Michigan State

UCLA scored a victory before playing a minute in the NCAA tournament. The seventh-seeded Bruins will play No. 10-seeded Michigan State on Thursday in Tampa, Fla., in a Southeast Region second-round game. The Spartans are a brand-name opponent and figure to get UCLA's full attention. Had the Bruins been matched against a nondescript mid-major team, they would have been ripe for an upset. If UCLA can get past Michigan State, the Bruins would play either second-seeded Florida or No. 15-seeded UC Santa Barbara.

Nobody predicted the number of headlines Butler would make a season ago. Nobody knew the abundance of articles analyzing how North Carolina would tank. Northern Iowa wasn't on anyone's radar. Predictions are easy to make in the preseason and hard to justify in the postseason, but the 2010-11 NCAA basketball season promises some interesting story lines. The season has tipped off this week, the start of a long journey to Houston for four teams. Here is a glimpse at some of what we can expect this season: Duke, the sequel Duke was the favored but unpopular pick in last season's NCAA championship game against Butler.

A look at what are expected to be some of the top games of the college basketball regular season: Michigan State at Duke, Dec. 1 This Big Ten/ACC Challenge meeting could preview the national title game. Kentucky vs. North Carolina, Dec. 4 The Tar Heels are eager to show they're new and improved. The Wildcats want to show they're new and just as good. Illinois at Gonzaga, Dec. 4 Gonzaga's stacked frontcourt will be a test for the jet-lagged Illini.

Boise State sat home Saturday while the six other undefeated schools hit the road. Only two of the home teams hit back, but it was exciting enough to raise a few cackles and reduce to five the pool of unblemished candidates ? setting up what could be a November, December and maybe January to remember. Michigan State and Missouri, undefeated until Saturday, were routed at Iowa and Nebraska, (dis) respectively. The kings, for now, remain seated and in command. USC gave No. 1 (in the polls)

It was a new week but the same story for the Bowl Championships Series, with a team the poll voters have not endorsed jumping to No. 1 in the standings. Last week, Oklahoma leapfrogged Oregon and Boise State to claim the top spot in the initial BCS standings before losing Saturday at Missouri. This week's No. 1 is Auburn, which used a 24-17 win over No. 6 Louisiana State to assume this very precarious position. In the last three weeks, three No. 1 schools have fallen.

It's not the most stress-free season to be a Michigan State fan. The No. 8 Spartans edged another opponent this week to remain undefeated at 8-0, this time scoring 28 points in the second half ? including 21 in the fourth quarter ? to squeak by Northwestern, 35-27. "If you want to win championships," said Michigan State Coach Mark Dantonio, who was back on the sideline after working the previous two games in the press box following his heart attack. "If you want to go 8-0, we've got to do it the hard way at some point.

? The Michigan State Spartans huddled in the locker room around Don Treadwell's BlackBerry not long after their 34-24 victory over No. 11 Wisconsin on Saturday, eager to hear a special message. From his Sparrow Hospital bed a few miles away, Coach Mark Dantonio had been watching as his No. 24 Spartans (5-0) delivered their most complete effort of the season against one of the Big Ten's elite. It was difficult for all in the 100-plus crowd to hear what he had to say, but the most important part came through loud and clear.

Michigan State Coach Mark Dantonio had to sit out his team's 34-24 upset win over 11th-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday. Still recovering from a Sept. 19 heart attack, he was supposed to watch from the Spartans Stadium press box. Instead, he watched on television from a hospital bed. Michigan State announced before the game that the coach had been admitted Thursday after a routine examination revealed a blood clot in a leg. Cardiologist Chris D'Haem , who initially treated Dantonio by putting a stent in a blocked blood vessel, said in a statement released by the school that a clot was "not uncommon" after such a procedure.

Steve Kerr won't return as general manager of the Phoenix Suns, despite building a team that made a surprising run to the NBA's Western Conference finals. Kerr told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the decision was solely his and not the result of any disagreements with owner Robert Sarver . He said he is "exploring a couple of possibilities" to return to television work. Kerr's contract expires at the end of June. He had said he expected to work out a new deal with Sarver.

Tom Izzo has another suitor. Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis told the Associated Press on Monday the Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in replacing fired coach Mike Brown with Izzo. "There is not a contract offer on the table," Hollis said in a telephone interview. "Last week, there was talk that Chicago and New Jersey were interested. If I was anywhere but at Michigan State, I would be interested in Tom too, because he's the best coach in college basketball."