Everyone's got something to say about the NCAA tournament expansion, which makes sense. We've been chattering about it nonstop for months.

Yet it seems the expansion from 65 teams to 68 – not 96 – didn't prompt a multitude of similar stories. That's a happy change. Instead of everyone railing against going to 96, there's more than one school out thought out there.

On that note, here's your NCAA expansion roundup.

I offer two links on the expansion basics from Eammon Brennan and Matt Norlander. Read up. Then move onto the opinions.

Did the NCAA actually listen to everyone who ripped the idea of 96? Gary Parrish thinks so.

Then again, maybe the NCAA simply made the savvy move by setting everyone up to think we were headed for 96. That way 68 sounds marvelous, writes Pat Forde.

There is skepticism. Brett McMurphy doubts the field of 68 will remain the field of 68 for very long. Perhaps that's true given that some coaches are still pushing for more expansion, but it's hard to envision after the storm NCAA officials endured this spring. Give it until at least 2016.

What did the players think of the expansion? Dana O'Neil did the legwork before the news hit and found mostly mixed results. Some don't mind, some do. (Stunner.)

There was much rejoicing. I mean a lot. Like everywhere.

Hey wait, what about the logistics? After all, which eight teams are going to be slated for those four play-in games?

What about an expansion response in cartoon form? (It's worth it.)

And finally, we hoops pundits deserve some finger wagging for thinking the move to 96 was a done deal. Turns out the sky wasn't falling.

Mike Miller's also on Twitter, usually talkin' hoops. Click here to follow him.

Ed Reinke / AP Eric Bledsoe, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins declared for the NBA draft Wednesday.

All the cool kids declared for the NBA draft on Wednesday. Or at least it seemed like it.

Evan Turner, Xavier Henry, Jordan Crawford, Lance Stephenson and all five of the Kentucky studs put their names into mix, among others. None were a surprise, though it is strange to read that Stephenson hired and agent. (Not sure he's first round material.)

More guys are sure to do the same in the coming days, so keep this link of who's in handy. In the meantime, here's a quick rundown of who declared today and what it means.

Kentucky lost freshmen John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton, along with junior stalwart Patrick Patterson. It was all expected, but hardly dire news. (Kentucky Sports Radio says Patterson is still on the fence.) John Calipari will certainly nab another stellar recruit or two (Josh Selby, Brandon Knight or Doron Lamb seem likely), and Orton could very well return. Expect some hand-wringing in Lexington due to the defections, but don't begrudge the freshmen. They were part of a marvelous season.

Turner said leaving Ohio State was "the toughest thing I had to do," but it was certainly the right one. He'll be a Top 5 selection, and the Buckeyes won't really miss a beat with four starters back and the No. 2 recruiting class.

In another non-surprise, Henry became the first one-and-done in Kansas history. KU will miss his outside shooting, but the Jayhawks have more than enough depth to ease his departure. They're also still in the mix for Knight and Selby.

Stephenson posted nice numbers with Cincinnati (16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds), but the Bearcats didn't have the breakout season most thought. He leaves them in no worse shape than when he arrived.

Another expected entrant was Oklahoma's Willie Warren. What was not expected what his so-so season.

Crawford – he of the 35-foot bomb against K-State – probably won't sign an agent, which is great news for Xavier, and Crawford. The 6-4 sophomore could stand another season of seasoning.

Another entrant from the A-10 is in the same boat. Dayton's Chris Wright has the NBA body, but not the game. Flyers would love for him to stick around and help turn that NIT title into an NCAA berth.

Random announcement of the day? Florida's Alex Tyus. Yeah, he's not ready.

On the other hand, Marshall's Hassan Whiteside probably is. Don't know Whiteside? He's a beast when it comes to blocking shots and rebounding. Not much on offense, though.

Like I said, busy day. Throw those in with the guys who've already declared and the pool's rapidly growing.

Who's left? The big names to watch include Syracuse's Wes Johnson, West Virginia's Devin Ebanks, Memphis' Elliot Williams, Baylor's Ekpe Udoh, Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors, UNC's Ed Davis and title game stars Gordon Hayward and Kyle Singler. (Georgetown's Greg Monroe says he's staying in school.)

They have until April 25 to declare. If they change their mind, they have until May 8 to withdraw their name.

Mike Miller's also on Twitter, usually talkin' hoops. Click here for more.

Editor's note: March Madness is too much for any one person to handle, so I'm adding help. The guys behind Ballin' Is a Habit, Rob Dauster and Troy Machir, will be contributing throughout March and into the Final Four, both with content from their Web site and original articles for us. This post originally appeared at BIAH.

By Troy Machir

The 2009-2010 season is officially over. Gone are the days of "the John Wall Dance" and 65-team tournaments. It was an amazing season. But it is over now. As Jay-Z always says "It's on to the next one".

- Mike DeCourcy details the best and the worst from the past season

- Gary Parrish takes a look back at the best tournament ever

- For Jeff Goodman, this one was "one for the ages"

- Yeah, you could call it an "instant classic"

- Say goodbye to 65 teams

- Championship game watched by the most people in decades

- There was nothing "mid-major" about Monday night's ratings

- Indiana Mayor says Butler are "Champs"

- According to the Charlotte Observer, Carolina is still better than Duke

- Butler still wins even though they lost

- Dominique Archie's request for an extra year is denied

- Greg Monroe wins Pete Newell Award

- Cornell head coach Steve Donahue will take over at Boston College; more Cornell coaching-related news and notes

- Big Red senior Jon Jaques wishes "Captain D" the best of luck

- Rutgers coach Frank Hill is being investigated for baseball game incident; Pink slip could be on the horizon

- Tulane will name ex-Citadel coach Ed Conroy as new head coach

- Finally, Jim Boehiem gets the recognition he deserves.....

- What if Gino tried coaching men's hoops?

- Coach Cal has no interest in the NBA

- Is there a "can't win it all" stigma with Calipari?

- Cornell has been busy in the off-season

- Who DOESN'T remember Wisconsin's Brian "The Polar Bear" Butch?

- Look at it this way, Your bracket for next year can't be as bad as it was this year

- The top guards in the 2010 draft

- One-and-done might not be the best fit at Kentucky

- Devils win, raise hell

- Mascot news: W&M change from "Tribe" to "Griffins". In other news, political correctness blows

- Apparently a fake-Eric Bledsoe declared for the draft and a real-Pat Forde fell for it

- Your only womens-hoops-related-news of the week: UConn wins. Again.

- This has little to do with college basketball, but will make you laugh for minutes

You can find more of Troy's writing at Ballin' is a Habit and follow him on Twitter @BIAHtheTrizzle.

Editor's note: March Madness is too much for any one person to handle, so I'm adding help. The guys behind Ballin' Is a Habit, Rob Dauster and Troy Machir, will be contributing throughout March and into the Final Four, both with content from their Web site and original articles for us. This post originally appeared at BIAH.

By Troy Machir

Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils. You earned it. You might not have deserved it, but damn, you earned it. Butler, you did an admirable job in defeat.

- What.A.Ballgame.

- Are you kidding me? It's never too early; Not even for a top-50

- Hell, let's look at Bracketology for 2011

- Nolan Smith is returning to Duke, Singler is not sure yet

- Cameron Indoor Stadium was obviously going crazy; court-storming without a team

- Butler did have two chances to win it after all

- A great, great, great story a mother who finally got to see her son play

- This might mean just a bit more to Nolan Smith

- Old dog, new tricks

- Clemson's Oliver Purnell will be the new DePaul head coach

- "One Shining Moment" just isn't what it used to be

- The 24-best "One Shining Moments" from this years tournament

- Not all Dukies are bad people

- UCLA reserve forward Mike Moser is transfering

- Texas A&M is giving Mark Turgeon a raise

- Who is next for Boston College?

- It was a busy day for the Hurley family, says Adam Zagoria

- A source named "Bubba" says Coach K didn't laught at his joke

- Associate AD at Kansas steps down

You can find more of Troy's writing at Ballin' is a Habit and follow him on Twitter @BIAHtheTrizzle.

Editor's note: March Madness is too much for any one person to handle, so I'm adding help. The guys behind Ballin' Is a Habit, Rob Dauster and Troy Machir, will be contributing throughout March and into the Final Four, both with content from their Web site and original articles for us. This post originally appeared at BIAH.

By Troy Machir

On expansion: Dana O'Neil, Gary Parrish, Mike DeCourcy. But could it actually be a bad business move?

- More funny business going on at Binghampton

- SO this is what a college basketball BCS would look like

- Isiah wants to coach at DePaul. In other news, I feel the need to vomit

- It looks like Tubby will stay in Minnesota afterall

- Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu declares for the draft

- I sure would. But then again I'm not a coach, GM or owner

- Houston hires James Dickey

- The people at DraftExpress do good work: full highlights from the McDonald's H.S. Dunk Contest

- Oh great, ANOTHER banner or the Dean-dome. Like UNC seriously needs any more.

- Not everybody hates the Dukies this year

- A quick look at the list of who is staying and who is going

Jimmy Chitwood and the rest of "The Hooisers" embrace Butler's run- Unfortunately, this whole tournament expansion thing wasn't just a big April Fools prank

- The NCAA doesn't care how we feel

- Cornell's Louis Dale is named Collegeinsider.com's NMMMVP

- What team has the most important starting five

- This is the first time I've heard of Jim Delany but I already don't like him.

You can find more of Troy's writing at Ballin' is a Habit and follow him on Twitter @BIAHtheTrizzle.

Editor's note: March Madness is too much for any one person to handle, so I'm adding help. The guys behind Ballin' Is a Habit, Rob Dauster and Troy Machir, will be contributing throughout March and into the Final Four, both with content from their Web site and original articles for us. This post originally appeared at BIAH.

By Troy Machir

- Butler will win it all, and there are nine reasons why

- Oklahoma might have themselves another NCAA violation

- Reasons why Michigan State will win it all

- Virginia Commonwealth beat Saint Louis to win the CBI

- A somber conclusion to the 2009-2010 Kentucky basketball season

- Jamie Dixon will stay at Pittsburgh, and get more money

- Tim Floyd should write a book called "Perhaps Maybe I Did It and Yes I'd Do It Again"

- Floyd also says he wasn't called about the DePaul job

- Reggie Theus is interviewing for the DePaul job

- Tulane lets Dave Dickerson go after five seasons; Questions remain unanswered

- Kevin Willard is introduced as the new head coach at Seton Hall; Doesn't take him very long to land his first recruit

- Rick Pitino gets extension thru 2017

- Jim Larranaga will stay at George Mason thru 2016

- ...So what you're basically saying is that Boston College wants Frank Martin?

- Was it risky for Iowa to hire Fran McCaffery?

- Iowa fans go crazy a bit overboard with the Fran puns

- Steve Lavin is optimistic about his new team's chances

- I had no idea how hot Lavin's wife is

- Could Andre Dawkins be Duke's X-factor?

- Joe Mazulla exemplifies a true mountaineer

- Travis Leslie aka "The Southern Dandy Dunk Machine" will return to Georgia for his junior year (OK, OK, I made the nickname up, but it's pretty fitting right?"

- Daniel Orton will test NBA draft waters

- So too will Viriginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney

- Kyle Whelliston and the Mid-Majority definitely win for having the best Best Bracket Contest

- Adam Zagoria wraps up a busy day in New York City hoops

- IF you want the latest coaching scoop, Jeff Goodman is your guy

- Mike DeCourcy answers five interesting questions

- Not all of President Obama's brackets are doing poorly

- Gambling Tips: Players to study

- Hating Duke has become second-nature to us all

You can find more of Troy's writing at Ballin' is a Habit and follow him on Twitter @BIAHtheTrizzle.

The glut of the Final Four stories won't start hitting until Thursday, but there's already plenty to digest.

So let's not waste any time with a long intro.

Begin with Ken Davis' breakdown of all four teams. There are reasons why Duke, West Virginia, Michigan State and Butler each could win the title, reasons why they won't and the X-factors involved. (Ken likes Duke. I'm leaning that way, but am being wooed by the Mountaineers' defense.) He'll be in Indy by Thursday, filing stories and columns.

Rob Dauster has the five most tiresome storylines and the five that deserve more attention.

Who are the players to watch? Got you covered here, though it's worth nothing that this isn't a Final Four loaded with NBA lottery picks. Thus, it's being spun as the "team" Final Four, though I think that shortchanges guys like Devin Ebanks, Gordon Hayward and Kyle Singler. They're all first-round locks. NBA execs would be smart to take another look.

It's also worth re-thinking what you think you know about these four teams. John Gasaway says the Spartans are actually winning with offense, not the defense we normally associate with Tom Izzo's teams. There's more tempo-free stuff to be found here.

West Virginia hasn't been this far since 1959. Leave it to native son Bob Huggins to deliver a long-awaited Final Four berth.

Some Butler students were a bit too hasty in spreading news about where to buy tickets. They're  now on double-secret probation.

Duke's Plumlee brothers, Mason and Miles, are Indiana natives, who will play just 118 miles from their hometown of Warsaw. They ended their high school careers at a N.C. prep school, but the Hoosier state fostered their love for the game. (That Hoosier reference is different than this one.)

In case you didn't know, Michigan State's Durrell Summers is bringing it. Given what he did to Stanley Robinson last year, it's not a huge surprise.

Butler coach Brad Stevens is the youngest coach since Bobby Knight to reach the Final Four. At 88-14, he has more wins than any other coach through his first three seasons. And just think, 10 years ago he was working at pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.

I can live with NCAA tournament expansion. But re-seeding the Final Four? Pass.

Mike Miller's also on Twitter, usually talkin' hoops. Click here for more.

Editor's note: March Madness is too much for any one person to handle, so I'm adding help. The guys behind Ballin' Is a Habit, Rob Dauster and Troy Machir, will be contributing throughout March and into the Final Four, both with content from their Web site and original articles for us. This post originally appeared at BIAH.

By Troy Machir

Everyone loves the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Four straight days jam-packed with 12 hours of do-or-die college hoops is more than most people can handle.

But for junkies like us, the next 13 days are just as good, for it is when the true Madness takes place. Over the course of these two weeks, we whittle some 347 teams down to 30 conference champions (the Ivy doesn't have a tournament). Auto-bids will be won. Bubbles will be burst. Buzzers will be beaten. And most importantly, a 65 team bracket will be made.

Here is what happened on Monday:

Game of the Day: Siena 72, Fairfield 65 OT

Fairfield came out on fire. The Stags opened up a 15 point lead in the first half and were up by as much as 13 in the second half. But playing on Siena's home court -- where the Saints have won 38 straight games -- the Saints came back. They finally took the lead on a three from Ronald Moore with two minutes left to give them a 60-58 lead. But the Stags would tie it up on a layup by Colin Nickerson with 55 seconds left.

In overtime, Alex Franklin scored he first bucket of the game, and it was followed up by a basket from StevenRyan Rossiter. Fairfield would not be able to get closer than two the rest of the way. For the third straight season, Siena will be in the NCAA Tournament.

Player of the Day: Edwin Ubiles, Siena

Ubiles scored 27 points and added 7 boards to lead the Saints to the overtime victory over Fairfield in the MAAC title game. As mentioned above, Siena came back from a 15 point deficit to knock off the Stags and make their third straight tournament.

They were good too

Alex Franklin, Siena: Franklin went for 22 points and 12 boards, including the go ahead basket in overtime, in the Saints win.

Keith Benson, Oakland: Benson had 17 points and 17 boards as the Grizzlies advanced to the Summit League title game.

Mickey McConnell, St. Mary's: McConnell had a career-high 26 points as the Gaels beat Gonzaga and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. McConnell also added 6 assists in the win.

Team of the Day: St. Mary's Gaels

The Gaels finally broke through. For the first time in 10 tries, the Gaels beat Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament, and they did it in impressive fashion. With Omar Samhan struggling, Mickey McConnell went for a career-high 26 points, Ben Allen added a career high 20 points, and the Gaels outscored Gonzaga 51-33 in a second half they shot 68 percent from the floor.

Welcome to the dance

Colonial Athletic Association Tournament
Finals (Richmond, VA)
#1 Old Dominion 60, #3 William & Mary 53

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament
Finals (Albany, NY)
#1 Siena 72, #2 Fairfield 65 OT

Southern Conference Tournament
Finals (Chattanooga, TN)
#1S Wofford 56, #1N Appalachian State 51

West Coast Conference Tournament
Finals (Las Vegas, NV)
#2 St. Marys 81, #1 Gonzaga 62

Tournament Results:

Summit League Tournament
Semifinals (Sioux Falls, SD)
#1 Oakland 71, #5 IPFW 58
#2 IUPUI 69, #3 Oral Roberts 65

Sun Belt Conference Tournament
Semifinals (Hot Springs, AR)
#1 Troy 54, #4 Western Kentucky 48
#2 North Texas 63, #6 Denver 56

Like what you read? You can find more of Troy's writing at Ballin' is a Habit.

When a college hoops Saturday features 140 games, how do you sort out the important results from the filler? Well, let's give it a shot.

The lone Top 25 game cemented Kentucky's status as the SEC's top dog – not that there was much doubt. The No. 3 Wildcats (24-1, 9-1) pulled away from No. 12 Tennessee at home thanks to the play of their two guards, John Wall (24 points) and Eric Bledsoe (16 points, all in the second half).

An important note, though. The Vols played a zone most of the game, which helped take away touches from DeMarcus Cousins. Future UK opponents, take note: The less you see of Cousins, the better.

A pair of mid-majors suffered the only Top 25 upsets and Georgia Tech. But while Northern Iowa (22-3) merely had its budding Missouri Valley title delayed, UNLV (19-6) suffered its second straight loss. Perhaps the Rebels just got lucky against BYU last week. As for the Jackets, they stink on the road, which makes a 75-64 loss to Wake Forest no surprise.

The rest of the Top 25 was pretty much standard fare.

Duke, Purdue, Gonzaga, K-State, Temple, Wisconsin and Michigan State all won handily, though Texas takes the prize for biggest blowout, a 40-point win vs. Nebraska.

Perhaps the day's most exciting finish was Baylor's last-second win against Missouri, where Epke Udoh played like "it was Kobe time."

Milestone stories: No. 1 Kansas gave Bill Self the 400^th win of his career (he's now an absurd 123-6 at Allen Fieldhouse and has won at a better rate than Roy Williams at Kansas), while Philadelphia U's Herb Magee won the 900^th game of his career.

Jim Calhoun's return to the UConn sideline didn't go as he'd hoped. (Click here for great video.)

Oregon State won at Arizona for the first time in 27 years. I will now refrain from the obligatory "the Pac-10 is terrible" comment.

The A-10 offered a couple of random results. Xavier topped Florida, boosting its NCAA tourney résumé, while Dayton stumbled at St. Louis, losing in double overtime.

And hey, how about Alcorn State getting that elusive first win of the season? That leaves Bryant as the lone unbeaten team.

Mike Miller's also on Twitter, usually talkin' hoops. Click here for more.

How to measure Kansas' dominance on Monday night? Let me count the ways.

Or rather, let me present the links of others who have counted the ways.

Harry Cabluck/AP

Kansas' Cole Aldrich blocks a shot by Texas' Clint Champman.

Roughly three weeks ago, I postulated that there were no dominant college basketball teams. Well, the Jayhawks (23-1, 9-0) are doing their best to disprove that notion (if they haven't already). And how are they doing it? Mike DeCourcy targets three areas: toughness, depth and panache.

The more compelling argument DeCourcy argument (two columns from one game!) relates to how Kansas has – thus far – owned the Big 12, perhaps the nation's toughest conference. And has done it mostly on the road (wins at Texas, K-State, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa State).

After all, even KU coach Bill Self hasn't been entirely pleased with how his team's played (he says Kansas isn't quite as "fluid" as the 2008 title team), but it's undeniable how it gets the job done.

"That's the thing that kind of cracks me up," Self said. "Deservedly so, people can say we haven't played great. But if you're sitting there with five road wins in a hard, hard league, then you probably haven't played poorly. And that's where we're at right now."

Then again, Fanhouse's Terrance Harris the Jayhawks are simply as dominant as its gets in college hoops today.

Maybe that's because Kansas has settled on its core eight players (unlike Texas, which can't find a rotation) and those talented players know their roles and execute Self's game plan.

Or maybe it's just because the Jayhawks know when step up in the big moments. Treat those big games as if it's March. That's how they handled the 'Horns.

"I don't think there is any dominant team," said Kansas forward Marcus Morris. "But I think we came out real aggressive against them guys and we took the first punch, and we never let up."

Do that four times in March and twice in early April, and that aggressiveness will result in a title.

Mike Miller's also on Twitter, usually talkin' hoops.

Wednesday's bevy of games produced plenty of notable outcomes – including four upsets – but the most notable moment came during a five-second stretch of a CAA matchup between two teams with losing records.

After all, how many people have notched an eight-point play before?

The gist: Hofstra guard Charles Jenkins scores a layup and was fouled by Jeremy Basnight. The refs rule the foul intentional, which causes UNC Wilmington coach Benny Moss to argue, so he gets slapped with a T. That leaves Jenkins to hit all four free throws (two for the intentional, two for the technicals), then – because Hofstra maintained possession due to the intentional foul – Jenkins scored off the inbounds.

Eight points, all off what's technically one possession. No wonder Hofstra won the game 93-54.

As to the other notable games from Wednesday, here's the quick rundown:

No. 15 Temple, No. 19 UConn, No. 14 Tennessee and No. 12 BYU all lost (though the Vols and Cougars were beaten by ranked teams). The perplexing one is the Huskies' 81-66 drilling by Providence. Just days after UConn beat Texas – and Providence gave up a thousand points to South Florida – it can't break 70? That'll send the Huskies back to the bubble.

No. 3 Villanova made its case for No. 1 by thrashing Notre Dame, 90-72. Sure, the Irish can't play defense, but the 'Cats could care less. They're 19-1.

Illinois is now 5-3 in the Big Ten after beating Penn State. Maybe now Bruce Weber will let his players speak to the media again.

Oklahoma beat Iowa State with Tony Crocker and Willie Warren on the bench due to injuries. Hey, when Tommy Mason-Griffin scores 38 and dishes 6 assists, who needs 'em?

Drexel ended the nation's third-longest win streak (it was 11) by beating Northeastern. BYU's 15-game streak also ended Wednesday.

Mike Miller's also on Twitter. Follow him by clicking here.

Kansas junior Brady Morningstar's not the only significant player getting back on the floor as the first semester ends.

At least eight Final Four hopefuls have players joining them soon, not counting Renardo Sidney at Mississippi State. He's still in NCAA limbo.

Jai Lucas could be the most crucial. Texas is deep, but he'll be important at both guard spots and could start at the point if J'Covan Brown or Dogus Balbay struggle.

Uconn fans have been waiting to see Ater Majok play for more than a year. When he finally joins the Huskies' frontcourt, it'll give Jim Calhoun some much-needed depth he hasn't had yet.

Seton Hall has two, Keon Lawrence and Jeff Robinson, both of whom could contribute right away if the Hall didn't already have a nice roster going. Be interesting to see how Bobby Gonzalez handles them.

UTEP's Derrick Caracter already played a couple of games. Oddly enough, the Miners lost both, including at No. 20 Ole Miss on Tuesday. Caracter produced, though (15 and 15).

After a surprising loss to UAB on Tuesday, perhaps Cincinnati should give Ibrahima Thomas more playing time. Certainly couldn't hurt.

You know that Twitter thing sweeping the nation? Mike Miller's also on there @BeyndArcMMiller.