North Carolina swingman Rashad McCants, the ACC's leading scorer, said emphatically following the Tar Heels' loss to Texas on Saturday in a second-round game in Denver, that he would return to school for his junior season.
"I'm definitely coming back," he said. "We're going to have a great team next year."
ACC scoring champion Rashad McCants, here covered by Air Force's Joel Geriach, insists he will be back at North Carolina for his junior season.
(Jeff Roberson -- AP)
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Prior to the season, there was plenty of speculation that this would be the last year in Chapel Hill for McCants, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, and sophomore point guard Raymond Felton. But the year was somewhat disappointing for the Tar Heels, who finished 19-11 overall, 8-8 in the ACC and lost in the first round of the ACC tournament and the second round of the NCAAs.
McCants was named first-team all-conference and averaged 20 points and 4.8 rebounds, shooting 40.8 percent from three-point range. But scouts in Denver didn't think he handled the ball well enough to play off guard in the NBA, and he's not tall enough to play small forward.
Felton, the ACC's preseason player of the year, was named to the all-ACC third team and averaged 11.5 points and 7.1 assists, but he shot just 31.2 percent on three-pointers.
"I expect to have all of them back," Coach Roy Williams said. "I really do."
Court of Appeal
Illinois probably wishes it could dismantle Ohio State's court and ship it off to the Georgia Dome. The Fighting Illini have created a little bit of history on the scarlet and gray floor.
Illinois clinched its first Big Ten regular season title since 1952 by beating Ohio State, 64-63, on the Buckeyes' court earlier this month.
The NCAA moved the court to Columbus's hockey arena for the first two rounds of the tournament. In both games, things went very well for the Illini, culminating in a 92-68 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday.
They shot a season-high 63.6 percent against the Bearcats, looking right at home on a floor that has an Ohio State logo at mid-court and "Buckeyes" behind each baseline.
"I like the rims," guard Dee Brown said. "I like the court. This is where we won the Big Ten title."
They left for Atlanta and a matchup with Duke on Friday.
The court stayed behind.
You Could Lose Your Shirt
UAB came ready to play against top-seeded Kentucky, except for forward Sidney Ball.
After player introductions, the Blazers' senior forward took off his warmup top and realized he had forgotten to put on his No. 32 game jersey. The opening tip was then delayed so he could run back to the locker room and slip it on.
The gaffe wasn't even mentioned a few hours later after UAB stunned the Wildcats, 76-75.
Coach Out of Hospital
Marquette assistant coach Trey Schwab left the hospital yesterday, three weeks after doctors kept the double-lung transplant recipient alive through open-heart surgery.
Doctors kept Schwab's pulse going through CPR for 40 minutes before removing a blood clot.
"Obviously, there's something bigger than all of us at work here," said Schwab, speaking to reporters at University of Wisconsin Hospital for the first time since both surgeries. "It's a shot at a second chance, and you just try to make the most of it."
Schwab, 39, learned in late 2001 that he had a rare, incurable disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which attacks the lungs and hinders the body's ability to process oxygen. Schwab underwent the transplant Feb. 17 after a two-year wait for a donor. But on March 1, Schwab had shortness of breath and went into cardiac arrest.
Marquette is playing Boise State in the NIT on Tuesday.
Decision Time
Devin Harris must decide whether to play basketball for love or money next season.
The Big Ten's player of the year can return to Wisconsin and play for a talented team he treasures or skip his senior season and head to the NBA.
The star point guard gave no indication of his plans after the Badgers' 59-55 loss to Pittsburgh in the second round.
"It's going to be a tough decision, and I don't look forward to making it," Harris said.
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