TheSpread.com

Time to Get Serious

Deon Thompson and his North Carolina teammates looked at home in their RBC Center locker room, so much so that it almost felt more like an Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season game than the start of the NCAA tournament.

The Tar Heels merely had to hop on a bus for a short ride east on Interstate 40 to an arena where they play every season against one of their biggest rivals.

Start of Something Big?

Having survived five close calls in the last two weeks, UCLA seemingly has it easy in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The top-seeded Bruins are favored by 32 points against 16th-seeded Mississippi Valley State.

History is on their side, too. No. 1 seeds are 92-0 against No. 16 seeds in the tournament.

Kansas Downs Portland St

Darrell Arthur got free in the lane and rocked the basket with a thunderous dunk. Darnell Jackson went flying down the court and slammed one through. Then it was Arthur's turn again - yes, he soared above the rim for another jam.

Just over 3 minutes into the game, it was quite clear Kansas wasn't in the mood for another first-round stunner.

Expect a Miracle?

The words displayed on the baseline at the Oral Roberts arena say a lot about what people need to know about the university, the basketball program, the attitude at one of America's best-known evangelical meeting points: ``Expect A Miracle.''

OK, so maybe it's a bit irreverent to be looking for miracles on a basketball court. Then again, this is the NCAA tournament, and the basketball program has, of late, been one of the best things going at the troubled campus in Tulsa, Okla.

Duke Takes on Belmont

Next up on the Belmont Bruins' tour of top college basketball programs: Duke.

Each of the previous two years, Belmont's prize for winning the Atlantic Sun Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament was a first-round matchup against a team that owns a significant place in the sport's history.