By winning its first two games, Brigham Young could bring a whole new meaning to March Madness.
The Cougars drew the No. 12 seed in the South and were scheduled to play Sunday if they reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. That would violate a policy of the school owned by the Mormon church, which does not allow the Cougars to compete on that day.
“If we win our first two games, then we become the ultimate bracket buster,” BYU athletics director Val Hale said. “Around here people are more upset about the No. 12 seed than they are this issue.”
A lot has to happen for it to be an issue. The Cougars, disappointed in their seeding after tying Utah for the Mountain West Conference regular-season title, would have to upend fifth-seeded Connecticut in the first round Thursday for any of the controversy to matter.
Then, they would have to beat either Stanford or San Diego Saturday. If that happens, office pools are history, because the Cougars would have to switch regions.
BYU (23-8) would move from the South to the Midwest region if it wins its first two games. Either Dayton, Wisconsin, Weber State or Tulsa would switch from the Midwest.
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Play-in game today: North Carolina-Asheville is playing in the NCAA Tournament with a losing record, the only team among the 65 to do so. The mid-major school played NCAA Tournament teams Oklahoma, Kansas, Michigan State, Holy Cross and East Tennessee State during the regular season.
“Any mid-major is going to have a tough time with that schedule,” coach Eddie Biedenbach said.
The Bulldogs, whose schedule is ranked the 17th-hardest in the nation, take a 14-16 record into tonight’s play-in game against Texas Southern (18-12). The winner earns a No. 16 seed and faces top-seeded Texas Friday in Birmingham, Ala.
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Knight applies: Pat Knight, son of Texas Tech coach Bob Knight, has applied for the head coaching job at Wright State. Knight, 32, is one of his father’s assistants at Texas Tech. Wright State fired Ed Schilling two weeks ago.
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Ohio State suspends forward: Forward Zach Williams was suspended for the rest of the season by Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien. Williams was sent off the court Sunday during the Buckeyes’ loss to Illinois in Chicago for arguing with an assistant coach.
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Clemson coach quits: Clemson coach Larry Shyatt resigned Monday, 24 hours after the Tigers’ postseason hopes were dashed when they failed to earn a spot in the NIT. The Tigers went 15-13.
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Penn State coach resigns: Jerry Dunn resigned as Penn State’s coach Monday following a 7-21 season.
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Georgia players drop suit: Two Georgia players dropped their lawsuit seeking the right to play in the postseason. Ezra Williams and Steven Thomas decided Monday the lawsuit was pointless after the NCAA selected its field Sunday.
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North Carolina A&T fires coach: Curtis Hunter was fired as coach of North Carolina A&T following a 1-26 season.
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Kentucky No. 1: Kentucky moved up one place to lead the season’s final AP Top 25.
Kentucky (29-3) traded places with Arizona (25-3), which dropped to No. 2 after being upended by UCLA in the Pac-10 tournament last week.
Kansas fell two spots to sixth.