COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT : NOTES

When Bob Huggins was hired in 1989 to rebuild Cincinnati’s basketball team, which hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1977, he decided that the quickest way to success was to recruit junior college players.

Eight of the 14 players on the team were junior college players, and two transferred from other Division 1 teams.

“I just want to get good people. I don’t care if they’re high school, junior college or transfers,” Huggins said. “I just want good people.”

Center Corie Blount, who led Rancho Santiago College to the California State championship last season, was the 1991 national junior college player of the year, and guard Herb Jones, who spent his first two seasons at Butler (Kan.) Community College, was 1990 national junior college player of the year.

Forward Terry Nelson played at Long Beach City College last season, and point guard Nick Van Exel was at Trinity (Tex.) Junior College.

Guard Anthony Buford transferred from Akron, where he was the leading scorer, after Huggins left Akron for Cincinnati.

The Great Midwest Conference is the first conference to send a team to the Final Four in its first year since the Sun Belt did it in 1977 with North Carolina-Charlotte.