NEWARK, N.J - Connecticut will become a full-time football member of the Big East next year, a year early, and the league won't add new schools before 2005-06.
With Miami and Virginia Tech off to the ACC beginning in 2004, the Big East will have seven football-playing schools, one short of the required eight needed by 2005 to remain a I-A conference, and Temple drops out after 2004.
Each team will play a six-game conference schedule in 2004 with three home games.
MORE COLLEGES: Army to leave C-USA
Army, a member of Conference USA since 1998, will return to independent status for 2005, in part, to have more flexibility in scheduling. It has won seven conference games in five seasons. Without Army, which does not participate in other C-USA sports, the league will have 10 football-playing members.
CONFERENCE USA: Conference officials voted to enforce a bylaw preventing schools from leaving before June 30, 2005.
BAYLOR: Basketball coach Dave Bliss said Patrick Dennehy, missing since June 12, did not tell him or assistants about threats against him, rejecting assertions by family members that the staff ignored them.
MISSISSIPPI ST.: The school must wait at least a few more weeks to learn the findings of an NCAA investigation into its football program.
NORTHWESTERN: The school disclosed it sent armed undercover police to pretrial proceedings in the wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the mother of deceased football player Rashidi Wheeler. Northwestern, which wants Linda Will barred from future depositions, contends she has glared at witnesses and school lawyers and called coach Randy Walker a "murderer."
TEXAS: Marijuana charges against four football players were dropped because officers performed an illegal traffic stop before searching their vehicle.
USF: Baseball coach Eddie Cardieri won Conference USA's Coaches Choice Award. The annual award goes to the coach who best exemplifies a commitment to creating a positive academic and athletic atmosphere while fostering the student-athlete's development and welfare. Cardieri, 48, a graduate of Bishop Barry (now St. Petersburg Catholic), is 644-454 in 18 seasons, including 31-27 this season.
TENNIS: Federer remains hot
Wimbledon champion Roger Federer won his 14th consecutive match, beating Jean-Rene Lisnard 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Swiss Open in Gstaad.
FED CUP: Venus Williams (groin and abdominal) and Monica Seles (foot) will not play for the United States in a quarterfinal against Italy. They will be replaced by Chandra Rubin and Alexandra Stevenson.
SOCCER: UEFA Cup to change
Europe's governing body changed the format of the UEFA Cup. The 2004-05 event will be a single-elimination round followed by a group phase. The 24 teams left will be joined by eight teams from the Champions League.
REDUCTIONS OPPOSED: Gerhard Aigner, head of European soccer, opposes a FIFA plan to cut the number of teams in England's Premier League and other leagues to 16. It will be considered at an October meeting.
ET CETERA
IRAQ: The world swimming body said Iraq has registered two indoor swimmers and one open water swimmer for the world championships, which starts Sunday in Barcelona. It would be its first major international sports event since the U.S.-led invasion. Also, an Iraqi archery team will compete at the world championships in New York next week.
OUTDOORS: Four women became the first to paddle across Florida Straits, 112 miles from Havana to Key West, doing so in 25 hours, 44 minutes. Jenna Worlocktook, Nikki Mocke, Hayley Bateup and Aline Paterson took turns paddling a 16-foot fiberglass paddleboard.
