UTEP to play Kentucky for 50th anniversary of '66 game on Martin Luther King Day: Report

In 2016, it will mark 50 years since Kentucky lost to Texas Western in the 1966 men's national championship game, a game now viewed as one of the most significant in college basketball history.

That game blew away one facet of racial prejudice that contended that an all-black lineup could not win at the highest level. Then-Texas Western (now The University of Texas-El Paso) coach Don Haskins used only black players in the victory over all-white Kentucky.

Current UTEP head coach Tim Floyd said Wednesday afternoon the two schools were working on a plan to honor that milestone victory and mark the 50th anniversary of the classic match-up by meeting once again on Martin Luther King Day in 2016.

UTEP coach Tim Floyd just announced Miners will play Kentucky in rematch of 66 game in 2016 possibly at Maryland on Martin Luther King Day.
— Darren Hunt (@dhuntabc7) October 23, 2013

According to Floyd, the teams are hoping to schedule the game at Maryland, the site of the 1966 game.

This is sports history that deserves such a tribute.

Maryland and Rutgers may join Big Ten conference says report

Pick a conference, any conference.  That seems to be the all too common practice in NCAA sports these days and it looks like another shakeup could move two more teams to the Big Ten — Maryland and Rutgers.

According to an ESPN report, Maryland is in "serious negotiations" to join the Big Ten conference.  If it does, then Rutgers would follow suit, says the report.

The announcement could come as soon as Monday.

The only hurdle would be is Maryland's $50 million exit fee from the ACC.  The exit price for Rutgers would be only $10 million to leave the Big East and a 27 month waiting period.  However, that waiting period has been waived for West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse after they paid higher fees.

The source told ESPN:

The Big Ten has been itchy about further expansion since Notre Dame made its official move to the ACC two months ago in all sports other than football.  The source said the Big Ten can justify Maryland and then possibly Rutgers since they are all contiguous states to the Big Ten footprint.

Rutgers — a charter member of the Big East — would be the sixth school to leave the conference in the past year.