Articles

1. UCLA - Back to back Final Four trips could yield championship if Afflalo returns.
2. Kansas - Even if one of Rush or Wright go pro, this is a top 5 team.. but there's a good chance they wont win it all.
3. North Carolina - This assumes Wright is gone but Hansbrough returns. This team is still loaded regardless.
4. Memphis - Even without Derrick Rose, Calipari's squad is primed for a Final Four run.
5. Louisville - With continued improvement from Derrick Caracter, there's no limit to the Cards success.

Ten-year old girls dream of the bouquet arrangements they will have at their weddings. They fantasize about the place-settings and the way their bridal party will playfully pose for pictures.

But when that wedding day finally arrives, the bride is almost always a wreck. She reeks of whiskey sours and, as the service makes way for the reception, her over-the-top make-up fades into a stream of mascara tears.

The future is never quite as nice as we dream it to be.

And, just like those naïve little girls, college basketball fans can’t wait to meet their true love.

In his first season as Washington State head coach, the Cougars improved from 11 wins to 26 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

High-Major Coach of the Year: Todd Lickliter

The best thing about the NCAA Tournament is no matter what happens, the Final Four always has an air of excitement. There are always BCS Championships, World Series and NBA Finals that no one seems to care about (i.e. last season’s World Series, the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals, every college football game ever played besides 2005’s USC-Texas). But the Super Bowl and Final Four always draw attention (whether it be for gambling purposes or not) and this year is no different. We have last year’s champ and runner-up, the No.

LOS ANGELES - The John R. Wooden Award Committee today announced the 10 student-athletes named to the 2006-2007 Wooden Award All-American Team as well as the top five finalists who will be invited to the 31st Annual Wooden Award presentation in Los Angeles. The Wooden Award Player of the Year will be announced on Saturday, April 7, live during a national telecast on CBS Sports from The Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) at 2 p.m. EDT.

And then there were four.

There were 61 other teams who swear they could’ve, should’ve, or would’ve been playing for one more weekend, yet there are plenty of reasons why this particular foursome remains.

North Carolina collapsed. Kansas faltered. Memphis didn’t defend. And Oregon ran out of bullets. They are no longer at the party. For those Elite Eight teams, the dance is over.

But this isn’t about the dearly departed, this is about four schools who are deserving of dancing past midnight.

AMERICAN TEAM

Name School Ht. Wt. Hometown

Aaron Brooks Oregon 6-0 160 Seattle, WA
Justin Doellman Xavier 6-9 210 Union, KY
Sean Denison Santa Clara 6-11 245 Nelson, British Columbia
Caleb Green Oral Roberts 6-8 255 Tulsa, OK
Jarrius Jackson Texas Tech 6-2 185 Monroe, LA
Trey Johnson Jackson State 6-5 218 Jackson, MS
Carl Landry Purdue 6-7 245 Milwaukee, WI
Dan Nwaelele Air Force 6-5 206 Bothell, WA
DJ Strawberry Maryland 6-5 201 Corona, CA
Kyle Visser Wake Forest 6-11 255 Grand Rapids, MI