Okay, have to admit I didn’t see this coming.

Arizona State plans to introduce Herb Sendek as its next basketball coach within a couple of days in a move that Saturday surprised nearly everybody at ASU and North Carolina State.

An announcement is not expected today. The agreement happened so quickly that, among other things, both parties need time to put the finishing legalese on the formal contract before signing it.

However, Sendek could be in Tempe for a news conference on Monday, according to several ASU officials, who confirmed a CBS report between Final Four games at Indianapolis that Sendek was leaving North Carolina State for ASU.
…
According to media reports in the North Carolina cities of Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte, Sendek agreed to a five-year deal worth more than $1 million a year.

A couple of reports put the annual salary at $1.3 million, which is more than twice the $600,000 a year Evans earned.

Sendek was under contract at North Carolina State through the 2009-2010 season at a reported $750,000 to $800,000 a year.

Sendek is a surprise, in part because Love said at the outset of the lengthy search that she would prefer a coach with links to the West, which she said would be important for recruiting.

I guess if she couldn’t hire Pitt’s coach, she went with a guy from Pittsburgh. Despite having a decent looking record at NC St. and apparent support from the administration, there wasn’t a great deal of fan and alumni support for Sendek. Traceable for a few reasons. He played a less than exciting style of basketball, he was dull as dirt with the media and public, and he has an 0-6 record against UNC since Roy Williams took over there and 3-21 versus Duke. For NC St. reactions and to follow what happens next (if you care) you can check out Section Six — unsure right now as to his feelings — and State Fans Nation — a little less subtle.

Missouri partisans actually believe they were a major factor in Coach Jamie Dixon getting the bigger and better deal from Pitt.

Before offering the job to Anderson, Missouri athletics director Mike Alden had a lengthy meeting with Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon and made a pitch, but Dixon decided to leverage Mizzou’s interest and sweeten his deal at Pitt.

Arizona State’s actual offer was irrelevant. It was Mizzou influence that did it. The sky must be very pretty in that world.

Now for what is up with Seton Hall? One columnist just doesn’t understand why Bobby Gonzalez hasn’t been hired — by anyone?

Administrators at major programs keep shuddering at the thought of hiring Manhattan’s Bobby Gonzalez to lead their program. Their fears are ridiculous. Gonzalez should have had a big-time job a couple of years ago, and maybe Seton Hall will come to its senses and make the logical choice by hiring the Buffalo State graduate as its replacement for Louis Orr.
…
New Seton Hall Athletics Director Joe Quinlan, a former assistant at St. Bonaventure, is trying to make this choice and deal with his school’s administration. Hall officials are reportedly skittish about Gonzalez’s fiery personality, and some higher-ups are holding an incident against him from 2003, when Gonzalez confronted Seton Hall students in the Meadowlands during a game against Manhattan. Memo to Hall higher-ups: Gonzalez was defending his players after racial epithets came from your student section.

Apparently Bob McKillop from Davidson and Tim O’Shea of Ohio did fine in their interviews.

Seton Hall first-year athletic director Joe Quinlan interviewed Davidson’s Bob McKillop before the national semifinals tipped off last night in Indianapolis, The Post has learned.

McKillop, 55, a Long Island native who led the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament for the third time this season, is the fourth candidate to formally interview with the Big East school, joining Pitt assistant Barry Rohrssen, Manhattan’s Bobby Gonzalez and Ohio’s Tim O’Shea.

Actually, reports are that Rohrssen may be down on the list now.

It also appears that Pittsburgh assistant Barry Rohrssen, who met with Quinlan on Monday, is no longer a top candidate. His lack of head coaching experience seems to be the biggest issue.

Given former St. John’s coach and present ESPN talking head, Fran Fraschilla’s interest in the Fairfield job, it’s starting to look like Pitt will be able to keep Associate Head Coach Rohrssen for another year.

Ever break-up with a girl for maybe just a few days or even a couple of weeks? Then after you get back together with her, you find out there was this other girl that was interested. No matter how happy you are to be back with the old girlfriend and however sure you are that it was the right move, there’s always that little part of you wondering, “what if..?”

Bucknell and head men’s basketball coach Pat Flannery have come to terms on a contract extension that runs through the 2011 season and more fully funds the program’s budget and the salaries of his three assistants.
…
That sort of success got Flannery attention from other schools. Pittsburgh was known to have been eyeing Flannery as a candidate had coach Jamie Dixon migrated to another job, namely Arizona State or Missouri. But Missouri signed UAB’s Mike Anderson and Dixon turned down a $900,000 offer from ASU. Dixon was subsequently re-upped by Pitt.
…
Flannery, a 1980 Bucknell grad who just completed his 12th season at BU, was asked if he would have considered interviews from other corners:

“Absolutely,” he said. “I learned from a couple years ago that you never say never. But I’m very happy with what the administration has done now and we really have a good framework in place. And I think we’re going to keep [the staff] intact.”

While most of middle-Illinois were mourning the loss of the Illini from the Tournament, they also found a Pitt fan stuck in Bloomington, Illinois not enjoying life after Bradley.

Hilgenbrinck’s friend, Jonathan Titzel of Bloomington, said he was let down by his hometown Pitt Panthers, who lost to Bradley in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.

Still, Titzel said he’ll be watching every minute of the Final Four. But he isn’t enamored with the Cinderella story of George Mason.

“They’re pretty lucky,” said Titzel. “Their coach said this is his first time making the tournament, let alone winning it all. They’re pretty fortunate. They have some athletes, but they’re pretty fortunate.”

Not too bitter.

Seton Hall’s AD has been talking to other candidates while in Indy for the Final Four as expected. It also appears that Manhattan’s Bobby Gonzalez will have a second interview this weekend.

Gonzalez and Pitt assistant Barry Rohrssen are the clear favorites for the job opening created by Louis Orr’s firing last week. Gonzalez first met with university officials Wednesday. The Big East school is said to be weighing the pros and cons associated with the usually outspoken Gonzalez. In 2003, for instance, after a win over Seton Hall, he allegedly traded profanities with Pirates fans.

In seven seasons, Gonzalez, the MAAC coach of the year, has been to two NCAA tournaments. This year, despite losing sophomore C.J. Anderson, his top player, for a semester due to academic ineligibility, the Jaspers won the MAAC regular-season title and two NIT games.
…
Quinlan interviewed Ohio University’s Tim O’Shea in Indy yesterday, according to a source. O’Shea, a former Boston College assistant, is attractive because of his Big East ties, but he clearly is a fallback option.

Davidson’s Bob McKillop, a Long Island native, also is expected to talk with Quinlan this weekend.

Gonzalez must have some interesting personality quirks. It really seems like he is the most obvious and best qualified candidate.

CollegeFootballNews.com decided to countdown the “100 Greatest Finishes” in college football. Their parameters were this:

1. These are the greatest finishes, not the greatest games. With few exceptions, the finish means the final play, final drive, or some other wild series of events to end a game. A good fourth quarter of a classic game doesn’t necessarily count as a great finish.
2. The better, bigger and more significant the game, the more important the finish.
3. How memorable was it? It might not have been meaningful to determining a national champion, but it might have been one of the signature moments in college football history.

You end up seeing a lot of Michigan and Notre Dame in the list.

Pitt ends up on the list twice for a win and a loss. At #85 for the 17-14 loss to WVU in 1975. And at #35 for the 24-20 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, 1982.