It all started earlier this week, when UM was among three schools mentioned by TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte as trying to get into the Big XII Conference. The other two schools, Florida State and Clemson have openly flirted with joining the Big XII Conference.

Friday, UM’s Twitter feed said “The Miami Hurricanes are committed to the ACC.” The school also issued a statement from University of Miami athletic director Shawn Eichorst who said the school is committed to the ACC and “we have not engaged in any formal or informal discussions with any other conferences.”

We are so fortunate at Miami. Our University, under past and present visionary leadership and with an 87-year history of achievement, is strong in our foundation and in our beliefs. It allows us to stay steady when there are stormy seas, and that core strength holds us together today more than ever.

The full statement can be seen below.

UM had never been mentioned in the chaos that erupted a few years ago when the Big Ten Conference first broached adding another member school. Since then, multiple schools have left other conferences and found new homes in conferences that aren’t necessarily geographical fits.

The schools that have changed conferences include:

• Nebraska University to Big Ten
• University of Missouri to SEC
• Texas A&M University to SEC
• Colorado University to Pac-12
• University of Utah to Pac-12
• University of Pittsburgh to ACC
• Syracuse University to ACC
• University of Central Florida to Big East
• University of Houston to Big East
• University of Memphis to Big East
• Southern Methodist University to Big East
• Temple University to Big East
• Boise State University to Big East
• Navy to Big East
• San Diego State to Big East
• Florida International to Conference USA
• University of North Carolina-Charlotte to Conference USA
• Louisiana Tech University to Conference USA
• University of North Texas to Conference USA
• Old Dominion to Conference USA
• University of Texas at San Antonio to Conference USA
• Texas Christian University to Big XII
• West Virginia University to Big XII

UM’s Full Statement of Support to the Atlantic Coast Conference

“We are so fortunate at Miami. Our University, under past and present visionary leadership and with an 87-year history of achievement, is strong in our foundation and in our beliefs. It allows us to stay steady when there are stormy seas, and that core strength holds us together today more than ever.

Since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004, the University of Miami has worked hard to measure up to the high academic and athletic standards set by our peers and we could not be more proud than to call the ACC our home. We are confident in our progress and in our accomplishments, yet there is still much work to be done. We are committed to the ACC and to doing our part to continue the tradition of excellence across the board. In that regard, we have not engaged in any formal or informal discussions with any other conferences.

The additions of the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University, as well as the new exclusive television partnership with ESPN, signal the very strength and nationwide appeal of the ACC. Fans will be able to watch more ACC sports and more ACC games in more ways than ever before with the most powerful brand in sports behind us. This is an exciting time to be a part of the ACC and we are honored and humbled to be among its members.”

During a morning speech on the campus of Texas Tech University, Del Conte said that the once left for dead Big XII Conference “now has schools like Florida State, Clemson, and Miami trying to get in,” according to redraidersports.com.

Del Conte also appeared on a sports talk radio show later and said, “Let’s not rush into anything. We know expansion has to happen. It may not be for a while. We are in the catbird seat right now,” according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

While Florida State’s interest in the Big XII has been public knowledge, Del Conte’s words were the first official confirmation on the record that FSU had looked to get into the Big XII. But the addition of Miami may catch Hurricanes fans off guard.

When FSU and UM entered the Atlantic Coast Conference, the ACC was looking to boost its football reputation and at the time FSU and UM were two key programs.

But as both programs began to decline, so did the ACC’s importance on the national college football scene. It was evident for several years and the rest of the league, outside of Virginia Tech, never raised its level of play to FSU and UM’s reputation.

Since the schools joined the ACC, FSU remains the only team from the conference to play for the national championship in the BCS era.

FSU officials have denied any interest in the Big XII, but the chairman of the board and former players have said the school should very much listen to what the Big XII has to offer.

From the Big XII’s point of view, adding FSU and UM would be a coup that could seriously undercut the reigning college football powerhouse conference, the SEC. The Big XII would have a geographic footprint that could secure Florida television revenue and the fertile Florida recruiting grounds for Big XII schools.

For FSU and UM, they would join a conference that is considered one of the power conferences in the country and routinely a top football and men’s basketball conference. Plus, both schools would get more national exposure through television deals and get access to Texas recruiting.

Many FSU fans have made no secret that they are ready to leave the ACC behind. Clemson has long been joined to FSU in any expansion talk. But, if Del Conte is accurate, losing Florida State, Clemson and Miami would be a death blow in football to the ACC.

The ACC would then have to seriously consider raiding the Big East Conference again for teams to try to secure a spot as a power conference.

The Big XII, which was left for dead twice in the past few years, has now become the big dog on the block in college football that everyone seems to want. Whether any schools successfully convince the Big XII to expand is another ballgame.

The Big XII currently has 10 members including West Virginia and TCU. With a college football final four coming in just a year, the conference has no real need to expand and may actually be better off without having to stage a championship game.

But, as with everything else in the college realignment dance, it’s all about money.

The Big XII and SEC made the announcement of the matchup Friday afternoon. The champions of both conferences will play, unless one or both are selected to play in the new four-team national championship playoff.

If that happens, another team from the respective conferences would replace the team in the playoff.

“A new January bowl tradition is born,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. “This new game will provide a great matchup between the two most successful conferences in the BCS era and will complement the exciting postseason atmosphere created by the new four-team model. Most importantly, it will provide our student-athletes, coaches and fans with an outstanding bowl experience.”

During the 14-year era of the BCS, the Big XII and SEC have had 11 seasons in which each conference finished ranked in the top four of the final BCS standings. Combined, the two conferences have 16 appearances in the BCS National Championship Game. The Big XII ranked second behind the SEC’s nine appearances in the big game.

The two conference champions have only played in BCS bowls twice since the inception of the BCS. Both games were national championship games and both times the SEC came out ahead both times.

Johnson coached the Hurricanes for five seasons and saw the Canes finish in the top two in three seasons and winning the national championship in 1987. Johnson went on to coach the Dallas Cowboys to multiple Super Bowl victories.

Johnson started his career in 1965 at Louisiana Tech as an assistant coach. He made his name in the 1970’s as a defensive line coach and coordinator at Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Pittsburgh. He coached at Oklahoma State until 1983 when he came to the U.

In his first season with UM, Johnson was just 8-5 and saw his team lose in the most dramatic ending in college football history, Doug Flutie’s hail Mary pass to Gerald Phelan as time expired in the fourth quarter.

But Johnson built Miami into a national football powerhouse that was feared by most schools across the country. He let players be themselves and built a reputation of being the toughest players in the country.

Johnson coached Miami to one championship and lost a second one to the late Joe Paterno in 1986.

According to Warchant.com, FSU Board of Trustees chairman Andy Haggard said the entire board “would be in favor of seeing what the Big XII might have to offer. We have to do what is in Florida State’s best interest.”

The Big XII is looking up after two straight years of defections and a near complete collapse of the conference. Monday, the Big XII agreed to terms of a new TV deal with ESPN and Fox worth a combined $2.6 billion through 2025.

That works out to a yearly average of $20 million per year for each of the school’s members, according to CBSSports.com. It also reestablished the league in the upper echelon of college football with the Pac-12, SEC, and Big Ten.

Once the deal was closed, the league has started exploring the possibility of expansion. The main reason the league would want to expand is to be able to hold a lucrative conference championship game once again.

But it was a move by the ACC that sent FSU fans and apparently the Board of Trustees to consider a new home.

The ACC signed off on a new television rights deal for football that gave up the league’s third-tier rights, but kept the rights for basketball. It will serve basketball schools well, but football schools like FSU, Clemson, and Virginia Tech will not be as well-served by the new deal.

“It continues the perception that the ACC favors the North Carolina schools,” Haggard told Warchant.com.

While the ACC may have taken care of the basketball-centric schools, conference realignment has been driven by the big money that flows from Division I football. That’s what sent Missouri and Texas A&M to the Southeastern Conference and West Virginia and TCU to the Big XII among others conference moves.

FSU is currently $2.4 million in the hole in 2012-2013. Moving to the Big XII would solve much of the cash problems and put the school in a far superior football conference.

Currently, the Big XII has the following members: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, and West Virginia.

The Seminoles have been members of the ACC for more than a decade and remain the only ACC school to appear in the BCS National Championship game.

FSU would open up the fertile recruiting grounds of Florida to the conference, but more importantly, it would open the Tampa, Orlando, and Miami television markets to the conference, which would greatly extend the conference’s reach and boost television revenue.

FSU would play under a much more lucrative contract in the Big XII than what the ACC has to offer. Plus, if the divisions in the Big XII were reestablished, it’s possible the Seminoles could replace Missouri in the Big XII North, which would almost guarantee them a path to the championship game every year.

The other school expected to be on the Big XII radar is Louisville. The Cardinals have openly stated they are interested in the Big XII for months. But Louisville would likely need FSU to jump to garner an invite to the Big XII.

If the Big XII Conference were to expand and add FSU and Louisville to the conference, the divisions could look something like this: Big XII North – FSU, Louisville, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, and West Virginia; Big XII South – Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Time will tell if the Big XII will come knocking on the door in Tallahassee. The Big XII will expand. The only question is who will the two lucky teams be to hit the jackpot with the new television money?

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Campbell has signed a five-year extension with the Cardinals with a maximum value of $55 milllion of which $31 million is guaranteed.

Cambpell stands 6’8” and weighs in at 300 pounds and has terrorized opposing quarterbacks for the last four years as a member of the Cardinals. Despite his size and athleticism, Campbell wasn’t taken by the Cardinals until the 50th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Campbell helped solidify the Cardinals defensive line alongside first-round pick Dan Williams and former Florida State Seminole Darnell Dockett.

Last season, Campbell had 72 tackles, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception. For his career, Campbell has pulled down 159 tackles, 21 sacks, and has 18 passes defensed.

The Philadelphia Eagles signed Harris Friday to a free agent contract to play quarterback. Harris was undrafted in the seven rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Harris came to “The U” as a highly touted high school quarterback out of Northwestern High School in Miami. But, his career at the U mirrored the doldrums the football program is still trying to get out of in 2012.

At one point in his career, Harris looked like the real deal and some even talked of him as a Heisman Trophy hopeful. Harris’ inconsistency and penchant for throwing costly interceptions made his four-year starting career maddening for coaches and fans.

During his time at UM, Harris completed 60 percent of his passes for 8,826 yards, 70 touchdowns, and 48 interceptions. Harris struggled as a sophomore and junior throwing 38 touchdowns versus 32 interceptions combined.

While all Harris wanted was a chance, he still faces very long odds of making the Eagle’s 53-man roster this season.

The Eagles currently have quarterbacks Mike Vick, Trent Edwards, Mike Kafka, and third-round draft pick Nick Foles.

Vick has struggled with injuries throughout his career, while Edwards hasn’t been able to stick with teams. Kafka served as Vick’s backup last season and the Eagles thought enough of Foles to take him in the third round of the draft.

Still, Harris has a shot. What he does with it from there is up to him and the Eagles coaching staff.

The Big XII is looking up after two straight years of defections and a near complete collapse of the conference. Monday, the Big XII agreed to terms of a new TV deal with ESPN and Fox worth a combined $2.6 billion through 2025.

That works out to a yearly average of $20 million per year for each of the school’s members, according to CBSSports.com. It also reestablished the league in the upper echelon of college football with the Pac-12, SEC, and Big Ten.

Currently, the Big XII has the following members: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, and West Virginia. The Big XII wants to get back to 12 members to be able to hold a lucrative championship game again soon.

That’s where Florida State could possibly come into play.

The Seminoles have been members of the ACC for more than a decade and remain the only ACC school to appear in the BCS National Championship game. While Florida State won’t replace the academic prestige that left with Missouri, it would give the Big XII something much more lucrative.

FSU would open up the fertile recruiting grounds of Florida to the conference, but more importantly, it would open the Tampa, Orlando, and Miami television markets to the conference, which would greatly extend the conference’s reach and boost television revenue.

FSU would play under a much more lucrative contract in the Big XII than what the ACC has to offer. Plus, if the divisions in the Big XII were reestablished, it’s possible the Seminoles could replace Missouri in the Big XII North, which would almost guarantee them a path to the championship game every year.

The Big XII was looking at expansion once the deal was cut with the new TV contract. The other school expected to be on the Big XII radar is Louisville. The Cardinals have been rumored to be interested in the Big XII for months, but so far nothing official has come out.

If the Big XII Conference were to expand and add FSU and Louisville to the conference, the divisions could look something like this: Big XII North – FSU, Louisville, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, and West Virginia; Big XII South – Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Time will tell if the Big XII will come knocking on the door in Tallahassee, but it will expand, the only question is who will the two lucky teams be to hit the jackpot with the new television money?

FIU will join Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Texas San Antonio, Charlotte, and Old Dominion in the new Conference USA which will eventually have 14 members. Charlotte and Old Dominion’s membership in football likely won’t start in 2013.

Conference USA was cannibalized late last year during conference realignment. C-USA lost Houston, Southern Methodist, Central Florida, and Memphis to the Big East when Missouri and Texas A&M joined the SEC, West Virginia joined the Big XII, and Pittsburgh and Syracuse jumped to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Conference USA will keep a presence in Florida by adding FIU and will still have two schools in Texas along with Rice. C-USA also has Marshall, East Carolina, Southern Miss, UAB, Tulane, Tulsa, and UTEP.

Once the move is completed, C-USA will split into two divisions, with seven members in the East including: East Carolina, FIU, Marshall, Southern Miss, UAB, Charlotte, and ODU and the West with Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Texas San Antonio, Tulane, Tulsa, and UTEP, according to CBSSports.com.

FIU’s recent success is a testament to the program that head coach Mario Cristobal has built.

When Cristobal took over, the team was a wreck and pretty much the laughing stock of college football. Major programs would schedule FIU for the guaranteed win.

Now, FBS schools are hesitating now when looking at FIU, just ask the Louisville Cardinals last year.

While Conference USA, the Big East, Big XII, and SEC continue to be big winners in conference realignment, the biggest loser in all of the conference realignment is the Western Athletic Conference, or WAC.

The once proud conference will be left with just two football members in 2013, meaning the conference is essentially dead.

Interestingly, the last non automatic qualifying school to win the National Championship came from the WAC. In 1984, Brigham Young University won the national championship as a WAC school.

Last year, disgraced former UM booster Nevin Shapiro accused Vilma of taking illegal benefits. Part of the benefits included $2,250 in bounties paid by Shapiro for big plays including trying to injure then-Florida State quarterback Chris Rix.

According to the Yahoo! investigation of Shapiro, the former booster paid Vilma roughly $2,250 in bounties. Vilma was allegedly paid $1,000 for a hit and personal foul penalty on Chris Rix in 2002; $250 for a sack in a 2003 victory over Florida; and $1,000 for a hit on Rix in 2004.

Yahoo! said it corroborated Shapiro’s claim of bounty payments with another source.

The NFL suspended Vilma for the season for his role in the bounty system run by former Steelers coach Gregg Williams. The NFL said Vilma offered $10,000 of his own money to any team member who knocked Kurt Warner and Brett Favre out of 2009 playoff games.

If the case goes to court, Vilma might be forced under oath to testify about the Shapiro allegations. The fact that Shapiro’s allegations came out before the bounty program was uncovered by the NFL could give credibility that Shapiro has sought since making his allegations.

The Panthers will join Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Texas San Antonio, Charlotte, and Old Dominion in the new Conference USA which will eventually have 14 members. Charlotte and Old Dominion’s membership in football likely won’t start in 2013.

Conference USA was cannibalized late last year during conference realignment. C-USA lost Houston, Southern Methodist, Central Florida, and Memphis to the Big East when Missouri and Texas A&M joined the SEC and Pittsburgh and Syracuse jumped to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Conference USA will keep a presence in Florida by adding FIU and will still have two schools in Texas along with Rice. C-USA also has Marshall, East Carolina, Southern Miss, UAB, Tulane, Tulsa, and UTEP.

Once the move is completed, C-USA will split into two divisions, with seven members in the East including: East Carolina, FIU, Marshall, Southern Miss, UAB, Charlotte, and ODU and the West with Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Texas San Antonio, Tulane, Tulsa, and UTEP, according to CBSSports.com.

For FIU, it’s confirmation of the respect the school has earned with head coach Mario Cristobal at the helm. FIU won its first game against a Football Bowl Subdivision member last year and with Cristobal in house; the team could be set to make more noise in the future.

The biggest loser in all of the conference realignment is the Western Athletic Conference, or WAC. The once proud conference will be left with just two football members in 2013, meaning the conference is essentially dead.

Interestingly, the last non automatic qualifying school to win the National Championship came from the WAC. In 1984, Brigham Young University won the national championship as a WAC school.

The Dolphins took Miller with the 97th overall pick after making a trade with the San Francisco 49ers.

Miller played two seasons for the Hurricanes. After rushing for 646 yards and six touchdowns as a backup in 2010, Miller became a starter in 2011 and ran for 1,272 yards and nine touchdowns.

He had been projected as a likely second-round pick and perhaps even a late-first-rounder, Miller becomes the second Hurricanes player taken by the Dolphins. Miami selected defensive end Olivier Vernon in the third round.

Miller is the fourth offensive player taken by Miami among its five picks so far.

Still, the playoff will only have four teams, but considering the consternation that has been in place since the Bowl Championship Series was put into place; it’s a HUGE step forward for major college football.

The system will consist of two semifinal games and a national championship game. What’s left now is for the conference commissioners and Notre Dame to come up with where to play the games and how to select the four teams.

The first problem could be solved in a number of ways, but the main items being considered are letting two schools host the semifinal games and then a neutral site game; or using the major bowls (Orange, Rose, Sugar, Fiesta) in a rotating format hosting the semifinal game.

The championship game would then be played at a neutral site to be determined through a bidding format similar to how the Super Bowl is awarded.

The second element may be a bit tougher, but BCS executive director Bill Hancock said change was coming.

Regardless of which system the conferences settle on, the days of the BCS are likely over as major college football begins down the road of a playoff system. Eventually it will have to grow, but just the decision to move that way has college football fans finally happy.

It’s expected that none of the major college football teams in Florida including: Florida, Florida State, Miami, University of Central Florida, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International, and the University of South Florida, will have a player selected in the first-round of the draft.

Florida has long been the most sought after state for college coaches looking to recruit the best talent in the nation. But the big schools in Florida have recruited well in recent years, but failed to develop star talent at the NFL level.

Of all the schools in Florida, the FSU Seminoles probably will be the closest putting together first round talent next season, but this year’s talent out of every school is weak.

The two players who have a chance of getting into the first round are a former Florida Gator, who transferred to the University of North Alabama, and a Miami Hurricane running back.

Janoris Jenkins, who was dismissed from Florida for repeated team violations, could sneak into the first round if a team is convinced he’s put his troubled past behind him. Jenkins is a former All-SEC cornerback, but he has four children by three different mothers and combined with his past drug use, could push him into Round 2.

Miami Hurricanes running back Lamar Miller was a possible first-round pick early in the draft process. But, running backs have been massively devalued in the current NFL. The only sure-fire running back to be selected in the first round will be Alabama running back Trent Richardson, who could go as early as fourth overall.

The challenge for the Florida schools isn’t going to be recruiting, as UF, UM, and FSU all routinely have some of the best recruiting classes in the country. The challenge will be to finally coach the recruits up to the next level.

If the big Florida schools can’t carry through with that, then many of the nation’s most talented players will have to wait until the second round to hear their names called for years to come.

The school built a brand new stadium last year thanks to the long-time head coach Howard Schnellenberger’s influence. So, it’s only fitting that the school’s first big opponent in the stadium will be a former Schnellenberger school.

FAU and the University of Miami Hurricanes will play a three game series starting next season. FAU will visit Sun Life Stadium on August 31, 2013 and in 2016. The Canes will then return the favor by playing at FAU’s home stadium in 2015.

The three-game series will be the first matchup between the schools.

FAU was the worst team in college football last year and hired Carl Pellini to help rebuild the school’s program. UM is in the Golden Age right now with Al Golden at the helm. The Canes struggled in year one of Golden’s tenure, but he’s since rid himself of much of the past that brought the program down.

Golden built a winner at Temple and his first full recruiting class was one of the best in the nation. His reclamation project will likely be much easier than what Pellini faces in Boca Raton.

FIU hired Richard Pitino, son of Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino, as the team’s new head coach. The Panthers had to hire a replacement after the school fired former head coach, Isiah Thomas.

Richard Pitino spent the past season as the associated head coach on Louisville’s staff. The Cardinals reached the Final Four thanks in large part to the coaching job done by the Pitinos.

For Richard, the challenge at FIU is going to be more massive than anything his father Rick has faced. FIU has had 12 straight losing seasons and fired Isiah after posting a 26-65 record in three seasons at the helm.

“You know I’m delighted, but I’m going miss (him) terribly,” Rick Pitino said. “I think one of the great things in 35 years of coaching was spending three years with him. Watch him grow as a basketball coach, and you sort of don’t want it to end.”

Rick Pitino was 25 when he landed his first college coaching job. At 29, his son is about to get his first chance to run a program. The younger Pitino was a candidate to coach at Florida Gulf Coast last year, before deciding to go back to Louisville and work for his father.

Richard Pitino spent the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons under Billy Donovan at Florida, who also raved about FIU’s hire.

“It is great to have Richard back in the state of Florida,” Donovan said. “FIU has hired a tireless worker and an excellent recruiter to build their program.”

Thomas’ firing has created a sense of disarray around the Panthers’ program. Two of Thomas’ verbally committed players said late last week they would play elsewhere because of his dismissal, and an unknown number of FIU players have asked Garcia to be released from their scholarships so they can enroll at other schools. The players say FIU has declined those release requests.

The Panthers were 8-21 this past season.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Williams completed 15 of 27 passes for 169 yards on Saturday in Miami’s spring game, where the lone touchdown came on a 5-yard run by Mike James with 4:19 left in the Orange’s 7-6 victory over Green. Williams set up the winning score with a 44-yard pass to Phillip Dorsett about a minute earlier, maybe the biggest play in a mistake-filled afternoon.

Williams sat out last season after transferring from Memphis, and assumed the role of go-to quarterback after Stephen Morris was ruled out for the spring after back surgery. Morris and Williams will resume their competition in training camp this summer, and Williams said he didn’t think a shaky offensive showing in the spring game should be considered all that disappointing heading into 2012.

“It’s more of what we do in the summer and fall,” Williams said. “It’s not how we finished this. It’s how we continue to improve heading into the season.”

There’s clearly plenty of work left to do. Miami had five turnovers in the game, two interceptions from both Williams and Gray Crow, plus a lost fumble by receiver Rashawn Scott after a 36-yard reception.

The work-in-progress feel was expected. The Hurricanes were 6-6 last season, are still awaiting sanctions from the NCAA over the extra-benefits scandal that remains under investigation, and lost a slew of their best players from a year ago — including four-year quarterback Jacory Harris, linebacker Sean Spence, running back Lamar Miller and the top two receivers from 2011, Tommy Streeter and Travis Benjamin.

“I know it wasn’t perfect today,” Miami coach Al Golden said. “It certainly wasn’t spectacular from a fan standpoint or viewing standpoint. But we came out of it clean. We came out of it healthy. I’m as pleased about that as anything. I don’t think we’ll have anything lingering in terms of our team past June. I’m pleased with those young guys. … Since Jan. 17, I think we’ve accomplished a lot.”

With Morris out, Williams had his chance to make a statement this spring.

Williams played high school football at nearby Miramar High, helping it win the 2009 state championship in Florida’s biggest enrollment class. As a freshman at Memphis in 2010, Williams completed 57 percent of his passes for 2,075 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, before deciding to come back closer to home primarily for family reasons.

Miami unsuccessfully sought a waiver from the NCAA that would have allowed Williams to play last year. Instead, he could only wait for his opportunity, which has finally arrived. And this spring, instead of competing with Morris, he wound up taking tips from Morris — who’s gotten significant playing time in seven games over his first two seasons, spot duty in four others.

“He was very much involved whether he was in pads or not,” Williams said. “He was like a coach out there. He was always helping me.”

Williams already knows this much: If he does win the starting job, even with Miami now more than a decade removed from its last national championship, the burden of expectation will be high.

“When you come from down here, the fans know you’re from the area and they expect more of you,” Williams said. “South Florida’s one of the hotspots for high school football players and they expect us to come in and carry the legacy knowing that we grew up watching the Hurricanes and all the people that came before us.

Men’s basketball team members sent a note to FIU president Mark Rosenberg and other administrators asking for help to get a release and for an explanation of why Thomas was fired.

“We ask that under such circumstances with our mentor being fired you to give us the freedom of choice to ‘move in another direction,’” said the letter, which carried the signature “FIU men’s basketball team” and was e-mailed to Rosenberg and others by DeJuan Wright, who led the Panthers in scoring this past season. “Please help us receive our athletic ‘releases’ so that we can find a coach and program which will be a good fit in our growth.”

FIU hasn’t made any comment on the letter or why the school may be denying the players a release from their scholarships.

Thomas had secured commitments from four of Florida’s top 50 players for next season and thought 2012-2013 would be his breakthrough season.

Thomas was escorted out of the building by police not long after he was fired, a fact that stuck out with his former players.

“We also ask someone to look into why Coach Thomas and his staff had to be humiliated by being told they were fired and to pack their belongings immediately and with no explanation of what was going on in front of our team and other FIU staff members,” the letter said. “It was quite embarrassing for us to witness and hurtful, they deserved a better way to leave, it is already embarrassing being fired.”

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

In an article for the Sporting News released Monday, the details of Meyer’s run at UF were detailed and if true, showed a broken program that should squarely be blamed on Urban Meyer.

It was just last season that Meyer was sitting in an ESPN studio criticizing the ugly side of college football in scandals at the University of Miami and several other schools. But it was Meyer’s program that could have been labeled as completely dysfunctional, according to the Sporting News.

“The program was out of control,” former Florida safety Bryan Thomas told the Sporting News.

Part of the problem, according to the report, is that Meyer’s players said he developed a “circle of trust” group of players that could get away with anything and Meyer would look the other way because of their talent on the football field.

Former players told the Sporting News that future pro stars Percy Harvin, Brandon Spikes, and Aaron Hernandez all missed a game due to failed drug tests for marijuana. Officially, Meyer reported that the three were injured.

The Sporting News’ investigation pointed to Harvin as getting the most preferential treatment. The Sporting News said multiple players confirmed that Harvin physically attacked wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales by grabbing him by the neck and throwing him to the ground.

It took two other assistant coaches to pull Harvin off Gonzales, players told the Sporting News, but Harvin was never disciplined. Gonzales would later resign by putting his keys, cell phone, and a resignation letter on Meyer’s desk.

More than 30 players were arrested in Meyer’s six seasons. Tight end Aaron Hernandez admitted to failing a drug test at UF which cost his draft stock. Harvin failed a drug test at the NFL combine and caused him to slip in the first round, according to the Sporting News.

All of it has left current Gators head coach Will Muschamp with the unenviable task of trying to rebuild the Gators program from the shambles Meyer left it in. Muschamp went 6-6 in his first season, which was a tough pill to swallow for fans used to 11-14 wins a season and contending for the national championship.

For Meyer, he is now the most popular person in the state of Ohio and is said to be reinvigorated after taking a year off to deal with “health issues.”

Meyer already has a less than stellar image in his new conference, the Big Ten. Coaches in the conference had a gentleman’s agreement not to try to get players to switch their commitments to other Big Ten schools.

Meyer came in and got eight star players to back off verbal commitments to other Big Ten schools and to sign with the Buckeyes. Meyer said the conference better get used to it because he’s going to continue to do it and make the Big Ten recruiting as tough as that in the Southeastern Conference.

Thomas took over the Panthers program after leaving the New York Knicks following a series of embarrassments that included the Eddy Curry saga and a sexual harassment lawsuit.

While at FIU, Thomas never won more than 11 games in a single season.

FIU finished 7-25 in Thomas’ first season at FIU in 2009-2010. The next year saw Thomas’ Panthers put together an 11-19 record. Finally, FIU’s basketball team finished last season with an 8-21 record.

Thomas hasn’t issued a comment or statement on his firing.

“I want to thank Isiah Thomas for his three years at FIU,” FIU executive director of sports entertainment Pete Garcia said in a statement. “However, we have decided to take the program in a different direction.”

Thomas has been an executive with the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks and was also the head coach in Indiana and with the Knicks.

Speculation has run rampant over the past few years that Thomas was eyeing a return to the Knicks.

The Knicks recently fired their head coach, Mike D’Antoni, after the team failed to grasp his offense and he failed to adapt to the players on his team.

Knicks chairman James Dolan has never made it a secret about his loyalty to Thomas and with vacancies available in his organization, he could bring Thomas back.

However, New York fans remember the mess that Thomas left with the team and may not stand for him coming back to try and help build the Knicks with the current foundation already in place.

The Wildcats hit the jackpot with their lottery picks Monday night, ignoring Davis’ bad shooting night and parlaying a roster full of NBA talent into a 67-59 victory over Kansas for the team’s eighth national title — and its first since 1998.

The one-and-doners did it in a wire-to-wire victory — a little dicey at the end — to cap a season in which anything less than bringing a title back to the Bluegrass State would have been a downer. They led coach John Calipari to his first title in four trips to the Final Four with three different schools.

Doron Lamb, a sophomore with first-round-draft-pick possibilities, led the Wildcats (38-2) with 22 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers that put them up by 16 with 10 minutes left.

The Jayhawks (32-7), kings of the comeback all season, fought to the finish and trimmed that deficit to five with 1:37 left. But Kentucky made five free throws down the stretch to seal the win

Davis’ fellow lottery prospect, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, was another headliner, creating space for himself to score all 11 of his points in the first half.

Davis, meanwhile, might have had the most dominating six-point night in the history of college basketball. He finished with 16 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and three steals — and made his only field goal with 5:13 left in the game. It was a surefire illustration of how the 6-foot-10 freshman can exert his will on a game even on a rare night when the shot isn’t falling.

Helps when you’ve got teammates like this. Davis is the likely first pick in the draft should he choose to come out, and Kidd-Gilchrist won’t be far behind. Another first-round prospect, freshman Marquis Teague, had 14 points. And yet another, sophomore Terrence Jones, had nine points, seven rebounds and two of Kentucky’s 11 blocked shots.

Kansas also has a lottery pick in AP All-American Thomas Robinson. But he was harassed all night by Davis and Jones and finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds on a frustrating evening nonetheless.

The Jayhawks won the “B” League this year, as Calipari avenged a final-game loss to Bill Self back in 2008 when Cal was coaching the Tigers. Not a bad season in Lawrence, though, considering where KU began.

Kansas lost four of its top five scorers off last year’s roster. There were times early in the season when Self and his old buddy and mentor, Larry Brown, would stand around at practices and wonder if this was a team that could even make the tournament. It did. Won its eighth straight conference title, too.

None of this, however, was for the faint of heart. The Jayhawks trailed by double digits in three of their five tournament games leading to the final and played every game down to the wire. They fell behind by 18 late in the first half of this one and this time, there was no big comeback to be made; not against these guys.

Davis went only 1-for-10 from the floor, but he realized early this was no shoot-first night for him at the Superdome. Sporting his near-unibrow, which the UK Wildcat mascot also decided to paste on, he endured the worst shooting night of a short college career in which he makes 64 percent. No big deal. He set the tone early on defense, swatting Robinson’s shot twice, grabbing rebounds, making pretty bounce passes for assists.

Early in the second half, he made a steal that also could have been an assist, knocking the ball out of Robinson’s hands and directly to Jones, who dunked for a 46-30 lead.

Then, finally. With 5:13 left in the game, he spotted up for a 15-foot jumper from the baseline that swished. The crowd, a little more full of Kentucky fans than Kansas, went crazy. If this guy only stays one year and only makes one shot, they’re fine with that.

It’s the new normal at Kentucky, where Adolph Rupp set a standard, Rick Pitino lived up to it for a while, then Calipari — hardly the buttoned-down type — was hired to bring back the glory.

He goes for the best player, no matter what their long-term goals.

Normally, the prospect of losing all those players in one swoop would have people thinking about a tough rebuilding year.

But Cal has mastered the art of rebuilding on the fly.

He’s the coach who brings in the John Walls, Brandon Knights and Derrick Roses (at Memphis) for cups of coffee, lets them sharpen up their resumes, then happily says goodbye when it becomes obvious there’s nothing left for them to do in school.

The coach won’t apologize for the way he recruits or how he runs his program. Just playing by the rules as they’re set up, he says, even if he doesn’t totally agree with them. Because he refuses to promise minutes or shots to any recruit and demands teamwork out of all of them, he says he comes by these players honestly.

He has produced nine first-round picks in the last four drafts with a few more coming. This latest group will have an NCAA title in tow and the everlasting love of a fan base that bleeds basketball.

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Haith was named the Associated Press’ Coach of the Year Friday after he led the Missouri Tigers to 30 victories and the Big XII Championship in his first season as coach in Columbia.

Haith’s Tigers were a number two seed in the NCAA Tournament but were ousted in the second round by Norfolk State in the tournament’s biggest upset of the year.

Haith wasn’t named Big XII Coach of the Year mainly because the Tigers are leaving the Big XII Conference in July to join the Southeastern Conference, or SEC.

For Hurricanes fans, it’s bittersweet to see Haith go on to success at Mizzou. Haith has been embroiled in the Nevin Shapiro scandal that hit the Canes program before football season in 2011.

The Hurricanes football program posted a sign on a bulletin board at the school’s Wellness Center looking for students who are at least 6’1” and weigh better than 230 pounds to join the football team as an offensive lineman.

But for those students just barely hitting those numbers, be careful what you sign up for this year because the offensive lineman you will be going up against in practice will be, well, monsters.

The Canes currently have just two offensive lineman who weigh less than 300 pounds and have nine lineman who are at least 6’5” and weigh at least 300 pounds!

Any students who passed the numbers for the school would be allowed to walk-on to the football team, and walk-ons have turned into gold for other schools.

Part of the strategy may be to motivate the team’s current linemen. Spring practice reports have not been kind to the offensive linemen on the roster and the former number one overall recruit in the country, Seantrel Henderson, has had trouble staying on the field as a starter.

Henderson’s case has possibly been the most maddening for Canes fans and coaches. The 6’8” 350 pound lineman could be one of the country’s best if motivated. But he’s entering his junior season and hasn’t shown game changing ability like other star linemen of the past like Bryant McKinnie.

UM hasn’t officially commented on the posting in the Wellness Center which was made public via Facebook Wednesday.

According to the Associated Press, Florida State is negotiating with representatives of Leonard Hamilton to extend his current contract. The move comes as Hamilton’s name has come up in coaching searches for other schools.

Hamilton currently earns $1.5 million per season and received bonuses of roughly $175,000 for winning the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and being named ACC coach of the year.

Hamilton currently has two years remaining on his contract with Florida State and has not given any indication that he’d even consider leaving the Noles.

In 10 seasons at Florida State, Hamilton is 201-127.

Both schools came into the tournament playing very poorly. Marquette lost two of three including its first Big East tournament game. Florida dropped four of five, including brutal losses to Georgia and Vanderbilt to end the season.

Florida hasn’t been tested in the tournament yet with blowout wins over Virginia and Norfolk State. Marquette has played tougher games, but the losses at the end of the season may have been just what the doctor ordered for both squads.

“I saw our team making strides and getting better,” Gators head coach Billy Donovan said. “I think the biggest thing I tried to do was keep their confidence level high, that they were doing the right things and this is the thing we needed to confront and get better to push us over the hump a little bit.”

“Just wake up and go to work,” Marquette coach Buzz Williams said. “We’re not perfect. I’m not perfect. Our players aren’t perfect. And so regardless of the outcome, whether it’s win or lose, we still have the same protocol and the same itinerary the following day, then the next day and the next day. Just continue to work and try to improve.”

Marquette plays a version of small ball having as many as four guards on the floor at one time. Florida plays a more traditional offense, but loves to bomb away from behind the three-point line.

Florida leads the nation in three-pointers with 9.8 per game and both squads average better than 70 points per game. Las Vegas oddsmakers gave the over/under of the game, meaning how many total points will be scored, at 145.5. That’s the highest number for any regional semifinals game.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

The schedule for Thursday and Friday’s regional semifinal games were released Monday and on CBS4 you’ll see both games that are set to be played in Boston for the East regional.

The first game CBS will air on Thursday will feature a matchup of the fourth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers against the top-seeded Syracuse Orangemen. The first game will tip-off at 7:15 p.m.

After the end of the Wisconsin-Syracuse game, the sixth-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats, fresh off a victory over the Florida State Seminoles, will do battle against the second-seeded Ohio State University Buckeyes. Tip-time for the battle of Ohio will be roughly thirty minutes after the end of the first game.

Friday’s games will feature the regional semifinal games for the South. Starting at 7:15 p.m., the third-seeded Baylor Bears will take on the tenth-seeded Xavier Bulldogs in Atlanta.

Then, in a re-match of one of the best college basketball games all year, the number one overall seed Kentucky Wildcats will look to avenge one of their only losses this season by knocking off the fourth-seeded Indiana Hoosiers in Atlanta.

The winner of the Wisconsin-Syracuse and Cincinnati-Ohio State game will face each other this weekend for the right to go to the Final Four in New Orleans. The same fate will await the winner of the Kentucky-Indiana and Baylor-Xavier game.

The Florida Gators will play this weekend, first against the Marquette Golden Eagles. If Florida can knock off Marquette, it will play the winner of the Michigan State-Louisville game for the right to represent the West region in the Final Four.

Norfolk State dominated Missouri for much of the game and was led by 6’10”, 240-pound center Kyle O’Quinn who had a coming out party against the overmatched Tigers. O’Quinn finished the upset of Mizzou with 26 points on 10-16 shooting.

Florida presents a completely new challenge for the Spartans. The Gators have been there and done that in the NCAA Tournament and want to make it back to the Sweet 16 this season.

The Gators started the tournament by annihilating the 10th seeded Virginia Cavaliers, 71-45 on Friday.

Norfolk State faces long odds as no 15th seed has ever made it to the Sweet 16 since the NCAA Tournament was expanded to 64 teams.

O’Quinn said he doesn’t want the Spartans good feeling to end Sunday. Florida center Patric Young said he liked a great underdog story too, but planned on ending Norfolk State’s on Sunday.

The Canes announced Thursday the school will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Bank United Center on Monday, March 19 at 9 p.m. The game will be shown nationally on ESPN.

UM said all tickets for the game will be just $10 and are currently on sale. Fans can buy tickets for the Miami-Minnesota NIT game by calling Ticketmaster or by going to hurricanesports.com.

Miami was the second team left out of the NCAA Tournament last Sunday, according to the NCAA selection committee.

Scott was suspended just before last weekend’s ACC Tournament game against the Florida State Seminoles. UM ended up losing the game to FSU, who wound up winning the ACC Tournament.

The NCAA’s reinstatement provisions stated Scott must pay the value of the received benefits to charity and serve a six-game “withholding penalty.”

So, Scott must sit out the next six games for the Hurricanes, but will get credit for sitting out the Seminoles game. If UM doesn’t play five more games this season, the suspension will carry over into next year.

The NCAA said the benefits were received prior to the arrival of the current coaching staff at UM, which means the benefits may have been received under current University of Missouri head coach Frank Haith.

The Canes are set to take part in the National Invitational Tournament starting Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. against Valparaiso.

Florida State’s program was inviting to Snaer even if it was nearly 2,000 miles from his Moreno Valley, Calif. home.

Snaer’s goals coincided with coach Leonard Hamilton, who has led Florida State out of the ashes and to its first Atlantic Coast Conference title. The third-seeded Seminoles will play St. Bonaventure Friday in Nashville, Tenn.

The ACC tournament’s most valuable player, Snaer averages 14.5 points a game and shoots 42.1 percent from 3-point distance, leading the Seminoles in both categories. And he might be better on defense

That could be why Pizza Hut may be confident about not having to pay out its newest promotion. The pizza chain announced Wednesday that if a number 16 seed can knock off a number 1 seed, it would give away free pizza across the country.

That doesn’t mean you can call up a Pizza Hut and get a free pizza if the ultimate upset happens. Instead, Pizza Hut’s mobile kitchen will travel from state to state offering free slices of pizza at specific locations.

The full details of the tour will be announced if a team is able to pull off an upset.

So if you’re wanting some free pizza, make sure you cheer for these teams to win their respective games: Western Kentucky to beat Kentucky; LIU-Brooklyn to beat Michigan State; UNC-Asheville to beat Syracuse; or the winner of Lamar versus Vermont to beat North Carolina.

The Atlantic Coast Conference champions have been vulnerable when they’ve committed too many turnovers or shot poorly, but they’re virtually unstoppable otherwise. North Carolina came to Tallahassee in mid-January and left after a 33-point drubbing on a night the Seminoles were hitting on all cylinders.

Florida State has scored 80 or more point in three of its last four games. Seven different Seminoles have been the leading scorer in at least one game this season with Michael Snaer the pacesetter in 17 games.

The Seminoles (24-9) open tournament play Friday against St. Bonaventure (20-11) in the first round of the NCAA East Regional at Nashville, Tenn.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

The games are played across a number of networks, with all games being shown, but there is the possibility of a time conflict with the game you want to see. The network showing the game is indicated on the chart.

The chart shows games for the first and second rounds. Later rounds will be determined by the results of these games.

The schedule is subject to change.

The #7 ranked Gators were paired up with #10 Virginia in round one of the West Division, in Phoenix.

The #3 ranked Seminoles will play #14 St Bonaventure in the first round of the East division in Boston.

Overall, Kentucky, Syracuse and North Carolina all earned top seeding for the NCAA tournament despite weekend losses that brought even more intrigue to the three-week, 67-game tournament.

Michigan State earned the other No. 1 seed today and is the only one of the four top-billed teams to win its conference tournament.

Next up, the NCAA tournament that starts with first-round games Tuesday.

That’s the first step en route to the Final Four, which begins March 31 in New Orleans.

Terrence Jones added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats (32-1), who’ve won 24 straight games.

Doron Lamb scored 16 points and Marquis Teague added 15, with each hitting a pair of key free throws in the last 15 seconds to secure the win against a Florida team which shot 48 percent, including 11 of 22 from 3-point range.

Erik Murphy had 24 points, on 9 of 12 shooting, and nearly lifted Florida (23-10) to the upset with nine of his points in the final minutes. Bradley Beal added 20 points.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

But where? And with what teammates?

Playing without top scorer Durand Scott, Miami couldn’t keep up No. 17 Florida State, falling to the Seminoles 82-71 in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.

Miami ruled Scott ineligible on Friday for receiving impermissible benefits.

Miami coach Jim Larranaga said he was told Scott was ineligible Friday afternoon. He told the team at the pregame meal about four hours before the game.

“”We’ve been in that type of situation before,” said Malcolm Grant, who led Miami with 19 points. “We told (Scott) that we had his back, and we would go out and play our hardest for him.”

Shane Larkin had 16 for Miami (19-12).

While the Seminoles are hoping to improve their seed in the NCAA tournament, Miami is unsure where it stands with the selection committee and if Scott would be eligible for the tournament.

Florida State fans had a suggestion for Miami, chanting “NIT, NIT” in the final seconds.

“I think we’ve played well enough that if we do get selected we can make a run in the tournament,” Larranaga said of his team’s NCAA hopes. “But that’s out of our hands.”

Asked if Scott’s uncertain status could affect the decision by the NCAA tournament selection committee, Larranaga said “I have no idea.”

Michael Snaer had 20 points to lead Florida State (22-9), which will play Duke in Saturday’s semifinals.

“I think we know we have a tremendous opportunity to do something great,” Snaer said of his team’s challenge against Duke, the No. 2 seed and the nation’s No. 6 team.

Grant and the Hurricanes will have to wait until Sunday to know if they’ll make the NCAA field.

Larranaga said his team played well to put itself in position, when it trailed Florida State 62-59.

“I thought we made a nice surge to put ourselves in that position,” Larranaga said. “But they scored on the next possession to go up five, and we didn’t. And then they scored again and now we were back in a hole.”

Miami struggled to score in the first game of the tournament and those struggles continued without Scott. Miami is seeking Scott’s reinstatement from the NCAA.

Friday night sophomore Rion Brown started for Scott and turned in solid performance with 13 points.

Even with Scott, who leads Miami in scoring with his average of 12.9 points per game, the Hurricanes didn’t light up the scoreboard in Thursday’s 54-36 win over Georgia Tech. Scott had 11 points in the game.

Miami couldn’t get it going in the first half against the Seminoles’ man-to-man defense. Miami made only 9 of 32 shots (28.1 percent) in the first 20 minutes. Florida State led 37-26 at halftime after making seven 3-pointers in the half.

Ian Miller had 18 points for the Seminoles.

Florida State is returning to the semifinals after finishing third in the regular season for the third straight year. The Seminoles lost in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament each of the last two years after falling in the 2009 championship game in Atlanta.

Bernard James and Luke Loucks each had 14 points for Florida State.

“We’re confident in our abilities,” said Snaer, who made four of five 3-point attempts. “We’re playing like it. We know we need all of our pieces and we need each other to win. I can’t wait to get started.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Tech’s final score of 36 points was one of the worst performances in the history of the ACC Tournament, but to Miami’s coaching staff; the defensive display was a thing of beauty.

Rion Brown sparked Miami from its offensive woes with back-to-back 3-pointers, and the Hurricanes ripped off an 18-0 run to bury the woeful Yellow Jackets 54-36 Thursday night in the final game of the opening round.

Georgia Tech ended a dismal first season under coach Brian Gregory with its lowest-scoring game ever in the tournament. Also, it was easily the worst offensive showing by any team in the tournament during the shot-clock era.

“Oh, you thought it was ugly?” quipped Miami coach Jim Larranaga.

Uhh, yeah.

But it was good enough for the Hurricanes (19-11) to keep alive their NCAA hopes.

“We just talked about relaxing and being ourselves,” Larranaga said. “Our defense in the second half created our offense, and it picked up from there.”

Miami wasn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut, shooting just 33 percent. Shane Larkin was the Hurricanes’ top scorer with a mere 12 points, while Durand Scott added 11 and Brown had 10.

But the Yellow Jackets took offensive ineptitude to a whole new level. This was their lowest-scoring game since a 38-36 loss to Auburn on Feb. 7, 1961. It was the third time this season Georgia Tech was held below 40 points at Philips Arena, its temporary home while the campus arena undergoes renovations. Already, there was a 70-38 loss to Virginia and a 56-37 setback against Clemson.

A house of horrors, it was. The Yellow Jackets can’t wait to get back home.

Mfon Udofia scored 13 points, Brandon Reed chipped in with 11, but only three of their teammates even made the scoresheet, combining for a not-so-grand total of a dozen points. Georgia Tech made 14 of 44 shots (32 percent) and turned it over 20 times.

Gregory, who took over a once-proud program that fell on hard times under previous coach Paul Hewitt, knew his first team was likely to struggle. He commended a group of players who were clearly short on talent for at least giving all they had.

“We had some flaws, no doubt about it, that we need to work on,” Gregory said. “But the effort was not flawed, even when we didn’t play well over the last month of the season.”

Both teams struggled through the opening half, combining to make 14 of 51 shots and turning it over 15 times. That played into the hands of Georgia Tech, which came in with the ACC’s second-worst offense at just 61 points a game. The Yellow Jackets actually went to the locker room with a 20-19 lead, glad to hunker down and make every possession a challenge.

But the Hurricanes finally woke up, going ahead for good when Larkin led a fast break and passed off to Brown, who spotted up for a 3 that made it 29-27. Then Larkin came up with a steal, raced down the court and spotted Brown, lurking again behind the arc. Another trey. Another swish. The Hurricanes never let up from there, making 11 of their last 20 shots.

“We were very good defensively throughout the game,” Larranaga said. “In the second half, we were able to get some open-court baskets. Shane Larkin was just terrific in getting a couple of steals and a couple of layups and giving us some momentum.”

Miami advanced to face its state rival, No. 17 Florida State, in Friday’s quarterfinals. The sixth-seeded Hurricanes are hoping to push their way into NCAA consideration with an impressive showing in Atlanta.

This didn’t qualify as impressive, but at least it was a win.

Now, bring on the Seminoles, who split with Miami during the regular season, each team winning at home.

Larranaga expects a better showing by his team at the offensive end.

“It’s kind of funny because in practice we were very, very loose and very sharp and shooting the ball extremely well,” he said. “It’s the excitement. It’s not so much the pressure. You start thinking too much and when you start thinking too much, your feet slow down. In the second half, we were much better.

Haith received the award Monday from the Associated Press and is a leading candidate for national coach of the year for the job he’s done at Mizzou in 2011-2012.

The former Cane took over Mizzou’s team full of seniors that lacked direction in the final year under Mike Anderson and turned them into one of the top teams in the country and a likely number two overall seed in the NCAA Tournament starting next week.

Haith’s Tigers have run roughshod over every team not in Kansas this season to a 27-4 overall record. Three of those four losses have been to either the Kansas Jayhawks or the Kansas State Wildcats.

It’s quite the turnaround for Haith’s career after he was happily let go by the Hurricanes. Haith took Miami to its last NCAA tournament berth in 2007-2008 when the Canes got to the second round of the big dance.

Most other years, Haith’s Hurricanes teams were NIT bound and struggled mightily in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Haith never was above .500 in conference play at Miami, but in his first season at Mizzou has put up a conference record of 14-4.

Haith’s Tigers won their 27th game of the season over the weekend when they knocked off the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 81-59 in Lubbock. Mizzou made a season-best 16 3-pointers in the victory over Tech.

The 27 victories are the regular season victories in one season in the storied history of Tigers basketball.

But, next year will get considerably tougher for Haith as he loses five of the seven players who carried the Tigers to new heights in 2011-2012. Plus, Haith’s Tigers will be moving to the SEC and will have to compete with the likes of Kentucky, Florida, and Vanderbilt starting next season.

Still, for this year, Haith has left the memories of Miami behind and become the AP Coach of the Year in the Big XII as his Tigers prepare for postseason play starting this week.

The Hurricanes broke open a close game with a 16-1 run during a 6:13 stretch midway through the first half. Malcolm Grant keyed Miami’s surge with consecutive 3-pointers. Scott’s 3-pointer with 4:55 remaining capped the run and gave Miami a 36-19 lead.

Grant finished with 12 points for the Hurricanes (18-11, 9-7 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Dennis Clifford’s basket with 3:20 remaining in the first half ended a field-goal scoring drought of 8:08 for Boston College.

Matt Humphrey scored 16 points for Boston College (9-21, 4-12). After winning two of their first three conference games, the Eagles lost 11 of their final 13.

Miami, which began Saturday tied for fourth place in the ACC, needs to await the results of Sunday’s games to determine if it will receive a first-round bye in the conference tournament which starts next Thursday. The Hurricanes began Saturday tied with Virginia, North Carolina State and Clemson.

The Cavaliers close their conference regular-season schedule at Maryland on Sunday. The Wolfpack visit Virginia Tech and the Tigers play at FloridaState also on Sunday.

Scott’s 26-foot running 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Hurricanes a 46-25 lead at halftime.

Boston College overcame an early 14-7 deficit with consecutive 3-pointers from Jordan Daniels. Clifford’s short jumper with 11:28 left got Boston College to 20-18 before Miami went on its first half surge

(© 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Miami gave up a halftime lead and ended up losing to the North Carolina State Wolfpack, 77-73. The loss sent Miami’s record to 17-11 on the season, and just 8-7 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Miami just couldn’t defend NC State’s offense in the second half of the game.

“For us to win the game, we had to defend better and get into the open court and get some good baskets from our perimeter players,” Hurricanes head coach Jim Larranaga said.

Miami lost the season series to the Wolfpack as well with the loss in Raleigh. NC State has never lost to Miami at home or at the school’s second home, the RBC Center.

But while the NC State loss stings, the likely loss of a chance to head to the big dance will be the toughest pill for the Canes’ players to swallow.

At 17-11, Miami’s record is not likely going to be good enough for the selection committee to pick the Canes as an at-large team.

Miami’s best chance to get into the tournament will be either a long-run in the ACC Tournament or winning the ACC Tournament. By winning the tournament, Miami would get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

If the Canes can pull a few upsets of good teams and make it deep into the ACC Tournament, it might be enough for the committee to overlook the loss at NC State and a few others and invite the Canes into the tournament.

Outside of those two options though, Miami’s season will likely continue in the National Invitational Tournament, or NIT. Miami played in the NIT last year, but couldn’t make it deep into the tournament.

Making things more difficult for Canes fans will be seeing former head coach Frank Haith take Missouri to the tournament as a likely two-seed.

It does beg the question, if UM had been committed to basketball like Missouri is, could Haith have succeeded at Miami?

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)