Virginia Commonwealth

The Lakers tried and failed to lure Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski away from Durham, N.C., in 2004. On Wednesday, during a news conference leading up to the NCAA West Regional at Honda Center, Krzyzewski, 64, again reiterated his love for Duke and said he's not interested in leaving. However, he did say that of the three times he almost left to coach in the NBA, the Lakers' offer was the one he took most seriously. "They were great with me," he said. "I could not give up what I've got, what I have at Duke.

News flash. A Ben Howland-coached team will never beat a Billy Donovan-coached team or any other coach who knows how to use his athletes. The difference is that while premier coaches find the balance between unleashing their athletes and playing controlled, fundamental basketball, Howland recruits blue chip athletes and constrains them in a very staid, conservative system. It's no wonder that athletic, skilled players who excel in high school explode in the NBA after taking a detour at UCLA.

With Kemba Walker and Connecticut headed to the Final Four after finishing ninth in the Big East, it's time to consider opening the tournament to everybody. … The regular season already has been rendered virtually meaningless, and quadrupling the size of the field to 256 teams, for instance, would add only one week to the tournament. … The regular season might benefit too because, with tournament bids guaranteed, coaches presumably would be more inclined to schedule nonconference games against quality opponents.

Reporting from Houston It's been tough keeping with up the college sports scandals this week. They come almost hourly. The Fiesta Bowl turned out to be a real fiesta involving strip clubs. Ohio State opened spring football practice amid allegations involving Coach Sweater Vest. Auburn football players told HBO they were paid sacks of cash for making sacks. New NCAA President Mark Emmert probably wished he'd worn a flak jacket to Thursday's state-of-the-union news conference.

It takes only one word to describe the extra touch of lunacy in this year's March Madness. That word is: Gonzaga. With the NCAA men's basketball tournament set to begin this week, the small Jesuit university is the nation's No. 1-ranked team, ahead of traditional powerhouses Duke, Indiana and Kansas. The Bulldogs' lofty status epitomizes a season that has produced no clear-cut favorites. A dozen or more teams have a solid chance to win the championship. Lesser names such as St. Louis and Virginia Commonwealth rank as legitimate dark horses.

A look at USC's first-round NCAA tournament game against Virginia Commonwealth STARTERS VCU; Ht; Wt ;Stats; Pos.;USC; Ht; Wt; Stats D.J. Haley; 7-0; 250; 1 ppg; C ;Alex Stepheson; 6-10; 250; 10 ppg Jamie Skeen; 6-9 240; 15.3 ppg; F; Nikola Vucevic; 6-10; 260; 17.3 ppg Ed Nixon; 6-4; 210; 7.4 ppg; G; Marcus Simmons; 6-6; 220; 5 ppg Bradford Burgess; 6-6; 225; 14 ppg; G ;Donte Smith; 5-11 ;180; 9.9 ppg Joey Rodriguez;...

USC's thin lineup was thinned out Wednesday night here, as the Trojans lost player after player late in their first-round NCAA tournament game against Virginia Commonwealth. Making a comeback without bodies seemed impossible, and the Trojans indeed could not, falling to the Rams, 59-46. VCU (24-11) earns the No. 11 seed in the Southwest Regional and will advance to play Georgetown (21-10) at 6 p.m. PDT Friday at the United Center in Chicago. Photos: USC vs. Virginia Commonwealth USC's 2010-11 season ends with a record of 19 wins and 15 losses in the first game back for USC Coach Kevin O'Neill after he was suspended one game last week for an altercation.

UCLA today vs. Virginia Commonwealth When: 11:30 a.m. PST. Where: Madison Square Garden. On the air: TV: ESPN2. Radio: 570. Records: UCLA 3-1, VCU 3-1. Record vs. VCU all-time: 1-0. Update: UCLA's final two NIT opponents are the same teams it played in the 2009 NCAA tournament, only in reverse order. Virginia Commonwealth's Eric Maynor missed a last-second shot the last time the Rams played UCLA, allowing the Bruins to escape with a 65-64 victory.

USC has advanced to the NCAA tournament and the Trojans (19-14) will face Virginia Commonwealth University (23-11) on Wednesday in a first-round game in Dayton, Ohio. If the Trojans beat the Rams, they will face sixth-seeded Georgetown (21-10) in Chicago in a second-round game on Friday. USC has never faced Virginia Commonwealth or Georgetown. Two victories and USC would play the winner of third-seeded Purdue and 14th-seeded St. Peters. The Trojans' tournament resume was boosted by five wins against teams ranked in the top 50 of the Ratings Percentage Index and a schedule that ranked 39th nationally in terms of strength.

Roger Grunwald's acting career has taken him to off-Broadway stages and the set of the soap opera "One Life to Live. " He certainly has reason to smile. But in all seven of his professional headshots, his lips are sealed shut. "Being in the performing arts, a crooked smile doesn't do you any good," says the middle-aged New York City actor. Most distressing was a particular tooth that protruded from his lower jaw. So about three years ago, he went to an orthodontist and got outfitted with braces.