Love Is All UCLA Needs Against 'Zona

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»

(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»

North Carolina junior sweeps MVP awards; Parker takes women's honor

(NEWSER) - He already earned an armful, but Tyler Hansbrough took one last bit of brass Friday night. The North Carolina junior won the John R. Wooden Award as college basketball's top player, giving him essentially a sweep of the season's individual honors, including The Associated Press college basketball player of the year award. "It means a lot," said Hansbrough, who finished fifth in the voting for the award last year. More»

Bruins return for the third straight year

(NEWSER) - UCLA is back in the Final Four for the third straight year. In Thursday's win over Western Kentucky, Bruins fans chanted "Keeeeeff" as James Keefe led the charge. Today, they were back to "Loooooc" as Luc Richard Mbah a Moute shook off a bad ankle to help spark the Bruins past Xavier 76-57, reports the Los Angeles Times. More»