When Ames (Iowa) High School coach Vance Downs first saw the NCAA tournament bracket, his initial reaction was, “I thought Creighton would be a little higher than that.”

Creighton (28-5) was given the No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region and could face No. 1 North Carolina (29-5) in the third round if the Bluejays can get past a tough No. 9 Alabama (21-11) in the second round Friday.

If they do, that would set up a reunion between arguably the two best players ever to come out of Downs’s program: North Carolina sophomore Harrison Barnes and Creighton sophomore Doug McDermott, who on Monday was named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-American First Team.

“If the game happens, then I’ll probably go,” Downs told SNY.tv, referring to the Greensboro, N.C. site. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” (more…)

When Gregory Echenique left Rutgers last January, there was no way of knowing it would signal the beginning of the end for former coach Fred Hill.

Within five months, fellow sophomores Mike Rosario (Florida) and Pat Jackson (Kent State) also transferred, and Hill himself was let go in April following a bizarre incident in which he cursed out a rival Big East baseball coach and then defied his boss’s orders to avoid future baseball games.

Ten months after his decision to transfer, the 6-foot-9, 263-pound Echenique is ready to suit up for Creighton when they host Idaho State Dec. 18. He is sitting out the first semester and will have two and half years of eligibility remaining.

Click here to read the full story at SNY.

(Photo courtesy Creighton Athletics)

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A year ago at this time, Elijah Carter was being recruited by low- and mid-level Division 1 programs, just hoping to get a scholarship to play ball.

A year later, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Carter is one of the hottest prospects available, as evidenced by the fact that Cincinnati, Rutgers, Oregon, Texas A&M and Charlotte wanted him to attend college this fall even though he has already said he’ll spend a prep year at Brewster (N.H. ) Academy.

“He plays like Kyrie Irving,” one Big East assistant coach said, referring to the McDonald’s All-American from Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick headed to Duke. “He’s best friends with Kyrie Irving. His game is similar to his. He’s not really a point guard. He’s more of a scoring guard but he can play the point.”

Read the full story at SNY.

(Photos courtesy Eric Harrield)

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Dayton coach Brian Gregory is reportedly a candidate for the Rutgers’ vacancy, but he says he hasn’t had any official conversations with Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti and is not interested in the job.

“I’m not interested in leaving Dayton. … I’m concerned with helping this team and the incoming players have a great summer and continuing to recruit the guys who can help us in the future,” Gregory told Doug Harris of the Dayton Daily News.

Gregory was reportedly offered the jobs at Boston College and Iowa but turned them down. He has a contract at Dayton that runs through 2018. (more…)

NEW YORK — Gilvydas Biruta can’t make a move until the Fred Hill mess is cleared up at Rutgers.

Biruta, a 6-foot-8 forward originally from Lithuania, has asked to be released from his Letter of Intent at the Big East school, but it has not been granted.

Rutgers is apparently waiting to either officially fire Hill or reach a financial settlement with him before proceeding with the St. Benedict’s Prep forward.

“I’m just waiting for my release from Rutgers,” Biruta said after putting up a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds as the Suburban Team beat the City Team, 137-133, in the Jordan Brand Regional Game Saturday at MSG.

Biruta has taken only one official visit — to Rutgers — and is considering a number of other schools for his college destination. (more…)

Former Rutgers forward Gregory Echenique is headed to the Midwest.

The 6-foot-9 Echenique has decided to transfer to Creighton, choosing the Omaha, Neb., school over Miami, Maryland and Indiana. Some 20-30 other schools, including Duke, Arizona and Oklahoma, also called with interest.

“It’s going to be a change, but I’m exited to go to Creighton and make that change,” Echenique said in an exclusive interview with SNY.tv. “I think I felt comfortable with the staff since the first time I met them.”

Read the full story here.

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