Tarleton State men’s basketball head coach Billy Gillispie is on temporary administrative leave following a complaint, which the university is currently investigating.

Steve Uryasz, vice president of Intercollegiate Athletics at the school, said in a statement released on Friday that the university “initiated an employee conduct review after receiving an anonymous complaint.”

The school also announced it will not comment further during the investigation. The statement did not give details on the nature of the complaint nor a timeframe for the matter.

Since starting his coaching career, the 65-year-old has faced several controversies and health-related issues. While at Texas Tech in 2011 and 2012, Gillispie was accused of player mistreatment and later resigned in September 2012 due to health concerns.

Before that, Kentucky fired the coach in 2009, which ultimately led him to file a lawsuit against the athletic association. Gillispie and the university settled the case in October 2009 for nearly $3 million.

Gillispie is a two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year following successful seasons at Texas A&M between 2004 and 2007. While with the Aggies, he helped the team achieve three consecutive 20-win seasons. Gillispie also led UTEP to a WAC title before joining Texas A&M, helping the Miners clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Texans will play SMU on Nov. 3 to open their 2025 campaign. Assistant coach Glynn Cyprien will take over for Gillispie during his leave.

Kentucky freshman guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will leave the Wildcats after just one year and enter the 2018 NBA Draft.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Enter NBA Draft

The 19-year-old Canadian won SEC Tournament MVP honors in March. Gilgeous-Alexander began the season as the ninth-highest rated player on the Wildcats’ roster. He is ranked 12th on ESPN’s top 100 prospects list.

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“After consulting with my coaches at Kentucky and those involved with my process, I have weighed the pros and cons, and I would like to renounce my college eligibility in order to enter the 2018 NBA Draft,” Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN via text. “I would firstly like to thank God, who made all of this possible and has covered me in his mercies from day one. I have worked really hard to get to this point, and because of the sacrifices and support of others, I am closer to my dreams.”

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Kentucky coach John Calipari lauded Gilgeous-Alexander in multiple tweets on Monday.

The 6-foot-6 freshman averaged 14.4 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 37 games. He shot 40 percent from three and 82 percent from the free throw line in his only year with Calipari’s squad, according to ESPN. However, he only attempted 1.5 3-pointers per game.

The Wildcats won all three of their SEC Tournament games and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky — a No. 5-seed in the latter tourney — lost to Kansas State 61-58 in that third-round matchup.

“I decided to enter the NBA draft because I believe I am ready for this next step,” Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN. “I’ve worked hard, weighed the pros and cons, conducted my research, and I’m ready. I am and will continue to work hard at my craft every day, and I’m ready for the challenge of the NBA.”

Louisville has hired Xavier’s Chris Mack as its new men’s basketball head coach on a seven-year deal, the Cardinals announced Tuesday.

Chris Mack Louisville head coach deal

Mack — whose deal is reportedly worth $4 million — replaces David Padgett, who served as Louisville’s interim coach in 2017-18 after longtime coach Rick Pitino was fired amid a pay-for-play scandal before the start of the season.

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Mack has been the head coach of the Musketeers for the past nine seasons, and helped the team reach the NCAA Tournament eight times. Xavier had at least one victory in six of their eight NCAA showings. The team captured the Big East championship this year, and took the top seed in the NCAA Tournament until Florida State defeated them in Round 2.

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On Tuesday afternoon, Mack took to Twitter to thank Xavier:

Mack, 48, played for Xavier and Evansville before working as an assistant for both the Musketeers and Wake Forest. He now inherits a Louisville program that not only missed the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, but also had its 2013 national title — among other victories — vacated due to the aforementioned scandal.

Allegations against Louisville include payments of $100,000 to the family of recruit Brian Bowen to sign with the Cardinals.

Mack finishes his tenure with Xavier with a 212–96 record — including three Sweet 16 appearances and three Elite Eight appearances.

Dan Hurley has agreed to become UConn’s new men’s basketball head coach, the school announced Thursday.

UConn hires Dan Hurley News

The 45-year-old spent the past six seasons with Rhode Island — where he led the Rams to each of the past two NCAA Tournaments. Hurley now joins the Huskies on a six-year deal.

Hurley will replace Kevin Ollie, who was fired from UConn earlier this month after a fourth weak season. Hurley reportedly weighed a higher-paying offer from Pittsburgh before taking the job in Connecticut, as well as a long-term offer from Rhode Island.

Hurley will bring assistant Tom Moore — who worked under Jim Calhoun at UConn — with him, per sources. However, the rest of the Huskies’s staff will depend on whether his top assistant, David Cox, is elevated at URI.

UConn’s men’s basketball squad has long been one of the best in the nation. They are the only program in the country to have won four national championships in the past 20 years.

The Huskies last won the national title in 2014, Ollie’s second season in charge. However, UConn has reached the NCAA Tournament just once since then: in 2016, when their season was saved by a 70-foot shot from Jalen Adams in the American Athletic Conference tourney. UConn finished 14-18 this past season.

Hurley will take on a squad that has become depleted in the wake of defections in poor recruiting. Adams — the team’s top player — has been non-committal about whether he will return, and junior guard Terry Larrier has announced he will leave to turn pro.

Nevertheless, Hurley — son of legendary high school coach Bob Hurley Sr. and the brother of current Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley — is accustomed to rebuilding.

It also appears Hurley made a sound choice in joining UConn over Pittsburgh, as the Panthers were winless in the ACC this past season. Nine Pittsburgh players have reportedly requested their releases and will consider transferring.

Oklahoma Sooners star point guard Trae Young is leaving his team after just one year.

Trae Young Declares for 2018 NBA Draft News

Young, 19, has announced he will declare for the 2018 NBA draft. The news is hardly surprising, as Young astounded in his first season at Oklahoma. He led men’s Division I basketball in both points (27.4) and assists (8.7) per game.

The Sooners didn’t fare well in this year’s NCAA Tournament, however. Oklahoma was eliminated after an opening-round overtime loss to Rhode Island.

That loss wasn’t Young’s fault, however, as one reporter from BleacherReport noted:

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Young has already been predicted by several NBA pundits to be a top pick in this year’s draft.

“Before I start to move forward, I feel obligated to stop and take a look back,” Young told ESPN.

Young also said he regrets not being able to help Oklahoma win a national championship.

The 2018 NBA Draft will be held June 21 at the Barclays Center in New York.

The Florida State Seminoles will visit the No. 18 Clemson Tigers on Wednesday night, and here are all the facts to know about the ACC contest.

Clemson vs. Florida State basketball preview

Clemson (21-7, 10-6 ACC) has an RPI (Rating Percentage Index) of 10 and is projected by some to be a top 5 seed. The Tigers would set a record for school victories should they defeat FSU.

Clemson is tied with NC State for the No. 4 seed, just one game behind the Tar Heels and 1.5 games behind Duke. The Tigers close out the regular season Saturday at Syracuse.

The Tigers are fourth in their conference, while FSU (19-9, 8-8 ACC) is ninth. The two teams previously met this season on Feb. 14 in Tallahassee. Clemson lost an 18-point second-half lead to fall 81-79 to the Seminoles, the first game of a three-game losing streak. The Tigers finished with 21 turnovers.

“Great size, length, athleticism, really come after you … and you’ve got to rebound the fire out of the ball when you play them,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said of FSU. “They pressure pretty much most games and they get after you both at the half and full court. It’s a difficult team to run your normal offense against because they don’t allow you to make as many passes, so you’ve got to make some adjustments.”

Here are the full details for the matchup:

Who: No. 18 Clemson (21-7, 10-6 ACC) vs. FSU (19-9, 8-8)

Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, SC

When: Wednesday, 9 p.m.

TV: ESPNU

GREENSBORO, NC – MARCH 11: Demontez Stitt #2 of the Clemson Tigers reacts as the Clemson Tiger mascot looks on while playing against the Boston College Eagles during the second half in the quarterfinals of the 2011 ACC men’s basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2011 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels will host the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday night, and here are all the facts to know before the big ACC matchup.

Miami vs. UNC basketball preview

The day will mark senior night at UNC’s Dean Smith Center, and some Tar Heels seniors have already admitted how special the evening will feel for them, as it will be their final regular-season home game.

“Senior Night is going to be really emotional for me, but I’m just trying to do my best to soak everything in and enjoy this team, enjoy what’s going on and try to do my best to lead this team back to where we want to be and that’s making another Final Four,” said UNC guard Joel Berry. 

Miami’s head coach echoed Jim Larrañaga echoed some of Berry’s sentiments: “This is a very short turnaround for us, it’s Senior Day at Carolina, we’re expecting a very vocal crowd and a lot of enthusiasm. They’re on a six-game winning streak and playing their best basketball of the season. They’ve got a very versatile team. Normally, they’re very, very big; this team is different and has a lot of three-point shooting.”

North Carolina’s  (22-7, 11-5 ACC) latest six straight victories have all been conference wins, and they are also undefeated in February. Their last triumph was a 78-74 win at Syracuse on Wednesday.

The Hurricanes (20-8, 9-7 ACC), meanwhile, dropped three straight conference games to start off the month but then made some lineup changes and rebounded to win their last two games. Lonnie Walker’s last-second three-pointer to defeat Boston College on Saturday gave Miami 20 wins this season, and also boosted their NCAA Tournament resume.

ESPN has Larrañaga’s team currently slated as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest. In 16 games, freshman guard Walker is leading the Canes with 13.8 points per game and shooting 36.2 percent from three. He’s scored in double digits in 11 ACC games, including a career-high 25 points against Louisville and a 23-point performance against Florida State.

In Miami’s last meeting vs. UNC, the Tar Heels dominated 78-53, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. Isaiah Hicks led North Carolina with 19 points. UNC leads the all-time series 21-7.

Here are all the details about the game:

North Carolina (22-7, 11-5 ACC) vs. Miami (20-8, 9-7 ACC)

Place: Chapel Hill, N.C. – Dean E. Smith Center
Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 9 p.m. EST
TV Channel: ESPN (Rece Davis, Jay Bilas)

GLENDALE, AZ – APRIL 03: The North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tar Heels defeated the Bulldogs 71-65. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Attention, all college basketball fans: tickets for the 2017 NiT season tip-off game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Friday, Nov. 24 are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com!

NIT Season Tip-off men’s basketball 2017 Tickets

The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men’s college basketball tournament operated by the NCAA. St. John’s University owns the most NIT titles (5), while the TCU Horned Frogs are the most recent champions.

The third-place game and championship game on Friday will both be held the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), although no start time has yet been announced for either matchup. The first Thanksgiving-day (Nov. 23) game will see the University of Virginia of the Atlantic Coast Conference face Vanderbilt University of the Southeastern Conference at 4 pm EST.

The second game that Thursday will feature the BIG EAST Conference squad Seton Hall University face off against 2017 Atlantic 10 Conference Champion University of Rhode Island at 6 pm EST. Both games will likely air on ESPNU.

The winners of each game will face off in the championship game on Friday.

Standard admission tickets for Friday’ championship game begin at $30 on Ticketmaster. There is an overall eight-ticket limit for this event.

Group tickets can be purchased by calling 855-GROUP-BK.

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 25: Daniel Dingle #4 of the Temple Owls drives to the basket defended by Lamont West #15 of the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second half during the championship game of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center on November 25, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

One year ago, North Carolina felt crushed after losing to Villanova 77-74 in the NCAA championship game at the buzzer.

North Carolina Earns Sixth NCAA Title vs Gonzaga With 71-65 Win

On Monday night in Glendale, Arizona, the Tar Heels (33-7) found themselves on the other side of the coin when they defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71-65 to win their sixth national title and third under coach Roy Williams.

“At the end, when you’re watching your kids jump around,” Williams said, “there’s no better feeling in the world as a coach.”

After the game, Williams also praised his counterpart at Gonzaga, Mark Few, calling him one of the best coaches in college basketball.

 Joel Berry II led UNC with 22 points, six assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block, and the junior guard was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Kennedy Meeks added 7 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels, contributing a key block in the final seconds that helped spur early victory celebrations from their fans at the University of Phoenix and left Gonzaga’s players feeling despondent, knowing that scoring six points in less than 10 seconds to tie the game and force overtime was too unrealistic a feat.

The Bulldogs (37-2) were playing in their 19th straight NCAA Tournament but first-ever Final Four.

When North Carolina played in Greenville, S.C., in the early rounds of the N.C.A.A. tournament, the Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney talked to Williams and reminded him that the Tigers won the national championship game one year after losing it, and urged Williams to help his team get the title. “Win it just like we did,” Swinney told him.

The Tar Heels are now the fourth men’s college basketball team to do exactly that.

“We won’t be remembered as a team that lost in the finals,” Meeks said.

Kris Jenkins, the Villanova player who scored the title-winning shot against North Carolina last year sat in the stands on Monday, watching his half brother, Tar Heels point guard Nate Britt help his team on their redemption tour. Jenkins said he felt more nervous watching Britt play this year than he did playing for Villanova last year.

“Amazing, man,” Jenkins said. “Amazing. That’s all I can say: amazing.”

Gonzaga started off strong with outside shooting (5 of 9 from 3-point range). The Bulldogs went on a 13-point run to lead for almost 15 minutes of the first half.

In the first half, North Carolina got big dunks from players like Theo Pinson, who dunked in front of Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski.

Despite missing 11 of their first 13 3-point attempts, North Carolina still managed to just trail by three (35-32) at halftime.

However, after the Tar Heels went on an 8-0 run to open the second half, a 3-pointer from Jordan Mathews re-gave Gonzaga the lead (41-40) with 16.5 minutes remaining.

Nigel Williams-Goss and Johnathan Williams scored back-to-back 3-pointers for the Bulldogs, who began the second half shooting 3 of 19 from the field. After that, North Carolina led just 62-60 with 3:08 left.

“They did everything we asked them to do,” Few said. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough, and some last-minute defensive errors cost the Zags the game.

In the final minute, as the Tar Heels led 66-65, Isaiah Hicks hit a bank shot to stretch North Carolina’s lead to 3. After Meeks blocked a shot from Williams-Goss, the ball was passed to Justin Jackson, who raced, nearly alone, to the opposite end of the court and landed a dunk that made the crowd at the University of Phoenix roar.

Hicks blocked a shot from Gonzaga’s 7-footer Zach Collins in the second half. Collins scored 9 points before fouling out with 5 minutes 3 seconds remaining.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Jackson said.

“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever felt,” said Hicks, who made the key layup with 26 seconds left to put North Carolina ahead by 3. “I haven’t cried like this in years.”

The UNC Tar Heels opened up the second half with a huge, 8-0 run, and turned their three-point deficit at the break into a five-point lead (40-35) over the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

UNC Tar Heels Open Second Half With 8-0 Run, Take 40-35 Lead vs Gonzaga

Berry provided much help for North Carolina during that burst, and Gonzaga coach Mark Few decided to take a timeout after his team missed three shots from the lane.

The Bulldogs turned the ball over twice less than 30 seconds into the second half, both from guard Josh Perkins. 

Justin Jackson, meanwhile, hit two free throws for the Tar Heels.

Przemek Karnowski, one of Gonzaga’s 7-footers, looked a little lost, shooting 0-4, all from close range, after getting a finger in the eye in the semifinal.

One of the Bulldogs’ other big men, freshman Zach Collins, contributed two baskets and four rebounds after coming off the bench.

The 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game is set for Monday night at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

NCAA Championship Game 2017 Preview: Gonzaga vs UNC

The game will begin at 9:20 p.m. EST and will air on CBS, and can also be live-streamed on the NCAA’s website.

The two teams facing off are both top seeds in the tournament: the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

North Carolina leads the country in rebounds, and this in particular helped them defeat Oregon in the Final Four last weekend. Tar Heels point guard Joel Berry is still recovering from injuries to both ankles that have hindered his performance. Berry played 35 minutes in UNC’s win over Oregon, but shot just 2 of 14 from the floor for 11 points.

The Tar Heels played in last year’s championship game, but lost to Villanova 77-74 after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the Wildcats. Only three teams have ever won a national title after losing the final game the year before.

Gonzaga, who are making their 19th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, but its first showing in the Final Four, defeated South Carolina 77-73 in the semifinals last weekend.

According to the NCAA’s website, the predicted winner is Gonzaga, who is forecasted to win 76-73.

MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 26: Kennedy Meeks #3 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 26, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Will Wade is parting ways with Virginia Commonwealth to take charge of the LSU Tigers men’s basketball team, after guiding the Rams to the NCAA Tournament in both his seasons as coach.

VCU’s Will Wade Hired As LSU’s New Head Coach

According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, Wade signed a six-year deal with LSU.

The 34-year-old took over as coach for VCU after Shaka Smart left for Texas in 2015.

The Rams are 51-20 under Wade, with back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. However, VCU (26-9) lost to St. Mary’s 85-77 in the first round of this year’s tournament on Thursday.

Wade was also the head coach at Chattanooga for two years, going 40-25 overall and 27-7 in the Southern Conference.

Wade, one of the youngest coaches in college basketball, started his coaching career at Clemson as a graduate assistant and director of basketball operations from 2005 to 2007 before moving on to become an assistant coach at Harvard and VCU.

He received an eight-year contract extension from VCU following his first season that would have paid him $1.4 million this season, plus incentives, and $1.5 million in each of the remaining seasons. LSU will have to pay the Rams $1 million as compensation for hiring Wade and agree to a home-and-home series with VCU within three years. Wade will inherit a struggling Tigers team that went 10-21 this season and finished 13th in the Southeastern Conference.

“I always meet with coaches after the season to determine the best ways to build their programs and put our student-athletes in the best position to reach their potential,” VCU athletics director Ed McLaughlin said in a statement released Tuesday. “Will and I agreed on the necessary next steps, and we met all of Will’s requests. He ultimately decided he would rather coach elsewhere.”

The Rams have reached the NCAA Tournament for seven consecutive seasons. VCU and Kansas are the only teams that have won at least 24 games in each of the last 11 seasons. However, the Rams have also lost four coaches to major college jobs since 2006.

VCU is also in a tricky position because it is losing five graduating seniors from this year’s team, including leading scorer JeQuan Lewis, and are set to have only two seniors on next year’s squad.

Nevertheless, McLaughlin remains confident VCU will remain an attractive destination for both new coaches and players, and said the search for Wade’s successor will begin immediately.

“We have a world-class practice facility, a sold-out arena every night and one of the greatest fan bases in all of college basketball,” said McLaughlin. “VCU basketball is bigger than one person. We remain committed to ensuring that VCU basketball remains a top-25 program nationally. We have a tradition of remarkable success that is focused ultimately on providing our student-athletes with a positive experience, focusing on our core values: student-athlete focus, drive to excel and integrity.”

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MARCH 16: Head coach Will Wade of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams instructs his team against the St. Mary’s Gaels during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 16, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 28 points to help lead the 12th-ranked Duke Blue Devils to a 65-55 road victory over the No. 14 Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Jayson Tatum Leads Duke to 65-5 Win vs Virginia

Tatum– a former No. 2 overall pick– scored 21 of his points in the second half, and was 6-of-7 on 3-pointers. The Devils freshman forward is shooting under 32 percent from three on the season.

Fueled by a sellout crowd at John Paul Jones Arena, Virginia took a 9-2 lead early in the game.

Duke eventually trimmed the deficit behind back-to-back threes by two talented shooting guards, junior Grayson Allen and sophomore Luke Kennard. 

In the second half, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said he simplified the offense by letting his players create chances for themselves.

“If we don’t hold the ball, if we move it, we’ll create openings where we don’t have to run plays; they can make plays,” Krzyzewski said. “That’s what we were doing in the second half. We were just trying to move the ball and give them an opportunity to be basketball players.”

The game also marked the third consecutive contest where Duke had a leading scorer reach 25 points or more. Allen, who scored just five points against the Cavaliers– his second-lowest total of the season– praised Tatum for his sharp shooting skills.

“It’s a nice luxury to have,” said Allen. “We all know Jayson is very capable of that. When we saw him hit the first couple, we just kept going back to him. I told him if it’s below 10 [seconds on the shot clock], you better come get the ball from me.”

Kennard finished with 16 points and was the only other Duke player to score in double digits. Krzyzewski had told Tatum he was playing with too much hesitation when he got the ball.

“Coach told me to shoot our bullets when we’re open,” Tatum said. “Coach was on me about that today, and I think that got me going. Just shooting when I was open.”

Blue Devils freshman forward Harry Giles contributed five points, three rebounds and two steals in 19 minutes of play.

Virginia shot a season-low 36.8 percent on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers next travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to play No. 8 North Carolina on Saturday night for College GameDay.

Duke, meanwhile, next host Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 15: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Duke Blue Devils shoots a basket over London Perrantes #32 of the Virginia Cavaliers during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 15, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images)

Texas Tech Red Raiders’ men’s basketball head coach Tubby Smith has reportedly reached an agreement to become the new coach for the University of Memphis Tigers.

Tubby Smith Leaving Texas Tech To Become Coach For Memphis Tigers

Smith agreed to a five-year, $15.45 million deal, according to reports. The Tigers announced Smith’s hiring on Thursday. He will be introduced at a 1 p.m. ET news conference at FedExForum.

“Tubby Smith is one of the finest collegiate basketball coaches and is a man of tremendous character,” Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen said in a statement. “Nationally, he is highly respected as a leader of young men and as a teacher of the game. I am honored that Coach Smith has agreed to become the next head men’s basketball coach at the University of Memphis.”

Smith coached at Texas Tech for the last three seasons. When he first started, he was leading a program that had finished no better than ninth place in the Big 12 in the five previous seasons and turned it into a team that made this past year’s NCAA Tournament.

Smith, 64, will reportedly be paid $2.8 million in 2016-17, $2.9 million in 2017-18 and $3.25 million for the final three years of the contract. He had three years remaining on his contract at Texas Tech, and he is obligated to pay a $900,000 buyout to the school.

Former Tigers coach Josh Pastner left to become head coach at Georgia Tech just last week.

Smith received the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching award Friday in Los Angeles. He is one of two coaches, along with Lon Kruger, to lead five schools to the NCAA tournament.

He coached at Kentucky from 1997 to 2007, leading the Wildcats to the national title in 1998 and 10 straight NCAA appearances. He coached Minnesota to the NCAA tournament in 2013 before abruptly being fired.

Smith has a career record of 557-276.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, two potential replacements for Texas Tech are North Florida’s Matt Driscoll and Fresno’s Rodney Terry. Both have ties to the state of Texas. Driscoll used to be an assistant at Baylor while Terry is a former assistant for the Texas Longhorns.

However, the frontrunner may be newly minted UNLV coach Chris Beard, who took over as head coach for the Runnin’ Rebels just a few weeks ago.

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 17: Head coach Tubby Smith of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts in the second half while taking on the Butler Bulldogs in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PNC Arena on March 17, 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

“One, two step, shoot `em up, sleep in the streets.”

It was as simple as that for Villanova junior forward Kris Jenkins on what is perhaps the greatest shot in NCAA history.  Jenkins had to answer after North Carolina senior point guard Marcus Paige hit a seemingly impossible, double-clutch three pointer to tie the game at 74 with 4.7 seconds remaining.

Jenkins Lifts Nova Over UNC 77-74 In Title Game For The Ages

After Paige’s improbable game tying shot, Wildcats’ coach Jay Wright called a timeout to discuss how to win the game and avoid overtime.  Wright decided to run the play that the Cats practice everyday: Jenkins inbounds to senior point guard Ryan Arcidiacono, senior forward Daniel Ochefu would set a screen near mid-court to create space and let Arcidiacono run the offense.

“I didn’t have to say anything in the huddle,” Wright said. “We have a name for it, that’s what we’re going to do. Just put everybody in their spots.”

As the senior point guard approached the three point line, “If I could get a shot, I was going to shoot it,” said Arcidiacono, who finished with 16 points and two assists, “But I heard someone screaming in the back of my head. It was Kris. I just gave it to him and he let it go with confidence.”

Jenkins was oozing confidence after hitting the game winner, standing on the press table courtside and flexing his muscles while letting everyone know, “I have ice in my veins!”

After the game the 22-year old said, “I think every shot’s going in. And this one was no different.”

“Bang.” Coach Wright obviously agreed, watching the play unfold how he drew it up, reacted about as stoically as possible before shaking UNC coach Roy Williams‘ hand after the game.

The Tar Heels seemed to have a miscommunication about who was supposed to guard Jenkins, a 38% 3pt shooter, after the inbound play. Arcidiacono drew two defenders and UNC’s Isaiah Hicks was too late on his rotation and Jenkins’ shot eluded the 21-year old junior’s outstretched left arm.

Coach Williams could only watch as hopes for his third title were dashed by Jenkins in 4.7 seconds. “It was helpless. It was not a good feeling.”

Jenkins finished with 14 points in just 21 minutes for Villanova, who turned a five point halftime deficit to a 10 point lead with 5:29 remaining following two free throws from Phil Booth. Booth provided a huge spark off the bench for the Wildcats, scoring 20 points in 25 minutes while shooting 6-7 from the field and making all six free throw attempts.

Arcidiacono finished his college career with 16 points and was named the MVP of the Final Four after averaging 15.5 points in the Wildcats’ wins over Oklahoma and North Carolina.

For the Tar Heels it was a tough pill to swallow, especially for Williams along with seniors Paige and Brice Johnson.

In their final game, Paige finished with 21 points, six assists and five rebounds. Johnson, a First-Team All-American, finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. After the game Johnson was overcome with emotion as tears ran down his face during the handshake line.

There is uncertainty surrounding the immediate future of the athletic programs in Chapel Hill, so it is unknown if the 65-year old Williams will return to the sidelines of the Dean Smith Center. He has a career record of 783-209 (.772 Win %) and ranks second all time in wins at UNC (365) behind his mentor Dean Smith (879), and Kansas (418) trailing only Phog Allen (590).

Villanova kept their torrid shooting pace throughout the tournament, shooting 58.3% in the title game, which isn’t quite the white hot 71.4% of the semi final against the Sooners, but an outstanding percentage nonetheless.

The title was the team’s second in history (1985) and meant a lot for the Wildcats, who were coming off back-to-back eliminations in the Round of 32 in the previous NCAA Tourneys. Coach Wright had eight players on his roster that experienced those March disappointments and for a change it was their turn to shock the basketball world. This win for Villanova showed that the little schools can wrestle the title away from the college basketball bloodlines North Carolina, Duke, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Kansas, who had won seven of the previous eight titles.

Despite the fact that they were not even projected to be in the field of 68, the Syracuse Orange have advanced to the NCAA Men’s basketball Final Four, along with the Oklahoma Sooners, the Villanova Wildcats, and the UNC Tar Heels.

Dissecting A Final Four Roster: Syracuse Orange

The Orange went 4-5 earlier in the season during head coach Jim Boeheim’s NCAA suspension, and then ended the season by dropping five of their last 6 including a matchup with Pittsburgh in their final ACC tournament game.

Boheim himself admitted that his team’s roster was imperfectly constructed. The Orange have become a team that often plays without a real point guard, and which relies heavily on a trio of freshmen to make important contributions.

Neverthless, Syracuse has long been known for recruiting strong, talented players. In the last five years, the team has signed a total of 14 ESPN 100 prospects.

Syracuse came back from a 15-point deficit to defeat the Virginia Cavaliers 68-62 in the Elite 8 round at the United Center in Chicago on Sunday.

The 10th-ranked Orange (23-13) will face off against the East No. 1-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels (32-6) in the second Final Four Matchup at 8:49 pm on Saturday, April 2 at NRG Stadium in Houston. The game will air on TBS.

The No. 4 Syracuse women’s team (29-7) also advanced to the Final Four this year. They will play the No. 7 Washington Huskies (26-10) at 8:30 pm ET on Sunday, April 3 in Indianapolis. The game will air on ESPN.

Caption: CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 27: DaJuan Coleman #32 of the Syracuse Orange shoots against Mike Tobey #10 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half during the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional Final at United Center on March 27, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Travis Ford, former Oklahoma State head coach, has accepted an offer as St. Louis University’s new head basketball coach, a source familiar with the matter confirmed Tuesday night.

Former Oklahoma State’s Travid Ford To Be Hired As New SLU Coach

Neither Ford nor SLU athletics director Chris May could be reached for comment but the university issued a statement indicating a hire has not yet been completed.

“Saint Louis University has not hired a men’s basketball coach,” the statement said. “The process is ongoing. Information on an introductory press conference will be sent once a coach is hired.”

Ford was fired this month by Oklahoma State after an eight-year run during which he posted a record of 155-111 with five NCAA Tournament appearances. He was 63-75 in the Big 12. The Oklahoma State Cowboys went 12-20 this season with Ford.Ford, 46, has previous Atlantic 10 experience, having previously coached at Massachusetts, where he went 62-35 and came away with one regular-season championship before moving to Oklahoma State.

SLU had thus far been eying Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew, according to a source who stated Drew’s agent was contacted regarding the job. However, that deal fell through after the Valpo Crusaders remained in action in the National Invitation Tournament by defeating the BYU Cougars 72-70 on Tuesday night.

Ford’s contract a Oklahoma State had three years and $7.2 million remaining, according to reports. SLU paid its former head basketball coach Jim Crews close to $1 million before he was fired after the school’s last Atlantic-10 Tournament game nearly three weeks ago.

Ford ended his tenure at Oklahoma State with a 3-15 conference mark last season before being replaced by Stephen F. Austin’s Brad Underwood. He played one year collegiately at Missouri during the 1989-1990 season before transferring to Kentucky for his last three seasons.

Ford’s tenure at UMass coincided with SLU’s entry into the A-10. At Oklahoma State, Ford became known as an excellent recruiter. His best player was Marcus Smart, who was named the Big 12 player of the year as a freshman.

The SLU Billikens have finished 11-21 each of the last two years, and will soon lose senior guard Ash Yacoubou. They finished 13th in the A-10 this past season.

Caption:NORMAN, OK – FEBRUARY 24: Head coach Travis Ford of the Oklahoma State Cowboys reacts as the Oklahoma Sooners pull ahead during the second half of a NCAA college basketball game at the Lloyd Noble Center on February 24, 2016 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)