Sports

Colleges

USF has Forum date against Wake Forest

Compiled from staff and wire reports
Published June 3, 2006

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TAMPA - USF has an oral agreement to play a men's basketball game at the St. Pete Times Forum on Dec. 29 as part of a home-and-home series with Wake Forest.

"It's a great opportunity for people who live in South Tampa who haven't ventured up here to see us, something that can expand our fan base," said coach Robert McCullum, whose team will play at Wake Forest in 2007-08.

The Bulls have talked with Times Forum officials about playing downtown for more than a year. USF athletic director Doug Woolard and Times Forum president Ron Campbell have agreed on the date, though no contracts have been signed.

Because USF students will be on holiday break, the game is well-timed to go off-campus, and McCullum said the Bulls could play one other date downtown this season. USF last played downtown in 1997, when the Bulls edged Central Florida on New Year's Eve.

The game will provide Wake Forest players with a scouting report on the Times Forum, which hosts the ACC tournament in March. The Deacons went 17-17 last season, finishing last in the ACC and losing in the opening round of the NIT.

"To have the chance to play an ACC team with a tradition as rich as Wake Forest, it should be a win-win situation for us," McCullum said. "We wanted someone I felt we could be competitive with, and the timing is great in that this game will come within 10 days of our Big East opener."

KNIGHT CASE:

Indiana University trustees did not violate state Open Door Law when they met in separate groups to hear about plans to fire coach Bob Knight in 2000, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled. The 3-0 ruling upheld a judge's decision last year.

MARYLAND:

Chuck Driesell, the son of former Terrapins coach Lefty Driesell, was named an assistant coach.

Other sports

Alicia Hollowell threw a four-hitter to help Arizona beat Texas 2-0 in the second round of the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. Arizona (51-10) scored twice in the sixth to hand Texas star Cat Osterman only her third loss in 41 games for the Longhorns (55-8) this season.

MEN'S GOLF:

Washington's Zach Bixler shot 4-under 68 to move within three strokes of Wake Forest's Kyle Reifers for the individual lead and help the Huskies top the team standings at the NCAA Tournament in Sunriver, Ore. The Huskies were at 13-under 563; Florida was fourth at 7-under.

TENNIS:

The Florida women were No. 2 in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, the 12th consecutive year the Gators have been ranked among the top three. National champion Stanford, which beat UF in the semifinals, was No. 1. UF's Diana Srebrovic was ranked 11th in singles, as were Gabriela Duch and Neyssa Etienne of USF in doubles.

FOOTBALL:

Former Arizona starting quarterback Richard Kovalcheck is transferring to Vanderbilt and will be eligible to play immediately under new NCAA rules. ... Prosecutors decided not to file charges against Southern California quarterback Mark Sanchez, who had been accused of sexually assaulting another USC student. ... Iowa raised the salary of coach Kirk Ferentz on Friday, making him one of the nation's highest-paid coaches. His restructured contract, which expires after 2012, boosts his annual salary to $2.84-million from $1.44-million, with a one-time payment of $1.4-million.

MEN'S SOCCER:

Ognjen "Ogi" Perucica and Tom Markey signed with USF. Perucica, a forward, played at Wharton and set the school scoring record with 59 career goals and 36 assists. Markey is a defender from Indianapolis.

[Last modified June 21, 2006, 10:09:19]

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