Ncaa Basketball Tournament

There was no secret about what the Fresno State women's basketball team does well. There was almost as little secret about what California was intent on shutting down. The fourth-seeded Golden Bears held a Bulldogs team that had made as many as 16 three-point baskets in a game this season to a mere four in a 70-47 first-round NCAA tournament victory Saturday at the Galen Center. The 13th-seeded Bulldogs were leading the nation in three-pointers per game, averaging 9.5.

Heather Bowman scored 14 of her 23 points in the second half, and 12th-seeded Gonzaga (27-6) won its first NCAA tournament game in school history with a 74-59 upset of fifth-seeded Xavier (25-7) in the first round on Saturday at Seattle. No. 4 Pittsburgh 64, No. 13 Montana 35: Shavonte Zellous scored 15 of her 31 in the first half for the Panthers (24-7) at Seattle. Montana (28-5) scored only 10 second-half points, tying a tournament record. No. 11 Mississippi State 71, No.

Did Hackett get hacked? That's a question USC fans will ask for a while. The image of Daniel Hackett flying toward the basket, seemingly about to tie the score in Sunday's NCAA tournament second-round game against Michigan State, was followed by one of Trojans Coach Tim Floyd rolling around on the Metrodome floor like a hound dog with fleas. On such moments, tournament travel plans are made.

You could understand a Walton beating USC in 1972, but not on a Sunday this year in Minneapolis. Bill, yes. Travis, no. Michigan State knocked USC back to Los Angeles and out of the NCAA tournament, 74-69, using a secret weapon not even Coach Tom Izzo knew the Spartans had. "I was shocked that he made some of those shots," he said.

Less than eight years ago, Joanne Boyle was in a hospital bed in North Carolina, worried she might be "a vegetable" after a brain hemorrhage left the Duke assistant coach unable to speak or walk at 38. On Monday, she guided the California basketball team she has coached for four seasons into the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 with a 99-73 second-round victory over Virginia at the Galen Center. "I'm so excited. I'm so proud of my team," Boyle said.

Something is wrong when a United States president, facing crises that threaten the globe, can pick 14 of the 16 teams left in the NCAA tournament. Something is amiss a lot worse than UCLA's, uh, miss against Villanova, when a 13-year-old boy, in five minutes between finishing his homework and making chocolate milk, can nail 13 out of 16. And his dad, the "expert," looking for nuance and romance in the bracket, suddenly seeks annulment for his ill-advised marriage to Dayton.

A look at tonight's NCAA regional semifinals. All times Pacific: No. 4 Xavier (27-7) vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh (30-4), 4:15 p.m. -- Xavier has defeated Portland State, 77-59, and Wisconsin, 60-49. The Musketeers also own wins over Missouri and Memphis, so they know they can hang with the nation's best teams. Xavier is one win away from its second consecutive Elite Eight despite coming into the tournament 5-5 in their previous 10 games. Leading scorer B.J. Raymond averages only 14.

This season's NCAA tournament games have caused television ratings to skyrocket and made the blood flow, whether it runs Cardinals red or Carolina blue. Like last season, four teams seeded No. 1 are alive in this week's regionals, including Louisville and Pittsburgh, who shrugged off upset-minded underdogs to maintain order in the brackets yet entertain CBS audiences. What's missing is the NBA draft audition. As much debate took place last season about which player would be the No.

Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun said he and the university are looking into a Yahoo Sports report claiming the school broke NCAA rules during the recruitment of former basketball player Nate Miles, but he added Miles is not at Connecticut and his team remains focused on the NCAA tournament.

Pittsburgh is back in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1974 after an ugly 60-55 win over Xavier that might be described, in NCAA tournament parlance as: survive and Levance. Senior guard Levance Fields scored two key baskets in the final minute Thursday night -- a long three-pointer and a layup off a steal -- to lift top-seeded Pittsburgh to the East regional semifinal at TD Banknorth Garden. "I never get tired of watching Levance take big shots," Pitt Coach Jamie Dixon said.