National Collegiate Athletic

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, caught up in the controversy over Arizona voters' rejection of a state holiday in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was played without incident yesterday after a local civil rights group staged a protest against the game.Sun Devil Stadium was a near sellout for the game between Louisville and Alabama. Attendance was helped by the decision of a Phoenix-based airline, America West, to buy 12,000 tickets that had been returned by both schools.

The Detroit Turbos, selecting first, picked the Gait brothers, Gary and Paul, from three-time defending National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion Syracuse, as an entry in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League's draft.The Baltimore Thunder selected Brian Kroneberger from Loyola College in the first round and also drafted Vince Angotti from Cornell, Chris Gunkle from Loyola, Greg Gunning from Johns Hopkins and Joe Bonaci from Syracuse.Brian Keith from Navy and Tim Hormes from Washington College were selected by the Pittsburgh Bulls in the first round.

COLLEGE PARK -- The University of Maryland, which is playing host to the National Collegiate Athletic Association volleyball semifinals and finals Dec. 13 and 15, earned its first bid to the national tournament yesterday.The Terps (22-11) will visit seventh-ranked Texas (29-3) Friday at 7 p.m. Texas, which won the NCAA title in 1988, has been to the national semifinals three times.The 32-field team features four regions of eight teams each. Texas is the No. 1 seed in the South region, and Maryland is the region's No. 8 seed.

EMMITSBURG -- Not even low-key Jim Phelan could downplay the magnitude of this occasion.He was honored before the game, after the game and at almost every step he took around Knott Arena last night.Phelan is a legend in this town, and, after 37 years, 683 victories and 1,000 games, he deserves the admiration.Phelan became only the 10th coach in National CollegiateAthletic Association history to reach 1,000 games, guiding Mount St. Mary's to a 73-67 victory over Wagner before 2,875 at Knott Arena.

The Towson State lacrosse team is in an all-too-familiar position. The Tigers (5-2) have a superior record but are worrying whether they will get into the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I tournament.Coach Carl Runk's TSU team has been the target of snubs from the "Lords of Lacrosse," the committee that selects the 12-team tournament field, in six of the past seven seasons. Last year the Tigers were 11-2 and did not get into the tournament.This season, Towson, which is ranked No. 9 in The Sun's poll, has lost to Loyola and Maryland, but Runk believes that his team must be impressive in its last four regular-season games to make LTC the tournament.

University of Maryland athletic director Andy Geiger said yesterday that the university is prepared to be a host team in the opening round game in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I tournament if the Terps are awarded a game tomorrow.The selection committee will meet tomorrow afternoon and pick 12 teams. Maryland is ranked No. 7 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, and there is a good chance the Terps (8-4) could be host to Towson State (8-3)

THERE WERE no rules for Bobby Knight. The Hall of Fame basketball coach could get away with anything at Indiana University and remain untouchable. He could toss chairs, punch a sports information director or overreact to stupid questions from sportswriters with barrages of profanity. He could do all of this with impunity. These transgressions were minor matters to Indiana University officials. What mattered most to them were National Collegiate Athletic Association trophies and dollars.

INDIANAPOLIS -- There were times during Billy McCaffrey's sophomore year at Duke when many wondered whether he was ever going to be a front-line player.Some compared the slender guard from Allentown, Pa., to senior Greg Koubek, who after a terrific freshman season slumped until the middle of this season. But nobody is worrying about McCaffrey anymore.By making his first six shots last night against Kansas in the championship game of the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, McCaffrey shot the Blue Devils into a 14-point lead and eventually to a 72-65 victory.

The University of Maryland (17-12) will be making its fourth successive appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I women's basketball tournament when it faces Holy Cross (24-5) Wednesday night in Worcester, Mass.Maryland (10-7) has made the postseason tournament eight times in the event's 10-year history, including two trips to the Final Four, but Holy Cross (0-2) will be trying to get past the opening round for the first time in three tries.It will be their first meeting, with the winner advancing to a Mideast Regional second-round game Sunday afternoon at third-seed Auburn University (24-5)

The University of Maryland soon will have a committee -- headed by athletic director Andy Geiger -- to coordinate and oversee campus efforts related to compliance with National Collegiate Athletic Association rules.The committee is to be composed of 17 members, including coaches, athletic department officials, campus administrators and alumni. About a half-dozen subcommittees also will be created to focus on issues such as certification and eligibility requirements, student-athlete handbook education and NCAA legislation, Geiger said yesterday.