LOS ANGELES - USC junior forward Nikola Vucevic will enter the NBA draft and skip his final year of eligibility.
Vucevic announced his decision during a Friday news conference. He has already signed with an agent, ending the possibility of a return to the Trojans.
The 6-foot-10, 260-pounder was All-Pac-10, averaging a team-high 17.1 points and a conference-best 10.3 rebounds.
"It just felt like the right time for me to leave," Vucevic said. "I think I've shown a lot of things that I can do at this level and I've made improvements every year."
USC coach Kevin O'Neill, former interim Arizona coach who also coached the Toronto Raptors, said Vucevic was ready to make the jump to the NBA.
Sullinger will stay at OSU
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NEWARK, N.J. - Ohio State star Jared Sullinger says he will return to the Buckeyes next season rather than enter the NBA draft.
The 6-foot-9 Sullinger, the Big Ten freshman of the year who led Ohio State in scoring (17.1) and rebounding (10.0), made the announcement after Friday's 62-60 loss to Kentucky in the East Regional semifinals.
"I did make a decision and I'm definitely coming back next year," Sullinger said. "I need to work on a lot of things. I have to come back. I'm coming back to win."
Butler guard's true calling
Ronald Nored's singular focus these days is helping Butler to its second straight Final Four. But when the season's over, he's putting down the basketball and picking up a clipboard.
The 6-foot junior guard has started practices in his second year of coaching Team Truth - an AAU team filled with high school juniors in Indianapolis.
"It's going great. I have six guys back from my team last season," said Nored, whose role model could be Memphis coach Josh Pastner, a former Arizona assistant who also coached an AAU team in Houston.
Remember the Alamodome
San Antonio's Alamodome has hosted numerous NCAA tourneys over the years, including Kansas' last title in 2008. But its days as a favored site appear to be waning. This season's Southwest regional is the last NCAA tournament site scheduled at the Alamodome in the current cycle.
The opening of Reliant Stadium in Houston and Cowboys Stadium in Arlington have given the 18-year-old Alamodome stiff competition in Texas. Reliant is the home of this year's Final Four.
Short stuff
Coach Billy Donovan admits he had some second-thoughts about recruiting Erving Walker.
Florida's diminutive point guard stands only 5-foot-8 and when Donovan first saw him play at a camp, he was just 5-foot-4.
"I was like, you've got to be kidding me," Donovan said.
But Donovan's glad he offered Walker a scholarship. He's averaging a team-leading 14.8 points and has 40 steals.
