If Roof Was Fine, Why the Drizzle?

Heavy rain caused a few problems at the Meadowlands Arena on Monday night. Water dripped from the arena’s roof before the start of the second half, but it wasn’t because of a leak.

Instead, it was heavy condensation inside caused by the rain outside, arena officials said.

There was no delay to the game because crews were able to capture the condensation before much dripped to the arena floor.

“There were two minor drips caused by the condensation forming in the air diffusers in the [ceiling],” said Bob Castronovo, general manager of the arena. “The high humidity in the arena is due to the weather, and we [captured] the condensation as it fell.

“This past summer, we spent over $300,000 to completely seal the roof. Up to this date, we have not had any problems.”

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Ron Mercer said he has been lucky to play with someone very special all season: Wildcat senior guard Tony Delk.

Delk scored 24 points to lead Kentucky past Syracuse, and his three-point shooting left his freshman teammate in awe.

“He was hot all night,” Mercer said. “He stepped up and showed everybody why he was the [Southeastern Conference] player of the year.”

Delk picked up another award Monday night, being selected the outstanding player of the Final Four.

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Long Beach State men’s basketball Coach Seth Greenberg, who has expressed interest in several other positions over the last two seasons, has emerged as the leading candidate for the University of South Florida job, sources said Monday night.

Greenberg, in New York until Monday morning attending the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches conference, interviewed with South Florida Athletic Director Paul Griffin before the Final Four semifinal games at the Meadowlands Arena on Saturday. The meeting went well and Greenberg is expected to meet with several South Florida officials in Tampa either today or Wednesday.

When contacted at home in Long Beach by phone Monday night, Greenberg declined to discuss specifics about the South Florida job search. However, he said he is still considering his options.

“I just got back [to Long Beach], so I’m really not sure what’s going on right now,” Greenberg said. “Right now, the job hasn’t been offered. I might meet with them, but no one has called me yet, so I’m really not in a position to comment right now.”

South Florida is a member of Conference USA, which placed four teams in the NCAA tournament during its inaugural season this year. Greenberg guided Long Beach to its first regular-season Big West Conference title in 19 years, but the 49ers did not advance to postseason play.

Last season, Greenberg was a candidate for vacancies at USC and Nevada Las Vegas. Long Beach improved Greenberg’s contract after USC officials asked permission to speak to him.