Sooners’ Kruger retires after 35 years

Led five teams to tournament wins

Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger announced his retirement Thursday, ending a 35year career that included taking five schools to the NCAA tournament — with two of them reaching the Final Four — and more than 650 career wins.

Kruger, 68, led Florida to the national semifinals in 1994 and Oklahoma to the same spot in 2016. He is the only coach to lead five programs to NCAA tournament wins — Oklahoma, Kansas State, Florida, Illinois and UNLV.

At 674- 432, he leaves ranked 10th among active coaches in wins and 27th overall. He led the Sooners to a 195-128 record in 10 years and reached seven of the past eight NCAA tournaments.

Coach, foe connected

Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle has a strong connection to his team’s Sweet 16 opponent, Loyola Chicago.

Tinkle’s father, Wayne Tinkle Sr., was the dean of students at Loyola Chicago and he would often go to work with him in the mornings.

“I grew up on their campus,” Tinkle said. “Some of my most fond memories were in the summer, going to his office at Water Tower Place.”

The youngest of 11 children, Tinkle grew up in Chicago, attending Ramblers and Chicago Cubs games before moving to Spokane, Washington.

Tinkle said he prayed his team would get matched up in the NCAA tournament and it was answered when the 12th-seeded Beavers beat Oklahoma State and the No. 8 Ramblers took out No. 1 Illinois.

“Coach [Porter] Moser is doing a great job and they’re a hell of a team, but this is really going to mean something extra special for me and my family,” Tinkle said.

Keeping busy

The longer teams remain in the NCAA tournament, the more monotonous the days become as they try to avoid COVID-19 infections that could spoil their entire stay. Most of the days are spent at practice or in the hotel, but coaches have set up excursions to keep their spirits up while they wait. Teams are allowed access to a minor league ballpark near the convention center, where cornhole games, badminton and pickleball courts have been set up, along with soccer ball and footballs in open spaces to allow social distancing.

Guard turning pro

Dynamic 5-foot-7 Miami Hurricanes guard Chris Lykes has decided to turn pro after a senior season limited to two games because of an ankle injury. Lykes’ size makes him a long shot for the NBA, but led Miami in scoring as a sophomore and junior.

Colonials guard on slate

Robert Morris guard Jon Williams was selected to take part in the 32nd annual slam dunk and 3-point championships, which will be held 9 p.m. Thursday at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis. Williams is one of eight players that will compete in the 3-point championship, which can be seen live on ESPN2.

NIT

D.J. Stewart Jr. made a 3pointer with two seconds remaining to lead Mississippi State to a 68-67 victory over Richmond in the quarterfinals in Denton, Texas. ... Isaiah Stevens had 18 points as Colorado State narrowly beat N.C. State, 65-61, in Frisco.