Da Sean Butler

Da'Sean Butler did it, time and time again. The West Virginia guard almost single-handedly beat Villanova last night at the WVU Coliseum, scoring a career-high 43 points in a 93-72 win that ended the Wildcats' six-game win streak. Butler was 12 for 23 from the field, 6 for 13 from beyond the arc, and 13 for 15 from the free-throw line. His previous career high was 28. He had 24 points by halftime last night. He became the first West Virginia player to score 40 points in a game since Lowes Moore in a win over Notre Dame in 1978.

JaJuan Johnson had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 4 Purdue beat No. 6 West Virginia, 77-62, yesterday in a matchup of unbeatens. Robbie Hummel scored 18 points and E'Twaun Moore added 15 for the host Boilermakers, whose largest lead was 26 points. Purdue (13-0) completed its nonconference schedule and is one of five unbeaten teams in the nation. The Mountaineers (11-1) were bidding for their first 12-0 start since the 1957-58 season. Da'Sean Butler had 17 points for West Virginia and Devin Ebanks added 11. In other games: At New Mexico, Dairese Gary's 18 poined led the No. 19 Lobos (14-1)

Former Villanova assistant Fred Hill appears to be out as Rutgers basketball coach after four seasons. Hill was informed yesterday by the university that he wouldn't be retained because of multiple violations of the conduct clause in his contract, the Home News of New Brunswick reported. The newspaper said that Hill has been offered a buyout and was deciding whether to accept it. Hill's dismissal comes 3 weeks after athletic director Tim Pernetti gave the coach another year to turn around the program that had gone 47-77 in his 4 years.

Da'Sean Butler scored 22 points in his final home game as No. 10 West Virginia beat No. 19 Georgetown, 81-68, in Morgantown, W.Va., last night. The Mountaineers (23-6, 12-5 Big East) clinched a double bye into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Devin Ebanks added 15 points, Kevin Jones scored 14, and Darryl Bryant had 11 for West Virginia. Butler was introduced last among West Virginia's three seniors before the game and received the loudest ovation. He has 1,936 points and will end up in third place on the school's career scoring list behind Jerry West (2,309)

Xavier took full advantage of a Georgia team that was, well, 'Dawg tired. Led by Derrick Brown's 19 points and 11 rebounds, and super-sub Josh Duncan's 20 points, No. 3-seeded Xavier erased a double-digit deficit against fading Georgia to win, 73-61, yesterday in a first-round West Regional game in Washington, D.C. Georgia's players, who made a remarkable run to the Southeastern Conference Tournament title by winning three games in about...

INDIANAPOLIS - Beyond the very top players, recruiting is an inexact science. You are trying to project 15-, 16-, 17-year-olds to 21, 22, 23. Sometimes, you rate a few very closely and decide to take the player or players that say yes first. It was the spring of 2005 when the Saint Joseph's coaching staff found itself in such a quandary. They were going to have several scholarships available for the class that would be high school seniors in 2006. They liked a number of players for those spots.

Gilbert Brown and Ashton Gibbs made two free throws in the final 30 seconds and No. 25 Pittsburgh staged a frantic rally to tie it in regulation, then weathered three exhausting overtimes and West Virginia's own comeback to beat the No. 5 Mountaineers last night, 98-95. Gibbs and Roman Catholic High product Brad Wanamaker scored 24 points each for Pitt (19-6, 8-4), which tied Georgetown and West Virginia for third place in the Big East by avenging a 19-point loss in Morgantown only 10 days before.

Five good minutes from Stephen Curry was enough to get No. 23 Davidson a 68-65 victory over West Virginia last night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York. The nation's leading scorer managed to make one of his first 13 three-point attempts before taking over the end of the game, scoring 13 of the Wildcats' last 15 points. He finished with 27 points, 4.3 below his average, on 9-for-27 shooting, including 4-for-16 from three-point range. Many shots came from behind the NBA three-point line, which is 2 feet, 3 inches deeper than college basketball's line.

James Johnson's layup with 0.8 seconds remaining helped No. 6 Wake Forest beat No. 1 Duke, 70-68, last night in Winston-Salem, N.C. Johnson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Al-Farouq Aminu scored 15 points for the Demon Deacons (17-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). They bounced back from last week's home loss to claim the fifth victory over a top-ranked team in school history. Kyle Singler had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Duke (18-2, 5-1), which had its 10-game winning streak snapped.

Roy Williams had said there would be times when his North Carolina team looked ready to make a serious run at defending the national championship. And then there would be games like yesterday's, when the sixth-ranked Tar Heels commit "silly" turnovers, don't put opponents away, and lack intensity. Williams saw his team blow much of a 24-point second-half lead before garnering an 88-77 victory. And with his team preparing for a stretch that begins with a trip to New York to play No. 16 Ohio State on Thursday in the 2K Sports Classic, Williams let his team know it has to play much better.

Former Villanova assistant Fred Hill appears to be out as Rutgers basketball coach after four seasons. Hill was informed yesterday by the university that he wouldn't be retained because of multiple violations of the conduct clause in his contract, the Home News of New Brunswick reported. The newspaper said that Hill has been offered a buyout and was deciding whether to accept it. Hill's dismissal comes 3 weeks after athletic director Tim Pernetti gave the coach another year to turn around the program that had gone 47-77 in his 4 years.

INDIANAPOLIS - Duke was considered to be the weakest No. 1 seed in the NCAA basketball tournament, and the experts certainly thought this team would not advance too far. Well, the Blue Devils not only made it to their 16th Final Four, but they now get a chance at their fourth national championship after knocking off West Virginia, 78-57, in a national semifinal Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. Duke (32-6) advanced to a date Monday night with Butler (33-4), which edged Michigan State, 52-50, in the first game of the doubleheader.

INDIANAPOLIS - Beyond the very top players, recruiting is an inexact science. You are trying to project 15-, 16-, 17-year-olds to 21, 22, 23. Sometimes, you rate a few very closely and decide to take the player or players that say yes first. It was the spring of 2005 when the Saint Joseph's coaching staff found itself in such a quandary. They were going to have several scholarships available for the class that would be high school seniors in 2006. They liked a number of players for those spots.

Dairese Gary missed a runner in the final second and San Diego State escaped with a 72-69 upset of eighth-ranked New Mexico in the Mountain West semifinals last night in Las Vegas. The Lobos (29-4) saw their 15-game winning streak snapped. The Aztecs (24-8) will play BYU or UNLV for the conference championship tonight. In other league tournaments: Big Ten: At Indianapolis, Evan Turner drained a 37-footer at the buzzer to give No. 5 Ohio State (25-7) a 69-68 win over Michigan in the quarterfinals.

Da'Sean Butler scored 22 points in his final home game as No. 10 West Virginia beat No. 19 Georgetown, 81-68, in Morgantown, W.Va., last night. The Mountaineers (23-6, 12-5 Big East) clinched a double bye into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Devin Ebanks added 15 points, Kevin Jones scored 14, and Darryl Bryant had 11 for West Virginia. Butler was introduced last among West Virginia's three seniors before the game and received the loudest ovation. He has 1,936 points and will end up in third place on the school's career scoring list behind Jerry West (2,309)

Gilbert Brown and Ashton Gibbs made two free throws in the final 30 seconds and No. 25 Pittsburgh staged a frantic rally to tie it in regulation, then weathered three exhausting overtimes and West Virginia's own comeback to beat the No. 5 Mountaineers last night, 98-95. Gibbs and Roman Catholic High product Brad Wanamaker scored 24 points each for Pitt (19-6, 8-4), which tied Georgetown and West Virginia for third place in the Big East by avenging a 19-point loss in Morgantown only 10 days before.

For Scottie Reynolds, there's no tougher place to play in the Big East than at the WVU Coliseum, so it was safe to assume there was no tougher place for Villanova to rebound from its loss to Georgetown. The crowd of 15,593 - third largest in the 40-year history of the building - was ready. About 1,000 fans were outside the building two hours before game time, waiting for the doors to open. This was going to be a statement game for fifth-ranked West Virginia. But Reynolds and the No. 4 Wildcats went out last night in the unwelcoming environment and silenced the crowd.

There is nothing better for an athlete in basketball - or any sport, for that matter - than playing the next game, especially for one trying to flush away the sour feeling of a defeat. No. 2 Villanova, coming off a loss for only the second time this season, will welcome that situation tonight even though the opponent is West Virginia, which is ranked sixth in the nation and plays very well in front of its zealous - some would say overzealous - home fans. The Wildcats (20-2 overall, 9-1 Big East)

In a game dedicated to the memory of late Sooners star Wayman Tisdale, Oklahoma beat No. 9 Texas, 80-71, yesterday for the Longhorns' fourth loss since they climbed to the top spot in the Associated Press men's poll. Tommy Mason-Griffin scored 24 points and Cade Davis added 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead Oklahoma (13-9, 4-4 Big Twelve) at home in Norman. The game was dedicated to Tisdale, the school's career scoring leader who died last year after fighting cancer. He was 44 years old. The Longhorns (19-4, 5-3)

Dominique Jones ignited a comeback by scoring 22 of his 29 points in the second half, and South Florida extended its longest Big East winning streak, stunning No. 7 Georgetown, 72-64, last night in Washington. South Florida shot 65 percent after halftime to win its fourth straight conference game, including a 70-61 win over then-No. 17 Pittsburgh on Sunday that gave the Bulls three straight for the first time since joining the Big East in 2005. The Bulls (15-7, 5-5), who also have five Big East wins in a season for the first time, trailed by 13 points late in the first half and by 35-26 at halftime due to 60 percent shooting by Georgetown (16-5, 6-4)