Michigan State's Morgan Has New, Improved Mask

DETROIT, April 2 -- Michigan State forward Raymar Morgan will continue to wear a mask Saturday night to protect his broken nose, an injury he suffered in the Spartans' round-of-16 game against Kansas, but not the same mask he donned in the Midwest Region final against Louisville.

Morgan, who was struck by the elbow of teammate Delvon Roe in the second half of the victory over the Jayhawks, now has a custom-made clear mask that he reports is a significant upgrade.

"I've been practicing with it since Tuesday," Morgan said. "It feels great. I can see a lot better. The angles of my vision are there. It's a great fit for me. My nose still looks a little crooked on one side. No effect with the ladies. As far as breathing, I'm doing just fine. I wouldn't wear it if I didn't have to, but it's fine for the time being."

Spartans Coach Tom Izzo is hoping for a little good karma in city where masked players have had some success with the NBA's Pistons.

"You know, the mask he had up there was a hockey goalie mask, a make-shift," Izzo said. "Now he's got a real one, a form-fitted Rip Hamilton mask, so hopefully he'll play like Rip."

Gamble at Your Own Risk

Among Detroit's more-publicized attractions are three casinos, and North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson spoke of winning "about $250" playing craps at the Greektown Casino on Wednesday night.

Asked about casino gambling by student-athletes, NCAA President Myles Brand responded: "Well, I warn against that slippery slope. It's a fair question. We do not permit anyone connected with intercollegiate athletics to gamble on sports, pro or college sports. What a student does, plays bingo in his church, for example, while we discourage that, we prefer not to try and regulate that particular kind of activity. But it's highly discouraged."

Prices of Different Eras

Connecticut guard A.J. Price is the son of Tony Price, who 30 years ago helped lead Penn to one of the more remarkable runs in tournament history.

In 1979, when the tournament field was expanded to 40 teams and seeded for the first time, Penn was a No. 9 seed in the East Region and upset North Carolina in the second round before beating Syracuse and St. John's to advance to the Final Four in Salt Lake City. Tony Price was named to the all-East Region team. The Quakers lost to Magic Johnson-led Michigan State in the semifinals, 101-67.

Asked to compare their tournament experiences, A.J. Price responded, "They're similar in that you've got to win games to get this far. He put his team on his back. I had a lot of help on this team."

The younger Price noted one other significant difference.

"He told me they were happy to be there," he said. "I think you see that with a lot of Cinderella teams. They can't build up a lot of adrenaline once they're there because they've spent so much just to get there.

"We feel like we're supposed to be here."

Wildcats Remember -- Not

Villanova's 1985 championship game victory over Georgetown may be one of the watershed moments in the history of the tournament, but it doesn't resonate too strongly with the current Wildcats, none of whom had been born when Rollie Massimino's team shocked John Thompson's top-ranked Hoyas.

When asked for his first vivid memory of the NCAA tournament, Villanova forward Dwayne Anderson, a Silver Spring native, responded, "I'd have to say when Maryland won it [in 2002].

"Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter, Byron Mouton, those type of guys, watching how hard they played -- that's when the NCAA tournament really hit home with me."

Anderson was 15 years old when the Terps won their title.