Skip Prosser always used to tease Jamie Skeen about his braided hair, urging him to cut it by trying to convince the Wake Forest forward that those cornrows slowed him down on the court. These days, Skeen’s hair is close-cropped, as a tribute to his late coach. “When he passed away, I thought that was the least I could do for him,” Skeen said.

Five months from now, Tom O’Connor will go on national television and explain why some bubble teams made the NCAA basketball tournament while others didn’t. For many disappointed fans, he’ll be the face of the big bad organization that has their team on the way to the NIT. Given such a weighty task, he’s getting a head start on his brackets.

New Mexico swingman Tony Danridge had surgery Monday on his broken left leg, an injury he got in a pickup game last week. “The surgery went extremely well,” New Mexico coach Steve Alford said in a statement. “Tony will start rehabilitation as soon as possible. Hopefully, he will be available to us in early January.” The 6-foot-5 Danridge, a senior, was expected to be a major contributor as the Lobos…

Talk about taking one for the team. Washington State basketball player Taylor Rochestie will give up his scholarship his senior year so the Cougars can sign a highly touted recruit from Florida. Rochestie, a 6-foot-1 guard, is expected to start this season for the Cougars, who are coming off one of the best seasons in school history.

Cincinnati forward Mike Williams will miss this season after rupturing his Achilles’ tendon during workouts this week. Williams will retain two years of eligibility after sitting out this season as a medical redshirt, the school said Thursday. The 6-foot-7 forward from Camden, Ala., missed last season after transferring from Texas.

UCLA coach Ben Howland, who has guided the Bruins to consecutive Final Four appearances, has agreed to a new seven-year contract. The deal, announced Wednesday, guarantees compensation of $1.5 million for the upcoming season and increases to $2 million for the final year. Howland earned $1.2 million last season.

Marijuana was found in the on-campus apartment of Tennessee basketball player Duke Crews before he was suspended from the team, university police said. Capt. Keith Lambert said no one was in the apartment when the two small bags of marijuana were found Monday by housing personnel investigating a complaint of loud music.

Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson III signed a six-year contract extension Thursday that will keep him with the Hoyas through 2013. The Hoyas are 72-30 in three years under Thompson, including going 30-7 with a trip to the Final Four last season. It was the team’s first berth in the NCAA tournament semifinals since Thompson’s father took Georgetown that far in 1985.

Tennessee forward Duke Crews, who started 18 games as a freshman last season, has been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. “Duke is a very intelligent student-athlete but has made some poor decisions,” coach Bruce Pearl said Wednesday in a release. “It is in his, as well as the team’s, best interest that he is suspended at this time.” Pearl didn’t elaborate on the violation.

Corey Beck, a starting guard on Arkansas’ national championship team, was listed in fair condition at a hospital Wednesday, recovering from wounds after being shot during an attempted robbery. Beck and a friend were shot by two would-be robbers early Sunday. Beck, 36, and Timothy Wilkins, 35, were in a car when two men with masks and a shotgun approached them, police said.