The Associated Press

Luis Flores has brought his game from the Big Apple to Tobacco Road.

The Manhattan senior, averaging 24 points a game, will lead the 12th-seeded Jaspers against fifth-seeded Florida today in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Raleigh, N.C.

"He's got the 3-point shot, the mid-range shot, he can take the ball to the hoop and he's a 90-percent free-throw shooter," Jaspers coach Bobby Gonzalez said. "When he got the shooting touch to go with his natural ability to score, I said, 'People are going to have issues with this kid.' "

A native of the Dominican Republic who moved to New York City when he was 8 years old, Flores averaged 35 points as a high school senior. He went to Rutgers but transferred to Manhattan after a season.

The Jaspers (24-5) are two-time champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and they're making their second straight trip to the Tournament. It's a team filled with city kids instead of high-profile recruits.

"Being from the big city gives you some edge," Flores said. "You understand that once you go back home, you're going to hear about it from everyone else."

SETON HALL: Forward Marcus Toney-El's status is day-to-day because of a strained left quadriceps muscle.

Toney-El, a 6-foot-6 senior who averages 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds, was injured during practice Monday. The Pirates, the No. 8 seed in the Atlanta Regional, face No. 9 seed Arizona today. School officials said his status for the game was unclear, and that he would be re-evaluated today.

Toney-El said he expected to play.

"I'll be all right," he said Wednesday night.

STANFORD: Forward Justin Davis, who is recovering from a partially torn left knee ligament, was expected to play today against Texas-San Antonio.

Davis, averaging 6.5 rebounds a game, was hurt Jan. 29 against Oregon State. After returning for the Pacific 10 Tournament, he was sore Monday and Tuesday but won't be confined to the bench.

"We are going to push him as hard as we can to try to keep him progressing so that he can try to get back to close to where he was," coach Mike Montgomery said.

MONMOUTH: For the cost of a postage stamp, the team got a commitment three years ago from Blake Hamilton, one of the major reasons Monmouth is heading to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in its history.

The Hawks (21-11) will meet second-seeded Mississippi State (25-3) Friday at Orlando, Fla.

"He cost us 37 cents," coach Dave Calloway said.

"We sent him a letter. He actually came to us first. He had committed to La Salle, but then Speedy Morris got fired."

Hamilton averaged 16.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, both team highs.

GEORGETOWN: University president John J. DeGioia said he fired Craig Esherick late Tuesday because the coach didn't meet on-court "standards of excellence."

"We want the very best educational experience for the students. We want to ensure that we conduct ourselves with the highest standards of integrity. And we want to win the national championship," DeGioia said.

DeGioia said Esherick, whose team finished 13-15 this season, did an "exceptional job" on the first two counts, but "the performance of the program on the court was not consistent with the standards of excellence that we expect."

Esherick was surprised by his dismissal.

"Jack is the one that's in charge of the university, and he's the one that has to make those decisions," he said. "And I have to live with it."