Marko Jaric missed Sunday evening’s game against Seattle because of what coach Randy Wittman called a thigh contusion that has bled down toward his knee. Jaric played six minutes in Friday’s loss at Cleveland after injuring the thigh on Wednesday in Toronto.

Jaric and Antoine Walker, recovered from Saturday’s bout with the flu, both sat in street clothes a row behind the Wolves’ bench.

Proud Papa

Randy Wittman had to get himself fired up for his second big game in less than 24 hours when his Wolves played Seattle Sunday evening at Target Center. On Saturday night, Wittman waited in Eden Prairie for word that his son, Ryan, had won his way to the NCAA Tournament by leading his Cornell team to the Ivy League championship fand an automatic tournament bid for the first time in 20 years with a big victory over Harvard.

Wittman’s wife, Kathy, was there to watch the fans storm the floor in celebration. Wittman, who played on Indiana’s 1981 NCAA championship team, worried from afar.

“That was a big night for him,” he said. “You don’t have that chance a lot of times. I’m really proud he’s going to experience what I experienced. Playing in the NCAA tournament is one of the greatest experiences there is.”

Wittman hopes to slip away to see his son play his first-round game if the brackets break right and Cornell plays a high seed on the opening Thursday, the day before the Wolves play at Indiana.

“I don’t care who they play,” he said.

The Rocket

Chris Richard, supposedly one of the reasons the Wolves bought out Theo Ratliff’s contract, got some real playing time in the second quarter Sunday. Maybe someday they’ll pronounce his surname correctly when he visits other arenas.

At least once Friday, the Quicken Loans Arena announcer introduced him as “Ree-shard,” like a great French-Canadian hockey player.

“I’d think that’s one of the simplest names there is,” he said. “Maybe we need to put how to pronounce it into the media guide.”

Contested

Once seemingly a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year, Seattle’s Kevin Durant, the second overall draft pick last summer, is being given a late-season challenge by Atlanta’s Al Horford.

“It’s going to be close,” said Wittman, who gives Horford the edge if he helps lead the Hawks into the playoffs.

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