Well, somebody went ahead and did it. Frank Burlison of FOXSports.com selected University of Cincinnati senior Steve Logan as the national college basketball player of the year.

        “Truth be known, there might not be a future NBA first-round selection on (Bob) Huggins' roster — Logan included,” wrote Burlison, who was at Shoemaker Center last Sunday for the Bearcats' overtime victory over Memphis.

        “But no one has done more — on both ends of the floor and in terms of leadership — to help make his team a solid contender to get to the Final Four this season and to rescue a squad from almost sure defeat.”

        Duke's Jason Williams and Drew Gooden of Kansas are the most often-mentioned player of the year candidates.

        HUGGINS HONORED: Click on the mouse, and up comes another major honor for the Bearcats.

        This time it's Bob Huggins, chosen as the national coach of the year by ESPN.com. Huggins led UC to a seventh consecutive Conference USA regular-season title and from no ranking to as high as No.4.

        Andy Katz wrote that maybe it was a mistake that Cincinnati was not rated in the preseason, “but the reality is Huggins coached a team led by Logan, but with plenty of parts that he had to make work together.”

        ESPN.com also named Logan first-team All-America.

        MOVING UP: UC center Donald Little moved into second place on the school's all-time shot blocking list Thursday night. He has 148, the fifth-highest total in Conference USA history. Cincinnati's leader, of course, is Kenyon Martin (292).

        HOUSTON BID? Houston's 85-73 loss to Marquette in the C-USA Tournament semifinals Friday night ended a strong late-season run for the Cougars, who have won six of their last nine games.

        The question now is whether they can get a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, which would be the school's first postseason appearance in nine years.

        Houston had an 82 ranking in Friday's Ratings Percentage Index, seventh-best among Conference USA teams. UC (3) and Marquette (22) are NCAA Tournament locks. Charlotte (34) has a good chance (ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi has the 49ers in as a No.13 seed).

        That leaves Louisville (59), Memphis (69), South Florida (71) and Houston (82).

        Conference USA got four NIT bids in 2000 and 1998.

        “Now we just hope our season can continue,” Houston coach Ray McCallum said. “We really deserve an NIT bid. We're still a hungry basketball team.”

        REMEMBERING AL: A group of Marquette alums are selling blue or gold T-shirts that read: “Warriors at Heart” in honor of late coach Al McGuire and the 25th anniversary of the school's NCAA championship. The shirts are available over the Internet at www.warriorsatheart.com. Some of the proceeds will go to the Al McGuire Fund, to build an athletic facility on the Marquette campus in McGuire's name.
       ×mr,.5

UC wins C-USA tourney UC meets Marquette in final Stokes helps UC bury Charlotte SULLIVAN: Want Huggins to stay? Tell him today Logan, Huggins win national praise Marquette 85, Houston 73

Xavier, Richmond in A-10 final
Xavier shakes off Dayton
Richmond 68, La Salle 60
Kentucky ousted by South Carolina 70-57
Bowling Green, Kent in MAC final
Ohio State reaches Big ten semis
Men's Conference Tournament Glances
Cottrell leads NKU women to semis
Tennis Masters Series flips finals
Mighty Ducks 1, Norfolk 1
Coming up this week
Reds' Sullivan wants early durability
Shoulder trouble benches Davis
Reds 9, Red Sox 7
Reitsma shows Red Sox
Two umps sanctioned in 1989 for gambling ties
Mixon visits Bengals; Wynn on deck
Alter 50, McNicholas 49
Col. Mifflin 57, Greenfield McClain 45
Russia 76, Harmony 49
Southeastern 70, New Miami 63
Ohio basketball scores
Today's Ohio basketball schedule
CovCath 58, Highlands 51
Ryle 53, Dixie Heights 50
Kentucky basketball scores
Today's Kentucky basketball schedule