Bob Huggins has entered the arena

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Reporting from Minneapolis -- Funny, but last time I saw Bob Huggins at the NCAA tournament, he was getting thrown out of an arena, along with the team’s radio color analyst.

Honest to WKRP.

Huggins is head coach at West Virginia now, leading the Mountaineers into a first-round game against Dayton on Friday in the Minneapolis Regional.

In 2003, though, Huggins was still coaching at Cincinnati, which had a first-round matchup against Gonzaga in Salt Lake City.

In the second half at the Huntsman Center, Huggins disputed a call by referee Mike Kitts. When Huggins wouldn’t back down, he received two technical fouls and was ejected.

I was sitting next to the Cincinnati radio broadcast crew on press row. Chuck Machock, doing color commentary on the game for WLW-AM (700), took exception to Huggins’ ejection and started berating Kitts.

Play-by-play announcer Dan Hoard said, on the air, ‘Coach Huggins has just been ejected and he’s about to be joined by my partner!’

And he was.

When Kitts got within earshot, Machock screamed, ‘That’s a terrible call, you SOB. Terrible!’

Soon, a university of Utah official arrived to announce to Machock: ‘The NCAA wants you gone.’

And he was.

I was a reluctant witness, as reporters from Cincinnati approached to ask me what Machock had said to get tossed. I had scribbled down his outburst.

Haven’t checked my seating assignment for Friday, but I’m secretly hoping I get placed next to West Virginia’s radio team.

-- Chris Dufresne