A little Q&A for Calipari

SAN ANTONIO -- Forget that John Calipari's Memphis Tigers have won 25 straight games, and have a sparkling 31-3 record. They are still playing the respect card. And they are still playing hard-nosed defense, including their coach.

Yesterday, Calipari dodged questions about his interest in the coaching vacancy at Kentucky, which opened up when Tubby Smith left the Wildcats for the University of Minnesota Thursday. But Calipari was happy to answer how he gets recruits to come to a school in a lower-profile league such as Conference USA.

"When I go recruiting a player, they only ask me about one league," said Calipari. "And that's the NBA."

And then there was the issue of how Memphis will deal with Ohio State's 7-foot freshman Greg Oden. That job will fall mainly to junior forward Joey Dorsey. "I'm an underrated big man," said Dorsey. "And he's a lot overrated as a big man."

Someone asked Dorsey if it was a David vs. Goliath situation. Dorsey agreed, but said, "It's going to be David vs. Goliath -- and he's the little man."

Maybe Dorsey figures he can rewrite biblical history.

Kentucky's opening has prompted conjecture that Calipari, Florida coach Billy Donovan, and Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie are on the A-list of Wildcats candidates. UNLV coach Lon Kruger has been linked to the vacancy at Michigan. Locally, Harvard continues its coaching search, but the process might take a while. Mike Jarvis, formerly of Boston University, George Washington, and St. John's, could emerge as a contender . . . BC coach Al Skinner is working on getting a contract extension. Skinner's agent, Ennis Coleman, talked to BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo yesterday . . . Other head coaching news from around the country: Steve Alford (New Mexico) and Smith (Minnesota) were introduced at their new jobs, and Wyoming hired Fresno State assistant Heath Schroyer, who was formerly a head coach at Portland State.

Thanks to an unusual provision in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, Kentucky center Randolph Morris, the Wildcats' leading scorer this season, signed a two-year, free agent contract with the New York Knicks. Morris, a 6-foot-11-inch, 260-pounder, declared himself eligible for the 2005 NBA draft following his freshman year but was not selected. He decided to return to school and played two more seasons, sitting out an NCAA-mandated 14 games his sophomore year. Due to a condition in the CBA, Morris was not eligible to re-enter another draft. He had free agent status throughout his junior season but decided to play out the year with the Wildcats, who were ousted by Kansas.

Back in October, advancing to the Sweet 16 seemed farfetched for Tennessee after the dismissal of center Major Wingate, loss of senior point guard C.J. Watson, and the addition of five freshmen that became four after one transferred. But even after the Vols' 68-66 loss to Ohio State in the regional semifinals Thursday night -- a game in which Tennessee led by as many as 20 points -- coach Bruce Pearl had a message for heartbroken fans. "Don't feel sorry for us or badly because there are a lot more important things in life than a basketball game," he said. "But we're not happy. I'm not going to be happy for a while, and that's OK because that is what is going to get us back next year and get us to go farther." . . . A victory today would prompt Ohio State's 10th appearance in the Final Four, an accomplishment matched by only North Carolina, UCLA, Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas . . . A North Carolina cheerleader was in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle while walking outside a hotel in Fort Lee, N.J., hours before the Tar Heels' game at the Meadowlands, the university said. Jason Ray, a senior from Concord, N.C., who has worn the Rameses mascot uniform for the past three years, was being treated at Hackensack University Medical Center, the school said without disclosing the nature of his injuries . . . Wake Forest reserves Casey Crawford and Shamaine Dukes are transferring, coach Skip Prosser said . . . Former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson is taking over the Mexican national team, which will participate in an Olympic qualifier in Las Vegas in August.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.