No More Sitting Around: It’s Time for Second Half

Thanks to Rutgers President Francis L. Lawrence and about 150 of his closest protesters, Massachusetts and Rutgers will meet Friday afternoon at the Spectrum in Philadelphia for what amounts to a 20-minute game.

The whole thing would be funny if the outcome weren’t semi-important.

Possibly at stake is UMass’ NCAA tournament seeding. The Minutemen are a likely No. 2 in the East Regional, but could drop and/or change locales, depending on what happens Friday against Rutgers and then during the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament, which begins the next day at the Palestra.

UMass clinched the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship--and the precious No. 1 conference tournament seeding that comes with it--when Rutgers upset George Washington on Tuesday night. According to the league’s quirky rules, the highest remaining seed reaching the championship game plays it at home. In UMass Coach John Calipari’s six previous seasons, the home team has won each time.

But first comes the historic makeup half. The whole thing was made possible by Lawrence, who uttered some racially insensitive remarks about four months ago, and by those 150 or so protesters, who chose the Feb. 7 UMass at Rutgers game to do their imitation of Henry Thoreau and engage in some midcourt civil disobedience.

School and conference officials discussed the possibility of a Rutgers forfeit, but Calipari and Scarlet Knight Coach Bob Wenzel lobbied against it. In fact, Calipari visited the Rutgers locker room after the suspended game and told the team he wouldn’t accept a forfeit victory.

“For them and their coach, it was a good move to play the (makeup) game,” Calipari said. “Now let’s get it on and see what happens.

Yes, let us boogie.

UMASS-RUTGERS PART II

Because it is the conference that cares, the Atlantic 10 tentatively has arranged for the first half of the original Feb. 7 game to be shown on the Spectrum scoreboard video screen before Friday’s tipoff. For $6, the price of admission to the makeup game, fans can see Rutgers take a 31-29 halftime lead.

What they won’t see is star UMass center Marcus Camby, who was hurt for the February matchup. He’s back. Not so lucky is senior Minuteman guard Mike Williams, who was dismissed from the team late last week.

At the first dead ball, Calipari plans to insert Camby into the game. It will cost the Minutemen nothing more than a two-shot technical foul, the result of Camby’s not being listed in the original scorebook. Some deal, especially since UMass beat the Scarlet Knights by 17 points the first time they played this season.

Meanwhile, Wenzel is caught between a rock and a possible second-half rout.

“I’m all for guys playing,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about. You play college basketball. Obviously (Camby is) a great factor in any game that he plays in and it makes our chances less, there’s no question about that. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that.

“But on the other hand, if he can play, I have no problem with that. He’s an outstanding player. You want to play against their best.”

Camby is averaging 14.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and shooting 58.3% from the field.

The loss of Williams, the Minutemen’s best perimeter shooter, is something of an equalizer. Last Thursday, the day Williams officially was cut loose for assorted violations of team rules, UMass lost to Temple, getting a gruesome three-of-24 effort from its guards.

Anyway, as game time approaches, you would think Calipari is coaching Rutgers, not UMass. Or maybe he’s getting a commission on each $6 ticket.

“In 20 minutes, any team in America can beat anybody, and I’m talking from the 300th team to the first team,” he said.

Tell it to Wenzel, who needs some positive reinforcement.

“We’ve played them a lot of close halves, and we’ve never been able to put 40 minutes together against them, mostly due to their own good performances,” he said. “So maybe it’s a blessing for us only to be playing 20 minutes right now.”

By half’s end, we figure it will be more like a curse.

BAD BLOOD

If the NCAA basketball committee has any flair for the dramatic, it will find a way for Connecticut and UMass to be in the same regional. The two programs can’t stand each other, thanks to UConn’s longstanding superiority complex when it comes to hoops.

The Huskies won’t play the Minutemen, which infuriates UMass fans. To add to the fun, UConn Coach Jim Calhoun and Calipari have taken some underground snipes at each other.

The latest incident:

During his weekly coach’s show, Calipari watched as his sidekick host held up a T-shirt that read on the front, “UMass Refused To Lose.” On the back there was an outline of the state of Connecticut, along with these words: “UScared. What’s Your Excuse For Not Playing This Year?”

Word of the show and the T-shirt stunt got back to Calhoun, who was asked to comment. Trust us, he didn’t put in an order for a dozen XLs.

Meanwhile, UMass officials are saying Calipari was upset by the host’s actions. And no, said Calipari, he won’t allow the popular T-shirts to be sold in his local clothing store.

SEEDING UPDATE

This week’s best guesses for the top five seeds in each regional:

WEST--1) UCLA, 2) North Carolina, 3) Oklahoma State, 4) Virginia, 5) Tulsa.

EAST--1) Maryland, 2) Connecticut, 3) Michigan State, 4) Oklahoma, 5) Memphis.

SOUTHEAST--1) Kentucky, 2) Arkansas, 3) Villanova, 4) Mississippi State, 5) Arizona State.

MIDWEST--1) Kansas, 2) Massachusetts, 3) Wake Forest, 4) Arizona, 5) Purdue.

THE REST

As a special salute to Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who Monday makes his first public appearance since stress and back pain forced him out nearly two months ago, the school’s sports information office has arranged for Polish sausage to be served at the pre-news conference buffet. . . . Don’t be surprised if Nevada Las Vegas Coach Tim Grgurich, who also has been sidelined much of the season because of stress-related illness, returns to the NBA as an assistant next year. Two possibilities: the Seattle SuperSonics, his old team, or the Portland Trail Blazers. . . . Do not adjust your set. That really is first-year Oklahoma Coach Kelvin Sampson wearing the same blue denim shirt, print tie and khaki pants again. Since adopting the fashion uniform, the Sooners have beaten then-No. 9 Missouri, then-No. 1 Kansas and then-No. 18 Oklahoma State. Said Sampson of the Sooners’ unexpected 22-6 record: “Three months ago, I thought if we could go .500 it would be an unbelievable accomplishment for these kids.” . . . Now that it looks as if Georgia has squeezed into the NCAA tournament, Bulldog Coach Hugh Durham is pushing for a sixth Southeastern Conference team to make it, specifically Florida. The Gators, who reached the Final Four last season, need a huge run through the SEC tournament--or else it’s hello, NIT. “Florida’s sitting there 14-10 (now 14-11), but yet I turn on the TV and hear that California is on the bubble and they’re 13-10. Why would California be on the bubble at 13-10 and (not) Florida?” Earth to Hugh: Because the Pac-10 doesn’t have a postseason tournament and because Cal beat then-No. 13 Cincinnati, then-No. 4 UCLA and then-No. 9 Arizona on the road, beat then-No. 11 Minnesota at home and lost in overtime to Alabama, now ranked No. 21. As for Florida, we like Coach Lon Kruger’s recent succinct analysis: “We need to play better. If we don’t, then we’ll be watching other people play.” . . . He’s alive! Yes, that really was Georgetown center Othella Harrington who scored 27 points and had eight rebounds in Sunday’s semi-upset of Syracuse. After spending much of the season in hibernation or in Coach John Thompson’s doghouse, Harrington has asserted himself in the last three or so games. Without him, the Hoyas are a second-round NCAA loss waiting to happen. . . . Gone, but not forgotten: Calipari said the Toronto Raptors, one of two NBA expansion teams, are scheduled to come to UMass to watch Williams work out before or after an upcoming Minuteman practice. Calipari helped arrange the viewing. He also got Williams a spot in the Portsmouth, Va., Invitational, sort of the NBA’s version of the NFL scouting combine. “I obviously want the best for the kid, and I’m going to do whatever I can to help him,” Calipari said. . . . Not since the 1964 NIT, when Rick Barry had his own hair, have the Hurricanes been invited to a postseason tournament. Now with a 14-10 record, Miami is close to another NIT bid and--who knows?--maybe an NCAA invitation. In the process, Leonard Hamilton has been taken off the endangered coaches list. The Hurricanes, 0-18 in Big East Conference play a season ago, are now 9-8, the biggest plus-minus swing in league history. Hamilton will get some Big East coach of the year votes, and deservedly so. . . . Project Intercept, an NCAA program that monitors the recruitment of the nation’s top 25 basketball players, is looking into the circumstances involving Cal’s signing of Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Abdur-Rahim, one of the nation’s most sought-after high school seniors, is a 6-9 forward-center from Marietta, Ga. Cal officials, who are pushing for a decision within a week, said that they expect the NCAA to find no wrongdoing. . . . UCLA students have long memories. Before Sunday’s game against Duke, a Bruin fan singled out Cherokee Parks for abuse as the Blue Devil senior center shot free throws. Parks, from Huntington Beach, chose Duke over UCLA and has a national championship ring and two Final Four appearances to show for it. “Hey, Cherokee,” the student yelled, “four years ago you decided to go Duke instead of here.” Dramatic pause. “ Thannnnk yoooouuuu .” Parks, who had pretended to ignore the whole thing, broke out into a smile after the rip.

Top 10

As selected by staff writer Gene Wojciechowski

No. Team Rec. 1. UCLA 22-2 2. Kentucky 21-4 3. Kansas 21-4 4. Maryland 23-5 5. Arkansas 24-5 6. North Carolina 21-4 7. Connecticut 22-3 8. Wake Forest 20-5 9. Massachusetts 22-4 10. Michigan State 20-4

Waiting List: Arizona (21-6); Mississippi State (19-5); Villanova (22-6); Oklahoma (22-6); Virginia (20-7).