Here's a look at the scehdule/lines for the Sweet 16 match-ups:

THURSDAY
7:05 Syracuse (-7) vs. Butler
7:25 West Virginia (-4.5) vs. Washington
9:35 Xavier vs. Kansas St (-4.5)
9:55 Kentucky (-9.5) vs. Cornell

FRIDAY
7:05 Ohio St (-4.5) vs. Tennessee
7:25 Baylor (-3.5) vs. St. Mary's
9:35 Michigan St (-4) vs. Northern Iowa
9:55 Duke (-8) vs. Purdue

LIVE VEGAS ODDS

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Wow! What a weekend of college hoops. Despite the talk of expanding to 96 teams and the criticism that college basketball is water down. The first two rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament delivered plenty of exhilarating drama as usual. 

Here are some of final takes from the first four days of the tourney:

KENTUCKY – John Calapari has had his boys ready to play. After knocking out East Tennessee by 29, the Wildcats beat Wake Forest by 30 points. Eric Bledsoe’s eight 3-pointers in the first game was one of the best shooting displays in Kentucky’s storied history. For the critics that have insisted that despite its talent, UK is too young and inexperienced to win it all shame on you. Talent always wins when it plays to its fullest potential.

XAVIER – Sean Who? In his first season as head coach Chris Mack did something former coach Sean Miller couldn’t - beat Pittsburgh. The Muskies have made their way back into the Sweet 16 for a third consecutive season with an exhilarating win over the Panthers. Jordan Crawford is making a name for himself on a national scene here for something aside from dunking on LeBron James. He put up another 27 points in Sunday’s win.

KANSAS – Count me amongst the nearly 44 percent of people in America (according to ESPN.com’s online pool) that bought into Kansas being the team to beat. They failed to put 40 minutes together in Thursday’s opening round versus Lehigh and only had a lead at the 2-0 mark as they got knocked out by Northern Iowa, 69-67.

OHIO STATE – With Kansas officially out, the Buckeyes are the top team in the Midwest Region and they are playing like it. Not only are the Jayhawks out of the mix, but so too have gone No. 3 Georgetown and No. 4 Maryland. Evan Turner shook off one of the worst night’s of his career by tossing up a triple-double 75-66 win over Georgia Tech.

CORNELL – The Big Red followed up their first-ever tournament win by winning a second tournament game and advance to the Sweet 16 as they are the lowest remaining seed in the tourney. Now, they get the daunting task of playing the tournament’s highest ranked team left standing, Kentucky.

BIG EAST – All the talk surrounding the Big East entering the tournament suggested that the conference would once again flex its muscle. However, half of the league’s tournament-high eight teams couldn’t get out of Round 1, including Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame and Marquette. Pittsburgh and Villanova joined their league foes with second-round departures. Only Syracuse and West Virginia are left standing.

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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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from FoxSports.com:

Derrick Brown has no intention of returning to Xavier.

"Doubtful," said the athletic junior forward. "There’s a slim chance I come back to school."

The 6-foot-8 (with shoes), 229-pound Brown has worked out for Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago thus far and will remain in the Windy City for this week's pre-draft festivities.

Remember, Brown redshirted his first season in college and has already earned his degree.

"I'm in the draft," Brown said. "I'm not even thinking about anything other than that. I loved my time at Xavier, but I'm ready to move onto a new era."

COMPLETE ARTICLE

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Several sources are now reporting that assistant coach Chris Mack has been promoted to replace Sean Miller as the men's basketball head coach at Xavier University.

Miller left Xavier last week to succeed Lute Olson at Arizona. Almost immediately, Mack was tabbed as the leading candidate, and his position was strengthened when Miller -- plus most of the players and recruits -- endorsed the 39-year-old assistant, according to CBSSports.com.

Mack was unavailable for comment but said in a release that he was “honored to be named the new head coach.”

“I have enjoyed being a part of our recent success and I am even more excited about Xavier’s potential for the future as we continue to solidify ourselves as one of the elite programs in all of college basketball,” Mack said.

The official announcement will come at a press conference at 1 p.m. on Wednesday (WATCH LIVE) in the Conaton Board Room in Schmidt Hall on the Xavier University campus.

COMPLETE STORY

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Yahoo! Sports reported today that Xavier basketball coach Sean Miller has accepted Arizona's offer to become its new coach, one day after reportedly turning the offer down.

The Yahoo report stated Miller told Arizona he would be remaining at Xavier late last night, then asked if he could to sleep on the decision. He then informed XU athletic director Mike Bobinski of his decision today at noon.

The Enquirer has multiple calls in to Bobinski, who has not answered.

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Update from CBSSports.com:

Sean Miller, after meeting with his family and staff late Sunday, decided to reject an offer from Arizona and remain at Xavier, sources have told CBSSports.com.

Miller flew on a private plane to Albuquerque, N.M., then drove to Sante Fe, N.M., early Sunday to meet with Arizona president Robert Shelton, athletic director Jim Livengood and a high-powered booster named Paul Weitman. The meeting lasted roughly four hours, and when Miller returned to Cincinnati he was described by a source as about "50-50" in terms of staying at Xavier or leaving for the Pac-10.

Late Sunday, that changed. Miller will return for a sixth season at Xavier.

COMPLETE ARTICLE

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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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