Syracuse is out.

Orange coach Jim Boeheim can’t even whine about it after his team was dominated in the second half against Villanova.

Boeheim complained a year ago, saying his team should have gotten into the tournament despite a cupcake schedule. Now, after a loss in the first round of the Big East tourney, the Orange don't have much of a case.

Sure, Boeheim stepped up with the schedule. However, Syracuse only won two games against sure-fire NCAA tournament teams – at home against Georgetown and Marquette.

Villanova has won two of three against ‘Cuse and also has wins against UConn, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

Jay Wright’s Wildcats still may need a victory against Georgetown in the second round to secure a bid, but they have put themselves in the conversation.

PULLING FOR THE CHIEF

I have to admit that I'm pulling hard for Alabama State in the SWAC tournament.

I want Chief Kickingstallionsims to get a chance to dance.

Forget about former Boston Celtics big man. This is the real Chief.

He’s 7-foot-1 and is coming off a career performance of 22 points and six boards in a rout over Jackson State.

TENTION RECEIVES EARLY EXIT

Loyola Marymount head coach Rodney Tention was fired on Wednesday after just three years.

He was also one last-second layup against Gonzaga away from going to the NCAA tournament in his first season.

It's an unwritten rule that a coach gets four years. However, these days there are no rules with athletic directors.

BENNETT’S COUGARS QUIETLY ENTER POSTSEASON

Washington State coach Tony Bennett doesn’t like attention.

He doesn’t want to talk about the job speculation with him headed to Bloomington, Ind., or anywhere else for that matter.

Sure, he would have loved for his Cougars to have competed for the Pac-10 regular-season title. Bennett is all about putting it into perspective.

"It’s the first time we’ll get into back-to-back NCAA tournaments in the history of the program," Bennett said.

Bennett said this year’s edition is more balanced than the team that shocked everyone with its success a year ago. They don’t have athletic forward Ivory Clark, but Washington State does boast experience – and in particular, postseason experience.

"We’re more battle-tested,” Bennett said. “Playing a season with a bull's-eye on your back prepares you for a situation that you’re going to face,”

NO NOLAN

Schools aren’t waiting in line to hire Nolan Richardson.

Richardson said he’s taken himself out of the mix for the vacancy at Arkansas State. Richardson hasn’t coached in college since 2002, when he was fired by Arkansas.

Richardson said he’s “looking for that fit,” but he’s 66 years old and can’t afford to be picky.

GOING, GOING GONZO

Plenty of coaches play nice publicly, but behind closed doors, they express their disdain for one another.

Now it’s clear how much Seton Hall’s Bobby Gonzalez and Rutgers head man Fred Hill dislike each other.

The pair looked like a pair of teenagers after Rutgers knocked off Seton Hall 64-61, forcing Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese to take notice with a statement.

“I’m embarrassed about what happened Sunday. I was embarrassed for our conference, our coaches and our schools,” Tranghese said. “It’s not going to happen again.”

I received some flak for writing that Gonzalez, according to sources, took a swing at one of his assistant coaches a few weeks back at halftime.

Maybe it happened. Maybe it didn’t.

However, Gonzalez is clearly capable. There are plenty of stories behind the scenes that involve Gonzo – and then you’ve got the evidence of him charging onto the court after a referee following Rutgers’ game-winning trifecta at the buzzer.

Jim Calhoun admitted he won’t be playing a “Jim Boeheim” schedule this season.

``That’s when you don’t leave your home gym,” said the UConn head coach, who was taking a friendly jab at the Syracuse coach while promoting the Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase on Tuesday.

Calhoun’s Huskies jumped out to an 11-0 start a year ago with an early season slate that included the first 11 at home.

``We thought we were good,” he said. “Then we had to play the Big East and life changes quickly.”

This season Calhoun is going with arguably his most potent non-conference slate since he took over in Storrs two decades ago.

The Huskies will open the season in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, where they could face Memphis, Kentucky or Oklahoma in New York. They also play Gonzaga on Dec. 1 in the Hall of Fame Showcase, a doubleheader which also includes a Boston College-Providence matchup. Calhoun’s team will also travel to Indiana (Jan. 26) and Central Florida (Dec. 28) and play at home against Georgia Tech on Feb. 9.

``I fully expect us to be able to compete,” Calhoun said. “We’ll know early.”

GIANNINI EXPLORING

La Salle coach John Giannini has high praise for transfer Vernon Goodridge.

Giannini was a young assistant on the 1989 Illinois team that featured Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson and four other players who went on to make money playing basketball.

``Vernon is absolutely as physically gifted as anyone on that team or anyone we played against,” Giannini said. “He definitely has NBA talent, but he’ll be the first one to tell you he was a little lazy.”

The Explorers won’t have the athletic 6-foot-9 big man this season, since he’s sitting out after transferring in from Mississippi State.

However, La Salle should be a much-improved team now that Rodney Green, Kimmani Barrett, Yves Mekongo Mbala and Ruben Guillandeaux all have a year under their belt.

Five of the team’s top seven players a year ago were freshman.

``I was talking about underage drinking and I asked our guys how many of them were over 21,” Giannini said. “Only two of them raised their hands.”

Giannini put an end to La Salle’s streak of 15 consecutive seasons in a row in which they have finished under .500 in conference play two seasons ago, but took a step back last year due to youth and inexperience.

``Last year we weren’t very good, but we lost 3,000 points from the year before,” Giannini said. “This year we’re hoping to be solid and next year we’re hoping to be in the top tier.”

RANDOM NOTES: Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said that Sonny Weems should be able to practice this weekend. Weems has been out the last month with a broken left hand. … UMKC will hold Basketball Morning Madness with first-year coach Matt Brown on Monday from 6-9 a.m. The event will be broadcast live in 810 radio and a student will win free tuition for the spring semester.