
COLLEGE BASKETBALL


In the Final Hour, Beal Takes Over
Freshman Brad Beal led Florida with 21 points in a Sweet 16 win over Marquette. (AP) PHOENIX -- With Marquette bowing out late on Thursday night and Michigan
Margins + Momentum in the Sweet 16
Can Alex Johnson and the Wolfpack sneak into the Final Four? (Greg Bartram/US PRESSWIRE) This post is a collaboration with Andy Cox of Crashing The Dance. The
Power Rankings: Sweet 16 Edition
The national title is Kentucky's to lose in this year's tournament. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images) The Power Rankings' Sweet 16 edition re-ranks the field in

Which teams have the best chances to upset powerhouse Kentucky?
The first weekend of the NCAA tournament is about upsets, buzzer-beaters and TV cameras finding players' moms in the stands. The second weekend is about
Many Agonizing Moments in Bracketland
A review of a riveting and agonizing first weekend of the NCAA tournament ... Robbie Hummel's Boilermakers, like many teams, ran out of luck at the buzzer.
Saturday in Bracketland: Hoosier Magic
The Hoosiers advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002. (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) How did Indiana get to the Sweet 16? How did it pull off
Photos: The Portland Scene
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The scene at the Rose Garden (or at least what I was able to capture): A Greg Oden-playing-basketball sighting! He's on the far right, still
Friday in Bracketland: Fifteen Dreams
One day after bitterness reigned over Bracketland, with the nation getting robbed of a 16-over-1, Asheville-over-Syracuse stunner, the Gods made amends.
Thursday in Bracketland: VCU Signs In
The real first day of the NCAA tournament was about the joy of VCU ... and the agony of almost-upsets. My first-hand report on the Rams, plus other stories

Can Belmont Break Through?
Coach Rick Byrd has won 545 games in 26 seasons at Belmont. (Joe Murphy/Getty Images) The campus of Belmont University, in Nashville, is a place where God, the
March 14, 1981: When the NCAA tournament became Madness
The last shot fell at a little past three on a Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles. Rolando Blackman, a willowy 6-foot-6 Kansas State senior from Panama by way of
The road to a national title won't be easy for Syracuse without Fab Melo
Fab Melo will miss the NCAA tournament because of a broken transcript. Syracuse is calling it an "eligibility issue," but various news outlets (including The
Compelling storylines make NCAA tourney one of nation's best events
We like to say there are no sure things in the NCAA tournament, but of course there are. As you watch a game while pretending to work, somebody will hit a
Survival Analysis: A Bracket Strategy
By John Ezekowitz, Harvard Sports Analysis Collective, and Luke Winn, SI.com The image above is a network of all 68 NCAA tournament teams: where their
No Fab, No Future For Syracuse?
Syracuse's Fab Melo will not play in the NCAAs due to an eligibility issue. (Rich Barnes/Icon SMI) The news that rocked bracketland on Tuesday afternoon:
How To Talk About Kentucky's Defense
Kentucky's Anthony Davis has been called an "impact defender" so many times that the phrase has lost its impact. He's been called a "game-changer" so often that