With a 400-year history of academic excellence, Harvard University is used to fame and attention. But this year, eyes are focused on an unexpected part of the school – the nationally-ranked men’s basketball team. Bill Littlefield has the story.
North Carolina basketball has a long and illustrious history, both on the men’s and women’s side. But there’s a third Tar Heel basketball team. North Carolina Public Radio’s Dave DeWitt has the story from Chapel Hill.
Florida State football gets plenty of press, but ACC basketball power is reserved for Duke and North Carolina. This season, however, FSU has a conference-best 5-1 record, including upset wins over the Tar Heels and Blue Devils. Palm Beach Post writer Tom D’Angelo joins Bill Littlefield to discuss the Seminoles’ new status in the ACC.
The Missouri Tigers aren’t exactly household names in the world of men’s college basketball. This season, however, the team finds itself sitting behind only Kentucky in the ratings. Bill speaks with Steve Walentik of the Columbia Daily Tribune.
The start of the NBA season is stalled in labor negotiations, but mens’ college hoops are getting started right on time. UNC is back on top in the pre-season polls, and even UCONN, minus a few scholarships, is expected to make a good run. Bill Littlefield speaks with Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports.
The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are coming to a close and there are plenty of surprises. On the men’s side, no number one seeds made the Final Four, and 11-seed VCU managed to crash the party. On the women’s side, Baylor and Tennessee both made early exits. Bill previews the grand finales of March Madness.
College basketball isn’t just a game anymore. It has become a big business worth millions of dollars. Schools, television networks and the NCAA benefit from the money, but the players do not. Bill talks with PBS Frontline reporter Lowell Bergman about his documentary Money + March Madness, premiering next week.
Your bracket is in good shape and the team you picked to win it all is still in the NCAA tournament. So, you must be a college basketball guru, right? Wrong. Like Bill Littlefield, you’re probably just lucky.
Bracket busting can be heartbreaking, but what would March Madness be without a couple of upsets? 13-seed Morehead State was the first giant-killer, taking down 4-seed Louisville. Then 11-seed Gonzanga toppled the Southeast region’s sixth seed, St. John’s. Bill talks with ESPN.com’s Pat Forde about what to expect from the second and third rounds of the tournament.
The St. Peter’s Peacocks may have a funny name, but opposing teams should take them seriously. With a stingy defense and a tremendous winning streak at the end of the regular season, the Peacocks have clinched an NCAA bid for the first time in 16 years. Bill talks with St. Peter’s head coach John Dunne.
