Here's a look at some of the local players taken in Thursday's NBA draft and where they landed...

Terrence Williams (6-6, 213) - SG - Louisville
Rd. 1 - 11th pick - New Jersey
Analysis: With the Nets trading Vince Carter, they are starting over. Williams is one of the best athletes in the draft, has a ton of skills and can really defend. He's an eccentric dude and he doesn't always come to play, but when he does, wow. It will be fun to watch Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Williams, Yi Jianlian and Brook Lopez grow up together. They'll lose a lot of games, but there's a lot of potential there.

Earl Clark (6-10, 226) - SF
Rd. 1 - 14th pick - Phoenix
Analysis: The Suns have clearly decided to rebuild, and with Clark, they get one of the five top talents of the draft. Clark can do everything -- he's long and athletic and he can play multiple positions, including point forward. His effort was inconsistent at Louisville, but he's got as much upside as anyone in the draft. If they trade away Amare Stoudemire to Golden State, they'll have a nice young core with Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright, Clark, Robin Lopez and (if they got the 7th pick) Stephen Curry. If that happens, the Suns won't be all that great from the get-go, but they'll be fun. The question is, will Steve Nash stay around to lead them?

Derrick Brown (6-9 225) - PF - Xavier
Rd. 2 - 10th pick (40th overall) - Charlotte
Analysis: I love this pick for the Bobcats. I think Brown, had he stayed in school another year, would've been a surefire first-round pick. He's an excellent athlete; he can play the 3 and the 4; and he still has lots of upside.

Jodie Meeks (6-4 211) - SG - Kentucky
Rd. 2. 11th pcik (41st overall) - Milwaukee
Analysis: Meeks can provide some big-time scoring off the bench. Nice pick here, although I worry about his lack of athleticism.

*Analysis by ESPN's Chad Ford - COMPLETE TAKES

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OK, I have officially burned the my bracket and Oklahoma fell in my pool. I have nothing left except the idea of watching some good basketball. I was hoping for some great games over the past weekend and honestly was left a bit disappointed. Here are some final takes on the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 and some opening thoughts on the Final Four:

*TAR HEELS MY PICK - I tried to convince myself that Gonzaga and Oklahoma could challenge the Tar Heels and most of that was based off of their poor play on defense. However, they held Oklahoma and Gonzaga, two high-scoring teams, to 137 total points. The Tar Heels, who I argued all regular season were the best team, have once again convinced me that they are. I can't see them losing to anyone.

*WHAT SCANDAL? - All the talk of the potential black cloud hanging over Connecticut following the amazingly timed release of recruiting violations proved to be unwarranted. The Huskies are looking strong and really the only thing standing in the way on UNC for a national title. I would not be surprised if Jim Calhoun calls it quits at the end of the year with on-going health problems and a looming probation.

*BIG TEN SURPRISE - I am the first to admit that I've been a Big Ten basher for most of the season. While I am not prepared to revoke those comments, I am ready to eat some crow about Michigan State. I was impressed with the way they handled Missouri in the Sweet 16 and amazed at the way they shutdown Louisville altogether on Sunday. They made the Cards play a Big Ten-style contest and that won them the game. This may be Tom Izzo's best coaching job yet.

*'NOVA A CINDERELLA AGAIN - After knocking out perenial power Duke in the Sweet 16, Villanova exacted their revenge on Pittsburgh and knocked out their Big East Brothers to earn a spot in the Final Four. The two wins over higher seeds give the school 15 wins vs. higher seed all-time, the most of any school. They are the lowest seed of any team left standing, entering the Final Four as a No. 3.

*FINAL FOUR NOT IN THE CARDS - The Cardinals had so much going there way, but I am thinking the 39-point victory over Arizona might have made the boys a little too confident heading into their match-up with Michigan State. They weren't ready for that defensive intensity the Spartans brought to the table. What sealed their fate though was they couldn't set up their pass without making baskets. It's disappointing for Rick Pitino as this team could play with any in the nation, just not MSU on Sunday.

*PITT PLAYS WITH FIRE, GETS BURNED - After a few lackluster performances early in the tournament, the Pitt Panthers were finally exposed on Saturday night. I am still trying to figure out how in world Scottie Reynolds got all the way down the court nearly uncontested. The first thing I learned playing basketball was STOP THE BALL!!! The Panthers peaked a bit too early this year. They would have won it all if it was February Madness.

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Friday proved to be a nice day of hoops for some of the area's local teams in opening round action:

XAVIER CRUISES PAST PORTLAND STATE (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Xavier coach Sean Miller said sophomore guard Dante Jackson had to be a steady presence for the Musketeers to succeed against guard-dominated Portland State University. Was he ever. Jackson assumed a prominent role on both sides of the ball and helped lead fourth-seeded Xavier to a 77-59 victory over the 13th-seeded Vikings in Friday’s NCAA Tournament first-round game at Taco Bell Arena...MORE

CARDS DON'T MISS A BEAT (Louisville Courier-Journal)
The University of Louisville men's basketball team, seeded No. 1 overall in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, faced another first it did not want as it held a queasy two-point lead over Morehead State at halftime last night. The Cardinals kept their cool and made the Eagles resemble the 99 No. 16 seeds that came before them since the tournament expanded to 64 teams a quarter-century ago. U of L dispatched the upstarts 74-54 to make it a perfect 100-0 for No. 1 seeds in the first round...MORE

DAYTON GETS FIRST TOURNEY WIN SINCE 1990 (Dayton Daily News)
Dayton beat West Virginia 68-60 on Friday. It was the Flyers' first NCAA tourney win since 1990 and set up a second-round game against defending national champion Kansas (26-7) on Sunday. The Flyers (27-6) were one of the last teams to make the 65-team NCAA field, but they took an early lead on sixth-seeded West Virginia and never relinquished it...MORE

Not every team fared so well though...

SIENNA KNOCKS OUT BUCKEYES (Columbus Dispatch)
Guard Ronald Moore, who forced a second overtime with his first three-point basket with 3.5 seconds left, won the game with his second with 3.9 seconds left, giving Siena a 74-72 upset of Ohio State in the first round of the Midwest Regional in University of Dayton Arena. The no. 8-seeded Buckeyes (22-11) they bowed out in the first round of the tournament for only the third time in history. They lost openers to Utah State in 2001 and to James Madison in 1982...MORE

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Let the Madness begin! The brackets have been drawn and the guessing is over...or is it? Now comes the fun part, filling out the brackets. Here are some my opening observations....

*The No. 1 Seeds - The selection committee got it right here with Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Connecticut all getting tabbed with the honor.

*Big East Rocks - They didn't the mega seeds that many expected earlier in the season as only seven of the 16 teams made the tournament rather than the 8 or 9 some had speculated earlier. Still, three No. 1 seeds from the conference is quite a  statement.

*SEC Letdown - The conference had one of its worst years ever and only because Mississippi State made an improbable run to the conference tournament championship did it get three teams in. LSU and Tennessee earned at large bids, but only a No. 8 and and No. 9 respecitvely.

*Big 10 Overrated - Penn State didn't get in, but the Big Ten get seven teams in. Still, I don't think the conference is really that good. Outside of Michigan State I expect early exits for all of the teams and even the Spartans proved to be vulnerable.

*Conference Breakdown - ACC (7 teams in), Big East (7), Big Ten (7), Big 12 (6), Pac 10 (5), SEC (3), Atlantic 10 (3), Horizon (2), MVC (2), Moutain West (2), WCC (2)

*Buckeye Pride - Five of the 13 Division I schools in Ohio made the NCAA Tournament - Akron, Dayton, Cleveland State, Ohio State, and Xavier.

*Last At-Large Ins - Arizona (12 seed), Wisconsin (12), Dayton (11), Maryland (10), Michigan (10) and Minnesota (10)

*Notable snubs - San Diego State (35th in RPI), Creighton (40), Saint Mary's (48), Auburn (63), Penn State (70)

*Where are they now? - The tournament is missing some of its regulars this season. Amongst the casualties are Arkansas, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Florida, Indiana, Georgetown, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.

*Know Your Bracket - Understanding the history of the bracket could go long way towards helping you win your bracket. Consider a few of these numbers: six of the last eight final four teams were No. 1 seeds; Since 2000, only two teams that weren't a #1 or #2 seed have gone on to win a national championship (both No. 3 seeds - Florida in '06 & Syracuse in '03). Check out all of the TOURNAMENT HISTORY BY SEEDS and come up with your own trends.

*Local Love - Here's where the local teams are headed...
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. (Play-in game): #16 Morehead State (19-15) vs. #16 Alabama State (22-9) - Dayton, OH
Thursday, 7:25 p.m. - #4 Gonzaga (26-5) vs. #13 Akron (23-12) - Portland, OR
Thursday, 9:55 p.m. - #5 Illinois (24-9) vs. Western Kentucky (24-8) - Portland, OR
Friday, 3:00 p.m. - #6 West Virginia (23-11) vs.#11 Dayton (26-7) - Minneapolis, MN
Friday, 7:10 p.m. - #1 Louisville (28-5) vs. #16 Morehead St/Alabama St winner - Dayton, OH
Friday, 7:25 p.m. - #4 Xavier (25-7) vs. #13 Portland State (23-9) - Boise, ID
Friday, 9:40 p.m. - #8 Ohio State (22-10) vs. #9 Sienna (26-7) - Dayton, OH

COMPLETE BRACKET

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WOW! The NCAA tournament is still a week away, but the drama has already begun in college hoops. There are still three days of hoops action until Selection Sunday, but let's look at some of the developing storylines and recap some of the recent action.

SYRACUSE BEATS UCONN IN INSTANT CLASSIC
Does it get any better than this? Syracuse outlasted Connecticut, winning 127-117 in six overtimes. Check out some of the numbers: it took 3 hours, 46 minutes it took to play the game that ended at 1:22 a.m., the teams scored combined 244 points, 102 of which came after the regulation buzzer, there were eight players who fouled out, and six who registered double-doubles. The game could have ended at the end of regulation, but the refs waived off a Syracuse three-pointer that would have won the game at the buzzer. It was the right call, but man was it close. I liked because it allowed for the guys to settle it on the court. The refs may have ruled differently had they realized it would take six extra frames to decide the contest.

OKLAHOMA, PITTSBURGH DISAPPOINT
All season long teams struggled to stay atop the polls. I was never sold on Oklahoma and there struggles down the stretch confirmed my suspicisions. There 71-70 loss to Oklahoma State shows they are not a serious contender for the national title as some have said. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh was even more disappointing. West Virginia dominated them, costing the Panthers there shot at a No. 1 seed. I still like Pitt as a team to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament, but they are going to have start hitting some free throws and play with a bit more consistency if they are going to make a splash.

LOUISVILLE A #1 SEED?
Rick Pitino's bunch looks so good at times and now they have a chance to get the elusive No. 1 seed with Pitt and UConn already out of the Big East tournament. The Cardinals have the talent to win it all and are definitely going to be going deep on my brackets, all 20 of them...LOL!

GOOD DAY FOR KENTUCKY
For one day UK fans had something to be excited about. First was the news that Patrick Patterson will return for his junior season. Then there was the Wildcats' impressive performance against Ole Miss. The best part of the win was that it wasn't only Patterson and Jodie Meeks carrying the load. Perry Stevenson and Darius Miller also offered some production. The Cats are still on the bubble, but if they can beat LSU on Friday they are starting to look like they will make the dance.

XAVIER BOUNCES BACK
As I wrote earlier this week, Xavier has little to gain. However, after their dud effort against Richmond to close out the regular season it was good to see them get things rolling against St. Louis to kickoff their A-10 run. If they win the conference tournament they could still sneak in as No. 4 seed.

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Louisville loses to Notre Dame by 33 points and only falls 1 spot.

Duke loses to UNC and Boston college and only slips 3 spots while remaining in the top 10.  Had the refs not homered Miami the Blue Devils would have lost 4 in a row.

Clemson lost to Virginia and Wake Forest lost to N.C. State and neither fell out of the top 10.

I guess the seeding for the NCAA Tournament has already been determined for the top 10 teams and nothing will remove them.

This is the kind of thing that ruins the sport.

LATEST RANKINGS

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It's Rivalry Week on ESPN.com, which leads us to which are the best rivalries in college hoops...

   1. Duke vs North Carolina - Always a classic and one of the best things about college basketball.

   2. Kentucky vs Louisville - The battle of Kentucky between a couple of basketball schools.

   3. Kansas vs Missouri - Kansas always seems to have a stacked team, but rivalries seem to see alot of upsets.

   4. Texas vs Texas A&M - A huge state known for its football doesn’t damper this heated college basketball rivalry. Look for both of these teams to do well the next few seasons.

   5. Duke vs Maryland - The ACC is full of fast paced, quick scoring teams. The Duke and Maryland rivalry has really been turned up the last couple of years.

   6. Indiana vs Purdue - A Classic Big Ten conference match up.

   7. Cincinnati vs Xavier - Its gotta be a rivalry when the schools are 10 minutes apart.

   8. Florida vs Kentucky - Kentucky has been the better team the last few decades, now its Florida’s time to rule.

   9. Arizona vs UCLA - Two big Pac 10 powerhouses who are historically successful.

  10. Michigan vs Michigan State - Even a better college football rivalry, this rivalry has moved down the list a bit due to a few poor seasons.

*from Campus Grotto

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Louisville's upset over the previously unbeaten Pittsburgh Panthers came into Freedom Hall on Saturday night and got all they could handle from the Cardinals. The top-ranked team in the nation got into foul trouble early and could not hang on against U of L as they fell 69-63.

The nation got a taste of what Rick Pitino's boys are capable of when they come to play. It seems as if Louisville often plays to the level of their competition, but in three match-ups against ranked opponents this season the Cards are now 3-0. 

It wasn't the perfect game by any stretch. The Cardinlals committed 19 turnovers, looked sloppy at times, and had stretches where they made you want to pull your hair out. Still, in the end they won and they did by showing their heart.

I am convinced that Freedom Hall is one of the best homecourt advantages in the nation. The Cards have now won five games in 14 days.  Three against teams ranked in the Top 25, a fourth against another (UK) that figures to join the Top 25 this week.

Name a team that has done more the past two weeks. Maybe Wake Forest, with its victories against North Carolina and Clemson -- and the Demon Deacons will become No. 1 with Pitt's stumble.

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John Clay of Lexington Herald-Leader sounds of on UK-UL match-up:

There was Cedric "Swoop" Jenkins' tip, or swat, or whatever it was that gave UK a one-point win in 1987.

There was the Samaki Walker block party that engineered a two-point Louisville upset celebration on New Year's Day in 1995.

There was Patrick Sparks' miracle three clutch free throws with practically no time remaining that gave the Cats a two-point win in 2004.

And then there's, well, there's the fact that while Kentucky-Louisville is always great spectacle, it hasn't always been great basketball.

"This is a great rivalry," said Rick Pitino, the Louisville coach who has experienced it from both sides. "But most of them have not been great basketball games."

Ah, but Sunday afternoon, this final scheduled Cats-Cards clash in the storied history of the soon-to-be-abandoned Freedom Hall was not most of them.

"Tonight," said Pitino, "was a great basketball game."

And not just because, in his eyes, Pitino's embattled point guard, Edgar Sosa, popped out of the doghouse in time to throw in a startling 26-footer with 2.8 seconds left to give the host Cardinals a dramatic 74-71 victory over the visiting Cats.

COMPLETE ARTICLE

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From Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News:

It's not that they don't run their plays. It's that every play operates with the sensation that the next guy touching the ball thinks the set is being run for him. There's hardly ever an instance where one of the Cardinals catches the ball and looks for the next pass. They catch, look to see if there's a shot or a drive available, and then forward the ball to the next guy.

That's how Louisville found itself in a 3-point game inside the final two minutes even though the Cards shot 11-of-20 from 3-point range and UK committed 21 turnovers.

Forward Earl Clark, so devastating when he plays close to the goal, shot four times from 3-point range and didn't hit once. He was open on every one, but there's a reason he was open. He was 6-of-19 from 3-point range entering the game. Kentucky's players might not be able to control the ball, but they can read a scouting report. 

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