For the fourth time this tournament, Syracuse used a suffocating, overwhelming, impossible-to-figure-out defense to earn a victory. After losing by three points at Marquette back on Feb. 25, the Orange exacted revenge on their Big East rival, 55-39, to earn a trip to the Final Four.The Golden Eagles found zero space to operate against the Orange, shooting 22.6 percent from the field and 3-of-25 from long range in the frustrating loss.Jim Boeheim's squad won on ...

Fans must think of spring practice as an inventory of what resources you have and how effective they'll be. Such is the case for Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney coming into his fifth spring practice.The thing is, not all inventory problems will be solved through a month of spring practice, which is merely step one in the process of building a team capable of BCS contention.And not all of the position battles will be solved ...

Two squads will punch the last two Final Four tickets on Sunday in a pair of heavyweight matchups that feature plenty of star power, both on the floor and on the sidelines. Florida faces Michigan in a matchup that pits one of the best offenses in the country against one of the best defenses. The Wolverines rank No. 1 nationally in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com, while the Gators rank No. 2 in defensive efficiency. ...

UCLA is the homecoming queen now in her late 20s wondering why the guys don't line up at her door anymore. She's still pretty, still luring some decent fellas, but she can no longer have whatever she wants. Eventually, she realizes she has to settle.UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero had to settle on Saturday when he hired Steve Alford. When the Bruins fired Ben Howland last week, Alford is not what they had in mind.The ...

In my most recent mock draft, I have Trey Burke going 13th to the Dallas Mavericks, but that mock was done before Burke hoisted his team on his back on Friday night, carrying them to the Elite Eight.Barring something completely unforeseen, you can bet Burke's stock will rise in my next draft prognosticating piece.Despite trailing by 14 points with less than seven minutes remaining, the Wolverines prevailed 87-85 in overtime, and Burke was the biggest ...

Duke has only played Louisville once since 1986 and can avenge its most memorable loss 27 years ago to the Cardinals in Elite Eight action Sunday.Mike Krzyzewski and his Blue Devils lost the NCAA championship game to Denny Crum, Pervis Ellison and the Cardinals way back in 1986. And they are underdogs this time, as most sportsbooks tracked by OddsShark.com pegged Louisville at -3.5 late Saturday. Coach Crum and "Never-Nervous" Pervis are gone from the ...

The Elite 8 is underway, and a small handful of players need to perform well in order for their respective teams to make the Final Four. The regional finals are no joke, and a bad performance in these games could follow a player for the rest of their career.This is the absolute worst time to be streaky, and these young men have either been that in the tourney or at some point in the regular ...

Wichita State holds on against Ohio State by a score of 70-66 to become the first team in the Final Four from the Missouri Valley Conference since Larry Bird and Indiana State played in 1979. Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com

The Jayhawks confusing overtime defeat to Michigan in Friday's Sweet 16 game spurred talks of recent demoralizing defeats to the likes of VCU, Northern Iowa and others.These tough losses have ended All-American careers, diminished coaching legacies and halted potential NCAA tournament runs. Some have come at the hands on unknown double-digit seeds, while others have come to No. 1 seed, eventual national champions.Historic programs cringe at any loss, favored or unfavored, Final Four or opening ...

Three games into the 2013 NCAA tournament, not only are the Duke Blue Devils playing as well as anyone could've expected, but they've established themselves as legitimate title contenders by taking down a pair of quality opponents in Creighton and Michigan State. But now, the real fun begins. That's because, in Sunday's Elite Eight clash between Coach K's Blue Devils and No. 1 Louisville, Duke will be pushed to the limit by Rick Pitino's Cardinals, who have ...