Breaking- Kelvin Sampson will not coach on Saturday

Courtesy of HallDan on rivals, SI.com is reporting that Kelvin Sampson will not coach on Saturday against Northwestern. It’s not clear whether Sampson has been fired or suspended, but he has likely coached his last game at Indiana with this news. Indiana gave themselves seven days to make a decision and it was speculated that Indiana’s most recent game, a win against in-state rival Purdue, would be Sampson’s last.

Assistant coach Dan Dakich will take over the team on an interim basis.

CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish also has a story out on this news.

SI.com

Gary Parrish, CBSSports.com

Louisville out of the hunt for Tyreke Evans

According to Adam Zagoria’s blog, Jody Demling of The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) reported on his podcast today that Louisville is no longer in the running for the services of Tyreke Evans. Evans, out of American Christian in Aston, PA, is the top unsigned player in the class of 2008. Louisville, Memphis, and Villanova have long been the favorites for Evans, so one would think that it would be down to Memphis and Villanova at this point. Memphis has come on strong in the last few months, and John Calipari’s team looks to be the clear leader at this point. Evans will visit Memphis for their 1 vs. 2 showdown this weekend as Tennessee comes to FedEx Forum. Seton Hall, Connecticut, and Texas remain in the mix, but they should be considered longshots at the moment. For the Pirates, it would take one heck of an effort by Bobby Gonzalez and staff to land this kid. He would be a program changer, so we can hope despite the odds.

ZAGSBLOG

Jody Demling’s podcast

Comment on the Villanova/Georgetown call

I have always been supportive of officials calling fouls in end game situations because I’ve seen too many times where a player gets absolutely hammered with his team down one or two and the refs don’t call a foul. Last night’s Villanova/Georgetown game made the argument against my opinion loud and clear. Referee Bob Donato has always been known as one of the worst officials out there. Last night, Donato called Villanova freshman Corey Stokes for “bumping” Georgetown senior Jonathan Wallace as he was dribbling up the sideline with 0.1 seconds remaining. There was some contact, but it was nothing more than what normally goes on during the game (never called). It was one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen, and what makes it even worse is that it had a direct impact on the outcome of the game. This game should have gone to overtime with the teams tied at 53. The officiating in the Big East Conference has been terrible this season. Officials such as Donato, John Cahill, Jim Burr, Curtis Shaw, Pat Driscoll, and Mike Kitts work a lot of Big East games where they make a bunch of questionable calls. Something needs to be done, whether that be better training for officials or just a new crop of young officials who have no reputations or biases.

State of the Pirates

Seton Hall currently sits at 15-9 (5-6) having lost three games in a row to Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Villanova. After riding high during their five game winning streak, the Pirates have come crashing down in excruciating fashion. A painful blowout loss at home to streaking Notre Dame and a last second heartbreaker at Villanova on Saturday have put Seton Hall on the precipice, likely needing to finish the regular season 6-1 in order to be selected for the NCAA Tournament. The remaining seven games are all winnable, but it will take a huge effort to get it done. That said, I wouldn’t put anything past Bobby Gonzalez’s team.

The Pirates are down to essentially eight players after Paul Gause injured his knee in the Notre Dame game, as Brandon Walters has seen limited, if any at all, playing time this season.

Coming up later I will have a preview and prediction of the Marquette game, as well as predictions for select games around college basketball tonight.

Welcome

Welcome to Pirate Hoops, a blog of Seton Hall basketball and all things NCAA basketball. I know it’s weird to start a college basketball blog right in the middle of the stretch run, but I figure I can get my feet wet now (just like Pat Knight) and be ready for a full offseason this summer, and a new season in November. Hope you enjoy.