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Daily Bullets (March 19)

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Beware the Ides of March

So here’s the deal.

Here’s what happened. Underwood and Holder had preliminary discussions a few weeks ago, but an OSU source said that Underwood discovered that both Illinois and Missouri were interested in talking, giving him more negotiating leverage.

Last Monday, the day after the Cowboys were assigned to Indianapolis for a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Michigan, Holder and Underwood met. The OSU source said Holder offered $2.2 million per year and would get Underwood to $3 million after five seasons. The Big 12 average is $2.9 million for a head coach. But Underwood said he wanted $2.9 million now and would prefer $3 million.

Travis Ford, fired a year ago after eight seasons as OSU’s coach, was making $2.4 million a year, the residual of a 10-year contract he signed after his first season, in which the Cowboys made the NCAA Tournament and beat Tennessee in a first-round game. [NewsOK]

Underwood skipped a Thursday meeting with Holder in Indy then came back on Saturday and turned in his resignation. It’s big egos and big money: Underwood saw a chance to make $800k more a year and hopped on it. There’s always more than meets the eye and it’s fair to speculate that Underwood and Holder probably didn’t have a weekly round out at Karsten.

There is blame on both sides. Holder bungled the contract upgrade with Underwood. But Underwood, too, wasn’t the man we thought he was. Holder, an excellent AD in many areas, like vision and goals, can fall short in the people category. Underwood, who signed on for the Big 12’s lowest basketball salary and spoke of the all right things in his 362 days on the job, ended up liking cold hard cash as much as the next coach.

“I thought I had a good enough relationship with him that we were going to work it out and ultimately he would be the basketball coach here for a long time,” Holder said Saturday night. “I was surprised. Perhaps I didn’t have as good a relationship with him as I thought.” [NewsOK]

Decisions, Decisions

Whether you’re Pro-Doug, Team New AD, Underwood was fake or everything at once, here’s where we are: single and ready to mingle.

 When Holder defines Underwood as having been “kind of a dream come true,” the athletic director defines his next project as daunting.

As the man of the moment in Stillwater, Holder shoulders the pressure of sustaining the momentum generated by a coach whose resignation after one season was beyond unexpected. It was unimaginable. [TulsaWorld]

Positions all over the board are justifiable but there are recruits to appease and a significant stay-or-go decision that needs to be made.

Underwood Coverage from PFB

 

OSU and NCAA Notes

Early list of replacements from the Oklahoman….Pokes wrap up third in wrestling at the NCAAs….Underwood stuff from the Illinois angle….Good for Illinois that they found the $$$ laying around to pay Brad, doesn’t sound like there’s much laying around….Iowa State fell to Purdue yesterday, West Virginia moves on….Disheartening to hear of assault cases but Purdue handled it as you should

Hate that you and  I have to process this.  The universe has to even out at some point.

Cowboy baseball got another W on Saturday.

Cowgirl Tennis shuts out Texas

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