Basketball Team

Mathematician Tim Chartier has the best job on Earth once a year: when the NCAA men's basketball tournament begins, so does March Mathness. His telephone rings, he's on the radio, he's talking to ESPN, and for once he can explain what exactly he does for a living at North Carolina's Davidson College. “For the first time in my life I can talk about what I'm doing, on a higher level, and people understand,” Chartier said. What Chartier does is use complex math to win the Final Four pool on a regular basis.

"Survive and Advance," which premieres Sunday on ESPN as part of its excellent "30 for 30" series of sports documentaries, is a sweet and moving depiction of the sweet and moving story of the 1983 North Carolina State men's basketball team, the Wolfpack, and its colorful coach, Jim Valvano. You will need a handkerchief or two to get through it, unless you are some sort of soulless, inhuman monster. Directed by Jonathan Hock ("Unguarded"), it is a tale of great deeds, inspiring speeches, comical sound bites and big, long hugs in what was a legendary time for college basketball - the days when Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing were still in school and players tended to stick around for three or even four years of play rather than taking off early for the pros: "The games were better," says University of North Carolina Coach Roy Williams.

If the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team has a home away from home, it is Bellingham, Wash. Since Greg Kamansky became Cal Poly's coach, the Broncos have won all eight games they have played at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the campus of Western Washington University. Cal Poly would like to extend that streak by three games at the NCAA Division II West Regional. The Broncos, 27-2 and regular-season and tournament champions of the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., are seeded No. 2 in the regional.

Sure, the criticism hurts. But I do it for the good people of Los Angeles and make no apologies to those living in the hinterlands who don't understand. As you know so well from experience, I'm only here to praise our local teams and support them the best way I can. I think you would agree no one has spent more time pumping up the Choking Dogs over the years than I have. I have found nice things to write about Jim Buss, which is darn near impossible. I don't see anyone else trying it. I've got Dwight Howard hugging me, Chris Paul inviting me to his home and Jim Mora making eyes at me, or at the very least rolling them.

These Bulldogs are no longer underdogs.  Gonzaga University's basketball team on Monday rose to No. 1 for the first time in school history. Gonzaga topped the weekly USA Today coaches' poll, earning 29 first-place votes. Indiana is second, followed by Kansas, Duke and Georgetown. Rounding out the top 10 are Louisville at No. 6 followed by Miami, Michigan, Florida and Kansas State. UCLA, despite defeating Arizona for a second time, still can't crack the coaches' top 25. The Bruins rank second this week among “others receiving votes,” right behind Middle Tennessee.

Khalil Edney went from goat to hero in a matter of microseconds. With his New Rochelle High basketball team trailing rival Mt. Vernon by two in the final seconds of the New York Section 1 Class AA state final, Edney heaved the ball downcourt on an inbound pass. After being batted around, that pass was picked off by a Mt. Vernon player, who then tossed the ball toward a teammate on the other end of the court. With Mt. Vernon players already starting to celebrate as broadcasters proclaimed them champs, Edney snagged the ball out of the air with one hand and immediately put it up from 55 feet away just as time expired.

1979-80 FINALS Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 2 An old dog, a new trickster and birth of 'Showtime' "Showtime" began as 20-year-old rookie Magic Johnson inspired this talented team to first in the Pacific Division. After four close games in the Finals, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 33, turned in a 40-point performance in Game 5 despite spraining his ankle. With Abdul-Jabbar out, Johnson stepped up in Game 6 with 42 points and 15 rebounds. The Team: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Magic Johnson, Norm Nixon, Jim Chones, Spencer Haywood, Michael Cooper, Mark Landsberger, Ron Boone, Kenny Carr, Don Ford, Brad Holland, Marty Byrnes, Ollie Mack, Butch Lee. The Coach: Jack McKinney/Paul Westhead Season record: 60-22 Playoff record: 12-4 :: 1981-82 FINALS Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 2 A nascent dynasty finds renewed life with Riley The Lakers came into the season smarting from a surprising loss to Houston in the first round of the 1981 playoffs.

The California Sports Hall of Fame has announced its 2013 inductees: Kings legend Luc Robitaille, San Diego Padres star Tony Gwynn, track star Florence Griffith-Joyner, football icon Joe Montana, former USC football coach John Robinson and diver Greg Louganis. They will be inducted June 9 at the Ontario Convention Center. “We are proud to continue our tradition of recognizing incredible Californians who have made outstanding contributions at the highest level in sports,” said Christian Okoye, the founder of the California Sports Hall of Fame.

Colorado tight end Nick Kasa told ESPN Radio Denver on Wednesday that he was asked questions about his sexuality by at least one team at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "They ask you like, 'Do you have a girlfriend? Are you married? Do you like girls?' Those kinds of things, and you know it was just kind of weird. But they would ask you with a straight face, and it's a pretty weird experience all together," Kasa said.  On Thursday, Michigan State running back Le'Veon Bell said that he was asked similar questions.  "Yeah, yeah, no question, just like that," Bell told WDFN The Fan. "There was definitely a couple weird questions.

Most NBA players still get excited to play in Madison Square Garden. Golden State's Stephen Curry channeled that extra energy into a NBA season-high 54-point performance Wednesday night. Curry was 18 of 28 from the field and finished one shy of the NBA record with 11 three-pointers made in 13 attempts. Unfortunately for him, the Warriors lost to the New York Knicks, 109-105. Playing all 48 minutes, Curry finished with seven assists and six rebounds while passing his previous career best of 42 points, and eclipsing Kevin Durant's 52-point performance that had been the best in the NBA this season.