COLLEGE BASKETBALL / DAILY REPORT : NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT : Officials to Investigate Knight Outburst

Bob Knight’s famous temper got the best of him again, and the NCAA wants a closer look.

The Indiana coach, miffed that an NCAA media liaison said he would not attend a post-game news conference, lashed out at him after the Hoosiers’ 65-60 first-round loss at Boise, Idaho.

An NCAA official said Sunday the Division I men’s basketball committee will review the expletive-laced outburst. Bernard Muir, assistant director of the NCAA’s basketball championship, said the committee will study videotapes of the incident and talk to the parties involved. He would not speculate on any action that might be taken against Knight.

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Missouri coach Norm Stewart was still upset Monday over perceived second-class treatment, a day after the Tigers’ last-second 75-74 loss to top-ranked UCLA in the NCAA tournament.

“Usually, I can put them in back of me,” Stewart said. “But this is hard. We got thrown into a ridiculous situation and almost survived it.”

Stewart criticized the tournament selection committee for seeding Missouri eighth and sending it to the West Region for the third consecutive season. He also criticized TV commentator Dick Vitale and others in the media for not giving his team any respect in either tournament game, including a first-round victory over Indiana, because he has never made it to the Final Four.

Stewart also said his players should have been more aggressive defending UCLA guard Tyus Edney on his game-winning drive.

“We should have had him boxed in, then we were a little gun-shy,” Stewart said. “In the NCAA, you go after him. They’re not going to call it, and even if they do, you go after him.”

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Memphis Coach Larry Finch, whose team lost to Arkansas, 88-87, on Feb. 9 said he hopes the Tigers (24-9) can redeem themselves when they face the Razorbacks (29-6) in an NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal at Kansas City on Friday.

Memphis lost to the defending national champions when guard Mingo Johnson launched a three-point shot with 3.6 seconds to play that bounced off the rim.

“We had a chance to win it,” Finch said. “We had the ball and the last shot, just like Syracuse did (Sunday), and we didn’t win it. Maybe we can redeem ourselves. Anything can happen in this tournament.”

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Florida International University, which went to the NCAA tournament for the first time this year, has chosen a local high school coach and alum to take over its basketball team.

Marcos (Shakey) Rodriguez, coach of Miami High’s prestigious program, was hired to coach the Golden Panthers. Rodriguez, 42, won five state championships at Miami High and compiled a 428-62 record.