Survivors: Anderson and Capel still standing

Jeff Capel

Mike Anderson

 Survivors
Anderson and Capel still standing

By Kenneth Miller
Sentinel Managing Editor

The two sweetest of the sixteen coaches still alive for a shot at the men's NCAA basketball championship are Missouri's Mike Anderson and Oklahoma's Jeff Capel in the West and Midwest regions, respectively.
Anderson and Capel are the only two African American coaches remaining in the tournament and this week and are each three victories from meeting each other for the National title on Monday April 6 in Detroit.
Don't laugh now, but the prospects of them colliding in the title game is not as far fetch as you might think.
Missouri defeated both Cornell and then Marquette to advance to the round of 16, while Oklahoma beat Morgan St and Clemson to get a shot at Syracuse this week.
Capel knocked off two Black coaches in the Midwest in Todd Bozeman of Morgan State and Oliver Purnell of Clemson to advance.
Now Anderson Tiger will meet Memphis and Capel's Sooners will face the Orangemen.
Providing that Missouri can beat Memphis it is likely to meet Connecticut in the Elite Eight and then would have to beat Louisville, Arizona, Kansas or Michigan State.
Oklahoma will meet the Syracuse/North Carolina winner if it advances and then either Pittsburgh, Villanova, Xavier, or Duke.
No Black coach has won the NCAA title since Tubby Smith led Kentucky to the crown in 1998.
 

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