Livengood overcomes oversight
If Jim Livengood becomes UNLV's next athletic director, he'll arrive with an impressive resume, including having served as the chairman of the NCAA men's basketball committee in 2003.
Livengood, currently the AD at Arizona, also suffered a somewhat embarrassing moment during his tenure.
Brigham Young had earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2003, and when it came time to place the Cougars in the field of 65, the committee put them in a bracket that, had they won two games, would have placed the Cougars in the San Antonio Regional, scheduled to play Friday and Sunday.
Oops. BYU does not compete on Sundays for religious reasons, and the committee had to scramble to put the Cougars in a different part of the bracket. Livengood, who graduated from BYU in 1968, acknowledged the mishap, and, in the end, it didn't matter as the Cougars lost their opening-round game to Connecticut.
"It was just human error," Livengood said at the time. "There were 32 eyes looking at it, and it didn't get caught."
• TROUBLE BREWING? -- The Sacramento Kings are starting to show progress on the court this year, posting an 8-3 home record. In the Arco Arena stands, however, the situation is dismal as ever: The Kings are next to last in the NBA in home attendance.
In an attempt to boost attendance, and give the appearance someone cares, the Kings will have Dollar Beer Night on Wednesday when they host Washington. The game will be televised on ESPN, and Sacramento doesn't want the nation to see a sea of empty seats.
Fans can purchase brews for a buck through halftime. So far, the sports book at the Palms, which like the Kings is owned by the Maloof family, hasn't put an over-under total on the number of cups hurled onto the court.
• LOPEZ WOES -- Now is not a good time to be a Lopez in the NBA. Brook Lopez, a New Jersey Nets center, was part of a historic 0-18 start. His twin brother, Robin, who plays center for the Phoenix Suns, is having a miserable season.
Robin missed the Suns' first 15 games with a broken bone in his foot. He is averaging 10 minutes since his return, and the Suns are 3-4 with him in the lineup.
His frustration apparently boiled over Wednesday when he shattered a glass door after practice. According to AOL Fanhouse, Lopez was upset his team lost a 3-on-3 game, and, as he was exiting the practice gym, he flung the door open so hard that the glass broke.
Suns coach Alvin Gentry said Lopez will have to pay to fix the door and a fine is forthcoming as well.
• HAB NOT -- It's a good bet the Montreal Canadiens will receive a major fine for playing an ineligible player Tuesday.
According to TSN.com, Ryan White was pulled in the first period of Montreal's game against Ottawa when the NHL noticed he was playing, but the Canadiens had neglected to notify the league of his recall before the daily 5 p.m. deadline.
Had the league not noticed White's presence in the game and had him pulled from the ice, it's likely the Canadiens would have had to forfeit their 4-1 victory over the Senators.
COMPILED BY STEVE CARP LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
