March Madness | featured news

Rick Pitino held court in a tunnel beneath the Georgia Dome, going on and on about the grittiest bunch of guys he's ever coached. One of them sat in the corner of the locker room, a net around his neck, grinning away. The Louisville Cardinals vowed to finish the job for Kevin Ware.

The four teams left in the men’s N.C.A.A. tournament are an odd mix: a national player of the year candidate, Trey Burke of Michigan; a No. 1 seed, Louisville; an old-guard Big East team, Syracuse; and an outlier, Wichita State.

Trey Burke scored all 23 of his points after halftime, including a long, tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, and Michigan rallied to beat Kansas 87-85 in the South Regional semifinals Friday night....

Wichita State went from sweet to elite, beating La Salle 72-58
on Thursday night to reach the final eight of the NCAA tournament
for the first time in 32 years.

Jamil Wilson scored 16 points, Vander Blue and Davante Gardner had 14 apiece, and Marquette advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2003 with a 71-61 win over Miami on Thursday night.

Gonzaga's gone. Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker scored 16 points apiece and Wichita State hit five straight 3-pointers late to knock the top-ranked and No. 1 seeded Bulldogs out of the NCAA tournament 76-70 on Saturday.

Davidson's near-upset against Marquette caused a common sigh to percolate through the room. For the Wildcats, there will always be that What If? This isn't the first season we've witnessed the heartbreak.

President Barack Obama is picking Indiana to go all the way in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. ESPN revealed Wednesday that Obama picked the Hoosiers to win it all in his 2013 bracket. He predicted Louisville, Ohio State and Florida would round out the Final Four.

Do you know the mascot for South Dakota State? Can you come up with the all-time record for No. 16 seeds? How about the starting backcourt for the Michigan Wolverines? No? Well, to prepare you for Selection Sunday and the three weeks of March Madness, here is an A to Z primer on the NCAA Tournament that will cap a wildly unpredictable season in college basketball.

One man was wounded by gunfire early Tuesday in Lexington, numerous small fires were set and dozens were arrested as thousands celebrated Kentucky's win over Kansas to claim another NCAA title, authorities reported....