Times wires
Friday, March 18, 2011
TULSA, Okla. — Memphis coach Josh Pastner didn't protest a noncall after Arizona's Derrick Williams blocked Wesley Witherspoon's potential tying shot in the final seconds to seal a 77-75 win Friday in the West Region.
Pastner complimented Jim Burr — one of the referees who withdrew from the Big East tournament after missed calls cost Rutgers in a loss to St. John's — and the rest of the crew on a good game.
"I thought actually Jim Burr reffed a good game. I have no problems with Jim Burr," Pastner said. "I thought the crew was good. ... I had no problems with Jim Burr reffing our game, and the bottom line is Arizona hit some shots late and they deserved to win."
Burr has worked 16 Final Fours and seven national championship games. In the closing 1.7 seconds of a 65-63 win by St. John's over Rutgers, he and his crew failed to notice when a player traveled and stepped out of bounds. The Big East admitted the errors and the crew pulled out of the tournament.
This time, the situation wasn't so clear-cut.
"Honestly, with a second or two left on the shot clock, most refs don't call that type of foul, especially when you're trying to make a hard play on the ball," Williams said.
"Earlier in the game they might have called it a foul just because he did fall on the ground. But late in the game, most refs don't call that. That's why I went up so hard to try to block it and save the game."
"Derrick's really good," Pastner said. "I voted for him for national player of the year. My vote doesn't change after (Friday's) performance."
NET PROFFITT: Under different circumstances, Ty Proffitt could have been celebrating Notre Dame's 69-56 tournament-opening win over Akron.
Instead, Proffitt transferred to Morehead State, and the junior guard helped guide the 13th-seeded Eagles to an upset of No. 4 Louisville on Thursday.
"Very happy with my decision," said Proffitt, who switched schools in 2008 to be closer to his hometown of London, Ky. "These guys would do anything in the world for me and I'd do anything in the world for them. I can't be happier."
Proffitt keeps in contact with his former Irish teammates, exchanging messages with them on a regular basis. Notre Dame's Tim Abromaitis called to congratulate him after the Eagles won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
'WINNING' WITHOUT SHEEN: Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin is living his own real-life sitcom of sorts. At least, that's the impression he gave when asked about the recruiting job done by assistant Darren Savino.
"He does a great job shopping for us," Cronin said. "He lives in my basement. Takes the pressure off me at the grocery store. We're Two and a Half Men. I have a 4-year-old daughter. It's just not quite as eventful (as the TV show). We're not 'winning' every day."
RARE AIR: Akron center Zeke Marshall’s 3-point attempt with 2:55 to play in a loss to Notre Dame was his first of the season and second of his career. The 7-footer missed. "I don't really recall their defense that caused me to miss. It was just me missing," Marshall said.
quotable: "If I didn't know where they were, I wouldn't be able to tell you." — Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, when asked if there were any roads he doesn't know about or any towns he's hasn't been to in 10 years of recruiting in the state.
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