College Confidential

Aggies rolling against OSU

Texas A&M has capitalized on its considerable size advantage against Oklahoma State, rolling to a 38-24 halftime lead behind strong inside play from Bryan Davis, Chinemelu Elonu and freshman David Loubeau, who have combined for 26 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. Davis and Loubeau have 10 points each, while Elonu has six points and a team-high five rebounds. OSU is struggling on the offensive, shooting 30 percent from the field (9-for-30) and 18.2 percent (2-for-11) from 3-point range.

-- Lori Dann

Kay Yow says goodbye

It was an impressive list of sports-world figures who came to pay their respects to Kay Yow, the North Carolina State women's basketball coach who died of cancer last week.

Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma stopped by at the viewing before the funeral, while Tennessee coch Pat Summitt, Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer and Texas coach Gail Goestenkors - who coached at Duke for 15 seasons - attended the memorial service. Coaches from several Atlantic Coast Conference schools also attended, including North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell and Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie, who was joined by her Blue Devils players.

Othe mourners included former N.C. State football coach Chuck Amato and current coach Tom O'Brien, and N.C. State alumnus and former NFL coach Bill Cowher. N.C. State men's basketball coach Sidney Lowe also attended with his players, who made the slow walk by Yow's open casket during the viewing.

But none were asked to speak at her service Friday. Yow left behind a message for them in a video played at the service at a suburban Raleigh, N.C., church.

-- The Associated Press

Knight will be in OKC for Summitt meeting

Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight will call his first women's basketball game Monday night (6:30 p.m., ESPN2) when Tennessee coach Pat Summitt goes for her 1,000th victory against No. 2 Oklahoma.

The game in Oklahoma City will be Summitt's first attempt at the landmark win. She earned her 999th victory Thursday night when the Lady Vols rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to edge Mississippi 60-59.

"Anyone who wins 1,000 times at anything is special," said Knight, the winningest Division I men's coach with 902 victories.

Knight will be joined by Brent Musburger and Nancy Lieberman on ESPN's broadcast. He has been working at the network since last March and doing studio work and commentary on Thursday night men's games.

Sammy the Owl ejected

You have to be pretty smart to get into Rice University, but pretty dumb to head-butt a referee and get kicked out of the Rice-Tulane men's basketball game.

The video shows the replay of the head-butt about three-fourths of the way through.

OU commitment improves WR picture

Oklahoma's offensive outlook for next season continued to improve Monday with an oral committment from junior college receiver Cameron Kenney.
Kenney caught 86 passes for 1,203 yards and 8 touchdowns in two seasons at Garden City (Kan.) Community College--where tackle Phil Loadholt and linebacker J.R. Bryant also played. He's a former soccer player reportedly with 4.48 speed--which is ok but not great. But at  6-2 and 195 pounds, he apparently has strength and size and is pegged as an explosive jumper.

Kenny, as all JC transfers are expected to do, should compete for a starting wideout position in the mix with senior Adron Tennell, junior Brandon Caleb, and sophomores Dejuan Miller and Jameel Owens--from whom big things are expected. Caleb can also play in the slot, where Ryan Broyles returns and where backup running back Mossis Madu likely will appear in an effort to get him on the field.

Kenney played just one year of high school football, so logically still has an upside that should come out under receivers coach Jay Norvell. He withdrew a comittment to Auburn after the coaching change and committed after visiting OU and Georgia in January.--Mike Jones.

A Baylor Bear No. 2 in the draft?

Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith has risen to No. 2 in the mock NFL draft from ESPN's Todd McShay, and Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree has fallen to No. 7, for whatever reason.

McShay puts Tech quarterback Graham Harrell in the category of "stock falling" after the Senior Bowl. McShay noted that Harrell was expected to have trouble operating from under center after being a shotgun quarterback at Tech and that was part of his problem during Senior Bowl week.

It could put him at the back at the draft but his QB smarts and ability to adjust wouldn't preclude an NFL career.

Rhett Bomar, the former Grand Prairie High and Oklahoma QB who finished his career at Sam Houston State, came in at No. 5 on McShay's QB order in the draft, projecting to go around the fourth round.

OU outlasts OSU in icy bedlam

Blake Griffin had another monster game -- 26 points and 19 rebounds -- but the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners needed a 22-point outburst from guard Austin Johnson, most coming on 5-for-8 shooting on 3-pointers, to subdue Oklahoma State 89-81 in Stillwater on Big Monday.

It was the 10th time this season Griffin has had a 20-point, 15-rebound game, which is the most in a season by any player in Division I going back to the 1996-97 season, according to ESPN research.

OSU cut a 14-point Oklahoma lead to a point with 7:20 left and trailed only 71-68 with 5:31 to go. But OU outscored the Cowboys 8-2 over the next three minutes, the final three points coming on a 25-footer from Johnson with 2:33 to play.

An ice storm that paralyzed much of Oklahoma on Monday prompted OSU officials to allow free admission to the game.

MWC will ask for BCS inclusion

Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson tells USA Today he will try to press the case with BCS coordinator John Swofford, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, to give the nine-member MWC an automatic bid to the Bowl Championship Series.

Thompson has a strong hand to play, after Utah's victory over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and with TCU finishing 11th iand BYU 16th in the final BCS regular-season standings.

But Thompson has no illusions about the appeal.

"I would not be optimistic," he told USA Today. "As I explained to them (the Mountain West presidents), it's a series of legal contracts among 11 conferences, four bowls, two TV partners with yet another TV partner coming in. I would not see much of a relaxation."

This past season, Utah, TCU and Boise State battled for the lone BCS spot available to the conference champion from one of the five non-BCS leagues. Utah earned the honor.

Thompson said that adding Boise State to make the MWC a 10-team league probably wouldn't enhance the chances at an automatic berth.

Read the entire story here.

Sooners receiver shines in Senior Bowl

The North's Juaquin Iglesias of Oklahoma was the leading receiver with six catches for 90 yards, but the South, led by West Virginia quarterback Pat White, won the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., 35-18. Read the game story here.

It was not a good night for Graham Harrell of Texas Tech. Harrell was 4-of-13 passing for 40 yards with an interception on which he underthrew a receiver. 

Former Oklahoma and Grand Prairie player Rhett Bomar was 6-of-11 passing for 75 yards and no interceptions.

Receiver Quan Cosby of Texas caught one pass for 15 yards.

Longhorns prevail over Aggies

Damion James scored 28 points, including 13 in a game-deciding run in the second half, and Gary Johnson had 15 as the Texas Longhorns defeated the Texas A&M Aggies 67-58 in Austin, dropping the Aggies to 1-4 in the Big 12.

Texas' defense limited A&M to 44 shots from the field, and the Aggies hurt themselves by hitting only 12 of 24 free throw attempts. Texas shot only 42 percent from the field, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range and hit 14 of 21 from the foul line.

Texas is 14-4 overall and 3-1 in conference.

Donald Sloan led the Aggies with 17 points.