It was quite a wild ride to the 2008 National Championship tonight. Here, in pictures, is a quick chronological look at the pomp and circumstance that surrounded the Kansas-Memphis title bout here in San Antonio...

(Four hours before Armageddon hits. The quiet tranquillity of the stadium you see here won't last for long as the crowd, the teams, the bands, the cheerleaders and the energy start to fill the building.)

(Jim Nantz and Billy Packer are prepping for their first on-camera appearance of the night. Doesn't it look like Nantz is looking straight at the camera as if to ask, "Who the hell is this freak taking a picture of me?")

("Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." ESPN's Shelley Smith is about to give a court-side pre-game report.)

(Ya' gotta love CBS hoop dude Gregg Doyel. Not only does he know his roundball stuff, but he also sported the coolest haircut among the Final Four media throng. Dig the Mohawk Gregg. Although he did tell me it was only temporary because his slight bald spot is exposed more with this cut.)

(The Memphis dancers and Pouncer the Tiger are keyed up for tip-off.)

(Who's more fired up, the Kansas dancers or the dudes in the lower sections that are leering at the Kansas dancers?)

(Of course, no Final Four would be complete without Jesse Jackson, right? Here, he and Houston Phi Slamma Jamma alum Clyde Drexler are chatting it up with a mutual friend.)

(Soon after, Hall-of-Famer Bill Russell happened to pass by and made this a trio of famous people all within the frame of my camera lens.)

(For the injured Roderick Stewart, this was the only way to get around the Alamodome before the game.)

(This is the Memphis Tigers walking out of the locker room on their way to the court. As you can see from some of the players that are laughing, they were loose and even quite jovial at this moment, seemingly at ease with the big game ahead of them.)

(KU, on the other hand, walked out a few minutes later and were very quiet and serious in demeanor. I didn't think this was a good sign for the Jayhawks.)

(ESPN roundball guru Andy Katz is caught courtside looking for another story to break.)

(KU seemed a step slow in the early going, although Mario Chalmers is providing some in-your-face D here.)

(At halftime, both teams walked amongst each other on their way to the locker rooms and to my surprise there was no trash talking at each other. Unlike on the way to the court to start the game where the two teams stood in the tunnel one behind the other and a couple of F-bombs were tossed back and forth - there's a picture of that in one of the earlier entries.)

(The dreadfully shy Dick Vitale gives Patrick Ewing a hug after being introduced at halftime of the game as part of the Hall of Fame class of 2008.)

(As the game went on, you could see John Calipari's body language and expressions change as the score tightened.)

(Ya' nervous there? I bet so. This Memphis dance girl had to catch her breath as she saw Kansas start making its move in the waning minutes of the game.)

(Check out this look that Calipari was shooting at Joey Dorsey. Ouch. Coach Cal was not particularly happy with his enforcer after he fouled out of the game in regulation.)

(As was their bugaboo all season long, the Tigers couldn't hit their free throws - even though Calipari swore up and down that the poor charity stripe percentage was not a big worry of his. Here Derrick Rose tosses up another late-game brick.)

(This was my view of Mario Chalmers' game-tying shot at the buzzer. Sorry for the slight blur to the picture. Then again, this whole final sequence seemed to go as fast as a blur anyway.)

(The scoreboard and the confetti didn't lie. Kansas wins the game and the national title. The jumbotron camera is fixed on MU's Joey Dorsey as he leaves the court.)

("Did this really just happen?" Chris Douglas-Roberts can barely look up as he makes the long walk back to the locker room.)

(The Jayhawk radio crew wrangles Chalmers up for a post-game interview. Doesn't that guy look like a slightly heavier version of James Carville?)

(Coach Self gets his post-game query from Jim Nantz. This is the one media interview every college coach dreams of doing.)

(Jim Gray, manning the mic for CBS Radio, gets second dibs on Self after the TV crew is done with him.)

(Funny thing I found out about the post-game celebration... See the KU player holding up the "Champions" newspaper - something that is very common for teams that win the football national championship. Now, notice the player behind him taking the paper out of his hands...)

(This is J.D. Hamilton of the NCAA, he has a wad of those faux "Champions" papers in his hands. J.D. would later tell me that those newspapers aren't allowed to be shown because only those advertisers that are "corporate champions" to the NCAA are allowed to have a post-game presence at the Final Four. So this fake Lawrence paper printed out well beforehand proclaiming Kansas as the national champs had to be confiscated.)

(To the victors go the nylon spoils. Mario Chalmers is relishing his turn up on the ladder after the game.)

(... and one last shot of the Kansas Jayhawks holding up the rather blandly-styled NCAA basketball trophy. Ever wonder what happens to the shirts and hats that were pre-printed with "Memphis - National Champions" on them? They are set in a locked room in the bowels of the stadium and later set ablaze by the NCAA, never to be seen again.)

Continue reading "Final Four: The National Championship Game In Pictures" »

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 03:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

SAN ANTONIO -- You have to feel bad for Memphis coach John Calipari, who had a great team and a great season, but must be pained by the missed opportunities in tonight's championship game.

Even the hot UofM dancers had a hard time handling the stress...

Billy says, "Damn. I screwed the pooch on my bracket!"...

But Mr. Dunk-the-ball-then-grab-it-so-they-can't-inbound-it deserves a long walk tonight...

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 12:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Kansas has scoreboard...

Kansas has cutting nets...

Kansas also has its Self...

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 12:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Kansas completed its remarkable comeback and won the national championship, 75-68, in OT.

And now, we are buried in confetti.

Neither rain, nor snow, nor hail of confetti can keep us from blogging.

As time wound down, Memphis fans sense that their team had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. You really have to feel for Memphis and the heartbreaking way they lost this game.

Kansas fans also had a sense of what was coming when Rock Chalk went up with 18.2 secs left.

Final stats have just been handed over. Arthur finished with 20 and Chalmers had 18, including the game-tying shot.

For Memphis, Rose, who played every minute, had 18, but CDR led the Tigers with 20. Memphis shot 63 percent from the line, better than their season average, but missed free throws down the stretch certainly aided the Kansas comeback.

The all-tournament team has been announced. Mario Chalmers is the MOP. Artuhur, Rush, Rose and CDR are also on the team.

And that is a wrap from San Antonio. I may attempt a Hang Time entry tomorrow, but I'm not sure if that will be possible. We are closing down CSTV.com after the NCAA Tournament.

So with that said, I want to take this opportunity to especially thank my editor at CSTV.com, Josh Herwitt, and Managing Editor Dan Kaufman, for giving me an opportunity to bring coverage like this to you over the last several years. And also a big thank you to all you readers. Hopefully, you'll see me around here again sometime.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Kansas wins a remarkable game with a remarkable comeback and Memphis can only wonder what-if?

Final score: Kansas 75 , Memphis 68.

Free throw shooting did, in the end, have an effect on the Tigers season.

That'll do it for us. We thank you for being there.

Posted by David Scott at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Overtime started great for the Jayhawks. Collins got a steal, leading to a Rush layup. After a stop, Arther got an alley-oop from Chalmers that they didn't even signal to each other.

Chalmers just threw it up and Arthur went up and got it. The next possession saw some great passing from Chalmers to Arthur, who fed Jackson for another layup, and KU is now up six half-way through the OT. Kansas is now on a 13-1 run.

The mood in this gym has changed considerably. I'm hearing a lot more very bad words from the Memphis fans behind us.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Kansas out 6-0 to start OT. Memphis has the ball with 2:29 left in OT and Kansas up, 69-63.

. . . Memphis 10-of-17 at the free throw line in regulation.

. . . How huge is that negated three-pointer from Rose? It was the right call of course.

. . . And Memphis is really missing Dorsey in the post.

. . . A bad three-point attempt by Anderson, too.

Posted by David Scott at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- OK, Coach Cal ... guess what? We're not going to believe you from now on when you say free throws won't be a problem.

Here's a shot of Derrick Rose's choke job (following CDR's choke job) that helped KU send the game into OT:

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Chalmers drained a long three to tie the game with about two seconds left after Rose hit one of two from the line and we'll have some free basketball.

Memphis appeared to be trying to foul on the possession, but none was called before Chalmers slipped away and drained a rainbow from beyond the arc.

Wonder how momentum will go here. KU seems to have it now, but sometimes the team that comes back relaxes too much after completing that job.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Derrick Rose is limping and we are headed to overtime. A tremendous comeback by the Jayhawks and a huge three by Chalmers sends us to an extra session. Rose appears to be OK, and Memphis' free throws did hurt down the stretch.

Memphis tried to foul with the three point lead but no call was made allowing for Chalmers to bury it with 2.1 seconds left.

. . . Big factor now that Memphis is without Joey Dorsey for the OT. No one still in foul trouble for Kansas.

Posted by David Scott at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- After a miss by Memphis, Collins flew down the floor, shot in traffic and missed. Self wanted the foul, but didn't get it. CDR was fouled at the other end and went 0-for-2.

Dozier grabbed the rebound though and after another foul, CDR spiked the ball with a 30-foot bounce, and for the only time in basketball history, that move did not earn a T.

Don't know if Self complained about that.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Kansas tried a 2-3 zone for one possession, but it didn't work as Memphis extended its lead to eight.

Since then, two baskets by Arthur sandwiched around a Collins three have got the lead down to two with 44 second left and Memphis on the ball. Dorsey has fouled out and a missed ft and a turnover have helped the Kansas cause.

We were warned to protect our computers from confetti at the end of the game. That might be some time off.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Forty-four second left in the game, Memphis up 2 with the ball and 19 seconds on the shot clock.

CDR missed the front end of a one and one and Arthur answered with a nice shot on the baseline. 62-60.

Give the ball to Rose.

Posted by David Scott at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Joey Dorsey fouls out with six points and two rebounds, but every point was big and he was 3 of 3 from the field. Tigers up six, 62-56 with 1:23 left.

It's never easy.

Posted by David Scott at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Kansas has now begun to foul and Robert Dozier is the first victim and he makes his two shots. Kansas answers with an Arthur jumper. With 1:54 left in the game, Memphis is up 60-53.

. . . Attendance 43,257.

. . . Taggart who had been awful most of the game gets a huge bank shot to go with 2:45 left in the gamne to keep the Memphis lead at 58-51.

Posted by David Scott at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Yes he did. Final Four MOP-in-waiting Derrick Rose banked in a two-pointer from deep with the shot clock at zero and 4 minutes left in the game to put tthe Tigers up 56-49. His left foot was just inside the line and the officials reviewed the play during the under-4:00 timeout to make the proper call. The shot came on a broken in-bounds play.

Good biut of officiating.

Posted by David Scott at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Kansas is learning the hard way how tough it is to stop Derrick Rose. He has totally taken over the game on the offensive end for Memphis, including a back-breaking three to beat the shot clock and give the Tigers an eight point lead at the last media timeout.

Sherron Collins scored in the lane for Kansas for the Jayhawks' only bucket in quite a while.

We're watching the replay of Rose's last shot on the monitor next to us and his shot is clearly a two-pointer, so we expect the lead to drop to seven as the refs review the play.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Kansas's box and one experiment is over but they might want to bring it back and use it on Derrick Rose who has taken over this title game in every way imaginable. Rose now has 15 points (12 in the second half) and the Tigers lead 54-47 with just over 5 minutes left in the game.

. . . Tony Barbee and Bruiser Flint are sitting next to each other and in what looks to be excuciating pain on each play.

. . . CDR picked up a foolish foul with 6:20 left. It was his third and sent Willie Kemp into the game. He got a steal right away and then made a sloppy pass in transition on an alley-oop attempt to Dozier.

. . Bill Russell looks thoroughly disinterest. He's in a red sweater, gray pants and has white NBA socks on with black casual shoes. He's still the meanest looking dude in the building.

Posted by David Scott at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- The longer the game goes, the more animated Memphis coach John Calipari seems to get. He has been gyrating, screaming and fist-pumping like a whirling dervish this second half. Here he is in one of his "calmer" moments:

And this was the KU fans reaction to the Alamodome jumbotron showing former KU coach Roy Williams in the crowd.

(See? Kansas fans still love Roy. So can we all just move on now?)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Kansas went to a box and one using Chalmers and Robinson instead of Rush on CDR. That worked ot the extent that he hasn't scored since they switched.

However, Rose got loose for five points, and Dozier hit a tough shot in the lane, so Memphis is now back ahead 49-47 with just over eight minutes left to play.

The Tigers have done a good job on the other end keeping Kansas out of the paint, where it was so dominant in the first half (24-8 advantage). They are also attacking the glass much better in this half.

In the KU huddle, Self is very calm and collected. He's telling the team that everything is fine. He is one of the coaches who does not have a coaches' meeting prior to talking to his team. His assistants just chime in when they have something to add. Some x-and-o discussion happens and they're ready to go. It's a very business meeting-like huddle.

Right in front of us, NCAA Tournament Queen Jeanne Boyd shows us how detail oriented she is by picking up a towel from behind the Memphis bench and laying it over a chair.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis has picked up its defensive intensity considerably and is up slightly in rebounding, holding a 10-8 edge in the second half. The Tigers lead 49-47 with 8:08 left in the game.

Derrick Rose now has 10 points, seven in the second half.

. . . On Robert Dozier shot and foul in the lane with 8:49 left Calipari got as animated in reacting as I've ever seen him.

. . . Kansas is Box and oneing CDR now (he has a game-high 15 points) and it looks like Chalmers has drawn the CDR assignment.

Posted by David Scott at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Kansas got back-to-back baskets from Darnell Jackson to help keep a 43-42 lead at the second TV timeout.

I walked down to the KU huddle and got as close as I could. It's a bit loud in here, but if I heard things right, we might see a box-and-one coming on CDR. He also told the team, 'The game is in our hands."

Or maybe he was just educating them on the importance of washing their hands.

I think my first guess is better.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Well, that was fun.

Hope you enjoyed the Palmist.

Did he say anything bad about me?

And yes, I would have been T'ed up and probably ejected by now by the computer officials.

. .. Tigers are out to a lot better start this half and Derrick Rose must've had some gummy bears at halftime because he's looking a lot more like the Rose that has carried Memphis to this game.

. . . The halftime deficit was the second time Memphis has trailed by five this season and they won the other time vs. USC in overtime in NYC.

. . . Jesse Jackson gave a pre-game speech to the Tigers and the message he relayed played off of John Calipari's "Dream Team" theme that he has been pushing during the post-season. Jackson, according to a Memphis official who was present for the brief comments, said that the players should go out and live their dreams tonight.

Posted by David Scott at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis scored the first five points out of the locker room to tie the game, and it's been going back and forth ever since.

The action in this game has been incredible throughout, but just in this sequence, we had a dunk by Dorsey on a beautiful feed by Rose, and another by Dozier off a Rose pass. Also, in two possessions, Kansas blocked three shots by Dozier.

Dorsey also picked up his third foul on a silly play, and when he came out, he heard about it from Calipari. John's wife won't like that.

We now return you to David Scott's Memphis coverage, already in progress.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- Strange as it sounds, Kansas and Memphis walked intermingled with each other to the locker rooms and not a single word was said to anybody from either team. In this day and age, that's an upset in itself. I'll see if anything is said when they come out for the second half.

Oh, also, they announced the college basketball Hall of Fame class of 2008. Here's a picture of them. (Special thanks to ESPN's Shelley Smith, who allowed me to stand in the spot where her seat was.)

(I didn't hear the entire class, but second to left is Adrian Dantley, followed by Patrick Ewing, Akeem Alojuwon, Pat Riley, some lady and Dickie V.)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

SAN ANTONIO -- Well, that was quite a first half if I must say, but certainly a surprise to me to see Memphis down by five at halftime.

Back in the press room here at the Alamodome, the media is taking a break to get some refreshments and put together a few notes on the first 20 minutes of action that have unfolded here.

But one thing that I noticed was Derrick Rose doing a lot of jumping and passing and getting himself hung up in the air at times. Anyone who has played basketball knows that's a coaching no-no, so we'll see if John Calipari says something to his freshman point guard, who's only got three points to this point, in the locker room.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, meanwhile, is picking up the slack nevertheless and having a heck of a game for Memphis with a game-high 13 points. And at the other end, Brandon Rush is really struggling to find his shot as he's having to use a lot of his energy to contain Douglas-Roberts, who shot 5-for-8 from the floor and 1-for-2 from three-point range in his 18 minutes.

One more thing to say before we head back out to the court...Darrell Arthur is playing pretty well himself. The sophomore forward has 10 points to lead the Jayhawks and has been very active on the defensive end in guarding both Robert Dozier and Shawn Taggart, who both have been riddled with two fouls. And with Joey Dorsey also picking up two personals in the first half, it will be interesting to see if Calipari's big men can stay out of foul trouble early in the second half and give the Tigers a chance to make a quick comeback out of the gates.

Back to the court...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Kansas scored the last five points of the half to take a 33-28 lead into the break.

Kansas is flat out killing Memphis on the boards, 19-11. The Jayhawks also have all but about nine of their points in the paint.

KU is also shooting much better, 52%-39%.

All that considered, coach Calipari has to feel pretty good about only being down five. His big guys had foul problems, Rose only had three points and at least as many turnovers. KU took away a lot of what Memphis wants to do, but they're still right in it.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Chris Douglas-Roberts put Memphis on his back and tied the game at 28. In the last three and a half minutes, he has a runner in the lane, a three off a great feed from Rose, another jumper to tie, and a steal which is why Memphis will inbound when we come out of the final media timeout of this half.

Kansas was able to respond with a runner by Collins and a dunk by Kaun, who is getting a breather at the moment.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- When Shawn Taggart drove toward the goal, trying to get a foul call but instead just forced up a wild shot that flew out of bounds, Calipari took him out immediately. He sat him down on the Tiger bench and said, "You've got two fouls! You're not going to get that call. If you're not going to get the call, don't just throw it away!"

(Taggart after getting called for his second foul earlier in the game)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - The action, and to some degree, the tempers are getting hot.

A Rush layup and a three by Chalmers capped a 15-4 run by the Jayhawks early on in this sequence. We also had big plays by the big men, with Dorsey on a steal and dribble for a dunk, followed at the other end by an alley oop to Arthur, who had beaten Memphis down the floor.

KU had been doing a better job keeping the Memphis guards out of the lane, but the last two possessions for the Tigers were penetrate and dish threes to keep them within 3 at the 8-minute timeout.

Memphis is getting a little frustrated with the KU defense, the officials, and the fact that some technical gremlins are keeping my partner and Tiger tailer David Scott from posting at the moment. His jacket has come off and he's on the verge of getting a T.

TV just showed Roy Williams in the stands wearing a KU sticker. So, I guess we're not done talking about Roy yet.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - At the last timeout, Bill Self sent in Sasha Kaun and Sherron Collins and they made an immediate impact.

Robinson hit Kaun for an alley oop that seemed to get the Jayhawk juices flowin'.

Collins added a driving layup to tie the game and it remains tied at the second media timeout.

Memphis had a particularly frustrating sequence with three fouls and an out of bounds call right in front of their bench that went Kansas' way. Looked from here like it hit Sasha last. That possession resulted in two Jackson freebies for KU.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - At the first timeout, Kansas is losing the battle of the backcourts big time. KU trails 9-5 and it's only because of Darrell Arthur that they are in this at all. He has both field goals for Kansas.

All three of the Jayhawk starting guards have turnovers, and Robinson has a foul on a made shot by Rose.

There was one scary moment when Rush, who suffered a knee injury last year, went down hard on a dunk attempt after being fouled by Anderson. He was OK though, and Anderson helped him up, which is a kind of sportsmanship rarely seen these days.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - A little bit ragged to start and some poor shot seletcion by Memphis but the Tigers lead 9-5 with 15:36 left in the half. Memphis is 4 of 8 from the field.

. . . Dorsey scored the game's first bucket 2-0, a good sign for Tiger fans.

. . . Antonio Anderson turnover leads to breakaway and then a hard foul by Anderson on Rush.

. . . CDR on Rush, Antonio Anderson on Collins, Dorsey on Kaun, Rose on Robinson and Taggart on Arthur.

. . . Tigers very loose during introductions boucning all around and creating a circle. Chants of "JOEY, JOEY" for the first time tonight.

. . . The scoreboard is in proper order tonight, something that wasn't true for the start of Saturday's first game.

. . . Willie Kemp was very loose in warm-ups, bouncing and dancing and bumping teammates. If he and Mack can give a lift off the bench, Memphis will be in very good shape.

. . . Pouncer the Tiger mascot in my favorite blue Elvis jumpsuit with glitter.

Posted by David Scott at 09:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - It was plenty loud in here for lineup introductions, and the volume seems to be pretty equal for both teams.

Memphis does a strange thing with its introductions. The non-starters bounce around in a pile, and the starter "busts" through them as the reserves jump back. No high fives, low fives, chest bumps or anything like that.

The Big Man, Bill Russell, sitting right behind me. Much better than in front of me.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- As the two teams were standing in the darkened tunnel you see below, some Memphis players turned around and started yackin' back at the Jayhawks who were standing behind them.

Pierre Niles and Robert Dozier (who you can sort of see in the background of the picture) of Memphis were the biggest trashers, even going so far as to throw out a few "f___ y__!" yells back at the Kansas players. The KU players were yelling stuff back as well, but I couldn't hear them as well from where I was standing.

Boys. Boys.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

SAN ANTONIO - All that's left is prediction time, keeping in mind that Memphis is a 1.5 point favorite with an over/under of 146.

Jerry Palm predicts Memphis, 82-76
David Scott predicts Memphis, 85-75

Let's get it on!

. . . Bill Russell is seated over my left shoulder wearing a black Celtics cap.

Posted by David Scott at 09:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- We're about 10 minutes away from tip-off and I must say Mr. Scott and Mr. Palm, your two live-bloggers for the evening, are looking rather dapper tonight in their suits.

Memphis and Kansas are in their layup lines and warming up as we speak and the mascots are doing their thing along with each team's cheerleading squad and band.

As you would figure, there doesn't look to be a vacant seat in this place and people are filling the place in the top deck without being able to even see the court (take a look at Mr. Sorenson's picture from Saturday to see what I mean).

The media room has pretty much cleared out now as most have headed to the court and that's what we'll do as well as we get ready to take in a big-time matchup between the Tigers and Jayhawks.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - If you are missing a pair of blue glasses on press row, I found them and turned them in to media coordination staff. Better than stepping on them.

Tonight's lineups were not passed out to the media, but we're sitting next to the NCAA broadcast desk, so the guy there helped us out.

For Kansas:
G Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush
F Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson

For Memphis:
G Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Antonio Anderson
F Joey Dorsey, Robert Dozier

Our refs are Ed Hightower, Ed Corbett and John Cahill

And representing God, the Rev. Jesse Jackson

Thanks to staff paparazzi Eric Sorenson for this pic.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - The Memphis celebfans are pouring in and so far we have Mrs. Fields (Debbi Fields), who lives in Memphis with her husband, Mike Rose. Mmmmmm, cookies.

Also here are in the Memphis section are the Governor of Tennessee, Phil Bredesen, creator of the dribble drive offense, Vance Walberg, Calipari coaching pal and Manhattan head coach Barry Rohrssen and former Elvis running mate, Jerry Schilling.

Some ex-Memphis athletes include Larry Keenon, Hank McDowell, Isaac Bruce, DeAngelo Williams and Cedric Henderson.

. . . National Anthem is complete and we're inching closer to game time.

Posted by David Scott at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - We're less than an hour from tip and both teams are warming up on the court. Kansas in their red shooting jerseys and blue uniforms is shooting at the basket in front of the Posting Up Perch. Memphis players have a combination of white and blue shooting shirts over their white uniforms.

. . . Jesse Jackson, who a week ago spoke to the Tigers at practice, is right behind the Posting Up perch, two rows behind the Calipari family.

. . . Officials have not yet been announced but we did see Ed HIghtower near the River Walk today, so unless he's a back-up official, it's likely he will be one of the three.

. . . The Calipari family is directly behind our perch in their usual seating order of, from left to right, Ellen, Megan, Erin and Bradley.

. . . Penny Hardaway is here again, of course, and was scheduled to be a guest on the CBS College Sports Network pre-game show.

Posted by David Scott at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Good evening from the Alamodome everyone and we all hope you enjoy tonight's national championship game on CBS.

Out here in the media room, things are looking pretty busy as we're under an hour before tip and most of the media are either working on their laptops, eating some very mediocre meat/vegetable lasagna or chatting with other colleagues. Eric "Big Daddy" Sorenson, Jerry "Hairy" Palm and Dave "The Professor" Scott are all out by the court taking in the scene as fans slowly file into this massive arena for one more night of college basketball in 2007-08.

And what a year it has been.

Sure, there's still one more game -- one very big game between two very good teams -- to be played, but in taking a look back at all the great games this year, it's certainly been a heck of a ride over these last five months.

So when Memphis and Kansas hit the floor in a little bit, tonight's game will be the culmination of something special that's developed from November to now April.

Yes, finally tonight a champion will be crowned and myself and the other three CSTV.com culprits will be fortunate enough to witness what should be a spectacular matchup between two very similar teams.

But with that said, we head to the court to watch both teams warm up and get loose for the big showdown. We'll be back, of course, to offer some quick notes, tidbits and thoughts throughout the night.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Dang, they just moved our stat monitor to the table in front of us. I'll have to use my x-ray vision to see it. I'm not sure I drink the right kind of beer to get x-ray vision though, and it certainly wasn't being served to the media at dinner.

They did give us a pretty good lasagna (for catered food) and Caesar salad.

Meanwhile, the teams have taken the floor for warmups.

Kansas players stretch using big rubber bands.

And we have also learned that's it's never too late to learn more about your opponent.

A Memphis cheerleader phones in a scouting report on the Kansas warmups.

The championship game sometimes brings out the rich and the famous. We'll be sending CSTV.com photog Eric Sorenson out for some candids.

This pic of KU football coach Mark Mangino holding court was snapped with my cheesy cell phone camera.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- Here in San Antonio, the Alamo is the center point of town and a national landmark.

But in 1982, Ozzy Osbourne visited.

On a cool February night, the Ozzman, drunk in his hotel room, decided to don one of his wife's dresses and go out and about to take pictures of the city. At one point, while allegedly changing film, he decided to lift up his dress and urinate on a crumbling part of a wall. Turns out it was a wall on the side of the Alamo.

So when the police spotted him, he got busted. He was then banned from performing in San Antonio. Soon after, Ozzy did a benefit concert raising $10,000 for the Alamo. The ban was lifted in 1992.

- Turns out that Jon Feinstein doesn't like Robert Earl Keen.
Keen's twangy music and performance was being televised on the big screens around the AlamoDome and the sound was - I admit - a tad on the loud side. But Jon got up from the table he was sitting at near me and said, "Now if we could just get the staff to turn this sh#@t down."

- Just thought I'd say it here... Palm is better.
Jerry Palm nailed all 65 teams in the NCAA tournament in his projections he does right before the field is announced. He also got all the seedings correct too, just missing out on a few teams going to different venues. How did Bracketologist Joe Lunardi do? According to an XM basketball radio host, also at my table, Lunardi missed 11 of the teams in the 2-through-5 seeds. "He would've done a better job flipping a coin to get those picks."

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - There are two signs that have caught our attention more than most at this year's Final Four. The first is the NCAA's catchy, "The Road Ends Here." Problem is, Robert Earl Keen (still on the big screens live from HemisFair) has a song (that we hope he does soon) titled "The Road Goes on Forever." The rest of the lyrics include the line, ". . .and the party never ends."

So which is it? Does the road end here or does the dance never end? For one team it will be the end, but for the other the party will never end.

Our other favorite sign was posted coincidentally at our favorite drinking establishment of the fortnight here, The Sirius Club on Losoya. It read, "Stay Thirsty, My Friend."

That's exactly what these teams have done to get here. They stayed hungry, thirsty and composed.

Okay, we're getting all clichey on you now, but you get the point. Big night, big game. Enjoy it.

. . . And yes, we've stayed reasonably thirsty despite our frequent visit to Richard the Barkeep at Sirius.

. . . In between songs of REK, the Big Board is showing each of tonight's teams' Road to San Antonio.

. . . Our Posting Up Perch is located two rows behind the Memphis bench, a much better seat than Saturday.

. . . REK just did "Merry Christmas from the Family," one of his classic. We're guessing he either closes or encores with "Road Goes on Forever."

. . . Fans have been allowed in and slowly they are filling seats throughout the Alamodome.

. . . We've got to go get some nourishment so we'll leave you with a link to our feature from last year's Monday night game on the talented writer (and best singer) of "One Shining Moment."

Posted by David Scott at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - The Posting Up crew has a little better seats tonight. Check that, much better seats.

TV dudes working in front of our seats.

Not only are we close, but we're at command central. I have a TV monitor on my left and a live stat monitor on my right.

No excuses for not knowing tonight's stats and Scott is already hard at work.

Bill Self's seat isn't much better than ours.

No stat monitor here, but that's why he has assistant coaches.

I spent some time today shuffling along the Riverwalk, where fans from both teams congregated for lunch and pregame lubrication. This woman had the best headgear on the river.

Excuse me, ma'am, but there's a bird on your head.

We're still an hour and a half from tip. Time to check out the media pregame meal.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Welcome back to the Alamodome for tonight's national championship game between 38-1 Memphis and 36-3 Kansas. About 20 minutes ago the 2008 Selection Committtee gathered at midcourt around the Final Four logo for a "team picture."

The big boards in the arena are currently simulcasting the concert from HemsiFair Park and The Big Dance featuring Robert Earl Keen, which we consider vert fortuitous. We were torn between coming here early and going to see REK, a long-time favorite, and decided it was better to actually do the work we are paid for.

. . . In a first for the Final Four, the newly announced Hall of Fame class will be introduced at halftime of the game. Dick Vitale has been floating on air all weekend.

Posted by David Scott at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - It's another sunny, warm day in Spurstown and we took a leisurely stroll over to the Memphis team hotel at the Crowne Plaza to get a feel for the gameday temperature of Tiger Tooters.

But first, an update on Memphis freshman Derrick Rose who had a stomach ache yesterday that kept him out of media interviews. Rose's brother, Reggie, said the freshman phenom is feeling better and will, as expected, be ready to go tonight. Reggie also said that Derrick is curtailing his gummy bear intake.

. . . Outside the team hotel, a band - complete with three gyrating ladies - entertained a throng of probably a thousand or more blue-clad Memphis fans in a raucous event sponsored by the Memphis Alumni Association. Tables of Tex-Mex food were spread out on the street and cash bars dotted the perimeter of the stage. One of the dancing ladies shook a blue and white pom-pom and used her Tiger tail as a microphone for the band's rendition of "It's All Right Now."

. . . For JD Moorehead of Wichita, Kansas things are more than just all right now. A native Memphian, Moorehead and his 9-year-old son Luke made an 11 hour car ride to San Antonio in order to root on the Tigers. "I grew up going to games in the old Coliseum and watching Larry Finch," said Moorehead who held a hand painted sign that read: "Kansans for Memphis. "I've yet to meet another Memphis fan in the six years I've lived in Kansa and I have one neighbor who is just a huge KU fan."

As for third-grader Luke, who was feeling the effects of his historic road trip, the youngster actually prefers another blue team, the Duke Blue Devils. "When Duke's not playing," his dad said, "he roots for Memphis."

Tonight, young Luke will be a Tiger backer all the way.

. . . We're in the final hours before the 9:21 ET tip and we're going to get into full pre-game mode with a poolside nap and pre-game stretching exercises. Jerry Palm and myself will begin blogging live from the Alamodome in the 6 p.m. ET hour and then be with you (technology permitting) throughout the National Championship Game.

Tell your friends, bring your family and sit back as CSTV.com caps off the season in style.

Posted by David Scott at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - That's what Bill Self wants to know. You could see him rolling his eyes as the inevitable Roy Williams question came.

"There is no animosity or jealousy, at least on my end, when it comes to Roy Williams. We never mentioned that once to our kids. We were not motivated by that at all. This win is special regardless of who is the opposing coach. I hope we're done talking about this now and that we can all move forward."

I don't know if Packer and Nantz asked about Williams.

Self noted that the first fifteen minutes of the game were the best a team of his had ever played. He also noted that the next fifteen minutes were almost as bad as the first fifteen were good.

The stat sheet doesn't lie. KU won big. Of particular note is the shooting percentage, 53% for KU and only 36% for UNC. Kansas won the battle of the boards as well 42-33.

Brandon Rush had the big stat line, with 25 points and seven rebounds, but the player of the game was Cole Aldrich, who came off the deep bench to contribute eight points and seven rebounds, filling in admirably when Arthur and Kaun had first half foul problems.

We'll be back on Monday night with the final between Kansas and Memphis, and the dueling bloggers of David Scott and myself. That's one matchup where the motivation is all about who is on the other bench, er, keyboard.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Well, with five minutes to go, we did have a game -- for a little while.

But in the end, it was Kansas who was too strong for North Carolina as the Jayhawks move on to Monday night's national championship game with a 84-66 victory.

While Wayne Ellington keyed a big second-half comeback for UNC, the sophomore shooting guard and the rest of his teammates weren't able to keep it up down the stretch.

"I thought at halftime we had a chance to come back and win the game," North Carolina coach Roy Williams confessed. "I did have a lot of confidence that our kids would come back. We just didn't get over the hump."

Ellington led the Tar Heels with 18 points on 8-of-21 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three steals, while Tyler Hansbrough finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Danny Green was the third double-digit scorer for UNC with 15 but did commit a team-high five turnovers. Point guard Ty Lawson, meanwhile, scored just nine points and dished out only two assists in his 28 minutes of floor time.

"They were just real aggressive, and then we had open shots that we couldn't knock down," Lawson said. "Other than that, we just didn't play very well."

The ACC champions end their season at 36-3 and have nothing to be ashamed about, although Williams and his players will certainly be disappointed with the outcome of tonight's game.

"I think we're all lucky," Williams remarked. "This is a really special team. We had no issues. It was just a fun group to coach, and in some ways, that makes it hurt even more."

After all, a big 28-point deficit in the first half and a shooting slump late in the game killed the Tar Heels' chances of winning and playing for a national title, but Williams will still be proud of the way his team fought back to cut Kansas' lead to five midway through the second half.

"They just came out from the gate and played real well," Hansbrough said. "They played real good D."

"This is the first time this North Carolina team panicked," Marcus Ginyard explained. "It got to the point where they were just up big. We did a great job all year long of stepping up to the challenge. Tonight Kansas threw the biggest challenge at us we have seen and it took too long for us to respond."

Three-point shooting was one area that the UNC coach will probably point to, as his team shot just 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) from beyond the arc with an overall 35.8-percent (24-for-67) mark for the game.

"We did a lot of great things this year," Ellington said. "We just fell short."

On the boards, Kansas was surprisingly dominate, grabbing a 42-33 advantage behind Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush and Cole Aldrich, who could have been the game's biggest surprise with eight points, seven rebounds and a strong defensive performance against the All-American Hansbrough.

And for Jayhawk fans, this could just be the long-awaited revenge that they had hoped to earn on Williams, who left Lawrence, Kan., back in 2003 after 15 years of coaching to return to his alma mater and his home state.

"That's life," Williams offered. "It's not roses all the time."

So with a win over the No. 1 overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament and an opportunity for Bill Self to accomplish what Williams was never able to do at KU, the excitement surrounding Monday night's national championship matchup with Memphis has just gotten started.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - The Rock Chalk chant went up with about a minute and a half to go as Kansas ran away from Carolina at the end and won 84-66, meaning the Jayhawks actually outscored UNC by a point in the second half.

Both coaches actually emptied the bench for the final half minute.

I'll be back with a recap in a bit, but here's a pic or two of the celebration.

Yay, we win!

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - I can't help but think of Chaka Khan whenever I hear Sasha Kaun's name. Kaun's layup followed by a dunk on an alley oop snatched the momentum back for Kansas, and now the Jayhawkds are up by 12 again at the last media timeout.

Darrell Jackson finished the most recent sequence with an alley oop dunk and a layup of his own.

Carolina's defense in the paint went away again at the worst time.

I feel for you, Sasha Kaun

Thanks again, Eric.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- At the four-minute media timeout, North Carolina has letup a little bit with its comeback and now trails by 12 with Kansas up, 73-61.

Darnell Jackson just threw down a dunk off an alley-oop pass and then cleaned up the mess with a layup to put the Jayhawks back in control and give the KU faithful plenty to cheer about with 3:40 remaining.

It's really now or never for North Carolina, who had its best success with Wayne Ellington and Danny Green shooting the ball. Ty Lawson, meanwhile, hasn't played much of a factor on the offensive end after missing all three of his field goal attempts and tallying just two points in the first half.

Right now it's Ellington leading the way with 18 points and Hansbrough just behind with 17. Danny Green has 15 and nearly had more after a three-point attempt of his went around the world before rimming out.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Danny Green had a three-point attempt do a lap and a half around the rim before rolling off. That would have cut the Kansas lead to two, but as it stands, KU leads 58-53 with 7:53 left. Cole Aldrich is going to the line for two when we come back.

The KU band has piped up with, "We're not going to take it." They did that right before what ended up being the decisive run against Davidson as well. You gotta go with what's working.

Coach Self perhaps looking for some Divine inspiration.

Thanks to staff shutterbug Eric Sorenson for the pic.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Well folks, we got ourselves a ball game now.

North Carolina has made a stunning second-half comeback on the shoulders of Wayne Ellington and Danny Green, who have both found their rhythm from three-point range, and now just trail by five, 58-53, with 7:53 remaining in the game.

The Tar Heels have also got it done on the defensive end, creating turnovers to fuel its transition offense and get easier looks at the rim.

But some of this turn of events has been attributed to a letdown by Kansas, which is certainly looking more fatigued and hasn't had its shots go in nearly as much as they did during the first 20 minutes of action.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Kansas has seen eight more points shaved off its lead since the last timeout, and now the Jayhawks are only up six at 54-48.

During the timeout, Self told the boys, "forget about the score. Just play."

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- North Carolina's 28-point deficit in the first half was hard to believe, but the tables have certainly turned and the Tar Heels have sophomore shooting guard Wayne Ellington to thank for it.

Ellington hit a three and then stole the ball on the following possession down the floor before making another pull-up jumper.

At the 12-minute mark, UNC is down by just eight now, 54-46, and it's the Rock Chalk Jayhawk faithful who has suddenly become quiet in this gargantuan arena -- except when a foul is called on KU.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Until a Danny Green three right before the first media timeout, Kansas and Carolina were basically trading baskets, which is fine for KU. The next time down for Kansas though, Sasha Kaun was called for knocking down Hansbrough, so UNC has the ball when we return.

Danny Manning told Kaun, "it's a very bad word call, but you gotta go with it."

The biggest lead ever blown in a Final Four game belongs to Maryland, who gagged away a 22-point cushion in 2001 to Duke.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- After being down by 15 point at halftime, North Carolina is trying to make a dent in Kansas' big lead, but things haven't really change much in the first four minutes of the second half.

The Tar Heels find themselves trailing by 14 after Tyler Hansbrough got Sasha Kaun to commit his third personal with an offensive foul down low on the block.

Danny Green, meanwhile, has joined Hansbrough as UNC's other double-digit scorer, and the junior currently has 11 after nailing his third three-pointer of the game. Hansbrough has tallied 13 points to go along with his six rebounds.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Bill Self could hardly have asked for better. Even though Carolina cut into what was a 28-point lead at one time, Kansas leads 44-27 at the break after a Sherron Collins jumper at the horn. That letup late in the half will give coach Self something to talk about.

Rush leads Kansas with 12 points, a number he's been sitting on for a little while because he didn't play much at the end of the half due to foul trouble.

Five other Jayhawks have scored between 5-7 points. Cole Aldrich is the leading rebounder in the game with six, and has helped KU to a 23-15 advantage over Carolina. KU shot 18-33 from the floor for 54.5%, and 4-6 from behind the arc.

The Kansas crowd is a pretty U dancers/cheerleaders performed at the half, but otherwise it's just highlights, music video-style on the big board.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- In what may have been North Carolina's worst half of basketball this season, the Tar Heels find themselves down by 15 at halftime, 44-27, to Kansas.

In fact, not much went right for Roy Williams' team in the first 20 minutes of play, as the Tar Heels shot just 29 percent (9-for-31) from the field and a dismal 22.2 percent (2-for-9) from three-point range.

Not to mention, Carolina was out-rebounded, 23-15, by the Jayhawks with just three offensive rebounds and that's always surprising when you have Tyler Hansbrough out on the floor. The All-American forward does have 10 points and five boards for his team, but UNC will need to be much more efficient in its offensive sets in the second half if it hopes to make things close with KU down the stretch.

Danny Green was one of the bright spots toward the end of the half for the Tar Heels, canning a couple of threes from the right wing to crack Kansas' 20-point margin, which the Jayhawks held for much of the first half. Both teams are showing that speed that we thought before the game would have this game in the 80s and 90s, and with that has some turnovers from both sides as well.

North Carolina, though, will need to cut down on its turnovers after halftime (10 in the first half) and force a few more if it hopes to have any chance of reaching Monday night's national championship game against Memphis.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Kansas has gone a little cold. UNC has a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 18 with 2:27 left.

The players aren't the only ones cold. The cheerleaders changed to long sleeves.

KU missed a dunk out of the timeout, but slammed one home on the next possession to momentarily stem the tide.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- After looking dead in the water and completely out of synch for the first 15 minutes of this first half, North Carolina has put together a 7-0 run and the momentum has started to swing a little bit in the Tar Heels favor.

Wayne Ellington got things started by converting a three-point play off a fast-break and Tyler Hansbrough just got a two-handed dunk off a rebound to get the UNC faithful standing for one of the few times this half.

But the Tar Heels really need to hold Kansas to little to no points before halftime and score another 10 points or so in order to feel a little bit better about their chances in the second half. And at the other end, if Kansas can hold Carolina to less than 25 points before halftime, you can bet it will be tough for Roy Williams' club to come back.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- I have to admit, my fellow colleague, and RPI guru, Jerry Palm put it best after the final buzzer's echo was still ringing throughout the arena, "UCLA just never did stop their guards. Their three starting guards score almost all of their points."

Sorry to plagiarize Jerry, but that's pretty succinct.

(Unfortunately, Coach Howland and his two star players sit through another painful post-game press conference at the Final Four)

Continue reading "Final Four- Bruins Lay in Final Four Ruins Again" »

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Do not adjust your monitors folks. It really is 38-12 KU with 7:32 left in the first half. The Jayhawks are holding a team that averaged 93 points a game in the first four rounds of the tournament to a 40-point pace. The only concern is fouls, of which Kansas has nine. They are absolutely kicking Carolina's rear ends in every other aspect of the game.

Hansbrough has eight points, but only one rebound. Rush already has 12 and 4, and Cole Aldrich, a 6'11" freshman from Minnesota, has 4 and 6 off the bench.

As we went to the media timeout, referee Tom Eades was explaining to Bill Self how Darrel Arthur getting slapped in the face badly enough that they had to stop play wasn't a foul. I'm sure Eades said something like "must have been the wind blowing something into his eye."

While that was going on, assistant coach Danny Manning went over and exhorted to the Jayhawks not to let up.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- It's really hard to believe what the scoreboard is reading with less than eight minutes to go before halftime, but North Carolina already looks dead in the water with a 38-12 deficit now on its hands.

The Tar Heels have not been able to get stops at the defensive end, and it's partly due to the fact that Kansas doesn't seem to miss when it puts up a shot from outside.

Tyler Hansbrough has eight of UNC's 12 points after dropping in a pair of free throws, and the junior All-American has been neutralized by a physical KU frontcourt that is attacking the glass and making it hard for any easy baskets to go down. And at the other end, Darrell Arthur and Cole Aldrich are really taking it at Hansbrough and forcing the big man to keep his feet on the ground.

Roy Williams is looking rather stunned by what's developed so early in this game, especially considering that Kansas had trouble scoring the ball against a slow-it-down Davidson team in the Elite Eight last weekend.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - At the second timeout, Kansas' lead is now up to 13. They are forcing turnovers on defense and beating NC down the floor for easy baskets. Almost all of the Jayhawks' points have come in the paint.

They have also started some fast breaks with blocked shots.

The only concern at this point is 2 quick fouls on Sasha Kaun. And our hit-and-mostly-miss internet connection.

And the fact that sometimes the game looks like this.

Can't see the forest through the trees.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- North Carolina's defense has been critiqued and scrutinized for much of this season, and maybe it's for good reason now.

The Tar Heels, after all, are trailing 23-10 to Kansas and look completely out of synch as well on the offensive end. That's in large part due to Kansas' speed and size, which is making it tough for UNC to get good looks at the basket and slow down a potent Jayhawk attack.

Tyler Hansbrough has done most of the scoring work so far for North Carolina, tallying six points in the first eight minutes of the game but having yet to grab a rebound.

Wayne Ellington has a jumper and Deon Thompson also has a bucket for the Heels, who haven't been able to slow down Kansas at all.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Internet troubles have reared their ugly head again, so we'll see how well this goes.

Kansas is trying to go inside right away and succeeding. They are also having more luck trying to run because they have forced a few turnovers.

Arthur and Jackson already have six points in the paint, but Kaun missed a tough layup from a bad spot under the basket.

Of course, it's not always easy to see what's going on.

No, really. Down in front!

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- North Carolina and Kansas are going back and forth in the early going of our second national semifinal and there hasn't been much defense from the Tar Heels so far.

Kansas has got good looks at the offensive end and is looking to push the tempo against a team that also likes to run.

As far as attendance goes, Kansas looks like it has twice the amount of fans that North Carolina has, and the Rock Chalk Jayhawk faithful are really getting behind their team with KU up, 11-6, with 15:43 remaining in the first half.

The Carolina cheering section, meanwhile, has been mum to this point.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Here are a few images from between the games. I am sitting about 15 feet beyond the end of the baseline in the corner by the Kansas bench at the first press table that goes that far. I'm wearing a green shirt, if you're looking for me.

This guy got a little too close for the comfort of the lady on the left at one point. Me too. He was practically in my lap.

Hey! Down in front! How are we supposed to see the game?

Newly injured Rod Stewart (not the singer) watches as his teammates warm up.

KU didn't bring that half-pint jaychick to the Final Four. We get Big Bird, er Big Jay.

The lineups are in.

Kansas starts G Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush, and F Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson.

UNC counters with G Marcus Ginyard, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington, and F Deon Thompson and Psycho T.

Our refs are Tom Eades, Tony Greene and Verne Harris.

Game tips in about 10 minutes.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- With one national semifinal in the books and Memphis headed to Monday night's national championship game after cruising past UCLA, our attention turns to the court for North Carolina and Kansas, who are out on the floor shooting around and getting loose.

In what seemed to be a run-when-there game between UCLA and Memphis, our second game should be more of a track meet between two high-powered offenses. But discount either of these team's defenses, which have given opponents fits all year and helped fuel transition baskets at the other end.

For North Carolina, that defense starts in the middle with First Team All-American Tyler Hansbrough, who will be making his first appearance in the Final Four after missing out his first two years in Chapel Hill. And if the junior forward can have his usual type of game, you can bet that the Tar Heels will have a good chance of winning this one. Of course, Hansbrough won't be the only one that will need to play well for North Carolina. Diminutive point man and floor leader Ty Lawson is really the key for UNC's success at the offensive end, and if the sophomore can get his teammates involved and also manage to do a bit of his own scoring, the Tar Heels will be in good shape in facing North Carolina coach Roy Williams' former team.

Kansas, though, has a lot of weapons on the offensive end, and Williams understands that just as well as anybody. After all, the five-year coach said earlier this week that North Carolina has not played any team as balanced as the Jayhawks, and that's something that Bill Self's team possesses when it comes to its offensive game. UNC sophomore Wayne Ellington will not only need to shoot the ball well from the perimeter, but he'll also have a tough defensive assignment in slowing down Brandon Rush, who returned this year to Lawrence, Kan., after a stellar sophomore campaign. Darrell Arthur, similarly, will need to do his best to keep Hansbrough in check, and that's something that not many -- if any -- opposing big men have been able to do this season. That's certainly why Hansbrough is considered to be a heavy favorite, along with Kansas State's Michael Beasley, to win several Player of the Year awards.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Leading 73-60 with 1:03left in the game, Memphis appears ready to advance to the Championship game on Monday night as UCLA is now in full-on foul mode and the Tigers are, as Calipari foretold, hitting the free throws that matter.

Just another very impressive performance from Memphis and one that will likely make the Tigers a small favorite on Monday evening.

We'll be turning things over to Jerry Palm and Josh Herwitt for our second game so please stay tuned and keep on Posting Up with CSTV.com.

Posted by David Scott at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Leading 73-60 with 1:03left in the game, Memphis appears ready to advance to the Championship game on Monday night as UCLA is now in full-on foul mode and the Tigers are, as Calipari foretold, hitting the free throws that matter.

Just another very impressive performance from Memphis and one that will likely make the Tigers a small favorite on Monday evening.

We'll be turning things over to Jerry Palm and Josh Herwitt for our second game so please stay tuned and keep on Posting Up with CSTV.com.

Posted by David Scott at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This cat knows his team has won. 78-63.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis does not appear inclined to let this one slip away and in the course of about two minutes has now provided about eight shining moments and a few absolutely sinister moments of excellence in baksetball.

With a 13-point lead, Memphis is up 65-52 with 2:53 left in the game. Dorsey now has 15 rebounds. It is the Tigers' biggest lead of the game.

Chants of JOEY, JOEY echoed through the Dome and then the in-house video board showed Penny Hardaway and Tiger fans went bananas. This endzone is electric right now.

. . . UCLA had two chances to cut the lead to five or four and missed oustide shots on all three in the under-7 minute range. CDR brought it back to nine with a ridiculous one-handed dunk over a flopping Kevin Love.

. . . Joey Dorsey's blocked shot in transition was IN-CRED-IBLE.

. . . Collison still playing with his four fouls, remember.

Posted by David Scott at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis does not appear inclined to let this one slip away and in the course of about two minutes has now provided about eight shining moments and a few absolutely sinister moments of excellence in baksetball.

With a 13-point lead, Memphis is up 65-52 with 2:53 left in the game. Dorsey now has 15 rebounds. It is the Tigers' biggest lead of the game.

Chants of JOEY, JOEY echoed through the Dome and then the in-house video board showed Penny Hardaway and Tiger fans went bananas. This endzone is electric right now.

. . . UCLA had two chances to cut the lead to five or four and missed oustide shots on all three in the under-7 minute range. CDR brought it back to nine with a ridiculous one-handed dunk over a flopping Kevin Love.

. . . Joey Dorsey's blocked shot in transition was IN-CRED-IBLE.

. . . Collison still playing with his four fouls, remember.

Posted by David Scott at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- These Memphis band members might as well be playing "Taps" for UCLA.

Once again, it doesn't seem to be the Bruins turn to win it all. Memphis is now up 65-52. Barring a hah-yuuuuuge comeback that makes me eat crow by the pound, I'm thinking it's Memphis moving on to play on Monday.

Just one athlete too many for the Tigers.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- UCLA is shooting itself in the foot.

A pair of unforced turnovers and a blocking call on Lorenzo Mata-Real have really put the Bruins behind the eight-ball, down 10 with 7:53 remaining.

(Ben Howland knows it may be "Love-time" in the late stages here)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis continues to withstand rallies by UCLA and now leads 59-48 with 7:53 left in the game.

. . . Collison with four fouls for UCLA, likewise for Dorsey of Memphis. Collison's 4th came on a offensive foul just before this media timeout.

. . . Dorsey with a dozen boards and zero points, a stat line that will look just fine for the big fella if the score holds up.

. . . Westbrook with 17 to lead UCLA.

. . . Memphis shooting 43 percent for the game; UCLA at 40 percent.

. . . By the way, the "smidge" of an edge that I gave the UCLA cheer squad in the first half became a full blown monster advantage after the ladies' halftime performance in denim mini-skirts and cowboy boots. Oh my, as Dick Enberg might say.

. . . An alley oop miss by Dorsey from Rose with 10:23 left would have brought the Tiger faithful into full eruption. Dorsey just couldn't handle the pass.

Posted by David Scott at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis leads 54-47with 11:41left and CDR now has a game-high 21 points as UCLA can't find a way to contain the plastic and elastic Tiger.

UCLA trimmed the Tiger lead to 50-45 with 13:32 left in the game prompting a John Calipari timeout. Out of that timeout, CDR was re-inserted and scored to move it back to 7.

. . . Joey Dorsey has 10 rebounds to lead all boarders and his performance throughout the NCAA Tournament could very well move him into the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft. He has shown what a force he can be especially when he's focused and consistent.

Posted by David Scott at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- The Bruins cut the Tiger lead to five at just under the 14 minute mark, but MU quickly came back with a steal and dunk and a pair of free throws by Chris Douglas-Roberts to put the Tigers back up by eight with 12:20 left.

Key stat to keep in mind: The foul was called on Bruin guard Russell Westbrook, which was his third of the game. However, he is the only UCLAn in foul trouble. For now.

(former voice of the Bruins, Dick Enberg is on hand to take in the action of his old team)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis now leads 48-41 with 14:55 left in the game. The Tigers had built it out to 11 but once again UCLA has crept back in and not allowed the game to get out of control.

. . . Memphis got out to a seven point lead with 1:15 gone in the half after a 4-0 mini-run and ben Howland called a time out.

. . . Joey Dorsey whistled for his third foul with :52 gone in the half. Looked like a questionable call, but from our vantage everything does.

. . . Memphis used 9 players in the first half, UCLA used 7. But Niles for Memphis played just one minute.

. . . Penny Hardaway is over our right shoulder behind us and eating nachos. We'd like some nachos right about now. And a cerveza, por favor.

. . . Sean Miller, Bruiser Flint and Tony Barbee, three Calipari confidants are all seated together behind the Tiger bench. Miller also is eating nachos. It's a conspiracy I tell ya.

. . . Keep forgetting to mention the unbelievable work that CSTV's Danielle Santoro and her two-man Memphis 24/7 crew have done over the past three weeks. They've been embedded with the Tigers.

. . . Hashim Bailey evidently had to remove his tribute headband to Andre Allen and just wore it for it pre-game. I believe the NCAA has a ban on written messages on gear.

. . . UCLA was 3 of 5 from 3-point land in the first half; UCLA was 3 of 9.

Posted by David Scott at 07:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- UCLA needs to come out with a new purpose in the second half.

Despite appearances here, the Bruins haven't looked very good so far in this game. It's Memphis 38-35 at the half, but the story is that Memphis has "sped" the Bruins up so far in this game and are keeping the Bruins in an uncomfortable position so far.

At the half the Bruins have shot just 12-for-27 (44%) and have been boxed out well, getting only four offensive rebounds so far in the game. If not for an 8-3 free throw advantage, it would be a much bigger Tiger lead.

As expected, Love leads the scoring with 11 points and has added six rebounds.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Stat check:

FG % - M, 16 of 40, 40 percent; UCLA, 12 of 27 44 percent
(Memphis got 13 more shots up thanks to nine offensive rebounds.

Rebounds, Memphis 20-19

FTs - UCLA, 8 of 10, M, 3 of 4

Leading scorers: Love with 10 and Westbrook with 11
CDR with 13 and Rose with 11

Love has 6 rebounds to lead UCLA; Memphis led by Dorsey's 8 (he laso has two assists)

Turnovers - Memphis, 3 and UCLA 8

Darren Collison leads all with 3 dimes.

Fast break points, Memphis 10-0
Paint points, Memphis 18-14

Largest lead, seven by Memphis.

. . . Chatted with new Indiana coach Tom Crean for a minute and he said, "I think he'll get it," referring to good friend Calipari. "They just couldn't bury them. The first seven, eight minutes will be key."

Posted by David Scott at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis had some poor clock management down the stretch and what could have been a seven or eight point lead at the break is just 3 as Memphis leads 38-35.

A very competitive first half and great action at both ends of the floor. Some late big man foul trouble for Memphis allowed UCLA to score inside more easily in the final two minutes of the half.

We'll have halftime stats shortly.

. . . As Eric Sorenson pointed out, big John Thompson sports the black Crocs with his back suit. As a fellow Croc lover, we give big ups to Big John for that fashion statement.

Posted by David Scott at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis had some poor clock management down the stretch and what could have been a seven or eight point lead at the break is just 3 as Memphis leads 38-35.

A very competitive first half and great action at both ends of the floor. Some late big man foul trouble for Memphis allowed UCLA to score inside more easily in the final two minutes of the half.

We'll have halftime stats shortly.

. . . As Eric Sorenson pointed out, big John Thompson sports the black Crocs with his back suit. As a fellow Croc lover, we give big ups to Big John for that fashion statement.

Posted by David Scott at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- Ben Howland just took point guard Darren Collison aside and told him that he "needs to control things more out there." The pace is still in Memphis' favor, at 38-33 with 37 seconds left in the half.

(Howland giving some pointers to Collison during a timeout.)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 06:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis leads 32-27 with 3:57 left in the half. Shawn Taggart has continued his solid play from the Texas game and now has 7 points. Now, with 2:19 left, 36-29 and in comes Pierre Niles. Hello, Big Fella!

. . . Calipari is doing a nice job of giving Derrick Rose some breathers, knowing that his main back-up Andre Allen is not available.

. . . Westbrook continues to lead UCLA in scoring with 11.

. . . Co-blogger Eric Sorenson has been having even worse technical issues than us and has wisely gone to the upper deck to shoot some photos that I'm sure he'll be bale to post for halftime.

. . . Joey Dorsey with his second foul with 3:12 left in the half. He is replaced by Taggart.

. . . Forgot to mention the Calipari family of Ellen, Megan, Erin and Bradley are sitting behind the Memphis bench. Bradley has some killer blue glasses that flash. Jerry Palm would like those considering his blinking blue necklace choice of last night.

. . . Great battle of cheer/dance teams in thsi one. Edge: UCLA by a smidge. Okay, a bit more than a smidge. California dreamin' indeed.

Posted by David Scott at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis leads 32-27 with 3:57 left in the half. Shawn Taggart has continued his solid play from the Texas game and now has 7 points. Now, with 2:19 left, 36-29 and in comes Pierre Niles. Hello, Big Fella!

. . . Calipari is doing a nice job of giving Derrick Rose some breathers, knowing that his main back-up Andre Allen is not available.

. . . Westbrook continues to lead UCLA in scoring with 11.

. . . Co-blogger Eric Sorenson has been having even worse technical issues than us and has wisely gone to the upper deck to shoot some photos that I'm sure he'll be bale to post for halftime.

. . . Joey Dorsey with his second foul with 3:12 left in the half. He is replaced by Taggart.

. . . Forgot to mention the Calipari family of Ellen, Megan, Erin and Bradley are sitting behind the Memphis bench. Bradley has some killer blue glasses that flash. Jerry Palm would like those considering his blinking blue necklace choice of last night.

. . . Great battle of cheer/dance teams in thsi one. Edge: UCLA by a smidge. Okay, a bit more than a smidge. California dreamin' indeed.

Posted by David Scott at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Memphis leads 28-23 with 12:43 gone in the half.

Derrick Rose has several highlight reel moves already and there's still 7:17 left in the half. He has eight points and two rebounds.

Memphis shooting 46 percent and UCLA at 45 percent from the field.

. . . CDR with a super block in transition.

Posted by David Scott at 06:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - A technical note: we seem to back with regular service so we abandoned the Cover It Live option. Sorry for any confusion. Snafus happen.

We're 8:14 into this one and both teams are scoring with relative ease and relative proficiency. UCLA is 8 of 14 from the field and Memphis is 9 of 15. Those first game of the semifinals jitters that sometimes plague the early game are a non factor so far.

Memphis is liking the pace and if the game continues this way, it favors the Tigers we'd think.

. . . CDR with double digits in scoring (10 points) less than eight minutes into the game.

. . . Russell Westbrook has seven points for UCLA, CDR leads Memphis.

. . . Scoreboard issues have been resolved. You'd think the NCAA might check things like that, right? Or is that another thing you can't blame the NCAA for?

Posted by David Scott at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- At just under the 11 minute mark of the first half, the Bruins usual grind-it-out-and-defend style is taking a back seat to the track meet Tigers.

It's 24-21 Memphis, and you can see it's frustrating Ben Howland... or maybe he always looks salty out there.

(Whatever Coach Calipari is drawing up, it's working for the Tigers.)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - I don't want to say that John Calipari doesn't miss a beat, but the guy sure does multi-task well. Good friend and new Indiana coach Tom Crean and his wife are sitting in the corner behind the Memphis bench and Calipari spotted him just as line-ups were being announced and sent a team manager over to try and upgarde Crean's seats. Didn't seem to work, but it does go to show that Calipari probably is fairly loose.

. . . Unreal start to this one as Memphis now leads 17-12 with 14:22 left in the half. To think, the over/under was 130!

. . . Memphis in man-to-man as usual. UCLA also going man but may be throwing in some junk as well.

CDR with Tigers' first four points.

. . . Backstage celebs included Bill Russell and Tim Robbins, a regular Final Four attendee.

. . . Players point totals are reversed under the big board's scoring with Memphis players listed under UCLA and vice versa.

Posted by David Scott at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO-- Josh Shipp is bombs away in the firrst four minutes of this one. John Calipari keeps looking up to see the replays of his team getting out-hustled so far. Calipari was just in the grill of Robert Dozier, saying, "Don't let that ball get behind you. C'MON!"

It's now UCLA 10-8 at the 16 minute mark

(Meanwhile new Indian coach Tom Crean can't see over the media seats, Memphis cheerleaders or Tiger bench. He's looking to get re-assigned seats.)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 06:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Due to some technical difficulties within the Alamodome and on the wireless network, we are reverting to using the Cover It Live software for the remainder of our blog for the first game. We will do our best to stay within the paramaters of the NCAA Blogging guidelines but can not risk being shut down in the midst of posting or slow connections. Our apologies in advance should we consider to encounter such issues.

Posted by David Scott at 05:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Here are the starters for tonight's Memphis-UCLA game:

UCLA:
G- Russell Westbrook
G- Darren Collison
F- Josh Shipp
F- Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
C- Kevin Love

Memphis:
G- Antonio Anderson
G- Chris Douglas-Roberts
G- Derrick Rose
F- Robert Dozier
F- Joey Dorsey

Game Officials:
Karl Hess
Curtis Shaw
JD Collins

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- That's right, you read correctly. The seats from where this picture was taken were $450 for two seats for all three games. So if any of you out there are thinking of trying to get seats for the 2009 Final Four through that lottery system, THIS IS (approximately) WHERE THEY WILL BE.

Okay, maybe they'll have a few rows better than this. But it's your money.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Both teams were allowed to begin shooting around at 4:06 local time and both began simultaneously. Memphis is in home white uniforms with dark blue shooting jerseys and the Bruins are in light blue road uniforms with matching shooting jerseys.

Posted by David Scott at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Fans were allowed in at 4:15 and a smattering of them have settled into their seats. Lots of a similar color blue with the Memhis and Kansas fans and then lighter blue with the UCLA and UNC fans.

Members of the Selection Committee gathered at mid-court for what appeared to be a photo op and both Dick Enberg and Lesley Visser did live stand-ups from opposite baselines for the CBS cameras.

. . . Just spent some time with the Memphis Tigers coaching staff and they once again did everything but say, "The hay's in the barn." But it is.

. . . The Tigers tookt the court at 3:56 local time to loud cheers from their faithful.

. . . Reserve Hashim Bailey has a white adidas headband on and on the back he has written "#15" in black Scripto on the back of it to honor suspended teammate Andre Allen. Robert Dozier is the only other Tiger that wears a headband regularly but there is no writing on his.

. . . Our first game will feature live-blogging from myself and cohort Eric Sorenson who has been following UCLA through its tournament run. Sorenson is currently taking photos in the arena, including his annual shot from the worst, farthest seat in the house. He'll be back with that soon.

. . . Don't forget ASAP Sports if you're looking for transcripts from this weekend (now featuring yesterday's press conferences).

Posted by David Scott at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Good afternoon and welcome to balmy, sunny San Antonio where there's not a cloud in the sky nor a fan in the arena. Every paid seat in the Alamodome contains a Final Four seat cushion on it and red-jacketed ushers are beginning to man their assigned sections.

The River Walk area is absolutely jammed with lunchtime waits reaching an hour or more at several locations. Fans are swarming the River Walk and surrounding area, including the outdoor block party where Kid Rock is scheduled to perform.

The Posting Up Perch is located behind the Memphis bench which is to the left of the scorer's table (as you face it), about 15 feet beyond the baseline. Clearly CBS's relationship with the NCAA carries no weight for the CSTV.commers, nor would we expect it to beyond the fact that we have more readership and site visits than a good portion of those outlets seated in more advantageous positions. Clearly that doesn't go in to the thinking when assigning seats and it's probably the least of the NCAA's worries, not to mention something you the valued reader could cared less about. However, it will affect our vision on some plays at the other end of the floor so forgive us if we get a call wrong or mis-identify a player.

. . . We'll be back throughout the pre-game with sights and scene from the National Semifinals.

Posted by David Scott at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO - Kansas has a difficult challenge in the second semifinal tonight when it faces the tournament's top seed, North Carolina.

Both teams are very fast and like to run, so we could see a high scoring game. A lot of the focus is on trying to stop, or at least slow down, Tyler Hansbrough. Although, coach Bill Self realizes that's not the only problem.

"They're averaging about 90 a game and he's getting 23 of them," Self said yesterday. "There's still a lot of other points there. Everyone concerns me."

Self thinks it will be important to slow them down. "We have to do a real good job I would say defending the first five to ten seconds of the possession."

He said that was important because Carolina gets a lot off shots off that quickly, and often times the defense isn't ready yet to rebound misses, so they can get a lot of putbacks. The transition defense, stopping the ball, closing out on shooters, and most importantly, rebounding misses is going to be one of the keys for Kansas.

In partcular, in any rebounding situation, they have to find and try to box out Hansbrough, who is a relentless rebounder. He'll get some - you can't shut him down entirely - but they need to minimize the damage.

Offensively, very simply, they need to play loose. Against Davidson, they were tight, short-arming shots and playing not to lose. That resulted in a pretty ugly 59-point performance that was good enough to win that game, but will get them embarrassed today.

Kansas does a good job of creating turnovers on the perimeter and turning them into points. It would be ideal if that would happen today, but it's not likely to be a common occurrence.

They also need a good performance from Brandon Rush, who is the one guy for the Jayhawks that can beat you outside and inside.

One other factor is simply being mentally in the game. The injury to Rodrick Stewart shook the team a bit, and made what should be a fun day a real downer. They need to shake that off and focus on the task at hand. It is too big of a task to allow for distractions.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Fifteen minutes or so after the Kansas win, the celebration continues. The nets are being cut down.

Strangely though, no chant of Rock Chalk Jayhawk has gone up yet. In fact, I heard that more in Denver than I have here, and Kansas wasn't even in Denver.

After the game, Davidson left with their heads held high, but Curry and Richards were obviously a little frustrated.

Curry might be hungry. He should be. He played the whole game.

Self had an extended talk with Richards afterwards.

Davidson's fans sing Sweet Caroline one more time before hitting the buses.

Davidson leaves the floor, beaten but unbowed.

A happy bevy of Jayhawks

Oh, there goes the Rock Chalk chant.

I expect my hotel to party all night long tonight - if anyone is still there. A lot of people checked out already.

The all-regional team has been announced.

From Kansas, Sahsa Kaun, Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers.
From Davidson, Jason Richards, and the Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player, Stephen Curry.

The PA announcer, after getting his name right all weekend, mispronounced it Ste-fahn when he announced him as the MOP.

It is a bit unusual to have the MOP from the losing team, but there really was no choice.

I'll have a wrap of the Detroit experience on the Hangtime blog tomorrow, including any useful quotes from the postgame.

Also, the Hangtime blog has the details of my excellent adventure from yesterday.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Kansas defeated a more-than-gritty Davidson squad 59-57 to earn a trip to the Final Four in San Antonio next week. Jason Richards missed a long three at the horn that would have won it. On the final play, Kansas defended Curry well and forced him to give up the ball to Richards.

Kansas reaction to winning seemed to be more relief than celebration. Richards was fighting back tears afterwards. Heck, even I'm shaking. What an effort by Davidson.

So we now have our first ever Final Four with all four number one seeds.

Back with more in a bit.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Stephen Curry may finally be running out of gas as Davidson trails by 6 with 59 seconds left and the ball coming out of a timeout.

He has missed two straight threes, one in transition after a steal by Richards. He also had a shot blocked from behind by Rush in the lane.

Chalmers also had a big block from behind on Lovedale before Lovedale fouled out seconds later. He was shown a lot of love in the form of a standing O from the DC crowd.

There is no panic at all in the Davidson huddle during the timeout. It's all business.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - A Kaun layup has KU back up three with 3:31 left and they have the ball when we come out of the timeout.

The hero for Davidson today hasn't been Curry, but Barr, who has 11, all in this half, but with 4:17 left, this is where you could find him.

What am I doing here?

He has been the only reliable option besides Curry and gave Kansas someone else to guard. Without him, Davidson would be toast already.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Yet another three by Barr had Davidson up four with the ball, and it looked like Kansas was starting to pucker. But Chalmers got a steal and made the layup this time, then after a Curry miss, Collins buried a three, and now Kansas is back up 1 with 6:11 to go.

This is going all the way to the wire, as the DC band kick into 'Sweet Caroline," the theme for the team. The fans behind me are in full voice.

SWEET CAROLINE!! OH OH OH!!!

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Brandon Rush hit a three, then a couple of minutes later, drove to the hole for a layup and one. If he heats up, it could be trouble for Davidson, who now trails 43-38 at the 12-minute timeout.

It could have been worse Chalmers blew a chance when he got a steal but missed the layup at the other end.

Kansas seems more aggressive on defense this half, using a mix of man and box-and-one to shadow Curry. Since those first five, he hasn't scored, or even really had a good look.

Most useless sign of the day - Davidson cheerleaders holding up signs that say "Stand up and Cheer" and "Make Some Noise". DC fans have been doing that the whole game.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Curry scored the first five points of the half for Davidson, and we are tied at 35 at the first timeout.

Really though, he's been the only semi-reliable offensive option. Kansas is doing a good job on the other guys.

Rush seems to be short-arming everything for Kansas, which is a sign of feeling the pressure.

Kansas finally got an alley oop to work to Kaun, with an and one. Kaun missed the FT though, and when Rush rebounded the miss, McKillop turned to Stephen Rossiter on the bench and says, "Get him (the player missing the box out) the very bad word out of the game."

Arthur and Kaun have each picked up their third foul already in this half. Lovedale also has three for Davison, and he and Kaun remain in the game.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Collins dished to Jackson for a layup late in the first half to give the Jayhawks a two point lead at the break.

Kansas probably has to feel pretty good about its position considering how badly they have played. They have too many unforced turnovers (9 total turnovers to just 3 for the Wildcats), and shot only 13-28 for the half, which doesn't sound so bad, but a lot of those misses were pretty good looks.

McKillop probably feels the same way. He's still hammering his team about rebounds. Late in the first half, he turned to the bench and yelled, "We have got to get the loose balls and rebounds! We should have had that one down there and we should have had that one down here!"

A minute or so later, he pulled Archambault, and McKillop got in his face on the bench with , "It's very simple, you either give me the body, or I give you the bench!"

McKillop is right. KU leads the rebound battle 22-13, although they only have five offensive boards.

KU switched to box and one late in half to try to slow down Curry, and generally, Kansas has had success defensively. Curry has 15 on 5-12 shooting from the floor and 3 freebies.

Chalmers leads Kansas with 11.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Kansas has had to use two timeouts to bail out of bad situations due to good defense by Davidson, and then ran out of time on the shot clock anyway. We're tied at the four-minute timeout.

We don't have LeBron James tonight, but we do have former Chicago Bull Bill Wennington

Wennington played for McKillop at Long Island Lutheran HS

Davidson's cheerleaders provide a pleasant distraction during timeouts.

Pay attention to the coach, boys.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 05:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Stephen Curry scored eight straight points for Davidson to give the Wildcats a one-point lead at the 8-minute timeout.

Chalmers answered with a couple of threes to help keep it close.

One thing I've never understood is why there has to be a coaches' meeting at every timeout.

But there always is, while the players cool their heels. You don't see coaches go right into the huddle anymore.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - It's still tough going for the shooters here. Davidson has hit two in a row to take a 9-6 lead at the second timeout, but they are only 4-15 from the floor for 27%. KU is only 3-14 for 21%. It's been so rough that one of the shots that went in for Kansas took two laps around the rim before falling. Even their one alley oop attempt, while resulting in a basket, didn't work as drawn up.

Both teams have missed a bunch of layups and open shots, and neither has done a particularly good job of taking care of the ball, although Kansas has more turnovers at this point.

So far though, this is the kind of game Davidson needs.

Right after the timeout, and two Darnell Jackson misses from the line, the clock went nuts and lost three minutes and all the points.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Detroit has a lot of nicknames like Motor City and Rock City, but so far, it's Brick City in this game. It's only 2-2 at the first timeout as each team has only hit one of its first six shots. Included in those is a miss by Curry and a block by Lovedale of an Arthur layup in transition.

Russell Robinson is on Curry initially.

Davidson coach McKillop is his usual, intense self. He turned to the bench and yelled, "C'mon! We gotta box out!" after a Kaun tip-in, as if any of those guys were in a position to box out.

And after a reach in foul on Richards, he got after the ref with, "C'mon, that's a cheap foul, Randy!"

Posted by Jerry Palm at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Davidson's players and coaches are all smiles as we get ready for the tip. Assistant Matt Matheny is jokingly taking deep breaths, trying to relax and signaling to folks in the crowd.

Let's have a clean fight, men.

If there's any pressure on these guys, it's not showing before the tip.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, Davidson fans are pumped up and ready to go. We are over a hour from our tip and the only people here are these guys:

Davidson fans think you can't be here too early.

Davidson is a school of 1700 students, or roughly the size of both my high school and my dorm at Purdue. And it seems like they're all here. I bet it's a ghost town today.

Actually, many of those folks got on buses at 3 AM this morning for the roughly 12 hour trip to Detroit. Davidson sent seven buses full of students up here on Friday, and five more made the trip today.

I asked one of the students who made the trip when they were leaving and she said, "Tonight after the game. We have classes tomorrow. I hope we get back in time for my 8:30, but I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

Some more drove up on their own. I talked to another girl who said she made the trip late yesterday, and it took her a little more than 10 hours. "It would have been faster, but we ran into traffic in West Virginia of all places. Who knew that many people would be on the roads in West Virginia?"

Actually, Gus Johnson and Len Elmore are working already also.

I'm ready for my closeup!

Both teams have arrived on the floor for warmups. Kansas walked in to silence because their fans are still getting lubed up for the game.

One of the keys for Davison today is the play of Jason Richards, the point guard who had the ridiculous line of 13 assists and no turnovers in the game against Wisconsin.

With Memphis cruising, Davidson has the last chance of preventing the first Final Four with all #1 seeds.

The lineups are in, and here they are.

Davidson will start:
G Jason Richards, Stephen Curry, Max Paulhus Gosselin
F Thomas Sander, Andrew Lovedale

Kansas' lineup is:
G Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush
F Darrell Arthur, Darnell Jackson

Our refs are Tony Greene, Randy McCall and Doug Sirmons.

The only starter on either team from the school's home state is Curry, who is from Charlotte. The teams collectively start three foreigners. Gosselin is from Quebec, Lovedale from Nigeria, and Chalmers is from Alaska.

Note to editor, yes, I know Alaska isn't technically a foreign country.

A couple more shots of Davidson fans:

The Curry family nervously awaits

Sign of the times

Posted by Jerry Palm at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Fans started chanting "One More Year" upon the news that Derrick Rose was named the regional's Most Outstanding Player.

Joining him on the all-regional team are Brook Lopez, DJ Augustin, CDR and Joey Dorsey.

. . . Calipari to the crowd: "Thank you to all the Memphis fans. How about this basketball team? What a great day for our univeristy and our city."

Posted by David Scott at 04:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Memphis played its basketball of the season in this two games of the regional and because of it they now advance to San Antonio next week where they will meet UCLA in the national semifinal. The Tigers won this one, 85-67, and, much to the dismay of many, were able to hit free throws down the stretch. CDR was 12 of 15 from the line, Rose was 7 of 8 and the Tigers were 30 of 36 from the stripe.

Memphis shot 26 of 52 from the field . Texas began the Hack-a-Tiger assault with about four minutes and left and Memphis leading by 20 to no avail.

It was another never-ending Gobstopper for the Tigers as Texas stretched the game with 3-pointers and fouls in the final four minutes.

. . . Calipari pointed to his family as time wore down which started Erin crying on Ellen's shoulder. Derrick rose waved goodbye to the Texas fans with a huge smile on his face.

. . . Abrams and Augustin both helped their numbers with some 3-balls down the stretch, but the job the Memphis guards did on them, coupled with the big man scoring in the paint for Memphis (40-24) was the real story of the game. Abrams finished with 17 points on 6 of 16 form the field (5 of 10 from 3-point land). Augustin had 16 points (4 of 18 and 2 of 6).

. . . Dozier fouled out with 3:36 left in the game. He had two points and seven rebounds and was 1 of 6 from the field.

. . . Mason fouled out for Texas with 2:47 left in the game. He had 7 points, 7 rebounds and three assists. James fouled out with 46.2 seconds remaining. he had 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

. . . We'll stick around for the awards presentation and then work the post-game interviews and have a regional wrap-up for you in our final Hang Time Office Hours of the year later tonight. be sure to check it out and we'll be back with you from San Antonio on Thursday afternoon sometime.

Posted by David Scott at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Appearing in its third straight Elite Eight, the Memphis Tigers are on their way to the school's third-ever Final Four and the first since 1985. Memphis leads 67-48 with 3:56 left and the Memphis fans are on the verge of total celebration amidst the burnt orange, and some of that burnt orange is heading to the exits.

Abrams and Augustin are now a combined 5 of 25 from the field and have 16 points between them (11 for Augustin).

Joey Dorsey has a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

. . . Not looking like I get an all-regional ballot but my team would be CDR, Rose, Dorsey, Augustin and Justin Mason. Rose will be my regional MVP.

. . . Today's attendance is announced at 32,798. Friday was 32,931.

Posted by David Scott at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - With 8:07 left in the game, Memphis is up 59-43 and Texas is going to need to really turn things around to get back in this one.

Memphis remains at 50 percent shooting from the field (24 of 48) while Texas has dropped slightly since halftime to 17 of 47. Both teams have hit just one 3-pointer this half.

Paint points are now 38-20 in favor of Memphis while rebounding remains close at 30-27 for Memphis.

. .. DJ Augustin is 3 of 14 from the field and AJ Abrams is 2 of 8.

. . . Taggart has had a very solid game off teh bench for the Tigers with 12 points on 5 of 7 from the field. he had four points in the first half.

. . . Dozier picked up his fourth foul with 8:32 left in the game, he was replaced by Dorsey. Pittman missed the free throw that would have given him the 3-point play on the foul.

Posted by David Scott at 03:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Memphis has weathered an early second half run by Texas to extend its halftime lead by one point, 50-38 with 12:53 left in the game. Joey Dorsey will go to the line to shoot one after being fouled on a basket to put the lead at 12.

The Texas run got to 12-0 as they scored the first six points of the half to trim the lead to 39-34. Taggart ended it with a jumper in the paint over Atchley. Memphis quickly got it back to nine on a Rose dunk.

Damion James scored four of first six points of the half for Texas. He now has eight points and Augustin has 11 to lead Texas.

. . . Rose defedning Augustin, Anderson on Abrams.

. . . Anderson banked in a 3-pointer just under 15 minutes left to put memphis back up by 12.

Posted by David Scott at 03:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - With the the exception of Texas's 6-0 run to end the half, Memphis has to be v ery happy with the way things played out in the first half.

Calipari was able to use eight players for five or more minutes and despite having been outscored 8-4 by the Texas bench, the Longhorns trio of guards had to play all but four minutes of the half (20 for Augustin, 18 each for Abrams and Mason). That wearing down of the gaurds is definitely part of teh Memphis strategy as they have been able to shuttle in Andre Allen, Doneal Mack and Willie Kemp.

No one is any real foul trouble and only 15 total fouls were whistled in the first half, something that definitely favors the Tigers.

. . . Rose was 5 of 6 form the field in the first half, his only miss coming from 3-point land on a shot that rimmed out.

Mack and Kemp are 0 of 4 from 3-point land.

. . . The Tigers met in a circle at halfcourt after watching Dorsey hit a free throw attempt and raised arms and fists in unison.

. . . Texas cheerleaders are in chaps, as is the halftime custom, and we are once again happy for such rituals.

. . . Well, there is a Bish in the house, but it's former President Bush not the sitting one.

Posted by David Scott at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas re-gained a bit of composure toward the end of the half with a couple of sloppy plays by Memphis and now trail 39-28 at the break.

Some quickie stats:

Tigers led in scoring by CDR with 11 and Rose with 10.
Longhorns led by Mason and Augustin with seven each.

Joey Dorsey leads all rebounders with seven.
Mason has six for Texas

Memphis shot 15 of 31 from the field (48 percent) and 2 of 9 from 3-point land.
Texas shot 10 of 27 form the field (37 percent) and 2 of 8 from 3-point land.

Paint points are in favor of Memphis 24-12.
Rebounds are Memphis 18-17.

Turnovers are 8 for Texas, 3 for Memphis.

Rose has four assists to lead all dishers.

Dorsey dunked with 2:40 left on an alley-oop from CDR, then pointed to the Memphis rooters who responded with a chant of "Joey, Joey, Joey."

Posted by David Scott at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - With each attempt to get back in it by Texas and their fans, Memphis seems to have an answer. It got especially loud after Texas trimmed the lead to 12 with just over 4:00 left on a dunk by Pittman, but Memphis answered with a Shawn Taggart bucket off the galss. The score is now 34-20 Memphis with 3:45 left in the half.

. . . Rebounding battles is going to Memphis, 17-15.

. . . Texas has eight turnovers to three for Memphis.

. . . Paint points are 22-8 in the Tigers favor.

. . . A DJ Augustin trey off a block from Clint Chapman trimmed the Memphis lead to 29-18 with 6:26 left in the half, prompting a Calipari timeout.

. . . The daily Dorsey dunk-o-rama came on a leak-out after some great Tiger defense in transition and led to Dorsey two handing a monster flush all alone. It brought the Memphis lead to 13.

Posted by David Scott at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - It's not quite Friday night when Memphis stormed out to a 30-point lead, but with 7:40 left in the half, the Tigers are up 29-13 and have been on a 11-2 run over the last seven minutes.

CDR now has 11 points for Memphis and Rose has 10 points. Mason continues to lead Texas with 7.

The length of Memphis is certainly affecting the shot selection of the Longhorns who are now 5 of 19 from the field (26 percent). Memphis is 11 of 24 (46 percent). Both squads are 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.

. . . It went to 24-13 on Rose steal and dunk at 10:00 mark, then 26-13 8:56 on alley-oop in transition from Rose to Dorsey and finally 29-13 with 8:10 left, CDR lay-up in transition and foul.

. . . Memphis switching up with man-to-man and then zone.

Posted by David Scott at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - With 11:56 left in the half, Memphis is up 20-13 and Texas will have the ball coming out of the timeout.

Memphis is being led by CDR's eight points and Rose's eight. Texas is led by Mason's seven points.

The Tigers are shooting 47 percent from the field (7 of 15) and Texas is at 36 percent (5 of 14).

Paint points are 10-6 in favor of Memphis.

Texas has three turnovers to two for Memphis.

. . . Rose started off 4 of 4 from the field. Not sure he had hit anything but net until his first trey attempt rimmed out in the 12:30-area.

. . . Biggest lead so far is 18-8, Memphis.

. . . Texas has switched to a 2-3 zone.

. . . Barnes inserted Dexter Pittman and Calipari countered with Pierre Niles. That, friends, is some texas-sized beef in the paint. First battle goes to Niles who deflected a rebound off Pittman. Niles stayed for just a miunute.

Posted by David Scott at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - A wonderful start with great intensity at both ends as Memphis leads 13-8 with 15:49 left in the half. CDR has seven early points, Derrick Rose has four, including a rebound and coast-to-coast lay-in that was breathtaking in its speed and control.

Justin Mason has four for Texas. Memphis is 5 of 8 from the field, Texas 4 of 9.

. . . A 5-0 start by Memphis. Ended by Connor Atchley dunk.

. . . A preponderance of burnt orange engulfs the Stadium, but a strong showing by the Tiger faithful as well. But when Texas made a run, it got very loud for the 'Horns.

. . . Calipari and Barnes exchanged a hug pre-game during lay-up lines and then another after line-ups were announced. Looked like Cal made a funny. Nice moments, both of them.

. . . Derrick Rose has a bandage over his right here where he was cut on Friday night. He checked out at 18:37 favoring the eye and was tended to immediately by Memphis medical staff. Andre Allen replaced him. Rose was re-inserted 1:03 later

. . . Texas starts out in man-to-man defense. Memphis also man-to-man but showing some match-up zone it appears.

. . . Calipari using the coacing stool, Barnes not.

Posted by David Scott at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Some familiar names and faces on the officiating crew this afternoon with veterans Mike Kitts, Bob Donato and Patrick Driscoll. Kitts was in Little Rock last week and had Texas but not Memphis. Donato was in Birmingham last week and Driscoll was in D.C.

. . . Analysis:
This is one of those games that won't be about the Xs and Os as much as it will be the Jimmys and the Joes (cliches work, whaddya want from me?). Both teams are going to run, both have exceptional talent level and both are capable of scoring bursts.

Our two deciding factors in our pick of Memphis (by five or less) are this:

1. The Tigers are likely going to start out in their usual man-to-man defense and will force Texas to make outside shots. The hope being that DJ Augustin had his one breakout game on Friday and they can contain AJ Abrams enough to keep things managable.

2. The depth factor: Memphis has it, Texas doesn't and especially at the guard spot. If Memphis's bulky guards acan wear down the 'Horns, it will be the end of Texas.

. . . Memphis mascot Pouncer has broken out the ref jersey. Nice.

. . . Our CSTV.com Road Trippers are in the house. They're tired but feisty and it brings all new levels of excitement to have them courtside. We love those guys.

Posted by David Scott at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - One of the many interesting tales that came out of John Calipari's extended press conference yesterday was one about a text message he received form former UMass guard Edgar Padilla, who was part of Calipari's Final Four team at UMass.

"It's funny, Edgar Sent a text and said, 'I hope you live that experience all over again, that was one of the greatest experiences of my life,'" said Calipari. "I hope these young men get to experience it , because one of the things I've told them is that they are a Dream Team. I handed out alist to them a couple of weeks ago about what a 'Dream Team' is and there were 15 things on it and I read to my players, and they meet every one of those statements.
And I said, basically, you're a Dream Team. You may never play on a team that gets along this way ever again in your life. You're a Dream Team. And what I'm saying to them now is, let's keep playing just so we can stay around each other for another two weeks, and let's just do it. The experience of going one more step, they will talk about it the rest of their lives."

. . . Probable starters as listed on the stats monitor to our right:

Memphis
Robert Dozier
Joey Dorsey
Anotnio Anderson
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Derrick Rose

Texas
AJ Abrams
Damion James
DJ Augustin
Justin Mason
Connor Atchley

. . .Memphis assistant John Robic just stopped by for some pre-game talk. He appeared relaxed and did everything but say, "The hay's in the barn." But it is and the Memphis coaching staff is comfortable with its gameplan.

Robic said the court configuration wasn't a big issue on Friday night aside form the fact that from the opposing bench, it is near impossible to see the other bench. That becomes a factor when coaches try and see what calls are being made by the opponent but doesn't have that big of an effect on the game itself. Especially in this contest where both teams are mostly about running and not running a whole lot of set plays.

. . . Memphis has taken teh court for pre-game stretching at 12:17 local time. They are in blue shooting jerseys with white uniforms underneath. Antonio Anderson is shwoing some dance moves as he slides onto the court. JOey Dorsey is in all black warm-ups and wearing long pants as has become his custom. He is the lone Tiger in long pants.

. . . Calipari children, Bradley and Megan are already in their seats and have just been joined by Erin. They are in Row 2 behind press row a bit off center-court.

Posted by David Scott at 01:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Welcome back to Reliant Stadium for today's Regional Final between No. 1-seed Memphis and No. 2 seed Texas. A smattering of fans has begun to filter into the seats and Jim Nantz and Billy Packer are working on some pre-recorded voice-overs just in front of the Posting Up perch (we've been upgraded to the 2nd row today, indicating we behaved well on Friday in the third row).

There had been rumors that President Bush was going to be in the house today, but judging from the way our bags were lightly inspected coming in, we're guessing G-Dub will be watching this one on the White House's flat screen.

. . . The NCAA's Greg Shaheen has been spotted in the building, as he and Committee Chair Tom O'Connor are scheduled to complete their four sites in four days tour of the Sweet 16/Elite 8.

. . . The Tigers have been installed as slight 3 1/2 point favorite by the wiseguys.

. . . Two great columns on today's game that we'll leve you with for now:

Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe.

Geoff Calkins of the Commercial Appeal.

Posted by David Scott at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Big players know how to step up in big games.

But you don't need to tell Tyler Hansbrough that -- not after the way he played Saturday night at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

So with hopes of avenging last season's disappointing loss to Georgetown in the Elite Eight, the junior forward put No. 1 seed North Carolina on his back and carried his team past No. 3 seed Louisville with a game-high 28 points and 13 rebounds to secure a convincing 83-73 victory and a trip next week to San Antonio for the Final Four.

"My feelings right now are great," Hansbrough said afterward. "It takes all of those past experiences away. But also, at the same time, I feel like we want to accomplish more. It feels like we did something big, but we can also do something bigger."

The Tar Heels will have more work to do next Saturday against either No. 1 seed Kansas or No. 10 seed Davidson out of the Midwest Region, but for now they can enjoy the fact that they're two steps closer to a national championship.

"They are focused young men," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said of his players. "They have dreams and hopes. I've said many times this year, we don't deal in other's people's expectations...They are focused, they're tough kids."

While Hansbrough certainly was much of the show for North Carolina (36-2), Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson did the job in the backcourt throughout the game, combining for 24 points and seven rebounds. Lawson, meanwhile, dished out a game-high nine assists and knocked down all six of his free throw attempts in showing that he's back to full strength after missing time during the regular season with a sprained ankle.

"It feels good to get the weight lifted off us from last year," Lawson said. "We had that tough loss to Georgetown and it fueled us throughout the whole year. So it feels good to this win and head on to San Antonio next weekend."

Louisville, in the meantime, fell short of a goal that many pundits at the beginning of the season thought would be attainable, yet it was mistakes -- 19 turnovers to be exact -- down the stretch that hurt the Cardinals' chances of moving on to college basketball's biggest stage next weekend.

"I'm real proud of our guys," Louisville coach Rick Pitino offered after coming a win short of the Final Four. "They had a few turnovers down the stretch that really shots us in the foot. Some guys were giving everything they had, giving their hearts and souls, trying to get a victory."

The Cardinals showed that fight to the bitter end before finally surrendering defeat, and while Louisville didn't have been enough to topple the might giant that UNC has consistently been this season, it has nothing to be ashamed of after hitting 52.7 percent of their field goals (29-for-55 for the game) and forcing UNC to commit 14 turnovers and shoot just 27. 3 percent (3-for-11) from three.

Of course, it wasn't enough to stop Hansbrough, who showed the entire country watching on national television that he's worthy of winning this year's Naismith Player of the Year award.

"He is a heck of a basketball player," Pitino said of Hansbrough. "I've coached against Michael [Jordan] in his prime, [Charles] Barkley in his prime, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] when he left, Magic [Johnson] and all the great ones. I've been fortunate enough to watch and observe all those guys...Every NBA coach woul love to have a player not only that works hard but has a lot of talent. The shots he made were unbelievable because they were under duress and he had very little time to get it off. He came up big and you got to give credit to a great basketball player."

A classy thing to say from a classy coach, something that Pitino has always been no matter what the result may be.

But that wasn't the only praise Hansbrough received from his opponents after his stellar, all-tournament team performance.

"I've never seen a player like that," confessed Louisville forward Terrence Williams, who dropped in 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting in addition to four rebounds and three assists. "He deserves everything he gets."

"He deserves all the success he gets," repeated senior center David Padgett after battling with Hansbrough for much of the night and finishing his collegiate career with six points, eight rebounds and six assists. "Like coach said, I've never played against someone that hard. Big-time players make big-time players and he made two big-time plays at the end."

One of those plays came with the shot clock running down and North Carolina needing a basket to put the final dagger in Louisville (27-9), leaving the stage wide open for Hansbrough to bail out the Tar Heels with a 18-foot jumper from the left wing that was heavily contested.

"They were unbelievable," Juan Palacios said of Hansbrough's two final field goals. "We played great defense and he still made the shots."

"The young man is the most driven, most focused youngster I've ever seen in my life," Williams admitted about his All-American forward. "He's not a rah-rah individual. When he says something, [his teammates] listen to him. Last week week he was in the gym two and a half hours on an off-day...But that's Tyler Hansbrough. And that's Tyler Hansbrough at practice every day. That's Tyler Hansbrough in the off-days. It's what he is."

And if Psycho T continues to make those kind of shots next weekend in San Antonio, you can bet he and his teammates will be cutting down the nets and celebrating with the Carolina faithful on hand, who at this point are quickly jumping on their computers and booking whatever airplane tickets are still available to Austin (there aren't any left for San Antonio).

"We know that this is not our last step," UNC forward Marcus Ginyard asserted following his six-point, seven-rebound effort. "We're very excited to get to this point but we continue to have that same attitude that we have more work to do.

"This team has continued to show that when we need to dig deeper and play better and play harder and play smarter, we do. And I think that just shows how good this team really is."

While they've managed to show that from November all the way to March now, the Tar Heels will have to do even more in April to ultimately capture what they've envisioned for the past five months.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With a little more than five minutes remaining in what's been an entertaining Elite Eight matchup here at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, North Carolina is holding onto a slim 68-64 lead thanks to the inside play of player of the year candidate Tyler Hansbrough and frontcourt mate Deon Thompson.

Hansbrough has already recorded his usual double-double, having done that by the 9:30 mark in the second half, and efficient shooting from long range (3-of-7 from three) by Louisville has Rick Pitino's team in the thick of things as we head into crunch time. UNC, on the other hand, has missed all four of its three-point attempts this half after making just 2-of-8 in the first 20 minutes of play.

But with the way Hansbrough has been playing this game, stepping up in crucial times after Louisville baskets, it's going to be hard for the Cardinals to overcome the junior forward's big play and upset the NCAA Tournament's overall No. 1 seed.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In what's been a turn of events of sorts, No. 3 seed Louisville is giving No. 1 seed North Carolina all it can handle by coming out strong in the second half after trailing by 12 at halftime.

The Cardinals now trail by just three, 58-55, with 11:13 left, and Jerry Smith seems to have the hot hand for Rick Pitino's ballclub, hitting seven of his 10 shots for a game-high 17 points. After really struggling before falling out against Tennessee, sophomore point man Edgar Sosa is having a much better game here tonight against the Tar Heels.

Tyler Hansbrough has nearly matched that effort with 16 points of his own, and Wayne Ellington has been stuck on 11 for what has seemed like a long time (since the first half).

Louisville has continued to be efficient shooting the ball from the perimeter, making now nine of its 15 shots this half and turning the ball over much less than it did in the first half. Carolina, meanwhile, has almost matched the Cards' mistakes with 11 turnovers.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- As expected, it was the total team balance of scoring that won the game. But the odd thing is that the balance was on UCLA's side, not Xavier's. And less surprisingly, it wasn't just on offense, but on defense as well. Add both ends of the floor together and you get a 76-57 Bruin victory and a third straight trip to basketball's Land of Oz.

(Coach Ben Howland with the fruits of his defense's hard work)

Continue reading "Phoenix Regional- Bruin Balancing act too much for Xavier" »

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Louisville is doing its best to make things interesting early in the second half at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, as the Cardinals have cut North Carolina's lead to 50-43 with 15:14 remaining.

Louisville guard Preston Knowles just got a nice look on a backcourt cut to the basket and laid one in as he was fouled in the process.

The Tar Heels, meanwhile, have two players in double figures now as Tyler Hansbrough has recorded 12 points to go along with Wayne Ellington's 11. Louisville has yet to have a player reach the double-digit mark, but three players -- Terrence Williams, Jerry Smith and Earl Clark -- each have nine for Rick Pitino's squad.

What's helped, however, get the Cardinals back in this one has been a 5-for-7 start (71.4 percent) from the field, as North Carolina has struggled in the opening minutes of this second half with a 3-for-9 shooting performance.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- We're at halftime here at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, where top-seeded North Carolina has jumped out to a sizable 44-32 lead through the first 20 minutes of play.

Wayne Ellington is pacing the Tar Heels with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting and Tyler Hansbrough has provided the spark down low with eight points and four rebounds. Marcus Ginyard is leading the effort on the glass for UNC with five boards.

But the Tar Heels are up big in part due to their 58.1-percent clip from the field along with Louisville's game-high 11 turnovers, something that needed to be a concern for seventh-year coach Rick Pitino after the way the Cardinals coughed up the ball on 20 occasions in Thursday night's Sweet 16 win over Tennessee.

Ty Lawson, on the other side, has been impressive in running the show for UNC so far, dishing out seven assists despite having only two points on a pair of free throws. Danny Green has continued to play off the bench for Roy Williams, hitting two of his first three shots and all four free throws for nine points.

For Louisville, Earl Clark has eight points on 4-for-4 shooting and Jerry Smith has dropped in seven in 14 minutes of action. David Padgett, in the meantime, has been extremely quiet with 0 points and just three attempts from the floor as well as Juan Palacios, who has yet to take a shot in his seven minutes of floor time.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With 3:53 before halftime here at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, No. 1 seed and hometown favorite North Carolina is in control of things with a 31-24 lead.

Tyler Hansbrough is off to a good start for UNC with a team-high eight points, while shooting guard Wayne Ellington and forward Deon Thompson have each tallied six.

The Tar Heels have dominated the boards early on with a 15-7 edge and have gotten the turnover-happy Cardinals to already commit nine mistakes. If that continues, Louisville could well surpass its game-high 20 turnovers from Thursday night's Sweet 16 win over No. 2 seed Tennessee.

Both teams, meanwhile, are shooting it well from the perimeter, as North Carolina has hit 53.8 percent of its shots (10-for-19) and Louisville has come in at 52.6 percent (14-for-26). The Cards have hit two threes -- one from Terrence Williams and one from Jerry Smith -- and Carolina has one from Danny Green, who got into a rhythm from beyond the arc in the first half against Tennessee.

And whether or not North Carolina coach Roy Williams wants to believe it, the crowd, dominated almost completely by Carolina powder blue, is certainly playing a factor through the first 16 minutes of this thrilling Elite Eight matchup.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With 9:46 left to play in the first half, North Carolina has charged back to take a 21-14 lead on Big East regular season runner-up Louisville.

Rick Pitino's kids grabbed the early lead in this one, but Tyler Hansbrough and the Tar Heels have taken control on some nice drives to the basket.

And the tempo has started to pick up at both ends of the floor as both UNC and Louisville have been looking to get out and run in hopes of earning easy transition baskets.

UNC has hit half of its field goal attempts (9-for-18) while Louisville has hung tough with a 6-for-13 shooting performance so far, but the Tar Heels have been dominate on the glass with a 11-5 advantage, one particular aspect we mentioned in our pre-game post that would be critical to either teams' success tonight.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- At our first timeout with 15:05 remaining in the first half, third-seeded Louisville is out to a 9-8 lead on top-seeded North Carolina.

The Cardinals are shooting the ball well early on at a 66.7-percent clip -- on 4-of-6 shooting -- and getting some fine play early on from their backcourt in Jerry Smith and Terrence Williams, who swished a fade-away jumper in the opening moments to give Louisville a 4-2 lead.

North Carolina has burned Louisville's full-court press a couple times to start the game, getting an easy dunk by Marcus Ginyard, and a couple of buckets from First Team All-American and player of the year candidate Tyler Hansbrough.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ.-- UCLA wins 76-57

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ.-- The Bruins are now up 69-49 at the four minute mark. The UCLA fans are starting to get a little bit louder with every tick of the clock. They've been to the Final Four a lot, so they know when these things are about to happen. Call it a Final Four fan's 6th sense.

(Sean Miller can't find the answers to a Bruin team that's playing with a purpose today.)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ.-- So I meant to write about this guy before, but this UCLA fan that's wearing one of those Finding Nemo fish heads and "Cat in the Hat" oversized gloves on his hands, was up and dancing during every time out during today's game. His seat was in the 5th row, right behind the basket.

Well a little while ago, the security here ushered him out of his "seat" and next thing you know he's up in the rafters still doing his thing up there. So this picture is from my court side seat on the opposite end zone way up to section 212 where he is now.

Bruins lead 53-39 at the 10:45 mark.

(UCLA fish-head, no longer getting hassled by The Man)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- It's now UCLA 48-28 after a pair of threes by Darren Collison and Kevin Love, along with a put-back by Love that had the Bruin bench jumpin' up...

Just as Xavier feared, UCLA has raced out quick here in the second half, outscoring the X by a 15-4 count here in the first five minutes of the second half. And by the way, do you find it weird that Xavier hasn't employed some of the Western Kentucky philosophy and put more full court pressure on the Bruins? To my recollection, that seemed to work well on Thursday.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ.-- That was the message that the Xavier huddle had going on just before entering the arena for the last 20 minutes of today's game.

(Xavier players before going out on the court for half #2)

It's 33-24 UCLA at the mid-point break. A late run pushed the Bruin lead to nine after it had been within two or four points all half long.

Xavier needs a good push here in the second half to keep this from getting ugly. Then again, remember what Western Kentucky did? They cut a 21-point lead to fou in the second half.

Coach Sean Miller just told Derrick Brown that "we have no chance if you're not playing smart!" after Brown picked up an early foul here.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Good evening everyone as we make our return to Charlotte Bobcats Arena for our East Regional semifinal between No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 3 seed Louisville.

The Tar Heels, who earned the top overall seed coming into the NCAA Tournament, has cruised easily in their first three games, winning by at least 20 and putting up over triple digits in its first two games. On Thursday night here in the Sweet 16, Roy Williams' club ran past No. 4 seed Washington State and never was really challenged by the Cougars. Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds, but it was a balanced scoring attack that included three other double-digit scorers for UNC. Sixth-man Danny Green gave the Heels an early spark with 12 points at halftime before finishing with 15 on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point land.

Louisville, similarly, showed its own sort of scoring balance in its dominating win over No. 2 seed Tennessee in Thursday's Sweet 16 contest. Sophomore forward Earl Clark had a huge second half against Volunteers before ending up with a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes. But four other Cardinals registered double figures as well, including 13 points from Andre McGee and Jerry Smith, and Louisville took care of things on the glass with a commanding 43-28 edge. And with the frontcourt powers that both North Carolina and Louisville possess, the battle on the glass will certainly be a crucial factor in tonight's Elite Eight matchup.

Turnovers will be just as important after the sloppiness that Louisville exhibited against Tennessee with a game-high 20 turnovers. North Carolina also had a few issues taking care of the ball against Wazzu with a game-high 13 turnovers, but the Heels didn't let that hurt them with a 46-32 rebounding advantage. If they do that tonight against the Cardinals, Williams and his players won't have any trouble getting past an experienced and talented Louisville squad that many predicted had enough power to reach the Final Four.

That prediction could still come true, but it will take a monumental effort from the Cardinals and every bit of support by the over-matched Louisville faithful to push Rick Pitino's team into that position next week.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ.-- Last year, among the UCLA traveling team was this quirky juggler, who always wore a bright blue suit with shiny blue high tops and a "fat guy" hat. Well apparently his scholarship ran out because he's not with the Bruins contingent this year.

(Yes, this guy had a scholarship... meanwhile college baseball is only allowed 11.7 scholarships to split up among 35 players. WTF?!)

UCLA is now up 31-22 at the 1:35 mark of the first half. Still a great, evenly-played game for the most part. Although UCLA is going on a late half sprint here and XU needs to be careful.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ.-- The pundits have been correct so far, as XU has stayed consistently with UCLA through the first 12 minutes and change of this game.

It's now UCLA by a shade, 18-15 at the 7:38 mark. Xavier's run-and-jump style of defense, where they also double off of any screens at the top of the key, seems to be making things touch for the Bruins to utilize their inside game as much as they'd like to.

(Miller doing the grease board thing with his team during a time out)

Both defenses have been spot-on so far, frustrating the other teams designs and knocking a lot of loose balls around.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 07:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- I don't give a whole ton of credence to the fact that this is a "home" game for UCLA, or any team in the NCAA tournament.

But I will say this, you might not be able to tell on TV, but there is a much more palpable energy to today's game than there was on Thursday. Sure there are probably more UCLA fans here, but everybody loves an underdog, so there is a very vocal crowd pulling for Xavier too.

Of course, the energy could also be high for both teams since the game started with three electrifying dunks in the first four shots made.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- Before they hit the floor today, the UCLA Bruins huddled together in the bowels of the stadium and received a short pep talk.

I heard the voice say, "C'mon guys! This is the Elite Eight. Leave it ALL on the floor today. This is what you came to UCLA for, so go out there and get it!"

They broke the huddle and I saw that the guy in the middle of it all, giving the speech was the well-suited Michael Roll. He's the Bruin sharpshooter who is redshirting this season because of an injury.

'Bout to tip off here in the Valley of the Sun.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- Okay Xavier, just about everybody and their brother think you've got a better-than-average chance to pull this one out. I'm not going to doubt your chances either.

In the West Regional Final, it's 30-6 Xavier vs. 34-3 UCLA.

(Do B.J. Raymond and coach Sean Miller have any more magic left in them?)

Game time is about an hour away. Here are a couple of interesting notes going in:

- UCLA is shooting for its third straight Final Four appearance and has been in 17 Final Fours in its history. Xavier is looking for its first Final Four appearance ever.

- Eleven times an Atlantic 10 team has advanced to the Elite Eight over the years, but only one has won its way to the Final Four, that was the '96 UMass team led by Marcus Camby and coached by John Calipari.

-Three players in this game are coming off of career-best games on Thursday. Xavier's Josh Duncan scored a career-high 26 vs. West Virginia. UCLA's James Keefe came off the pine to score a career-high 18 and Frosh phenom Kevin Love scored a career-high 29 vs. Western Kentucky.

- Xavier has five players averaging double figures in scoring. Duncan leads the way with a 12.4ppg average.

- Both teams have established a school record for wins in 2008. The 2008 Musketeers with 30 and the Bruins with 34.

- Of the 21 players that average a double-double in college basketball this season, only two are freshmen, Michael Beasley of K-State and Kevin Love of UCLA (17.6 and 10.7)

- Typical of Ben Howland's philosophy, UCLA is holding opponents to 58.5ppg. This is the third straight year the Bruins have held opponents to less than 60 points.

- Big key for the Bruins: Darren Collison must get back into the swing.
He had more fouls than points against WKU (five fouls, four points) and was continually frustrated by the quick, lateral ability of the Hilltoppers guards. Guess what Xavier's biggest attribute is? Quick, lateral movement, especially of their guards Drew Lavender and Stanley Burrell.

- Big key for the Musketeers: Must continue to hitting threes like crazy.
The X went 11-19 in treys vs. West Virginia, including two by Raymond that salted the game away in overtime. UCLA was just 4-for-9 in its game with Western Kentucky, so their game doesn't rely on the shots from beyond the arc.

- Key matchup to watch: Stanley Burrell vs. Darren Collison
The 6'3" Burrell will have the assignment of covering lightning-quick Collison today. Burrell was named the A-10 defensive player of the year this season and as mentioned, Collison is coming off of one crappy performance vs. Tyrone Brazelton.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - We have just concluded the day-before interviews here at Reliant Stadium and we can't say we heard any ourageous comments or taunting from either the Memphis or Texas side.

No real feel for how each team will perform tomorrow, but it is pretty safe to bet that this game will be quite an up and down battle. John Calipari joked that the score could be in the 100s for each side. Or maybe he wasn't joking.

Responded Rick Barnes: "Who did he say was going to win? (Laughter) Did he say? Well, I don't know. We're going to play the way we've played. I think that at this point in time, I think teams are who they are, and both teams -- Stanford, they ran (Friday) night. We knew they were going to run. I think every team that we've played all year has had the attitude that you have to get out and try to get easy baskets; I think so much depends on how you take care of the ball. What you don't want to do is to allow teams to get out from your turnovers, but we are going to run. There's no doubt they are going to run and they are not going to change what they do and we are not going to change what we do. In terms of a score, I don't know. But like our guys were saying, we've got to this point playing a certain way, and we are going to continue to do that."

Said DJ Augustin: "Like Coach said, we are not going to change anything we have been doing all year, we are going to push the ball up and down and we have to do the same thing in defense. It's going to be an up-and-down game but we are just going to play our game."

. . . The cut above Derrick Rose's right eye showed no signs of swelling and despite an early morning headache, Rose said he is fine and the cut won't affect him tomorrow.

. . . A big part of the Texas presser was dedicated to the unsung hero-ness of "glue guy" Justin Mason. Several questions were asked about Mason - who was sitting there sort of bemused by all the attention. You can expect the Mason storyline to be a big one for tomorrow's game. As will the DJ Augustin-Rose storyline. The two played against each other over the summer at an adidas camp and Rose said Augustin got the better of him.

. . . We're working on a column about the two coaches in tomorrow's game and it will be posted at Hang Time in a couple of hours. Please be sure to check it out.

In the meantime, you can venture over to our good friends at ASAP Sports for transcripts of the day's pressers.

Posted by David Scott at 04:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Davidson is looking to become the second double-digit seed to go to the Final Four in three years when it takes on Kansas here Sunday night.

Stephen Curry had another big game against the Badgers, and there is no reason to think he can't light up Kansas as well. Defending Kansas may be another issue for the Wildcats.

The Jayhawks run up and down the floor as well as anybody, and are one of the quickest teams in transition in this tournament. They also try to move quickly after made baskets. They are able to get easy shots inside, or threes for Robinson, Rush and Chalmers by beating teams down the floor.

Davidson had some success pressuring Wisconsin, and I look for them to do more of that against Kansas to try to force some turnovers and get some easy hoops.

Athletically, the Wildcats are wildly overmatched, much more so than they were against Georgetown. I don't see any way they can run with them, but Davidson isn't much of a slow down team either.

Like Davidson, Kansas likes to create turnovers, so taking care of the ball will be critical. The Wildcats have done a good job of that so far.

Kansas is also motivated to get its coach, Bill Self, to the Final Four for the first time and get that monkey off his back.

For the fourth time in a row, I'm picking against Davidson. That is good news for Wildcat fans. I also picked against Mason every time out in 2006.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Memphis wins it 92-74 and will meet Texas on Sunday at 1:20 local time.

Rose finishes with 27 for Memphis, CDR has 25. Suton with 23 and Allen with 20 for State.

We'll be back with you from interview day, tomorrow (Saturday) in the early afternoon.

Posted by David Scott at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Despite missing much of the second half with an eye injury, Derrick Rose leads all scorers with 25 points and Memphis is up 83-66 with 1:56 left.

We're being assured by the NCAA that this game will actually end at some point.

. . . Tip for Sunday's South region championship game was just announced as 1:20 CT (2:20 ET). That's slightly odd because we thought with Billy Packer and Jim Nantz at this site, they would have had the natural lead-in to "60 Minutes" and be able to set the complete Final Four field. Instead, it will be Cinderella Davidson and Kansas that get the fill the final spot.

. . . Neitzle hit his first field goal of the game with 1:45 left. He is 1 of 7 from the field., with all but one attempt a 3-pointer.

Posted by David Scott at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Kansas finished off Villanova 72-57. Both teams called off the dogs with about 30 seconds left.

Not exactly the raucous celebration like when Davidson won.

KU finished with 54% shooting on 24-46. Rush had 16, Robinson 15 and Chalmers 14 for the Jayhawks.

Nova got the shooting percentage up a bit to 36%, but it wasn't nearly enough. Reynolds had 11, and Clark and Cunningham had 10 each.

KU fans aren't even doing the Rock Chalk thing yet. Maybe they all went home.

So we have Davidson vs Golaith again on Sunday at, it was just announced, 5:05 ET.

The beggars are out behind me. Some pre-teen boys are hitting us up for media guides and, I'm not sure this is a good idea, used towels from the Nova bench.

Time to find the Davidson party. See you on Sunday.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - If this game were a candy, it'd be a Gobstopper.

Michigan State has, much to Tom Izzo's credit, been able to extend this one and wring out every last second. With 3:58 left in the game, Memphis leads 78-62 and the parade to the free-throw line is going to continue.

Neitzel has still not scored for State.

. . . There's no way you can blame Memphis for its second half lapse. It's too hard to keep up the kind of intensity they brought in the first half and with a 30 point lead at halftime, there's a certain expectation that the game is over, even though 20 minutes still needed to be ticked away.

That said, Calipari will gladly use the second half as further motivation for his Tigers as he tries to convince them that the world is against them on Sunday. And few do such motivtaional games better than the Tiger mentor.

Posted by David Scott at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - With 6 minutes left, it appears that Tom Izzo will foul on every Memphis possession.

Calipari has said he will have his players try and run away and hide, but so far the technique has led to two trips to the line for Rose and Kemp. Rose missed one, Kemp made two.

Posted by David Scott at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Jay Wright and Nova never gave up. He coaches all the way to the end. He pulled Stokes with about 1:45 left and let him having it for blowing a defensive assignment. "You gotta get out on that man! We're down very bad word 15!"

Now, they're down 12 with just over a minute left.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Jay Wright was trying to get Weed (I'm pretty sure) to do something, but what exactly that was remains a mystery. He just kept yelling 'C'mon Weed!" over and over until he got sick of it and turned to his bench to send in a sub with, "Go get Weed." I'm also pretty sure that he was not placing a take-out order.

Anyway, Weed, that is Dwayne Anderson, is out.

So is Nova, trailing by 17 with 3:30 left.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - It's not a game, but State has done it's best to make it one after Memphis dozed off for the past ten minutes of game time.

Memphis leads 69-48with 7:39 left in the game.

. . . Drew Neitzel still has not scored in the game. He is 0 of 5 from the field and 0 of 4 from 3-point land.

. . . Rose returned for Memphis with 8:45 left in the game. He is sporting a bandage over his right eye. He score four straight points. Guess they missed him a bit.

Posted by David Scott at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Memphis is having a hard time creating a flow in this latter portion of the game, understandably so. But Calipari is not happy despite a 61-39 lead with 11:55 left in the game.

Derrick Rose is nowhere to be found and has definitely left the bench area.

. . . Text Message of the night, received at 10:23 CT with Memphis up 61-36, from a weisenheimer friend of Posting Up (FOPU): "Geez, I hope Memphis's free throw shooting doesn't hurt them down the strecth of this one."

Why can't I come up with gold like that?

. . .Memphis Media Moron is now eating my media room-procured Snickers and M&Ms. The chewing seems to keep him quiet, which is nice. Wish they had Laffy Taffy.

. . . Every game tonight has the potential to be double-digit blow-outs. Not exactly what the mothership of CBS was looking for to boost sagging ratings.

Posted by David Scott at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

DETROIT - It isn't getting any better for Villanova as they still trail by 19 at the 12-minute timeout.

Much of the crowd has headed for the exits.

Jay Wright is starting to lose his optimism and show some frustration at his team's inability to stop the alley oop, of which Kansas has about six.

The Wildcats haven't quit though. They're pressing and trying to get back in it, but KU is toying with them.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - We're not going to insult your intelligence by continuing to post at every media timeout. If the game gets below 20, we'll check in. Otherwise just assume the Tigers are maintaining a helathy double-digit lead. It's now 61-29 with 15:56 left in the game.

. ..Derrick Rose got poked in the eye and was taken out of the game when the official stopped play. He doesn't appear to be on the bench - not sure where he is currently.

. . . Tigers went up 34 within first minute of half.

. . . Attendance for this session was 32,931. There were approximately 43,000 seats available, but thhe bulk of those remaining 10,000 are way up in the eaves.

. . . Dozier picked up his third foul of the game a minute into the half, but remained in the game.

. . . A moron media member from Memphis is trying to get his wife to see where he's sitting by waving his hand in the air each time the camera comes down this end of the court. He may need to be beaten. By Joey Dorsey. And Pierre Niles.

. . . Calipari is going to use the rest of the half to get some rest for his starters in preparation for Sunday against Texas.

Posted by David Scott at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Michigan State could not get anything going in the first half and the stats don't lie in this one:

Memphis won the board battle, 22-6.

Memphis shot 20 of 32 from the field (63 percent).
State shot 9 of 23 (39 percent).

Memphis hit 4 of 10 from 3-point land.
State hit 1 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Suton led State with 11 points.
Rose led Memphis with 12 and four assists (Neitzel led State with four assists).

Just four State players scored (two with 2 points each).
Eight Tigers scored.

Memphis had 3 turnovers.
State had 9.

Memphis had 6steals.
State had 1.

Memphis scored 24 points in the paint to 12 for State.
Memphis netted 16 points off turnovers to 2 for State.
Memphis has 13 second-chance points (10 offensive boards), State has zero.

. . . Tough night for the Big Ten with Wisconsin falling to team from a mid-major conference and State looking at a 30-point deficit to a team from a Mid.

. . . State's last field goal of the half came with 6:17 left in half.

Posted by David Scott at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MEMPHIS - Memphis beat writers are already finished with their game stories. Columnists will have no trouble meeting deadline. This one is a joke. Memphis leads 50-20 at half, a score that was punctuated by a breakaway, between the knees dunk by Derrick Rose.

Michigan State may be boarding the bus right now for all we know.

. . .Big fella Pierre Niles checked in for Memphis with a little over two minute sleft in the half and proceeded to take an alley-oop and lay it in for two. if this thing goes this way and Memphis meets texas, we're proposing a sumo match at halftime on Sunday between Niles and Texas's Dexter Pittman.

. . . Back with stats when they get to us.

Posted by David Scott at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - This is getting ugly. Jeremy Case drained a three late to extend the Kansas lead to 41-22 at the break.

Kansas cooled off from their torrid start, but is still shooting 59%, while Nova is a putrid 25%. Russell Robinson has 13 and Brandon Rush 11 to lead KU. Scottie Reynolds' six paces a very balanced Wildcat attack, such as it is.

Jay Wright is still keeping a positive outlook though.

Just talked to Brent Stover from the Big Ten Network, who reports that the Wisconsin locker room was like a morgue. No surprise there.

We actually got a little halftime entertainment this time. The Kansas Dance team performed, but because my cell phone takes mediocre pictures at distance, I don't have one, which will disappoint our colleague, Eric Sorenson.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Playing their best half of basketball in the NCAA Tournament, Memphis has taken a commanding 41-20 lead with 3:46 left in the half.

Drew Neitzel looks especially frsutrated and has yet to score for the Spartans. Memphis is lead by CDR's eight points.

. . . Incredibly, Memphis is shooting 67 percent (16 of 24) and State is shooting 9 of 19 (47 percent). But the difference has been on the boards, where Memphis has 14 rebounds to just 4 for State.

. . . A Joey Dorsey steal and tomahawak slam with 5:41 left in the half put Memphis up 37-20. It also started chants of "Joey, Joey, Joey" from the Tiger faithful.

. . . Raymar Morgan picked up his second foul with 7:05 left in the half.

Posted by David Scott at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Memphis has built up a 13 point lead with 7:32 left in the half and now lead 31-18.

Goran Suton has half of State's points with nine, while Memphis has seven players with at least two points, led by Dozier and Rose with seven each.

. . . Willie Kemp with two early 3-pointers for Memphis. The Tigers are 4 of 7 from beyond the arc.

. . . The Tigers have so many student managers that five of them have been relegated to auxiliary seating in the abandoned Stanford band section.

. . . The Memphis mascot is in its Elvis costume, a personal favorite of ours.

. . . With Anderson out, Rose picked up Neitzel on defense for Memphis.

. . . The video board that had been distracting Memphis players during yesterday's shoot around gets turned off during free throws.

. . . Robert Dozier picked up his second foul with 7:32 left in the half.

Posted by David Scott at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Kansas has finally stopped Nova's run with a 7-0 run of its own to extend the lead back to 15 with 3:45 to go.

Jay Wright had Scottie Reynolds out of the game for a minute, and when he sent him back in, he told him, 'When he's outside the three point line, keep your hands off him." Not exactly sure who he meant, but my guess is Robinson.

Also, after a Reynolds walk, Wright turned to one of his assistants and said, "Don't say anything. Just don't."

Sasha Kaun tried a goofy-looking, two-handed tip that looked more like he was trying to set a volleyball than tip in a basketball. It didn't work.

When Wright called timeout here, a manager grabbed a couple of stools for the players to sit on, and a priest sitting with the team grabbed a couple also. I guess he doesn't just provide moral support.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

DETROIT - The Villanova bench is lively at the 8-minute timeout because they have cut the lead to 10 and KU just threw the ball away.

Scottie Reynolds has a couple of threes to spark this 8-2 run.

Remember how I said that little schools have cheesy mascots. Here's a cheesy big-school mascot.

More of a jaychick than a Jayhawk. The number on the jersey is 1/2.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

HOUSTON - The Tigers lead 19-13 with 11:42 left in the half. Both teams are shooting well with Memphis at 7 of 10 and State at 6 of 12. Memphis holds a slight 5-2 rebounding edge. Rose has 7 points to lead Memphis and Chris Allen has 5 to pace the Spartans.

. . . State is in a 2-3 zone to start.

. . . A trey by Rose gave Memphis a 10 point lead right around the 15-minute mark. Biggest of the game.

. . . Idong Ibok picked up his second foul with 13:58 left in the half.

. . . Texas players have just entered the arenadium and are sitting down to scout their next opponent. Big cheers all around.

Posted by David Scott at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Kansas is on fire to start the game. The Jayhawks have hit 9 of their first 11 shots, including three dunks and three long balls by Russell Robinson to get out to a 24-10 lead with 11:42 left. Kansas also has at least four steals already.

Villanova coach Jay Wright is staying positive and encouraging. He's not nearly as animated, or to this point, negative as McKillop is on the sidelines.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Memphis leads 11-6 with 15:36 left in the half. Michigan State has already committed four fouls to zero for the Tigers. Four different Tigers have scored in the first 4-plus minutes, led by freshman Derrick Rose.

. . . Antonio Anderson starts out defending Drew Neitzel as expected. Anderson hit his first 3-point attempt. Neitzel missed his.

. . . John Calipari is utilizing the stool provided by the NCAA. Tom Izzo is too. Neither coach in the first game was a stool sitter.

. . .Joey Dorsey became the first player to run off the side of the stage/court when he saved a ball from going out of bounds. It led to a breakaway from Chris Douglas-Roberts, who travelled as he made his lay-up.

. . . The building has lost some energy for sure after the first game despite the fact that most of the burnt-orange rooters have remained.

Posted by David Scott at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Kansas is getting up and down the floor all they want early on as they have jumped out to an 11-6 lead at the first timeout.

The Jayhawks already have two alley oops, and almost got a third. They are very quick in transition, but even after made baskets.

That must be way coach Self seems so relaxed.

All he needs is a bar to go with his stool

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - While the Hoops Odyssey boys are off doing the postgame rounds, let me clean up some garbage from the last game.

Davidson came back on the boards to finish within 3. It seemed worse than this, but the turnover margin was only +5 for Davidson, but they had nine steals.

We don't get info like second-chance points.

Now, the lineups for game two, which is five minutes away.

Kansas starts:
G: Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson
F: Darnell Jackson, Darrell Arthur

Nova counters with:
G Scottie Reynolds, Cory Stokes
F Antonio Pena, Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham.

Our ref, Doug "Show of" Shows (pardon me for channeling Berman for a moment), Pat Evans and TV Teddy Valentine, who I may have to report for stalking me. He's like Visa, everywhere I go.

Danny Manning just came out onto the court. His famed championship run in 1988 came through Detroit. Back then, they played in the Pontiac Silverdome. They beat Vanderbilt and Kansas St to get to the Final Four. The 4th team in that regional was Purdue, which is why I was there. The Boilers were the top seed, but lost to Mitch Richmond and KSU.

Not that I'm bitter.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Davidson comfortably finished off Wisconsin 73-56 and will play the winner of Kansas-Villanova on Sunday. I wonder if they thought to bring the white unis, which they would need if Nova wins.

How do they look in white?

Curry was spectacular with 33, but unlike Davidson's other games in this tournament, he wasn't really the story.

The story was Wisconsin's gross incompetence at the offensive end, where they didn't do, and rarely even tried to do, what they do best. They were sloppy with the ball (and Davidson forced some problems there to be sure), but the real crime was failing to try to take advantage of their size inside. Wisconsin did some of that in the first half, but as soon as they got down in the second half, that part of their game was done.

And when they did get shots, they didn't fall. Wisconsin was a woeful 5-20 in the second half, 1-6 from long range, and even 9-16 from the line.

Tom O'Connor, the George Mason AD, just congratulated Davidson's AD, who was sitting in front of me.

This game was so bad, even LeBron left early.

If there are any other final stats of note, I'll pass them along.

Meanwhile, our "luxury porta johns" have, um, crapped out here. Water is flowing down the ramp. It's not quite like the pictures you saw from the Georgia Dome during the SEC tournament, but no less unpleasant.

Not caused by a leaky toilet.

Back with Game two in a bit.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas wins, 82-62.

We'll be back with final stats in a bit and a look ahead to the second game between Memphis and Michigan State.

Posted by David Scott at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas has extended to a 19 point lead, its biggest of the game and the 'Horns are Elite 8-bound and riding high. The 'Horns lead 77-56 with 2:07 left.

DJ Augustin has been simply marvelous and now has 20 points on 9 of 16 from the field. We wouldn't hate you if you headed over the Hang Time to check out our column on Augustin from this morning, because the competitive part of thsi one is O-V-A, over.

Four Longhorns are in double-fgures scoring and just one (Brook Lopez) has reached double digits for the Cardinal.

. . . Looks like we know where the POTUS will be on Sunday afternoon. Wonder if he'll bring his daughters?

. . . Trent Johnson's been doing the stare-down with a couple of the officials, but it's too late for that. Maybe he should've gotten tossed again?

. . . No matter who advances from our seocnd game, Texas should be a few point favorite on Sunday. the homecourt advantage is worth at least four points in our opinion.

Posted by David Scott at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - If Brook Lopez were to get say a smidgen of help, the Cardinal would still have a chance in this one. But he's not and his 26 points are almost exactly half of the Cardinal output as they now trail 63-53 with 7:58 left in the game.

Texas's is being bouyed by its virtual home crowd and some re-energized play in the last five minutes. It will take a monumental effort by Stanford to come back in this one.

. . .In the first half it was Clint Chapman who gave Rick Barnes valuable big man minutes. Now it's Dexter Pittman, who has been a revalation in this NCAA Tournament.

. . . Stanfoird's Mitch Johnson has such a strange jump shot and it's betraying him tonight as he's 2 of 8 from the field, including a clanked 3-pointer that would have cut the lead down to seven.

Posted by David Scott at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas is clinging to a 54-51 lead with 11:43 left. DJ Augustin has scored just two pooints this half for the Longhorns after netting 12 in the first half. Stanford now has a plus-11 on the boards, 34-23 (9-4 in the second half)>

. . . A trey by Landry Fields cut the texas lead to one, 52-51. It was the closest the Cardinal had been since leading 2-0 to start the game.

. . . Robin Lopez back into the game with 12:29 left in the game and his three fouls.

. . . Love that Davidson score - Jerry Palm must be in Heaven.

Posted by David Scott at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - McKillop finally gave Curry a break after a three point play on a reverse layup with the Wildcats up 63-46 and about 9 minutes left. He can sit him the rest of the night. Wisconsin is done. They will not score 63 points.

The Badgers can't hit a layup, can't hit a free throw, can't run an alley oop, can't hardly complete any pass, can't defend, can't tie their shoes, etc. I'm worried they'll get lost going back to the locker room after the game.

It's so bad, that if Davidson left the floor, Wisconsin still wouldn't score 63.

Of course, now they need 65, because it's 65-48 Wildcats at the 8-minute timeout.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Wisconsin has no idea what it's doing. They can't handle the ball. On the rare occasions they do, they can't shoot. They can't defend, but it's gotten so that even when they do, Davidson is outhustling them for the rebounds. we'll see how much resilience they have, but they aren't showing much so far.

Michael Flowers went down hard on an out-of-bounds play, and came up rubbing his elbow, but he stayed in.

LeBron was showed on the screen, and boos rained down. I didn't know that many locals were here.

It's a 12-point Davidson lead with 11:16 left.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - The Cardinal trimmed to the lead to four points and now trail 50-44 with 15:34 left in the game. Brook Lopez has seven of Stanford's 10 second half points and now has 22 points in the game.

If Texas can find a way to stop BLop, they will be fine. But that's a big a IF.

. . . Robin Lopez picked up his third foul of the game with 17:07 left in the game. It was his second of the half. He was replaced by Taj Finger.

. . . Texas dance team has made the chaps change. Thank you, ladies.

Posted by David Scott at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - I guess the refs got their whistles back from the shop. After calling a total of eight fouls in the first half, they have already called 13, and both teams were in the bonus with 13:51 to go.

There have been so many fouls, that there was a foul on a free throw attempt, and Davidson committed four on one Wisconsin possession.

However, due undoubtedly to fatigue, the refs failed to blow a whistle for 50 consecutive seconds, which allowed Curry to bury back-to-back threes and extend Davidson's lead to nine.

It is not looking good for the Badgers at the moment.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Davidson has come out strong to start the second half even though Curry hasn't done much himself. He missed four of first five shots, but the Wildcats lead by six with 15:57 left.

Wisconsin's first half problem getting back on D hasn't fixed. Davidson beatsUW down floor twice already, although they failed to convert one of them.

UW has another problem. They have six fouls already, meaning Davidson is shooting from here on out. The Badgers only had two in first half.

Wisconsin also has four turnovers already, so it's been pretty much a disaster so far.

On top of that, Trevon Hughes hasn't played much and looks a little gimpy out there.

McKillop pulled Lovedale out after a minute or so and read him the riot act for blowing a defensive assignment. Davidson got the stop anyway. He's back in now.

I asked LeBron why he came, and he said it was to see Curry. I asked if he had ever played with him before, he said no, but that he just wanted to see him because, "he's good."

Yes, he is.

We have waitress service here apparently. Someone walked by with water and snacks.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - The numbers do appear to be lying in this one as Stanford lead sthe rebound battle 25-19 bu trails by nine.

The Cardinal do have five more turnovers (7-2) and have been very reliant on Brook Lopez who has 15 points and 8 rebounds to lead everyone.

DJ Augustin has 12 points on 5 of 9 from the field and both he and Justin Mason have four assists each.

Stanford is shooting 13 of 33 from the field (39 percent) while Texas is at 18 of 38 (47 percent). The Horns are 4 of 12 form 3-point land and Stanford is 2 of 7 from beyond the arc.

. . . Mason, a guard, leads the 'Horns in rebounding with five.

. . . Twelve of Stanford's 25 rebounds have been on the offensive glass.

. . . Seemed like a lack of intensity on the Cardinal's part in the first half. that will have to change as they try and overcome the decided homecourt advantage.

Posted by David Scott at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas leads 43-34 at the half and DJ Augustin has 12 points to lead the Longhorns. Brook Lopez leads Stanford with 15 points. A late 3-pointer by Micth Johsnon boosted Stanford's hopes going into the locker room.

. . . Texas's Clint Chapman who hasn't scored in the 'Horns' prior four games and has four total points in his last seven appearances has four points tonight and has played some important minutes.

. . . We'll be back with halftime stats.

Posted by David Scott at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas continues to outplay the Cardinal and now leads 31-22 with 3:51 left in the half.

DJ Augustin leads Texas with seven points and Brook Lopez leads all scorers with 11 points. Stanford is actually plus-four on the backboards (19-15), but they are 8 of 26 from the field (31 percent) and Texas is 13 of 28 (44 percent).

Posted by David Scott at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Butch hit one of two, so we're tied at 36 at the half. That's a lot of points for UW to give up in a half, but that can be chalked up to some hot shooting. Davidson was 14 for 26 for 53.8%, and that's only because they went cold at the end, missing five of their last six. The Wildcats are 8-14 from long range, and four different players have threes. Curry leads them with 11 points, his best first half total of the tournament so far. Keeping him under 25 after the break will be a key for Wisconsin.

Flowers has 11 also for UW, which shot 48% (12-25) and almost matched Davidson with 7 threes. Butch has nine and Bohannon has 8, but Trevon Hughes has yet to score.

Another problem for Wisconsin is that they got beat down the floor on at least four occasions for easy baskets, which will not please Bo Ryan. I have to believe he will spend most of the halftime break addressing defensive breakdowns.

...

The stats have finally arrived. Wisconsin is killing Davidson on the boards, not surprisingly, with a 17-7 lead. The Badgers have 8 offensive rebounds. Davidson is winning the turnover battle 5-2, but most of those Wisconsin turnovers came in the first few minutes.

When I walked up to go get some pop (which I didn't get because I have to go up to the second floor to get it, and there's no time for that trip - I'd never get a cab), I saw the Badger mascot walking around with his head off, and all I can say is it must be really in there because he was a puddle of sweat.

We got no halftime entertainment. No dance teams, no stupid pet tricks, nothing.

LeBron James has disappeared for now. If I get a chance, I'll ask him why he's here.

The teams found their way to the floor, so we must be close to second half action.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Stanford is really struggling form the field in the early going while Texas has found a nice early groove. Texas leads 23-16with 7:52 left.

Stanford has started to feed the post, and specifically Brook Lopez, with increasing success as they have . Brook Lopez has nine points, including the last seven in a row for Stanford.

Stanford is 5 of 19 from the field and Texas is 10 of 23. Five Longhorns have three or more points led by James.

. . . A very competitive battle between our two cheer and dance squads. The Cardinal dancers wear white gloves that bring a nice flair to the uniform. You already know our feelings for the Texas ladies form last week in Little Rock. We eagerly await the chaps changeover that comes around halftime.

. . . The raised court set-up allows for the head coach to stand above the bench on the carpeted apron. Each coach - Trent Johnson and Rick Barnes - are utilizing the space, but it doesn't appear the carpet is designated with the coaching box line. The line does appear on the actual hardwood, but they should have taped it off on the carpet for continuity.Looks odd, but we're getting used to it.

Posted by David Scott at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - We just got our last media timeout of the half with four seconds left after Butch got away with another walk and was fouled going up for a shot.

It was about time he went inside. He's been playing on the perimeter too much in the first half. The biggest guy on the floor needs to post up some. He can shoot the three, but he's hunting it too much.

Bryant Barr's three is the only made shot for Davidson in its last five, which include misses by Curry on a layup and a forced three.

We'll have a tight game at the half either way.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Brian Butch got slapped in the face, switched pivot feet, found Krabbenhoft inside for a layup to tie the game, at which point, we finally got our 8-minute media timeout with 2:43 to go.

The refs are generally letting them play. Besides Butch complaining about getting hit in the face, UW players complained at the last timeout about getting pushed in the back in the post. I don't have as good a look at the other end of the floor, but I'm sure stuff isn't being called there either.

This place is so open that sound just sort of disappears. The UW band at the opposite corner of the floor from us is barely audible here.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Davidson is pretty hot from the floor so far, shooting 10/17, but Wisconsin is matching them blow for blow and leads 28-25 with 6:02 left. By my count, we already have 11 made threes in the game between the two teams.

Davidson coach McKillop is a pretty animated guy. Recently, when Landry was posting up on Boris Meno, McKillop kept yelling, "Don't let him push you Boris!" over and over. He's always up and yelling something, or turning to the bench to shout instructions there.

Davidson has, like many smaller schools, a pretty cheesy looking mascot. They are the Wildcats, but the mascot looks like a dog, with some glued on whiskers.

Wilddogs?

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Texas is up 10-4 with 15:22 left in the half. The homecourt advantage that everyone assumed would be the Longhorns' is certainly proving to be true. Just about the whole place is in burnt orange and it's near impossible to find any maroon in the crowd. But that crazy Cardinal tree sure is an active piece of lumber.

Damion James leads all scorers with six points.

Posted by David Scott at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Davidson's letting it all hang out, but it's not quite enough for their coach yet. After an offensive rebound, the one area in which Wisconsin is excelling at the moment, Bob McKillop turned to his bench and screamed at his players, "GET THE LOOSE BALLS!!!!"

Already a player has flown off of the raised floor in pursuit of a ball. Michael Flowers went flying off the end by the UW bench a moment ago.

It's 13-10 Davidson at the 12 minute timeout thanks to three long balls, two by Curry. The Wildcats have done a good job of pressuring the ball defensively and not giving UW too many good looks.

The Wildcats would do well not to awaken the ferocious, sleeping Badgers, lest the knaw their faces off.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Rumors of a Tiger Woods appearance have circulated through the building and we believe they are emanating from CBS's Jim Nantz. He would certainly know.

Also supposed to be another Penny Hardaway evening as the ex-Memphis Tiger continues to follow his school.

Lastly, we just got word that should Texas advance, George Bush the Younger will be in the building on Sunday. That could make for a huge headache in terms of security and entrance to the building, so we just became Stanford fans.

. . . Memphis assistants John Robic and Derek Kellogg are scouting the game from the socut seats in the row in front of us.

. . . The NCAA has announced that "more NCAA . . . fans will attend this weekend's regionals than at any time in the event's 70-year history. As of Noon on Thursday, over a quarter of a million fans were expected at the four venues over eight sessions."

. . . Houston hosts the Final Four in 2011, Detroit has next year's - thus the dual experimentation in the stage-court.

Posted by David Scott at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Wisconsin's ball security has been pretty questionable in the first four minutes. We don't have live stats, but I'd say they have three or four turnovers already, at least two of which came because of quick hands by Davidson players. That's why the Wildcats lead 7-5.

Here's how close I am to the Davidson huddle:

Davidson players getting last minute instructions.

Wisconsin players shook hands with the UW scorer before taking the floor. Must be some kind of tradition.

Guess who just sat down behind me.

Not as good as his picture on the cover of Vogue, but LeBron is taking in tonight's action.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - The starting lineups have been presented for game one, so here they are.

For the Badgers:
G Michael Flowers, Trevon Hughes
F Marcus Landry, Joe Krabbenhoft
C Brian Butch

Davidson starts:
G Jason Richards, Stephen Curry
F Max Paulhus Gosselin, Thomas Sander, Andrew Lovedale

Our refs are David Hall, Tom Eades and Paul Faia.

If you get a look at the Davidson pep band (I tried to take a picture with my cheesy phone camera, but it didn't turn out so well), you'll see a lot of graybeards in the group. I asked the director about that, and he told me that the school is so small that they can't field a pep band, so they recruit some local pros to fill in. I'd say it's about 1/3 pros, 2/3 joes. And janes.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Those kooky kids with the Stanford Band have arrived with their pin-festooned hats and West Coast joei de vivre. No sign of the Tree yet.

. . . Tonight's officials for Game 1 are John Cahill, leslie Jones and J.D. Collins.

. . . NCAA Committee Members on-site are Lynn Hickey (Texas-San Antonio AD) and Laing Kennedy (Kent State).

NCAA Staff members on site are Jeanne Boyd (the former Florida Gator mascot) and Byron Hatch. We also saw and spoke to David Worlock of the NCAA.

. . . Jim Nantz just went into the bowels of the stadium to put on his yellow tie. Billy Packer, who has been doing research at a second row table, is in his blue CBS sports blazer. You know, we'd like a blue CBS sports blazer too - we are part of the family, ya know?

Clock-til-game time is approaching 30 minutes, which means it's time for us to go get some nourishment. Back in a bit.

. . . Ex-Texas footballer and Houston native, Vince Young, just appeared being escorted by John Bianco from the Texas Media Relations staff. If we were cool like Eric Sorenson, we would take a picture and post it. We're not so we'll tell you VY is wearing a blue and white striped SeanJohn golf shirt, jean shorts and currently signing some autographs and posing for pictures with fans. he has black Reebok sneakers with black RBK socks. His entourage includes three friends, one in a Tracy McGrady Rockets jersey.

. . . We're also scheduled to be sitting next to Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware who is with Sports Radio 610.

Posted by David Scott at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Welcome back to Reliant Stadium where we're about an hour from tip of our first contest between No. 2 seed Texas (30-6) and No. 3 seed Stanford (28-7).

We finally have identified what the raised stage/court design reminds us of - especially for those in the front row bordering the edge of the court: A gentleman's club (or what we would think the set-up of a gentleman's club's stage and apron seating area would look like). Yes, folks, the NCAA has created the world's largest dancer's paradise with its hoops-in-the-round concept that is being utilized here and in Detroit.

We will refrain from Joey Dorsey making-it-rain jokes and move on to matters of basketball.

. . . Fans are just being allowed in and as expected there's a lot of burnt orange already on display.

. . . Stanford has take the floor and are shooting at both ends. They are in their maroon shooting jerseys with maroon uniforms underneath. Texas, as the higher seed, will be in home whites.

Continue reading "Houston: Hour 'Til Tip of Game One at "The Gold Club"" »

Posted by David Scott at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - It's still a good hour and a half before the tip here in Detroit. Folks are starting to trickle in - mostly from Davidson, who still can't believe they're here. Me either. More when you click "more" below.

This guy never doubted it. Curry lubes up before he warms up.

Continue reading "Welcome to the Motor City" »

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Welcome back to the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, where today we haven't been watching any basketball but sure have been talking about it a lot.

Press conferences for both North Carolina and Louisville just finished up, and there's a sense among the press scattered throughout the media room that tomorrow night's East Regional final will feel more like a Final Four matchup than a game to reach that stage next week in San Antonio.

Ask Pitino's players about their matchup with the top-seeded Tar Heels, in fact, and they'll tell just what they'll be facing in their Elite Eight contest.

"We have not talked about them at all to be honest," senior center David Padgett said after last night's win over No. 2 seed Tennessee. "Obviously they are pretty good. They are the No. 1 team in the country."

The No. 1 team in the country and the No. 1 seed overall in the NCAA Tournament, that's what North Carolina has come to be accepted as. For any team, particularly Louisville, that's a challenge that's certainly intriguing at a time when one minute you're playing and the next minute you could be headed home.

"I think that they are the best matchup as far as each position goes," said sophomore forward Derrick Caracter, who tallied nine points and five rebounds in the win over the Volunteers. "They are not the No. 1 team in the country for nothing. We just have to gout there and see their strengths and weaknesses and go from there."

The strengths are quite evident for North Carolina, but it's the Tar Heels' weaknesses that have been extremely difficult for teams to exploit over the last five months.

That's because there haven't been a lot of weaknesses to find in Williams' club, one that has now rattled off 14 straight victories since its last loss to arch-rival Duke back on Feb. 6 in Chapel Hill.

"They're a great basketball team," Pitino said of North Carolina. "They played a tough schedule, [and] they're ACC champions. They're the premier team in the college basketball right now, and they've earned everything by taking on good competition and beating them."

Add in the fact that the Tar Heels haven't had to leave the state of North Carolina yet, and it's a nice feeling for Williams' players knowing that they'll have their fans there in full force when they take the floor against a spirited and energized Louisville squad.

"It seems like we are playing home games sometimes with as many fans as we have here," UNC point guard Ty Lawson explained. "But once you get to the NCAA Tournament, I don't think that fans are much of an advantage, just because the level of your opponent is so high, you really just have to play."

Yet even with the drive to Chapel Hill less than three hours away, not all of Carolina's players see their run to the Elite Eight as an easy road so far.

"I don't think it has been an easy road," asserted sophomore Wayne Ellington, who tallied 13 points and eight rebounds against Washington State. "I just think that we are playing well right now. We are coming off of injuries and are really playing well as a team."

For many teams, Lawson's ankle sprain would have been the end to a season that began with an 18-0 start and finished with an ACC regular reason and tournament title.

"We've got great kids who enjoy playing the game and have a goal of trying to get better," Williams remarked. "We believe the way to get better is to work hard every day, and over the course of time you will better in January than you were in December and you'll be better in February than you were in January."

And in March, the Tar Heels have been even better.

Whether they're better than Louisville will be determined in tomorrow night's game, a game that no matter how you slice it or dice it, could give UNC its toughest test so far this season.

"We definitely think that Louisville will be the best team we've played so far this year," junior forward Marcus Ginyard offered. "It's going to be a challenge, no doubt, but it still comes down to the fact that Louisville is going to try to play its game and we're going to try to impose our will just like we do on any other opponent that we have."

But if they're able to do to the Cardinals what they did to Washington State Thursday night in the Sweet 16, the Heels will have a lot more will to impose on three other teams that could be joining them in San Antonio.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- UCLA fans had to be thinking, "Here we go again." Either that or, "Honey, check my EKG."

Only this UCLA team, in this post-season full of bumbling its way to win after win - read: failing upwardly - could blow a 41-20 halftime lead like this to a 12-seed and live to tell about it with a harrowing 88-78 win over a game Western Kentucky squad.

Can you say, "Charmed team?" There you go. I knew you could.

(Ben Howland and James Keefe look relieved, don't they?)

Continue reading "Phoenix Regional- UCLA escapes... again" »

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 01:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When the 2007-08 season first commenced, Rick Pitino thought he had a Final Four caliber team on his hands coming into the year.

But injuries and off-the-court issues hurt Louisville as the Cardinals struggled in November and December and frustration began to kick in for Pitino and company with the Big East regular season about to start.

That's when things, however, started to turn around for Louisville, taking second in the conference standings behind Georgetown and earning a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Now the Cards are on to much bigger and better things after shutting down No. 2 seed Tennessee Thursday night at Charlotte Bobcats Arena to score a convincing 79-60 victory in the Sweet 16 and advance to Saturday night's Elite Eight matchup with top seed North Carolina.

"It's not easy to lose at this stage of the season, but they've got a lot to be proud of," Rick Pitino said of Tennessee. "They're a terrific basketball team. You've got to fight every possession to beat them."

After leading by seven at halftime, Louisville turned it on right after the break on the play of sophomore Earl Clark, who finished with game-highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds and ignited the Louisville faithful on hand with several highlight-reel dunks.

"Earl is very young," Pitino said. "Earl just turned 19. He's extremely young. When he first came to us, Earl did not have the ability to work very hard.

"He's always had great skills, now he's acquired a work ethic. He's really worked hard for the first time in his life up to not his potential but our potential, what we think of him. I'm real proud of him because he's come on. He's very young. Young, young man, but loaded with talent."

But the 6-foot-8 guard-forward combo wasn't the only one to play well for Louisville (27-8), as four other players registered double-digit points against the Volunteers. Two of those Cardinal players included backcourt mates Andre McGee and Jerry Smith, who both tallied 13 points and contributed on the glass with a combined seven rebounds (three for McGee and four for Smith).

"Coach has talked about denial, pressure, trying to force steals and turnovers," McGee said about his team's improvement on defense. "But today as far as offense we did a terrible job in the first half. We had a lot of turnovers. Their denial and pressure was pretty good, but we stepped it up in the second half...[our defense] has gotten better, but by no means is it the best."

Terrence Williams, meanwhile, also had a solid game in contributing 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting and eight rebounds in 38 minutes. And afterward, you could hear the excitement in the 6-foot-6 junior's voice as he celebrated with his teammates on the sideline and repeatedly told them that they were headed to the "Sexy Eight," his own terminology for Saturday's East Regional final.

That's certainly what the Cardinals' matchup with No. 1 seed North Carolina could be, particularly with the way the Tar Heels have blown out all three of their NCAA Tournament opponents. Of course, Roy Williams' club didn't hit the century mark for a third straight game, but to beat a veteran Washington State team that's been through the trenches of the Pac-10 this season is certainly a testament to the way UNC is playing right now.

Louisville also seems to be playing on a high level, and the Cardinals showed that during the second half as Tennessee worked to get back in the thick of things. But every time the Volunteers would try to make a run, Clark or Williams was there to answer for Louisville.

"When we played on the road this year in the Big East it makes you really tough, and you can't give in," Pitino said. "But we developed a physical and mental toughness because of the type of teams we had to play. So it's made us tougher, and we knew this team will not go away...They've been down before, and they're not going to give up and our guys knew that."

The two forwards were just as impressive on the defensive end, too, blocking six shots combined and holding Tennessee senior Chris Lofton to a quiet 15 points, a team-high nevertheless.

"Their length bothered us on the perimeter, getting the ball to the post, as well as under the basket," Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl explained. "The size bothered us when we got close to the basket. We probably didn't drive it as well as we could have, but that's what zones do."

"It was great to be here for the last four years," added Lofton. "I wish we could have gone farther, but I guess it's the way it goes sometimes."

JaJuan Smith and Tyler Smith were the other Volunteers to hit double-digit points, yet the two Tennessee natives seemed to be stuck on 12 and 11 points for much of the second half.

That seemed to the story most of the night for Tennessee, which shot just 33.9 percent from the field and only 25 percent from three. The Cardinals weren't much better from long range at 28.6 percent, but overall, Louisville shot the ball much better than Tennessee, connecting on 26 of its 50 field goal attempts (52 percent).

"Tonight's game doesn't take much away from the finest season in the history of Tennessee basketball," Pearl asserted. "No team has accomplished what this team accomplished this year. We struggled all night long and Louisville deserves a great deal of credit for that. We were in foul trouble all night long.

"The guys battled all night, but it wasn't enough against a team as talented and well-coached as Louisville."

That differential from the field can't get overshadowed by the dominance that Pitino's kids demonstrated on the glass, grabbing 15 more rebounds than Tennessee with a 43-28 advantage.

"The last three games our offense and defense have been all clicking," the seventh-year Pitino offered. "We told our guys this game is going to be won on the backboard. They had 19 offensive rebounds against Memphis, and I said whichever team outrebounds the other one is going to win this ballgame."

The Cardinals did, however, show that they can be careless at times with a game-high 20 turnovers, and that will need to change Saturday if they hope to reach San Antonio and the Final Four with a win over UNC.

"They had 14 turnovers at halftime and probably turned the ball over several more times early in the second half," Pearl recalled. "Then they didn't turn the ball over at all. It was a good adjustment that they made, and they got to the rim and got to the foul line."

And if Louisville does happen to pull off what would a big-time upset in a matter of 48 hours, Pitino will have every reason to smile after what he and his team has been through over the last five months.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- What the hell can you say? Tyrone Brazelton scores 24 second half points and this Big Red team just never quits. UCLA winning 86-76 with 37 seconds left. But I'm much more impressed with the Hilltoppers tonight.

(Brazelton has put on a show tonight)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- The press is working people. It's now 61-55 Bruins. This game hasn't been this close since it was 18-13 at the 10:23 mark of the first half. It's now just over seven minutes to go. In the words of Dick Vitale, stay tuned baby!

(Just over Bill Raftery's head you see Fox Sports and CSTV's Sean Farnham looking nervous as his alma mater has it's lead shrink to just six with seven minutes remaining)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With less than five minutes to go, Louisville is trying to move on to the Elite Eight with a win over No. 2 seed Tennessee, and the third-seeded Cardinals are inching closer with a 64-52 lead at the moment.

The story of the second half has really been the play of Terrence Williams and Earl Clark, who have both got active on the offensive end and carried the Cards with some big-time plays.

On one of the last possessions down the floor, Williams turned the corner on his defender and drew another one before finding David Padgett with a beautiful over-the-shoulder, no-look pass for an easy flush.

That play got the Louisville faithful up in a tizzy as they can start to sense a victory and a chance to face top seed North Carolina back here on Saturday in the East Regional final.

Chris Lofton has hit a couple of threes in this second half and now has 13 points, but it hasn't come without taking 10 shots from downtown, 13 total, and connecting on just three of them. The Vols, meanwhile, have surpassed Louisville in the turnover department, committing 19 to the Cardinals' 16.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- Coach Darrin Horn has employed a full court press to try to force UCLA to up the tempo and make some mistakes. Right now, the Tops have made it a 48-32 game at the 15:53 mark. So it's worked a little bit.

(Coach Horn's pressure D is helping, but can it last?)

I have a feeling that WKU, despite it's good speed as well, is going to run out of gas at about the eight minute mark or so. Just a prediction, not a promise. Kevin Love is still making minced meat of the Tops on the inside with a game-hight 18 points.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With 11:14 to go in the second half of our second game tonight, Louisville is still out in front of Tennessee by a 52-44 score.

The Cardinals have got a big boost after halftime from swingman Earl Clark, who now leads all scorers with 13 points, the last two coming on a jam and foul off a backdoor cut right to the rim. Tennessee seems to be having trouble slowing down the 6-foot-8 sophomore, who's shown a nice mix of length and quickness in getting by his defenders.

The Volunteers, on the other side, are getting a taste of their own medicine as Louisville continues to push the tempo and put pressure on the ball in the backcourt. There hasn't been a lot of ink to lay on sharpshooting senior Chris Lofton, as the 6-foot-2 guard has managed only seven points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field (and 0-for-5 from three) so far. If the Vols want to come back and win this game, though, they'll need Lofton to step up down the homestretch here.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- A 13-13 tie at the 12:06 mark quickly became a 41-20 blitzkrieg for UCLA here in the first half.

(Bruin girls are happy. Thus, so are Bruin fans)

After Tyrone Brazelton put up a three that made it a tie game, UCLA cranked up the defense a notch and left WKU wondering what happened to its chances here in the first half. WKU went until the 4:30 mark before it would make another basket from the field.

At the halfway point, WKU is 6-for-32 from the field, while UCLA is 16-for-31. Both teams have made a pair of three pointers.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With 15:24 remaining in the second half, Tennessee has climbed back and trails Louisville by just two, 41-38, after a three-point play by Duke Crews.

The Volunteers are still shooting a miserable 20 percent from three-point range but have hit four of their first seven shots of the second half, recording a 57.1-percent clip after halftime.

JaJuan and Tyler Smith are the two Tennessee players in double figures at 12 and 10 points, respectively, and Andre McGee is pacing Louisville with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

The Cardinals, however, are still having issues taking care of the ball with 16 turnovers to this point, and you certainly have to wonder how much that will hurt Rick Pitino's club down the stretch here.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- Xavier sends WVU to the mat with 79-75 overtime win.

What hurts more, this loss to Xavier today? Or the football team's loss to Pitt back in December?

Well nobody has been able to capably explain that football loss. But say this at least, tonight the Mountaineers definitely should have won. No bones about it. And it will all come down to the fact that their missed free throws were THE reason. Sure, for the game, WVU had a better free throw percentage than the Musketeers, 67% compared to 57%. But it was all about timing and pressure. WVU had neither of those factors.

Continue reading "Phoenix Regional- West Virginia sees its season come crashing down" »

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With one half left to play, No. 3 seed Louisville has run out to a 37-30 lead at halftime on No. 2 seed Tennessee with Andre McGee dropping in a running layup right before the horn sounded off.

While Tennessee has managed to make things close after going down by more than double digits, the Cardinals are getting it done with nine points each from Andre McGee and Jerry Smith. Louisville is also in charge of the rebounding battle with a 23-15 edge, and Rick Pitino's team has shot the ball at a decent 41.4 percent from the field, including a 4-for-12 mark from three-point range.

The Volunteers, in the meantime, have got a third of their points from Tyler Smith, who has 10 in 14 minutes of action, and another Smith, JaJuan, has dropped in eight to go along with three boards and three steals. Bruce Pearl's club, though, is shooting just 35.7 percent (10-of-28) for the game, and that will need to improve tremendously if it hopes to reach Saturday's regional final against top-seeded North Carolina.

On another note, both teams have played relatively sloppy, combining for 25 turnovers in the first half with 14 coming from Louisville. Eight of those have come as steals for Tennessee, which has tried to get the Cardinals out of rhythm by pressuring the backcourt and speeding up the game as much as possible.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- It's UCLA 20-13 at the eight minute mark, but it's been the story of the Bruin defense coming to play, but their offense having butterfingers and slippery feet (no, not in the Roy Williams sort of way). The Bruins just pushed further ahead on a spinning layup by super-frosh Kevin Love.

(Jim Harrick from his seat in the UCLA section)

By the way, that Collison-Brazelton matchup is a beauty to watch. Wish I had that kind of speed man. Keep an eye on that the rest of the game.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With five minutes to go before halftime, Louisville is in control of things with a 28-19 lead on Tennessee.

Getting to sit behind the Louisville bench, we're getting to see how Rick Pitino operates on the sidelines in a game that will be sending one team home. Pitino is certainly hoping its not his team after all the adversity that its overcome at the beginning of the season, and the Cardinals have shown that they're a Top 10 team for much of the second half of the year.

But Louisville is having its own issues on offensive right now, as the former Kentucky coach just walked over to his players on the bench and complained about their lack of patience on the offensive end, telling them that they've been making one pass and shooting on possession after possession.

With 3:14 left to go before halftime, it's Louisville now leading Tennessee, 30-23.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Louisville is looking like the Final Four team that many projected it to be at the beginning of the season, beating Tennessee at both ends of the floor and running out to a 24-8 lead with nine minutes remaining before halftime.

The Cardinals are getting the Volunteers to force some bad shots on the offensive end, and it's created a lot of good scoring opportunities for David Padgett, Terrence Williams and the rest of the Louisville squad.

Tennessee, on the other side, has really struggled from the perimeter, hitting just three of its first 13 shots for a 23.1-percent clip. The Vols are also 0-for-5 from three, while Louisville has hit 3-of-6 from long range.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With five minutes gone in the second Sweet 16 matchup of the night, No. 3 seed Louisville is out to a 11-7 lead on No. 2 seed Tennessee.

Juan Palacios has knocked down a three to start the game and Andre McGee has four points after a field goal and a pair of the free throws.

Tyler Smith has tallied three points so far for Tennessee, which has forced the Cardinals to commit five turnovers but hasn't been able to capitalize on them.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, are getting good looks at the basket and are making sure to knock down their shots, with three of the first four going through the net.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's the heavily wrapped left ankle of Bruin forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute...

He badly twisted it last weekend and had an MRI on it on Tuesday. Apparently it's all good to go since he is listed in the starting lineup of tonight's second game. Keep an eye on his aggressiveness, or maybe lack thereof, in this game.

Tip time is in about seven minutes.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After getting to see North Carolina advance to the Elite Eight with a relatively easy win over Washington State, we what could and should be an even better Sweet 16 matchup as No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 3 seed Louisville hit the floor for the second of our two contests tonight at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

The Volunteers are coming off a tough 77-72 overtime win over No. 7 seed Butler and Bruce Pearl's team will be looking to move on to Saturday's regional semifinal with a big-time win over the Cardinals. The Vols have done it all year along with their three Smiths -- Wayne, JaJuan and Ramar -- but Chris Lofton really remains the key for the SEC champs. The senior is the all-time three-point leader in the SEC and can put his team in the Elite Eight if he can get hot from the perimeter and open up things down low for his teammates.

Rick Pitino's team, however, has other plans in mind after dismantling No. 6 seed Oklahoma by 30 points last weekend. The Cards are led by senior center David Padgett, who has made a tremendous comeback during the second half of the season after fracturing his kneecap midway through the season, as well as junior forward Terrence Williams.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. --B.J. Raymond's three-pointer with just under 20 seconds remaining proved to be the fatal blow to West Virginia's hopes of reaching the Elite Eight. Xavier wins

(Raymond and the Musketeers celebrate his three-point shot)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- Joe Alexander just fouled out. Is that a bad omen? WVU still leads by four here in OT

(It was a weak call Joe)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- No. 1 seed North Carolina wanted to get back to the Elite Eight after last year's disappointing loss to Georgetown, and the Tar Heels will now get that opportunity after taking care of business against No. 4 seed Washington State with a convincing 58-37 victory in the Sweet 16.

"We're ecstatic," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said afterward. "We played really, really well during stretches. You have to congratulate Washington State. When there are only 16 teams left, you have to feel really good about that."

So do the Tar Heels, who led from start to finish and never really looked threatened by the Cougars in their first trip to the Sweet 16 after wins over Winthrop and Notre Dame.

"That was not the way we wanted to go out," Washington State coach Tony Bennett said, "but I told the guys in the locker room, what a run for their careers...and I'm thankful for that."

For UNC, it all started with Danny Green shooting the ball well from long range. The junior finished with 15 points, making three of his five three-point attempts, and Tyler Hansbrough led all scorers with 18 in addition to his nine rebounds.

"Just making one basket really gets me going," Green said of overcoming his recent struggles from the perimeter. "One shot gives me confidence to make the next one. Once I got going things really went my way."

The North Carolina backcourt also had its way in getting 25 points from shooting guard Wayne Ellington (13) and point man Ty Lawson (12), as the Tar Heels took charge on the glass with a 46-32 advantage. And while UNC actually committed three more turnovers than Washington State, it was poor perimeter shooting that ultimately did the Cougars in.

"We were trying to contest everything," Williams asserted about his team's defense. "One of the things we wanted to be is tough enough, patient enough, poised enough. There was a huge emphasis for us to keep them off the backboard and not allow them to get second-chance opportunities. We tried to challenge everything."

Tony Bennett's team, in fact, hit just two out of 16 three-point attempts for a dismal 12.5-percent clip. Derrick Low and Aron Baynes both tallied a team-high 14 points for Wazzu, which finishes the season at 26-9, and Kyle Weaver was the third WSU player in double figures with 10 in what will be his final collegiate game.

"They're good," Bennett said of North Carolina. "We didn't represent the Pac-10 as well as we should. We did get shots. We did do things. They keep coming at you for 40 minutes. UNC is a special team. Their defense is better than people think."

"I thought I got all the looks I wanted, and it was just hard to get it to drop," added Low. "In most games, my team would be making shots. But tonight it just didn't fall. Sometimes you have those nights."

The Tar Heels, on the other hand, move to 35-2 on the season and are looking like they can get to San Antonio with the way their playing right now. It still won't be easy, as they'll have to win Saturday against either No. 2 seed Tennessee or No. 3 seed Louisville to advance to the season's final weekend.

"We have a good balance," Williams admitted. "We have to relax a bit more in the NCAA Tournament. We want to play aggressive and play the way we like to play. When we did attack, we sometimes didn't finish the play. Offensively, we have a chance at times to put pressure on people."

With the way the Tar Heels have blown out all three of its tournament opponents so far, that's certainly plenty of pressure for whomever they'll face next.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With five minutes remaining in the second half, North Carolina looks to be moving on to Saturday's Elite Eight matchup against either No. 2 seed Tennessee or No. 3 seed Louisville, a game that we'll see shortly after this one concludes.

The Tar Heels are very much in control with Danny Green continuing to shoot the ball well, leading UNC with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three. Ty Lawson has dropped in 12 points, and Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough have 11 and 10, respectively.

The Cougars, meanwhile, have already lost center Aron Baynes after the junior committed his fifth personal, though WSU has improved its three-point percentage slightly from our last post, thanks to a second three by Derrick Low.

But Wazzu is shooting just 2-for-13 from beyond the arc, something that certainly couldn't happen if Tony Bennett and his players expected to leave tonight with a win over what's been argued by some to be the best team in the country.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- The gullywashing red Gatorade dump right behind the West Virginia bench has turned the entire carpet red and full of ice.

(No more ball in the house! It's all fun and games until somebody ruins the shag carpeting)

It's now Xavier 57-55 with 6:47. Hot damn, it looks like I'll finally be able to see a white-knuckler here in Phoenix.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- West Virginia forward Joe Alexander had a whisper quiet first half:

3 points.
3 rebounds.
2 fouls.
2 turnovers.

So far in this second half the 'Neer mountain man has already got nine of WVU's 22 points and is a lot more active on both ends of the court. He's been the difference as the Mountaineers look to make a big push in the second half.

I don't know what Huggins was saying during that last time out, but he was looking almost exclusively at Alexander and doing a lot of pointing. Not angrily, just informatively.

Right now it's still Xavier, 50-49 with 10:44 remaining.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With 12 minutes remaining in the second half between North Carolina and Washington State, it's all Tar Heels, as they lead by a 46-27 margin.

UNC, the No. 1 overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, has continued to score the ball at will against a scrappy WSU team after putting up over 100 points on both Mount St. Mary's and Arkansas in Raleigh, N.C., last weekend.

That could also be the case tonight against Washington State, as Roy Williams' club has now upped its lead all the way to 55-31, and there's little hope of a comeback from Tony Bennett's squad, which is making its first Sweet 16 appearance.

And if things progress the way they have for the first 30 minutes of this contest, the Cougars will be headed back to Pullman with a disappointing finish to their historic season.

One state to note: Washington State is shooting 8.3 percent (1-for-12) from three, while North Carolina has hit four of its nine attempts (44.4 percent) from long range.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With five minutes gone in the second half, No. 1 seed North Carolina is controlling things with a 41-25 lead on No. 4 seed Washington State.

The Tar Heels are continuing to attack the basket and the WSU defense, and it's helped extend the lead to 16 on the Cougars. Tyler Hansbrough got a tough transition basket over Aron Baynes, falling to the ground as his shot went in, and Derrick Low has also shown some spark after the break with a nifty left-handed layup on a drive to the basket.

The scoreboard monitor just showed an old highlight of the 1992 Duke team, and that got the North Carolina-based crowd booing throughout the stadium for a good 10 seconds. Even with the Blue Devils already out of the tournament, the Tobacco Road rivalry never dies, nor should it really.

But back to the action, where North Carolina is looking to reach the Elite Eight for a second straight year.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ.-- Two things I noticed about those in these two teams' traveling circles.

No. 1:
Xavier's girl cheerleaders are taller than their male cheerleaders...

No. 2:
I don't know why, but it's pretty cool. WVU has a band member that is obviously older, maybe into his upper 50s, low 60s or so. And he also looks sorta like Paul Newman and uses a hearing aid...

It's now XU up 43-40 as West Virginia has made another push here to start the second half. I don't know what Huggins said to his team during the last time out, but most of the players came away laughing as they went to sit back down.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After 20 minutes of play in our first regional semifinal here at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, it's No. 1 seed North Carolina holding a commanding 35-21 lead on No. 4 seed Washington State.

The Tar Heels got out to a fast start behind the hot shooting of junior Danny Green, who is leading all scorers with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. But UNC gained even more momentum before halftime with a three-pointer from point guard Ty Lawson along the left wing.

Tyler Hansbrough, meanwhile, has been rather quiet so far with eight points after dropping in a pair of free throws before the break, but it's been the perimeter shooting of Green, Lawson and Wayne Ellington that has really got the job done for Roy Williams' ballclub right now. Ellington has nine points on 3-of-6 shooting in 15 minutes, and Carolina has also controlled things on the boards with a 19-14 rebounding differential.

For Washington State, Aron Baynes kept the Cougars early on and leads the team with six points, along with Kyle Weaver, but the barrage of threes that UNC put in hurt Tony Bennett's team toward the end of the half. Whether Wazzu will be able to rebound after halftime will certainly be a factor if WSU hopes to pull off the upset and advance to Saturday's Elite Eight game. Shooting just 34.6 percent (9-for-26) from the field and 1-for-5 from three won't get it done, and neither will UNC's 48.1-percent clip and even better 4-for-6 mark from downtown. Both of those statistics will have to turn in the favor of WSU if the Cougars hope to continue their season.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ -- It's now XU 32-25 at the midway point.

But early on in the game, we saw a lot of these kind of reactions from coach Huggins as the Mountaineers built up a big 28-12 lead. But the Mountaineers have been chipping away and playing good defense to make it a game at the half.

Jarrett Brown has come off the pine to lead WVU in scoring with eight points. Josh Duncan also has eight to lead the X.

The score could be much worse if the Musketeers were able to convert some inside layups. But to WVU's credit, they've had a lot of hands in XU's grills early. For the game, XU is 11-for-27 and the WVU is just 9-for-27.

Biggest stat of the game so far? Three-point shooting.
XU: 6-for-11
WVU: 0-for-6

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In what's been an exciting first half, North Carolina has extended its lead to nine points with 2:42 remaining before halftime and the scoreboard reading 27-18 in favor of the Tar Heels.

Danny Green seems to have his stroke tonight, as the junior guard-forward combo has already tallied 10 points after knocking down a three from the left wing to give UNC its biggest lead of the game.

But Derrick Low responded, draining a three of his own for his first three points of the game. Aron Baynes remains Wazzu's top scorer with six and Kyle Weaver has dropped in five in 15 minutes of action.

The Cougars have cut the deficit on the boards to just two at 16-14 but are still struggling from the field with a 33.3-percent clip on 8-of-24 shooting.

UNC, in the meantime, has hit 11 of its first 25 shots from the floor, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, and that's certainly why the Tar Heels have been able to capture this early lead.

That, and of course, the hot shooting of Green, who is 4-for-6 from the field at the moment.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Riding six points from Aron Baynes, Washington State has managed to keep things close early, trailing only by a 17-14 margin, but North Carolina looks to be the quicker and more dynamic team right now, pushing its lead up to five with another hoop.

Both teams are shooting nearly exactly the same. At the 7:17 mark in the first half, both UNC and Wazzu were shooting 7-for-18 (38.9 percent) from the field. The Tar Heels, however, have hit one three -- from Danny Green -- while WSU has missed on both of its long-range attempts from senior sharpshooter Derrick Low.

North Carolina, meanwhile, is also controlling the rebounding battle with a 13-9 edge but has struggled taking care of the ball with seven turnovers already (Washington State has four). Tyler Hansbrough has accounted for three of those, something that you don't see too often from the two-time All-American.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- West Virginia has been able to cut into XU's massive lead, chopping it to 28-20.

Maybe it's because this guy is in the crowd cheering on the Mountaineers. Although the whole time Nick Lashay has been here all he's done is check his text messages, send text messages and check out hot chicks sending text messages.

Xavier still looks like the much better team so far. And by the way, when did Mr. Bandwagon Lashay become a West Virginia fan anyway?

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In the early moments of our first Sweet 16 matchup between No. 1 seed North Carolina and No. 4 seed Washington State, it's the Tar Heels holding a two-point advantage thanks to a couple of baskets by sophomore forward Deon Thompson.

Thompson has given UNC another frontcourt presence aside from player of the year candidate Tyler Hansbrough, and that's something that Roy Williams has been able to lean on throughout this season. And with Washington State having its own frontcourt power in Robbie Cowgill and Aron Baynes, Carolina will need to dominate the paint to ensure a win tonight. The Tar Heels' backcourt will also need to play well, though, as Wayne Ellington and Danny Green need to have strong shooting performances if they hope to reach Saturday's regional semifinal against either No. 2 seed Tennessee or No. 3 seed Louisville.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ. -- The reason West Virginia didn't score its first bucket from the field until the 14:59 mark of the first half...

The look in Drew Lavender's eyes says a lot here as the Musketeers have been all in the jock of the Mountaineers from the opening tap here in Phoenix. As witnessed by the fact that Bob Huggins didn't even wait until the first media time out to yell at his team about its lackluster play thus far.

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, AZ.-- We're about five minutes before game time and this arena is not even half full at the time. Not a lot of intensity/fire to the surroundings here in Phoenix. Just seemed like things were more of a "happening" in Omaha last week. Well as long as the games are more competitive here, I'll be alright with everything.

(Sean Miller and Bob Huggins talk just prior to the national anthem)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- We're live from the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, where tonight we'll see two fantastic Sweet 16 matchups in No. 1 seed North Carolina taking on No. 4 seed Washington State followed by No. 2 seed Tennessee meeting No. 3 seed Louisville.

Our first matchup features the overall top seeded Tar Heels, who won the ACC regular season and tournament title on the shoulders of point man Ty Lawson and power forward Tyler Hansbourgh.

Hansbrough, who is being considered the nation's player of the year by many pundits, is coming off two strong performances in tournament wins over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary's and No. 9 seed Arkansas. Lawson also got in the mix with 21 and 19 points, showing that he's back to full strength after spraining his ankle during the regular season against Florida State.

While UNC will be looking to speed the game up by creating turnovers and scoring in the 80s and 90s, Washington State is looking to slow things down with its half-court approach. That will be the job of Taylor Rochestie, the junior point who has done a fine job over the last couple weeks during the Pac-10 Tournament as well as in wins over No. 13 seed Winthrop and No. 5 seed Notre Dame.

Tony Bennett has to proud of the way his club has been playing after the Cougars missed the Sweet 16 last year with a second-round loss to Vanderbilt as the No. 3 seed. While Wazzu has already made giant leaps and bounds this year with a top five national ranking and now the school's first Sweet 16 appearance, Bennett and company would like to take things a step further tonight with a monumental win over the No. 1 overall seed and in front of a crowd that is looking mostly Carolina blue. Washington State does have its own section of fans in the house, but it's nothing compared to the Tar Heel faithful, which makes up about 80 percent of the fans in attendance.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - A big dunk from Joey Dorsey but nothing from Derrick Rose who electrified the open session crowd in Little Rock last week.

The Tigers are winding things down and so will we. We'll be back with you tomorrow night before the first game tips at 6:27 CT and you can also chekc the Hang Time blog on Friday morning for a column on Texas's DJ Augustin.

Thanks for joining us and be sure to stick around Posting Up for all the game action tonight.

Posted by David Scott at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Calipari has the bigs at one end and the littles at the other and has switched ends to allow for both sets of players to adjust to the shooting background. All players are going through several minutes of shooting drills in rotation.

. . . Andre Allen, who suffered a shoulder injury in the Mississippi State game appears to be fine and Calipari said earlier today that he is expected to play. He's draining 3's from the corner.

. . . Worldwide Wes has been spotted in the bowels of the stadium. Memphis AD RC Johnson is also hovering along press row. Tough to say who's more important to Memphis hoops. We kid, we jest.

. . . Joey Dorsey was complaining about the video screens behind the basket as he shot some free throws. But Dorsey made three shots and Packer - who had the Tigers in a game for CSTV - applauded the big fella. Packer had told Calipari that his team had good form and that the free throw shooting wouldn't be a problem for the Tigers.

. . . All of the Tigers are taking free throws.

Posted by David Scott at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - The No. 1 seed Memphis Tigers have taken the floor for their open practice session. John Calipari was the first man out and a handful of Tiger fans cheered for their team. Robert Dozier was the first player on the court.

The Tigers will have a real practice at the Rockets practice facility immiediately after this open session, so they will just have a light workout for the crowd.

Calipari's son, Bradley, 11, has already adjusted to the backdrop and is draining some deep shots.

. . . There is one stool on the carpeted fringe of the court in front of each bench where, we presume, the head coach will be able to sit if he chooses. Calipari looked at the stool and shook his head.

We looked at the stool and got thirsty for a beer.

Posted by David Scott at 04:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - The Longhorn guards continued to strictly shoot around while the big men were working on some low post moves, taking feeds in the paint and instruction from Coach Barnes.

With 15:30 left on the session clock, Texas left the floor, leaving team managers to entertain the crowd. Players fanned out and signed autographs and posed for pictures with session attendees. Nince touch.

. . . Some CBS staffers are looking for optimum position for the ever-present yellow CBS banners along the railing behind the scorer's table.

. . . Memphis will be out at 3:10 p.m. CT and we'll re-join you at that time.

Posted by David Scott at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - One half of the lower "field seats" are filled with on-lookers enjoying the light workout that the Texas Longhorns are currently going through.

Texas coach Rick Barnes is sitting between Jim Nantz and Billy Packer for his CBS interview and players are getting used to the raised floor and the black curtain backdrops. With the raised floor, the traditional table banners are not in use at this site. There is a an overhead octagonal rigging above center court that holds huge video screens as well as video screens in each endzone. Believe it or not, it's actually an intimate setting - but only in the lower section. By the time you start getting up to the upper levels, we're guessing it's not very easy to see what's going on courtside.

. . . We did some time in the Texas locker room and will be able to offer up a column on DJ Augustin at Hang Time for your Friday morning reading pleasure.

. . . We also got some time with Memphis coach John Calipari, who is sort of enjoying the fact that his Tigers are being portrayed as underdogs. Calipari was able to stop the golf cart carrying Rick Barnes back to his locker room and the two chatted for a while. Tom Izzo passed by on a different golf cart on the way to his presser and Calipari bemoaned the fact that he didn't have any golf carts. "They got me walking everywhere," laughed the at-ease coach.

. . . We were also able to say hello to our fellow Peabody, Mass. native, Todd Wright, who is the Texas strength coach. Wright's dropped his Peabody accent and now has a hybrid Peabody/Austin twang that will not soon be duplicated.

Posted by David Scott at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HOUSTON - Welcome to Reliant Stadium for the South Regional games, being hosted by Rice University and the Univeristy of Houston. This is one mammoth stadium and it sits next to the building that used to be called the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Houston Astrodome. Reliant, by that logic, is the Ninth Wonder.

The set-up for this regional is a first-time experiment by the NCAA (also being used at Ford Field in Detroit, where Jerry Palm will describe the action for Posting Up and CSTV.com). The court is elevated and placed in the middle of the football field with seating brought down close to the court. The endzones have been draped off with black curtains, but the rest of the seating under the retractable roof (which is closed, wiseguy) is available for fans and tickets still remain for the three games on Friday and Sunday.

Interviews start shortly with Stanford going at 1 p.m. CT, followed by Texas, Michigan State and Memphis. Stanford has just finished its open practice in front of a small crowd and they are being followed by Michigan State, Texas and Memphis (3:10-4 p.m.)

We'll try and liveblog the latter two open practices after we work some of the interviews.

. . . In the official regional media guide, there is a reference to Memphis as "Memphis State University," a moniker they have not used in some time. Very old school.

Continue reading "Houston: Interviews and Open Practice Day" »

Posted by David Scott at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After the first weekend of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, we're on to the Sweet 16, and it's the East Regional that has two must-see matchups for us to witness Thursday at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. In many ways, in fact, the four remaining teams -- the four highest seeds -- in the East Regional could provide the most intriguing regional semifinal action this March.

Sure, styles differ when you look at No. 1 seed North Carolina facing off against No. 4 seed Washington State, but you know the quality of competition that's going to be put forth in this one is going to be top-notch. At least from Tyler Hansbrough, who has been waiting for this moment again after missing out on the Final Four with a loss to Georgetown in the Elite Eight.

This year, however, the 6-foot-10 All-American doesn't want the Tar Heels' run to end there, as he and the rest of his teammates seem set on getting to San Antonio and giving head coach Roy Williams his second national championship at his alma mater.

Continue reading "East Regional: The Day Before Preview" »

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome to the South Regional, an experiment in both seating and seeding.

Reliant Stadium (in addition to Ford Field) will be guinea pig sites in the NCAA's latest plan to get more fannies into the game. That seating issue - no matter how the experiment in "Hoops in the Round" goes over - is quite secondary to the seeding issue.

No. 1-seed Memphis is suddenly the least liked 1-seed in the history of 1-seeds - taking slings and arrows from all sides. No. 2-seed Texas finds itself with a decided homecourt advantage. Even if Texas coach Rick Barnes doesn't it see that way.

"The bottom line is that in the two games we played in San Antonio (en route to the 2003 Final Four), we had to fight for our lives," said Barnes of his team's wins over UConn and Michigan State. "At this point and time in the season, (playing in Houston) is probably going to be made a bigger deal that it really is."

Still, there is evidence that Everything's Bigger and Better in Texas for the Longhorns. They are 9-4 in NCAA Tournament play in the state of Texas and are undefeated in such games under Barnes(6-0, twice in Dallas and once in S.A.). In fact, Barnes is .500 (9-9) in NCAA games outside the friendly borders, as the Texas head man.

In other Houston seeding intrigue the site also gives us the slightly under-seeded duo of Michigan State (5) and Stanford (3). The Spartans are more of a "4" and Stanford feels like a "2.5." Both - at the very least - are playing their best ball at the most opportune time and quite deserving of playing on the next-to-the-last weekend of the season.

After the jump, some South Regional tidbits that will help you pass the time between now and Friday night's tip from the Texans' home.

Be sure to join us for live-blogging from Media Day on Thursday afternoon from Houston (as well some open practice live-blogging) here at Posting Up.

Continue reading "South Regional: The Day Before the Day Before Preview" »

Posted by David Scott at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT -- The Detroit regional features two of the three double-digit seeds remaining in the tournament. It's not likely either will still be there when the dust clears on Friday.

Continue reading "Midwest Regional: The Day Before Preview" »

Posted by Jerry Palm at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- So Bruin fans... you nervous?

Did the A&M game scare the bejesus out of you? It should have. Look, you guys have been a little on the spoiled side the last few years. Getting Ben Howland. Pac 10 titles. Final Four runs. But now things aren't looking so hot, having to get a handful of fortuitous referee calls (or non-calls) to pull out nip-tuck wins over Cal, Stanford, USC and, of course, Texas A&M over the last few weeks.

(Ben should be doing less howling this weekend in Phoenix. Emphasis on "should")

Well I've got good news for you, this weekend should go a little bit easier. You've got three teams from two or three time zones away coming out West and none of them are named Duke. Or maybe I should say, none of them are named "Duke when they're playing like Duke."

This is where Coach Howland usually puts his best foot forward. And to be honest, if the defense he preaches so well keeps holding opponents to under 70 points - as they've done in 11 of the last 12 games - the offense will figure it out better and UCLA should move on.

Continue reading "West Regional: The Day Before Preview" »

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Well, the server gremlins thwarted our attempts to summarize the final couple of minutes of this battle but we'll try and give you the same splendid in-game commentary that we had been executing before the snafus occurred.

Memphis won, by the way, 77-74, depsite missing 17 of 32 free throws and despite having several opportunities at the line to avoid having to hold their breath as Jamont Gordon launched what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer as time expired.

Joey Dorsey - The Bear - did indeed awaken from his slumber with a yeoman's effort of 13 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks for Memphis. It was the senior's 25th career double-double. Chris Douglas-Roberts led the Tigers with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists while Derrick Rose had 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

"Joey was just a monster today," said Calipari.

"When he plays like that, our team is so much better. He was everywhere. He was helping everybody. He was great today," said CDR.

Jamont Gordon led State with 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

. . . Calipari was flat-out exhausted after the game. He coached much of the final portion of the contest with all three of his big men saddled with four fouls each. He would eventually lose Robert Dozier and Dorsey to disqualification but was able to deftly rotate his four-foul trio in and out to allow for presence in the paint.

It's pretty clear that Calipari won't be receiving the National Coach of the Year honors that will likely go to Keno Davis, but the arguments that Calipari is all recruiter and no bench coach need to stop and they need to stop now. You don't have three consecutive 30-win seasons, including a 35-1 record this year, without being able to handle the X's and the O's.

Continue reading "Little Rock: Late Wrap-up" »

Posted by David Scott at 09:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina sure seems to like being close to home. For the second straight game here -- just a short way down I-40 from Chapel Hill -- the top-seeded Tar Heels enjoyed a mammoth blowout.

This time the victim was ninth-seeded Arkansas, who fell to Carolina 108-77.

Continue reading "Heels win second straight by 30-plus" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - They say act like you've been there before.

Well, Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals have been to the Sweet 16 before, and that's exactly where they're headed after handing a sound thumping to the Oklahoma Sooners.

They knew what it took to advance, and they made it look easy in a 78-48 victory over the Sooners.

"We played a good game against Boise State, but we played a great game tonight," Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said. "Offensively, defensively, we just played a complete game. You really can't find a weakness in the way the guys played tonight."

Continue reading "Cards Roll Onto Sweet 16" »

Posted by Dan Sellers at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Tar Heels just hit the 100-point mark, going up 101-67 ... with four minutes left. Something tells me this will be the last post necessary until post game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Might be time for North Carolina to rest the starters. Once again they hit the 90-point mark quite fast, and they have a 33-point lead with 6:31 to go. Carolina's walk-ons are going to remember these two games for a long time. Assuming Roy gets them in the game soon, which he would be a little crazy not to.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - They say act like you've been there before.

Well, Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals have been to the Sweet 16 before, and that's exactly where they're headed after handing a sound thumping to the Oklahoma Sooners.

They knew what it took to advance, and they made it look easy in a 78-48 victory over the Sooners.

I'll be back with quotes.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Antonio Anderson missed two free throws that would have salted this one away for the Tigers. It's now 75-72 after a State dunk.

Tigers in-bound and get the ball to Derrick Rose, who is fouled by Stewart.

Rose hits one for the four point lead. State scores again and then CDR is fouled with 3.2 seconds left.

CDR at the line to seal it. He misses the first, hits the second. A Jamont Gordon 3-pointer rattles off the backboard and the rim and Memphis advances to face Michigan State in Houston, 77-74.

Posted by David Scott at 07:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Joey Dorsey has now fouled out for Memphis with 24.7 seconds left, sending Rhodes to the line for one shot. He misses, Taggart gets the rebound and goes to the line for two with Memphis up 73-67.

Taggart hits them both. Tigers up eight with 22 seconds left. A 3-pointer by Jamont Gordon cuts the lead to five with 18.5 left.

. . . A State scoundrel has snuck in a cowbell, whihc is banned by the NCAA for Tournament games. Cheaters!

Posted by David Scott at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Again, not much has changed here with the Tar Heels up 74-51 now. It's incredible how easily the Tar Heels can score. Each time Arkansas manages to work for a bucket, UNC just speeds down the court and quickly answers it. Even when Arkansas went to the full-court press a moment ago, it was three passes and a Deon Thompson jump shot for Carolina as they added some more points to their ever-growing total. Keep in mind, they have 74 points and there are still more than 11 minutes to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Louisville has extended its lead to 29 points at 70-41 with just under 7 minutes to go.

The Cardinals will advance to its 16th Sweet 16 since 1975, a mark that is 5th among all schools. The 3-seeded Cardinals will tangle with 2-seed Tennessee in Charlotte.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Memphis is hangin on my the skin of its teeth and leads 72-65 with 49.1 seconds left.

Free throw shooting will again be key.

Posted by David Scott at 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Some issues with the server, it appears.

I'll do my best to finish this off strong, but the elements are conspiring against me.

Posted by David Scott at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Arkansas has knocked down a couple of jumpers early in the second half to cut North Carolina's lead to 21. Not that the Tar Heels look worried. But Roy Williams would probably prefer if his team didn't get lackadaisical here with the big cushion, since that has been a problem for the Heels all year.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - It took six contests here in Le Petite Roche to get it right, but this one has had all the elements. It's been a battle of epic proportions and we're going back and forth now with Memphis leading 66-59 with 4:35 left.

This one feels like an Elite 8 game and every Tiger basket is being answered with a Bulldog bucket. Just tremendous competition and an electric environment.

. . . Dorsey picked up his fourth foul with 8:33 left on a made basket by Varnado. The free throw tied the game at 52-52. The Tigers now has three players with four fouls (Dorsey, Dozier and Taggart). State has two players with three each (Hansbrough and Bailey). Varnado has four.

. . . Hansbrough dove out of bounds and rolled up the NCAA banners on the scorer's table. He almost got wrapped like a pig in a blanket. Great hustle by 'lil Psycho T.

. . . Memphis's missed free throws have been costly, but they have grabbed at least three offensive boards off those misses.

. . . Dorsey has 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Posted by David Scott at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - It took six contests here in Le Petite Roche to get it right, but this one has had all the elements. It's been a battle of epic proportions and we're going back and forth now with Memphis leading 68-59 with 3:35 left.

This one feels like an Elite 8 game and every Tiger basket is being answered with a Bulldog bucket. Just tremendous competition and an electric environment.

. . . Dozier has now fouled out.

. . . Dorsey picked up his fourth foul with 8:33 left on a made basket by Varnado. The free throw tied the game at 52-52. The Tigers now has three players with four fouls (Dorsey, Dozier and Taggart). State has two players with three each (Hansbrough and Bailey). Varnado has four.

. . . Hansbrough dove out of bounds and rolled up the NCAA banners on the scorer's table. He almost got wrapped like a pig in a blanket. Great hustle by 'lil Psycho T.

. . . Memphis's missed free throws have been costly, but they have grabbed at least three offensive boards off those misses.

. . . Dorsey has 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Posted by David Scott at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - It took six contests here in Le Petite Roche to get it right, but this one has had all the elements. It's been a battle of epic proportions and we're going back and forth now with Memphis leading 68-59 with 3:35 left.

This one feels like an Elite 8 game and every Tiger basket is being answered with a Bulldog bucket. Just tremendous competition and an electric environment.

. . . Dozier has now fouled out.

. . . Dorsey picked up his fourth foul with 8:33 left on a made basket by Varnado. The free throw tied the game at 52-52. The Tigers now has three players with four fouls (Dorsey, Dozier and Taggart). State has two players with three each (Hansbrough and Bailey). Varnado has four.

. . . Hansbrough dove out of bounds and rolled up the NCAA banners on the scorer's table. He almost got wrapped like a pig in a blanket. Great hustle by 'lil Psycho T.

. . . Memphis's missed free throws have been costly, but they have grabbed at least three offensive boards off those misses.

. . . Dorsey has 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Posted by David Scott at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Charles Rhodes is jujst abusing Robert Dozier inside. With four fouls on him and Taggart, the Bulldogs are just going to continue to go inside with each possession and dare Memphis to stop Rhodes. It's 50-49, Memphis with 9:29 left.

Buckle your seatbelts, folks.

Posted by David Scott at 06:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - An Earl Clark three-pointer and Jerry Smith layup has built the Cardinals lead out to 23 with just under 15 minutes to go in the game.

Oklahoma had cut it to 18 before a quick flurry of points by Louisville. The Cards look really, really good right now.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Getting down tot he nitty gritty here at the Alltel as State has made a nice comeback to trail by just three, 48-45, with 11:04 left in regulation.

Jamont Gordon is starting to carry the Bulldogs back into this one. He drove the length of the floor for a lay-up then on the next possession hit a trey to cut the Memphis lead to five. A Charles Rhodes dunk cut the Tiger lead to three, where we now stand.

Taggart has been awful for Memphis on its past two possessions with two straight turnovers and the "Mr. Fumbles" hands that Calipari abhors.

. . . Free throw shooting is hurting Memphis. They have connected on 5 of 14 and 0 of 4 in the second half.

. . . Foul trouble is plaguing the Tigers as Robert Dozier picked up his third foul of the game when he fell into Barry Stewart on a 3-point attempt just under 15:00. Stewart converted two of three from the stripe. Dozier then picked up his fourth with 14:14 left. He was replaced by foul-plagued Taggart.

. . . Varnado picked up his third foul a few seconds later when he got Dorsey who hit the lay-in.

Posted by David Scott at 06:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Friday night's 19-point halftime lead for North Carolina pales in comparison to this one. Against Arkansas, the Tar Heels are up 25 points at the half, and are running the Razorbacks off the floor with its offense. Wayne Ellington has 13 to lead the Tar Heels at the break, and they are shooting better than 60 percent.

Arkansas on the other hand, is shooting just 35.7 percent and getting beat bad on the glass. Looks like Carolina is well on its way to another blowout win.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Memphis had extended to 13 points early in the half, but State was able to climb back in and now trails 42-36 with 15:31 left in the game.

. . . Dorsey picked up his second and third fouls in the span of a minute and had to go to the becnh with 17:12 left in the game. He was replaced by Shawn Taggart. Taggart then picked up his fourth a minute later and Dorsey was re-inserted into the game with 16:38 left. Dicey times for the Memphis big men.

. . . Memphis has been called for four personal fouls in the first four minutes of the half. State has one. In the first half, both teams were whistled for seven fouls each.

. . .Rose to Dorsey on the back door lob dunk on Tigers' first possession of half put them up 38-27.

Posted by David Scott at 06:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Not much has changed here, other than the fact that Arkansas coach John Pelphrey's facial expressions have gone from angry to somewhat bemused. But it's not because his team is doing any better. North Carolina now has a 42-18 lead with under five minutes to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - At the half, the Cardinals have a 44-22 lead on the Sooners.

The Cardinals have come out with a balanced offensive attack, getting production from David Padgett and Earl Clark on the inside and stellar shooting on the outside from Jerry Smith, terrence Williams and others.

They have also played suffocating defense, which has led to points off turnovers.

As exciting as the first game of the day was, it looks as if this one is ging to follow suit with most of this tournament in Birmingham.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 06:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Wow. The North Carolina offense is clicking on all cylinders. Danny Green just had a great dish inside to Deon Thompson, who jammed the ball down to give the Tar Heels a 33-11 lead, and we're not even 10 minutes into the game yet. Nobody in the nation can keep up with Carolina offensively.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - As expected, Memphis was able to use a lot of bodies with the hope of wearing down the fairly shallow Bulldogs. Seven Tigers scored and had 12 bench points. State had five players score and got only 5 points from its bench.

. . . Report from the locke room is that Andre Allen has a slightly sprained right shoulder but will play in the second half. There was nothing physically wrong with Doneal Mack, Calipari probably thought the game was too rough for the lithe guard.

. . . Rebounding edge, Memphis - 27-17 (12 of Memphis's rebounds were on the offensive glass)

Tigers shot 36 percent (13 of 36, 5 of 13)
Bulldogs shot 33 percent (9 of 27, 5 of 11)

Jamont Gordon led State in scoring with 11 points (3 of 8, 2 of 4)
Rose and Kemp led Memphis with nine each (Rose, 3 of 8 and 1 of 3; Kemp 3 of 4, 3 of 4)

Turnovers were State with 4 and Memphis with just 1.

Memphis missed 5 of 10 free throws, State hit 4 of 6.

. . . Taggart is the lone player with 3 fouls.

Posted by David Scott at 06:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- 13 years ago, Darrin Horn helped take Western Kentucky to the Sweet 16 as a player.
Now, he has done it as a coach.
The Hilltoppers advanced with a 72-63 win against San Diego and will now face top seed UCLA on Thursday in Phoenix.
"I'm just unbelievably happy for these kids," Horn said. "These guys have worked hard. They're great kids and they deserve it. I'm really happy for our players and our program."

Continue reading "Tampa sweet for Western Kentucky, Villanova" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - With just over 5 minutes to go, Louisville has taken a commanding lead over Oklahoma. They are dominating defensively, in the paint and from deep. They just look 10 times better than the Sooners right now.

They lead 33-16 with 5:24 to go. They've been rotating guys pretty regularly as well, so they look fresh. I'm not sure they will let off the pedal at all.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 06:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Louisville maintains a 7-point lead with just over 7 minutes to go in the first half. Jerry Smith has connected on another 3-pointer to give him 8 points already.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 06:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Ty Lawson is on fire, and Tyler Hansbrough is in his usual bruising mode to help the Tar Heels to open up an 18-4 lead here six minutes in. Arkansas coach John Pelphrey was furious at his squad for not boxing Hansbrough out a minute ago, allowing UNC's big man to rebound his own miss, score and draw a foul.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Louisville has jumped out to an 18-12 lead on the heels of an 11-3 run. Jerry Smith has 5 and David Padgett has 4 for the Cards.

Still working on that UT game story...

Posted by Dan Sellers at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The Tigers used an 11-0 run to close out the half and lead 36-27 at the break.

Andre Allen returned to the bench but did not re-enter the game before half.

Memphis's Doneal Mack didn't see action until 1:12 remained in the half. he replaced Shawn Taggart who has three fouls. Mack hit his first show, a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Posted by David Scott at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Some very intense action as Memphis holds a 27-25 edge with 3:07 left in the first half.

Willie Kemp and Derrick Rose each have nine points for Memphis. Gordon has nine for State.

Rebounding is still in favor of the Tigers, 22-16. Varnado has been credited with five blocks and Dorsey with four.

. . . Andre Allen took a hard foul driving to the hoop from Charles Rhodes and went back to the locker room with a trainer. he was replaced by Chris Douglas-Roberts who made on of two free throws.

. . . Dorsey dunk with 6:20 left, another of the monster variety.

. . . Willie Kemp with back-to-back 3-pointers and State looks like they were allowing him to take both. Kemp can storke it, so that strategy could be quite faulty. he hit his third with 4:27 to go and Hansbrough contesting late.

. . . Calipari yanked Antonio Anderson after Jamont Gordon stuck a 3-pointer in his face. Rose then picked up the Gordon assignment.

. . . Derrick Rose is taking it to the hole on almost every catch. he picked up the second foul on Varnado with 4:56 left in the half. Varnado remained in the game.

. . . Taggrt picked up his second foul with 5:35 left in the half and Calipari will have to stcik with him.

. . . State has a staffer on the bench who is wearing pink pants and a sky blue shirt. Think the dude wanted to be easy to pick out on TV? "Hi Mom, it's me your vibrant son."

Posted by David Scott at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - David Godbold picked up right where he left off.

The senior guard for Oklahoma had a career-high 25 points Friday for the Sooners, and he his 3-for-3 from deep right from the start. The Sooners have a 9-7 lead with just under 15 minutes to go.

I'm working on a final recap from the UT-Butler game that had the crazy finish. Should be up in a few minutes...

Posted by Dan Sellers at 05:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - After that great upset to start the day, we're ready to tip off the second game here, between the top-seeded Tar Heels and No. 9 seed Razorbacks. This game will be all about Arkansas throwing a ton of big bodies at Tyler Hansbrough to try to slow him down.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Mississippi State has taken the lead 18-12 on the strength of an 10-3 run. Gordon, hansbrough and Brian Johnson each have 5 points for State. Derrick Rose leads Memphis with six points. The rebounding gap has closed and Memphis now holds just a 15-12 edge.

. . . Memphis is shooting 20 percent from the field (4 of 20) and State is at 41 percent (7 of 17).

. . .Dozier picks up his second personal foul with 8:24 left in the half. He's replaced by Shawn Taggart.

. . . Dorsey has four blocks in the first 12 minutes of the game

Posted by David Scott at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - We're knotted at 11-11 with 11:16 left in the half. State's Ben Hansbrough just picked up his second personal foul of the game, but it apears Stansbury will keep his sophomore guard in the game.

Memphis has 14 rebounds already (8 on the offensive glass) to 6 for State.

. . .Dozier with a nice block in the lane on Rhodes.

. . . Gordon's first three of the game made it 9-8 Memphis with just under 13:00 left. A three by Hansbrough with 11:45 left tied the game at 11-11.

. . . State in a 2-3 zone, Memphis going man-to-man.

. . . Great win for Davidson and a near-miss for Butler.

Posted by David Scott at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Memphis leads 6-5 with 15:43 left in the half.

Encouraging signs for the Tigers that both Robert Dozier and Joey Dorsey appear focused and ready to play.

The Tigers have opened with some full court pressure and trapped the sideline at halfcourt to force an early State timeout with a minute and a half gone by.

. . . Ben Hansbrough and Jarvis Varnado each have one foul each for the Bulldogs. Keep an eye on Varnado's situation, if he gets in foul trouble that would be a bad thing for State fans.

. . . World Wide Wes is in the house, sitting about 20 rows behind the Tiger bench.

. . . It's an all-adidas sneaker battle in this one.

. . . Good energy in the building and we're sensing a slight edge in blue-clad fans.

. . . Found some egg shaped candies in the media buffet room and they're tasty little treats and likely to amp me up for another 12 hours. They are from Judson-Atkinson Candies and have a hard outer shell and a soft, sugary inside.

Posted by David Scott at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Even as his star was being newly minted by virtue of leading Davidson to its second-straight NCAA Tournament upset, Stephen Curry was calm.

He urged his teammates to settle down and avoid premature celebration before he went to the line to knock down the free throws that would help seal Davidson's 74-70 win against No. 2 seed Georgetown.

Continue reading "Davidson pulls off the upset" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Survive and advance.

That's the name of the game this time of year, and that's just what Tennessee did.

Tennessee got a layup in overtime from Ramar Smith with just 27 seconds left, and Jujuan Smith made all four of his free throws in the final seconds to ice the game and give Tennessee a 76-71 win Sunday in Birmingham.

Tennessee will meet the winner of the Louisville-Oklahoma game in the Sweet 16 in Charlotte, N.C.

Continue reading "Survive and Advancing, UT Back to Sweet 16" »

Posted by Dan Sellers at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - We got all caught up in the press room watching the fantastic finishes but our responsibility is to you the valued Posting Up reader, so we're back for the tip of this one.

We expect a tight game but ultimately we think the depth of Memphis will wear down the Bulldogs.

Great sign for the Tigers on State's first possession as Joey Dorsey rose above the fray and swatted a shot to set up a Memphis fast break that led to a free throw by Derrick Rose.

Posted by David Scott at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Ramar Smith made a layup with 27 seconds left and Jujuan Smith made free throws to give the Vols a 4-point lead in overtime.

Julian Betko fouled Jujuan Smith after making one of two free throws with 5 seconds left. Jujuan again made both free throws to stretch the lead out to 5 with just 4 seconds remaining to ice the game.

UT wins 76-71.

More to come from this crazy opener in Birmingham...

Posted by Dan Sellers at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - After a ridiculous layup, Stephen Curry banged down another 3-pointer to put Davidson up 65-60 with less than three minutes to go. He now has 25, and the crowd is in a frenzy.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Brazelton hit a huge 3 to stretch the lead to 6, but De'Jon Jackson answered with a layin as the shot clock expired.
With WKU up 4, Brazelton made a cut to the basket, drew three defenders and dished to an open Jeremy Evans, but he lost the ball out of bounds. Big mistake there, would have made the lead 6 with a minute to go.
A.J. Slaughter hit two free throws for WKU to make it 66-60 with 45.3 left, and the Tops got the ball back and were fouled. Lee hit another pair of free throws, and it's Tops by 6, 33.6 seconds left.
It looks like the WKU has it under control so I'll be back with quotes later.

Posted by Mike McCall at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Wayne Chism made a basket, and Tyler Smith blocked an A.J. Graves layup with 35 seconds left. UT has a 70-68 lead with 33 seconds left.

Tennessee has the ball out of a timeout.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Western Kentucky is leaning on its three big seniors to carry it to the Sweet 16. Brazelton and Lee are handling the scoring load with 12 and 23 each, and Ty "Hero Boy" Rogers is the spark plug, providing a steady hand in tight spots.
Lee and Rogers both got hit with their third fouls, but they should stay on the floor for the rest of the contest.
The Hilltoppers are taking long possessions to run the clock out, a smart move but it concerns me that they're trying to run out the clock instead of putting some distance between them and San Diego.
D.J. Magley fouled out for WKU, no suprise there.
This game is going to come down to Brandon Johnson/Gyno Pomare vs. Brazelton and Lee. It's that simple.
61-58 WKU with 3:28 to go.
Scores just got announced here, with the Butler-Tennessee overtime game drawing a loud "OOOHHH" from the crowd.

Posted by Mike McCall at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Max Paulhus Gosselin just tied the game at 57 with a pair of free throws for Davidson with a little more than five minutes to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - A look at some of the pertinent final stats from Game 1:

Texas won the board battle, 41-30

Texas shot 43 percent for the game (25 of 58 and 8 of 24 in the second half)
Miami shot 40 percent for the game (22 of 55 and 11 of 24 in the second half)

AJ Abrams finsihed with a game-high 26 points. Damion James had 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Jack McClinton had 18 points to lead Miami, Hurdle had 11 and Raymond Hicks had 10 points including 2 of 3 from 3-point land, with both makes coming in the final seconds. McClinton was 5 of 14 from the field and 4 of 10 from 3-point land.

DJ Augustin had 12 points and 8 assists and 3 steals.

Texas shot 12 of 21 from the free throw line and Miami was 19 of 22.

. . . Officials for the next game are Reginald Greenwood, Ted Hillary and Frank Scagliotta. Our tip will be at 4 p.m. local team.

We're going to (Austin) Peay (can't get enough of the sub-regional-themed joke) and we'll be back for the nightcap.

Posted by David Scott at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- We've got a serious ballgame here now folks.
Pomare cut the lead to 2 points with a short hook shot, and on the WKU inbound, Courtney Lee never saw the ball coming and it bounced out of bounds.
Devin Ginty then hit a 3 to give the Toreros a lead, and Lee answered with a 3 of his own.
The momentum was squarely with SDU until Lee's shot and the atmoshere is just electric.
Pomare and Johnson are on the floor and are fired up now, this should be a good finish.
60-55 WKU with 5:32 to go.

Posted by Mike McCall at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Willie Veasley had a putback layup after J.P. Prince committed a turnover with 35 seconds left to nod the game at 63. Tennessee played for one shot, but Prince traveled to turn the ball over. Without a timeout, Butler couldn't setup a play. Mike Green and Prince battled down the court and Prince was able to knock the ball free and deny Green a shot as time expired.

We're headed to an extra period in Birmingham... Don't go away.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Willie Veasley had a putback layup after J.P. Prince committed a turnover with 35 seconds left to nod the game at 63. Tennessee played for one shot, but Prince traveled to turn the ball over. Without a timeout, Butler couldn't setup a play. Mike Green and Prince battled down the court and Prince was able to knock the ball free and deny Green a shot as time expired.

We're headed to an extra period in Birmingham... Don't go away.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Finally, the Toreros are making their move.
San Diego has cut into the Western Kentucky lead and now trails by just 6 at 54-48 with 7:47 to go. We could be headed for another fantastic finish here in Tampa.
SDU is on a run but Pomare is on the bench. The question is whether the Toreros can cause turnovers and get out on the break where they thrive. It's not easy to crack this tough WKU defense in a set offense.

Posted by Mike McCall at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Stephen Curry just had a steal and then buried a 3-pointer at the other end to pull Davidson within four, 50-46, with nine minutes to go. Georgetown called timeout in hopes of settling back down and regaining control of a game that looked like theirs only minutes ago.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Miami made a spirited, late comeback but Texas had built too big of a lead in the game's first 36 minutes for the 'Canes to be able to come all the way back. Texas holds on and advances with a well-earned 75-72 win. Miami's Raymond Hicks hit two monster 3-pointers in the final 12 seconds that cut the lead to two, but after a monitor review of time left, the 'Canes were left with 1.8 seconds to try and foul Texas, pray for misses at the line and then score. DJ Augustin airballed the first, hit the second and a baseball pass from Hicks found no receiver as Texas hung on.

Some nice hugs and handshakes as the teams exited the court - lots of commonality and overlap between the two staffs and players.

Free throw shooting down the stretch almost cost the 'Horns the win, but two big ones from AJ Abrams with 9.5 seconds remaining helped to seal the deal.

. . . We'll be back in a bit with final stats and a look ahead to the second game of our doubleheader here at Alltel.

Posted by David Scott at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Butler had a chance to take the lead, but Mike Green committed a charge.

The turnover led to a missed shot, but J.P. Prince was there for the follow to flush it down and give UT a 3-point lead. It's 58-55 UT with 3:26 left in the game.

This one is going down to the wire... stay tuned.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Stephen Curry got a four-point play in transition, and the Wildcats fans here are hyped up again, as Davidson trails 48-37. Georgetown has turned the ball over two straight possessions, and Davidson is doing work on the offensive glass after misses. John Thompson III meanwhile is working on the refs during the timeout, which has led virtually the entire building to shout for JTIII to get a technical. No dice.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals are trying to improve their impressive NCAA Tournament resume and advance to the Sweet 16 Sunday afternoon.

Standing in their way: the 6-seed Oklahoma Sooners.

Continue reading "16 Sweet 16's?" »

Posted by Dan Sellers at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Hoyas hit a couple of threes in the early minutes of the second half to give them some real breathing room against Davidson. The Wildcats aren't going away, but now that it's a 46-32 game, it's a lot harder to see them overtaking the Hoyas.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The 'Canes have cut the Texas lead to six with 1:37 left in the game and the crowd, which had fallen asleep, is suddenly behind Miami in a big way.

Texas leads 68-62 with 1:34 left in the game.

McClinton has come on late and now has 18 points.

. . . Texas will need to make free throws and they'll survive.

Posted by David Scott at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Tennessee just had a 7-point lead cut down to four with a three-pointer from Julian Betko as we have just under 8 minutes to go here in Birmingham.

Tennessee had 3 possessions to create a double-digit lead, but couldn't do it. Now, Butler is still very much in the game.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - It's starting to look like a 1990s Knicks reunion at the RBC Center. In addition to having Patrick Ewing and Doc Rivers on hand, Pat Riley is also in the stands, currently having a halftime chat with Ewing.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The rebounding edge tells you all you need to know about this one as Texas has a plus-18 edge on the boards (40-22). Texas leads the game 66-52 with 3:30 left in the game. The 'Horns are in cruise control to Houston where they will meet Stanford next Friday night in the round of 16.

The game was tied 8-8 with 16:33 left in the first half and since then it has been all Texas.

. . . James Dews has been one of the lone bright spot for Miami. The sophomore has 8points

. . . McClinton's first field goal of the second half came on a jumper with 5:12 left in the game. He now has 8 points and is one of three 'Canes with 8. Texas has four players in double figures scoring, led by Abrams' 20.

. . . Damion James has 14 rebounds and 15 points for Texas.

. . . Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury got some cheers from the Bulldog faithful as he approached press row to do his pre-game radio show. Most coaches pre-record such things in the bowels of the building, so the sight is a bit odd.

Posted by David Scott at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Butler just got a big three pointer from Drew Streicher to cut the deficit to five points.

Tennessee is still in control, but the Bulldogs are hanging tough with 13:24 to go.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 03:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Butler just got a big three pointer from Drew Streicher to cut the deficit to five points.

Tennessee is still in control, but the Bulldogs are hanging tough with 13:24 to go.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 03:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Stephen Curry, coming off a 40-point game in round one, has just five points at the half against Georgetown. In fact, none of the Wildcats are doing much on offense, with the team shooting under 30 percent for the half. Georgetown on the other hand, has hit better than 65 percent of its shots and leads 38-27 at the half.

The Hoyas are killing Davidson from outside, knocking down 5 of 6 3-point attempts. In the second half, when Roy Hibbert returns from foul troubles, Georgetown could quickly salt this one away.

Then again, Davidson made a mini-run near the end of the half to prevent things from getting ugly before the teams hit the locker room, so they could bring that back out with them for the second half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - A jumper from Tyler Smith and a dunk by Wayne Chism has UT up 8 right out of the gates on a 4-0 run.

Chism also picked up his 3rd foul and is now out of the game.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - AJ Abrams now has 20 points and is 6 of 9 from 3-point land. His latest trey gave the 'Horns a 58-43 lead with 11:52 left. Defending the 3-ball must've been overlooked in Frank Haith's gameplan.

Abrams also had six treys against Austin Peay in the opener.

. . . McClinton continues to struggle from the field and is now 2 of 9 and 2 of 6 from 3-point land.

Posted by David Scott at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's halftime and Western Kentucky leads San Diego 39-27.
The Hilltoppers are undefeated this season when leading at the break.
Big Red, the WKU mascot, is entertaining fans during the break by attempting backward shots from the free throw line. To its (no way to distinguish the sex of this character) credit, it hit one.
Here's a Stat Breakdown:

Continue reading "Halftime stat bonanza" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Stephen Curry just returned to the game after spending quite a few minutes on the bench, and this game is starting to look like not even his shooting can bail out Davidson. It's far from a blowout yet, but the Hoyas are starting to score at will and now hold an 11-point lead with less than four to play in the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Our string of mediocre games here in Little Rock continues with this one as Texas leads 49-36 and Miami doesn't appear ready to mount any kind of real comeback. We have 15:33 left in the game.

A 3-pointer by James with just over 16:00 left gave Texas its biggest lead of the game at 16.

. .. Rick Barnes has now put AJ Abrams on McClinton. It's probably part of a rotation, but Mason should still get most of the checking assignments on the Miami scorer.

. . . The first chaps-clad routine of our favorite dancers was a rousing success. Tough to say if it's the white frilly vests that get us or the brown chaps or a combination of both. Hook 'em horns, indeed.

Posted by David Scott at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Western Kentucky leads San Diego 33-23 with 3:49 left in the half. The Toreros better get going soon because the Tops haven't blown a halftime lead all season long, even though they came close in Friday's overtime win against Drake.
Lee and Pomare are leading their squads with 15 points a piece, WKU is shooting 56 percent and SDU 47.
Pomare does have two fouls though, so he's on the bench.
Good time for WKU to make a run.

Posted by Mike McCall at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Stephen Curry finally scored his first points of the game on a baseline floater with 9:30 to go in the half, but Georgetown has gotten hot in the meantime. A 3-pointer just put the Hoyas up 22-15 with less than eight minutes to go in the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Hilltoppers just look like they're having fun. They are spreading the ball around and making great cuts on offense. Brazelton is they key to this with his slick ballhandling and Courtney Lee has a whopping 15 points.
Jeremy Evans absolutely demolished a shot from SDU's Gyno Pomare in the paint, but Pomare has still been pretty good, 13 points and just two misses.
Magley has two fouls now for WKU and has checked out.
The Toreros have only taken two 3s - that isn't the San Diego team we all know and love. Right now they don't need to shoot from outside with Pomare having his way down low. If that goes sour, look for Brandon Johnson to start ripping some nets.
27-19 WKU with 6:52 to play.

Posted by Mike McCall at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - This one is going according to script for the Longhorns who are getting production from all their key contributors. Some key lines:

AJ Abrams - 14 points, 5 of 8 form the field, 4 of 7 from 3-point land
Damion James - 9 rebounds, 7 points
DJ Augustin - 5 points, 5 assists and 3 steals

Texas has dominated the boards, 22-15.

Miami shot 11 of 31 from the field (36 percent) and 3 of 11 from 3-point land (27 percent)

Texas shot 17 of 34 from the field and 9 of 16 from 3-point land (56 percent)

Texas has 12 assists on its 17 field goals, Miami has 4 on its 11

. . . Gary Johnson, coming back from an injury for the Longhorns, logged four minutes and picked up two fouls. Big fella Dexter Pittman, who had a great first game, played four minutes for Texas and had two points and three rebounds.

. . . Anthony King was 4 of 5 from the field for his 8 Miami points. McClinton was 2 of 7 from the field.

. . . As expected, hoped for and embraced, the Texas dance teams has chnged into their chaps.

Posted by David Scott at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Georgetown fans are a little upset with the officiating, and there have been a few calls where that anger was justified. But what the Hoyas can be happy about is that Stephen Curry still doesn't have a basket for Davidson, having a pair of 3-point attempts go halfway down before rimming out.

The troubling thing for the Hoyas is that big man Roy Hibbert already has two fouls, and if he is not in the game, it significantly evens out the whole size problem that Davidson was no doubt worried about. Right now, it's 14-13 Georgetown with 11:32 to go in the first half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Bruce Pearl pulled Chris Lofton and Wayne Chism out of the game on what was thought to be the last possession of the half. Someone missed an assignment and Pete Campbell was left all alone on the wing.

Campbell drained the trey to cut it down to 1, but Pearl subbed Lofton back in the game.

Continue reading "Lofton Answers At The Half" »

Posted by Dan Sellers at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Western Kentucky isn't having any trouble scoring.
The Hilltoppers are driving and scoring at will, with Tyrone Brazelton and Courtney Lee chipping in a few highlight reel moves. They have 6 and 7 points, respectively.
The Tops are superior in every aspect of the game right now, but it's still close - nothing a few possessions can't fix for San Diego.
Gyno Pomare looks good again for the Toreros, he has 5 points.
17-11 WKU with 11:41 to play in the first half.

Posted by Mike McCall at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Looks like I was wrong about my foul trouble strategy. Butler has gotten 5 points from A.J. Graves and a 3 from Pete Campbell to bring them closer to Tennessee.

Jujuan Smith answered the 7-0 run with a nice move in the lane for a shot of the glass, but the Bulldogs are definitely back in it with just under four minutes to go.

UT leads 29-23.

Posted by Dan Sellers at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - With remarkable proficiency from the 3-point land, Texas has built an 11-point lead at the half, 43-32. The Longhorns are 9 of 16 from beyond the arc and 17 of 33 form the field. They have effectively contained Miami's Jack McClinton, who has six points in the first half. of course, McClinton also had half a dozen in the first half on Friday against St. Mary's and then exploded for 32 in the second. That's not a realistic expectation today, but it is worth keeping in mind.

Abrams has 14 to lead Texas and King has eight for Miami.

. . . The arena is just about all filled up as most of the second game's fans have made their way off of Main Street in N. Little Rock and into their seats.

. . . It appears the Texas dancers have gone in for a wardrobe change. We're giddy in anticipation.

Posted by David Scott at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's back and forth early. Great sign.
Courtney Lee is off to a good start for WKU. He's their leading scorer but wasn't that great on Friday. So far, 5 points including a 3.
D.J. Magley picked up his customary early foul, and Hero Boy (Ty Rogers) also got one. The Hilltoppers aren't very good with fouls. Against Drake they shot zero free throws to the Bulldogs' 17 in the first half. That wasn't all their fault, but still.
This is going to be a fast-paced game and I fully expect it to be awesome. Fouls would muddle that considerably.
With 15:40 to go, WKU leads 9-7.

Posted by Mike McCall at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - So far Davidson is only down two (and about to go to the line) against Georgetown in the opening minutes. And the Wildcats have the crowd on their side, since all the Carolina fans here are rooting against the Hoyas, who knocked the Tar Heels out last year.

Speaking of the fans, there's quite a former-NBA contingent here. Obviously, proud dads Dell Curry, Patrick Ewing and Doc Rivers are here to watch their sons' teams square off, with Pat Ewing, Jr., and Jeremiah Rivers playing for Georgetown and Stephen Curry a Wildcat.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Look out UCLA, Cindarella is in the house. We just don't know which one yet.
San Diego and Western Kentucky just got underway, here's a look at the starters:

Continue reading "WKU-San Diego tips off" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - The fouls are starting to mount, and it looks like that's going to hurt the Bulldogs more than the Vols.

Both teams have key players with two fouls -- Butler's Mike Green and Pete Campbell and Tennessee's Chris Lofton and Wayne Chism.

Continue reading "" »

Posted by Dan Sellers at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - The fouls are starting to mount, and it looks like that's going to hurt the Bulldogs more than the Vols.

Both teams have key players with two fouls -- Butler's Mike Green and Pete Campbell and Tennessee's Chris Lofton and Wayne Chism.

Continue reading "Fouls Starting To Mount" »

Posted by Dan Sellers at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Miami has mounted a bit of a comeback and they too are using the three-ball to do it. With 6:38 left in the half, Texas leads 35-26, as Miami has cut into a 14-point deficit.

McClinton's first hoop came on a trey with just under 10 minutes to go in the half. A minute later he hit another to cut the 'Horns lead to eight. he is now 2 of 4 from beyond the arc. A s ateam, texas is 7 of 13 from international waters.

. . . Your daily Texas dance team outfit update: The ladies have started off in a orange sequin halter tops (I think they're halters - they show a lot of belly whatever they are) and black velour, form-fitting pants. We eagrely await the wardrobe change into chaps.

Posted by David Scott at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Stephen Curry was a monster for Davidson in the team's first-round game, pouring in 40 points to lead the Wildcats past Gonzaga.

But now he's got to try to work his magic against a Georgetown team that leads the nation in field-goal percentage. The Hoyas are more athletic and tenacious on defense than Gonzaga, so guys other than Curry might have to step up if Davidson wants to stay in the game.

The other big issue for Davidson is whether or not it will be able to handle Georgetown's size, most notably 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert.

We'll see if the Wildcats have the magic to make it 24 wins in a row. The game tips off in about four minutes.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Fresh off a tremendous performance in game one, A.J. Graves has been shut out so far in game two.

The senior guard is 0-for-4 from deep as the Vols maintain control of the game with under 12 to go. Tennessee leads 17-6.

Continue reading "Graves Can't Find His Shot" »

Posted by Dan Sellers at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Texas is out to a blazing start and they have used the 3-pointer to take a 19-8 lead with 13:51 left in the half.

Texas is 5 of 8 from 3-point land and four different Longhorns have hit three balls (James, Atchley, Augustin and Abrams). McClinton is 0 of 3 form the field this far as King leads Miami in scoring with six points.

. . . Texas's best defender, Justin Mason is guarding McClinton. Barnes mentioned yesterday that the No. 24 would now be reserved for players who exhibit the grit and tenacity of Mason and his predecessor in the number, Royal Ivey.

. . . Our sneaker battle is between two Nike schools.

. . . Looks like the Memphis and State fans in the house are 'Cane fans for this one.

. . . If forced to chose between burnt orange and bright orange, I will take the burnt orange. This is true mainly because I got a burnt orange fleece from my sister for my birthday. So, really, it's Karen that prefers burnt orange.

Posted by David Scott at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- After sweating it out to even make the tournament, Villanova has advanced to the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats (22-12) beat Siena 84-72 to move on and face top seed Kansas on Friday.
"Coach always said that we had to be the best team at the end of the season," guard Scottie Reynolds said. "We went through some ups and downs during the season, but we always stayed consistent with what we were trying to accomplish. The last two or three weeks, we have been playing our best basketball."
Reynolds lead the way with 25 points, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.
The Cats didn't allow for much suspense in the game, jumping out early and holding the lead throughout.
"We were scared to death to get behind them early because we weren't goint to be able to press them and force turnovers," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "Once you get that lead, it's so hard to keep playing every possession and not take a break. It's the hardest thing to do in sports, I think. Harder than coming back."

Posted by Mike McCall at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- One minute left, Villanova leads the Saints 83-69.
I think it's safe to call this one now. Tay Fisher is checking back in to jack up some 3s, pretty much Siena's only chance right now.
Unless there's a miracle, I'll see you later with a wrapup of this one - probably early in the Western Kentucky-San Diego game.
That one promises to be a real fight, with scrappy guards, good shooting and two intriguing big men. San Diego has Gyno Pomare down low, and he can spot up from nearly anywhere. It took quite a while for him to miss against UConn. For WKU, there's D.J. Magley, a Sean-May type but a little rough around the edges.

Posted by Mike McCall at 02:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- They're still behind, but the Saints are hanging around like that annoying aunt who's probably at your house right now for Easter.
There has been a slight momentum shift in the building, and a few Siena spurts have put some life into the casual fans (not to mention those of WKU and San Diego) who are rooting for the underdog.
Siena's shooting has improved, but they can't really get any closer than 10. They have also missed quite a few shots around the hoop.
Tay Fisher has pretty mich been a nonfactor in the game. His 6-6 shooting from 3-land yesterday was crucial for the Saints, but he is 1-3 today and hanging around on the bench. Ubiles has 10 now, and Hasbrouck 13.
With 7:15 left, Nova leads 67-54

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Happy Easter and welcome back to the Alltel Arena for today's second round games. Our first game, tipping at 1:15 local time, features Texas and Miami. the follow-up will be a mid-south battle with Memphis and Mississippi State.

Things were buzzing in the North Little rock area surrounding the arena as fans pre-lubed for the day of basketball. Tickets are fairly tough to come by because of the local interest with Memphis, State and Texas (which always travels well).

. . . Officials for today's game will be Mike Kitts, Joe Lindsay and Patrick Adams.

. . . Probable starting line-ups look like this:

No. 2 seed Texas (29-6)
AJ Abrams
Damion James
DJ Augustin
Justin Mason
Connor Atchley

No. 7 seed Miami (23-10)
Lance Hurdle
Jack McClinton
James Dews
Dwayne Collins
Anthony King

The feature players to watch are, of course, McClinton who is coming off his 38 point effort on Friday and DJ Augustin. But the interesting thing to us will be the post play, especially that of 'Cane big man Jimmy Graham and King. If they can do damage in the paint, Miami will be able to open up the outside game a bit and be able to stay in it.

Still, despite both teams employing similar tactics from the Rick Barnes/Frank Haith coaching tree, the Longhorns are likely to advance to Houston next weekend and they should do it easily.

Posted by David Scott at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Hopefully that last post was legible. It's amazing how awful things look without punctuation or numbers, but Hewlett-Packard clearly has something against me.
Kenny Hasbrouck came out of his first-half coma and is hitting some shots. He has 7 points already this half. Edwin Ubiles, the other Siena scoring threat, is still having difficulty. He makes great moves to the basket or to get open shots but can't convert. At least he is drawing fouls though. The last one was on Scottie Reynolds, who has an absurd 20 points for Nova.
Even wilder, freshman Corey Stokes is right behind him with 18.
Nova up 55-39, 15:19 to go

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - The Tennessee Volunteers couldn't buy a 3-point shot in Round 1, but they cannot miss out of the gates.

They are 3-for-4 out of the gates and control an 11-2 lead. Wayne Chism, Chris Lofton and Jujuan Smith have nailed trifectas, and Butler has made several uncharacteristic turnovers. Just under 16 to go...

Posted by Dan Sellers at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA Fla My capslock key is mysteriously stuck right now so Im going to try to navigate through this post bear with me
Things don"t look very good right now for Siena
The Saints shot a pitiful twenty seven percent from the field in the first half and leading scorer Edwin Ubiles was oh for six from the floor
Second leading scorer Kenny Hasbrouck didnt help much either going two for seven with six points
So far he lacks the flair he had Friday against Vandy
On the other side Scottie Reynolds are tearing it up
Theyre shooting a combined eleven for seventeen and have accounted for all five of Novas threes
The Saints will probably start launching threes now and the good news is that they are hanging around even with cold shooting
Second half just underway fiftyone to thirty seven Nova

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIRMINGHAM - Get ready to witness a little history.

In the NCAA Tournament, never have two 30-win teams met as early as the second round. That's what Tennessee and Butler will do in about one hour at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham.

On paper, the game looks to be the most exciting of the Birmingham bracket, with both teams able to throw up points in bunches.

Continue reading "Tennessee, Butler Ready To Tangle" »

Posted by Dan Sellers at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- After hitting a 3 and blocking a shot, Siena had a chance to get some momentum going into the half but a traveling call cost the Saints their last possession.
Villanova is hot from outside (5-8), and was fouled on two of those misses.
Siena is having problems on offense, not really running any kind of set or forcing Nova to really buckle down on defense. Nova is having success down low, but Dante Cunningham and Caiem Drummond have three fouls each so that advantage might not last long.
Scottie Reynolds has 17 and Corey Stokes 14 at the break, while Hasbrouck has a quiet 6 for Siena.
At the half, it's 42-32 Villanova.

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's still early, but this isn't the same Siena team that beat Vanderbilt. The Saints are cold from the field and having triouble with the Cats' press.
Antonio Pena brutalized Siena on Nova's first possession but missed an open shot. It's a tough matchup inside for the Saints.
Hasbrouck got whistled for two early fouls, which is the worst possible news for the Saints. They need him on the floor.
Reynolds drained a 3 from deep - the same spot on the floor that Western Kentucky's Ty Rogers hit his buzzer beater from against Drake - and then hit another shortly afterward. He's 3-4 from deep and has 17 points.
Overall, the Cats are 5-8 from 3-point range. Siena brought Tay Fisher in to counter, and sure enough, he did, making his first and getting fouled on a second.
39-27 Nova with 2:39 til the half.

Posted by Mike McCall at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's still early, but this isn't the same Siena team that beat Vanderbilt. The Saints are cold from the field and struggling to beat the Cats' press.
Antonio Pena brutalized Siena on Nova's first possession but missed an open shot. It's a tough matchup inside for the Saints.
Hasbrouck got whistled for an early foul (just more than a minute in), which is the worst possible news for the Saints. They need him on the floor.
Reynolds drained a 3 from deep - the same spot on the floor that Western Kentucky's Ty Rogers hit his buzzer beater from against Drake - and then hit another shortly afterward.
Overall, the Cats are 3-4 from 3-point range. Siena brought Tay Fisher in to counter, and sure enough, he did, making his first and getting fouled on a second.
21-10 Nova with 11:01 left and three shots coming for FIsher.

Posted by Mike McCall at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's a beautiful Easter Sunday here in Florida, and we're stuck inside. Hopefully, the two games today can match the excitement of those from Friday as four underdogs try to secure bids to the Sweet Sixteen. First up is Siena (23-10) vs. Villanova (21-12).

Continue reading "Siena-Nova on tap" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- This is supposed to be the home of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. This is supposed to be the "happiest place on earth."

But on Saturday, the happiest place on earth got overtaken by suspense. It got overtaken by Darren Collison and Kevin Love and UCLA's smothering defense in the end.

It wasn't pretty, but somehow, some way, the Bruins are moving on to the Sweet 16. And yet, it certainly didn't come without a few deep breathes from fifth-year coach Ben Howland.

Despite trailing by as many as 10 points with 18:27 left in the second half, the top-seeded Bruins in the West Regional are headed to Phoenix thanks to Darren Collison's team-high 21 points, Kevin Love's back-to-back field goals in the final three minutes and a crucial block by Josh Shipp on a last possession drive by Donald Sloan in securing a 51-47 come-from-behind victory over No. 9 seed Texas A&M at the Honda Center.

"That was reminiscent of a lot of games we seem to be in lately, where we're having to make dramatic comebacks in the last few minutes," Howland said afterward in his post-game press conference, "but the one thing I love about our team is that they know in their heart they're always going to win the game."

It's clear that UCLA didn't play it's best game, but the Bruins did enough to win, and in the NCAA Tournament, that's all that really matters.

"We did not play well the first 35 minutes," Howland continued. "That had a lot to do with Texas A&M and how well they played. They are a very, very good team and very well-coached."

So with their backs against the wall and third straight Final Four appearance in jeopardy, UCLA found it's rhythm with its freshman star taking over and carrying the Bruins on his back when it counted most in crunch time.

"Your season's on the line, and you can step up and make those plays," Howland said of Love, who finished with 19 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and an impressive seven blocks. "That's why he is a great player...These are the kind of games you have to come out on top to be able to advance in this tournament. The seedings mean absolutely nothing in the NCAA Tournament...The margin between these two teams that played today is very, very slight."

A play here, a play there, and the Bruins could have very well been headed back up to Westwood for the rest of the season. Instead, they're headed to desert for the third round, where either No. 12 seed Western Kentucky or No. 13 seed San Diego will meet them.

"I feel like we were in control of the whole game," Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon said. "It just came down to Collison and Love at the end making plays...[I] wouldn't change a thing.

"I just hate to see it end, because I think we were just really coming on."

Turgeon's certainly right.

Had the Aggies been able to upset UCLA, A&M would have had as good a chance as anyone in the West Regional to reach San Antonio -- a three-hour drive over from College Station -- after No. 2 seed Duke was ousted by No. 7 seed West Virginia out in Washington, D.C., earlier in the day.

"It look them a long time, but I finally had them playing the way my teams play," Turgeon further explained. "We're not playing as fast as I'd like to play, but I thought our execution was at a much better level...and we were going to win the national championship."

But that dream has ended for A&M and remains for UCLA, which showed it can win even when things aren't necessarily going right, when Russell Westbrook and Josh Shipp combined for seven points -- all from Westbrook -- and when Luc Richard Mbah a Moute struggled with foul trouble in his return from an ankle sprain last week in the Pac-10 Tournament.

"You are always going to have games where certain players may have an off night, but when you have a good defensive team, you stay in games and you find a way," Howland said. "Some people only see things from an offensive standpoint, whereas I see the complete game. And at the end of the day these guys helped us win."

Sure, it wasn't pretty, but Howland will take it.

Any coach would, because in March, it's all about surviving and advancing.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - It took six games, but we finally got a competitive one. Michigan St beat Pitt 65-54 to move on to the South Regional in Texas where they will face the winner of Memphis and Mississippi St.

Neitzel led the Spartans with 21 points and hit 5 of 8 from three point range. Kalin Lucas also had a great game with 19.

Pitt got 19 from Levance Fields, who shot 6-12 from the floor. The rest of the team was ice cold, shooting a combined 11-42. Sam Young did mange to squeeze out 15 points though.

So much for me being Pitt's lucky charm. I hadn't seen them in person all year before the Big East tournament, but they had won five straight in my presence.

Meanwhile, our attention turns to UCLA and Texas A&M. UCLA came back to win, much to the head-shaking relief of Dan Guerrero. I caught up with him after the game and asked if he got to see much of the game here. He told me he watched each game with one eye. He also wasn't surprised to see UCLA come back to win. They have done a lot of that kind of thing this year.

Also, our attention turns to the regionals in Detroit, where I will be next week. But first, tomorrow I'll have my bests and worsts of Denver.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Kevin Love has awoken.

With three minutes remaining, the freshman forward just hit back-to-back shots to give UCLA its first lead at 47-45 since 3:18 in the first half.

One of the shots, in particular, was a beautiful fade-away that brought the house down here at the Honda Center, and it's pretty clear that UCLA has gained momentum in this one.

Texas A&M, though, has been tough all along, and I wouldn't count the Aggies out at all. Mark Turgeon's team has played a heck of a ballgame so far in staying right with the No. 1 seed out in the West Regional, and the Aggie fans are pushing hard for their team to stun the three-time Pac-10 champs on what's as close as it comes to a home floor in the NCAA Tournament.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With less than eight minutes remaining, Texas A&M is still UCLA, 44-38, as both teams battle hard on the defensive end.

UCLA is still struggling from the field at just 37.8 percent, and Darren Collison is managing to keep the Bruins close with 17 points.

Josh Carter and Donald Sloan have taken care of business for A&M, tallying 10 points each as the Aggies regain the rebounding battle with a 24-22 edge.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Drew Neitzel has scored the last eight Michigan St points and the Spartans are now up 55-50 with 3:38 to go.

Dixon got into it with the referees when two of them called fouls on different guys when two ran into each other. After a conference, the call went against Pitt and Dixon, not surprisingly, got hot.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

DENVER, Colo. - The Spartans have pulled back ahead by three at the 8-minute timeout.

On press row, the attention is on the UCLA game. No place does that seem to be more true than across the way from us, where UCLA AD and committee member Dan Guerrero seems engrossed in something on a monitor in front of him. I'm guessing he's not watching Dancing with the Stars.

A couple of minutes ago, Neitzel tried to take credit (is that the right word) a foul that was on Morgan. The ref blew the whistle, and Neitzel's hand went up in the air immeidately, yelling after the ref, "that's on me!" It wasn't.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Pitt has gone on a 10-2 run to cut the Spartans lead to two at 42-40. Levance Fields had four points during the run.

Despite the run, Pitt fans are sitting on their hands, while Michigan State's fans behind us are up and active. They should have plenty of energy since they didn't use any up on Thursday.

We have Texas A&M-UCLA on the monitor next to us as pretty much everyone hopes for their brackets' sake that UCLA makes a comeback.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After one half of play in our second game tonight at the Honda Center, it's No. 1 seed UCLA trailing No. 9 seed Texas A&M by a 29-26 deficit.

While Darren Collison leads all scores with 14 points, the Aggies have got eight points each from Bryan Davis and Donald Sloan in what's been the one-two punch so far for Mark Turgeon's game.

Kevin Love has eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, but the Bruins are shooting just 39.1 percent for the game. Texas A&M, on the other hand, has got its shots from inside the arc to drop, knocking down 56 percent even with an 0-for-5 performance from three.

The Aggies are holding a 14-12 advantage on the glass and Love has grabbed the most so far with five rebounds.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With four minutes gone in the second half, UCLA is still trailing Texas A&M by five at 36-31.

The Aggies made a big run after halftime to push their lead all the way up to 10, but the Bruins responded with a Luc Richard Mbah a Moute putback and a three-pointer from the top of the key by Kevin Love.

UCLA has started out the second half shooting the ball a little bit better, hitting five of 12 shots after halftime while A&M is 3-for-5 from the floor and 1-for-6 from three after Josh Carter's first three of the game from the right corner.

The Bruins have had a hard time taking care of the ball, committing 10 turnovers already with A&M having six.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With four minutes gone in the second half, UCLA is still trailing Texas A&M by five at 36-31.

The Aggies made a big run after halftime to push their lead all the way up to 10, but the Bruins responded with a Luc Richard Mbah a Moute putback and a three-pointer from the top of the key by Kevin Love.

UCLA has started out the second half shooting the ball a little bit better, hitting five of 12 shots after halftime while A&M is 3-for-5 from the floor and 1-for-6 from three after Josh Carter's first three of the game from the right corner.

The Bruins have had a hard time taking care of the ball, committing 10 turnovers already with A&M having six.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Jamie Dixon's timeout after Michigan St scored the first four points didn't work. The Panthers turned the ball over again, and the Spartan run got to 8-0 before Blair pounded home a couple of layups.

Goran Suton has a couple of baskets for Michigan St inside. He's been very effective today, but he's out of the game right now.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Michigan St has scored the first four points of the second half. The first few possessions were empty for each team, but Suton cleaned up some garbage and Morgan went baseline for a dunk to put the Spartans up six.

Here's a picture of Neitzel and Lucas making a plan right before inbounding the ball to start the half. Whatever it was, it didn't work.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With four minutes remaining before halftime here at the Honda Center, it's No. 1 seed UCLA leading No. 9 seed Texas A&M, 24-21.

The Bruins are getting some stellar shooting from Darren Collison, and if it wasn't for a few rim-outs, UCLA might have a larger lead than three.

But give credit to the Aggies, who have really battled so far and are staying right with their opponent as we near halftime.

That's thanks to 12 points already from Collison along with eight from freshman star Kevin Love, who has also pulled down five boards.

Bryan Davis is the high scorer for Texas A&M with eight points on 4-for-4 shooting and the Aggies are winning the battle so far on the glass with a 13-10 edge.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - MSU sent six players onto the floor coming out of a time out right before the break, then promptly threw the ball away for a game-tying layup by Fields. However, Kalin Lucas went coast to coast right after that to give the Spartans a 30-28 lead at the half.

Pitt has hung in there in spite of pretty miserable shooting. They are 9-31 from the floor for 29%. The Spartans are shooting 50% even. Pitt still has an 8-point lead at the free throw line though.

Lucas has 10 points to lead MSU, while Fields' 11 leads the Panthers.

Our halftime entertainment was the Michigan St band. MSU has a dance team, but they didn't perform. Pitt had a dance team on Thursday, but they haven't been seen tonight.

For a while, I didn't think I'd make it back for the second half. I had to wait quite a long time to wash my hands in our small bathroom as the sinks were occupied by one guy scrubbing for surgery and another guy fixing his makeup. Someone fixing their face is something you don't see much in a men's room. He said he was a TV guy. Yeah, right.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With half of the first half gone between UCLA and Texas A&M, it's the Bruins leading by five at 20-15 after a jumper from the left elbow by senior Lorenzo Mata-Real.

Darren Collison has been on fire to start this game, as the preseason All-American point guard knocked down a three from the top of the key to open the game and give UCLA a 3-0 start before canning another one from way downtown.

Texas A&M has been able to get its points inside between DeAndre Jordan, Bryan Davis and Joseph Jones, but the Aggies have missed all three of their three-point attempts, including two from Dominique Kirk.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Neitzel just hit his third three-ball of the half to put Michigan St five and Jamie Dixon has called timeout.

Goran Suton also has six points for MSU.

Ronald Ramon is still having trouble finding the hole, as are his teammates. They are only 5-19 from the floor, but have hit eight free throws.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- We're underway in our second game of the evening out at the Honda Center, as No. 1 seed UCLA takes on No. 9 seed Texas A&M in what should be a war between the Pac-10's best and a physical Big 12 team.

The Bruins are coming off a 70-29 spanking of No. 16 seed Mississippi Valley State on Thursday night here, but Ben Howland's club will have a much tougher time with an Aggie team that has a big front line with senior center Joseph Jones and freshman 7-footer DeAndre Jordan.

It's a good thing that UCLA (32-3) will have Luc Richard Mbah a Moute back after the junior forward re-sprained that left ankle that he hurt back in January against cross-town rival USC. Even so, the Bruins have got it done without Mbah a Moute's presence in the last two contests, in large part because of James Keefe's improved play. The 6-foot-9 reserve forward was actually going to red-shirt the season after injuring his shoulder during the offseason, but Howland is sure happy he didn't with all the big minutes that he's been playing of late.

For Texas A&M, Josh Carter will need to have a big game as he did against BYU on Thursday, posting a season-high with 26 points on 6-for-10 shooting from three-point range. Donald Sloan will also need to contribute from his point guard spot, and Dominique Kirk will certainly need to be a factor if Mark Turgeon's team wants to upset the two-time Final Four participant Bruins and reach the Sweet 16 in Phoenix.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - I think you can tell that the PA guy may not watch a lot of college hoops. He just mispronounced Drew Neitzel's name as "NEET-zel" instead of "NEYET-zel'

Raymar Morgan already has two foul for Michigan St, and Pitt already has six points at the line.

Young got a break away dunk, and was still whooping it up when he got back down the floor to play defense.

Michigan St is ahead though 13-12 with 10:20 left in the half. The Spartans have two shot clock buzzer-beating baskets.

It looks like the Michigan St coaching staff got together and decided on pastel ties. Izzo is sporting a light blue, while two of his assistants opted for lavender.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- If there was any question about who Stanford's go-to guy is, there shouldn't be any more.

Not with Brook Lopez dressed in a Cardinal uniform.

The sophomore 7-footer made the game's winning shot with a turn-around leaner on the right block with one tick left on the clock, giving No. 3 seed Stanford an 82-81 overtime victory over No. 6 seed Marquette and a trip to the Sweet 16 next weekend in Houston.

Afterward, Stanford coach Trent Johnson admitted that he was "out of line" when it came to his ejection late in the first half after receiving two technical fouls in a matter of 10 seconds by stepping out on the floor and continuing to argue a foul call when the officials had asked him to return to the bench.

Johnson further went on to say that if the Cardinal lost the game, that it would be his fault and that he was very fortunate to still be coaching his team this season.

"I was out of line," Johnson offered. "Bottom line I was trying to fight for my kids, and there was no profanity or anything like that used, but I had been warned prior to that, and I put our team in a bad situation, and it's unacceptable."

That's in large part to Lopez's team-high 30 points, which featured 28 in the second half and in overtime after the Cardinal trailed, 36-30, at halftime.

"I just had to put the first half behind," he said. "We were basically down 6-0. We knew we had to get back in the game without Coach, so I was just attacking the basket and playing defense."

Twin brother Robin, meanwhile, wasn't too shabby himself, leading the way in the first half for Stanford (28-7) before finishing with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

"We knew that we had to win that game from that point on," Robin said. "We weren't going out like that."

Jerel McNeal was quite the player for Marquette (25-10) despite the loss, knocking down 13 of his 25 field goal attempts, including a 4-for-12 mark from three, for a team-high 30 points in addition to eight rebounds and two assists.

Wesley Matthews also finished with a solid game for the Golden Eagles with 14 points and seven rebounds, and Dan Fitzgerald added 11 points in his 17 minutes of action. Point guard Dominic James just missed double figures with nine points, but he did drop 10 assists on the Cardinal.

Even better, however, was Stanford's Mitch Johnson, who dished out 16 assists against just one turnover, and managed the game from start to finish.

"We just talked about staying together," Johnson explained after the Cardinal lost its coach for the game. "It's kind of been the theme of our team for whatever reason this year. We just really wanted to stay together. We came in at halftime and kind of got that emotional high and kind of regrouped a little bit and took a deep breath and just got back to playing basketball."

And while Marquette won the rebounding battle in the end with a 45-38 advantage, it was the Golden Eagles' 33.3 percent mark from three that hurt, particularly in comparison to Stanford's 50-percent clip from downtown.

"We worked as hard as we could, all 40 minutes and overtime," McNeal said. "Everybody gave it all they had. This time of year, you need to be at your best. We were shooting jump shots in overtime and they were shooting lay-ups. They got the final shot. Lay-up. Game over."

Shooting 62.5 percent in overtime certainly seemed to be the difference for Stanford as Marquette shot 42.9 in the extra session.

"It was the type of game that we've experience this year, time and time again," Stanford assistant coach Doug Oliver, who took over as head coach once Trent Johnson was ejected. "We've been in close ball games. For the most part, we were able to keep the game in the half court, and it was just it was a hell of a basketball game."

That's at least one way to describe what took place for 45 minutes.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - It's taken a lot of shots, but both teams are finally on the board here. MSU leads 4-2 at the first TV timeout. Neitzel and Morgan have tried and failed from the floor for MSU, and Ramon is 0-3 for Pitt.

At least it's not a blowout. Yet.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - We have the lineups for the Michigan St-Pitt game.

The Spartans start
G Drew Neitzel , Kalin Lucas
F Raymar Morgan, Goran Suton
C Drew Naymick

Pitt counters with
G Levance Fields, Ronald Ramon
F Keith Benjamin, Sam Young
C DeJuan Blair

On Thursday, Ramon was listed as a forward in the lineup, and Benjamin was a guard.

Our refs are Dick Cartmell, Scott Thornley and Michael Eades.

Meanwhile, we're all transfixed on the Stanford-Marquette game, which is in OT. We never did get the CBS feed, but the local affiliate switched to it. They also inform us that a local highway is closed due to heavy smoke from a haystack fire. We don't even have that in Indiana.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Robin Lopez wishes he had another chance.

The 7-foot sophomore went to the foul line with Stanford trailing, 71-70, but was only able to convert one of two attempts, leaving the score tied with eight seconds left.

Jerel McNeal got the inbound and had a chance to win it for Marquette, but his three-point attempt was wide left, clanking off the backboard and rim and leaving Stanford with control of the ball.

Fred Washington's heave from halftime sailed short of the rim and both teams are about to play an extra five minutes of basketball. The fans will certainly appreciate the free basketball after the way this one has played out so far, and with Ousmane Barro gone with his fifth foul for Marquette, you'd think the Cardinal would have a clear advantage inside.

Still, you never know with those big, burly and physical Big East teams...The Golden Eagles today have seemed to control the Lopez twins just enough to have a good shot at winning this game.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Washington St advances to the East regional in Charlotte with a win over Notre Dame. The Cougars will very likely face top seed North Carolina. That might be a better matchup than you think.

WSU held Notre Dame to its lowest output of the season. The Irish only shot 24% from the floor. It seems like every game we've had here, one team doesn't quite make it to 30%. McAlarney has 12 for ND and Harangody had 10.

Wash St was led by Low's 18 and Weaver's 15.

Michigan St came out for warmups while Low was finishing up a radio interview and MSU G Drew Neitzel gave Low a warm greeting as he passed by.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With 1:46 remaining, Marquette senior forward Ousmane Barro has just picked up his fifth and final foul and is headed to the bench for the rest of the game. That could be a big turning point in this game, as Brook Lopez hit both free throws to give Stanford a 70-69 lead.

And it's certainly been an exciting one all the way throughout with both teams trading baskets back and forth for much of the game and particularly during this second half.

Who will take the big shot now for Marquette and Stanford is the real question, as this is the time when you find out what kind of guts and smarts your players really have.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - When Catholics are trying to sell a house, they'll sometimes bury a St. Christopher's medal upside down in the yard. When Notre Dame's trying to change their luck on the basketball floor, they try this...

It's not working so far. Harangody just got stripped from behind trying to dribble end to end. I guess he'll never be a point center.

Notre Dame still trails by 19, and we are now 0-5 trying to get a good game in Denver.

Meanwhile, I'm seeing a lot of this...

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - A few plays ago, Weaver missed a layup, ended up in the WSU cheerleader section and picks up a megaphone in disgust.. He was fouled on the play by McAlarney, and it was ruled intentional.

Weaver hit those free throws, then one more on the ensuing possession, then stole a pass that led to a Low three ball and the Cougars are back up 17 at 52-35.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM -- At the seven-minute mark, it's Marquette leading Stanford by just one now.

Jerel McNeal has really come on strong in the last couple of minutes, hitting a couple big shots to keep the Golden Eagles on top with his 15th point. Wesley Mathews has had added three more to his stat line for 14 points, and Dan Fitzgerald has dropped in six more for 11 points.

For Stanford, Robin Lopez is carrying the load at 16 points and brother Brook has 12, as the Cardinal continue to hit from three-point range at 50 percent.

Marquette, meanwhile, is shooting a dismal 27.3 percent from downtown yet somehow managing to stay in front of Stanford, for now at least.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - After Derrick Low scored four straight to stop the Notre Dame run, the Washington State fans got on their feet and cheered on the defense. It didn't work though. Rob Kurz got a layup and WSU's lead is down to 9 with 10:55 left.

The WSU dance team is on the floor again. It seems like every time I look up, there they are. None of them look like Derrick Low though, so I must just have their image burned into my eyes.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - The Irish offense has finally found some life. They are on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 38-31 with 13:49 left.

The ND fans behind me are getting louder now also. They've been sitting on their hands for a while.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Here are post-game quotes from the Purdue side:

Continue reading "Purdue Postgame Quotes" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - This are getting worse instead of better for ND with the lead now up to 16 and 16:06 left. Washington St is getting just about any shot they want, and Notre Dame is missing about every shot they take.

Notre Dame's points in this half came on a three-pointer by McAlarney, and he was fouled on the shot, but indicitive of how this day is going for the Irish, he clanked the freebie.

Still can't see Stanford-Marquette on our little TV, but we have four views of this brick-fest.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- In the first few minutes of the second half, Stanford has climbed back to cut Marquette's lead to just one at 47-46.

The Cardinal are shooting it pretty well from three so far at a 50-percent clip (4-for-8) while Marquette has hit 44.7 of its field goals but just 33.3 percent of its threes.

Robin Lopez is leading the way for Stanford with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and twin brother Brook, the First Team All-Pac-10 selection this spring, has dropped in 10, making four of his 11 attempts. On the other end of things, Dan Fitzgerald and Wesley Matthews are pacing the Golden Eagles with 11 points apiece.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Here's some of the numbers that tell the tale of the first half.

ND shot 25% from the floor, and looked every bit like a team that didn't know how to get a shot off. Washington St shot 13-28 for 46%. Neither team did much from long range, with ND 1-8 and WSU 2-10.

Wazzu won the turnover battle 6-1, but the Irish have a four rebound lead.

It will be interesting to see what adjustments Mike Brey made at halftime. The second half will start here in a few minutes.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- At halftime here at the Honda Center, it's No. 6 seed Marquette leading Stanford by a 36-30 margin.

The Golden Eagles are getting a solid game from Wesley Matthews, who is leading all scorers with 11 points after hitting those big free throws at the end of Thursday's win over Kentucky to help UM reach today's second round.

Stanford, meanwhile, is shooting the ball well from the perimeter despite trailing by six at the break, as the Cardinal have knocked down 40 percent of its shots (12-for-30) and hit 42.9 percent of its threes.

Robin Lopez is leading his team with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting and Mitch Johnson has canned a couple three-pointers for six points. Jerel McNeal is leading the UM backcourt with seven points.

Surprisingly, Marquette has really controlled things on the glass with the Golden Eagles holding a 24-16 rebounding edge, and if that continue to happen, Stanford will certainly be in trouble with head coach Trent Johnson already hitting the showers after getting hit with two technical fouls at the 3:36-mark for unsportsmanlike conduct. In the statement issued by today's officiating crew working the game, Johnson was out on the playing floor and out of the coach's box disputing calls. When the former Nevada coach failed to comply with instructions to return to the bench, he was issued a second technical.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Postgame quotes from Xavier follow:
Sean Miller:
I want to commend Purdue for not only a great season but its amazing what they were able to do with that many freshmen playing the roles they did. ... Two similar teams in that we take pride in our defense.

These three seniors a year ago went through a very difficult loss in this same game. Its been a motivating game for us to see if we could get back to this point....

[Points to C.J. Anderson as the difference for this year's team.]

Very very happy for Xavier University.

Continue reading "Xavier Postgame Quotes" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - This was expected to be a battle of styles, and the Cougars are imposing their will on the Irish. Notre Dame only has 19 points at the half, the last two of which came from Kurz as the clock wound down. That was right after Low drained a rainbow three with the shot clock expiring.

Washington St is frustrating ND in every way imaginable on the defensive end. Notre Dame leads the rebounding battle, but still isn't getting a lot of second chances. They also have turned it over half a dozen times.

At halftime, we're trying to figure out how to get Stanford and Marquette on our little TV at courtside while the Wash St dance team performs. We've had every CBS channel before so we could watch whatever we wanted, but once the Purdue game ended (and it seemed like it never would), we tried to find Stanford-Marquette, but instead we have the game we are watching on three channels.

We heard that Trent Johnson, the Stanford coach, was ejected.

More stats and stuff in a bit.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Kyle Weaver just made what I'm sure will be the steal of the day, even though we have a little more than 60 minutes of basketball left. Tory Jackson tried to throw a pass, and Weaver jumped and blocked it with his right hand, and ended up cupping the ball and coming down with it.

WSU maintains an 8-point lead with 3:44 left.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Hasta luego Trent Johnson.

For you non-Spanish speakers, that means good-bye Trent Johnson.

The Stanford coach just picked up two technical fouls in a matter of 10 seconds and has just been ejected after arguing a foul call on Lawrence Hill that he believed to be a traveling violation.

Then when the TV timeout came at 3:38, Johnson walked on to the middle of the court to contest the call, earning himself the first technical before mouthing off to earn another one just a few seconds later.

You have to wonder what the guy is thinking losing his temper like that in an NCAA Tournament game and in a game that Stanford could very well lose.

But Johnson has been known to get pretty fiery on the sidelines, and as we watch him from across the court, the coach has still not left the building, hanging around in hopes maybe of getting an explanation from the officials of the previous call that he was trying to contest.

After a couple minutes, Johnson is now making his exit from the arena and the Marquette faithful is chanting "Left, Right, Left, Right" as he heads to the locker room.

With 3:38 remaining in the first half, it's Marquette leading Stanford by one, 25-24.

And while this game certainly has been a good one so far, so will this post-game press conference now...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Xavier made enough of their free throws down the stretch to come away with a seven-point win over Purdue. C.J. Anderson and Drew Lavender each scored 18 for the Musketeers, while Josh Duncan added 16 in the win. Walking off the court, Xavier looks to be showing an appropriate mixture of joy and confidence. There is no one play you can point to in this one and say that is why Xavier one; there isn't really a player you can say that about either (though Lavender was so steady at the point). Really, this one came down to consistency, the ability to hit a shot when it mattered, and fundamentals, whether that was rebounding, foul shooting, or what have you.

That Xavier-West Virginia matchup next weekend will be a good one.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Washington State's defense has been smothering during a 10-0 run, which was just stopped by a Harangody layup. Wazzu is getting hands on just about every pass and shot attempt. They are making it very uncomfortable for ND to run their offense.

The Cougars lead 17-9 a the 12-minute timeout, which comes with 8:34 left, so we'll be due for another one real quick.

All five WSU starters are on the scoreboard, led by Low with 6.

Dick Bennett, Tony's dad, is in the house tonight seated about four rows behind the WSU bench.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- The last minute here at Verizon Center is going to take us about 20 minutes to play, with Purdue fouling every time Xavier touches the ball and the referees doing their best to add to the confusion by reviewing just about anything they can review. Xavier just threw their inbounds out of bounds, so Purdue has the ball with 44 seconds and a five-point deficit.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Drew Lavender has made a floater and single-handedly broken the Purdue press in the last minute, the press break leading to a dunk for Josh Duncan. Keaton Grant just drilled a three for Purdue, but the margin is still six. During the last timeout, Xavier fans started cheering "Father Graham" in honor of their university president, Michael Graham (who was not the Michael Graham on Georgetown's 1984 title team, in case you were wondering).

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Chris Kramer, Purdue's best defender and the definition of a glue guy, just fouled out. Purdue Coach Matt Painter let the referees have it, to no avail. Kramer finished with six points, three boards, and at least two steals.

After a pair of free throws by Keaton Grant, however, Purdue is within four.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With 12 minutes go in our first game of two this afternoon and evening, it's sixth-seeded Marquette answering Stanford's early run to knot things at 11-11.

Robin Lopez is leading the way for the third-seeded Cardinal, hitting all three of his shot attempts so far for six points.

Anthony Goods has also knocked down a three for Stanford, who sits at 27-7 overall this season after Thursday's demolition of No. 14 seed Cornell, a 77-53 loser.

Marquette has got four points from Jerel McNeal and a bucket each from Dominic James and Ousmane Barro. The Golden Eagles are looking good so far coming off that grind-it-out victory over Kentucky two days ago.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Notre Dame scored the first five points on a Tory Jackson three and a layup by McAlarney, but WSU responded inside with Baynes and outside with Rochistie.

Derrick Low is on the board as well, as we're tied at 7 at the first timeout.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- The sense I've gotten all afternoon is that both of these teams here are pretty good teams but neither has quite enough firepower to go into that next gear and put the other away. After a C.J. Anderson floater just now as the shot clock expired, Xavier got about as fired up as the Muskateers have been all day, throwing up crossed arms in the shape of an X and screaming towards the bench. Perhaps the momentum from that play can help Xavier pull away from the Boilermakers, who as pesky as they have been, simply don't seem to be able to make enough baskets to win. They've been good enough to keep it close....but have not shown they can seize the game.

Xavier by 6 with 3:25 to go.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Welcome back to the Honda Center for today's second round action, which features two quality tourney games that should have the stadium packed.

In our first game, it's No. 3 seed Stanford taking on No. 6 seed Marquette, and both teams are looking to get to the Sweet 16. For the Cardinal, it would be the first time since 2001.

For the Golden Eagles, it would be the first time since 2003, when the program reached its ultimately height by reaching the Final Four. That would be a long climb back for Tom Crean's club, which has talent in the backcourt with point man Dominic James and Jerel McNeal but will have to match Stanford's physical presence inside today with 7-foot twins Brook (First-Team All-Pac-10) and Robin Lopez. The Golden Eagles should have the advantage on the perimeter and Stanford should its advantage inside, so it should be interesting which team's strengths get utilized and is able to play through its weaknesses. That's why this game should be a good one this afternoon.

Some more notes to mull over about this game...

In the all-time series between the two schools, there have only been four occasions, and Marquette has certainly had the upper hand having won all four dates. But UM's most recent win came more than 26 years ago during the 1981-82 campaign, and there's no doubt that Stanford is probably a better team now than they were then or even since the Cardinal nearly went undefeated during that the regular '01 season.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - The CBS guy in front of me just let the radio folks know that the tip of our first game has been pushed back 10 minutes, so we'll tip at 6:50 ET instead of 6:40.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Drew Lavender, on an out-of-bounds play along the baseline, just threw a sweet ally-oop to Derrick Brown for the flush and the eight point lead. Xavier now leads by 10 after two free throws from Josh Duncan. As an aside, Gilbert Arenas is watching this one from the tunnel. If he had played for West Virginia earlier, he'd have scored 84 or 85, I'd guess. Gilbert is sporting some absurd looking red and white checkered capris. From the looks of it, he's trying to get someone to let him into the Wizards locker room, where I hope he'll throw on something a little more reasonable if he is going to come out here and watch the game.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - With the Purdue-Xavier at the half, I thought I'd take this opportunity to give you a little pregame info on our first game, which is still a half an hour away.

Once again, it looks like a late arriving crowd, although a section of WSU fans is mostly here already.

We already have the starting lineups, and they are the same for each team as they were on Thursday.

Notre Dame is going with
G Tory Jackson, Kyle McAlarney
C Luke Harangody
F Rob Kurz, Zach Hillesland

Washington St counters with
G Derrick Low, Taylor Rochestie
C Aron Baynes
F Kyle Weaver, Robbie Cowgill

Our refs are Mark Whitehead, John Hughes, and TV Teddy Valentine.

The bands and cheerleaders are already in place, and while the Irish and Wazzu band do a good job, we're going to miss this guy today.

I don't know if they do this, but I think the Wazzu band should have a song where they play Kazoos.

I got a chance to meet Xavier AD Mike Bobinksi, who is here as part of his orientation for going on the men's basketball committee next season. Naturally, a fight broke out over the Purdue-Xavier game. No, I'm kidding of course. UCLA AD Dan Guerrero is the official committee rep at this site. Tom O'Connor, I believe, has headed back to Indy, which is where the chair usually stays for the tournament.

Also, the Fonz is in the house. No, not Henry Winkler. LaPhonso Ellis, the former Notre Dame star, is part of the Irish radio team, and the tallest guy on press row, edging out CBS announcer Len Elmore.

ND has broken out some new warmups and unis for this game. The warmup has a clover on the chest, and the uniforms are black. You might be able to see that here.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Stanley Burrell, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Indianapolis, spent his first two seasons at Xavier as the team's leading scorer. Now, though, Burrell has taken a back seat offensively and settled into his role as a defensive stopped and role player.

Continue reading "Stanley Burrell's Journey" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 06:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Xavier shot 50 percent in the first half and leads by 3.

Continue reading "Halftime Update from D.C." »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 06:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Drew Lavender spent 19 minutes and 58 seconds of the first half scoreless, but as the clock was set to expire, he nailed a three to give his team a three-point victory heading into the break.

Continue reading "Lavender Saves Best for Last" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 05:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Just like on Thursday against Georgia, Xavier fell behind early, stuck with what they were doing, and clawed its way back into the game.

Continue reading "Xavier Wears You Down" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 05:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Drew Lavender, Xavier's explosive point buard, has been checked for much of the early going by Purdue's Keaton Grant. The reason thats notable is that Lavender is 5-foot-7 and Grant is 6-foot-4.

Continue reading "A Mismatch, Granted" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 05:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Purdue came out with a ton of energy and scored the first nine points. Keaton Grant has five of those, including a nice transition three. Xavier, meanwhile, has been careless with the ball.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Here are some West Virginia quotes:

Continue reading "WVU Postgame Reaction" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Washington -- We're waiting for West Virginia Coach Bob Huggins and a few Mountaineers to come out to the dais, and we're also waiting for stats, but here is my question: What was Duke doing on offense?

Continue reading "Offensive Offense" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- A strong second half performance which saw the Mountaineers outscore Duke by 11 gives West Virginia a big upset over the second-seeded Duke Blue Devils. Joe Alexander scored a game-high 22, Alex Ruoff added 17, and Joe Mazzulla had an amazing 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Back with more shortly.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- With Joe Mazzulla (the undisputed player of the game) at the line to put the Mountaineers up 12 with less than a minute left, the WVU players got on their feet and started raising the roof. They seem to sense that the upset is imminent. Each team has one timeout remaining as there are now 55 seconds left and a 10-point game.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Duke has missed three of its last four free throws after not missing in the first half. They're fortunate to be getting to the line; they can't keep missing.

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- On a broken play, Joe Mazzulla, trapped in the paint, somehow muscled a pass through three Duke defenders to little-used Cam Thoroughman who kissed in a layup to put WVU up 11.

Continue reading "Sweet Dime by Mazzulla" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- With play stopped to correct a timing error, Duke fans started their customary Let's-Go-Duke cheer. Quickly, West Virginia's John Flowers got up off the bench and started waving to the Mountaineer fans to get a Let's-Gooo-Mountaineers rendition started.

Continue reading "Battle of the Fans" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Joe Mazzulla is quietly putting together one of the most well-rounded performances we've seen in D.C.

Continue reading "Joe Mazzulla Wants it More" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- There's only nine minutes gone by in the second half, but already both teams are dealing with foul trouble.

Continue reading "Foul Trouble Intrigue" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Joe Alexander is taking over this game.

Continue reading "The Joe Alexander Show" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 03:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Until Kyle Singler missed the second of his two free throws moments ago, both teams were perfect from the line. The Blue Devils made their first 13 freebies, while West Virginia is 3-for-3.

Continue reading "Today, They Really Are Free" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- The Mountaineers shot uncharacteristically poorly in the first half but trail by just five.

Continue reading "Halftime: WVU Can't Buy a Bucket" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Shortly before this game started, Brendan Haywood meandered down the hallway near the media work room heading towards the workout room here at Verizon Center. A member of the arena security personnel, who evidently doesn't watch a whole lot of Wizards basketball, tried to direct him to either the Duke or WVU locker room before he flashed his ID.

Continue reading "Brendan Haywood Doesn't Play for Either Team" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - We're on our in-between day here in Le Petite Roche and Miami players and coach Frank Haith are starting their press room/locker room interviews. They will be followed by Texas at 2:15 local time; then Mississippi State at 3:10 and finally Memphis at 3:50.

All practices are closed today at the arena.

We'll plan on filing a column over at the Hang Time blog late this afternoon. if any news breaks here, we'll also be on top of that. In the meantime, enjoy the live-blogging here as half the Sweet 16 is filled out today. We'd also encourage you to check out Jerry Palm's Hang Time re-cap of his off-day game watching. The Palmist captured a wild day form the perspective a bar-sitter and he did it quite well.

Enjoy the action.

Posted by David Scott at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- The refs didn't forget to pack their whistles for Washington, D.C.

Continue reading "Meet Ed Hightower" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Greg Paulus, who finished 2-of-7 from three against Belmont, made his first two threes, one off a screen, one off the dribble, and Duke leads 10-4. After Paulus' second three, WVU Coach Bob Huggins tried to get a 30-second timeout, didn't get it, and at the next stoppage of play, was hit with a technical.

Continue reading "Paulus is Hot, Huggins is Angry" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 01:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Welcome back to the nation's capital where Duke and West Virginia will tip at 2:10 to officially get the second round underway. The Mountaineers will be looking to build on the Big East's early round success and to garner their 26th win of the season. The Blue Devils are trying to get back to the Sweet 16, somewhere they've been 23 times ... but not since 2006, which is like an eternity in Durham.

Continue reading "Duke, WVU Will Shoot for Sweet 16" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Call it Tampandemonium.
After all of Thursday's games yielded just one upset that wasn't an 8-9 game, Tampa gave us four in a row on Friday.
If you're religious, today was Good Friday. If you're a hoops fan, it was great.

Continue reading "Tampa doesn't disappoint" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Memphis wins 87-63 and I get to go take some sleepy time cold medicine. All's well that ends well.

We'll check in from interview day on Saturday, but it will be pretty light. Be sure to join in with all the live-blogging form the nation's other sites with the able-bodied posse of CSTV.com live-bloggers.

. . . Pouncer, the Tiger mascot, has whipped out his blue Elvis jumpsuit costume. We get a big kick out of that outift for some reason. There's a special hole in the rear for the tail to protrude through. We wonder if Elvis had a similar trap door.

. . . Amazing sub-regional in Tampa. Two 12-13 games on tap for Sunday. Incredible.

Posted by David Scott at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - It has not been pretty and it is definitely the kind of game that John Calipari will use to motivate his troops, but Memphis continues to lead comfortably, 73-55 with 7:45 left in the game.

. .. To go with his monster dunk, Dorsey now has a monster rejection on one of the UTA guards that led to tiger free throws at the other end.

. . . Sitting very close to the same seat that the Austin Peay iron lung band member sat, is now a UTA female band member with lungs of steel. Even the dude next her on clarinet had to shake his head at the latest screech from the basketball-face-painted co-ed.

. . . Rod Epps has fouled out for UTA. he had zero points

Posted by David Scott at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Indiana's season, with all of its turmoil that followed the Kelvin Sampson situation, is over. Arkansas, the No. 9 seed, knocked the eighth-seeded Hoosiers out with an 86-72 win to close out the first-round games at the RBC Center.

Continue reading "Hogs roll past Indiana" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- If you like upsets, this is the place for you. Tampa was Upset City on Friday, and Villanova capped it off with a 75-69 win against fifth-seed Clemson.
After trailing by as many as 18 in the first half, the Cats stormed back and took the lead for good with 11:00 remaining.

Continue reading "Cats complete Upset Day with comeback win" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Scottie Reynolds has made play after play to fuel Villanova's comeback, and now his efforts are building a lead.
Reynolds has ceased to be the shooter and become the dealer. His latest assist came from his knees while recovering a loose ball. He scooped it to Antonio Pena for an and-1 layup.
Clemson has gone stagnant on offense, and they need some kind of a spark to reclaim the lead.
As of now, the Cats are running away.
It's 63-55 VU with 5:28 on those cool, flatpanel clocks here at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The Mavericks are still hanging around and trail 65-50 with 11:56 left in the game. Again, Memphis isn't in danger of losing this one, but they also aren't putting it out of reach the way their fans would like.

The Tigers continue to get beat on fast breaks and hustle plays, not to mention put backs. The Tigers also have 5 turnovers this half in 8 minutes. they had five all of the first half.

. . . There are rim rattlers and then there are rim rattlers. What Joey Dorsey threw down with just over 14 minutes left in the game was one for the books. How the basket withstood the trauma, I'll never know.

. . . Taggart picks up his third foul with 11:56 left as Vereen gets after it inside the lane and scores a hard-earned bucket.

Posted by David Scott at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Corey Fisher hit a 3 as the shot clock hit zero to break a 52-all deadlock. (It's a good day to shoot 3's if you're a Fisher).
Then he drove and drew a foul on the next possession that sent Trevor Booker back to the Clemson bench with four fouls.
He slipped up on the ensuing Tigers drive by fouling Terrence Oglesby (who is actually white) on a 3-point attempt. Oglesby hit all three shots.
Dante Cunningham answered with a driving layin to make the Nova lead 3, Clemson threw away a fast break and that's where we stand, 58-55 Villanova with 6:53 to play.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - A rather ho-hum continuance of this onw and Memphis is now up 55-40 with 15:52 left in the game.

It's clear Memphis is going to win, but they are not doing it in the fashion the other No. 1 seeds have and it will ikely give rise to more talk of the Tigers being a soft 1-seed.

. . . The Tigers are getting beat on long outlet passes and back door cuts, two things that don't sit well with the coaching staff. Memphis also isn't finishing well around the bucket. Lots of missed bunnies and lay-ups and put-backs.

. . . Dorsey picked up his third foul with 16:25 left and was taken out for Dozier.

Posted by David Scott at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - It's another 3-pointer for Sonny Weems, who looks like cannot miss. He's got 29 points now. Indiana's offense on the other hand looks like it was installed yesterday. Dan Dakich keeps yelling instructions and his players are looking at him like he's speaking Swahili. It's Razorbacks by 10, and I can't see Indiana coming back in these last four minutes.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- We've got some solid competition here now.
Reynolds banked in a 3 on his way back to the ground after getting fouled to give Nova the lead, 50-49 with 11:56 left.
A quick recap of the last few minutes:
Reynolds hit an unbelievable double clutch layup to bring Nova within 1 at 44-43.
The Cats then got the ball back and had momentum, but a traveling call sent it back the other way.
VU center Dante Cunningham picked up his fourth foul. He only has 4 points, but it's good to have a big body inside anyway, especially the way Clemson likes to attack the basket.
Stitt hit a 3 for Clemson, and Antonio Pena responded with a layin on the other end.
Pena hurt his leg a few plays later. He was limping and wincing for the next minute or so and Jay Wright subbed him out.
Then, Dwayne Anderson got hurt after getting fouled on his way to the basket. Another leg injury and two Nova big men are sitting.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Some pretty remarkable numbers form the first half, to wit:

Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field.
Both teams shot 50 percent from 3-point land.
Memphis held just a 16-13 edge in rebounding despite a noticeable size advantage.
Both teams had 10 or more assists (10 for UTA, 12 for Memphis)

UTA had 10 turnovers, while Memphis had just five. Memphis converted the ten turns for 12 points and has 11 second-chance points as well.

. . . Memphis just didn't play with the intensity that Calipari expects from his team, but the numbers are pretty impressive and they executed well when they had to. UTA probably can't play much better and they're still down 14. There's been too much "Mr. Fumbles" from the Tigers - especially Dorsey and Dozier - and that drives Calipari bonkers.

Posted by David Scott at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Nova keeps cutting Clemson's lead to 5 or so, but the Tigers always answer.
Scottie Reynolds is heating up from 3-land. He has hit two in the second half to give him 13 points on the day.
The crowd is really getting into it now, and the back-and-forth scoring is starting to create quite an atmosphere.
This game doesn't have that underdog edge to it, but there's nothing like a shootout.
44-39 Clemson with 15:55 to go.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Hoosiers had a chance to tie the game on a runner by Jordan Crawford, but it came off the rim and went out of bounds to Arkansas. It will be interesting to see Indiana's response, now that it has gotten so close to the Razorbacks on the scoreboard. There are still guys struggling to hit shots, but tying the game or taking the lead could set this game up for a momentum swing.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Here come the Cats.
Nova came out of the gate and scored 5 quick points to cut Clemson's lead to 7, 39-32.
Scottie Reynolds just hit a 3 with 18:59 left, and we've got a ballgame.
A dart to the staff member who made the stomach-painted Nova girls who were standing behind press row go back to their seats.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Give UTA some credit, they kept this thing from getting out of hand despite a 57 percent shooting half for the Tigers. UTA shot 54 percent (13 of 24) from the field. Both teams were also 50 percent form 3-point land as Memphis hit 5 of 10 and UTA hit 3 of 6.

. . . CDR leads all scorers with 14 and Moffitt and and Vereen each have seven for UTA.

. . . UTA cut the lead to single digits with 2:20 left in the half, 38-29.

Posted by David Scott at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Indiana offense -- formerly known as "D.J. White and only D.J. White" just got a boost from Armon Bassett, who hit back-to-back threes. Now the Hoosiers are within three points, 45-42 with 15 minutes to go. Indiana needs more of this, which is to say diversified offense, to combat the Razorbacks.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Memphis leads 36-21 with 3:52 left in the half. The Tigers aren't playing great, but CDR has 13 points and UTA continues to turn the ball over (10 so far this half).

. . . The five for five thing appears to be over as Shawn Taggart replaced Robert Dozier after the under-8:00 media timeout. More regular one-for-one and two-for-two substitution patterns have ensued.

. . . No mention of whether Anthony Vereen of UTA is related to Ben Vereen, the entertainer. No idea why I would care, either. he reminds me of a former Calipari player at UMass, Will Herndon. But Herndon could jump out of the gym, not to mention over cars.

Posted by David Scott at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Arkansas went into the locker room leading by seven, 37-30, thanks in large part to holding Indiana under 40 percent shooting.

D.J. White is the only offense the Hoosiers can seem to muster, and he has 11 points. Indiana's star freshman Eric Gordon is 1 for 7 from the field, and lots of the Hoosiers' outside shots seem to not only miss but miss ugly. Sonny Weems and Darian Townes have 13 and 10, respectively, for the Razorbacks.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Memphis is out ot a 12-point lead but UTA is certainly kepeing it within reason. Memphis leads 27-15 with 7:41 left in the half.

Memphis has forced six UTA turnovers and only holds a slim 10-9 lead in rebounding.

. . . As we indicated pre-game, Calipari is using the hockey line change approach once again. The second-teamers came in with 13:29 left in the half and was made up of Willie Kemp, Doneal Mack, Jeff Robinson, Andre Allen and Shawn Taggart. The players said they like the pattern of subbing because they are used to playing with each other that way in practice.

The First Five checked back in with 11:38 left in the half and look like they'll remain in.

. . . There's got to be a "Top Gun" joke in here somewhere with the 'Mavericks' involved, but I'm a little weak on that movie. How about: UTA has lost that lovin' feelin after starting out hot.

Yeah, I know. But you try live-blogging for 12 straight hours, you haters.

Posted by David Scott at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Clemson's up 12 at the half.
The Tigers have taken 17 3's now and hit seven. They are led by Demontez Stitt with 9 points.
This one is far from over, it has just been pretty boring. There were a few big plays, but not a whole lot of competition.
Villanova almost converted a full-court alley-oop at the halftime buzzer.

The Table Leaper award goes to the Tigers' James Mays:
Chasing a loose ball, Mays leaped onto the first table on press row, jumped to the second and then jumped on each of the first three rows of seats (empty of course). It was the most impressive thing I've seen yet in this game, which is quickly becoming a snorer.

Posted by Mike McCall at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- I'm gonna switch to autopilot for a little while. It's late, I'm emotionally drained and this game isn't living up to the others. Clemson leads 29-16 with 7:36 left.
They're more energetic, making shots and just generally better than Villanova right now.
Raymond Sykes had a big follow-up jam a second ago. There was noone even remotely close to blocking him out.

Posted by Mike McCall at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The Tigers have been back on their heels a bit to start out but lead 10-6 with 15:19 left in the half.

UTA won the game-opening tip a true moral victory. They even took a 4-0 lead on two buckets from Jermaine Griffin.

But a 3-pointer by Antonio Anderson gave Memphis an 8-6 lead and probably ended the Mavericks' hopes of staying in this one.

. . . Rebounding is even at 4-4. Let's see how long that lasts.

. . . UTA lists on ten players on its roster. Most teams have 14.

. . .UTA is clearly loose and easy for this one. Widebody Larry Posey has been bouncing and smiling since well before the game started.

. . . Two strong sections of UTA fans directly behind the Posting Up Perch, including a string of shirtless dudes spelling out UTAMAVS. The "M" is quite a specimen, as is the "V."

. . . Our sneaker battle is between adidad (Memphis) and Nike (UTA).

. . . With a No. 16 seed basketball team comes a No. 16 seed cheer and dance squad. That's just how it is. The dance portion of the Mavericks' rooters is especially, shall we say, "M" and "V"-like.

Posted by David Scott at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Arkansas seems to be relying a bit heavily on the outside shot, but if it's working, hey, why not? Back-to-back threes to get a 10-point lead, 35-25, over the Hoosiers says might as well keep putting them up.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Clemson has more fans here than Nova, but it remains to be seen which side the casual viewers will take. In the Drake-Western Kentucky game, fans basically rooted for overtime and then whoever was behind.Clemson is clearly enamored with 3-point shooting, but that's no surprise. The Tigers have hoisted 3's like they're going out of style all season. Right now, they're 4-8 and hold a 22-12 lead with 11:31 remaining.

Posted by Mike McCall at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Arkansas seems to be finding its shooting touch a bit here midway through the first half, while Indiana seems to be forcing things a bit. Not that any of that has accounted for any separation between the two teams. Right now the Razorbacks are up 23-19.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - We're about 15 minutes from tip of the nightcap her at Alltel.

Probable starters look like this:

No. 1 seed Memphis (33-1)
Robert Dozier
Joey Dorsey
Antonio Anderson
Chris Douglas-Roberts (leading scorer with 17.2 ppg)
Derrick Rose

No. 16 seed UTA (21-11)
Rog'er Guignard (leading scorer with 13.0 ppg)
Rod Epps
Tommy Moffit
Larry Posey
Jermaine Griffin

. . . Officials for the game are Reginald Greenwood, John Hampton and Wallace Rutecki.

. . . UTA started shooting around at the wrong end of the floor and had to be shuffled off to the other end when Memphis took the court. rookie mistake.

. . . Look for Memphis to revive its platoon system of five in-five out that worked so well in the C-USA Title game against UAB.

Posted by David Scott at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - It's a 10-9 Indiana lead right now, a little less than five minutes into the second half, but honestly that's not the only way the teams are close together. It's these colors. Look into the stands and it's really hard to tell who is here pulling for the Razorbacks and who is here for the Hoosiers.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Well, there go the Oregon cheer and dance teams back to Eugene. Little Rock is poorer for the loss. Mississippi State put together an outstanding second half to win this one, 76-69.

Rhodes led all scorers with 34 and Hairston had 22 for the Ducks.

. . . Jamont Gordon had nine assists for the Bulldogs, one off his career high. He laso had six turnovers.

. . . We'll be back with pre-game info for the night cap between Memphis and UTA.

Posted by David Scott at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - The last game of the day here is underway, and Arkansas has a 5-3 lead. Hopefully this one's a little closer than the North Carolina-Mount St. Mary's game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - With 1:14 left in the game, Mississippi State has the ball and a 68-63 lead.

Oregon is 1 of 16 from 3-point land in the second half, after hitting 7 of 17 in the first half. State is now 4 of 17 from beyond the arc (4 of 7) in the second half.

. . . This building will be electric on Sunday if Memphis and State meet in a border war. The teams have not met since 1984-85.

Posted by David Scott at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- I feel like I'm in basketball's Disneyworld.
Three upsets in three games, and this game is supposed to be the exciting one.
Clemson leads Villanova 12-7 with 14:58 to go in the half.
The Tigers have already taken six 3's (they made two) but are 3-3 from the rest of the field.
Let's see if this can live up to the other games. At this pace, Nova should be considered a heavy favorite.

Posted by Mike McCall at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Oregon is struggling mightily form the field, as they have hit just 5of 21 in the second half while State is 12 of 19 in the second half. State leads 63-58 with 3: 46 left in the game.

Hairston is leading Oregon in scoring with 21, while Rhodes is trying to match McClinton's afternoon tally (38) - Rhodes has 33, a career high, surpassing the 30 he had against Auburn earlier this year.

. . . Foul trouble will be an issue down the stretch, meaning foul shooting will also come into play. Catron has already fouled out and six other players have three or more fouls on the two teams. State is 16 of 24 from the line in the game and Oregon is 12 of 14.

. . . Tajuan Porter is either shrinking as the game goes along or we're over-caffeinated. The Detroit-native is listed at 5-6, 150. He may be 5-5 in shoes and 140 with a wet parka on.

Posted by David Scott at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Three's a party.
Siena pulled off the third upset of the day here in Tampa against Vanderbilt, the top team in town, and didn't even need overtime to do it.

Continue reading "Siena beats Vanderbilt, when will this end?" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - On the strength of a 29-16 second half run, State has taken the lead and brough tthe crowd with them as we have 7:42 left in the game and the Bulldogs leading 57-54. A monster Rhodes dunk with just under 10 minutes left in the game gave State a 53-52 lead.

Varnado has now picked up his fourth personal foul and will need to sit until after the final, under-4:00 media timeout.

A trey by Barry Stewart with 10:50 left cut the Oregon lead to three points. Stewart has six points in the game. The Dogs are now 3 of 16 from 3-point land and have connected on 3 of their last 4.

. . . Hansbrough picked up his third foul with 10:30 left in the game. Varnado picked up his third just two seconds later. Leunen has four for the Ducks (8:01 left in the game) and Catron also has four (picked up with 10:15 left). they are both on the bench.

. . . In other Hansbrough family news, UNC is up 40-plus in the final seconds of its first round game. Oklahoma and Siena also have comfortable leads, but no Hansbrough brothers.

Posted by David Scott at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - The free throw swished, the crowd cheered, and the bench emptied. And that probably best sums up No. 1 seed North Carolina's 113-74 win against Mount St. Mary's.

After a pair of Alex Stepheson free throws put the Tar Heels over the 100-point mark, UNC coach Roy Williams emptied his bench to give his walk-ons some burn and put an official stamp on this first-round victory.

Continue reading "Tar Heels complete blowout" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Siena's lead is still 14 with 3:58 left, and they had a chance to add more before the TV timeout. Instead they got called for traveling and blew a big momentum opportunity. Nonetheless, the Saints are still in control of the game, and there isn't much time left for the Commodores to lay around and still think they can win this game.
Graham had a great follow of an Ogilvy miss. For a 5-11 guy, he has great ups. Stallings must really love Graham's effort. He isn't much of a scoring threat, but he's logging a ton of minutes.
Graham also had an incredible pass to Oglivy under the basket, but he missed two or three times and then dropped the next pass from Graham. Ouch. Ogilvy is making Graham look like the star, not himself.

Posted by Mike McCall at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - With an Alex Stepheson free throw, North Carolina has hit the 100-point mark and now leads the Mount 101-58 with 4:39 to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The Bulldogs hit their first 3-pointer of the game with 13:10 left on a corner trey by Barry Stewart that cut the Ducks' lead to six. It was State's first make in 13 tries. With 11:44 left in the contest, Oregon clings to a 51-43 lead.

. . . Leunen picked up his third foul with 13:45 left. he hacked Varnado as he converted a lay-up. Ernie Kent decided to leave his heady senior in the game for a couple of trips up the court but then replaced him with just under 13 minutes to play.

. . . State is 6 of 10 from the field in the second half while Oregon is 1 of 8 from 3-point land (after hitting 7 of 17 in the first half).

Posted by David Scott at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tay Fisher can't miss. Seriously, he's 6 for 6 from 3-point land, tying a career high for bombs in a game. Odds are he'll break that, and if he goes much further he could break the Commodores' back as well.Ogilvy had a great block on a Hasbrouck drive, but it was negated due to a foul on Shan Foster.
After faltering a bit, Siena has grown its lead to 65-51 with 7:15 to go. My bracket is crying again. I've got the 'Dores in the Sweet 16.

Posted by Mike McCall at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The pro-Bulldog crowd is getting back into this one as they have started the half on an 8-3 run to cu the Ducks' lead to 41-36 with 15:15 left in the game. Rhodes now has 22 for State and 6 of its 8 in the half.

. . . Rhodes with back-to-back buckets to trim the Ducks' lead to 9 with 16-plus left in the half.

. . . Maarty Leunen had two fouls in the first half and only played 11 minutes but scored nine points in that limited action.

. . . Oregon's Joevan Catron picked up his third foul less than two minutes into the game. He was saddled with two in the first half and limited to 11 minutes.

. . . Alltel is filling up with a lot of Tiger blue for the second half of our double-header in le Petite Roche.

Posted by David Scott at 08:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Rumors abound that actor Mark Wahlberg was here earlier, and that country music singer Vince Gill is behind the Vanderbilt bench. That puts Gill at two games in two days, since he was at the Duke-Belmont contest last night. Props. Also, sounds like quarterback Jeff Garcia and shortstop Derek Jeter were here as well. Where was I for all of this?
Meanwhile, VU coach Kevin Stallings just screwed up nicely, earning a technical foul that yielded 3 points.
The technical came just after Kenny Hasbrouck had a great drive down the middle of the lane for an and-1 layup to make the score 53-43. There was a foul called on Shan Foster that Stallings took exception to, and bam.
Tay Fisher has finally checked back in after resting the first 7:00 or so. Time for him to crank out some more 3's and get this lead back up.
Sure enough, as I type this, he drains one. 5-5 on the day.
It's 58-47 Siena, 11:16 left.

Posted by Mike McCall at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Tar Heels already have 86 points, and there's still more than 10 minutes to go. They have a 34 point lead as well. Other than that, there really is absolutely nothing to report from the RBC Center. Now it's just a game of wait-and-see (how fast they get to triple digits).

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- We've got our first airball of the day! Courtesy of Vandy's Jermaine Beal missing a 3-pointer by a mile. A possession or two later, Ogilvy was open at the top of the key, but Vandy fans yelled 'No!' at the big man in unison, probably saving another airball. Instead, Ogilvy dunked.

Continue reading "Airball alert!" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 08:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Cue up the extended garbage time. Carolina is now up 29 points, and there are still 15 minutes to go. But that doesn't mean we won't get highlight moments, like when UNC's Marcus Ginyard attempted an uncontested dunk and front-rimmed it. Ouch. Roy Williams has already given Ginyard grief over his horrendous layup percentage. This is way worse.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Charles Rhodes was 5 of 7 from the field, 6 of 8 from the free throw line, had three rebounds and an assist in a monster first half for State to kepe them in the game.

State shot 0 for 10 form 3-point land which Oregon got 21 of its 38 points (7 of 17) from beyond the arc.

Rebounds were fairly even with Oregon holding a 19-18 edge.

Oregon had 10 assists on its 14 field goals while State had 5 on its 10. Porter leads all dishers with four assists for the Ducks. Oregon also has four steals. Turnovers were 5 for Oregon and 6 for State.

Posted by David Scott at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Siena has fourth-seeded Vanderbilt right where they want them, but this one is far from over. Expect Vanderbilt to come out with some serious intensity after the half, and if Siena can't keep up its hot shooting the Commodores can chip away at that 12-point lead.

Continue reading "Can the Saints withstand a Vandy run?" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- We have the makings of another upset.
"All" Tay Fisher is hot as a pistol from 3, and he hit another in the waning seconds of the first half to give the Saints a 46-34 lead. This is really incredible here. All the games have followed nearly the same pattern and Siena might be the quickest team yet.

Continue reading "Siena stretches lead before half" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 08:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Think the Tar Heels are dictating the pace much? They've got 60 points at the half and lead by 19. Tyler Hansbrough already has 17, and Mount St. Mary's is living off of 3-pointers and 3-point plays.

Expect Roy Williams to have a word or two with his troops about defense in the locker room after they allowed Mount St. Mary's to shoot 49 percent in the half. Of course, on the flip side, the Tar Heels shot 58 percent and had just two turnovers. I bet if you told the Mount's players that they'd have 41 at halftime, they wouldn't have guessed they'd be down almost a 20-spot.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Vanderbilt just unleashed Jamie Graham, and he's harassing any Siena player who dares to touch the ball. If the dreadlocked guard looks like he's trying to make the squad by over-hustling, that's not far from the truth. He averages 3.9 minutes per game.

Continue reading "Vandy's secret weapon" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Mount St. Mary's briefly cut the UNC lead to eight points, but a Wayne Ellington 3-pointer pushed the advantage back to 15, 48-33, with 3:43 remaining in the half. And Tyler Hansbrough just got fouled on the ground while getting a loose ball, so the lead could grow bigger.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Despite North Carolina getting hot a few minutes ago, they aren't putting any real distance between themselves and the Mount. Sure, it's a 12-point game, but the teams are just trading baskets now, and the crowd sounds more like it's interested in personal conversation rather than intense March basketball excitement.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tay Fisher is a marksman. The Siena guard came off the bench and has hit 3 of 3 3-point attempts. The Saints are 5-7 overall from outside - a great total but it makes you wonder what will happen when they stop falling.

Continue reading "What is going on here? Siena by 11" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Vandy looks like UConn. Nine times out of 10, that's a complement, but not today. The Huskies didn't take San Diego seriously and it cost them big. The Commodores look sloppy early against the Saints, but they have more firepower than Connecticut, which could save them if this goes sour. Siena is hot from outside and leads 20-13 with 11:48 to go.

Continue reading "Vandy comes out sloppy, similar to UConn" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 07:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - After allowing the Mount to come back from an early deficit to get within three points, North Carolina has turned up its defense and scored seven in a row to make it 22-12 with 11:28 to go. Mount St. Mary's just doesn't have an answer for any of Carolina's inside players. Even with Hansbrough on the bench, Roy Williams must be happy watching late-season underachievers Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson flourish against the shorter competition.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's actually kind of empty right now, which surprises me. After those great early games, I can't imagine not coming back for more.
Siena is looking to provide some more entertainment too. They're out to a 10-6 lead with 15:16 to go in the first half.

Continue reading "Siena takes early lead" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - So much for the crowd having a big impact. So far the Mount St. Mary's contingent is far louder than the many Tar Heel fans here. And despite the fact that Carolina jumped out to a 7-0 lead 80 seconds into the game, the Mount is hanging around, trailing 15-10.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DENVER, Colo. - Today has been a day of rest at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Well, not for the teams. They had closed practices and press conferences.

At other sites today, we've had riveting basketball. We had exactly the opposite of that here on Thursday, and we're hoping for better tomorrow.

Our first game, which starts at 4:40 Mountain time, features #4 seed Pittsburgh and #5 seed Michigan St. There are a lot of similarities between these teams. Both are pretty physical teams, rebound well, and get good play from their guards.

Pitt happens to be on fire at the moment. The Panthers won the Big East tournament, then stomped Oral Roberts on Thursday.

Michigan St has generally not played well away from home this year, but you wouldn't know that judging from the pounding they gave Temple.

Both teams play essentially three guards, although Michigan State's Raymar Morgan is a little big for a guard. That is the matchup that will likely be key for Michgan St. They need production from the guards, but Morgan in partcular.

Drew Neitzel did not have a particularly good game against Temple, but he wasn't needed. He will be be tomorrow.

Levance Fields of Pitt had a huge game against ORU with 23 points. It's probably not reasonable to expect that again, but if the team has the balance that they had the other night, with five players in double figures, that will be the omen of a good night.

The matchup that might be the toughest for MSU is Sam Young. Young had a quiet 14 against the Eagles, but his size and ability to play inside and out could cause problems for the Spartans.

Say what you want about MSU, they will be prepared. They toughened themselves up by, "beating ourselves up with game film," according to coach Tom Izzo. That has to hurt.

I like the hot Panthers in this game.

Game two will have another Big East team, Notre Dame taking on Washington St from the Pac 10.

WSU shut Winthrop down completely in the second half of their game on Thursday, which is befitting their top 5 ranking in scoring defense.

Notre Dame will provide some challenges. It will be up to Aron Baynes to try to contain Luke Harangody, while Derrick Low and company on the perimeter try to slow down Kyle McAlarney.

Notre Dame averages about 80 points a game, but WSU gives up less than 55 and only gave up 80 once all year.

On the other end, Low needs to find a way to get his offense going before the halftime break. He was 0-5 against Winthrop in the first half, but 4-5 in the second.

Good offense vs good defense. I'll take good defense and the Cougars.

Tonight, I am watching games from the Blake St Tavern, just north of Coors Field in Denver.

There have been a lot of competing interests here today. I've seen shirts from Purdue, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio St, Kansas, UCLA, Georgetown, Oklahoma and Oregon, Everybody has a dog in the fight. Except Ohio St.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Mount St. Mary's leading scorer Jeremy Goode is no doubt happy to be playing an NCAA Tournament game in his home state. But that's probably about all of the fun the Charlotte, N.C., native is going to have tonight as his team takes on top-seeded North Carolina.

The Tar Heels are led by Tyler Hansbrough, who will no doubt cause big problems for The Mount's forwards, the tallest of whom is 6-foot-7. Then of course there's the matter of the 20,000-odd folks in this building, most of whom will be wearing Carolina blue. Odds are this game gets ugly -- and fast. We'll know for sure when it tips around 7:10 p.m.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- There's no way the second session games in Tampa can match the drama of the first. Right?
Vanderbilt and Siena are about to tip off, and if the earlier matchups are any indication, we're in for a doozy.

Continue reading "Can Vandy-Siena match the others?" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 06:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- There's no question, Tampa is the place to be.
San Diego ended the second overtime game of the day in dramatic fashion, pulling a shocking upset of fourth-seeded Connecticut.
After traveling with just over a minute left to open the door for UConn to take the lead, De'Jon Jackson redeemed himself with one shot, a jumper that clinched the Toreros' 70-69 victory.

Continue reading "San Diego Torerrorizes Huskies" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- After a Thursday that went the way of the chalk, we've had plenty of excitement already in Tampa. After Western Kentucky topped Drake in overtime, San Diego has taken Connecticut to an extra frame.

Continue reading "Overtime, again" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 05:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- It looked like Connecticut had swung the momentum in its favor after a Doug Wiggins 3 gave them the lead. Then Gyno Pomare answered and Rob Jones hit an amazing reverse layup, followed by a one-hander to put the Toreros up 4 with 50 seconds to go. The Toreros might actually pull this one off.

Posted by Mike McCall at 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- San Diego's possessions are taking much longer now. The Toreros are having a hard time cracking Connecticut's defense, often settling for outside shots late in the shot clock. That's fine with Brandon Johnson, as his three as the 35-second timer expired dropped through the net to give SDU a 49-46 lead.
Toreros by 3 with 7:08 left.

Posted by Mike McCall at 05:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - Georgetown got 13 points apiece from Jonathan Wallace and Roy Hibbert but relied on its defense to get a 66-47 win against UMBC in the first-round of NCAA Tournament play.

Continue reading "Georgetown downs Retrievers" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- The tide is starting to turn here in Tampa, albeit a bit slower than I expected.
Connecticut has scrapped within 3 at 44-41, and with 11:19 left there is plenty of time to make this a rout.
The Huskies are starting to get the ball deep into the lane for easy looks and have put together a 6-0 run, all on layups.

Continue reading "Finally, UConn makes a run" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RALEIGH, N.C. - UMBC certainly didn't make things easy on Georgetown, but it looks like the Hoyas have taken firm control of this one, building a 19-point lead with less than five minutes to go. The life has been pretty well sucked out of the UMBC fan section by now, with everyone sitting down and merely watching the finish.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)