Frank Victores/US Presswire

WKU and Tyrone Brazelton got off to a slow start, but they nearly knocked off UCLA.

End of Cinderella's run

By Dana O'Neil
ESPN.com

PHOENIX -- Tyrone Brazelton and Courtney Lee hugged as the final seconds ticked away.

It wasn't the sort of embrace the seniors envisioned.

The two came to Phoenix, slingshots loaded in their pockets, ready to take down Goliath. Instead they ran out of buckshot.

Western Kentucky's furious rally from 21 points down came up just shy, the Hilltoppers stopped cold by No. 1 seed UCLA once the margin was chopped to four, and the winless streak of the 12-seed against the top seed continued, with the Bruins holding onto an 88-78 victory.

"We were down; we had nothing to lose," Brazelton said. "My teammates came to me and told me to take a deep breath and relax. The past is the past. Any time you have careless turnovers like I had in the first half against a good defensive team like UCLA and don't make shots, we gave up too many easy buckets."

Down 40-21 at the break after shooting 18 percent from the floor, the Hilltoppers used their full-court press to slowly chip away at what seemed an insurmountable lead. Stunningly, they got to within four when Darren Collison foolishly fouled Lee on a 3-pointer. Lee hit just 2-of-3 free throws but made up for the miss on the other end, stepping in front of Russell Westbrook and drawing a charge.

Western Kentucky pushed the ball downcourt, swinging to a wide-open A.J. Slaughter on the wing. But Slaughter's 3 didn't fall, and the threat ended.

"That was huge," WKU coach Darrin Horn said. "That was the ballgame. If that goes in, it changes all the momentum. We're down one and everything is going our way."

Horn scoffed at the notion of a moral victory. The coach discounted the notion that Western Kentucky was intimidated by UCLA early on. Instead, the Toppers blamed themselves for losing the game in the first half, realizing that if they had played even moderately better in the first half, they might have won.

But the loss does nothing to erase the whirlwind tourney run for WKU. The Hilltoppers celebrated a prayer of a 3-pointer that scored the first-round upset against Drake in overtime, and they clung for life against San Diego to advance to the school's first Sweet 16.

In between, their coach -- on a curious hot seat despite four 20-win seasons out of five -- is now being mentioned for high-profile jobs. According to a published report, Horn tops the list of candidates at South Carolina, which is looking to replace the retired Dave Odom.

"As always when there are openings, you go through this," WKU president Dr. Gary Ransdell said. "But I'm not concerned about that. I'm confident Darrin is going to be here."

Horn, Ransdell and athletic director Wood Selig all said they had not been contacted by South Carolina or anyone else.

"No, no one has contacted me," Horn said. "That's the furthest thing from my mind now. I haven't even thought about it."

Money talks

By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Washington State athletic director Jim Sterk is expecting the suitors to come calling. He isn't certain Indiana will make an effort, but he won't be surprised if the Hoosiers make a run at Washington State's most coveted asset: men's basketball coach Tony Bennett.

A year ago, after Bennett led the Cougars to a second-place Pac-10 finish, 26 wins and a second-round NCAA tournament appearance -- all after being picked to finish last in the league -- Sterk went on the offensive. He bumped Bennett's salary from a league-low $400,000 to $800,000 after Bennett was named the national coach of the year in his first season.

Thursday night, as the Cougars were being blown out by North Carolina in the East Regional semifinals, Sterk said he would make every effort to improve the program. He said he didn't anticipate Bennett asking for more money for himself but possibly for the assistants. The AD said he would do everything in his power to improve their salary situation.

Travel for the team out of remote Pullman, and especially for Bennett when he is recruiting, is also a major issue. Nearby Gonzaga takes charter planes for road trips, and Bulldogs coach Mark Few has said on a number of occasions how beneficial that is to their program. The Cougars desperately want the same to remain competitive.

Meanwhile, Bennett said after the loss to the Tar Heels that he purposely hasn't thought about other schools. He said he loves Pullman and understands there will be a retooling situation at hand with the departures of seniors Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver and Robbie Cowgill. But it's clear that if Indiana were to call, he would have to listen, considering the stature of the job and his roots in the Midwest. Pac-10 competitor Cal could also make a run at Bennett. It would be hard for Bennett to move within the league, but Cal has always been an easier job than Washington State. Bennett doesn't expect to be courted by LSU, which is located in Baton Rouge, where his wife Laurel was raised.

Bennett said he's not chasing any jobs. Sterk said he wants to be as proactive as possible in order to keep his young coach.

As the clock wound down Thursday night, Sterk reflected on what the seniors and Bennett have meant to the university.

"Washington State was really, really down," Sterk said. "They all came here and made a difference and made 130,000 Cougar alumni care about basketball."

Competing interests

By Tim Griffin
ESPN.com

HOUSTON -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Memphis coach John Calipari aren't completely comfortable with their matchup Friday night.

Izzo and Calipari have been close friends for many years, making their South Regional semifinal a difficult one for both coaches.

"I'd rather play against someone I don't know, shake his hand win or lose, but this one is hard," Calipari said.

The two coaches have often talked, most recently on the day after the pairings were announced.

"The first thing he said to me is, 'I hate this,'" Calipari said. "I told him, 'I hate this, too.' We are going to play and both of us are competitive when it starts. But I know I'm not looking down there [on the other sideline], and I doubt he looks down my way, either."

Izzo plans to speak at Calipari's coaching clinic in the future. They are also united by their friendship with Larry Brown. Calipari was on Brown's staff in Kansas, and Izzo frequently met with Brown when he was coaching the NBA's Detroit Pistons.

"He does a good job of sharing with other coaches," Izzo said of Calipari. "I don't like guys that are so secretive, and that's one thing that he's not."