Charlie Bell

Doc Robinson made a tiebreaking three-point basket with 24.4 seconds to play and Scott Pohlman added two free throws to help No. 4 Auburn end a 14-game losing streak against No. 20 Kentucky with a 66-63 Southeastern Conference victory Tuesday night at Auburn, Ala. It was Auburn's first victory over Kentucky (10-5, 1-1 in the SEC) since 1990 and ended the Wildcats' six-game winning streak. Auburn improved to 14-1 and 2-0.

Seton Hall was riding a three-game winning streak when it ran into a somewhat lame, but very game No. 6 Connecticut on Sunday at Hartford, Conn. The Huskies (15-4, 4-3 Big East) rallied behind scoring leader Khalid El-Amin, who had been nursing a deep thigh bruise, to defeat the Pirates, 66-56. El-Amin said by Sunday morning he wasn't sure if he could play. "I just wanted to go ahead and give it a shot," said El-Amin, who led the Huskies with 16 points.

* How they got there: Defeated Alabama State, 69-35, and Fresno State, 81-65, in the first two rounds of the South Regional at Memphis, Tenn.; defeated Gonzaga, 77-62, in the regional semifinals and Temple, 69-62, in regional final at Atlanta. * Leading tournament scorers: Andre Hutson 14.3 points a game; Charlie Bell, 13.8; Jason Richardson 11.5; Zach Randolph 9.0. * Leading tournament rebounders: Hutson 9.8; David Thomas 7.0; Randolph 6.8.

Now it's Philadelphia's turn to chase Chicago. Andres Nocioni finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds and Ben Gordon added 21 points to lead the Bulls past the 76ers, 99-92, on Wednesday night at Philadelphia, supplanting them in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. "We're the hunted and they're going to be coming after us," Bull Coach Scott Skiles said.

How best to prepare for Florida's fierce full-court press? Try practicing five-on-seven, a trick Michigan State has used all season. "In practice, we always try to make it harder than it's going to be in the game," guard Charlie Bell said. The Florida press isn't the typical go-for-broke scheme content to give up layups in exchange for steals and an up-tempo game. "I've been really impressed," Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo said. "Sometimes presses are really mad-dog presses.

Loren Woods, Arizona's 7-foot-1 center, will sit out the first six games of the season for a violation of NCAA rules, pending an appeal, and did not accompany his teammates to the Maui Invitational. The school made the announcement Saturday night, saying that Woods will be eligible to return for a Dec. 9 game at Connecticut unless the NCAA reverses itself and allows him to play. "I'd rather start the season without him than finish it without him," Arizona Coach Lute Olson said Sunday.

* How they got here: Defending national champion Michigan State returned to the Sweet 16 with ease, beating Alabama State by 34 points and Fresno State by 16. The bracket around the Spartans dissolved, with no team seeded higher than No. 7 Penn State joining them. The Nittany Lions won with defense, putting the clamps on Joseph Forte and helping force 22 turnovers in a second-round upset of North Carolina. Penn State beat Providence in its opening game.

David Thomas was Michigan State's unexpected hero Sunday, and he played with people other than his teammates in mind. His mother has breast cancer and is preparing to undergo radiation. His grandmother has had two heart attacks, and cousin, Wayne, only 38, is dying of lung cancer. "I played for them," Thomas said. "It's been on my mind constantly." Thomas, a senior, had scored only 20 total points in 12 previous NCAA tournament games, but had 19 Sunday.

McDonald's Corp. said Wednesday that first-quarter profit rose, exceeding analysts' estimates, helped by U.S. sales and a tax gain. In a preliminary earnings statement, the world's largest restaurant chain said net income was 56 cents a share, up from 40 cents in the same period a year earlier. Sales at restaurants open at least a year rose 6.8% in March and 4.6% in the period. Sales in the U.S. climbed 5.2% in the quarter as free samples lured customers to restaurants.