Colleges

Now Tigers leaping into Aggies' den

Texas A&M is only the third seed, but it figures to be first among the fans at the Alamodome tonight.

By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published March 22, 2007

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Texas A&M is only the third seed, but it figures to be first among the fans at the Alamodome tonight.

College Station is only about a three-hour drive away so most expect a sea of maroon, which can't thrill No. 2-seed Memphis, the opponent in the South Region Sweet 16.

"It's a disadvantage, there's no question," Memphis coach John Calipari said Wednesday. "They're going to have 30,000 fans here."

Aggies coach Billy Gillispie, however, said the crowd won't be the determining factor.

"We learned that last weekend," he said, referring to his team beating Louisville in Lexington, Ky. "While we may have more fans here, it all comes down to what happens inside the court and those guys are very, very difficult to play against."

Here's one suggestion: Maybe the Tennessee fans in the crowd can cheer for the other team from the state. Calipari, for one, said he's got the orange T-shirt "on hold right now" and would hope that maybe his team's fan could sing that UT song; "what's the name of that song?"

"If Calipari would wear an orange T-shirt, I'd wear a Memphis jacket, absolutely," Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said.

INJURY UPDATE: Memphis standout sophomore guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who sprained his left ankle late in the second-round win against Nevada, said his playing status will be a game-time decision.

"I've been working on it," he said, adding his lateral movement felt okay and he was able to jump. "... It would be very hard for me to miss the game, but I don't want to jinx myself."

He got about 300 e-mails from fans the day after his injury.

TIME TO SEE THE SIGHTS: Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who had never been to San Antonio, took time Tuesday evening to stroll the Riverwalk and let his players go out after dinner and before a film session.

"I actually gave our guys an hour and 23 minutes, which I've never given them, to go out and enjoy the city," he said. "A couple of the guys went to the Alamo and took a picture."

USC STAR RISING: Nick Young said he hasn't had time to think about all the NBA scouts in the front row watching him play. That's probably a good thing for USC, which faces top seed North Carolina on Friday in an East Region semifinal in East Rutherford, N.J.

"It is a lot of fun. We've never been in a situation like this," Young said. "Me and Gabe Pruitt talked about it all day. It really hasn't hit us that we're in the Sweet 16. The Trojans in the Sweet 16!"

Young shot 61.5 percent to score 22 points in an easy victory over Texas in the second round, and did nearly everything an NBA off-guard needs to do. And his hot play likely is improving his draft stock.

One recent projection had him going in the top 15. The junior has said he would go pro after this season if he is a first-round pick.

[Last modified March 22, 2007, 00:25:05]