Michigan State Powers Past Temple

The 11th-seeded team upsets No. 1 seed Kansas 71-61

(AP) - Jamie Skeen scored 26 points and 11th-seeded Virginia Commonwealth is crashing the Final Four after the upset of the NCAA tournament, shocking No. 1 seed Kansas 71-61 today. So doubtful were the Rams of even making the tournament that they didn't watch the selection show. Two weeks later, they're Houston-bound after an incredible takedown of the last No. 1 seed. More»

Or maybe the men's NCAA tournament field should include all 347 teams

(NEWSER) - The NCAA's interest in expanding the men's basketball tournament from 65 teams to 96 has met with almost universal scorn, but the bottom line will clearly dictate the path the all-American rite of spring takes. For some, even 96 teams isn't enough. "It's going to make putting a bracket together a little complicated," writes Jason Gay, but "why not go for it—invite every one of the current 347 NCAA Division I schools"? More»

(NEWSER) - Now Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green can head to the NBA feeling good about their decision to return to school. The upperclassmen led North Carolina to its fifth national championship with an 89-72 blowout of Michigan State tonight in Detroit, reports the AP. "We've been working so hard since last year when we fell short," said Ellington, named most outstanding player. "I wanted to redeem myself. We worked so hard." 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»

(NEWSER) - Despite a lack of surprises on the court, the first day of March Madness saw a huge jump in visits to the CBS website as well as a bump in TV ratings, the Business Insider reports. The 2.7 million viewers of streaming video online represented a 56% increase over last year, and each visitor watched about an hour of content. On the broadcast end, ratings rose 9% over 2008. More»