Conference Usa

Webb Simpson chipped in from 35 yards in front of the par-4 eighth green for eagle, and then made Tiger Woods shake his head and smile when he holed a 60-foot birdie putt at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C. It led to a 7-under 65 for a share of the lead on Thursday with Stewart Cink and Ryan Moore at Quail Hollow - about one mile from Simpson's home. Woods failed to take advantage of fine weather conditions - about one-quarter of the field shot in the 60s, and half broke par. In his first tournament since a tie for 40th at the Masters - his worst performance as a pro at Augusta - Woods made too many mistakes early and had to one-putt three of the last four greens for a 71. Former PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel is hoping a new putter will help end a nine-year winless drought after a 5-under 67 at the 100th Spanish Open.

Men Belmont, Atlantic Sun Colorado, PAC-12 Creighton, Missouri Valley Davidson, Southern Detroit, Horizon League Harvard, Ivy League Lamar, Southland Lehigh, Patriot League Long Beach State, Big West Long Island U., Northeast Louisville, Big East Loyola MD, Metro Atlantic Memphis, Conference USA Missouri, ...

1991: Eight teams played in the inaugural season of Big East football. Five schools - Rutgers, Miami, Temple, Virginia Tech and West Virginia - were added to the three conference members who played Division I-A football - Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Boston College. 1995: West Virginia and Rutgers joined as full members in all sports. 2000: Virginia Tech added as a full member in all sports. 2003: Virginia Tech and Miami played their final football seasons before moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

WOULD TEMPLE decline a chance to join the Big East? It wouldn't seem likely. But the university still has to do its due diligence. So today, as was first reported by CSNPhilly.com, Temple's Board of Trustees will hold a conference call to discuss the situation, although no Big East sources would confirm that an official invite has been extended. It's no secret that Temple finally looks like the only viable fit for the conference, which is left with just seven football members for the upcoming season after the recent loss of West Virginia to the Big 12. The Owls, who were football-only members of the Big East from 1991 until being asked to leave 13 years later, have been playing football in the MAC since 2007.

DALLAS - Members of Conference USA and current and future members of the Mountain West are on their way to forming a new league that will begin in 2013. The 16 schools announced the plans yesterday, taking a bigger-is-better approach that will create a conference with schools in five time zones. "This is an exciting development that will stabilize the current conferences and create the first truly national conference with members in five time zones and television viewership from coast to coast," UNLV President Neal Smatresk said in statement.

Temple and Florida International are being evaluated for invitations should there be an all-sports merger by Conference USA and the Mountain West, the Memphis Commercial Appeal has reported. "That's the first I heard of that," Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw said Wednesday night when asked about the report, which was posted on the newspaper's website hours earlier. There has been speculation for months that Temple had a chance to become a Big East member for football.

Negotiations between the Big East and Brigham Young have broken off and the school will not be joining the conference, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. The person spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the conference and school have not been making their talks public. "BYU to the Big East is dead. It's not going to happen," the person said. The Big East was trying to add BYU as part of its plan to expand westward and become a 12-team football league.

Marquette coach Buzz Williams has used this week to appear on countless television outlets in praise of his underdog NCAA tournament team. All the while, Strawberry Mansion product D.J. Newbill has been heading to class and hitting the gym in Hattiesburg, Miss. When 11th-seeded Marquette faces second-seeded North Carolina in Friday's East Regional semifinals in Newark, N.J., Newbill will be tuned in. The Southern Mississippi freshman will try to avoid contemplation, but it will be difficult.

Brett Benzio scored 11 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as Tulane (26-6) built a big lead early and beat Alabama-Birmingham, 62-54, yesterday in the Conference USA championship game in Tulsa, Okla. The Green Wave built an early 20-point lead and then fended off a comeback bid by the Blazers (17-15). Tulane is headed back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002. Southland Conference. In the tournament championship, Darika Hill had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Lamar cruised to a 86-59 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Katy, Texas.

No. 5 Cincinnati trailed No. 14 Pittsburgh by 21 points late in the first half, a perfect season and BCS bowl berth in peril. Teammate after teammate came up to wide receiver Mardy Gilyard asking for a big play. He listened, silently whispered a prayer, then relied on his speed and can't-tackle-me attitude to change the momentum in a game the Bearcats led only once - at the end. Tony Pike's 29-yard touchdown pass to Armon Binns with 33 seconds left capped a comeback from a three-TD deficit as the Bearcats (12-0, 7-0)