UCLA fires Howland after early tourney exit

UCLA fired Ben Howland on Sunday night after 10 seasons as coach, which included three Final Four appearances but culminated with another early-round exit from the NCAA Tournament.

Athletic director Dan Guerrero told Howland he was out.

Howland had a 233-107 record in Westwood, including three consecutive Final Four appearances from 2006 to 2008. The Bruins also won four Pacific-12 Conference championships, including this season.

The Bruins' season ended Friday with an 83-63 loss to Minnesota in the first round.

"I have been blessed with the opportunity to coach at UCLA for 10 years," Howland said in a statement through the university. "The UCLA community and fans have been unbelievable to my family and I, and it's been an honor and privilege to represent this great institution. I look forward to what comes next."

Howland had two years left on his contract that included a $2.3 million buyout.

The season opened with star recruits Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson under investigation by the NCAA.

Muhammad missed the first three games and had to repay $1,600 in impermissible benefits after the NCAA and UCLA found he accepted travel and lodging during three unofficial visits to Duke and North Carolina. Anderson was cleared to play after being investigated for potential recruiting violations.

Those were just some of the problems that roiled the program during the season.

But the Bruins rallied to win the Pac-12 regular-season title, then lost to Oregon in the tournament title game playing without freshman Jordan Adams, who broke his foot in the semifinals. His absence hurt the Bruins in their loss to Minnesota.

Flagrant fouls

The NCAA is putting an emphasis on calling flagrant fouls.

That's become evident during the tournament, as officials have huddled around TV monitors in seemingly most games.

The NCAA changed its rules in 2011 to add Flagrant 1 and Flagrant 2 fouls to replace its previous rules on intentional and flagrant fouls.

Criticism over the calls during the tournament has stemmed largely from flagrant fouls against offensive players.

Creighton's Doug McDermott was called for elbowing Cincinnati's Shaquille Thomas in the face while trying to escape a trap, and Pittsburgh's Lamar Patterson was called for one after hitting Wichita State's Ron Baker in the face on a drive to the basket.

And this is just the first weekend. The flagrant fouls are sure to continue as the tournament progresses.

NIT win for Virginia

Justin Anderson scored a career-high 18 points and Virginia extended its home winning streak to 19 games with a 68-50 victory against St. John's in Charlottesville, Va., in the second round of the NIT.

Fellow freshman Taylor Barnette scored a career-high 13 points for Virginia.

– Associated Press

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