At one point during the second-round game between Oklahoma and Michigan, as star Sooners forward Blake Griffin bled from his elbow and nose (and possibly his heart, as he thought of all the people in the world he could not save with his superior basketball talent), CBS' Tim Brando went all Thom Brennaman-on-Tim Tebow: "Griffin is a once-in-a-lifetime talent," Brando exclaimed, one of a bevy of superlatives he launched in Griffin's direction.
The validity of that statement's up for heavy debate, but Griffin certainly turned in an impressive performance on Saturday, posting 33 points and 17 boards to pull No. 2-seed Oklahoma past upset-minded Michigan, 73-63, and into the Sweet 16.
With Michigan leading Clemson by 12 with 11:36 to go in the second half of Thursday's first-round game, someone casually asked me, "Hey, do you know what time Michigan will play on Saturday?"
Memo to fans everywhere: That's a cardinal sin. You do not look ahead in March, especially when you're supporting a team that hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game in more than a decade. Sure enough, immediately after that question landed, Clemson made its move. The Tigers used a late 11-0 run to pull within one of Michigan, setting up up a thrilling finish in the South Region.
The NCAA tournament is just one day away, so FanHouse writers and editors got together to talk over each region. The Midwest Region got the ball rolling, followed by the East. Now, the South. What is intriguing about this region, and who do we like?
Matt Snyder: The one thing I like about the South Bracket is it's the one bracket with a bit of a mid-major flavor. Butler and Gonzaga should both have a shot at taking down Ty Lawson (right) and the mighty Tar Heels, and Western Kentucky has a solid chance at beating Illinois in the first round.
ESPN's Erin Andrews just reported on the air that Illinois point guard Chester Frazier suffered what is being called a bruised hand in practice Wednesday. She said it is "highly doubtful" that he will play at all this weekend, but the team hopes he can play next week in the Big Dance.
Andrews also mentioned that Frazier didn't want many details released, which makes be believe this is worse than being reported. How would a bruised hand not be cleared up in a week, and why would it be a secret?
On its surprising drive to the NCAA tournament, Michigan seemingly blew a tire Feb. 22 in Iowa City. That Sunday afternoon, playing against an undermanned and, quite frankly, under-skilled Iowa team, Michigan blew a lead late and lost in overtime as coach John Beilein benched star guard Manny Harris, offering only "I didn't think he was playing well" as an explanation.
It looked like a death blow to its NCAA hopes at the time, and the move was met with total disdain by Michigan's fans, but in the aftermath of the stunning benching, the team is playing some of its best ball of the season. The Wolverines are 3-1 since -- with wins over Purdue, at Minnesota and now a 73-45 thrashing of that same Iowa team in the Big Ten tournament's first round.
Heading into Saturday, Michigan's NCAA Tournament resume looked pretty decent, save for two key spots: the Wolverines were under .500 in the Big Ten, and had no big road victories.
Consider both problems taken care of. Claiming what was arguably its most clutch win in more than a decade, Michigan stormed back from a 12-point deficit at Minnesota and stunned the Gophers 67-64. The two teams basically swap spots in the Big Dance picture -- Michigan now looks like a pretty safe bet to get in, while Minnesota finds itself right on the border.
For one half, the Michigan Wolverines were all but trying on their dancing shoes. One half later, they were all but watching Wisconsin waltz into the NCAA tournament.
Michigan's DeShawn Sims-Manny Harris combo did all it could to build on the Wolverines' win over Purdue Thursday, but Wisconsin turned the Wolverines away with their trademark physical defense in the second half. The pressure went up, and the Wolverines' offense went down, managing just 21 points in the second half.
So, can Wisconsin sleepwalk into March Madness and are the Wolverines done, just days after they were all but called a shoo-in?
Bill Raftery sounded the call early and often during Thursday night's ESPN broadcast: If Michigan could pull off a home upset of No. 16 Purdue, it would essentially secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Wolverines upheld their end of the bargain, jumping out to a 16-point second-half lead and posting an impressive 87-78 win over the Boilermakers.
The Penn State basketball team hasn't visited the NCAA tournament since 2001, when Joe Crispin and Titus Ivory led the Nittany Lions to the Sweet 16, after knocking off two-seed North Carolina in the second round. Since then, they haven't even been close to mounting a return.
This year, the Nittay Lions have their best team since 2001, yet their work is still cut out for them. Coming into this week, their RPI lingered in the mid-80s. The non-conference strength of schedule was not good at all, but Penn State appears to be making headway in conference play.
This is easily the best Michigan basketball team in recent memory. They are going into Illinois tonight with a 13-3 record, and have defeated two top-10 teams. They are young, yes, and coming off a 22-loss season, so, obviously, they have their detractors. Second-year coach John Beilein would just like the team to stay hungry, but the players, instead, have developed quite the nice chip on their shoulder.
What's driving the young Wolverines? You know, the ever-popular and creative, disrespect card, naturally.
At one point during the second-round game between Oklahoma and Michigan, as star Sooners forward Blake Griffin bled from his elbow and nose (and possibly his heart, as he thought of all the people in the world he could not save with his superior basketball talent), CBS' Tim Brando went all Thom Brennaman-on-Tim Tebow: "Griffin is a once-in-a-lifetime talent," Brando exclaimed, one of a bevy of superlatives he launched in Griffin's direction.
With Michigan leading Clemson by 12 with 11:36 to go in the second half of Thursday's first-round game, someone casually asked me, "Hey, do you know what time Michigan will play on Saturday?"
The NCAA tournament is just one day away, so FanHouse writers and editors got together to talk over each region. The 
ESPN's 
On its surprising drive to the NCAA tournament, Michigan seemingly blew a tire Feb. 22 in Iowa City. That Sunday afternoon, playing against an undermanned and, quite frankly, under-skilled Iowa team, Michigan blew a lead late and lost in overtime as coach 
Heading into Saturday, Michigan's NCAA Tournament resume looked pretty decent, save for two key spots: the Wolverines were under .500 in the Big Ten, and had no big road victories.
For one half, the Michigan Wolverines were all but trying on their dancing shoes. One half later, they were all but watching Wisconsin waltz into the NCAA tournament.
Bill Raftery sounded the call early and often during Thursday night's ESPN broadcast: If Michigan could pull off a home upset of No. 16 Purdue, it would essentially secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Wolverines upheld their end of the bargain, jumping out to a 16-point second-half lead and posting an impressive 87-78 win over the Boilermakers.
The Penn State basketball team hasn't visited the NCAA tournament since 2001, when Joe Crispin and Titus Ivory led the Nittany Lions to the Sweet 16, after knocking off two-seed North Carolina in the second round. Since then, they haven't even been close to mounting a return. 
This is easily the best Michigan basketball team in recent memory. They are going into Illinois tonight with a 13-3 record, and have defeated two top-10 teams. They are young, yes, and coming off a 22-loss season, so, obviously, they have their detractors. Second-year coach 
