Hoopville - Atlantic 10 Conference

Miller Time Lasts Longer at Xavier: Xavier extended the contract of coach Sean Miller, giving him a deal that will keep him in Cincinnati through the 2017-18 season. Miller led the Musketeers to a 30-7 record and Elite Eight appearance. The contract is the longest that any Xavier coach has ever received. [4/28/08]

Charlotte's Mack Undergoes Surgery: Lamont Mack, a forward for Charlotte, underwent successful knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Mack's rehab will take 12 weeks. He was second on the 49ers in both scoring and rebounding last season. [4/23/08]

Cowboys Select Ford: Oklahoma State has hired Massachusetts' Travis Ford to become the Cowboys' next coach. Ford comes to Stillwater after leading the Minutemen to the NIT championship game this past season. He compiled a 62-35 record in three seasons with Massachusetts and had the Minutemen competing among the Atlantic 10's elite. The Cowboys hope Ford can do the same in the Big 12 with Oklahoma State. The university and former coach Sean Sutton cut ties earlier this month after the son of legendary Cowboy coach Eddie Sutton failed to meet lofty expectations. [4/21/08]

Duquesne Loses Sophomore Guard: Stephen Wood is leaving Duquesne and transferring to another school after playing in only three games last season. Wood was one of several players who assisted teammates after an on-campus shooting in 2006. Wood and his teammates might have helped others from further injury and helped those seriously injured. He has not disclosed to which school he will transfer. [4/16/08]

UMass Coach Not Interested in Providence: Massachusetts coach Travis Ford will stay with his Minutemen after turning down an offer from Providence. Ford's decision was influenced by the fan support in New York when they lost in the NIT championship to Ohio State. He led Massachusetts to a 25-11 record this season. [4/13/08]

Xavier Point Guard Arrested: Xavier senior point guard Drew Lavender was booked for marijuana possession and disorderly conduct early Sunday morning. He averaged 10.8 points and 4.5 assists per game while leading the Musketeers to an Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season title. Xavier's athletic department will research the situation to assess whether it needs to take disciplinary action. [4/9/08]

West Regional - Elite Eight: No. 1 UCLA became the first member of this year's Final Four after beating No. 3 Xavier 76-57. The Bruins advanced to their third consecutive Final Four by squashing Xavier's offense. Leading by six points early in the second half, UCLA went on a 14-0 run during a five-minute stretch. Xavier shot only 36.2 percent from the field against the Bruins' defense. Freshman forward Kevin Love had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and junior point guard Darren Collison put up 19 points and dished out five assists to lead UCLA. Junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute also had a double double for the Bruins with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore forward Derrick Brown led the Musketeers with 13 points. [3/29/08]

West Regional - Sweet 16: No. 1 UCLA won an uncomfortably close 88-78 game against No. 12 Western Kentucky to move on to play Xavier. The Bruins stormed Western Kentucky with a big first-half run that produced a 41-20 halftime advantage. But the Hilltoppers forced UCLA to make lots of mistakes with pressure defense. The Bruins had a season-high 19 turnovers, allowing Western Kentucky to close the gap to four points. But freshman center Kevin Love refused to let the game slip away from the Bruins, and he finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds. He was one of three Bruins to post double-doubles -- sophomore guard Russell Westbrook had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore forward James Keefe had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Tyrone Brazelton helped keep the Hilltoppers in the game with 31 points, including 20 in the second half.

No. 3 Xavier used impressive long-range accuracy and an overtime session to beat No. 7 West Virginia 79-75. The Musketeers were on fire early in the game and built a double-digit lead. But West Virginia rallied to force overtime and led by six in the extra session before Xavier shut down the Mountaineers' offense. Junior swingman B.J. Raymond scored all eight of his points in overtime, including two critical three-pointers. Senior forward Josh Duncan led Xavier with 26 points. West Virginia's Joe Alexander delivered another impressive performance with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but he couldn't hit a free throw that would have given the Mountaineers a one-point lead in the closing seconds. West Virginia struggled from three-point range, shooting only 1-of-11 from behind the arc. [3/27/08]

West Region - Second Round: No. 1 UCLA survived to beat No. 9 Texas A&M 53-49 thanks to junior point guard Darren Collison's driving layup with nine seconds remaining that broke a 49-49 tie. The Bruins forced a turnover on the Aggies' last possession to seal the victory. Texas A&M led almost all of the second half, but UCLA whittled down the Aggies' lead behind Collison and freshman center Kevin Love. Collison finished with 21 points, and Love added 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Junior forward Joe Alexander had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore guard Joe Mazzulla came off No. 7 West Virginia's bench to contribute 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Mountaineers to a 73-67 upset of No. 2 Duke. The Blue Devils become the first top two seed to lose in this year's NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers' defense tightened after allowing Duke to hit two of its first three three-point attempts. The Blue Devils missed every subsequent attempt until the final minutes and finished 5-of-22 from beyond the arc. With both teams often struggling to make shots, West Virginia outworked Duke for the vast majority of rebounds, outrebounding the Blue Devils 45-19, including 18 offensive rebounds. The Mountaineers will play Xavier in the Sweet 16.

Senior guard Drew Lavender had 18 points and nine assists to fuel No. 3 Xavier to an 85-78 win against No. 6 Purdue. Lavender orchestrated the offense much of the afternoon and hit eight free throws in the final minute to help seal the win for the Musketeers. Purdue rallied from a 10-point hole in the second half before Xavier reclaimed the lead and fended off the Boilermakers' final push. Junior swingman C.J. Anderson also had 18 points for the Musketeers. [3/22/08]

East Region - First Round: Sophomore point guard Ty Lawson proved he is healthy and ready to lead No. 1 North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament after providing 21 points, four assists and no turnovers in the Tar Heels' 113-74 blowout against No. 16 Mount St. Mary's. The Tar Heels shot better than 60 percent from the field and had five players in double figures as North Carolina's offense was no match for the Mountaineers. Junior forward Tyler Hansbrough also had 21 points for North Carolina, while senior guard Chris Vann led Mount St. Mary's with 16 points.

No. 2 Tennessee had its hands full with No. 15 American for 38 minutes before pulling away at the end to win 72-57. The Eagles hung with the Volunteers by outrebounding them 37-25 and hitting nine three-pointers. The prolific Tennessee shooters hit only six three-pointers, which helped American remain competitive until late in the second half. Senior guard JaJuan Smith led the Volunteers with 19 points, and junior guard Garrison Carr led all scorers by putting up 26 points for the Eagles. Tennessee has Butler up next.

No. 3 Louisville had no troubles getting past No. 14 Boise State 79-61 to move into the second round against Oklahoma. Sophomore swingman Earl Clark led the Cardinals with 15 points and seven rebounds. Louisville shot better than 55.8 percent from the field, including 50 percent from three-point range.

After battling to a tie midway through the first half, No. 6 Oklahoma went on a 25-6 run spanning halftime to pull away from No. 11 Saint Joseph's. The Sooners' senior guard David Godbold scored 25 points to lead Oklahoma. Senior forward Pat Calathes struggled against Oklahoma's defense, shooting 2-of-11 from the field for only six points. The Sooners were hot on offense, shooting 57.1 percent from the field to help survive a late rally by Saint Joseph's.

No. 7 Butler rained three-pointers on No. 10 South Alabama in a crushing 81-61 win. The Bulldogs hit 15 three-pointers, led by senior forward Pete Campbell's eight long shots. Campbell finished with 26 points to lead Butler, which built a double-digit lead midway through the first half after the Jaguars kept it close during the first 10 minutes. Senior guard Daon Merritt led South Alabama with 14 points, but he was the only Jaguar to score in double figures.

No. 9 Arkansas mercifully brought No. 8 Indiana's controversy-laden season to end with an 86-72 win. Senior swingman Sonny Weems was on fire for the Razorbacks, shooting 12-of-14 for 31 points. He also hit three three-pointers and grabbed five rebounds. Indiana's defense was porous as the defensive-minded Razorbacks shot 54.2 percent from the field. The Hoosiers' freshman point guard Eric Gordon struggled, going 3-of-15 for only eight points and one assist to three turnovers. Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson resigned in February amid NCAA violations for improper recruiting practices. [3/21/08]

South Region - First Round: No. 3 Stanford destroyed No. 14 Cornell 77-53 as the Big Red didn't have an answer to the Cardinal's defense. Cornell shot 30.5 percent from the field, and nearly half of the Big Red's made baskets were from three-point range, away from the Lopez twins in the middle. Sophomore center Robin Lopez had 14 points, five blocks and four rebounds to help cover for his brother, Brook, who had an off night with only four points. Stanford hit 55.4 percent from the field to help cover up 19 turnovers. The Cardinal will play Marquette in the second round.

No. 4 Pittsburgh stormed past No. 13 Oral Roberts 82-63 to move on to the second round against Michigan State. The Panthers opened up a double-digit lead in the first half by going on an 18-0 run. Junior point guard Levance Fields paced the Panthers with 23 points and seven assists. Oral Roberts couldn't find much room to shoot against Pittsburgh, going 34.4 percent from the field.

No. 5 Michigan State got past No. 12 Temple 72-61 thanks to dominant defensive play and 15 points from sophomore swingman Raymar Morgan. The Spartans overcame a poor shooting performance by senior guard Drew Neitzel, who leads the Spartans with 14.2 points per game. However, Neitzel ran the offense, finding the Spartans' big men on screen and rolls to help blow open a game that the Owls stayed close in during the first 10 minutes.

No. 6 Marquette won a hard-fought battle against No. 11 Kentucky 74-66. Junior guard Jerel McNeal led the Golden Eagles with 20 points. The Wildcats stayed close throughout the entire game, fueled by senior guard Joe Crawford's 35 points. Crawford hit five three-pointers, including big shots in the final minutes to keep Kentucky within striking distance. The Golden Eagles made 21-of-27 free throws to hold off Kentucky. [3/20/08]

West Region - First Round: No. 1 UCLA annihilated No. 16 Mississippi Valley State 70-29 in the most lopsided game of the first round. Freshman center Kevin Love was the only player from either team to score in double figures, posting 20 points and nine rebounds. The Bruins' starters played no more than 26 minutes in the blowout. The Delta Devils made only nine shots the entire game and collected 29 rebounds to UCLA's 50. Junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute did not play for the Bruins after injuring his ankle during the Pac-10 Tournament last weekend.

No. 15 Belmont almost became the fourth No. 15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to beat a No. 2 seed. No. 2 Duke needed a coast-to-coast layup by sophomore guard Gerald Henderson to give the Blue Devils a decisive 71-70 lead with 11 seconds remaining. The Bruins had two opportunities to win in the closing seconds but turned it over with four seconds remaining and missed a half-court desperation shot at the buzzer. Henderson led the Blue Devils with 21 points and eight rebounds. The Blue Devils will play West Virginia in the second round.

No. 14 Georgia finally ran out of gas against No. 3 Xavier but not before giving the Musketeers a scare. Xavier won 73-61 after erasing an 11-point deficit in the second half. The Bulldogs struggled to score in the final minutes of the game while Xavier was solid from the free throw line, finishing 27-of-33. Senior forward Josh Duncan led Xavier with 20 points. Georgia reached the NCAA Tournament by winning four SEC Tournament games in three and a half days, including two games in one day after a tornado forced the SEC to cancel a night game between the Bulldogs and Kentucky.

The young Boilermakers played enough defense to hold down No. 11 Baylor and give No. 6 Purdue a 90-79 win. Five Boilermakers reached double figures, led by sophomore guard Keaton Grant with 17 points. The Bears struggled in the first half and fell behind by 20 points early in the second half before making a run to trim the lead to about 10 points. Purdue was 15-of-18 from the free throw line, which helped prevent Baylor from seriously threatening down the stretch. The Boilermakers will play Xavier in the second round.

Only five different Wildcats scored for No. 10 Arizona, which ran out of gas in a 75-65 loss to No. 7 West Virginia. The Mountaineers were on fire from long range, hitting 11-of-19 three-pointers to extend their lead every time Arizona threatened to take the lead. Junior guard Alex Ruoff was especially timely with his five three-pointers and team-high 21 points. Sophomore forward Chase Budinger led the Wildcats with 23 points, and Arizona's bench contributed only three pointers as the starters played nearly the entire game.

No. 9 Texas A&M won a tight match up with No. 8 BYU 67-62 as junior swingman Josh Carter dumped 26 points on the Cougars. He hit six three-pointers and finished 10-of-16 from the field. Senior forward Joseph Jones contributed a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. The Aggies shot better than 50 percent from the field and collected most errant shots with a 36-23 rebounding advantage. [3/20/08]

Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Championship: No. 2 Temple won a spot in the NCAA Tournament by beating No. 5 Saint Joseph's 69-64 in the Atlantic 10 championship game. Junior guard Dionte Christmas sparked a 16-2 run to open the second half and give the Owls a 41-34 lead. The Hawks stayed close but never pulled within three points. Christmas finished with 22 points, including five three-pointers. As a team, Temple was 9-of-18 from behind the arc. [3/15/08]

Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Semifinals: No. 5 Saint Joseph's moved a step closer to the NCAA Tournament with a 61-53 win against No. 1 Xavier in the semifinals. Senior forward Pat Calathes led the Hawks with 24 points and eight rebounds, including five three-pointers. Saint Joseph's defense held the Musketeers to one three-pointer. Xavier averages eight per game.

No. 2 Temple shut down No. 6 Charlotte 60-45 to set up a Philadelphia Big Five clash with Saint Joseph's for the Atlantic 10 title. The Owls won their sixth consecutive game to make a late push toward the NCAA Tournament. Senior guard Mark Tyndale led Temple with 20 poitns and 15 rebounds. [3/14/08]

Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 1 Xavier completed a three-game season sweep of No. 8 Dayton 74-65 to move into the semifinals. The Musketeers came out on a mission after several players felt slighted by other conference coaches, who did not select any Xavier players to the Atlantic 10's first-team honors. Senior forward Josh Duncan led the Musketeers with 16 points.

No. 5 Saint Joseph's will try to beat Xavier for the second time in a week after dispatching No. 4 Richmond 61-57 in the quarterfinals. The Hawks held the Spiders without a point for nearly six minutes in the first half to overcome a slow start and grab the lead. Senior forward Rob Ferguson led the Hawks with 16 points.

No. 2 Temple continues to roll in Atlantic 10 play, beating No. 7 La Salle 84-75 to move into the semifinals. The Owls got 29 points from junior guard Dionte Christmas, who has scored in double figures every game this season. Temple built a 14-point second-half lead before La Salle started a furious rally to take the lead with two minutes remaining. But Temple ended the game on an 11-0 run to claim the win.

The Owls will play No. 6 Charlotte after the 49ers upset No. 3 Massachusetts, which means the Minutemen must wait to Selection Sunday to find out if they've done enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Senior guard Leemire Goldwire came off the bench to lead Charlotte with 24 points, and junior forward Lamont Mack hit five three-pointers and finished with 23 points. Goldwire hit two three-pointers in the final minute and six seconds to complete Charlotte's comeback and seal the victory after the 49ers trailed by 17 at halftime. [3/13/08]