BRIEFLY SUIT OF EX-COACH TO TAKE AT LEAST 1 1/2 YEARS.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

The resolution of Nolan Richardson's federal lawsuit against the University of Arkansas could take at least 18 months to two years, according to one of his lawyers.

Richardson, fired as the Razorbacks' basketball coach March 1, sued three university officials this week, claiming he was discriminated against because he is black and arguing that his free-speech rights were violated. He wants to be reinstated as Arkansas' coach.

``(The university has) 20 days unless for being a state agency they get more time,'' said Allen P. Roberts, an attorney listed on the suit filed in the Eastern District of Arkansas. ``They'll file a response that pretty much says they didn't do any of the things we said they did. There will be some discovery and some sworn testimony. It won't be before anybody but the lawyers for quite some time.''

--Missouri men's basketball coach Quin Snyder, who guided the Tigers into the round of eight in last season's NCAA Tournament, agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2008. He had been signed through March 31, 2006, and the school said the deal is worth slightly more than $1 million per year the next five years.

--Cal State Northridge guard Justice Graham, suspended last week for conduct detrimental to the team, was reinstated by coach Bobby Braswell.

--Wyoming forward Marc Bailey will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, ending his career with the Cowboys.

--Texas-El Paso senior forward Roy Smallwood is out for the season with an injured knee.

COLLEGES: Minutes after being named the new athletic director at the University of Nebraska, Steve Pederson started mending fences with football fans who felt alienated by his predecessor, Bill Byrne.

``We have the greatest fans in the world at Nebraska, but I want to remind you that our historic success is the result of 1.7 million Nebraskans playing as one,'' he said.

BOXING: Vitali Klitschko will challenge Lennox Lewis for the heavyweight title in April.

Klitschko's promoter, Klaus-Peter Kohl, said the fight will take place in the United States on either April 12 or one week later, and Las Vegas is one of the possible venues.

Lewis, the WBC champion, appeared to be wavering less than a week ago between fighting Klitschko or signing up to fight for promoter Don King.

FOOTBALL: John Elway has promised to get rid of his dog if it's found wandering the streets again in Cherry Hills Village, Colo.

Elway, who went to Granada Hills High, appeared before a municipal judge Thursday after being cited last month for allowing his malamute, Kimo, to escape. It was the fifth such citation in two years for the ex-Denver Broncos quarterback.

Elway was fined $500, with $250 of it suspended as long as there are no further violations in the next year. Also, Kimo would be banished from the city if he's caught wandering loose during the same time.

HORSE RACING: Hombre Rapido set a track record for 5 1/2 furlongs in winning Hollywood Park's $46,276 feature race by 2 1/2 lengths over Teebar.

Ridden by Jose Valdivia Jr., and carrying 118 pounds, Hombre Rapido's time of 1:01 3-5 broke the Hollywood Park record of 1:02 1-5 set by Knight Prospector in 1993 and equaled by Naughty N Haughty four years later.

YACHTING: In Auckland, New Zealand, San Francisco's Oracle racing team took a step toward the final of the America's Cup challenger series then found itself facing accusations it broke Cup protocol.

Oracle might have obtained prohibited construction drawings and plans when it bought yachts belonging to the defunct San Francisco team AmericaOne after the 2000 Cup regatta, according to documents delivered anonymously to the Associated Press.