Bruce Pearl has already impressed Tennessee officials, who want to extend the contract of the first-year coach. Andy Lyons/Getty Images

A day after the Vols' 75-67 win over Kentucky, Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton said he's committed to doing whatever it takes to keep first-year coach Bruce Pearl around long term. Hamilton said there have already been conversations among UT officials aimed at sweetening Pearl's contract and making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the SEC.
-- The Tennessean

Mack Brown's success on the football field is about to fatten his wallet. The University of Texas System Board of Regents is expected to approve a raise of more than $390,000, or 18 percent, today for the football coach who led the Longhorns to a national championship. Browns' annual salary, previously $2,159,173, would climb to $2,550,000.
-- Austin American-Statesman

Has the school's dismissal of Marcus Vick changed Michael's feelings about Virginia Tech? "No. Absolutely not.
-- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Villanova's Mike Nardi may be able to return to the lineup tomorrow at DePaul after tests indicated he does not have mononucleosis. The junior shooting guard is listed as day-to-day. He missed Tuesday's Big Five victory against St. Joseph's because of tonsillitis. Nardi, who averages 12.2 points per game, is responding well to treatment, according to a Villanova spokesman.
-- Philadelphia Inquirer

Missouri coach Quin Snyder gave little indication after Tuesday's loss to Baylor that he's going to walk away from the team he has coached for seven seasons. The Tigers' six-game losing streak has prompted talk show hosts and newspaper columnists to call for Snyder's immediate firing or resignation. But there has been no indication from the athletic department that Snyder's employment will be re-evaluated before the end of the season.
-- St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Pete Carroll did not waste time. Ten minutes after Nick Holt announced that he was leaving Idaho to become the St. Louis Rams' defensive line coach, Carroll asked an assistant for Holt's phone number and called the former Trojan assistant. "The competition was on," Carroll said. Carroll's decision to hire Holt as defensive coordinator is expected to be completed today when Holt visits USC.
-- Los Angeles Times

Former Texas quarterback Vince Young has been tapped by TNT to be the week-long host of TNT OverTime All-Star '06 -- programming shown on a broadband channel at NBA.com beginning Monday. Young will serve as a tour guide of his native Houston, report from the NBA All-Star events and give behind-the-scenes reports from parties, including Alonzo Mourning and Magic Johnson's 8-Ball Tournament.
-- Dallas Morning News

Plans already were in place for Lefty Driesell to be honored along with Maryland coach Gary Williams the first time the Terps played at home after Williams surpassed him as Maryland's all-time leader in men's basketball coaching victories. It will happen in a ceremony before Saturday's Duke game, with Driesell symbolically passing the torch to Williams.
-- Baltimore Sun

Sick of losing and bickering, the Georgia Tech team held a players-only meeting -- even before learning that coach Paul Hewitt is changing three starters tonight at Florida State to try to avoid the school's first eight-game losing streak since 1980-81.
-- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

USC coach Tim Floyd said freshman shooting guard Sead Odzic probably would replace injured guard Gabe Pruitt in the starting lineup tonight when USC plays No. 21 Washington. One option for the Trojans would be to try the Kobe Bryant approach, with Nick Young taking 20 or so shots per game. A more likely scenario would involve incorporating a wider variety of players such as Sead Odzic, Dwayne Shackleford and Keith Wilkinson.
-- Los Angeles Times

Two days after he suffered a slight concussion in Cincinnati's victory against Louisville, Bearcats forward Eric Hicks said Wednesday he still was having slight headaches. But Hicks said he passed a post-concussion impact test to check his memory and reflexes, and that he'll be available to play Sunday when the Bearcats play at No. 14 Pittsburgh.
-- Cincinnati Enquirer