Memphis ends its season with a championship

NEW YORK -- Earl Barron scored a career-high 25 points and tournament MVP Dajuan Wagner had 16 as Memphis won the NIT with a 72-62 victory over South Carolina on Thursday night.

Wagner, Memphis' star freshman and a possible lottery pick in the NBA draft, may have played his last college game.

Tigers coach John Calipari thinks Wagner could be one of the first 13 players taken if he leaves this year and one of the first three players taken if he leaves next year.

The blue-and-white-clad contingent of Memphis fans stood and chanted "One more year! One more year!" when Wagner was taken out of the game with 47.3 seconds left.

For Calipari, the championship accomplished something he wanted to get out of the way at this time last season. The Tigers lost in the NIT semifinals last year, and Calipari was hoping they would make the NCAA tournament this year. But the Tigers lost five of their last seven, including a first-round loss to Houston in the Conference USA tournament.

Calipari said earlier this week he felt snubbed by the NCAA tournament. Before Tuesday's semifinals, he said advancing would be "validation."

First-year South Carolina coach Dave Odom was bidding for his second NIT title in three years. He won the tournament with Wake Forest in 2000.

Rolando Howell had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who shot just 8-of-18 from the free-throw line.

The Gamecocks (22-15) stayed close in the first half, but didn't score in the second until Aaron Lucas sank a free throw with 15:50 to play.

Lucas scored South Carolina's first field goal of the half with 13:25 left. But by then, Memphis (27-9) was running away with it.

Barron, who played last summer in China for the United States in the World University Games, was perfect in the first half. He tied his season best by halftime with 19 points on 9-of-9 shooting. He also made the only free throw he took.

Wagner closed out the half by making a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to give Memphis a 35-29 lead. He had seven points in the half.

The Tigers outshot South Carolina badly in the first half, 59 percent to 33 percent. Howell's 4-for-8 shooting helped keep the Gamecocks close.

ARKANSAS: Stan Heath resigned at Kent State to coach Arkansas after leading the Golden Flashes to the final eight of the NCAA tournament.

Heath was not at the news conference at which Kent State athletic director Laing Kennedy announced the resignation.

"I love Stan Heath, I love what he stands for," Kennedy said. "I personally will miss him."

Heath was in his first year at Kent State and had a five-year contract. Kennedy said he felt complimented that Heath was taking the Arkansas job.

Arkansas held a news conference for later in the day to announce its replacement for fired coach Nolan Richardson.

The 10th-seeded Golden Flashes (30-6) fell one victory shy of a Final Four berth, losing to Indiana 81-69 in the NCAA South Regional final.

Heath was among a half-dozen coaches interviewed by the Arkansas search committee. He also traveled to West Virginia to inquire about the job that opened when Gale Catlett retired.

KANSAS: Don't let the heavy brace fool you; Kirk Hinrich said his sprained left ankle looks and feels fine.

The junior guard's conditioning remains a concern for Kansas coach Roy Williams, though. Since he sprained his ankle in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Hinrich hasn't missed any games -- but has missed a lot of practice time.

"He's not 100 percent by any means," Williams said earlier this week, before the Jayhawks left Lawrence, Kan., for their first Final Four since 1993. "He gave me more tired signals in Madison (Wis., site of the Midwest Regional) than he has all year. He went nine days without much conditioning."

Hinrich admitted to being tired after Sunday's 104-86 win over Oregon in the regional final, but said he feels rested and ready to go on Saturday in the Jayhawks' NCAA semifinal against Maryland. Oklahoma plays Indiana in the other semifinal.

"I think it's a lot better, almost back to normal," he said. "I'm still being cautious, icing it down after practice."

-- From wire reports