Arizona coach Sean Miller sat out the team's game against Oregon on Saturday night, a day after ESPN, citing anonymous sources, reported he was heard on an FBI wiretap discussing a $100,000 payment to current Wildcats freshman Deandre Ayton.
SEATTLE (AP) — Former Washington coach Lorenzo Romar says it will be "weird" walking into the Huskies' home gym as the opponent for the first time.
He'll go to the visitors' locker room and not the coaches' offices. He'll sit on the bench at the opposite end of the floor he patrolled for 15 seasons as the head coach at his alma mater. The student section directly behind him — once affectionately called "Romarville" — will be chanting and berating the opposing team he helps coach.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Cuonzo Martin took over a Missouri basketball team that had finished in last place in the Southeastern Conference for three straight seasons when he was hired in March.
Very little looks the same with the season fast approaching: The Tigers have parlayed the arrival or both Martin and top freshman Michael Porter Jr. into a much-needed boost of excitement in Columbia.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr. has yet to play his first college game, and he's already making it clear he has very high expectations both for himself and the Tigers.
SEATTLE (AP) — First-year Washington men's basketball coach Mike Hopkins hopes to install more than the trademark zone defense he learned during his long tenure as an assistant at Syracuse.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — After so many years of trying to beat the Arizona Wildcats, Lorenzo Romar has joined them.
This weekend he will hit the recruiting trail in his new job as associate head coach on Sean Miller's staff.
Romar, wearing a T-shirt that read "Wildcat Basketball Never Stops," spoke with reporters Thursday about why he took the job after two decades as a college head coach, the last 15 years at Washington before he was fired a month ago.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Michael Porter Jr., rated as the nation's top high school basketball prospect in his class by multiple recruiting services, says he plans to play for Missouri.
Porter tweeted his college selection Friday on his verified account, one day after Missouri announced that his father had accepted a position as an assistant coach on the Tigers' staff.
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington is expected to become one of the most desirable destinations in college basketball after its decision to fire Lorenzo Romar but one with a lot of question marks.
The school has proven it can be a winner with a regular-season conference title, conference tournament titles and a trip to the Sweet 16 within the past 10 years.
SEATTLE (AP) — Lorenzo Romar was a beloved figure at Washington, from building the Huskies into a conference champion, to the way he carried himself off the court as a representative of the school.
No amount of goodwill built by Romar over more than a decade could overcome six straight seasons of missing the NCAA Tournament, capped by a 9-22 season and a school-record 13-game losing streak.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — UCLA coach Steve Alford kidded TJ Leaf that his two points, one rebound, one assist, one block and one steal in 5 minutes was pretty impressive.
That's all the time Leaf got because the freshman sprained his left ankle. His absence didn't bother the third-ranked Bruins who went on to rout Washington 98-66 on Wednesday night for their eighth straight win.
SEATTLE (AP) — On a recent Wednesday night at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Michael Porter Jr. walked out of the locker room with a security detail at his side, pausing only momentarily for a photograph with a fan in a purple Washington hat who had found his way into the hallway behind the court.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The Colorado Buffaloes had mixed feelings when they saw Washington's fantastic freshman Markelle Fultz in sweats on the sideline during warm-ups Thursday night.
"I was bummed," said Derrick White, who scored 16 points in Colorado's 81-66 victory over the Fultz-less Huskies. "I wanted to go against him. ... But we couldn't dwell on it too much."
SEATTLE (AP) — The real examination of how much progress Washington made during the nonconference portion of its schedule will come next month when Pac-12 play starts.
For now, the Huskies are content with the steps made in the past three victories, capped by Thursday night's 94-72 win over city rival Seattle.
SEATTLE (AP) — It took only two games for Markelle Fultz to show an ability to take over and carry Washington to a win.
Sure, he's a freshman. But Fultz isn't an ordinary freshman.
"He has the ability to make everyone else look a little better and he was doing that tonight," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said.
Fultz scored 35 points, including 21 in the second half, and Washington pulled away for a 104-88 win over Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night.