Marquette Strikes Blow to 'Nova's Hopes

St. Mary's upsets second-seeded Villanova

(AP) - Northern Iowa upset overall No. 1 seed Kansas tonight in Oklahoma City, 69-67, sending a Missouri Valley team to the round of 16 for the first time since Larry Bird led Indiana State to the final in 1979. The Panthers led almost the whole way. Ali Farokhmanesh had missed six straight 3-pointers in the second half but never stopped shooting, knocking one down with about 36 seconds left to deflate Kansas. The gritty guard added a pair of clinching free throws with 4.8 seconds left. More»

President picked winner in ESPN entry last year

(AP) - President Obama predicts Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, and Villanova to be the final four teams in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament. Obama filled out a bracket for ESPN for the second consecutive year. This time, he's also making picks for the women's tournament, selecting Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford, and Tennessee. More»

Popularity has sucked all the charm out of the tournament

(NEWSER) - In the '60s and '70s, the NCAA tournament was boring because UCLA seemingly always won. These days, "instead of UCLA winning it every year, there are now between five and nine UCLAs that can win it every year," Charles Pierce writes for Slate. "It's just as sterile and dynastic as it used to be." It’s oligarchy rather than monarchy, but it feels just as stale. More»

(AP) - The Wildcats had it all the way. Dante Cunningham scored 18 points Saturday, helping Villanova reach the round of 16 for the fourth time in 5 years with an 89-69 victory over UCLA that ended the Bruins' bid for a fourth straight Final Four appearance. Corey Fisher and Reggie Redding each had 13 points for the third-seeded Wildcats (28-7), who will play the Texas-Duke winner in the East Region semifinals in Boston. More»

Conference hasn't lived up to its reputation in recent years

(NEWSER) - With March Madness upon us, the hype machine is cranking up again about the Big East, with powers like Louisville, Connecticut, and Pittsburgh. Mike Celizic covered the conference’s period of dominance in the 1980s, but he’s no longer convinced, he writes for NBC Sports. The league has won only two NCAA basketball championships this century, fewer than the Atlantic Coast Conference and tied with the Southeastern. More»