I apologize for the late post this morning, but I had to check out a kindergarten for my daughter.

Oklahoma State had a big, fat wallet - and they came away with Travis Ford?  Are you serious.

This is what happens when you let a golf coach run your men's basketball search.

Ford spent three seasons at UMass and leaves with a 62-35 record and a berth in the NIT title game this past season. However, he didn't get the Minutemen to the NCAA tournament.

It's almost as if a deep NIT run is more valuable than bowing out in the first round of the NCAA tournament these days.

Remember, Ford came to UMass after five seasons at Eastern Kentucky in which he was nearly 20 games under the .500 mark. The first four years were of the losing variety before he went 22-9 in 2004-05 and wound up getting the UMass gig.

I'm not saying that Ford is a bad coach. Actually, I think he did a terrific job this season at UMass. However, Oklahoma State AD Mike Holder should have done better with the hefty paycheck he had at his disposal.

Go after Tim Floyd, Sean Miller, Kevin Stallings, Bo Ryan, Lon Kruger, etc.

Because for that money, you should be able to get a proven NCAA tournament coach.

RANDOM NOTES: Purdue coach Matt Painter has hired Southern Illinois assistant Jack Owens to take the place of Cuonzo Martin, who got the head gig at Missouri State. ... Another name that has been tossed around for the UMass opening is that of Hartford head coach Dan Leibovitz. He has 10 years in the A-10 as an assistant at Temple and led the Hawks to a school-record 18 victories last season and the program's first-ever appearance in the America East title game. ... By the way, word is that Travis Ford was waffling and distraught regarding his decision to go to Oklahoma State last night. That $1.3 million or so per season in Stillwater, Okla., should make him feel much better. ... Maryland signed scoring guard Tyree Evans out of Motlow State Community College. That means that former Oklahoma point guard Bobby Maze, who had committed to the Terps, is available.