McKay to Coach Beavers

Ritchie McKay, who called Colorado State his dream job two years ago, was hired Friday to rebuild Oregon State’s program.

He replaces Eddie Payne, who was fired March 12 after five consecutive losing seasons. The Beavers’ last winning season was 1989-90, Gary Payton’s senior year at the school.

McKay was an assistant at Washington from 1993-95, the last two seasons under Bob Bender.

He will make $265,000 at Oregon State, including a $140,000 base salary, the school said.

Oregon State also has to buy out the final four years of McKay’s contract at Colorado State for a little more than $100,000.

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Bill Self of Tulsa and Kay Yow of North Carolina State were named winners of the John and Nellie Wooden coach of the year awards.

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Violent celebrations marked by arrests, injuries, bonfires and bottle-throwing followed NCAA tournament victories Thursday by Iowa State, Wisconsin and Purdue.

Thousands of fans poured into the streets of Campustown at Ames, Iowa, to celebrate Iowa State’s victory over UCLA.

One person suffered a minor head injury when he jumped in a lake. At least seven others were arrested. The charges included criminal mischief, public intoxication, theft and failure to disperse, officials said.

At West Lafayette, Ind., police fired tear gas into a crowd of students who set fires and damaged cars after Purdue’s victory over Gonzaga.

Three students face preliminary charges of disorderly conduct and resisting law enforcement and another faces a public intoxication charge after the melee, which culminated with two bonfires set near Purdue’s Ross-Ade Stadium. There was $600 in damages.

In Wisconsin, hundreds of students marched to the Capitol in Madison to celebrate the Badgers’ victory over Louisiana State. At the Wisconsin Oshkosh campus, some in the crowd of about 800 hurled bottles at police in riot gear.

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Beating the defending national champion in women’s basketball brought Oklahoma some notoriety. Winning the next one would make the Sooners the story of the year.

Oklahoma’s chance comes today when the fifth-seeded Sooners (25-7) play top-seeded Connecticut (32-1) in the NCAA East Regional semifinals at Richmond, Va.

Oklahoma is coming off a 76-74 victory over Purdue Monday night.

“You can coach your entire life and not have the kind of moment we had, coming back from 17 down in West Lafayette and beating the defending national champion on their home floor,” Oklahoma Coach Sherri Coale said.

Second-seeded Duke (28-5) plays third-seeded Louisiana State (24-6) in the other game at Richmond.

Tennessee (30-3), seeded first in the Mideast Regional, plays fourth-seeded Virginia (25-8) at Memphis. Second-seeded Notre Dame (27-4) meets third-seeded Texas Tech (27-4) in the other game.

In the Midwest Regional at Kansas City, it’s top-seeded Louisiana Tech (30-2) against fourth-seeded Old Dominion (29-4) and second-seeded Penn State (28-4) against third-seeded Iowa State (27-5).

The West Regional at Portland, Ore., has no team from that part of the country. Top-seeded Georgia (31-3) plays fifth-seeded North Carolina (20-12) and second-seeded Rutgers (24-7) meets 11th-seeded Alabama Birmingham (21-12).