Bill Stewart went 28–12 at West Virginia. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Former West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart, 59, died of an apparent heart attack Monday, according to a report on msnsportsnet.com.

Stewart who took over for the Mountaineers following the departure of the very successful Rich Rodriguez following the 2007 season was 28–12 in three seasons as head coach from 2008–2010.

Stewart’s first win was a 48–28 win over Oklahoma in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, after which the school hired him as full-time head coach. All three of his teams went 9-4 but failed to make a BCS Bowl appearance again.

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John Marinatto lured TCU to the Big East, but they never played a down before leaving for the Big 12. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

The Big East Conference announced the resignation of commissioner John Marinatto Monday, according to a release on the conference’s website.

“I have been associated with this league for my entire adult life and have had the tremendous honor of serving as its Commissioner since 2009. Our recent expansion efforts have stabilized the Conference for the long term, and we are likewise well positioned for our very important upcoming television negotiations,” stated Marinatto.

Marinatto inherited a tough situation in 2009, being in charge of a conference with prestigious schools, but not enough of a football presence to generate the television income needed to keep everyone together. Most recently the conference lost West Virginia and TCU to the Big 12 while Syracuse and Pittsburgh are headed to the ACC.

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Former Connecticut forward Alex Oriakhi (R) averaged just under a double-double in 2011 and could be a difference-maker for Missouri. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

A fair amount has happened since we put out our early Top 10 rankings last week.

The top two high school commitments, forward Shabazz Muhammad and center Nerlens Noel, have since announced their decisions to attend UCLA and Kentucky, respectively. And while Kentucky reeled in the top high school player in the country in Noel, they lost their entire starting five of underclassmen to the NBA draft.

Given that they were already losing two seniors to graduation, the Wildcats have a little too much leaving the program to stay in the top 10, despite the coaching prowess of John Calipari.

Meanwhile, fellow SEC member Florida will lose one-and-done guard Bradley Beal to the pros. Beal averaged a team-high 14.8 points per game in his only season and his absence will kick the Gators out of our top ten rankings, as well.

One other adjustment is the absence of Creighton, previously at number 10. Though they should still be a very good team next year with the coaching/playing duo Greg McDermott and his All-American forward/son Doug, UCLA, North Carolina State, and Missouri have improved their rosters since that time.

Here is an updated look at the preseason top ten:

1. Indiana, 27-9 last season; previous ranking: 1—The Hoosiers are still number one thanks to the return of Cody Zeller. They’ve complemented his return with three four-star recruits among their five-man class.

2. Duke, 27-7 last season; previous ranking: 2—Duke stays at number two here with a senior-laden group. The loss of freshman sharpshooter guard Austin Rivers will be buffered by the arrival of five-star guard Rasheed Sulaimon.

3. Michigan, 24-10 last season; previous ranking: 3—The Wolverines didn’t lose any entrants to the NBA Draft and bring in a trio of highly-rated forwards next fall.

4. Louisville, 30-10 last season; previous ranking: 4—The Cardinals’ unexpected run to the Final Four this season is a preview of things to come. Rick Pitino’s squad returns core players in center center Gorgui Dieng, forward Chane Behanan and point guard Peyton Siva.

5. Texas, 20-14 last season; previous ranking: 6—The Longhorns jump into the spot vacated by Florida after the loss of guard Bradley Beal. Texas loses guard J’Covan Brown as well but held on to the rest of their talented, but young roster.

6. UCLA, 19-14 last season; previous ranking: NR—The first big jump on this list is the expected improvement of the Bruins. Coach Ben Howland should be at his best this season with his back against the wall following several less-than-stellar seasons. With the recent addition of prize recruit Shabazz Muhammad the Bruins will have two of the top five recruits in the country coming to play for them next season.

7. North Carolina State, 24-13 last season; previous ranking: NR—The Wolfpack got a nice surprise this week when forward C.J. Leslie (14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds) announced he was returning for his junior season. That coupled with a recruiting class that includes three McDonald’s All-Americans should put N.C. State back on the map.

9. Michigan State, 29-8 last season; previous ranking: 9—Spartans stay steady here at nine despite the graduation of All-American forward Draymond Green with the addition of four top recruits.

10. Missouri, 30-5 last season; previous ranking: NR—Tigers get big boost with the addition of forward Alex Oriakhi, former of UConn. Missouri will also get back forward Laurence Bowers, who missed all of 2012 with an injury, next season and returns guards Phil Pressey and Michael Dixon.

Coaching Legend Larry Brown will take over at new Big East member SMU next season. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown will take over at Southern Methodist University, according to a report on the school’s website Thursday.

Brown, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002, is the only coach to win an NCAA title (Kansas in 1988) and NBA title (Detroit in 2004).

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to coach at SMU,” said Brown. “I’ve built so many relationships in the basketball world and my success has been due to the coaches I’ve played for and the players I’ve coached. I want to thank them all. I always thought of myself as a college coach and this gives me a wonderful chance to get back where I started.”

Pat Summitt retires with more wins (1,098), titles (8), and Final Four appearances (18) than any women's coach in NCAA history. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt has been named head coach emeritus after 38 seasons, 1,098 wins, and 8 national championships with the Volunteers, according to a report on the school’s website.

Summitt will report to Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart and will serve in a variety of roles.

The move comes less than a year after Summitt’s diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Longtime assistant coach Holly Warlick has been named her successor.

“I’ve loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognize that the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role,” said Summitt. “I support Holly Warlick being named the next head coach, and I want to help ensure the stability of the program going forward.

Kentucky players (along with their coach) from left to right Anthony Davis, Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones, Coach John Calipari, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Marquis Teague announce their intentions to enter the NBA Draft. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The 2012 National Champion Kentucky Wildcats will lose their entire starting lineup to the NBA.

Head coach John Calipari, along with starters Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, and Marquis Teague, made the announcement together on Tuesday.

Said Calipari of the team-like announcement idea, “This was introduced to me as an idea from this team. They came to me and said, ‘We want to do this together’.”

National Player of the Year Anthony Davis as well as Kidd-Gilchrist and Teague are just freshmen while Jones and Lamb are sophomores. All five players are expected to be taken in the first round.

“When the season’s over it’s about moments like this” said Calipari, who will replace the class with another top-ranked incoming class of players next fall.

How good Kentucky is next season may depend upon whether coach John Calipari (L) gets players like Marquis Teague to return. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Though there are still a few recruiting battles for a couple of the nation’s top high-school players, most have declared their intentions. In addition most current college players have announced whether they are going to the NBA. With that in mind here is an early guess at the top teams next season:

1. Indiana, 27–9 last season: With the return of freshman forward Cody Zeller (15.6 points, 6.6 rebounds per game) the Hoosiers will dodge the early entry bullet that will end several teams’ (namely Kentucky and North Carolina) chances at being the favorites next season. Add to that a top-10 incoming class and Indiana becomes the team to beat.

2. Duke, 27–7 last season: The Blue Devils will lose Austin Rivers to the draft, but return seniors Mason Plumlee (11.1 points, 9.2 rebounds), Ryan Kelly (11.8 points), and Seth Curry (13.2 points). Combined with the bad taste left in their mouths by their shocking first-round exit, should make this team one of the best next season.

3. Michigan, 24–10 last season: The co-Big Ten Champs got a boost with the return of sophomore guard/forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.6 points) and freshman guard Trey Burke (14.8 points, 4.6 assists). In addition, John Beilein has added a highly rated freshman class to compliment those two.

4. Louisville, 30–10 last season: The Cardinals finished 2012 strong with a Final Four appearance that showed off several good players who will return next season. Sophomore center Gorgui Dieng (9.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.2 blocks) is an excellent anchor on defense while freshman forward Chane Behanan (9.5 points, 7.5 rebounds) and junior point guard Peyton Siva (5.6 assists) should round out a balanced team.

5. Florida, 26–11 last season: The Gators were a bit of an enigma last season, but ended with an impressive run to the Elite Eight. If freshman guard Bradley Beal (14.8 points, 6.7 rebounds) returns for his sophomore season, as fellow guard Kenny Boynton (15.9 points) is doing, coach Billy Donovan should have a consistently good team.

6. Texas, 20–14 last season: The Longhorns rebounded from a slow start to finish sixth in the Big 12. They lost leading scorer J’Covan Brown to the draft. The entire freshman class is returning and they have a top-five recruiting class coming in.

Indiana forward Cody Zeller's return to the Hoosiers makes them instant contenders next season. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

7. Baylor, 30–8 last season: Baylor is a bit of an enigma. Coach Scott Drew has convinced a number of talented players to join his once-dormant program over the years, though the team hasn’t made it to the top of its conference let alone a Final Four. Even though Perry Jones is leaving for the draft, Drew has assembled another top-five class that could put Baylor over the top.

9. Michigan State, 29–8 last season: The Spartans will lose All-American forward Draymond Green but will return their second leading scorer in sophomore guard Keith Appling (11.2 points) and add a top-10 recruiting class that will keep them in the hunt for the Big Ten title.

10. Creighton, 29–6 last season: The Blue Jays will return All-American sophomore forward Doug McDermott (22.9 points, 8.2 rebounds) to a team that lost just one player who played significant minutes—senior guard Antoine Young.

Bobby Petrino went 21-5 the last two seasons for the Razorbacks. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Arkansas Razorback head coach announced the firing of head football coach Bobby Petrino Tuesday night.

The 51-year old Petrino, whose team finished last season ranked No. 5 nationally after winning the Cotton Bowl, was injured in an April 1 motorcycle accident with a female football employee.

Petrino, who is married with four kids, had been reportedly been on paid leave since the accident. Assistant head coach Taver Johnson had been placed in charge of the program while Petrino was on leave.

Tyler Hansbrough averaged 20.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in North Carolina's 2009 title-winning season. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Kentucky’s recently completed 38–2 romp to the NCAA title was one of the more impressive runs in NCAA history.

Not every year does the perceived favorite make it through all six rounds of the Cinderella-laden tournament unscathed. Whether from unexpected injuries, a bad shooting game, or just being unable to deal with high-expectations, the best team is not always crowned champion come April.

Here are the 10 most dominating teams, since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 that crowned their seasons with a title at the end:

10. 2008 Kansas: 37–3 record, AP No. 1-ranked for: 0 weeks, star players: Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers—The 2008 NCAA Tournament was the first time since the field expanded in 1985 that all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four and Kansas, with six future draft picks (three first-round, three second-round picks) came away with the title. Though it took a miracle shot from Chalmers and some timely missed free throws by Memphis in the title game, Kansas’s 37 wins were the most ever by a champion until Kentucky’s 38 this past season, giving them a very slight edge over North Carolina’s 1993 team that went 34–4.

9. UCLA 1995: 31-2 record, AP No. 1-ranked for: 3 weeks, star players: Ed O’Bannon, Charles O’Bannon, Tyus Edney—The Bruins won their final 19 games of the ’95 season and though it took a last-second Tyus Edney shot to get past Missouri in the second round, UCLA won both of its Final Four games by double-figures. Though talent-wise the Bruins match up well with KU’s ’08 squad, UCLA went into the tournament with the bulls-eye on their backs, having been the No. 1 ranked team in the land the final three weeks of the season.

8. Connecticut 1999: 34-2 record, AP No. 1-ranked for: 10 weeks, star players: Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin—Though the Huskies’ resume, on the surface, could go higher on this list this was before Calhoun had delivered a title and Duke that went 37–2 that season and spent the final eight weeks as No. 1, was the slightly more feared team that year. Connecticut eventually took down the favored Blue Devils in the title game though.

7. Duke 2001: 35-4 record, AP No. 1-ranked for: 5 weeks, star players: Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer, Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy—Coach Krzyzewsk’’s third title-winning team had three of its four losses by two points or less and beat conference-rival Maryland three times in four tries—including a 95–84 win in the Final Four. Had it not been for Jay Williams’s injury, the core four players of this team (listed above) would still be in the NBA today. The Blue Devils’ run here gets the edge over UConn’s in ’99 due to their domination in the NCAA Tournament as all six wins were by 10 points or more.

6. Kentucky 1996: 34-2 record, AP No. 1-ranked for: 5 weeks, star players: Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Ron Mercer, Derek Anderson, Nazr Mohammed, Walter McCarty—This Kentucky team was the pinnacle of Rick Pitino’s reclamation project, as the Wildcats ran the tables in the SEC (16-0) and won their first four NCAA Tournament games by a whopping 28.3 points per contest before downing UMass and Syracuse in the Final Four. Six first-round draft picks came from this squad and the team returned to the title game each of the next two seasons. Kentucky’s better record puts them just ahead of Duke’s ’01 team.

5. Florida 2007: 35-5…

Robinson tallied 18 points and 17 rebounds in the championship game loss to Kentucky. RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY IMAGES

Kansas junior forward Thomas Robinson announced his intentions to declare for the NBA draft Tuesday, according to a release on the school’s website.

The Associated Press’s unanimous All-American Robinson, considered by most to be the runner-up for the national Player of the Year to Kentucky’s Anthony Davis led Kansas in scoring (17.9 points) and rebounding (11.8) and topped the country with 27 double-doubles leading the 32–7 Jayhawks to the title game this year.

“It is going to be hard leaving and I am going to miss my teammates, the coaching staff, the fans, and just the town period; but this puts me in a situation to take care of my family. I also want to thank coach Self for never letting up on me,” said Robinson.

Jim Calhoun's Huskies won't be participating in the 2013 NCAA Tournament for the fifth time since 1993. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The University of Connecticut was denied in its final appeal to the NCAA in an effort to avoid a men’s basketball postseason ban in the 2012-13 season due to the school’s low APR scores, according to a report on the school’s website.

“When this change in legislation was adopted by the NCAA Board in October 2011 and made effective for the 2012-13 academic year, it gave the illusion that institutions had time to adjust to the legislation. Yet the data had already been submitted under a different penalty structure, one that would not have excluded our men’s basketball team from participating in the postseason,” said UConn Director of Athletics Warde Manuel.

Fab Melo (L) led the Orange to victory in 29 of the 30 games played for head coach Jim Boeheim (R). (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Syracuse sophomore center Fab Melo will sign with an agent and enter the NBA Draft, according to a report on the school’s website Thursday.

Said Melo, according to the report, “After meeting with my mother, my family and Coach Boeheim, I have decided to enter my name in to the 2012 NBA Draft. Being able to play professional basketball has been my dream since I first starting playing this game and now I have the opportunity to accomplish that dream.”

Jared Sullinger (R) was an All-American each of his last two seasons. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Ohio State All-American sophomore Jared Sullinger will forego his two remaining years of college eligibility and enter the NBA draft.

“I am officially going to go the NBA,” said Sullinger, according to the university’s website. “I just want to thank the Ohio State University for everything they’ve done for me.”

The 6-foot-9-inch, 265-pound Sullinger was an All-American in both his seasons as a Buckeye and led the team in both scoring and rebounding each of the last two seasons.

Ohio State won at least a share of the Big Ten regular season championship the last two seasons as the Buckeyes posted a 65–11 mark during that time. This past season Sullinger led the Buckeyes to their first Final Four appearance since 2007, bowing to Kansas in the national semifinals.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari (C) won his first National Championship Monday night at the Final Four. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The Kentucky Wildcats jumped out to an 18-point first half lead and held off a furious Kansas rally to win the 2012 National Championship 67–59 for the storied school’s eighth title.

Kentucky freshman center Anthony Davis hit just one of his 10 shot attempts but was named Most Outstanding Player after grabbing 16 rebounds, blocking 6 shots and intimidating Kansas into numerous misses with his long arms in the lane.

As was the script for most of Kansas’ games in this tournament the Jayhawks fell behind early, trailing 41–23 with just over a minute left in the first half. The ensuing 14-point halftime deficit marked the fourth time in six tournament games they were behind at the break.

Kentucky, after an impressive first half, was a bit passive in the final 20 minutes as Kansas started to chip away at the lead. After Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor’s layup pulled the Jayhawks to within 10 at the 11:52 mark, Kentucky guard Doron Lamb hit a pair of back-breaking three-pointers to push the lead back to 16 points with just over 10 minutes left.

Lamb finished with a game-high 22 points while Taylor led Kansas with 19 points in his final game.

The latter three-pointer by Lamb would be the last Wildcat field goal for nearly five minutes though, and when Kansas forward Thomas Robinson hit a pair of free throws after the final TV timeout with 3:52 remaining the lead was down to 59–52—the closest it had been since early in the first half.

Robinson, the Big 12 Player of the Year, finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds but hit just 6 of his 17 shots as he was clearly bothered by the low-post presence of Anthony Davis.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari (C) won his first National Championship Monday night at the Final Four. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The Kentucky Wildcats jumped out to an 18-point first half lead and held off a furious Kansas rally to win the 2012 National Championship 67–59 for the storied school’s eighth title.

Kentucky freshman center Anthony Davis hit just one of his 10 shot attempts but was named Most Outstanding Player after grabbing 16 rebounds, blocking 6 shots and intimidating Kansas into numerous misses with his long arms in the lane.

As was the script for most of Kansas’ games in this tournament the Jayhawks fell behind early, trailing 41–23 with just over a minute left in the first half. The ensuing 14-point halftime deficit marked the fourth time in six tournament games they were behind at the break.

Kentucky, after an impressive first half, was a bit passive in the final 20 minutes as Kansas started to chip away at the lead. After Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor’s layup pulled the Jayhawks to within 10 at the 11:52 mark, Kentucky guard Doron Lamb hit a pair of back-breaking three-pointers to push the lead back to 16 points with just over 10 minutes left.

Lamb finished with a game-high 22 points while Taylor led Kansas with 19 points in his final game.

The latter three-pointer by Lamb would be the last Wildcat field goal for nearly five minutes though, and when Kansas forward Thomas Robinson hit a pair of free throws after the final TV timeout with 3:52 remaining the lead was down to 59–52—the closest it had been since early in the first half.

Robinson, the Big 12 Player of the Year, finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds but hit just 6 of his 17 shots as he was clearly bothered by the low-post presence of Anthony Davis.

Kentucky center Anthony Davis gave Kentucky their first title since 1998. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The Kentucky Wildcats were favored to win and that is exactly what they did, winning the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.

Anthony Davis, the National Player of the Year, definitely made is presence felt ending with 6 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 blocks and 3 steals in the title game. His 6 blocks is now a Championship game record, which aided in his winning of the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament award.

Some say that Davis’ career as a Wildcat will be over as he is projected to be the number one overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

In the finale, Kentucky was led in scoring by sophomore guard, Doron Lamb who recorded 22 points, shooting 7 for 12 from the field and 5 for 6 from the free throw line.

Teammate and future NBA-er Micheal Kidd-Gilchrist was plagued by foul trouble. He ended with 11 points and 6 rebounds.

The Jayhawks battled strong though led by their point guard Tyshawn Taylor who contributed 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

In a losing effort Naismith runner up Thomas Robinson recorded 18 points and 17 rebounds. But the Kentucky star-studded power was too much for Kansas to overcome in the second half. The final score was 67 – 59 with Kentucky being the victor.

The Wildcats had to beat the Louisville Cardinals in the Final Four game two days prior, in order to advance to the championship game.

This game drew plenty of attention and was referred to as “the Teacher vs. the Pupil” with Coach Pitino paving the way and for his one time camper, Coach Calipari.

Pitino, at the age of 20, was a counselor at Five Star Camp in which Calipari was an attendee. It is said that Pitino played a large role in Calipari receiving his first coaching role at UMass even by even adding to the salary from his personal money.

Cailpari’s Wildcats won the game 69 – 61 led by Anthony Davis who scored 18 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. The Cardinals were led by point guard Peyton Siva who recorded 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

Kansas closely edged-out Ohio State in a two-point victory, 64-62 to reach the championship game.

Ohio State’s main player all season, Jared Sullinger, struggled against the size and athleticism of the Jayhawks. He shot a measly 5 for 19 from the field while pulling down 11 rebounds.

The Jayhawks’ charge was led by the rock in the middle Thomas Robinson who recorded 19 points, shooting 8 for 18 from the field and grabbed 8 rebounds. Travis Releford chipped in 15 points; Elijah Johnson contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds and Tyshawn Taylor added 10 points and 9 assists.

David Mitch is a freelance sports journalist who focuses on football and basketball. You can follow him on twitter @dee_mitch.

Kentucky's defense limited Kansas power forward and leading-scorer Thomas Robinson (L) to just 11 points in their November 15 contest which the Wildcats won. (Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Kentucky and Kansas—the two winningest programs of all-time—prevailed in a memorable Saturday double-header at the Final Four and now meet with the championship on the line.

Kentucky took everything a motivated-Louisville could throw at them and more and still came away with a comfortable victory.

In the later game, Kansas and its now-customary slow start gave its fans their usual first-half heart attack before finding a way to come back and eke out a win in the final seconds—but not until squandering three different chances to seal it in the final minute.

The two wins bring us to the title game preview:

Final Game, Monday at 9:23 P.M.: Kentucky (37-2) versus Kansas (32-6).

Prediction: Kentucky tops Kansas 73–66 to cut the nets down for the eighth time in their storied history. Though it’s not shocking to predict the number-one ranked team to win (they were an early 6.5-point favorite) Kentucky should finalize its romp through the NCAA tournament with a win over surprising-Kansas: here is why:

1. Kentucky has shown no problem in dealing with the pressure that comes with being the favorites.

Head coach John Calipari had his Wildcats in a seemingly no-win, high-pressure situation Saturday playing in-state rival and major-underdog Louisville and the team passed with flying colors. The fourth-seeded Cardinals were not expected to win their regional, had revenge on their minds from the 69–62 New Year’s Eve loss in Lexington, and are coached by someone (Rick Pitino) who has a long-running rivalry with John Calipari and would have like nothing more than to ruin his best team ever.

Yet the Wildcats, who only got 23 foul-plagued minutes from second-leading rebounder Michael Kidd-Gilchrist showed little signs of jitter, hitting 57.1% of their shots and held steady even as Louisville tied the game at 49 with just over nine minutes remaining.

Second-seeded Kansas may not be quite the underdog that Louisville was but they’re not the equally motivated rival that the in-state Cardinals were either. The Wildcats handled their most-motivated opponent yet with relative ease.

2. Kansas center Jeff Withey’s shot-blocking will be negated by Kentucky center Anthony Davis’ even-better shot-blocking.

The biggest reason Kansas beat Ohio State was the fact that Withey negated the Buckeyes anchor on offense, power forward Jared Sullinger. Withey had roughly three inches on Sullinger and because Ohio State had no center for Withey to match up against he was on Sullinger all night, finishing with seven blocks (at least three were Sullinger shots) and altering several other shots.

Previously, the seven-foot Withey had three blocks against North Carolina, of which at least two led to fast-break opportunities and he had 10 blocks against North Carolina State prior to that game to will his team to a win.

But with Kentucky…

Kansas forward Thomas Robinson (0) will have more competition for rebounds now that Aaron Craft's (4) teammate Jared Sullinger will be playing. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The NCAA tournament has come to its final weekend with the playing of the Final Four. Both Saturday matches are rematches of earlier games this season and for those of you who were tired of a Cinderella crashing the party each of the last two years, these games are for you.

Game One: Kentucky (36-2) versus Louisville (30-9); Prediction: Louisville shocks its rival-Wildcats 74-71—Probably the worst matchup, as far as motivation goes, for Kentucky has to beat its in-state rival Cardinals. Three reasons why:

1. The Wildcats beat Louisville earlier this season, though their defense was impressive, and would love to make amends.

On New Year’s Eve 2011 the Wildcats took care of Rick Pitino’s Cardinals 69–62 in a horrid-shooting affair. Louisville actually held Calipari’s team to just 29.8 percent shooting though it only shot 32.3 percent themselves. The Wildcats though that were playing at home, out-rebounded Louisville 49–28, getting double-doubles from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (24 points, 19 rebounds) and Anthony Davis (18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocked shots).

The Cardinals kept the game close thanks to Russ Smith’s 30 points; granted, 8 of those points came in the final 12 seconds of the already-decided game.

2. Kentucky is the playing knowing they should win, being the better team, while Louisville is playing with house money.

Top-seeded Kentucky, should it win the title, would set the NCAA record for most wins in a season with 38, while its pair of losses were by a combined eight points—one of them a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. They clearly are the best team but sometimes due to pressure, overconfidence, or an off day the best team doesn’t always win; think Duke in 1999, UNLV in 1991, or Georgetown in 1985. It’s tough to be the best team in the regular season and maintain that through the postseason.

Furthermore, they’ve continued to cement their unbeatable reputation with four consecutive double-digit wins against tournament foes Western Kentucky (81–66), Iowa State (87–71), Indiana (102–90), and Baylor (82–70). Add in this week’s public comments by sports experts wondering if the Wildcats could beat an NBA team and the pressure has never been higher.

Fourth-seeded Louisville, on the other hand was not expected to get this far, especially after a six-game stretch from February to early March that saw it lose four times, dropping its record to 22-9. Much like eventual-champion Connecticut last year the Cardinals needed to have a good showing in the Big East Tournament and won it, while propelling them all the way to the Final Four. The pressure is still off them.

3. This is the ultimate spot for a team to beat their archrival. What better win could Louisville ever have than to spoil one of Kentucky’s best teams ever by shocking them in the Final Four, denying them a much-deserved championship in the process? This would be the ultimate victory by Louisville which has always been regarded as a second-tier program to the on-going juggernaut that the in-state Wildcats have been since Adolph Rupp took over in 1930.

Game Two: Ohio State (31-7) versus Kansas (31-6); Prediction: Kansas wins the rematch as well 79–77, heads to title game—This game will have a little bit different motivation/revenge factor. Ohio State lost the first time around, 78–67 in Lawrence, Kan., but the game had an asterisk next to it because of Ohio State star forward Jared Sullinger’s absence to due back spasms. The Buckeyes feel they got short-changed the first time around while Kansas is tired of hearing it beat a Sullinger-less Ohio State squad. Both have motivation for a win this time.

The All-American Sullinger…

North Carolina's trio of Harrison Barnes (L), Kendall Marshall (C), and John Henson (R) led the program to 61 wins over the last two seasons. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

A trio of North Carolina underclassmen, Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Kendall Marshall, will forego their remaining years of eligibility and enter the NBA draft, according to a release on the school’s website.

“It’s a great day for three youngsters who are taking another step toward their ultimate goal of playing professional basketball,” said North Carolina head coach Roy Williams “On a very small stage, it’s a sad day for me because I won’t get to coach them again. All Tar Heel fans will miss them greatly, as well.”

Anthony Davis (23) and Kentucky had a hard time hitting shots against Louisville in its first matchup, hitting just 17 of 57 shots for the game. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The NCAA tournament has come to its final weekend with the playing of the Final Four. Both Saturday matches are rematches of earlier games this season and for those of you who were tired of a Cinderella crashing the party each of the last two years, these games are for you.

Game One: Kentucky (36-2) versus Louisville (30-9); Prediction: Louisville shocks its rival-Wildcats 74-71—Probably the worst matchup, as far as motivation goes, for Kentucky has to beat its in-state rival Cardinals. Three reasons why:

1. The Wildcats beat Louisville earlier this season, though their defense was impressive, and would love to make amends.

On New Year’s Eve 2011 the Wildcats took care of Rick Pitino’s Cardinals 69–62 in a horrid-shooting affair. Louisville actually held Calipari’s team to just 29.8 percent shooting though it only shot 32.3 percent themselves. The Wildcats though that were playing at home, out-rebounded Louisville 49–28, getting double-doubles from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (24 points, 19 rebounds) and Anthony Davis (18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocked shots).

The Cardinals kept the game close thanks to Russ Smith’s 30 points; granted, 8 of those points came in the final 12 seconds of the already-decided game.

2. Kentucky is the playing knowing they should win, being the better team, while Louisville is playing with house money.

Top-seeded Kentucky, should it win the title, would set the NCAA record for most wins in a season with 38, while its pair of losses were by a combined eight points—one of them a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. They clearly are the best team but sometimes due to pressure, overconfidence, or an off day the best team doesn’t always win; think Duke in 1999, UNLV in 1991, or Georgetown in 1985. It’s tough to be the best team in the regular season and maintain that through the postseason.

Furthermore, they’ve continued to cement their unbeatable reputation with four consecutive double-digit wins against tournament foes Western Kentucky (81–66), Iowa State (87–71), Indiana (102–90), and Baylor (82–70). Add in this week’s public comments by sports experts wondering if the Wildcats could beat an NBA team and the pressure has never been higher.

3. This is the ultimate spot for a team to beat their archrival. What better win could Louisville ever have than to spoil one of Kentucky’s best teams ever by shocking them in the Final Four, denying them a much-deserved championship in the process? This would be the ultimate victory by Louisville which has always been regarded as a second-tier program to the on-going juggernaut that the in-state Wildcats have been since Adolph Rupp took over in 1930.

Next: Game Two

For a recent history refresher, in 2010, little-known Butler shocked the world by winning its region for the first time ever and then nearly shocked tradition-rich Duke in the championship game.

The next season, Butler surprised everyone by advancing back to the Final Four and was joined by even lesser known Virginia Commonwealth, also making its first appearance.

This season there are no Cinderellas remaining. The teams have a combined 49 appearances in the Final Four and 13 national championships.

Even the lowest seeded participant, fourth-seeded Louisville, is coached by one of the game’s most successful coaches Rick Pitino, who has been to college basketball’s most exclusive weekend six times with three different teams.

Louisville itself has a proud history, thanks mostly to Pitino and his predecessor Denny Crum. Crum took the Cardinals to six Final Fours himself, winning the title in 1980 and 1986.

Thad Matta is making his second appearance with Ohio State, having lost to Florida in the 2007 title game with Greg Oden at center.

Though the school is known more for its prowess on the football field, the Buckeyes are one of just six programs that have more than 10 appearances (11) in the Final Four and even cut the nets down in 1960 with Jerry Lucas as tournament MVP.

Kansas’s Bill Self got just his second Elite Eight victory in seven tries Sunday but the Jayhawks have been this far 14 times in their storied history. Their proud history includes 55 regular season conference championships and 2,069 wins all-time, second only to Kentucky’s 2,090.

The Wildcats have been a consistent winner as well. While 10 the UCLA Bruins’ 11 titles came in one 12-year stretch with arguably the greatest coach ever, John Wooden, Kentucky has had four different coaches win titles in four different decades.

Thomas Robinson became the first unanimous selection since Blake Griffin in 2009. (Eric Francis/Getty Images)

The NCAA men’s basketball AP All-American team was announced Monday with Kansas junior forward Thomas Robinson becoming the first unanimous selection since 2009.

Also on the first team were Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, Michigan State’s Draymond Green, and Creighton’s Doug McDermott.

Robinson currently leads the Jayhawks in points per game at 17.9 and ranks second in the country in rebounding at 11.8 per contest.

Sophomore Jared Sullinger is the only repeat member from last season, averaging 17.6 points and 9.6 rebounds for the Final Four-bound Buckeyes.

Kentucky freshman center Anthony Davis has made a splash this year leading the Wildcats with per game averages of 14.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.6 blocked shots.

Draymond Green, the lone senior on the team put up team highs of 16.2 points per contest and 10.2 rebounds for the Spartans.

Anthony Davis (L) scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked 6 shots as Kentucky advances to their second straight Final Four. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The Kentucky Wildcats (36-2) went on a 33–5 run midway through the first half to blow open this South Regional final matchup Sunday and then maintained a double-digit lead throughout the remainder of the contest to beat Baylor (30-8) 82–70 and advance to the Final Four.

The Final Four appearance is the second straight for the Wildcats and the school’s 15th all-time.

“I’m really proud of these guys. The first half was a great defensive performance,” said Kentucky head coach John Calipari, whose team held the Bears to just 22 points in the opening half as the Wildcats led by 20 at the break.

Meanwhile the loss for Baylor is the second time in the last three seasons Scott Drew’s program lost in the Elite Eight, falling to eventual-champion Duke in 2010.

Four Kentucky players scored 12 or more points led by forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s 19.

SEC Player of the Year Anthony Davis scored 18 and had team-highs of 11 rebounds and 6 blocked shots but appeared to injure his knee after taking a fall early in the second half. After going to the bench for a minute, the 6-foot-11-inch Davis returned to the game, much to the delight of the pro-Kentucky crowd.

Davis and the rest of the Wildcats will take on their in-state rivals, the Louisville Cardinals Saturday in the Final Four.

Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor scored 22 points as Kansas makes it to its second Final Four under head coach Bill Self. (Andy Lyons/Gety Images)

The Final Four appearance for Bill Self is his second at Kansas having won the title in 2008.

“Well it was anyone’s game for the first 32 minutes or whatever and then we got some consecutive defensive stops, which we hadn’t been able to get the first 30 minutes and made a ton of plays down the stretch,” said Kansas head coach Bill Self, according to the NCAA’s website, after his team scored the final 12 points.

This year’s clash of the schools with the second (Kansas) and third most (North Carolina) wins all-time was marred by Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall’s absence. Marshall, who ranks second in the country with 9.8 assists per game and is imperative to the team’s high-scoring offense, had surgery Monday to repair a right wrist fracture.

“We know as a group we caught a break today with Kendall not playing,” said Self.

In Marshall’s absence Friday against Ohio, the Tar Heels committed 24 turnovers and needed overtime to win. Against Kansas Sunday they came out strong on offense, scoring 47 points in the first half as the teams went into the break all tied up.

Kansas which trailed 61–60 with 11:52 remaining allowed just six points the rest of the way and were able to manage some foul trouble by their post players, center Jeff Withey and power forward Thomas Robinson.

Kansas now will play Ohio State Saturday in New Orleans.

Kendall Marshall (L) is not only second in the NCAA in assists at 9.8 per game, he had averaged 14.8 points per game over his last six games. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Friday night brings the second day of the Sweet 16 round and with that, some more intriguing matchups. Here we’ll break down the games and offer a prediction. Onto the previews:

South Region Game One, 7:15 pm, EST: (3) Baylor (29-7) versus (10) Xavier (23-12)—That Baylor is even in position to make the regional finals for the second time in three years is amazing considering where the program was after the severe sanctions levied against the Bears that hampered recruiting when current coach Scott Drew took over in 2003.

This season the talented Bears, featuring among others former five-star prospects Quincy Miller and Perry Jones, have been a consistent team to predict. While their record against Kansas and Missouri, the best of the Big 12 and toughest teams on their schedule, was just 1-5 they won the games they were supposed to going 28-2 against everyone else.

In their one win against Kansas two weeks ago, guard Brady Heslip proved to be the difference, hitting four of six 3-point attempts. Heslip followed that up with four 3-pointers against Missouri, five in their NCAA tournament opener against South Dakota State and then nine against Colorado to power the Bears in to the Sweet 16.

Xavier counters with good guard play of its own from senior Terrell Holloway and Mark Lyons who rank No. 1 and 2 on the team in scoring at 17.4 and 15, respectively.

The team has rebounded nicely from the December brawl against Cincinnati. Following that in-game fight the then-eighth-ranked Musketeers suspended four players a total of 11 games. Xavier proceeded to lose five of its next six games and drop out of the polls, but rebounded in time to make the tournament.

As long as it keeps Heslip from having another career day, they are a more mentally tough team and should pull off the upset. Prediction: Xavier 77, Baylor 73.

Midwest Region Game One, 7:47 pm, EST: (1) North Carolina (31-5) versus (13) Ohio (29-7)—There’s really one major factor that will determine how far this talented Tar Heels team goes this postseason and that is the right wrist of sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall.

Marshall’s status for Friday, after having surgery Monday to repair a broken bone in his wrist suffered Sunday against Creighton, is still up in the air and will likely be a game-time decision.

Marshall is key to UNC’s success. When he took over point guard duties last season, North Carolina was plodding along at 12-5 and didn’t have quite the offensive spark that a Roy Williams-coached team usually has. With Marshall at the helm, the Tar Heels won 17 of their last 20 games and made the regional finals.

The team has continued its run this season in winning the ACC title and Marshall has again been at the center of it, ranking second in the country in assists at 9.8 per game.

On paper, Ohio would definitely benefit from Marshall’s absence. The Bobcats main strength is perimeter defense ranking fourth in the country (338 teams) in steals per game at 9.3, sixth in turnover margin at 4.2, and 11th in 3-point percentage allowed at 29.3.

Odds are that the left-handed Marshall will play as the injury is to his off-hand. Prediction: North Carolina 79, Ohio 64.

The Hoosiers will need a big game from Cody Zeller (L) to get past Anthony Davis (R) and the Wildcats for a second time this season. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

South Region Game Two, 9:45 pm, EST: (1) Kentucky (34-2) versus (4) Indiana (27-8)—The sequel to one of the best played games of the regular season is finally here as the Wildcats look to avenge one of their two losses on the year.

Indiana, which led most of the second half, in that first matchup, but needed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win it at the end, put itself back in the national spotlight with the win. Considered one of the country’s top programs, the Hoosiers had failed to make it to the postseason three straight seasons following significant sanctions resulting from former coach Kelvin Sampson’s short tenure.

The Hoosiers have some good, young players, most notably forward/center Cody Zeller who leads the team with averages of 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Zeller totaled 11 points and 7 rebounds in that game against the Wildcats and benefited from Kentucky freshman-sensation center Anthony Davis’s foul trouble. Davis, who averages team-highs of 14.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.6 blocks picked up his fourth foul of the game with more than 15 minutes remaining in the second half and ended up well below his season average with just six points.

Though Indiana is a good team, it will have Kentucky’s full attention in this one. The player of the year candidate Davis, who missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity that could have won the first game, will especially be ready to make up for his subpar performance. Prediction: Kentucky 77, Indiana 68.

Midwest Region Game Two, 10:17 pm, EST: (2) Kansas (29-6) versus (11) North Carolina State (24-12)—After pulling off upsets against San Diego State and Georgetown in its first two tournament games the Wolfpack is rewarded with a date against powerhouse Kansas.

As intimidating as the Jayhawks and their 2,067 all-time wins (second only to Kentucky) are, they haven’t been that stellar in the pressure-filled tournament under coach Bill Self, aside from their 2008 national championship.

Last year, Self’s 35-3 squad lost to Virginia Commonwealth in the regional finals and two years ago his 33-3 team was upended by Northern Iowa in the round of 32—hardly the mark of a great program. And these two performances are just a few years removed from its back-to-back first round upsets at the hands of Bucknell and Bradley in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

This tournament the Jayhawks again found themselves playing below the level of their opponent against Purdue Sunday night. Somehow, though, they found a way to eek out a victory in a game they probably didn’t deserve to win.

Look for bounce-back games from Kansas stars Tyshawn Taylor and Robinson (combined 6/23 shooting against Purdue) in this one as a relieved Kansas plays freer. Prediction: Kansas 78, North Carolina State 68.

Cincinnati will be counting on a big game from Yancy Gates (dunking) to upend Ohio State. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The NCAA’s sweet 16 round is finally upon us with four games Thursday evening, so it’s time for some predictions on which team is going to win.

Trying to guess the winners for this year’s tournament has been pretty rough, thus far. With Lehigh beating second-seeded Duke hours after Norfolk State did the same to 30-win Missouri it is likely that no one out there had a perfect bracket after just one round.

Judging past performance is just one of the ways to predict the outcome of these games but with Mike Krzyzewski’s (who has appeared in 11 Final Fours and won 4 national titles) team already out that theory loses some credence. Other ways to predict include who is playing well, who looks more motivated, and what matchups look favorable. With that in mind here are Thursday night’s predictions:

East Region Game One, 7:15 pm, EST: (1) Syracuse (33-2) versus (4) Wisconsin (26-9)—After squeaking by UNC-Asheville in their opener the Orange played with a bit of a chip on its shoulder in the second half of their 75–59 win over Kansas State. Perhaps the constant doubting of its team after struggling to win without Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year Fab Melo the game before was the reason for its suddenly determined play Saturday against the Wildcats.
The Badgers have been a bit of a mystery team this year. The team was ranked 15th in the preseason as it returned star guard Jordan Taylor. The senior has not had near as good of a season this year though as he did last year, as his scoring has dropped from 18.1 to 14.7 points per game, while his shooting percentages are down across the board.

Fortunately though Wisconsin’s defense ranks No. 1 in the NCAA, out of 338 teams, in points allowed at 52.9 points per contest, yet it struggles to score, putting up just 64 points a game.

Look for a low-scoring affair that the Orange will ultimately come out on top. Prediction: Syracuse 61, Wisconsin 56.

West Region Game One, 7:47 pm, EST: (1) Michigan State (29-7) versus (4) Louisville (28-9)—With tournament coaching stalwarts Tom Izzo withsix Final Fours, and one title and Rick Pitino (five Final Fours, one title) roaming the sidelines, this should be a well-played game on both sides.

On paper, the Spartans do just about everything well, ranking second in the NCAA in field-goal percentage defense at 37.9 percent, fifth in rebound margin at a difference of 8.3 per game, and ninth in scoring margin at 13.0. They also have do-everything forward Draymond Green who leads the team in scoring (16.3), rebounding (10.5) and even assists (3.9).

On the other side, the Cardinals defense is right there with the Spartans in allowing just 37.9 percent of its opponent’s shots to fall. One difference though is that the Big East schedule, with sub-par seasons by Pittsburgh, Villanova, and even Connecticut was not up to its usual high standards while the Big Ten saw five of its 12 members seeded 4th or better in the field.

Should be another close, low-scoring affair with the Spartans edging them out in the end. Prediction: Michigan State 66, Louisville 61.

East Region Game…

VCU Coach Shaka Smart is 84-28 in three years with the Rams. (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

VCU Coach Shaka Smart turned down a $2.5 million offer to become the head coach at Illinois University, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times.

“There are great things to accomplish at VCU and I’m looking forward to building on the successes of our program and university” Smart said, according to a report on VCU’s website.

“Coach Smart recognizes—as do the rest of the university community, alumni and fans—that VCU is the place to be right now,” said VCU President Michael Rao.

Smart, 34, lead VCU to an unprecedented trip to the Final Four last year—the first in the school’s history—and followed that up with a 29-win season this year, his third at the school.

Moe Harkless led all Big East freshmen in rebounding at 8.6 per contest. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

St. John’s freshman guard/forward Moe Harkless announced Monday his intentions to declare for the NBA draft, according to a report on the school’s website.

“Moe has chosen to take the next step in his career to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA. Moe and his mother Rosa know that we are thankful for his contributions to the St. John’s basketball program and respect his wishes to pursue a professional playing career,” said St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin.

Gordon Hayward’s (R) last second half-court shot against Duke rimmed out, ending one of the most improbable tournament run in NCAA history. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Every year the NCAA Tournament provides some upsets. Some are bigger than others. When the bigger upsets continue into the later rounds the team, usually a small and somewhat-unknown school, is termed a “Cinderella.”

With the first week of this year’s NCAA Tournament over, just three “Cinderella” teams are left: 13th-seeded Ohio, 11th-seeded N.C. State, and 10th-seeded Xavier. Ohio is clearly the biggest “Cinderella” of the three of them though as N.C. State, while it hasn’t been to the tournament since 2006, is a much bigger school. And though Xavier may be a mid-major, its made the tournament 11 of the last 12 seasons.

With that in mind, what were the biggest Cinderellas since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985? For purposes of ranking them, how far the school goes, what seed they were in the tournament, how good or poor their basketball tradition is, the size of the school, the prestige of their conference, and how memorable the run was all are taken into account. Onto the list:

10. Gonzaga, 1999, Seeded 10th finished with a 28-7 record; Beat (7) Minnesota 75–63, (2) Stanford 82–74, (6) Florida 73–72, Lost in Regional Finals to (1) Connecticut 67–62: The first of now 14 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament this run originally put the team on the map. In coach Dan Monson’s final season the Bulldogs entered the tourney with just one prior appearance (1995). They left courtesy of the national champion Huskies.

9. Rhode Island, 1998, Seeded 8th finished with a 25-9 record; Beat (9) Murray State 97–74, (1) Kansas 80–75, (13) Valparaiso 74–68, Lost in Regional Finals to (3) Stanford 79–77: Head coach Jim Harrick was in his first season at Rhode Island when the team pulled off this unexpected run. Featuring guards Cuttino Mobley and Tyson Wheeler the main part of the Rams’ run was stunning 35-4 Kansas in the second round. Two games later, the team was poised to make the Final Four as it actually led Stanford 66–60 with two minutes remaining before Cardinal guard Arthur Lee scored 13 points in the final 120 seconds to key make a dramatic comeback win.

8. LSU, 1986, Seeded 11th finished with a 26-12 record; Beat (6) Purdue 94–87, (3) Memphis State 83–81, (2) Georgia Tech 70–64, (1) Kentucky 59– 7, Lost in National Semi Finals to (2) Louisville 88–77: The Tigers were just 9-9 in the SEC in 1986—good for a fifth-place finish—when they made their surprising run to the Final Four, becoming the lowest seed ever to advance that far. Nearly every win was a shocker but the biggest was beating Kentucky—who had already beaten them three times already that season.

7. Loyola Marymount, 1990, Seeded 11th finished with a 26-6 record; Beat (6) New Mexico State 111–92, (3) Michigan 149–115, (7) Alabama 62–60, Lost in Regional Finals to (1) UNLV 131–101: The Lions made headlines that year in averaging 122.8 points per game and set a tournament record with their 149 points and 21 3-pointers against Michigan in the second round. All this despite playing in the tournament just a couple weeks after teammate Hank Gathers on-court collapse and subsequent death.

6. Davidson, 2008, Seeded 10th finished with 29-7 record; Beat (7) Gonzaga 82–76, (2) Georgetown 74–70, (3) Wisconsin 73–56, Lost in Regional Finals to (1) Kansas 59–57: Davidson guard Stephen Curry’s coming out party came in these four games as he had 40 points against Gonzaga, 30 against Georgetown helping the team erase an 11-point halftime deficit, 33 against Wisconsin, before Kansas slowed him to just 25 points, though the Wildcats got off a guarded 3-pointer at the buzzer that just missed.

5. Villanova, 1985, Seeded…

Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine has calmly helped the Orange advance to the Sweet 16, despite Fab Melo's absence. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Two games into a tournament chock full of upsets, the Syracuse Orange have survived the Cinderellas and are into the round of 16. Though it’s usually expected that the best teams survive the first weekend, it’s certainly not a given.

As soon as the number-one seed is slapped on a team, expectations suddenly rise and any mistakes are greatly exaggerated.

The pressure can easily buckle a team.

Fortunately for head coach Jim Boeheim’s squad they have a nice distraction this season that tempers expectations and gives the team an us-against-the-world mentality—the absence of Big East Defensive Player of the Year Fab Melo.

After their brush with NCAA tournament history Thursday, in which the Orange needed a second-half rally to avoid becoming the first top-seed to lose to a 16-seed, Boeheim found himself answering questions about his center rotation in absence of Melo. “The fact that this game was close had nothing to do with the center position,” said Boeheim according to the NCAA’s website.

Two days later his team methodically dispatched a Kansas State squad, one that had bested third-ranked Missouri twice this season and won at Baylor, by a comfortable 16-point margin. Though the Wildcats were close at times in the second half, guard Scoop Jardine kept his cool and the team prevailed, rather handily.

Said the guard regarding the team’s mindset when Kansas State took an early second-half lead, “We don’t get too high. We don’t get too low. We stay right there.”

Would the addition of Fab Melo and his 2.9 blocks per game have helped the team in their first two games? On paper, it’s a no-brainer. The seven-foot Melo controls the paint on defense and would seem to have neutralized Kansas State’s center Jordan Henriquez who went off for 14 points and 17 rebounds Saturday against the suddenly-soft middle of the Syracuse zone.

Despite that performance, the deeply-talented Orange ‘stayed right there’ as Jardine said, and calmly executed their game plan.

Historically speaking, Syracuse hasn’t always ‘stayed right there’ in the pressure of the NCAA tournament.

Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, this season is the just the second time that Syracuse has garnered a number-one seed. The last time was two years ago, when mid-major Butler, a number-five seed, took them down in the sweet 16.

Though the Bulldogs came within a last-second shot of winning the title that year, the 30-5 Orange were the better team on the season and the loss was certainly an upset.

A closer look at their NCAA tournament history shows a disturbing trend.

The Orange have been a number-two seed five times (’86, ’87, ’89, ’90, ’91) with a respectable combined record of 11-5 in those games. But only twice did they play to their seed (advancing to the regional finals) during those five times and in 1991 they made history by becoming the first two-seed to lose to a 15th-seed.

Up next for Syracuse is a clash with Wisconsin, in which the Orange will have to ‘stay right there’ with Badgers’ guard Jordan Taylor to win.

With another top-seed billing for Roy Williams's club in 2012, Williams now has 10 career No. 1 seed appearances in the NCAA tournament and has advanced to the Final Four in four of the previous nine times. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

With the 2012 NCAA tournament now underway, chances are most college basketball fans have filled out their tournament predictions and entered their brackets in a pool.

Plenty of casual fans have likely filled out theirs as well, and though they probably haven’t seen a minute of basketball this season, it won’t matter much. Why? Most fans who’ve followed the game and tournament for even as little as a few years already know this: The sudden-death, neutral-court format that is the NCAA tournament is virtually unpredictable—hence the term “March Madness.”

Unlike professional sports, where the teams who had the best regular season get home-court advantage in the playoffs, NCAA top teams instead find themselves at neutral sites. Though any team’s fans can show up and root for their favorite, most neutral fans at these sites root for the unexpected—the upset.

Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the only sure bet has been that each top seed would advance to the round of 32, having never lost. Yet, picking the top seeds to advance to the Final Four is not a sure thing.

From 1985 to 2011, 45 top seeds made it to the Final Four in 108 chances. Just 42 percent of teams the selection committees had determined to be the best on a yearly basis even made it out of their region, and only once during that period (in 2008) did all four top teams meet in the Final Four together.

During that time and up to the present day, four programs have separated themselves as far as garnering top seeds: Duke (12 times), North Carolina (10, 11, including 2012), Kansas (10), and Kentucky (8, 9, including 2012) have combined to make up 40 of those 108 top-seed bids. Yet, even these monster programs have lived up to their seeding just 19 of those 40 times.

North Carolina has been the surest proposition of all of them, winning their region 7 of 10 times as a top seed over the span of four different coaches. Only the 1987, 1994, and 2007 teams failed to make the Final Four as No. 1 seeds.

The current coach of the Tar Heels, Roy Williams, has advanced his team out of its region three times in four tries as the No. 1 seed, after going just one-for-five in his time at Kansas.

Thanks to his record at Kansas, as well as current coach Bill Self’s one-for-four mark, the Jayhawks are one of the worst teams at wilting under the pressure of high expectations. Of those 10 top-seed appearances, KU won its region just three times.

Though Mike Krzyzewski has 11 Final Four appearances to his credit (most since 1985), the Blue Devils have only made it out of its region half the time, advancing in 6 of their 12 No. 1 seed tries.

Their most famous regional win was in 1992 against Kentucky, when Christian Laettner’s fadeaway jumper at the buzzer gave them a chance to repeat as champions. Kentucky hasn’t fared well as top seed either. Only in three of their eight times as the No. 1 seed has Kentucky ran the table in its region, while failing in each of their last three bids (2010, 2004, and 2003).

Syracuse defenders C.J. Fair (L) and Brandon Triche (R) forced Big South Conference Player of the Year Matt Dickey (C) into missing 12 of 13 shots. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The Syracuse Orange (32–2) rallied from a halftime deficit to beat the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs (24–10) 72–65 Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh.

“In the second half I asked the two guys sitting next to me [Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph] to step it up. They both did, and that turned the game around,” said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, according to the NCAA’s website.

Jardine scored 7 of Syracuse’s first 11 points of the second half and finished with 11 points and 7 assists, while Joseph scored 10 of his 12 after halftime and added a team-high 8 rebounds.

The game was far from ideal for Syracuse, who were without the services of center and Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year Fab Melo. Boeheim insisted the problems weren’t with his centers though. “The fact that this game was close had nothing to do with the center position,” he said.

The Orange trailed through much of the first half and went in to the locker room at the half down 34–30. Surely the thought of being the first top seed ever to lose to a No. 16 seed entered their minds, or at least Boeheim’s.

Boeheim was on the Syracuse sidelines 21 years ago, when his second-seeded Orange became the first team ever to lose to a No. 15 seed, courtesy of Richmond, in a 73–69 loss.

This year was different though, as Syracuse went on a 19–9 run early in the second half to take a 52–48 lead with 8:34 left. They wouldn’t trail again.

UNC-Asheville made one final run to tie the game at 54–54, with 6:42 left on a jumper by Jaron Lane. The Bulldogs did this despite guard Matt Dickey’s 1-of-13 shooting day. Dickey, the Big South Conference Player of the Year this season, finished with a season-low five points on the day and missed eight of his nine attempts from 3-point land.

Syracuse went back ahead and never trailed again, though there was a little controversy before it all ended.

Ahead 62–58 with 1:20 left, the Bulldogs fouled Scoop Jardine to put him on the line for a one-and-one opportunity. After missing the front end of it, UNC-Asheville guard J.P. Primm was called for a lane violation, after running in for the rebound from beyond the 3-point line before the ball had hit the rim.

The little-known rule had the crowd up in arms, especially after Jardine made the most of his second opportunity by hitting two free throws.

Then, after the Bulldogs cut the lead to 64–61 with less than a minute remaining, they pressured the inbounds player into a bad pass that looked like it hit off Syracuse guard Brandon Triche before going out of bounds.

Triche appeared to collide with a UNC-Asheville player right when it went off his hands. However, the referees ruled, right in front of the Bulldogs bench, that it went off UNC-Asheville instead, and Syracuse got the ball back.

Syracuse will now play Kansas State on Saturday in the round of 32.

Bucknell's Donald Young celebrates the team's first-ever tournament win-a 64–63 shocker over Kansas in 2005. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

With the NCAA men’s basketball round of 64 starting Thursday “March Madness” is officially in full gear. Naturally the reason for the madness is the sudden-death format where one bad game can cost a team—any team—their season. And with every game televised, every moment, and every shot is magnified.

The most exciting games in the early rounds are the ones where the lower-seeded smaller schools upset the heavy favorites. Here are the 10 biggest first round upsets since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985:

10. (14 seed, 21–14 record entering game) Ohio 97, (3 seed, 23–10) Georgetown 83, 2010 – Almost as amazing as beating the Hoyas in the first round was the way Ohio did it. Getting into the tournament by way of winning the MAC tourney, the Bobcats led by as many as 19 points in the second half, shot 58 percent from the floor and hit 13 of 23 3-point attempts.

Senior guard Armon Bassett led the charge scoring 32 points while playing all 40 minutes.

Georgetown, in addition to their shoddy defense, turned the ball over 18 times on the day.

9. (13 seed, 20–10) Bradley 77, (4 seed, 25–7) Kansas 73, 2006 – The second of multiple tournament upsets Kansas fans have endured in the Bill Self era, the shocking part was not just that it happened to KU, but that it was their second straight opening round ouster.

The young Jayhawks (no upperclassmen starters) got off to a 3–4 start to the season, but the team rallied to win a share of the conference title.

Bradley, clearly not intimidated by the name on the opponent’s jersey, led almost from the get-go. Senior forward Marcellus Sommerville scored a game-high 21 points as the Braves out-rebounded KU 31–29 and had 17 assists to the Jayhawks’ 11. Bradley would prove the win was no fluke by beating Pittsburgh in the second round to advance to the regional semifinals.

8. (13 seed, 24–6) Vermont 60, (4 seed, 27–6) Syracuse 57 (OT), 2005 – Though Syracuse had had some disappointing tournament results (see number one on our list), they were not expected to lose to a team that hadn’t even won a tournament game in their history. The Catamounts had made the “Big Dance” twice previously, but they boasted senior forward Taylor Coppenrath, who averaged 25.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

Syracuse countered with guard Gerry McNamara and forward Hakim Warrick—two major contributors from the national championship team in 2003.

McNamara had a tough day at the office, hitting just 4 of 18 shots as Vermont, who saw all five starters play 40 or more minutes, prevailed in overtime.

7. (15 seed, 21–8) Coppin State 78, (2 seed, 24–7) South Carolina 65, 1997 – Eddie Fogler’s Gamecocks had won 19 of 21 games heading into their first-round affair with the Eagles as 30-point favorites, whose best player, Terquin Mott, was limited by a sprained ankle.

Despite the bum ankle, Mott contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Eagles took a 55–54 lead with just over six minutes left and never looked back. The win was the third ever by a number 15th-seed.

6. (15 seed, 24-6) Hampton…

Jim Boeheim's (R) Orange went 29-1 with Fab Melo (L) in the lineup this season and 2-1 without him. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Syracuse center Fab Melo did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh and will not take part in the NCAA tournament because of an eligibility issue, according to a Syracuse release. The school offered no details on the reasons, citing university and federal privacy laws.

Melo, a 7-foot-tall sophomore, was named the Big East Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in blocked shots in regular season conference games at 3.7 per game. His presence in the lineup is a major key to its defense.

Melo was held out of three games for the same vague reasons in late January. During that stretch the Orange (31-2) lost its first game of the season, a 67–58 defeat to Notre Dame.

Despite the field’s expansion to 68 schools last year, Washington (21-10) became the first team to win the regular season title in a BCS conference and not get invited to the dance. The Huskies went 14-4 to win the Pac-12 title outright, but after falling in the conference tourney opener to Oregon State, they were left out. The slumping basketball conference received just two bids in Colorado (23-11), which won the conference tourney, and California (24-9), which made one of the four play-in games.

Kentucky and North Carolina received top-seed honors despite losing in their respective conference tournament title games Sunday. Missouri won the Big 12 tournament title in their final year in the conference and, despite winning 30 games on the season, failed to get their second top-seed bid since the field expansion to 64 teams in 1985.

Syracuse center Fab Melo slams home two of his seven points. He also added six rebounds. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Syracuse Orange (31–1) came back from an eight-point second-half deficit to down Connecticut (20–13) 58–55 in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

Syracuse guard Dion Waiters scored eight of his team-high 18 points in a 14–5 run that gave the Orange a 48–47 lead with 5:45 left. It was a lead Syracuse would not relinquish in their Big East Tournament opener.

The Huskies, playing their third game in three days, lost for the first time in eight games at the annual conference tourney since 2010.

Connecticut guard Shabazz Napier, who scored a team-high 26 points in Wednesday’s overtime win against West Virginia, led the Huskies with 15 points. Guard/forward Jeremy Lamb scored 10 points while playing all 40 minutes, after logging 43 and 39 minutes the previous two days.

Temple football coach Steve Addazio led his team to a 9-4 record last year, their last in the MAC. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Temple University will join the Big East Conference in football for the 2012 season and in all sports for the 2013–2014 academic season, according to a report on the school’s website Wednesday.

Temple’s football program had previously been a member of the Mid-American Conference since 2005. Over the last three seasons the Owls suddenly competitive program has compiled a 26-12 record.

The rest of the athletic programs will leave the Atlantic 10 conference following the 2012–2013 season.

Red Storm players (L-R) God'sgift Achiuwa, Moe Harkless, Phil Greene, and Jamal White appear tired late in the game Tuesday. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

New York—Moe Harkless scored a team-high 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as his Red Storm (13-19) bowed to Pittsburgh (17-15) 73–59 in the opening round of the Big East Tournament Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

“The story was we had plenty of good looks, we just didn’t finish,” said Red Storm coach Mike Dunlap.

The loss likely ends the season for the Johnnies who shot just 33.3 percent (22-66) from the field.

Harkless was the exception, hitting 10 of his 16 shot attempts but starting guards Phil Greene and D’Angelo Harrison had a rough go of it, hitting just 4 of a combined 25 shots. In addition, reserve forward God’sgift Achiuwa missed all but one of his 10 attempts from the field.

Despite all that, St. John’s actually led 26–20 with five minutes remaining in the first half. To that point, Harkless (13 points) and Harrison (8 points) had 21 of the team’s 26 points.

The Red Storm suddenly went cold though as Pittsburgh outscored them 13–2 to end the first half. St. John’s never led again.

“We had them right where we wanted them,” said Dunlap regarding their first-half lead.

All is not lost though for the young Johnnies. With an all-freshman starting lineup and transfer guard Jamal Branch set to play next season, in addition to junior forward Achiuwa and any incoming freshmen, the future looks bright.

“The seeds are there,” said Dunlap. “Now to add to them and advance forward.”

How the advancement will proceed is unknown as head coach Steve Lavin hasn’t been on the bench since November as he recuperates from surgery. Lavin, who has been on the road recruiting in the meantime, has seen his team perform remarkably well, given the unusual circumstance of having to replace last year’s entire team.

Next year, the bar will be higher.

Moe Harkless (4) was named Honorable Mention All-Big East Sunday. (Chris Chambers/Getty Images)

St. John’s freshman forward Moe Harkless was named Big East Honorable Mention Sunday as well as to the conference’s All-Rookie team, where he joined teammate D’Angelo Harrison.

Harkless averaged 15.0 points per game and led all conference freshmen, along with Providence’s LaDontae Henton in averaging 8.6 rebounds per contest.

Harrison not only led the Red Storm in scoring at 17.0 points per contest but also was tops among Big East freshmen.

“Moe and D’Angelo are clearly deserving of these Big East honors,” said St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin.

“Their insatiable appetite to improve as basketball players has led to a breakthrough in performance this season. Additionally these young men have demonstrated the ability to persevere through the rigors of a Big East season. The Johnnies’ future is bright with our ‘Fresh Five’ and company as its core.”

William Buford (44) of Ohio State drilled the game-winning jumper with one second remaining. (Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Ohio State senior William Buford hit a guarded jumper just inside the three-point line with one second left to push the Buckeyes (25-6) past Michigan State (24-7) 72–70 Sunday afternoon in East Lansing, Michigan.

The two points for Buford, the Buckeyes’ only starting senior, gave him a game-high 25 points. On the other side, Draymond Green led Michigan State with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

The win leaves Ohio State and Michigan State tied with Michigan at 13-5 for a share of the conference title.

The Ohio State win seemed somewhat improbable in the first half as Tom Izzo’s Spartans led by as many as 15 points. By halftime the lead had shrunk to 38–29 and then finally Ohio State regained the lead with just under 10 minutes left at 52–51.

D'Angelo Harrison scored a team-high 21 points in the loss. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

St. John’s freshmen guard Phil Greene scored a career-high 18 points, but it wasn’t enough as the the Pittsburgh Panthers (16-14) defeated the St. John’s Red Storm (13-17) Wednesday night 89–69 in Pittsburgh.

The loss for the Red Storm snapped their three-game winning streak and put them at 6-11 in the Big East. On the other side, Pittsburgh’s win snapped a five-game losing streak and moved them to 5-12 in conference play.

St. John’s leading-scorer, freshman guard

Both Missouri (black uniforms) and Texas A&M (white uniforms) are leaving the Big 12 for the SEC next season. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Big 12 Conference announced settlements with departing schools Missouri and Texas A&M in separate releases on the conference’s website.

Both Missouri and Texas A&M will depart the conference on June 30, 2012 and head to the SEC. The conference will withhold an estimated $12,410,000 from revenue from each of the schools that would normally be due to them.

In addition, Missouri agreed to waive any claim of any benefits received by the Big 12 from its television contract with Fox Sports, which is scheduled to commence July 1, 2012. Texas A&M however, will receive a portion of those benefits.

Draymond Green scored 29 points in the loss for the Spartans. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Five Hoosiers scored in double-figures Tuesday night as Indiana (23-7) topped Michigan State (24-6) 70–55 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.

The loss for the Spartans snapped a seven-game win streak that had catapulted them to the top of the Big Ten at now 13-4. Michigan State has already clinched at least a tie of the conference title and can win it outright with another win.

Michigan State was led by forward Draymond Green’s 29 points and 8 rebounds, though the Spartans were already down by double-digits at halftime (41–27) and got no closer than a six-point deficit in the second half.

Moe Harkless won his second Big East Rookie of the Week honor. (Chris Chambers/Getty Images)

St. John’s freshman forward Moe Harkless was awarded the Big East Rookie of the Week for the second time this season Monday, according to a release on the school’s website.

Harkless averaged 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in two games (both were wins) for the Red Storm over the past week.

First, in the team’s 79–72 win over DePaul last Monday, Harkless scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds—good for his third straight double-double and 11th of the season.

Then on Saturday, Harkless posted team-highs of 22 points and 9 rebounds in the Red Storm’s 61–58 upset over Notre Dame.

Currently, Harkless’s 15.9 points per game average is second in the conference among freshmen while his 8.7 rebounds per game leads all Big East freshmen.

Thomas Robinson (R) scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Kansas' 87–86 overtime win against Missouri Saturday. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

10. Baylor (24-5)—Bears are 0-4 against Kansas/Missouri this season, but 24-1 against everyone else and head into final week of Big 12 regular season looking for the three-seed in the conference tourney. This week: versus Texas Tech (Monday), at Iowa State (Saturday). Previous: NR

9. Murray State (28-1)—The Racers finished out the conference’s regular season at 15-1 and won their bracket buster convincingly against 23-5 St. Mary’s with a 65–51 win on February 18. Now they’ll enjoy a double-bye in their conference tournament this week. This week: Ohio Valley Conference Tournament (Friday). Previous: NR

8. Missouri (25-4)—Tigers had rough week against sunflower state losing Wednesday to Kansas State at home (78–68), then blowing all of 19-point second-half lead in epic overtime loss at Kansas (87–86) Saturday. This week: versus Iowa State (Wednesday), at Texas Tech (Saturday). Previous: 3

7. Marquette (24-5)—Golden Eagles have lost just once since falling at Syracuse on January 7th, and currently sit at 13-3 in the Big East with two of the league’s top-five scorers in guard Darius Johnson-Odom (18.4 per game) and forward Jae Crowder (17.4). This week: at Cincinnati (Wednesday), versus Georgetown (Saturday). Previous: 8 (tie)

6. North Carolina (25-4)—Carolina, like Duke, needs a mid-week win to set up what would be a winner-take-all contest Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium between the two longtime, bitter rivals. This week: versus Maryland (Wednesday), at Duke (Saturday). Previous: 7

5. Duke (25-4)—After narrowly escaping 15-14 Virginia Tech at home in overtime Saturday, Blue Devils continue to be mystery team at Cameron Indoor Stadium going just 4-2 in their last six games there with three single-digit wins over unranked teams. This week: at Wake Forest (Tuesday), versus North Carolina (Saturday). Previous: 5

4. Michigan State (24-5)—At 13-3 in the Big Ten, the Spartans have claimed at least a share of the conference crown, thanks in large part to forward Draymond Green and his team-leading 15.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this season. This week: at Indiana (Tuesday), versus Ohio State (Sunday). Previous: 6

3. Kansas (24-5)—Jayhawks’ incredible comeback against Missouri Saturday (were down 58–39) clinches eighth straight Big 12 title, but could set team up for ‘trap’ game Monday at 14-15 OSU. This week: at Oklahoma State (Monday), versus Texas (Saturday). Previous: 3

1. Kentucky (28-1)—Kentucky’s freshman center Anthony Davis continued his march towards national Player of the Year honors with his 28-point, 11-rebound, 6-blocked shots effort in the Wildcats’ 83–74 win over Vanderbilt Saturday. This week: versus Georgia (Thursday), at Florida (Saturday). Previous: 1

(L-R) D'Angelo Harrison No. 11, Phil Greene No. 1, and Sir'Dominic Pointer No. 15 led the Red Storm to its third straight win Saturday. (Chris Chambers/Getty Images)

Freshman forward Moe Harkless scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the St. John’s Red Storm (13-16) to a 61–58 win over Notre Dame (20-9) Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

The win was the third straight for the Johnnies and snapped a nine-game winning streak by the Irish.

St. John’s, which started an all-freshmen lineup for the ninth time this season, never trailed in the contest and led by as many as 14 points in the second half, though they had to stave off an Irish rally late in the game.

With just over 13 minutes left the Irish whittled away a 45–31 deficit all the way down to 59–58 with just 44 seconds remaining courtesy of a layup by Notre Dame forward Scott Martin. The deuce gave Martin a team-high 18 points on the day.

On the Johnnies’ ensuing possession, the team ran the shot clock all the way down before forward Amir Garrett found his way through the defense for a driving layup with nine seconds left.

“He made a heck of a shot,” said Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey.

The Irish had a chance to tie the game at the other end but the game-tying, 3-point attempt by guard Alex Dragicevich was off.

“We didn’t deserve it (an overtime shot),” said Brey who noted the Johnnies got more ‘50-50’ balls.

Notre Dame finished an abysmal 4/31 (12.9 percent) shooting from behind the arc.

“Obviously the stat sheet shows they weren’t able to make their 3s,” said St. John’s assistant coach Mike Dunlap.

The Red Storm plays its next-to-last regular season Wednesday evening at Pittsburgh (15-13).

Moe Harkless has double-doubles in three straight games for St. John's. Chris Chambers/Getty Images

QUEENS—Amir Garrett posted career-highs of 18 points and nine rebounds as the St. John’s Red Storm (12-16) defeated Depaul (11-16) Monday night at Carnesecca Arena.

The win is the Johnnies second straight following four consecutive losses and puts them at 11th in the 16-team Big East with a 5-10 record. Though they’re not on course for an NCAA tournament bid the numbers are still impressive for a team that plays just six players, of which five are freshmen.

Add to that the fact that the five starters (all freshmen) each logged between 33-40 minutes just two days earlier makes this win a little more remarkable.

“Quick turnaround in less than 48 hours and the heavy minutes that we played tonight that’s the story for us we played with a lot heart and we were able to play with them on the glass we took good care of the ball against a pressing team we were scrappier in the second half and that’s why we won,” said assistant coach Mike Dunlap afterwards.

Guard D’Angelo Harrison led the balanced scoring attack with 23 points, while adding six assists and five rebounds. Four players scored double-digits for the Red Storm who held a slim lead for most of the second half following a back-and-forth first half.

“With four people in double figures, that’s lovely, and [Sir’Dominic Pointer] had nine which is balanced scoring. They can’t focus on no one in particular when we’re playing like this, so that makes us even more of a threat,” said Harrison afterwards.

St. John’s next game is Saturday at noon against Notre Dame (19-8) at Madison Square Garden.

D'Angelo Harrison (11) is fired up after a big play Saturday against UCLA. (Chris Chambers/Getty Images)

NEW YORK—D’Angelo Harrison scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds as St. John’s (11-16) edged out the tradition-rich UCLA Bruins (15-12) Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden 66–63.

The win snaps a four-game losing streak overall as the Johnnies remain at 4-10 in the Big East.

In addition, the win is the first in two tries for head coach Steve Lavin against his former employer, who still wasn’t on the bench coaching as he recovers from surgery, but is doing what he can to help his program.

Said the 47-year old after the win, “The key defensively was the Johnnies’ effectively swarming Josh Smith like bees on honey. The collective effort to collapse into the basket area forced UCLA to live mostly with perimeter shots. Offensively the fellas played with both a confident and intelligent approach.”

The aforementioned Smith, UCLA’s 6’10” 305 pound sophomore center, scored the Bruins first four points off of a pair of dunks but ended with just 13 for the day, despite the fact that no one on the Red Storm is listed within 70 pounds of him (Achiuwa being closest).

Whatever it was, assistant coach Mike Dunlap was happy, “The fact of the matter is we didn’t feel good about the Seton Hall game (94–64 loss on Tuesday).”

The Red Storm can certainly feel good about this one.

Center Fab Melo (dunking) has been a major force for Syracuse this season, leading the team in blocks (3.0) and rebounds (5.5). (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

10. Georgetown (20-5)—Hoyas rank 123rd in the country in scoring at 70.3 points per game, but their defense has held conference opponents below 60 points six times this season. This week: at Seton Hall (Tuesday), versus Villanova (Saturday). Previous: 10

8. (tie) Ohio State (22-5)—With losses the past two Saturdays to Michigan (56–51) and Michigan State (58–48) the Buckeyes have fallen out of first but can climb back up if they win their four remaining games. This week: versus Illinois (Tuesday), versus Wisconsin (Sunday). Previous: 6

8. (tie) Marquette (22-5)—Golden Eagles continue to soar under the radar having won 10 of their last 11 games to put them in second-place in the 16-team Big East at 11-3. This week: versus Rutgers (Wednesday), at West Virginia (Friday). Previous: 10

7. North Carolina (23-4)—Tar Heels have responded with three straight wins following heart-breaking loss to Duke and remain tied (10-2) at the top of the ACC. This week: at North Carolina State (Tuesday), at Virginia (Saturday). Previous: 7

Probably defensive player of the year Anthony Davis (L) is also Kentucky's leading scorer. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

6. Michigan State (22-5)—Big Ten-leading Spartans have won five straight games while their three conference losses (11-3 in the Big Ten) have been by an average of just three points. This week: at Minnesota (Wednesday), versus Nebraska (Saturday). Previous: 8

5. Duke (23-4)—After a five-game conference stretch in late January/early February where the Blue Devils lost two home game (versus Florida State and Miami), Duke has rebounded with four straight wins. This week: at Florida State (Thursday), versus Virginia Tech (Saturday). Previous: 5

4. Kansas (22-5)—Kansas starting center Jeff Withey scored zero points against arch-rival Missouri earlier this month, but has averaged 17.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.8 blocks in four games since then. This week: at Texas A&M (Wednesday), versus Missouri (Saturday). Previous: 4

3. Missouri (25-2)—Tigers avenged one conference loss last week (Oklahoma State) and have a chance at the other one Tuesday, but Saturday’s contest will determine Big 12 Championship. This week: versus Kansas State (Tuesday), at Kansas (Saturday). Previous: 3

2. Syracuse (27-1)—With the win over Rutgers Sunday, the Orangemen have now won seven straight and are 25-0 with center Fab Melo this season. This week: versus South Florida (Wednesday), at Connecticut (Saturday). Previous: 2

Scoop Jardine (L) hit a pair of big shots late in the game to beat Rutgers. Chris Chambers/Getty Images

Syracuse senior guard Scoop Jardine scored 17 points to lead the Orange (27-1) to a 74–64 win Sunday at Rutgers (12-15). Included in that total were five crucial points that turned a 64–62 nail-biter with just under three minutes remaining to a more-comfortable 69–62 lead with just over a minute remaining.

The win marks the seventh straight for Syracuse.

Forward C.J. Fair scored a team-high 21 points for the Orange, and hit all eight of his free throw attempts. Along with center Fab Melo’s six-for-eight free throw shooting, Syracuse as a team was 21/31 overall at the line while Rutgers attempted just 11, hitting nine of them.

Rutgers sophomore forward Gilvydas Biruta led the team with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Rutgers as a whole though struggled against the defense of Syracuse, hitting just three of 18 three-pointers.