[Illusion]

CINCINNATI - Bob Huggins was ordered Tuesday to resign or he'll be fired as Cincinnati's basketball coach, culminating a power struggle with the school president.
In a letter sent by the university, Huggins was given 24 hours to resign, or he would be fired and get a buyout.

Huggins told ESPN's Jay Bilas that he hasn't been contacted directly on the matter.

His lawyer received a letter from the university on Tuesday afternoon with the ultimatum.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, associate head coach Andy Kennedy will be asked to replace Huggins in the interim.

The 51-year-old Huggins has won more games than any other coach at Cincinnati, but his tenure also has been marked by player arrests and NCAA rules violations that landed the school on probation.

His arrest for drunken driving last year upset new school president Nancy Zimpher. Huggins was placed on unpaid leave over the summer, but returned and coached last season, the last before Cincinnati moved into the Big East.

The school declined to invoke a roll-over provision in the contract that would have given Huggins another year. Richard Katz, Huggins' lawyer, had been talking to the school about trying to get an extension.

Katz said Tuesday that the school had refused, leaving Huggins with only two years left on his contract and a tough time persuading recruits to play for him.

"We've been discussing with them for the last six or eight weeks an extension of the contract," Katz said. "It appeared he wasn't going to be able to fulfill the remaining two years of the contract because he couldn't recruit, he was running into obstacles at the university. It would not have been appropriate for that to continue."

[Illusion]

CINCINNATI -- Bob Huggins stepped down under pressure Wednesday as Cincinnati's basketball coach, ousted by a school president determined to change the program's image.
One day after Huggins was given an ultimatum of resigning or being fired, Huggins' attorney, Richard Katz, said a tentative agreement had been reached for him to leave the job. Katz said details were still being worked out on Huggins' compensation.

President Nancy Zimpher wants the program to recruit players with better grades and an aversion to trouble. She also wants her coaches to be better role models.

Huggins' arrest and conviction for drunken driving last year dismayed Zimpher, a strong-willed administrator who wound up in a power struggle with the strong-willed coach. She refused to extend his contract last May, setting the stage for the 51-year-old coach's dismissal.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, associate head coach Andy Kennedy will be asked to replace Huggins in the interim.

During Huggins' 16-year stay at Cincinnati, the Bearcats made the Final Four and were ranked No. 1 nationally for the first time in 34 years. They also developed a history of player arrests and violations that resulted in an NCAA probation in 1998 and a hoodlum image nationally. In the 1990s, the Bearcats had one of the lowest graduation rates in the nation.

After last season ended, a player was kicked off the team for having a gun on campus. An assistant coach was charged with drunken driving, but was acquitted at trial.

Huggins' forced resignation leaves the Bearcats in a bind heading into their first season of Big East play.