Golden Gophers

Respect. Aretha Franklin sang about it, Rodney Dangerfield joked about it. And Minnesota basketball coach Clem Haskins doesn't believe his team has received nearly enough of it. "You guys should know about that," Haskins had said during a press conference Thursday. "All you've got to do is pick up the papers, to see that there just aren't as many stories done about us. " Whether that's accurate or not, the Golden Gophers certainly gave folks plenty to write about last night, by knocking off Big East regular-season champion Syracuse in the NCAA Southeast Regional semifinals at the Superdome, 82-75.

For Penn State followers who have come to believe that completing a forward pass requires divine intervention, there is hope. Minnesota, the Big Ten Conference opponent for the 13th-ranked Nittany Lions today in the sterile environment of the Metrodome, was taken apart last week by Purdue sophomore quarterback Drew Brees. Brees threw for 522 yards - a school record - and six touchdowns, completing 31 of 36 passes in just three quarters. Indeed, the pass defense of the Golden Gophers (3-1 overall, 0-1 conference)

The Metrodome vibrated with a roar that intensified as Penn State's offense neared the line on fourth and 9 in overtime. The goalpost still shuddered from the extra-point try Minnesota's kicker had slammed into it minutes before. Players and coaches bellowed to be heard. But it was the fluttering descent of a yellow flag an instant later that made the loudest noise in Penn State's fortune-blessed 28-27 victory over the Golden Gophers yesterday. When Anthony Morelli's sideline pass to Deon Butler fell to this downtown stadium's faded turf, it appeared that the Nittany Lions (4-2 overall, 2-1 Big Ten)

It's not often that a team from one of the power conferences confronts the risk of playing at the campus venue of a small school from a mid-major league. And, no doubt, there were times Wednesday at Hagan Arena when St. Joseph's had Minnesota coach Tubby Smith and his 22d-ranked Golden Gophers looking over their shoulders. But try as they might, the Hawks (3-6) couldn't overcome Minnesota's significant advantage in size and firepower and went down to their fourth straight loss, 83-73.

NEW YORK - Aaron Bright came off the bench to spark Stanford to an NIT title. The sophomore point guard had 15 points and six assists in Thursday's 75-51 rout of Minnesota to earn most outstanding player honors, energizing the Cardinal just as the coaches had hoped when they took him out of the starting lineup in mid-February. "I give him all the credit, because it takes a player buying into something like that before it works, and he bought into his role," coach Johnny Dawkins said.

Stanford's young guards Chasson Randle and Aaron Bright each scored 15 points, and the Cardinal routed Minnesota, 75-51, to win the NIT title Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Stanford forced two turnovers to open the second half to take a 10-point lead and stayed up by double figures the rest of the way. The Golden Gophers turned it over 22 times on the night. The third-seeded Cardinal (26-11) won their second NIT title, the first coming in 1991. The final minutes turned into a celebration of three-pointers and fastbreak layups for Stanford, with bench players jumping up to cheer on nearly every possession.

This was one of those weeks for Penn State coach Joe Paterno. He had to brush the confetti out of the hair of his players, pull the party favors from their hands, and try to get them to land safely from the high they experienced with last week's emotional come-from-behind victory over Ohio State. After all, regardless of the giddy, tearful, backslapping aftermath of the huge win over the Buckeyes, there's a lot more football to be played. "Tears of joy, smiles, high-fives all around . . . that's what it looks like in our locker room right now," wide receiver Joe Jurevicius said after the memorable 31-27 win over the Buckeyes.

Jeff Horton played college football in Nevada and spent six years as a head coach in that state, so he knows a long shot when he sees it. In Horton's opinion, his long-shot odds paid off Sunday when he took over as the interim head coach at Minnesota after the firing of Tim Brewster just hours after a loss to Purdue, the Golden Gophers' sixth consecutive defeat. "I lived in Nevada 18 years," Horton said in his first weekly news conference as head coach. "I don't know what the odds are. If somebody posted them right now of me being the head coach here now, if you put down $5, you could retire.

Khara Smith had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and three of her teammates also scored in double figures as DePaul defeated No. 21 George Washington, 64-46, yesterday in Chicago. Sarah Kustok and Jenni Dant scored 13 points each and Ashley Luke added 12 for DePaul (9-3). The Colonials (4-3) were ahead by 14-7 with 11 minutes, 44 seconds remaining in the first half before the Blue Demons took control to close out the half with a 28-22 advantage. George Washington was led by Cathy Joens' 12 points.

The last 17 seconds seemed longer than the rest of the 43 years that Saint Louis had gone since last winning an NCAA Tournament game. The Billikens survived a torrid comeback by Minnesota and a hectic finish yesterday for a 64-61 overtime victory in the first round of the East Regional. Scott Highmark scored 18 points and Erwin Claggett 16 for the Billikens, who had gone 0-4 in the NCAA Tournament since beating New Mexico in a first- round game in 1952. The final frantic seconds left most of the Billikens too drained to participate in a postgame celebration that was a long time coming.

NEW YORK - Aaron Bright came off the bench to spark Stanford to an NIT title. The sophomore point guard had 15 points and six assists in Thursday's 75-51 rout of Minnesota to earn most outstanding player honors, energizing the Cardinal just as the coaches had hoped when they took him out of the starting lineup in mid-February. "I give him all the credit, because it takes a player buying into something like that before it works, and he bought into his role," coach Johnny Dawkins said.

Stanford's young guards Chasson Randle and Aaron Bright each scored 15 points, and the Cardinal routed Minnesota, 75-51, to win the NIT title Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Stanford forced two turnovers to open the second half to take a 10-point lead and stayed up by double figures the rest of the way. The Golden Gophers turned it over 22 times on the night. The third-seeded Cardinal (26-11) won their second NIT title, the first coming in 1991. The final minutes turned into a celebration of three-pointers and fastbreak layups for Stanford, with bench players jumping up to cheer on nearly every possession.

Austin Hollins scored a career-high 18 points to help visiting Minnesota beat No. 7 Indiana, 77-74, last night. Christian Watford missed a potential game-tying three-pointer in the closing seconds for Indiana. Rodney Williams scored 14 points and Julian Welch added 10 for the Golden Gophers (13-5, 1-4 Big Ten), who had lost four straight. Minnesota shot 6-for-13 on three-pointers in the first half to take the lead. Indiana freshman Cody Zeller matched a season high with 23 points for the Hoosiers (15-2, 3-2)

Blake Hoffarber's 26 points and Minnesota's improved perimeter defense helped the Golden Gophers outlast eighth-ranked Purdue, 70-67, in Minneapolis on Thursday night. JaJuan Johnson had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Boilermakers (15-2, 4-1 Big Ten), whose 10-game winning streak ended. Al Nolen added 13 points, eight assists, and three steals for the Gophers (13-4, 2-3). Duke "knocked back. " Top-ranked Duke hadn't lost in 25 games, the second-longest run in school history, and Florida State had lost twice in little more than a week when the Seminoles pulled off their latest upset of the Blue Devils, 66-61, on Wednesday.

It's not often that a team from one of the power conferences confronts the risk of playing at the campus venue of a small school from a mid-major league. And, no doubt, there were times Wednesday at Hagan Arena when St. Joseph's had Minnesota coach Tubby Smith and his 22d-ranked Golden Gophers looking over their shoulders. But try as they might, the Hawks (3-6) couldn't overcome Minnesota's significant advantage in size and firepower and went down to their fourth straight loss, 83-73.

Everyone has questions about Penn State freshman quarterback Rob Bolden and his availability for Saturday night's eagerly anticipated matchup against Michigan at Beaver Stadium. Joe Paterno doesn't have the answers, at least not yet. "I don't have an M.D. at the end of my name," Paterno said Tuesday, "and I'm not a psychiatrist. " But the Penn State coach added that if he had to make a guess, "right now [Bolden] looks very doubtful to me. " Bolden, who has started each of Penn State's seven games this season, suffered an apparent head injury as he scrambled in the second quarter of Saturday's game against Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS - Over the course of a couple of months, Matt McGloin went from being a contender for Penn State's starting-quarterback job to the forgotten Nittany Lion, a guy who was on the field for one measly snap over the first six games. But after freshman Rob Bolden got dinged Saturday on a second-quarter scramble and left the game on wobbly legs, coach Joe Paterno looked past reserve Kevin Newsome and pointed to McGloin, who began the game No. 3 on the depth chart. McGloin, a redshirt sophomore, justified the coach's endorsement, throwing a 42-yard touchdown pass on his first career completion and adding another touchdown toss in the fourth quarter to lift the Nittany Lions to a 33-21 Big Ten Conference victory over Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium.

IN THIS SEASON of discontent, it's obvious what Penn State coach Joe Paterno must do to get the struggling Nittany Lions back on track. He needs to lighten the mood. Or crack the whip harder. He needs to radically revise the depth chart. Or keep underperforming players in the starting lineup and let them work their way back into form. He needs to make a commitment to a sputtering passing attack. Or an even stronger one to a lackluster running game. It's not that JoePa hasn't already planned and schemed to a fare-thee-well.

Jeff Horton played college football in Nevada and spent six years as a head coach in that state, so he knows a long shot when he sees it. In Horton's opinion, his long-shot odds paid off Sunday when he took over as the interim head coach at Minnesota after the firing of Tim Brewster just hours after a loss to Purdue, the Golden Gophers' sixth consecutive defeat. "I lived in Nevada 18 years," Horton said in his first weekly news conference as head coach. "I don't know what the odds are. If somebody posted them right now of me being the head coach here now, if you put down $5, you could retire.