakers converted the Wildcats' 17 turnovers into 20 points and were able to hold off Arizona to play another day. [3/16/07]

Southland Conference Tournament Championship: No. 1 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi held off No. 3 Northwestern State 81-78 to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Islanders denied the Demons a chance to repeat as Southland champions and return to the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season. Chris Daniels led Texas A&M - Coprus Christi with 19 points. The Islanders built a double digit lead in the second half then held on after the Demons cut it to one point. [3/11/07]

Southland Conference Tournament Semifinals: No. 3 Northwestern State moved a step closer to returning to the Big Dance with a 78-65 victory against No. 7 Lamar. Junior Trey Gilder scored nine points from the free throw line en route to 19 points, which was tops in the game. The Demons made 24-of-30 free throws to keep Lamar down in the second half after building a 12-point halftime lead. Northwestern State will defend its Southland title against No. 1 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi.

The Islanders dominated No. 4 McNeese State from start to finish in an 87-66 win. Five players reach double figures, led by senior Cedric Smith's 16 points. Texas A&M - Corpus Christi shot better than 56 percent from the field in the win and converted 37-of-44 free throws in a foul-filled game. McNeese State struggled to mount a comeback, largely because the Cowboys only hit one three-pointer in the game. [3/09/07]

Southland Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: Darren Hopkins finished a frantic series of plays with a coast-to-coast layup that beat the buzzer by 0.7 seconds to give No. 7 Lamar a 99-98 upset of No. 2 Sam Houston State. Sam Houston State had just taken the lead on a three-pointer by C.J. Hadley with seven seconds remaining. And his three-pointer came after Lamar broke a 95-95 tie with 11 seconds to go when Lamar Sanders tapped in a rebound.

No. 3 Northwestern State started its defense of the Southland Conference title with an 85-76 victory against No. 6 Stephen F. Austin. Keithan Hancock gave the Demons the lead for good on a three-pointer, and Northwestern State ended the game on a 12-3 run. The Demons will play No. 7 Lamar in the semifinals.

Senior Kevin Menifee had an all-around excellent game with 14 points and 12 rebounds to guide No. 1 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi into the semifinals in the team's first run through the Southland Conference Tournament. The Islanders beat No. 8 Southern Louisiana -- the conference's champion two years ago -- 80-72. Southeastern Louisiana stayed close thanks to 26 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi turnovers that negated some of the Islanders' hot shooting. Cedric Smith led the winners with 17 points.

No. 4 McNeese State got a sensational performance from Jarvis Bradley to hold off No. 5 Texas - Arlington 77-76. Bradley hit two free throws to give McNeese State a three-point lead, then ripped the ball away to prevent a potentially game-tying three-pointer. The Cowboys added a free throw, and Rodrick Epps hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to one with less than a second to go, but it was too little too late. [3/08/07]

NCAA Penalizes McNeese State: McNeese State men's basketball team and both men's and women's track and field programs were penalized for major rules violation. The teams may participate in conference and postseason tournaments or meets. The NCAA accepted all self-imposed penalities recommended by the school. [2/12/07]

Cowboys Forward Returns to Lineup: Eric Massey, a 6-6 forward for McNeese State, received word Thursday that he is eligible to play after missing the first nine games because of academic deficiencies. The sophomore will rejoin the Cowboys when they take on Mississippi State in Starkville. Last season, Massey played in 19 games, averaging 1.2 points and 0.7 rebounds per game. [12/14/06]

Texas State Completes Staff: Texas State has added Omar Lowery to coaching staff under head coach Doug Davalos. Lowery previously worked at Eastern New Mexico, where he was responsible for on-court coaching, recruiting, scouting and game preparation. He also brings on-court experience, playing at South Plains College and Concordia University. [10/09/06]

Corpus Christi Keeps Coach on the Island Longer with One-Year Extension: Ronnie Arrow, head coach of Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, received a one-year contract extension through the 2009 season. Along with Arrow’s 40-16 record with the Islanders, he was also named Independent Coach of the Year in both of his seasons with Corpus Christi. “It’s always nice to get a contract extension and nice to know the president of the university as well as our new director of athletics feel our program is deserving of this,” Arrow said. [9/29/06]