Now maybe everybody's least favorite grandpa will age. Jim Nantz will be paired with Clark Kellogg at the Final Four according to the Miami Herald This rumor had been floating around for quite some time and supposedly the final straw was Packer calling the North Carolina-Kansas regional final game over midway through the first half. Advertisers kind of hate when announcers do that. Especially when North Carolina storms back and almost wins the game.

Packer, who had been going year to year with his contract, confirmed through a CBS official Sunday that he no longer will broadcast for the network but is pursuing other projects in basketball. Packer declined to comment further.

Packer's streak of working as the color analyst at every championship game since 1977 (and being a part of every Final Four broadcast since 1975) ranks among the most remarkable in network TV sports history.

Personally ever since Billy Packer took down the St. Joe's number 1 seed in 2004 I've been ready to see him go. Yeah, yeah, that's the pathetic A-10 basketball fan in me, but still, you gotta expect there are some champagne corks popping on Hawk Hill today. I'm not alone in this feeling judging by, and this is not a misprint, the 90.5 percent disapproval that Packer racked up in Deadspin's media approval rating. Ouch, Billy, ouch.

CBS Set To Replace Packer [Miami Herald]
After 34 years, Billy Packer has called his last Final Four for CBS [Awful Announcing]
Media Approval Ratings: Billy Packer [Deadspin]

The edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that was the saga of "Blit Meat" ended with a quiet queef in the night on Friday, March 28.

With one Drew Neitzel missed three point attempt after another, "Blit Meat" — a delicious little morsel that brought hope and faith to Americans everywhere — died before it ever really even got the chance to live.

The "Blit Meat" bracket, bold and insanely accurate through two rounds of Tournament play, woefully missed the mark from the Sweet 16 on. Stanford in the Elite 8, Wisconsin in the Final Four, Michigan State in the NCAA Finals — the glory of "Blit Meat" ended up being as fleeting as a drunken college one-night stand.

This, of course, was to the great relief of my friend Jeff, the novice NCAA Tournament office pool organizer, who took on the reins of pool "Commissioner" just two months into his new job. As it turned out, there were no complaints to Human Resources over the term, no "Jeff ... Let's chat when you get in" Post-It notes from his boss waiting on his computer monitor on Monday morning, and no awkward questions from Jane in Accounting as to what exactly a "Blit Meat" was.

By Monday, the office water cooler conversation had shifted to the NFL Draft, that creepy Archuleta kid on "American Idol" and the new "mildly attractive, Regina Spektor-looking" intern on the 17th floor.

"Blit Meat" finished in 73rd place out of 87 pool participants. The predicted Michigan State-UNC finals match-up turned out being as ill-fated as the bracket name itself.

According to Jeff, a bracket named "ChiefWahoo" ended up winning the whole thing. Incredibly insensitive in its own right, sure — but not quite of the same uber-offensive quality as a "Blit Meat."

As for the man/woman behind "Blit Meat"? Jeff claims he never found out the individual's true identity.

It's probably best we never know.

This way, "Blit Meat" can live on in a faceless, almost pure way. Who knows? Maybe it takes on a life of its own. Graffiti artists will passionately pen the words on city buildings. Kids will mischievously tag it on bathroom stalls. Facebook pages! T-shirts! Celebrities naming their babies Blit Meat! Perhaps Neil Everett mentions it in passing during some mundane Astros-Reds mid-July highlight.

Mysterious, eternal, and strangely enthralling — this doesn't have to be the end of "Blit Meat." It could very well be just the beginning.

Yes, folks. Maybe "Blit Meat" has legs.

Blit Meat having legs?

How's that for a nauseating image?

"In 1985, I was visiting a friend in New York City who just happened to write for Sports Illustrated. We were watching the NBA Finals, talking about sports and life and I remembered that I had written this song about sports and achievement, so when I got home I sent it to him. He took it over to CBS without me knowing, and they called me up out of the blue."

And, since then, he's become a professional singer/songwriter with plenty of other albums under his braided belt. No, he's no one-hit wonder. Surely, you've got "The Music of Golf" and "The Magic Never Ends: The Life And Times Of C.S. Lewis," also both wonderful musical masterpieces, in your record collection. These are must-haves, especially to musicphiles desperately searching for that one-of-a-kind artist who can pull off the whole Harry Nillsson-meets-Zamfir vibe without sounding too "neo-folk revisionist."

And those in Michigan area are in luck: On April 12, Barrett will perform at the Trinity House Theatre in Livonia on a monster twin-bill with violinist/singer Jake Armerding for a show that's just guaranteed to rock your fucking face off.

David Barrett Home Page [David Barrett]

Whether you loved this all-top-seeded Final Four or hated it, you have Larry Brown to thank. The king of the basketball gypsies played his college ball at North Carolina and went to the Final Four with UCLA in 1980. He also coached at Kansas, taking them to their most recent Championship in 1988 before bolting for the Clippers.

So what's his connection to Memphis? Brown mentored John Calipari, taking him on as an assistant at Kansas in the late 80's. But wait, that's not all! He did the same with Bill Self, at around the same time. Cal went out on his own in 1985, the same year Self was hired. That Brown guy has quite an eye for coaching talent, eh?

Looking at the programs, they seem very different. The University of Kansas was founded in 1865, and still had cows roaming the campus around the time James Naismith assembled the first-ever Jayhawk team in 1899. Naismith, who had a losing record at Kansas, begat Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, a man who provided nearly 50 years of stability and helped forge the reliable foundation that has led to legendary status for coach and program alike.

Memphis has been an urban campus all along, fielding their first squad in 1920. Under the name Memphis State, coach Gene Bartow and player Larry Finch took the 1973 Tigers to the Championship game, where they became one in a long line of victims of UCLA's dominance of the era. Bartow went on to succeed John Wooden at UCLA two years later, and the Memphis State/University of Memphis program continued to be very, very good, if not yet great. The Pyramid helped recruiting fortunes, but it was the hiring of former UMass coach Calipari in 2000 that signaled the beginning of the current rise of the program.

As it stands right now, however, this is a matchup of two blue-chip squads, each of them hungry to finish dominant seasons with the ultimate - an NCAA championship.

Memphis relies heavily on two superstars. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose are clearly the top scoring options in the innovative Dribble-Drive Motion offense. For Kansas, Brandon Rush is the most talented player on the floor, but when he goes through a scoring drought (which has happened often in this tournament), he has three more guys averaging double figures to back him up. The emergence of freshman big man Cole Aldrich in the UNC game gives Bill Self another big body to throw in the mix.

I'll be accused of being a homer, but the tale of the tape is all I have to go with right now.

Storming the Floor's Predicted NCAA Champion: KANSAS

Kansas, of course, is one of the top four jobs in the country, but Self is from Oklahoma — remember, his first job, from back when he had his real hair, was at Oral Roberts — and Oklahoma State, led by eccentric multimillionaire T. Boone Pickens, might offer him $40 million for 10 years. Win or lose tonight.

After what he's accomplished at Kansas, it's time to make Bill Self one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball. If Kansas doesn't, then Oklahoma State certainly will.

The numbers may be far-fetched, but the buzz circulating throughout the Final Four is that Oklahoma State is prepared to offer Self a 10-year, $40 million deal that would include a $10 million bonus if Self remains in Stillwater throughout the contract's entirety. Most of that money would come from oil tycoon and prominent Cowboys booster Boone Pickens, who during the past five years has donated more than $230 million to the school for matters relating to both athletics and academics.

Sheesh: Honestly, poor Kansas. Every time they make the national title game, there's a chance their coach is lured away. Though we honestly can't imagine Self, after a Kansas loss tonight, saying, "you know, I could give a shit about Oklahoma State right now."

Tourney Talk, Then Contact Talk [Yahoo Sports]

We are of course as guilty as anyone of underrated Memphis; we'll say that "Does Anybody Buy What Memphis Is Selling Anymore?" headline is one we'd like to have back. Not even North Carolina looked as impressive as Memphis did after their scare against Mississippi State, and Tigers boosters are deservedly crowing about it. In the Michigan State game, the Spartans, a veteran, talented team, seemed legitimately terrified just to walk the ball up the court. We doubt UCLA will look so nervous, but we won't underestimate those guys again.

And if John Calipari wins the national title, heck, maybe he'll try the NBA again. That worked out well.

(Getty Images Photo)

Anyway, we don't understand how any team with Kevin Love could possibly be considered the most hated anything. We don't know what happened after this picture was taken, but we suspect he grabbed the net and rifled it down the court, outlet-style.

It's the third consecutive Final Four for UCLA, but because they haven't won a title yet in that span, they're not necessarily considered that much of a recent powerhouse. Still: They're UCLA. We love Bruins Nation, but already they're touting the "no one believes in us!" card. It is amazing the lengths people will go to in order to still consider themselves underdogs. Somehow we imagine that if Davidson had beat Kansas and gone on to play North Carolina in the Final Four, someone in Chapel Hill would have screamed, "No one thinks we have a chance! Prove 'em wrong, boys!"

Calling Out The Chicken Littles [Bruins Nation]

Kansas 59, Davidson 57

Wait a minute, that's not how Davidson's Cinderella ride was supposed to end, was it? Wasn't Stephen Curry supposed to drill a game-winning three over the double team in the final seconds, officially becoming a March legend while Kansas and Bill Self chocked away another chance at the Final Four?

Instead, Curry pulled up his dribble when he was doubled, passing to point guard Jason Richards, whose off-balance final shot went wide-left off the backboard, leaving Davidson and college basketball fans everywhere wondering what could have been. While Kansas looked sluggish playing at a slower pace, give the Self and the Jayhawks tons credit for this victory. Nothing was working in their favor all game, right down to Bryant "the White Lobster" Barr drilling three after three in the second half, and no one outside of Kansas was pulling for them to win this game. Still, the Jayhawks defense flustered Curry in the second half with a box-and-one, and Sasha Kaun played out of his mind down the stretch, scoring 13 points on 6-6 shooting.

The Jayhawks also benefited from the terrible foul-shooting of Memphis Davidson, as the Wildcats' 5-12 performance from the line may have cost them a trip to the Final Four. With the win, the Jayhawks assured us that all four #1 seeds would advance to the Final Four for the first time in history, basically locking up the bracket pool for the secretary.

Memphis 85, Texas 67

Many will credit the Tiger victory to the fact that they finally hit some damn free throws (30-36 at the line), but the truth is that this one was in the books well before the Horns went to the hack-a-Tiger strategy. Memphis dominated offensively in the paint from the get-go while the defense forced D.J. Augustin to make several poor decisions and prevented the Texas supporting cast from getting involved (James and Atchley combined for 13 points) for the convincing victory.

If it weren't for the superhuman performance of Curry, Derrick Rose would have to be considered the MVP of March. Rose scored 21 points and dished out nine assists, often for easy alley-oops to Joey Dorsey and Shawn Taggert. CDR also played his best game of the tournament, scoring 25 points and hitting 14 foul shots. Considered to be the sure-fire bet to be the first #1 seed to lose by just about everyone, the Tigers are proving everyone wrong by playing like the best team in America.

After Davidson's crushing loss yesterday — and, anti-Bill Self biases aside, we were legitimately crestfallen — we emailed our friend our condolences. He replied, probably from the road somewhere: "I might be able to talk about it some day. Damn close, but I guess nerves finally caught up to them." That seemed about right; that last possession just seemed God-sent for a last second Stephen Curry game-winner, but, sadly, basketball games involve real people, not storylines created just for us. Curry panicked and picked up his dribble, and not only did he not get a good shot, he didn't get a shot at all.

We'll be looking at each of the Final Four teams today, and we're pretty certain next weekend's games will be more entertaining than either of the last two Final Fours. But Davidson's loss cost us something vital and permanent. Yes, it's impressive, the first time four No. 1 seeds made it. But you won't be saying in 10 years, "remember that season that all the top seeds made it?" You might have said that, however, about Davidson. Alas. What's a Final Four without underdogs look like? We might be able to talk about it someday, but as for now, don't even start.

Davidson 73, Wisconsin 56

Well, so much for Cinderella Davidson's ride coming to an end when they had to face a big, bad Big Ten defense. That was a complete domination on both ends by the Wildcats against a Badger team that doesn't get dominated by anyone. While they may still be labeled a #10 seed, I don't think you'll hear an argument from anyone if you were to call Davidson a legitimate Top 10 team. They are really that good. And what Stephen Curry is doing is just getting more goddamn ridiculous by the game. Curry scored 33 against one of the best defenders in the nation in Michael Flowers, including a few three-point daggers to put the game away in the second-half. Curry's play has been so phenomenal in the postseason that he even has LeBron James in the stands cheering for the Wildcats. The win sets up the perfect David vs. Goliath showdown; the Wildcats' road to the Final Four will have to go through Kansas.

Memphis 92, Michigan State 74

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that all that talk about Memphis's shitty free-throw shooting making them the most likely number #1 seed to fall may have motivated the Tigers a wee bit. I mean, the first-half of this was a full-fledged ass whoopin'. When Memphis was in the midst of a 15-0 run at the end of the first-half to extend the lead to 30, Michigan State looked legitimately scared to bring the ball up the court. That is how hard the Tigers were playing in this one. Michigan State used 16-0 run early in the second half to make the score look respectable, but this one was over by the half. Derrick Rose continues his impressive March, leading the Tigers with 27 points and 5 assists. Michigan State's Drew Nietzel ends his 14-year Spartan career by scoring all six points of his points in the final 90 seconds.

Kansas 72, Villanova 57

Give the Wildcats credit for playing hard throughout, but the Jayhawks were simply way too talented for the young Nova squad. The Jayhawks used a balanced scoring attack and a vast array of alley-oop dunks to put this one to rest early on. It was almost like pick your poison for the Wildcats, as one minute it was Brandon Rush (16 points) connecting on a fast break dunk, the next it was Mario Chalmers (14 points) drilling a three-pointer. I actually feel pretty bad for Bill Self and Jayhawks as they now advance to the Elite Eight to face Davidson. Here is Self and his Jayhawk squad, in the perfect position to erase all of the recent bad memories of early exits and regional final defeats, and now they have to play freakin' Davidson. The only people rooting for the Jayhawks on Sunday will be KU students, alums and people who live in the state of Kansas.

Texas 82, Stanford 62

The epic clash of styles between the Texas guards and Stanford big men turned into one dud of a game The Cardinal had this one down to a one-point game at 52-51 mid-way through the second-half, but the Longhorns then proceeded to go on a 20-3 to break the game open. Much credit goes to Longhorn center/fatman Dexter Pittman, who used his entire 300-pound frame to hold Brook Lopez scoreless in the final 15 minutes. The Cardinal struggled defensively all night against the quicker Longhorns, as D.J. Augustin scored 23 and Damion James scored 18. Following the game, the Lopez twins could be heard sobbing in the locker room while listening to old Michael Jackson records.

Your Elite Eight match-ups...

Xavier vs UCLA Saturday 6:40 p.m.
X-men actually create quite a few match-up problems for the Bruins, but there is no way anyone should go against UCLA's luck at this point.

North Carolina vs Louisville Saturday 9:05 p.m.
Each team has gotten to the Elite Eight with three blowout wins. We're guessing that changes here.

Memphis vs Texas Sunday 2:20
Ok, so this has to be the game where the Tigers lose because of free-throw shooting, right?

Davidson vs Kansas Sunday 5:05
If you're not excited about this game, college basketball probably isn't for you.

Getty Images Photo

MEMPHIS TIGERS

1. Why Their Achilles Heel Won't Matter (how Tiger fans can rationalize the free throw shooting). By this point, you may have noticed that the Tigers struggle from the charity stripe, which is likely why you picked them to lose to Pitt in the Sweet 16 or to Texas in the Elite 8. The free throw woes have been scrutinized by every college hoops commentator on the planet, and yet the Tigers still have only one loss and seem to win all the close games. Even if more teams employ the Hack-a-Tiger strategy, here are five reasons why free throws won't matter:

(1) The Tigers actually make more free throws than their opponents. At a 14.2 per game clip, that's better than Michigan State (13.7) or Texas (13.4).
(2) Offensive efficiency: the Tigers are #11 in the nation at 113.7 points per 100 possessions. If the Tigers were to shoot two free throws on every possession at their 59% season average their OE would be 118 points per 100 possessions (118 made free throws out of 200).
(3) The Tigers shot a horrendous 46% from the line against Mississippi State, which is reason for concern. However, they shot a respectable 70% in the CUSA tournament, so expect the Tigers to stabilize closer to their true average. CDR and Derrick Rose are better than the 56% they shot against Mississippi State, which came after a combined 9-11 performance (89%) against UT-Arlington.
(4) If teams hack away early they risk getting into foul trouble, and Memphis' bench depth will become the difference maker.
(5) Calipari will bench Joey Dorsey and his 37% free throw percentage on offensive possessions late in close games.

2. When Dorsey Shows Up.Last year before their Elite Eight game against Ohio State, Joey Dorsey made the mistake of calling out Greg Oden, "It's David and Goliath, except I'm Goliath." Dorsey's trash talk was more prophetic than he realized; he was held scoreless and grabbed only 3 rebounds as Oden reminded him of who actually won that battle. Fast-forward to Memphis' round 2 game against Mississippi State. Against a strong Bulldogs frontcourt, Dorsey turned in a dominating performance with 13 points, 12 boards and 6 blocks. Dorsey has been inconsistent all season, but when he performs up to his ability as he did against the Bulldogs, Memphis is tough to beat. Strangely, the only free throw Dorsey made out of five attempts came after someone pulled a curtain open, shooting a beam of sunlight directly into Dorsey's eyes. "The old curtain wave move," coach John Calipari commented afterward. "Hadn't seen that in a while." There is probably no truth to the rumor that Dorsey will now switch to shooting free throws with his eyes closed, although this is a guy who once took free throw tips from a Memphis fan in the middle of a game, so anything is possible. Penny Hardaway apparently worked on free throws some with Dorsey in Little Rock, but whatever advice he gave clearly hasn't sunk in yet.

3. Still Waiting on that Second Loss... Mike Freeman wrote a front page column for CBS Sportsline on Monday comparing the Tigers to an "AND 1" team. Freeman suggests that the Tigers do not distribute the ball or play as a team, but rather are a group of superior athletes interested only in long threes and highlight reel dunks. Like nearly every other "expert" with the exception of Digger Phelps, Freeman expects the Tigers to fall short of the Final Four for a 3rd consecutive year. He is correct that the Tigers are the most athletic team in the tournament, but there are several problems with his AND 1 analogy. First off, the Tigers' defense is the strongest part of their game. They rank second nationally in defensive efficiency, allowing only 86.5 points per 100 possessions, and their turnover margin (+4.4) is considerably better than Michigan State (-1.2), Texas (+2.9), UCLA (+2.5), Kansas (+3.0) and UNC (+1.7). Second, the Tigers tally more assists per game (16.0) than either UCLA (14.5) or Texas (14.5). Yes, Mike, a team that features Derrick Rose at the point surely must have trouble distributing the ball. Sadly, Freeman's column is the sort of material that gets passed off for sports journalism these days, but the sentiment that Memphis is due to lose sooner rather than later is shared nationwide. In a Monday ESPN.com poll of which 1-seed is likely to lose first, the results were overwhelming (Kansas - 11%, UNC - 8%, UCLA - 16%, Memphis - 65%). Memphis has reason to play with a chip on their shoulder this weekend. They've made the Elite Eight two years running and would love to prove their critics wrong by finally breaking through to the Final Four. — Jay Lewis

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

1. Somebody Please Mess With Texas. One of my favorite sports-related memories ever was joining a small group of friends at a sports bar in East Lansing to watch the 2003 South Regional Semifinal. Alongside a few hundred friendly strangers, we watched as scrappy upstart Michigan State upended defending national champion Maryland on a thrilling last minute slam by freshman wunderkind Paul Davis. It was a surprisingly euphoric moment overflowing with brotherhood, camaraderie and nacho cheese. Then two days later, all illusions I had about fair play in college sports were destroyed when the Spartans' reward was a game versus the Texas Longhorns on the totally neutral floor of San Antonio's Alamodome. Has anyone pointed out that this year's Texas squad actually benefited by losing the Big 12 championship game, which got them "demoted" to a 2 seed in the South Regional being held in their home state? I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who has made that connection ever, but I mention it only because of this nightmare I have about beating a highly-favored, more athletic team in a hard fought game, only to run into an obnoxious roadblock created by an unfair scheduling scenario. Yes, I know how to hold a grudge.

2. From Each According To His Ability. MSU is 13-1 when Marquise Gray scores in double figures. Sounds helpful, until you remember that the junior has only scored in double figures 14 times in his career. Tom Izzo's system stifles superstar achievement in favor of balanced team play, so you never know where Michigan State's next hero will come from, but they do seem to find a lot of them. Pittsburgh lost to Michigan State not because of poor three-point shooting, bad rebounding, or even a late 8-point surge by Drew Neitzel (although those certainly didn't help), but because at several key moments in the second half, when jump shots were hard to come by and everyone else in Green looked flat footed and useless, freshman Kalin Lucas blew past his sluggish defenders for vitally important layups. He held off the Panther rallies long enough to save the Spartans' season and with any luck, John Calipari will not be aware of that fact, fail to read this post and allow him to run wild in the paint. Or maybe Goran Suton will hide a bucket of confetti in his shorts and throw it on a referee. Someone you won't expect will have to come up big, but if I could tell you who that was it wouldn't be unexpected, would it?

3. To Each According To His Needs. It's pretty rare for college basketball announcers not named Packer to criticize anybody, so it was a telling moment when CBS pointed out that junior center Idong Ibok's own teammates were a little peeved at his somewhat useless performance in the second round. If the TV men saw fit to mention it, those guys must have been really pissed. To be fair, the I.I. Captain (just made that up!) never picked up a basketball before his senior year of high school and his hands rival only Roberto Duran for their stone-like qualities, so he can't be expected to do complex basketball maneuvers like catch passes. He can, however, foul the shit out of people and will likely be called upon to do just that tonight. Memphis plays what I can only assume is an up-tempo, freewheeling, but undisciplined brand of basketball (I wouldn't know; my TV only receives the Big Ten Network) so I imagine the Spartan game plan to be: collapse the defense, hack any any all Tiger big men to death, dare their guards to beat them from beyond the three-point arc, then ravenously scoop up rebounds when they fail. (MSU's last two opponents shot 20% from three-land.) Provided they have enough bodies to avoid a Wisconsin-like disaster — four Spartans fouled out of the Big Ten tourney semifinal, including three in 56 seconds — it's just crazy enough to work! — Dashiell Bennett

KANSAS JAYHAWKS

1. Coaching Pedigree. Can we lay off Bill Self just a bit? Besides the natural jealousy at the man's full, luscious head of hair, Bill Self seems to be unfairly maligned as a coach who can't win the big one. News Flash, bucko: Coach K, Dean Smith, Boeheim, and Roy Williams won their first titles at ages 44, 51, 58, and 54, respectively. Yet they are all now universally lauded as deans of the profession. For all the shit that Bill Self has taken, he is still a relatively young coach (45). Give the man time. People say that he has coaching for over 10 years without a title. True, but all but the last five of those seasons have been at mid-major schools off the national basketball radar like Oral Roberts, Tulsa, and Illinois. (Ed. Note: GRRRRRR.)

2. Bench star. For all the talk about the NBA futures of players like Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur, the case could be made that KU's best player comes off the bench. Sherron Collins has been battling injuries and sickness for most of the season, and the Jayhawks' sometimes-sluggish play reflected that. Collins has had to deal with a fractured foot, bruised knee and influenza this season, ailments that have kept him from contributing at full strength. Now, however, Collins is healed and playing his best basketball of the season. Not coincidentally, the Jayhawks seem to be peaking later rather than sooner. Collins provides a threat both with the ball and without, and just about everywhere on the court. Built like a linebacker with an attitude to match, Sherron is at ease shooting 3s or bruising in the paint - no easy feat for a player listed at 5'11". Collins may not get all the attention or headlines, but his play is crucial to the Jayhawks' ability to avoid another disappointing tournament performance.

3. Team tragedy. When it comes to big-time college athletics, people tend to forget that when it comes down to it, we are talking about and betting on the exploits of young men - kids, really - between the ages of 18-22. Often, these kids come from backgrounds that would make even the most cynical and downtrodden white middle-class observer cringe. These Jayhawks have experienced more loss and tragedy in the past few years than I would wish on any group of people in a lifetime. Darnell Jackson lost his grandmother in a car wreck that also seriously injured his mother. To add insult (and more injury) to injury, his uncle was beaten to death with a hammer, his father was shot dead by Oklahoma City police, and his cousin died in February from gunshot wounds received outside an Oklahoma City nightclub in February. Sasha Kaun's father was found dead under mysterious circumstances (is there really any other way to be found dead in Russia these days?). Rodrick Stewart's adopted brother was shot dead in February while sitting at a traffic light. Sherron Collins' infant son died soon after Collins moved to Kansas from inner-city Chicago. Winning and losing basketball games, and the fans' reactions thereof, seem like child's play compared to the loss and heartache that these men have seen. — Pete Gaines

VILLANOVA WILDCATS

1. 'Twas the Great Blizzard of '05. The last time Kansas and Villanova met on the court was in late January 2005, after a vicious snowstorm had blanketed the Delaware Valley with up to a foot or more of snow in most areas. Kansas was ranked second in the nation at the time, undefeated at 14-0, while Villanova was unranked at 10-3 and had yet to make the tournament under head coach Jay Wright. With snow still fresh on the ground, over 13,000 Wildcat fans braved the weather to pack the Wachovia Center and were rewarded for their troubles as Villanova plowed through the Jayhawks, 83-62. Kansas turned over the ball 22 times, while 'Nova shot 63 percent from three-point range. It was this game many fans look to as the turning point for Wright and Villanova, leading to four straight NCAA tournament bids and three appearances in the Sweet Sixteen. (The day after Villanova's upset victory, a certain alumnus by the name of Brian Westbrook gained 135 total yards in the NFC Championship Game against Atlanta, helping the Eagles get to Super Bowl XXXIX. It was a great weekend.)

2. Kobe, Dirk, Reggie... You Owe It All To Paul. Today, jump shots are commonplace in college and the NBA. They are the bread-and-butter of anyone who's even the slightest threat outside the paint. For that you can thank Villanova's "Pitchin' Paul" Arazin, the originator of the jump shot. In Arazin's college days (the late 1940's), most shots were either layups or set shots, with the player's feet firmly planted on the ground. In some arenas the slippery floors made it difficult to plant one's feet to either hook or shoot the ball, so Arizin began to jump just before releasing his shot. The new technique took off and helped Arazin become of the best scoring centers in college hoops, averaging 22 points per game as part of the Villanova Wildcats team that reached the Elite Eight in 1949. After graduating, Arazin was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors, where he would use his patented jump shot to help them win the 1955-56 NBA title. Arazin passed away in December 2006.

3. We Laugh In The Face of Low Seeding, And Drop Ice Cubes Down The Back of "Hoya Paranoia." No team has won more games as an underdog than Villanova (13 and counting). During their storybook championship run in 1985, the Rollie Massimino-coached Wildcats were seeded eighth in the Southeast Region, out of a field that had just been expanded to 64 teams. Their 66-64 victory over defending national champions Georgetown still ranks as one of the greatest upsets in the history of the NCAA Tournament. On the way there, Villanova took out regional seeds number 1 Michigan, number 5 Maryland and number 2 North Carolina, before knocking out another regional 2-seed (Memphis State) in the Final Four. — Chamomiles Davis

TEXAS LONGHORNS

1. The First Date. If you're not familiar with the Texas Longhorn bench, you're not alone. The five starters average a combined 165 minutes per game, typically seeing rest only when they're in foul trouble. Well, friends, you're about to get a heaping helping of Dexter "Death Star" Pittman (6'10", "299" pounds, sophomore), a slice of Alexis Wangmene (6'7", 241 pounds, freshman), and maybe even a dash of Clint Chapman (6'10", 245 pounds, freshman). It doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to envision Rick Barnes preferring a big line-up to his usual three-undersized-guards set when he takes on Stanford's versions of Beauty and the Beast. Look for A.J. Abrams and Justin Mason to be rotated much more frequently than they usually are (pretty much never) in order to get three burnt orange big men on the court and for the 2-3 zone defense, which the Longhorns ran extremely well against Miami of Florida, to be used for nearly all forty minutes.

2. The Long-Term Relationship. The fine folks at CBS and ESPN can tell you all about the guys who will play huge on-court roles in the success of the Longhorns. To get the full picture of the team, though, you need to know about the seniors: Ian Mooney and J.D. Lewis. Look, it's not likely that either of these guys will see more than a couple of minutes each in any of the remaining games this season and it's even less likely that they'll score actual points. Still, as graduating Longhorn basketball players — Mooney in advertising, Lewis in business — they deserve to have their names mentioned. Mooney's story, in particular, is a great one and should be required reading for anybody who thinks sport can reflect or influence life. Even in this SportsCenter world where uplifting stories are seemingly a dime a dozen, there's always something satisfying about seeing — or, at least, reading about — a prototypical student-athlete.

3. The Break-Up. Speaking of those seniors, though Mooney and Lewis are the only ones which just about instantly begs the question that Texas hoops fans have come to abhor recently: "So who's leaving early this year?" The consensus is that D.J. Augustin and Damion James are the only players in the running. For what it's worth, Augustin has said that he's definitely coming back and many aren't convinced that James is ready for the NBA. Then again, T.J. Ford was "110% sure" he would stay for his junior year and not many people thought that Daniel Gibson was ready for the NBA, either. If both of those guys end up sticking around, it's pretty hard to imagine the Longhorns as anything but strong favorites to show up in Detroit this time next year. But come on. Nobody in Austin will be shocked if they bolt — indeed, we've almost come to expect it. Everybody knows that you can't trust the kids these days. Especially not ones who are presented with million-dollar contracts. — Patrick Nance

STANFORD CARDINAL

1. Michelle Wei Loves Her Some Lopez Twin. Leave it to pro golfer Michele Wei to hook up with one of the Lopez twins, and pick the wrong one. Wei, a Stanford student, is dating Robin Lopez, one of the 14 feet, 2 inches of Lopez brothers who will guide the Cardinal in their third-round game against Texas on Friday in Houston. From Sports Illustrated, via SportsbyBrooks: "Robin is dating Stanford's current most famous female coed, golf phenom Michelle Wie, although both have tried to keep things as quiet as possible." Doesn't she know that Brook is the good twin? Although, Robin is picking it up in the NCAA tournament, perhaps inspired by Michelle. He's averagging 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds over the two games, up from his regular season output of 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds. But Brook (19.0 points, 10.3 rebounds in he regular season) had 30 points in the OT win over Marquette. Might Michelle be tempted to switch?

2. What Can Brown Do For You?. Although only a junior, Kenny Brown won't be around for the Cardinal next season; he's giving up his final year of college eligibility to attend dental school. A non-scholarship player, Brown rarely plays more than three or four minutes, and hasn't played at all in four games this season. However, he's made six of eight 3-point attempts in Stanford's two tournament games, including a key 3-pointer late in the first half ofthe second game that ended a 10-1 Marquette run. Ad he had 18 points in the win over Cornell.

3. Gone Baby Gone. Curtis Shaw, the ref who ejected Stanford coach Trent Johnson from the Marquette game, may have himself a temper problem. Shaw leads all of college basketball in both technicals called and ejections; the former by 10 over the second-place guy ... Candace Wiggins should be playing for the men's team. She scored a school-record tying 44 points on Monday in Stanford's 88-54 win over UTEP, as the Cardinal women advanced to the NCAA tournament's round of 16. That was the third most points scored in women's tournament history. — Rick Chandler

WISCONSIN BADGERS

1. Bo Ryan has written the book on the Swing Offense. Long before he was roaming the sidelines in as a head coach in Madison, Coach Ryan was perfecting his Swing Offense at D-III UW-Platteville, where he won four national titles and had two undefeated seasons. As a matter of fact, Ryan wrote the book on the Swing Offense. There is a video as well. Description for the video is as follows: NCAA Division III National Champion Bo Ryan shares the offense that has made him successful.The Swing is an offense designed to get the ball into high percentage scoring areas, get your team good shots, and to the free throw line. The constant cutting-on the weak side as well as the ball side-makes the defense work on every possession. Coach Ryan covers the basic continuity of the offense and goes over all the options available. 1996, 38 Minutes. Yes, you too can learn the Swing Offense in 38 minutes. That must be one intense video. I plan on showing it to my first-born son every night. Bo Ryan also has instructional videos on how to do the Soulja Boy dance and the Hambone. A man of many talents indeed!

2. 30 wins? No Problem. Only three times in Big Ten history have teams had back-to-back 30 win seasons. The 1974-75 Indiana team went 31-1, losing in the regional finals. They followed that up with the last undefeated season in D-I and won the national title, going 32-0 in 1976. In 1998-99, Michigan State went 33-5 and lost in the Final Four. The next season they went 32-7 and won the national title. During the 2006-076 season, the Wisconsin Badgers posted the first 30-win season in school history, going 30-6, but losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament. This year's Badgers are 31-4, and counting, and hope to follow the success of the previous back to back 30-win Big Ten teams by winning a national title in the second season. Also, the Badgers are one of just five teams in the country that have won at least 30 games in each of the last two seasons. Joining the Badgers are North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis and Kansas.

3. More fun player facts. In our pre-tournament preview, we told you how leading scorer Brian Butch is not an actual polar bear, Joe Krabbenhoft has had over 35 separate "stitch events" to his face over the years, and Trevon Hughes took a cue from the Cobra Kai's Halloween costume and dressed up as a skeleton. Here are a couple more tidbits. Reserve center Greg Stiemsma has developed a nice reputation as the team's barber. Greg also spent time prior to the second round game hitting up Outdoor World in Omaha to purchase a new fishing rod for an upcoming fishing trip. Something tells me he did not run in to Michael Beasley there. One final Stiemsma note: He lists the worst job he ever had as "hoeing weeds." OK. Michael Flowers, the heart and soul of this team, lists "Welcome to the Jungle" as his cell phone ring. I can support that, but I think Mike was about two years old when that song came out. Also, defense runs in the Flowers family. While Michael was robbed of the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award this year, his brother, Jonte, won his fourth straight Northern Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Year award for D-II Winona State. Also: Erin > Doris: This season, the Badgers are 5-0 when Erin Andrews is the sideline reporter for the game while they are only 1-2 when Doris Burke is involved in some capacity. This calls for a little more Erin and a little less Doris, something I think we all can agree on. — Ben Goldsworthy

DAVIDSON WILDCATS

1. We're really a bunch of dorks. Before last weekend, if you'd heard of Davidson, it almost certainly was because of academics, not athletics. But after two upset wins, don't start thinking this is some secret sports juggernaut. That should be readily evident when you hear the team has adopted Sweet Caroline as a sort-of theme song. And that point guard Jason Richards and Stephen Curry do this weird handshake about a hand fitting into a glove. (I always forget who is which.) And, yes, at one point, we (I still use 'we;' sue me) had an all-white lineup on the floor against Georgetown. These are mostly smart guys who managed to be good at sports too.

2. And Curry is this good. He is grabbing highlights and headlines with 40 and 30 points in the two NCAA tournament games, but the people going ga-ga over him are the ones who haven't paid that much attention. Thanks to DirecTV, I now receive every sports channel ever created, and that means I was able to watch 10 or so Davidson games from a distance this season — which is, by far, the most games we've ever had televised. And Curry has played like this all season. So forgive me if I'm not bowing down to his greatness right now. I did that about three months ago.

3. How about that coach? As happy as I am about these wins and as proud of an alum as I am, I am especially happy for Bob McKillop, who finally got his signature wins after 19 mostly good seasons at Davidson. About 10 years ago when I was in school and covering the team, I used to be around McKillop on a fairly regular basis. I would not say that I got to know him, but I became a little familiar with his type of personality. So when I heard that he said, "I'm numb right now," I was happy for him. He is not somebody I ever would imagine genuinely feels numb. But that he thinks he feels numb must be an incredible feeling for him.

And I have to admit that I had a fleeting thought that these signature wins would be the publicity that McKillop needs to get a job at a more well-funded program. There have been rumors about him being up for such a higher-profile job over the years and, at one point, he might have made that jump. Several years back, though, he crossed over into legendary status. Yeah, he could go somewhere else for a few years, but he would always be our coach. I have a hunch that this time around, he would be the one telling the bigger dogs to take a hike. That, however, is something to worry about after Wisconsin.

So, from the Piedmont, to the Triad, to the hills of Carolina, it is a great week to be a Wildcat. — Matt Pitzer

West (Phoenix) Region

UCLA 88, Western Kentucky 78

When Darren Collison fouled out with 5:30 left, a whole lot of people started to believe that the Hilltoppers could win this thing. Of course, thereafter, the Bruins put a foot on WKU's neck and ended that talk with a quickness. In the moral victory column, the Hilltoppers gutted out a big comeback and had a chance to win at the end. Tyrone Brazelton had 31 for the Toppers, while Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook both notched points/rebounds double-doubles for the Bruins.
Xavier 79, West Virginia 75

Incredible game. WVU was behind by double figures in the first half and gritted its way back into it in the second. Bodies were hitting the ground like a Sopranos marathon. And when regulation ended with a tie and the extra period started, it was perfect March basketball. A shockingly wide-open shot when X inbounded the ball with just two seconds left on the shot clock sealed the deal, but for good measure, the Mountaineers started bricking free throws. Josh Duncan was Xavier's rock once again, scoring 26 and hitting nine of his ten free-throw attempts.

East (Charlotte) Region

North Carolina 68, Washington State 47

I have cast this as Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object for several days now, but I conveniently forgot that Roy Williams' teams are always capable of playing some D themselves, and that tipped the balance in this one. That and three-pointers. Not that UNC's 33 percent from the arc was mind-blowing, but in the early going, Tyler Hansbrough couldn't get untracked. As soon as the outside shots started to fall (Danny Green 3-5), Psycho T started doing his thing, and ended up leading the Tar Heels with 18 points and 9 rebounds.

Louisville 77, Tennessee 60

David Padgett is everything that is right about College Basketball, people. At least, that's what Jay Bilas would have us believe. What I can't figure out is, when he meets our other dorky white savior in the next round, who do we root for/genuflect in awe of? Anyway. Bruce Pearl threw Smiths at the Cards all night long, and it didn't make much difference in the outcome. Louisville's Jerry Smith had 13, as did Andre McGee. And Terrence Williams brought the oohs and aaahs with his athletic 12. By the way, Derrick Caracter (9 points, 5 rebounds) says he's going pro. Good luck with that, Chief.

Western Kentucky tried to sneak up on UCLA last night and darned near pulled it off, but the real news was Louisville, which blasted Tennessee and looked like a team that couldn't possibly have lost to Seton Hall. The only team that looked better than them was ... well, North Carolina, which, by their standards in this tournament, slacked off by only winning by 21.

We are sad, however, to see Joe Alexander and West Virginia gone. With a little more eccentricity and Jamiroquai style, he coulda been the next Pittsnogle.

Your early games are: Xavier-West Virginia and North Carolina-Washington State. Your late games are UCLA-Western Kentucky and Louisville-Tennessee. No live-blogging tonight, so just relax, talk amongst yourselves, and enjoy.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

1. Give 'em the trophy already. Despite the selection committee's best efforts at getting rid of the Vols in the first weekend (seriously, what crack were they smoking putting the brackets together and matching up two Top 10 teams in the second round?), the Vols made it to a second straight Sweet 16. Even though the Vols are the lone SEC school remaining in this year's dance, they have played a whopping 1/3 of the remaining teams. The Vols No. 1 rated non-conference schedule included wins over Memphis, Western Kentucky, Xavier and West Virginia and a loss to Texas, none of which were played in Knoxville. It is easy to assume that this should give Tennessee an advantage the rest of the way, but the committee once again shows it hates orange because all of those teams are on the opposite side of the brackets.

2. There is no "I" in Pearl. Bruce Pearl is the greatest coach in college basketball today. (Ed Note: COUGH!) He single-handedly brought Tennessee to the national forefront in basketball. If you count his last coaching stint, he has coached in three out of the last four Sweet 16s. With all of this success, he has become the man the other teams love to hate. Whether it is breaking out the orange blazer for the Kentucky and Vanderbilt games, going Hulk-a-maniac on his shirt in the locker room after a big win, or painting his upper body orange for a Lady Vols game, the opposing fans love to hate by claiming that he is a grandstanding egomaniac. That is far from the truth. Bruce Pearl's antics did nothing but bring much needed attention to the forgotten program in Knoxville, the men's basketball team. The men's attendance is now finishing in the top five nationally, and for the first time in 25 years the men's team was ranked higher than the Lady Vols (who just got another 1 seed in the ladies tourney). Under Pearl's reign, the team has also just completed a second straight undefeated season at home, and in the three seasons since Pearl has arrived on campus they are 45-2 in Thompson-Boling Arena. His philosophy of "anybody, anytime, anywhere" combined with his mantra of "passion, poise, purpose" have Tennessee on the verge of making it past the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.

3. Stephen Curry is no Chris Lofton. With three three-pointers against Butler, Chris Lofton broke his own school record for most threes in a season with 116 on the year. In fact, he has four of the top five single-season marks at Tennessee. Lofton also became the SEC's career leader in threes against Kentucky earlier in the season. Chris needs seven more threes to pass Keydren Clark for second on the NCAA's all-time three point leaders. An interesting side story here that I don't think has gotten nearly enough press (and by nearly enough I mean please stop talking about it) is that despite being named Mr. Basketball in 2004 in Kentucky, he was not recruited by either the University of Kentucky or the University of Louisville. Tennessee fans cannot thank the state of Kentucky more for not giving him a chance. Lofton gave his thanks back in his Senior Day video when every highlight was a shot he hit against Kentucky and at the close of the video he thanked the Tennessee fans for believing in him. — Matthew Payne

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

1. Character Issue. Sophomore Derrick Caracter is one of most talented players on the Cardinal steam, but the man is still plagued by "character issues." After already being suspended for the first 16 games of the season for personal reasons, Caracter figured that the appropriate time to announce that he was leaving school early for the NBA was the before the team played Tennessee in the Sweet 16. I guess nothing like an appearance in the Sweet 16 to bring the team together.

2. Padgett. A preseason top 10 squad, the Cardinals started the year off with four bad losses that caused nearly everyone to jump off bandwagon by Christmas. Part of problem was the absence of team leader David Padgett, who had to sit out until January thanks to a knee injury. With Padgett back to take control of the team, the Cardinals finally started living up to the preseason hype, winning 17 of their last 21 games.

3. Trail Blazer. It has become common in recent years to see fiery coaches on the sidelines decked out in solid-color blazers, including Bruce Pearl's Dreamsicle look, Bob Huggins' head-to-toe gold and Sidney Lowe's "Hey Koolaid" flaming red at N.C. State. But before any of these cats ever dreamed of blowing out your HD liquid crystal display, Louisville coach Denny Crum rocked the Cardinal blazer at Louisville. His distinctive style was only part of what made him a legend, however. He also led Louisville to six Final Fours, two of which turned into National Championships. — Storming The Floor

UCLA Bruins

1. Worst Case Scenario already happened. When three of your top five players each have the worst offensive game of their UCLA career on the same night, and you still pull off the W, it's a pretty damn good sign. Against Texas A&M, Josh Shipp was scoreless for the first time since 2004, Luc Richard M'bah a Moute had eight turnovers and blew countless layups, and Russell Westbrook was out of control playing at 800 miles per hour. Still, Kevin Love and Darren Collison held it down and trademark Howlandesque lockdown defense over the last 10 minutes won the game. There's no way UCLA can play worse than that. All you Alfred Aboya groupies better start making San Antonio travel plans today.

2. Wild Accusations! Yeah, so over the past couple weeks, some whiny vaginas people have claimed that UCLA has received favorable calls in the waning seconds of close games. These expert analysts accurately point out that the referees have been paid off by UCLA, and that they are favorable to the Bruins because John Wooden is recovering from an unfortunate fall, and a UCLA championship would be a feel-good story. While most UCLA fans have provided thoughtful rebuttals to these accusations, I'll just go ahead and admit that yes, we paid the referees off. That's really the only legitimate explanation. Expect calls to go our way throughout the remainder of the tournament. Sorry. Maybe your favorite team should have thought of that first.

3. No Joak. As I now live in Gainesville, let me be the first to congratulate the Florida Gators in making their third straight final four appearance. What a feat! Here in Titletown, USA, the atmosphere is electric! The weather is heating up, pool parties are in full swing, and scantily clad UF co-eds are expecting nothing less than back to back to back National Basketball Championships! Fortunately for UCLA fans, the Gators are not on our side of the bracket in our tournament, so we will avoid the Billy D kryptonite that has destroyed us over the past two years. You can't spell NIT without Nick Calathes! — Trevor Gribble

WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS

1. Soapbox Moment. We've beaten Drake and San Diego to get to this point. Sounds like we're participating in The Waffle House Invitational over Christmas, rather than the NCAA tournament. I did find it odd that no one gave us a chance against Drake. And then I figured out why...we didn't participate in the ESPN Bracket Buster. You see, this is the only point of reference for the talking heads regarding mid-majors. Yet, the best mid-majors do not participate (West Coast Conference and Atlantic-10). WKU elected not to play along after two years ago drawing a home game against Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks came to Kentucky on a February Saturday for an afternoon tilt, after playing a league (Big Sky) game on Thursday Night. Needless to say, there are no direct flights from Flagstaff to Bowling Green, KY. Well, we returned the game this season and it proved to be our worst loss of the season. What does all this mean for us against UCLA? Absolutely nothing, but hopefully it proves that the Bracketbuster is a sham event that does more harm than good for mid-majors.

2. Ellis Island, Kentucky. You might think that the WKU roster would be full of slow kids who need four picks to get a shot off. But you would be so wrong! We are doing our best to diversify the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Our backup point guard is named Orlando Mendez-Valdez. We have two players hailing from Africa (Desiree Gabou - Ivory Coast, Boris Siakam -Cameroon) and one from Asia (Japeth Aguilar - Philippines). Japeth was the only Filipino-born player in the NCAA this season. At WKU? Who'da thunk it?

3. Random Facts. Courtney Lee needs 16 points to become the all-time leading scorer in WKU history. Coach Darrin Horn and assistant Cypheus Bunton were a part of the last WKU team to reach the Sweet 16, in 1993. Another assistant, Scott Cherry, won a title as a player at North Carolina and was an assistant on George Mason's Final Four team. Although the Hilltoppers might have snuck up on you this season, we do have a solid basketball tradition. This will be our seventh appearance in the Sweet 16, advancing to the Final Four in 1971. UCLA has tradition too, a little bit, but it should be noted they have never defeated WKU. — Drew Hensley

As is the case for most sports fans the Monday after Selection Sunday, I awoke on March 17 to a cluttered inbox filled with various invitations to participate in NCAA Tournament pools. I signed up for a few, sent my checks to the necessary recipients, and promptly filled out a bunch of brackets. One of the pools I signed up for was my buddy Jeff's.

Jeff had just started at a new job about two months ago, was finally getting comfortable in his new environment, and apparently thought it was his place to be the guy to get the office tourney pool going. Taking the reins and being "commissioner" for one of these things is undoubtedly a giant pain in the ass. On top of recruiting enough participants to make it worth everyone's while, you've got to hassle people for money, constantly send out reminder emails about payment and in the end be the point person for everyone's complaints and commentary. To assume this responsibility at a new job in a new office? With people you barely know? Well, that's courageous.

An interesting wrinkle in Jeff's pool was that each participant had to "name" their bracket. I, like most of the other people involved, just used my last name and moved on to filling out my brackets.

But not everyone went that route. The roll call of bracket names looked a lot like a fraternity fantasy football league — inside jokes between three people, endless references to "Anchorman" and on the whole, just some really lame stuff.

A few examples? "My Bracket's Already Busted" (LOL!), "Burgundy's Back" (OMG!), "March Madnoose" (LOL!), and the clever old standby, "Duke Sucks" (LMAO!).

In all, Jeff recruited about 80 participants. Not bad for a first effort at the new job. Fifty or so of the players were from his office, about 20 were non-work related friends, and roughly 10 were friends of friends that he really didn't know. Everyone paid within the first couple days, and all the brackets were all filled out. By the time the games tipped off on Thursday, Jeff was pretty satisfied. On the one hand, he'd just organized a pretty big pool for people to follow throughout the tournament. On the other, he showed some of the folks at work his ability to motivate and manage a project.

But a few days in, things had gone horribly wrong.

As of this morning, the second place team in Jeff's pool is a bracket named "Stevens". Third place? "Lil' Mac". Fourth? "Janice".
First place?

"____ Meat". That blank space? Well, the word rhymes with Blit.
Yep, "Blit Meat."

Blit Meat!

Now, put yourself in Jeff's shoes. New job. Fifty new co-workers. Some are Vice Presidents and Managing Directors. Several are women. And they all log in to check those standings each morning.
What's the first thing every single one of them sees when they click on that standings button?

"Blit Meat" all alone on top in first place.

"Walking on egg shells" does this situation no justice. Jeff, Woody Allen paranoid as is, claims everyone gives him disgusted looks at work now. He swears he caught some of the other pool participants pointing, whispering and shaking their heads at him in the company cafeteria the other day. He's a marked man. All because of his pool.
All because of "Blit Meat."

Now, here's the kicker: Jeff has no idea who "Blit Meat" is. And even crazier — "Blit Meat's" bracket is absolutely incredible. It's downright dominating the pool. He/she has Villanova and Davidson both in the Sweet 16, they accurately predicted San Diego to beat Connecticut, and somehow had Drake falling to Western Kentucky in the first round too. "Blit Meat" has Michigan State beating Memphis. If that happens — something no one else in the pool has — there's a good chance he/she wins the whole thing.

Jeff's job may very well be in jeopardy over this. Every morning, his co-workers check the standings and see the words "Blit Meat" in bold letters.

The lesson? Always let someone else run your office tournament pool. Always.

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

1. He Got Served. His intense weight room workouts earned him the nickname Psycho T, and his predilection for pedicures has led some to call him a sissy. But it's Tyler Hansbrough's dedication to the ping-pong table that has earned him true notoriety. The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated national player of the year, who loses more contact lenses than he does loose balls, has brought with him to Chapel Hill the Texas-style version of table tennis. The rules are simple: the first player to lose two consecutive points has to remove his shirt, and the winner gets to hit the ping-pong ball as hard as he can ... right at the loser's bare chest.

The off-campus apartment Hansbrough shares with teammates Bobby Frasor and Marcus Ginyard has a ping-pong table in the basement (along with a Wii that has a full Rock Band set-up). And when the Princeton tennis team was recently in Chapel Hill, getting a tour of the Dean Dome, Hansbrough challenged the teams' co-captain to a game of table tennis in the basketball players' lounge. Hansbrough, despite having virtually no backhand, won.

2. Perhaps he has a point. Roy Williams is a legend in North Carolina. But his sentiments about the state's most-watched tournament are akin to blasphemy. When the Heels' head coach was asked in 2004 about the ACC Tournament, he responded: "Do I love the tournament? No. I don't love the tournament at all." Williams downplayed the event last week, saying, "It's a great cocktail party and a big party for all the fans." Then, hours after winning the ACC Tournament on Sunday, he continued to disparage the conference tournament, saying what he really wants to win is the NCAA's event.

Maybe ol' Roy has a point: the Heels' last two NCAA championships - in 1993 and 2005 - came in years when they didn't win the ACC Tournament. And the team's success in the ACC event hasn't been a predictor of their performance in the NCAA tourney: Of the past six times they won the conference tournament - 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998 and 2007 - they made it to the Final Four "only" three times.

3. Preserving the mold. Heading into the NCAA tourney, the Tar Heels are looking to replicate both the full-throttle style and championship success of the 2005 national-title team. Speed merchant Ty Lawson continues to channel and shift Raymond Felton into an ever-higher gear; Wayne Ellington is every bit as dangerous and streaky a threat as Rashad McCants; and ultrafocused star Tyler Hansbrough is doing his best Sean May impersonation ... and then some. Piecing it all together, however, is the new-jack Jackie Manuel: defensive stalwart and resident noise-maker Marcus Ginyard. Arguably the best on-ball defender in the ACC and perhaps the nation, the starting wing player and fourth-string point guard not only has served as the squad's stopper, but has helped his Heels overcome the early-season loss of second-stringer Bobby "Fraser-Frase" Frasor; the seven-game absence of injured starter Lawson; and the well-meaning-but-often-shaky ways of former third-string senior Quentin Thomas.

As Ginyard's role increased throughout Lawson's lengthy ankle rehabilitation, Carolina benefited from his individual play and managed to improve as a defensive unit — long seen as the program's Achilles heel following Williams' return to The Hill. And though Ginyard may not have a posse, he does have a protege. The Archbishop O'Connell High School alum is a friend and mentor of elite prospect Kendall Marshall, a sophomore point guard for the Arlington, Va., school who already stands 6-foot-3 and has verbally committed to be one of Roy's Boys after graduating in 2010. The Prep Stars Recruiter's Handbook — based in Chapel Hill, appropriately enough, and published by former UNC All-American Dennis Wuycik — ranks Marshall as the 15th best sophomore in the country. The young lefty is no Ginyardian ball-hawker just yet, but he excels in the passing game and in shooting the trey. The slight-and-sleek Marshall has two more years to strengthen his frame and game before taking the torch from Ginyard and running with it.

The Dookies in Krzyzewskiville would expect nothing less from their hated archrivals. — Matt Viser and Brian Styers

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS

1. RAW Rochestie Junior guard Taylor Rochestie (pronnounced RAW-chess-tee, more on this later) is a great personification of what makes the Cougs. He is unconventional (a lefthander, like his coach Tony Bennett), judicious yet generous (in the tournament his assist to turnover ratio is 3.5-1, in the regular season led the team in assists; also, in an unprecedented move, gave up his scholarship for the 08-09 season to incoming recruit Marcus Capers), unathletic yet effective (a certain west coast sportswriter "He resembles an intramural player until he burns you), as well as lethal (leads the team in 3 point/free throw percentage). The talented Mr. Rochestie took the road pretty much never traveled to Pullman. Born in Santa Barbara, Rotchestie first attended Tulane and proceeded to ball it up, earning Conference USA all Freshman Team honors in 04-05. But then an injured Rochestie watched as on Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, destroying sizable portions of New Orleans, including the Tulane rehab facility. This forced Rochestie to exile in Texas, where he began seeking a transfer. That January Rochestie transferred to Washington State, where he was originally recruited but was not offered a scholarship. After sitting out the 05-06 season Rochestie worked himself into lineup last year, and has shown marked improvement since. Enough to be named a candidate for this years V-Foundation Comeback Player of the Year. But enough of the seriousness: A common "please put me on tv" sign at Friel Court this year was "show me your chesties." I have also heard the sophomoric utterance of "Taylor Raw-Testes", which I will not dignify with a response.

2. Can You Hear, Can You Hear The Thunder? Another junior who has emerged is Aron Baynes, Australian-Ass-Annihilator. The meaty Kiwi delivered a solid season for the Cougs, averaging 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, as well as providing the WSU faithful with the basketball equivalent of a lineman running back a fumble 80 yards for a TD. So far on the Cougars tourney run Baynes has had a great offensive game, where made 9 of 9 field goals against Winthrop, and defensively against Notre Dame, where he managed to slay the Giant Harangody as well as pull down 11 boards. But there is no rest for the Aussie as he goes against the UNC front-line, who are shorter/slighter than Mr. Baynes, but far more quick and agile. If it does come down to a slugfest down in the trenches, I'll put my $10 net worth on the Bayne(s)-Train (he might have a knife). Baynes has a background playing rugby. If Baynes can translate that aggression into keeping opponents off the offensive glass, the Cougars will continue to dance.

3. Good/Bad Things About Pullman. Informed Deadspin reader, if you ever find yourself extremely lost and or accepted into WSU here are some things you should know.

GOOD THINGS ABOUT WSU
*Bear Facility, nuff said.
*Zen Staircase, legally graffiti'd staircase, in the art department building, it puts you at peace.
* Sellas, so good, so cheap, so much.
* The com program.
* Just say "go cougs" to everyone, you'll be the most popular person in town in 20 minutes.
* Glenn Johnson, man, myth and legend.
* Nice change of pace from living in western Washington, avoiding these kind of white people.

WHATS NOT SO GOOD
* For as long as Daven Harmeling (sounds like its spelled) plays at WSU, he will have the most mispronounced name in college basketball.
* Every attempt at art, is a failure...
* Running into these kinds of white people.
* I wouldn't trust the sushi.....
* Edward R Murrow, famed Cougar grad, lied on his resumes, saying he went to Stanford. — Brian Tesch

XAVIER MUSKETEERS

1. ESPN got something right? Prior to the start of this year's tournament, espn.com "experts" provided some insight into various players and teams in the tourney. Three of these so-called experts labeled sophomore forward Derrick Brown as the best dunker in the tournament. For once I actually agree with them because of this and this.

2. You Can Have The Logo. Xavier's sweet 16 opponent, the West Virginia Mountaineers often get associated with Jerry West as one of their most famous alumnus. Well, to that I say you can have your logo, and I'll keep my Mike Damone. Xavier alum Robert Romanus played Mike Damone in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

3. It's All About the Blob. The Musketeers are a bit odd when it comes to mascots. As you would expect, D'Artagnan is prominently featured at Xavier games and around campus. Unfortunately, D'Artagnan is overshadowed by the greatest mascot in the history of sports, The Blue Blob. The Blob was once named Playboy's Mascot of the Month, has appeared in numerous SportsCenter commercials, has his own Bobblehead, er, Bobblebody, and was a memorable part of giving a man $1 million in the 2001 Crosstown Shootout; the Blob was tackled by Theo Nelson following his half-court shot at halftime of the game. — Brian Leibforth

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

1. Giant Killers. West Virginia has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third time in the past four seasons and the fourth time in as many tries. Over those trips, WVU has garnered the reputation as a sort of giant killer, toppling #2 seeds with some regularity. This year, of course, was the public "pantsing" of #2 seed Duke last round. Three years ago, the Mountaineers (with the unconscious Mike Gansey) knocked out Chris Paul's #2 seeded Wake Forest squad in double OT. And back in 1998, the Mountaineers beat #2 seed Cincinnati — under then-coach Bob Huggins — with a last second "prayer" from Jarrod West. While modern HDTV advancements would greatly improve the 1998 highlights, it's best any 2005 highlights featuring Kevin Pittsnogle be viewed on nothing larger than a Sony Watchman.

2. Huggy Bear, Yep. Bob Huggins, beside being a fantastic basketball coach and a good driver, is also a natty dresser. Just this year, he has run the entire gamut of fashion choices. Early this season, Huggins trotted out in a traditional coat and tie. Not satisfied with that, Huggins upped the ante, debuting his now infamous mustard accident. Obviously traumatized by the experiment, Huggins reverted to his later Cincinnati days, coaching each game in the same snazzy — in a Bill Belichick kind of way — gold and blue WVU pullover. Luckily the dark cloud that was the pullover has lifted, though it has been replaced with a sportcoat and mock turtleneck look that would make Mike Brey blush. Of course, it's the same color mock turtleneck for every game, meaning either he's bought a dozen of them or he's simply wearing the same one over and over. For the sake of my sanity — let alone anyone standing near him — let's assume it's the former.

3. The Xavier Connection. While there isn't much head-to-head history between WVU and tonight's opponent Xavier, there are plenty of connections between the two schools. While at Cincinnati, Bob Huggins regularly coached against Xavier in a fierce crosstown Cincinnati rivalry. Sean Miller, the current head coach at Xavier, was a four-year letter winner and Big East Freshman of the Year at Pitt. Miller, who still owns several records at Pitt, compiled a sparkling 1-3 career record against WVU. Given Miller's Pitt bloodlines, his career record against WVU, the fact that Xavier has never beaten the Mountaineers, and the fact that a #7 seed is favored over a #3 seed, WVU should start preparing for UCLA on Saturday. Considering the size of the jinx I just delivered, the Mountaineers may end up forfeiting. Tune in tonight. (I'm looking at you 17% of the country that's getting the game.) — Charley West

Meanwhile, Awful Officiating asks the musical question, why do refs love LA teams so much? It even seems to extend to the NBA, as Golden State of Mind points out, where the Lakers beat the Warriors on Monday on a questionable call at the end.

4 Seconds Left: Inbound pass set in Faker territory. This is it. The last play of the game. Nellie's timeout prepped the team to tie it or shoot a 3 for the win. As the whistle blew and the players wrestled for position ... the unthinkable happened. Fisher fell to the ground grabbing Monta with him, and the ref Delaney, blew the whistle calling an offensive foul.

For those claiming that it's all a vast conspiracy, I ask, why would anyone go to all that trouble? I'm also not a proponent of the "officiating is getting worse" theory. A more likely explanation is that basketball at the upper levels has just become impossible to officiate; players are too fast and too big. I propose a rule change in which coaches can challenge plays like in the NFL. Lose a challenge, lose a time out. Or a scholarship. Whatever.

And consider this: If John Wooden has this much mystical power now, imagine what he's going to be able to do when he's dead.

RECAP: Warriors 119, Lakers 123: Revenge Of The Fakers [Golden State Of Mind]
The Officials Love LA! [Awful Officiating]
Those Bruins Are A Charmed Bunch [Deadspin]

Watch as Duke's Gerald Henderson runs over to clobber the Mountaineers' Cam Thoroughman from behind. Thoroughman (6-foot-7, 215) doesn't take to that too well, and ... whoa! Did you see that, ref? Air shove!

But we kid Duke. The tournament just would not be the same without you guys. It's already not, actually.

Another Duke Flop Found [Awful Announcing]

Don't feel bad: Not a single person in all of ESPN's bracket game nailed 'em all either. In our bracket, the leaders are "Insert Witty Name Here" by E. Winograd and "Le 1" by T. Le. The former has Memphis over North Carolina in the final; the latter has UCLA over Kansas.

As for us, we're in the 60.6th percentile ... and deeply regretting that "Duke in the national championship game" choice. Whoops.

Deadspin Pants Party NCAA Group [ESPN]

Stephen Curry has scored 70 points in two games. The two teams that faced Washington State scored just 81 combined. There are a lot more numbers than that buried in the box scores, and we now have three days to tease out some notion of what might happen in the next round. We'll be wrong, of course, but guessing is half the fun.

#10 Davidson 74, #2 Georgetown 70
Stephen Curry has made a habit of waiting until the second half to go off in this tournament. He scored the majority of his tournament-high 40 points after halftime on Friday, and he only had three points at halftime of Sunday's game, as well. The Wildcats were down 17 before Curry went off and scored the remainder of his 30 points in this one. Jason Richards had 20, and Andrew Lovedale 11. On the other side, Georgetown center Roy Hibbert only managed six points, one rebound and one block.

#12 Villanova 84, #13 Siena 72
This is why nobody ever apologizes for being the last team in. Villanova carried a very weak at-large profile into the NCAA tournament, but the Wildcats now sit in the Sweet 16 (albeit in Detroit) after knocking off Clemson and Siena. The Saints from the MAAC put up a valiant struggle despite early shooting woes, but eventually succumbed to the scoring of Scottie Reynolds (25 points) and Corey Stokes (20 points). The worst part is, the Saints can't even drown their sorrows, because the Saint Bernard in their logo doesn't have a mini-keg around his neck like he should.

#2 Texas 75, #7 Miami 72
Miami coach Frank Haith left his assistant's position at Texas in 2004, to become the Hurricanes' head coach. He took them to the NIT twice over the ensuing seasons before this, his fourth, led him to the NCAA promised land. And who does he have to face after winning his first game? His old boss. Haith and the 'Canes made a game of it, but eventually the Longhorns' experienced starting rotation outlasted them. A.J. Abrams had 26 points, and Damion James chipped in the symmetrical 16/16 double-double to lead Texas to a Sweet 16 matchup with Stanford and the Lopez twins.

#2 Tennessee 76, #7 Butler 71
Want to know why people make redneck jokes about Tennessee? I think the high, keening scream that came from the stands every time Butler shot a free throw in this game gives a clue. The Volunteers only shot 26% from the three-point line and needed overtime to beat the Horizon-league champs. Butler got strong performances from Seniors A.J. Graves (21 points), Mike Green (15 points), and Pete Campbell (12 points), but Tennessee's JaJuan Smith had the last word, sinking four straight free-throws and pulling down a crucial rebound to seal the deal.

#12 Western Kentucky 72, #13 San Diego 63
Western Kentucky has been to the Sweet 16 six times before. The last time was in 1993, when the Hilltoppers defeated Memphis and Seton Hall before losing to Florida State in OT. Do you think they'd take a win over Memphis this year? So far, they've had to end the dreams of fellow mid-majors to get this far, taking down Drake in OT on Friday, and San Diego on Sunday. Next up is UCLA, and they'll need every one of Courtney Lee's 20 ppg, Tryone Braleton's 14, and whatever miracle shot Ty Rogers has in his arsenal to make it to the regional final.

#1 Memphis 77, #8 Mississippi State 74
My initial reaction when seeing this score is "See! Memphis is the weakest #1 seed!" But the other way to look at it is this: Memphis played a game at Mississippi State's preferred pace and still won. Not only that, but they outrebounded a rather grabby team by eleven. Joey Dorsey was a one-man wrecking crew (which is usually Robert Dozier's nickname), gathering 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocks before fouling out. Up next is Michigan State, which sets up the marvelous Calipari/Izzo head-to-head matchup.

#3 Louisville 78, #6 Oklahoma 48
When the Oklahoma box score reads "Leading Scorer: David Godbold", you know something went wrong. Freshman Blake Griffin is the engine that makes the Sooners go, and he was mostly absent in this 30-point beatdown. No one player carried the Cardinals; in fact, Rick Pitino managed to get thirteen players into the game before all was said and done.

#1 North Carolina 108, #9 Arkansas 77
The Tarheels cracked the century mark with 3:45 left in a tournament game. Wayne Ellington scored 20 to lead five UNC players in double figures, and Roy Williams one-upped Pitino by getting a full fifteen bodies in this game. This creates a sort of dynamic tension for the next game, as UNC takes on a Washington State team that prides itself on defense. The Cougars allowed 40 points to Winthrop in the first round, and 41 (oh, the shame) to Notre Dame in the second. The good news for UNC is that they'll be playing very close to home, in Charlotte.

For those who keep track of such things (OK, us), the conference tally for the Sweet 16 breaks down like this:

Pac 10, three teams: UCLA, Stanford, Washington State
Big East, three teams: Louisville, West Virginia, Villanova
Big Ten, two teams: Wisconsin, Michigan State
Big 12, two teams: Kansas, Texas
One Team: ACC-North Carolina, SEC-Tennessee, Southern-Davidson, C-USA-Memphis, Sun Belt-Western Kentucky, Atlantic 10-Xavier

The Pac-10 lived up to its reputation as one of the top conferences in the nation, advancing three teams to the Sweet 16 on Saturday. Two of those wins knocked out Big East teams, as Notre Dame and Marquette were sent packing, along with Pitt. Anyone want to take odds on what Huggy Bear will be wearing as he moves on to the Phoenix site in the West bracket?

#7 West Virginia 73, #2 Duke 67
For the second straight year, the Duke Blue Devils fail to make the Sweet 16, but this year there was no Eric Maynor dagger, it was just physical, grinding, methodical Big East basketball that did them in. The Mountaineers recovered from a five-point first-half deficit behind Joe Alexander's 22 points and 11 rebounds, and held the Blue Devils to 38 percent shooting. Watch this video from the Sporting Blog to get an idea how hard this game was played. Bob Huggins gets to the Sweet 16 in his first year at his alma mater. But what of the school he left behind?

#3 Wisconsin 72, #11 Kansas State 55
OK, I guess now Michael Beasley is ready to find himself an agent. I implied in yesterday's preview that Wisconsin might not be athletic enough to contend with the Wildcats, but the Badgers gained a lead behind Travon Hughes' and showed no fear of the transition bucket thereafter. Beasley got his, of course, but the Cardinal and White advance to Detroit and the Sweet 16.

#3 Xavier 85, #6 Purdue 78
The Musketeers vs. the Mountaineers sounds like an NRA wet dream. But what it will really be is a defensive slugfest. Xavier advanced to face Bob Huggins and West Virginia after holding the Boilermakers to a very un-Purdue-like 38% - from behind the arc and overall. Xavier also got a balanced scoring attack, with C.J. Anderson and Drew Lavender both scoring 18, and Josh Duncan chipping in 16.

#4 Washington State 61, #5 Notre Dame 41
Luke Harangody had a beastly 22 rebounds to go with his 10 points, but he had the same shooting problems as the entire Irish team, which hit just 24 percent of its shots. Washington State earned its defensive reputation, while relying on the starting five for almost all of their offense. The only bench player to play more than ten minutes was Center Caleb Forest, who was also the only bench player to score for the Cougars - he had four. Washington State will face the winner of the Arkansas/UNC game in Charlotte. I can guess which one they'd prefer.

#3 Stanford, 82, #6 Marquette 81 (OT)
This was a fantastic ending to a game that featured 30-point games from Jerel McNeal and Brook Lopez, and an early ejection for Stanford coach Trent Johnson. Johnson's troops were able to rally without his fish-eyed glare, making up a five-point halftime deficit and then trading big buckets as regulation wound down. Overtime was no different, with Stanford getting the last shot into the hands of Lopez, who hit a layup over the shorter Marquette lineup with seconds left. Stanford awaits either Miami or Texas from the Sunday session.

#1 Kansas 75, #8 UNLV 56
This was a meeting of two coaches who passed in the night in 2000, as Bill Self took over the Illini program from Lon Kruger. Self moved on to Kansas shortly thereafter, while Kruger became the latest dreamer to try to turn around the Atlanta Hawks. Both men's teams locked down the perimeter, leading to a combined 28 percent night from behind the arc. Kansas solved the deadlock by slashing to the hoop, and Mario Chalmers led four Jayhawks guards in double figures, putting up 17. Kansas moves on to Detroit, where they will face an upset special - either #12 Villanova or #13 Siena will make it to the Sweet 16 today.

#5 Michigan State 65, #4 Pitt 54
Drew Neitzel and Kalin Lucas divided the backcourt scoring duties, with Lucas driving inside for 19 points, and Neitzel (21 points) going five of eight from behind the line to shoot the Spartans into the next round. Pitt's Jamie Dixon used just seven players in this game, with the bench adding just six points to the Panther total. The Spartans will face either another MSU in Mississippi State, or the high-octane Memphis Tigers.

#1 UCLA 53, #9 Texas A&M 49
After a wildly inconsistent season from the Aggies, I figured they'd get steamrolled here. But first-year A&M coach Mark Turgeon got his team to play the Bruins tough, and had a 49-all deadlock with :43 left in the game. Then Darren Collison (21 points) hit the next shot, Josh Shipp blocked A&M's attempt to answer, and Russell Westbrook slammed home the insurance points. Like Kansas before them, the Bruins await the winner of a 12/13 matchup that will be decided when miracle-shot-makers Western Kentucky and San Diego square off later today.

-I Live Blog downward, so deal with it.

-I was hoping that Xavier/Purdue would put on a good show, the jury is still out. Purdue leads 18-16, but neither team is shooting particularly well. Fortunately both teams are playing at a competitive pace.

-Wisconsin is on an 8-0 run and the Wildcats don't look particularly good on either side of the court this half. Wisconsin is up ten, meanwhile Xavier has taken a three point lead over Purdue when Josh Duncan hit from deep.

-Good news for Kansas State fans, a third foul has put Landry on the bench. Beasley needs to take over the game in a hurry. Wisconsin is up 16 with the ball.

-Drew Lavender is an amazing playmaker. And he has a delightful scent. Xavier is holding on to a 4 point lead with 6 minutes to play in the half.

-Purdue is coming right back at Xavier. Marcus Green just hit a ridiculous floater to reclaim the lead.

-The refs call a double technical on Butch and Walker which makes 3 personals for each. I say let the elbow go and punish Butch for the retaliation. Elbows rule.

-Another swing back in Xavier's favor. They managed to make the early comeback and now they're going toe-to-toe with Purdue's young legs. Xavier leads by 3, for now.

-Kansas State is trying to pull within single digits of a tough Wisconsin team. Beasley and Walker have combined for 31 and 14, but nobody else has more than a single basket. Hughes is leading the way for the Badgers who have a 13 point lead.

-Walker is smooth, especially around the rim. Unfortunately Beasley hasn't contributed a lot of offense in the first ten minutes of the half.

-Drew Lavender maintained that lead by banking in a 3 to end the half.

-Walker now has 16 points, but they're still down 11. Why can't Huggins coach everybody?

-This would be more fun if the server were moving a bit quicker.

-Stiemsma just picked up his teammate with an offensive rebound and a putback off of a missed free throw.

-Another trip to the line, this time it's Landry...and he misses both! They're still up 11 but they can't keep missing these.

-Walker is right on cue with a big rebound and basket, but Stiemsma came right back down the floor for the and-one. And did in fact make the much needed free throw.

-Some fabric just fell out of the rafters. And now Walker is down with a busted nose. ELBOWS ARE NOT COOL! And falling fabric is a bad omen.

-With Walker in the infirmary it might be about time for Beasley to start scoring again.

-Krabbs finally scored, and now Walker is coming back into the game.

-Kansas State can't get the ball to Beasley in a good spot and they can't keep their feet off of the baseline. Wisconsin ball.

-Oh fuck, number four on Walker and three free throws for the farmboy from Iowa. That double tech was bullshit.

-The Muskies and the BM's are back from the locker room and they're going right back at each other. C.J. Anderson just put Xavier up by six on a tough and-one. He has all 6 of his team's points this half.

-Meanwhile Wisconsin has gone up 19 on Kansas State and I've all but given up. 3:30 or so left to play.

-CBS has also given up on Kansas State, so now I don't have to watch one game on my computer..

-Xavier is holding on to a 48-43 lead with under 14 to play.

-Three minutes later and Brown provides a crushing alley oop off of an inbounds pass to further pad the Xavier lead. That lead is now up to double digits following Duncan's pair of free throws.

-It would be a good time for Purdue to go on a run, and that's just what Chris Kramer does, going end-to-end for 2.

-Burrell answers right back with a seemingly impossible layup.

-And Purdue is back! Hummell finally woke up and hit a big 3 to bring the BM's within a single point. Boiler up indeed.

-Purdue made their run and Xavier has answered with authority. They're determined to hold off Purdue. Muskies by 6 with 3:30 to play until the Sweet 16.

-In other news, Notre Dame and Wazzu are underway in scenic Denver. They're just five minutes in but Harandody already has four rebounds, though he's still scoreless. Wazzu leads 11-7 behind Low's six early points.

-I want to sue these Coke Zero assholes.

-More on the Wazzu/ND game in tonight's live blog coming up later this evening.

-Purdue just got a desperately needed 3 pointer to bring them within 5 with less than 50 seconds to play. It's free throws from here.

-After a delay to sort out the shot clock Purdue gets two key free throws. They're still down 5 with 44 seconds left, but they forced the Muskies to take a timeout before the inbounds pass.

-And Xavier throws it away! Purdue ball with nary a second ticking off of the clock.

-Kansas and UNLV have gotten started as well. I'll get to the evening live blog a little bit later on tonight.

-Purdue can't get a bucket and Xavier is going to the line with 35 seconds left. This shit is taking forever.

-Xavier hits only one of two and after a flurry of tips at the other end Purdue is headed to the line. Hummell hits one of two himself, but a lane violation will give him another shot to bring Purdue within 4 points. 28 seconds remain.

-Hummell takes advantage of his second chance, but Purdue takes a long time to foul Drew Lavender. Lavender, of course, hit both free throws. A steal by Burrell and a foul will put the Muskies right back to the line with a chance to seal the game.

-Another 1-for-2 trip to the line means there's still a faint chance. Purdue gets the quick two, but they're still down five with 10.5 to play. Timeout Xavier.

-Purdue stole the inbounds pass, but their attempted 3-pointer w