Pearl receives Rupp Award as coach of year

After leading the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team to its first No. 1 ranking in program history, Vols coach Burce Pearl was awarded the Adolph Rupp Cup as the national coach of the year, as picked by a national selection committee of more than 40 present and retired sports writers, coaches, broadcasters and administrators.

North Carolina All-American Tyler Hansbrough won the Rupp Award as player of the year, joining other former winners such as Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and last year’s winner Kevin Durant. Hansbrough was joined on the Rupp All-American team by Kansas State forward Michael Beasley, Texas guard D.J. Augustin, Indiana forward D.J. White and UCLA center Kevin Love.

In other news from San Antonio — the site of this weekend’s Final Four — Tennessee guard Chris Lofton was the runner-up in the 3-point contest during the NCAA skills competition Thursday night.