NCAA

Youthful Orangemen nothing new

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Much has been made of the youth movement that Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has melded into a Final Four team.

Although he starts freshmen Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara and sophomore Hakim Warrick, Boeheim is used to doing well with young players.

His Orangemen came within four seconds of defeating Indiana for the 1987 national championship -- Keith Smart gave the Hoosiers a one-point victory with his memorable baseline jumper -- and that team wasn't exactly packed with veteran players. Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas and Rony Seikaly were the pillars of that squad.

"When you look back on it, they were young," Boeheim said. "Derrick was only a freshman, Sherman was a sophomore and Rony was a junior, so our three best players were underclassmen. They turned out to be real good players."

SOME SLUMP: As good a passer as T.J. Ford is, it's easy to overlook just how poorly he's been shooting.

The Texas point guard went into Sunday's region final shooting 29 percent from the floor and struggled again, going 4-of-12 against Michigan State.

Ford, who shot 42 percent coming into the tournament, didn't hit a jumper until late in the second half.

But Ford continues to find points by driving for layups and drawing fouls. He made 11 of 13 free throws against the Spartans and set up numerous other baskets with 10 assists and other passes that helped his teammates get to the line.

"To his credit, he didn't shoot that well but he got to the line 13 times," Michigan State's Chris Hill said.

"He's so aggressive to attack all the time," the Spartans' Alan Anderson said. "Either he's going to draw a foul or he's going to find somebody wide open, so that's what he kept doing."

GOTCHA!: Nine people were arrested for scalping tickets to the East Region tournament.

Plain clothes detectives made most of the arrests before the Friday night game between Oklahoma and Butler, police said.

Most tickets had a face value of $60. Reselling them for more than 20 percent of face value violates New York's arts and cultural affairs law. Violators faced court appearances and possible fines.

"They were selling tickets for $600, $800," police spokesman detective James Miller told the Times Union in Albany. Another antiscalping effort was planned Sunday for the tournament's region final between Oklahoma and Syracuse, Miller said.

SWEET EMOTION: Marquette was marvelous, and the reward for the versatile Golden Eagles and energetic coach Tom Crean is a trip to the Final Four.

After dismantling Kentucky and riddling the nation's toughest defense to win the Midwest Region, Marquette has a shot at its first NCAA title since 1977.

The frenetic Crean revs up his team's emotions, but he also makes sure the players stay cool in tight situations.

There's a balance there, one evident in Saturday's win over Kentucky.

"Emotion is great, but without execution, you don't have a chance to win," said Crean, who's been at Marquette four seasons.

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