News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

11.07.06: Two Marshall players get C-USA honors ... UAB women capture C-USA soccer title ... Punter faces attempted murder charge

11.06.06: Pirate volleyball takes down Memphis ... Denny O'Brien's Harris Poll ballot ... ECU swimmers, divers perform well ... Paterno recovering from fractured leg

11.05.06: Promotions aplenty for ECU-Marshall game ...
Ex-Tulsa great Largent gets humanitarian honor

11.04.06: Dougherty a semifinalist for Ray Guy Award ... Butch Davis deal with Tar Heels imminent? ... Cardinals talking national title, again ... Honors abound for ECU women's soccer team

11.03.06: Boise State rolls past Bulldogs ... Reale, Pirates earn seconds at Kitty Hawk ... ECU softball's Kozlowski promoted

11.02.06: Mustangs a win away from bowl eligibility ... Hunt, Icenhower lead East Carolina divers ... ECU's Moore earns academic honor with 4.0

11.01.06: Kragthorpe curtails Tar Heel speculation ... Pirates in C-USA women's soccer tourney ... Backup QB Lee to start for FSU against Cavs

10.31.06: Kickoff return nets
C-USA honor for Johnson ... Pirate volleyball streaks to school record ... Mountaineers on fringe of national title picture

10.30.06: ECU's Williams: 'I just wanted it more' ... Stokes plans to give Wynn time to develop ... Central Florida's 530 yards of offense not enough

10.29.06: ECU women's volleyball extends streak ... Pirate swimmers leave Towson behind ... UTEP takes muddy victory in Grimesland

10.28.06: Cougars quarterback piling up the numbers ... ECU vs. USM part of pay-per-view twinbill ... Hokies tame Tigers in key ACC battle

10.27.06: Rice's Almond named Wooden candidate ... Pirates hosting C-USA cross country ... ECU freshman Bools shares C-USA honor

10.26.06: Tickets for Troops promotion expands ... Another C-USA honor for ECU's Icenhower ... Report: Davis would have interest in Heels

10.25.06: Ex-Pirate Adams attempts PGA qualifying ...
C-USA names football players of week ... Tar Heels will retain many football recruits

10.24.06: New thumbnails: Baker, Byrd and Thompson ... Ore golden in Hokies' win over Southern Miss ... Unbeaten start for ECU swim teams ... Tar Heels picked first in ACC hoops

10.23.06: Jenkins' three lifts Gold in scrimmage ... ECU volleyball takes sixth straight C-USA win ... Bools finishes sixth in Lady Pirate golf

10.22.06: Pirates volleyball on record streak ... Mountaineers handle Huskies, stay unbeaten ... Georgia golfer gets call to play in South Africa

10.21.06: Report: UNC-Chapel Hill's Bunting to resign ... Coaches' challenges yield few reversals ... Southern Miss prepared for Hokies

10.20.06: ECU's Roach nominated for Draddy Award ... Memphis picked first in C-USA basketball ... 4th-ranked UTEP runners coming to Greenville

10.19.06: Koren Robinson suspended by NFL ... Miami broadcaster axed over brawl comments ... Dartmouth, Holy Cross row gets investigation

10.18.06: League teams busy; ECU ends homestand ... C-USA names football players of week ... ECU's Krug captures C-USA weekly honor

10.17.06: ACC, Miami announce additional suspensions ... More suspensions also on Sun Belt's agenda ... Duke lacrosse under "60 Minutes" scrutiny

10.16.06: Coker suspends eight Miami players after brawl ... Pirate volleyball continues roll at UCF ... Szilard leads ECU women's soccer win ... Harris Poll's top 5 varies from BCS Standings

10.15.06: Stokes convenes season's first hoops practice ... Pirate volleyball wins third straight ... ECU women open basketball practice at Rose

10.14.06: EA Sports video game features ECU baseball stadium ... Pirates announce Tickets for Troops drive ... Six C-USA gridders in All-American Classic

10.13.06: Pirate basketball gets national TV dates ... ECU women's hoops getting tube time, too ... East Carolina baseball to host winter camp

10.12.06: ECU hoops scrimmages set for Homecoming ... Camels stun No. 3 UNC-Chapel Hill in soccer ... ECU picked 7th in C-USA women's hoops

10.11.06: Dougherty gets
C-USA special teams honor ... Pirate promotions abound for Tulsa game ... UCF versus Pitt on TV Friday night

10.10.06: Tulsa netter Brugues takes national title ... Miami (OH) reeling after sixth loss ... Pirates host unique diving competition

10.09.06: Buckeyes, Trojans, Gators top Harris Poll ... Denny O'Brien's Harris Poll ballot ... Gators continue success in Swamp ... Pirates stun Memphis in volleyball ... ECU soccer shuts out Herd

10.08.06: Jeff Blake bows out of hall induction ... NCAA's tax status under investigation ... North Dakota challenges NCAA mascot policy

10.07.06: Amato continues mastery of Seminoles ... ECU volleyball triumphs at home over UAB ... Millican continues bid for spot on LPGA Tour

10.06.06: Big Ten announces fines, reprimands ... Central Florida wins late field goal battle ... Millican shoots 74 in qualifying event

10.05.06: Gold captures ECU World Series with 8-7 win ... Tulsa runs past Southern Miss ... Former ECU golfer Millican in LPGA qualifying

10.04.06: TV exposure continues for C-USA teams ... Former UVa stars make $1 million gift ... SMU takes two of three weekly league honors

10.03.06: Curry to receive Stagg award ... Inspired by fallen teammate, Rice whips Army ... ECU women's golf team finishes 11th

10.02.06: Takeaways, sacks mean good things for UVa ... Gators pull even with WVU in Harris BCS poll ... Swofford presented with Homer Rice Award ... Tulsa win streak continues at ECU's expense

10.01.06: Cavs blast Duke 37-0 in Durham ... Vols deal Memphis a resounding defeat ... Pirate women's cross country wins meet

Despite what the scoreboard said after the University of Kentucky's 81-50 win against South Carolina Upstate on Monday night at Rupp Arena, the Wildcats have a long way to go in the nine days before their season opener, according to a Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal report.

"We've got some work to do," point guard Ramel Bradley said. "But we played hard. We communicated, and we had fun doing it. That's what we have to take with us (into the season)."

The Cats never were threatened in two exhibition games, winning by an average of 35.5 points. But last night's game before 16,634 fans wasn't the cruise-control contest last week's 94-54 romp of Lindsey Wilson was.

Kentucky had 22 turnovers — the same number as South Carolina Upstate — and only 13 assists, 14 fewer than against Lindsey Wilson.

"We've got to learn to play — not worry about the score and just play," UK coach Tubby Smith said. "I thought we kind of got away from sharing the ball and playing unselfishly."

Still Smith had plenty to be pleased with, particularly in the play of forward Perry Stevenson. The 6-foot-9 freshman came off the bench to finish with 11 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots, displaying the combination of timing and leaping ability that his teammates said has been common in practice.

The rest of the Cats' freshman class also contributed. Stevenson, Jodie Meeks, Derrick Jasper and Michael Porter combined to score 33 points — 13 of them from Meeks off the bench.

"(UK's freshmen) have a workmanlike attitude out there," Spartans coach Eddie Payne said. "They play within the group and the team. They don't solo very much. They have a mature approach for a group of freshmen. I know Tubby really likes this team."

Payne coached East Carolina to the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship in 1993 and later directed the program at Oregon State.

Conference USA regular season and tournament champion Southern Methodist received the No. 3 overall seed, while UAB was an at-large selection to the NCAA men's soccer championship, which starts this weekend at various sites around the country. Both teams will host their initial matches, with the Mustangs earning a first-round bye in the 48-team bracket.

The Mustangs (17-1-4) received an automatic bid with the C-USA championship victory and the No. 3 seed as SMU held the top spot in the nation most of the season, going 17 straight matches without a loss to start the year. The Mustangs will host the winner of the UC-Santa Barbara/San Diego State match on Wednesday, November 15.

The NCAA appearance will be the 13th in a row and 25th overall for SMU. The Mustangs advanced to the 2005 College Cup before having their title run ended by eventual national champion Maryland. SMU also made the national semifinals in 2000, dropping a 2-0 decision to Connecticut. Overall, SMU is 29-20-4 (.585) in 53 NCAA matches.

UAB (10-6-3) will also host its first-round match as the Blazers welcome Gardner-Webb (9-7-3), who earned an automatic berth by claiming the Atlantic Sun Championship. The Blazers are among the hottest teams right now, winning or tying five of their last six matches. Four of those opponents were ranked, including a victory over top-ranked SMU that has been the Mustangs only loss this season.

This marks UAB's fifth NCAA appearance, which includes a trip to the 1999 Elite Eight and 2001 Sweet 16, where they were eliminated by Clemson, 3-2, in double overtime. It is the Blazers first appearance since the 2001 Championship.

Three Conference USA teams have earned berths to the NCAA women's soccer championship, which begins this weekend with first-round matches on Friday to be followed by second-round action on Sunday at various sites throughout the country. C-USA tournament champion UAB, along with regular season champion Southern Methodist and tournament runner-up Colorado College, all made the 64-team field.

UAB, which entered the Conference USA as the No. 7 seed, played tough and defeated No. 2 seed UCF in a 2-1 double overtime decision in the first round. The Blazers then battled No. 3 seed Memphis to a 0-0 tie and advanced to the championship final on penalty kicks, where they defeated Colorado College, 3-2, to earn the automatic bid. UAB will face Tennessee on Friday in a first-round match in Knoxville. UT defeated the Blazers in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Championship.

The Mustangs (14-4-2) made the field for the sixth straight year and 11th time overall. SMU earned the Conference USA regular season title with an 8-1 record in league play, and rode an 11-match win streak throughout the season. The Mustangs will face McNeese State in opening-round action on Friday at the Texas A&M Regional in College Station. With a victory, SMU could then play the host Aggies on Sunday. SMU has posted an 8-10-1 record in NCAA matches.

Colorado College (15-5-1) was the C-USA championship runner-up, posting victories over Texas-El Paso and host SMU to advance to the finals. The Tigers were playing their first season in C-USA as an affiliate member and tied for fourth place in the regular season standings. CC will play intrastate rival Colorado on Friday in a game played in Boulder. It is the Tigers' first NCAA bid since 1991.

This marks the third time in league history, and second straight season, that three squads made the NCAA Tournament field. Last season, SMU, Rice and UTEP earned C-USA's berths and the first time was in 2002 when Charlotte, Marquette and Cincinnati each advanced to postseason play. Match times for the first and second rounds will be announced later this week.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from electronic services and other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.