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SEC.News.and.Notes | SEC teams move to middle of schedule In what has been a wild start to the SEC season, many sur prises have arisen. Another week in the SEC begins with chances for even more upsets. Tonight, Ole Miss will travel to fifth-ranked Kentucky at 8 p.m., televised by JP Sports. Georgia will look to snap out of its two game conference losing streak at LSU, who is looking to break a three game losing streak of its own. Mississippi State, ranked Cllth in this week's AP poll, will play host Tennessee, and the Eastern division-leading USC will travel to Vanderbilt. On Saturday, Kentucky will go to Vanderbilt, televised at noon on ESPN2; Ole Miss will play host USC at 1 p.m. on JP i ■_ Sports; Florida travels to Tennessee at 3 p.m. on JP Sports; Auburn defends its home court against Mississippi State; Georgia hosts Arkansas; and LSU goes to Alabama. Summitt receives contract extension The AP learned on Monday night that the Tennessee Volunteers have come to terms on a contract extension with women's basketball head coach Pat Summitt. The contract, which was ap parently signed back in November, raises Summitt's ex isting contract by $74,500 a year to an annual salary of $824,500. The extension will keep Summitt in Knoxville for two more years than her previous contract] securing her job through the end of the 2007-2008 season. Summitt has won six national titles and recorded 837 wins in her 30 seasons as coach in Tennessee and received a $70,000 bonus for taking last year's team to the Final Four. Behind football head coach Phillip Fulmer, Summitt's guar anteed contract is the second highest at Tennessee. It also sur passes head men's basketball coach Buzz Peterson's contract by over $50,000 per season. Summitt's Vols moved to No. 1 in this week's rankings for the first time since the 2000-2001 sea son by defeating the No. 1 ranked Duke Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday. Briefly Track teams boast wins at Fla. meet The USC track and field teams had solid performances at Sunday's SEC Invitational held at the University of Florida. For jhe men's team, junior Rodney Martin Jr. topped the field in the 200-meter race with a time of 21.07 seconds. In the 800-meter race, sophomore Shawn Cunningham posted a time of 1:55.29 that was good enough for a victory. On the women’s side, junior Lashinda Demus, won the 400 meter race with a time of 53.49 seconds. The race was all USC as the Gamecocks swept the top four with Stephanie Smith, Shevon Stoddart and Tawana Watkins rounding out the top. The women also won a pair of field events on Sunday. Sophomore Cheryl Terrio won the pole vault event for the first time this season, boasting a personal-best height of 12 feet, 4 inches. Sophomore Kemesha Whitmire was also victorious in the triple jump field with a length of 40 feet, 1.5 inches. --—-1 Men’s CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 the emotional center of the team. Offensively, Carolina will have to improve its shooting percentage if it hopes to keep up with Vandy’s offense; The Gamecocks will look to Powell, who has scored in dou ble-digits every game this season, to put up points in the paint and guards Mike Boynton and Josh SEC Standings All statistics are current as of Jan. 28,2004. EASTERN CONF. OVERALL South Carolina 4-1_17-2 Kentucky_3-1 13-2 Florida 4-2 13-4 Vanderbilt 2-3 13-3 Tennessee2-310-5 Georgia 1-4 9-7 WESTERN CONF. OVERALL Mississippi State 5-1_16-1 Alabama _3-3_11-6 Louisiana State 2-3 12-4 Pie Miss 2-3 10-6 Auburn 2-4 11-6 Arkansas 2-4 10-7 Gonner to hit shots outside the key. A week before the LSU game, the team shot the lights out, hit ting 64 percent of their attempts. Coming off the bench for the Gamecocks, senior center Rolando Howell and freshman forward Renaldo Balkman could play large roles in the game. Howell has the size to dominate the boards on both ends. Balkman has been the team’s energy reserve and seems to al ways come up with the big play. Historically, Carolina has the advantage, as it leads the series 17 15, including a 9-7 record at Vandy. The Gamecocks also won the last time the two teams played in a convincing 12-point win. Wednesday’s game could be a springboard for USC. With 11 games remaining in the season, head coach Dave Odom’s team will, in five games, face four oppo nents that were ranked at one time during the season. Winning on the road against Vanderbilt will not only go a long way in com peting for the SEC East title but also in gaining confidence and si lencing the critics. USC will tipoff against Vanderbilt at 8 p.rn. at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocksporis@gwm.sc.edu ■a i 1111 "" I Louisville head coach begins treatment for pain problems BY CHRIS DUNCAN TIIK A-SKUCIATKO I'liKSS LOUISVILLE, KY. - Rick Pitino arrived at a clinic Tuesday to be gin treatment for severe pain that forced him to take an indefinite leave from his Louisville coach ing job. The 51-year-old coach request ed that no other information about his condition be released to the media, Cleveland Clinic spokeswoman Marion Moseley said. “I’m a very positive person,” Pitino said Monday. “We’re go ing to hope for the best in every situation.” Pitino said his undetermined condition has caused him pain for months. He did not know how many games he’d miss but hoped to return before the end of the season. He said the pain was “urologi cal related,” and doctors have ruled out prostate cancer. “Most men my age-have these types of problems. We’ll get through this in a positive way,” he said. “We’ll come back and hopefully have a good run in the tournament.” Pitino first noticed the pain in his left side during a golf outing late last summer. Doctors at Louisville’s Jewish Hospital first treated it as a muscle tear, but' when it didn’t heal, they began looking for another cause., “It’s gotten to the point where It’s gotten a little too painful to lead the type of coaching lifestyle I lead,” Pitino said. “We’ll take it from there.” This season-had already been emotionally draining for Pitino. He’s dealt with the deaths of a for mer player, his mother’s care taker and his former nanny’s 3 month-old daughter. In December, sophomore for ward Francisco Garcia’s brother was shot and killed in New York and senior forward Ellis Myles’ father died in California. Myles is redshirting this season. In 2001, Pitino lost two broth-. ers-in-law—one in a car accident and another in the Sept. 11 ter rorist attacks on the-World Trade Center. “All of us have been through a lot, and they know how fo react positively,” Pitino said of his team. Pitino’s announcement came the same day the Cardinals (15-1) reached No. 4 in The Associated Press Top 25, their highest rank ing of the season. Louisville had won 15 consecutive games head ing into Wednesday’s home game with Houston. The Cardinals defeated Tennessee 65-62 in Knoxville on Sunday night. Pitino said when he returned home early.Monday morning, the discomfort was un bearable. “I have been in excruciating pain the last three or four games,” Pitino said. “It’s getting worse day by day.” Kevin Willard, Pitino’s top as sistant, will coach the team in Pitino’s absence. Willard was ar rested Jan. 18 and pleaded guilty two days later to driving under the influence of alcohol. Pitino said he disciplined Willard internally alter his arrest. He had no reservations about turning the team over to Willard, who also worked as Pitino’s assis tant with the Boston Celtics. “My confidence level in him is off the charts,” Pitino said. -Pitino wasn’t the only key member of the team expected to miss Wednesday’s game. He said Garcia, the team’s leading scor er, was doubtful with an injured ankle, and sophomore Taquan Dean, the team’s top three-point shooter, will siPout with a groin injury. “It’s up to our players, the rest of them, to rise to the occasion,” Pitino said. Two years ago, Pitino spent a night in a hospital undergoing tests for an undisclosed illness. He said at the time tests revealed nothing seriously wrong, and he was quickly back on the side lines. Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, Pitino’s assistant at Kentucky from 1989-91, called Pitino “a spe cial person” during his weekly 1 radio show Monday night. Pitino, who won a national Championship with Kentucky in 1996 and led Providence to the Final Four in 1987, is among the top 10 active college coaches in winning percentage. He arrived in Louisville in March 2001 after 3.1/2 disap pointing seasons in the NBA with the Celtics. He succeeded retired •Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum at Louisville. Interested in taking The Gamecock Challenge? If you can beat the editors, you'll win a free Gamecock T-shirt. Send your picks to gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu by 2 p.m. Thursday. We’ll select ONE person’s picks, at random, to be our reader of the week. This week’s games: IUPUI at Centenary 22 Florida at Tennessee 13 Texas Tech at 18 Okla. St. 11 Miss. State at Auburn 1 Duke at 14 Georgia Tech Arkansas at Georgia 12 UNC at Clemson LSU at Alabama 5 Kentucky at Vanderbilt 24 USC at Ole Miss ♦ FOR TIE-BREAKING PURPOSES, PLEASE INCLUDE Y3UR SCORE FOR THE USC OLE MISS GAME. AND DON'T FORGET YOUR NAME! Columbia’s Adult Soccer League is now registering teams or individuals for the Spring '04 season. Registration deadline is February 3rd. Call 781-6468 or email columbiasoccer@aol.com. v > Gamecock Baseball Bash . i When: January 31,2004 Where: Sarge Frye Field Q 1:15 pm. Scrimmage Q 3:45 pm. CWS Pennant Presentation Q 3:50 pm. Bulls Eye Competition © 4:05 pm. Celebrity Softball Contest Q.) 4:20 pm. Home Run Derby Q) 4:45 pm. Autographs / Video Presentation (which will be held at the Indoor Practice Facility) FREE FOR ALL STUDENTS Come out and support your ranked Gamecocks! Sponsored by the Student Gamecock Club • * V V f