By JOHN P. WISEOne Great Season
It's the final Saturday of the regular season for many teams; others are already in their conference tournaments. ESPN Classic got college basketball fans in the mood this morning with the replay of the great 1985 final between Villanova and Georgetown. Twenty-two of the Top 25 teams take the floor Saturday; five games involve one ranked squad against another.
Today's Headlines
+ As Duke prepares to battle for ACC supremacy against hated rival North Carolina, word comes that freshman point guard Kyrie Irving's toe is improving, but not enough to play.
+ Washington State leading scorer Klay Thompson picked the worst possible time to get busted with weed in his car. The junior forward will have to sit out the bubbling Cougars' huge season finale against UCLA today. Listen to what Thompson's dad said on the radio about it.
+ Murray State, a first-round upset winner over No. 4-seed Vanderbilt in last year's NCAA Tournament, was the first top seed to lose during its conference tournament when it fell to Tennessee Tech in an Ohio Valley Conference semifinal Friday night.
Top Four Seeds
+ EAST — Ohio State: Many think the Buckeyes are the best team in the country.
+ SOUTHEAST — Duke: A win at UNC would be huge as the Devils battle Pittsburgh for the top line here.
+ SOUTHWEST — Kansas: The Jayhawks hope to avoid the upset at Missouri on Saturday.
+ WEST — BYU: The Cougs should have no trouble against Wyoming today.
On The Bubble
+ Michigan — The Wolverines must beat Michigan State today, then probably win a game in the Big Ten Tournament to get in.
Work To Do
+ Baylor — A home loss to struggling Texas would likely put the Bears out of their misery.
Today's Top Read
+ Gary Parrish offers a complete weekend preview, including a surprising pick about which conference tournament is the best in basketball.
What To Watch Tonight
+ Duke at North Carolina, CBS, 8 p.m.
Your Tournament Video Of The Day
Sorry, Louisville friends, but I had to go with the U.S. Reed shot from 30 years ago. I forgot who was on the call during that 1981 classic!