ESPN is running 23 straight hours of college hoops to kick off the season. Here are some quick news and notes from the world of college hoops.
**Tyler Hansbrough won’t play in Tuesday night’s tilt against Kentucky (9 p.m., ESPN) because of his injured shin. The game features the two winningest teams in college basketball history.
“Last year, Tyler was great in guarding Patrick Patterson,” UNC coach Roy Williams said, according to Tar Heel Blue. “No one else guarded him worth a flip.”
Without the injured Hansbrough, look for junior Deon Thompson (pictured) to guard the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Patterson, who took just 4 shots in 27 minutes in Kentucky’s opening night loss to VMI. “He’s a lot to handle down low,” Thompson said. “I’m sure Kentucky will be focused on getting him the ball.”
Asked if Hansbrough would play Friday at UC-Santa Barbara, Williams said: “I have no idea.”
As for senior Marcus Ginyard, Williams said he was “a little behind schedule” in his recovery from foot surgery. “It’s taken him a little longer to get going than they thought it would initially. Initially they felt like he’d have a chance to do some things four weeks in. We’re four weeks in and he’s still not doing anything. But now that he’s completely out of the boot I think he’ll start improving rapidly now.”.
**Prior to Memphis’ 80-58 victory over UMass at the Fedex Forum, ESPN showed Memphis coach John Calipari commenting on the NCAA championship game loss to Kansas.
“It was gutwrenching,” Calipari said. “I walked off the floor and I saw the stuff [confetti] falling and I’m saying that should’ve been us. We should be putting on the hats…I’ve never looked at the tape, but I can tell you play by play what happened. We’re up 9 with to 2:12 to go in that enormous a game, you should win the game.”
Kansas won 75-68.
ESPN reported that Memphis has a blank banner that reads “National Championship 200?” in expectation of one this decade.
In the game, Antonio Anderson had 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Freshman Tyreke Evans had 19 points and Robert Dozier added 18 for the Tigers.
**Former Cal coach Pete Newell died at age 93. Newell won an NCAA title (Cal, 1959), and NIT crown (San Francisco, 1949) and an Olympic gold, (1960). He also coached many famous big men including Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal and Bill Walton.
**Steph Curry went off for 33 points, 9 assists and 4 steals in Davidson’s 99-64 win over James Madison.
**In a game shown on SNY, UConn beat Hartford, 99-56, but the No. 2 Huskies led 45-44 early in the second half before closing on a 54-12 run. Former Rice standout Kemba Walker had a career-high 21 points and Craig Austrie added 21. Jerome Dyson added 18 for UConn, which plays LaSalle Friday in the Paradise Jam.
**Villanova crushed Fordham, 107-68, at home behind 31 and 11 from Dante Cunningham. Former New Jersey prep stars Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes had 17 apiece.
