Duke News Blog @newzblogz.com

MIAMI - Don't underestimate the grocery store deli worker, the security alarm salesman or the 34-year-old computer science student who anchor the Miami Dade College chess team.

The community college undergrads have already faced Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, Northwestern and Virginia at the Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Tournament - and beaten them all.

By finishing fourth in that tournament, Miami Dade qualified for this weekend's finals of collegiate chess, facing powerhouses University of Texas-Dallas, Duke University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

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GAINESVILLE — Every so often, The Game with The Shot comes on ESPN Classic, and every time, Mike Miller gets a phone call.

It's always the same — "Your game's on" - and, if Miller is home, he'll switch the channel and watch his 20-year-old self hit what he still calls the biggest basket of his career, a falling-down, buzzer-beating layup that gave fifth-seeded Florida a 69-68 overtime win against No. 12 Butler in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament.

That shot propelled Florida to its first national championship game and helped make Miller a star. That summer Miller was the fifth overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.

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Laverne Garloff is glad spring has arrived, and not just

because of the warmer weather.

This spring, a wheelchair trail will be built outside the

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1 Ohio State should get center Greg Oden involved with the offense early. Tennessee is small inside, and Oden could dominate.

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Ray Allen's season may be headed for an early conclusion.

Seattle's All-Star guard sat out Wednesday night with continued pain and discomfort from bone spurs in his left ankle, and indicated before the game against Washington that season-ending surgery is becoming more of an option.

The SuperSonics said Allen is day-to-day, and Damien Wilkins started in Allen's place.

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LAS VEGAS - With Las Vegas Strip casinos as a backdrop, hundreds of UNLV fans sent the Runnin' Rebels off to St. Louis, hoping this would be the team to take them back to the Final Four for the first time since 1991.

A chanting crowd decked out in red and white swamped players for autographs and pictures as they boarded a bus at the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday after a morning practice session. The team headed to the airport for a trip to the Midwest Regional where the third-seeded Oregon Ducks (28-7) await Friday night.

For some, the excitement was reminiscent of the Jerry Tarkanian era, when Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony were national champions and superstars in a city of neon lights.

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A Union Road accident caused 1,900 Duke Energy customers to lose power this Extras

Latest headlines

County's growth 4th fastest in Ohio 

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Once part of Champion Papers, company will leave Sharonville for West Chester Twp.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

WEST CHESTER TWP. — The company that provides paper for publications such as the L.L. Bean catalogs and National Geographic will move 51 of its employees to an office at 9025 Centre Pointe Drive in West Chester Twp.

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The NCAA tournament is all about numbers now ?- 16 teams play 12 games at four regional sites, and the four who remain will convene beneath the Georgia Dome nine days from now. In that numerical spirit, we offer this breakdown of a spirited Sweet 16.

1. The No. 1 team in both polls was two seconds from losing to Xavier before Ron Lewis sent the game to overtime, whereupon Ohio State prevailed without the famous Greg Oden. Two of the last three No. 1 teams to emerge as champs ?- the No.1 team has won the title only three times since 1982 ?- had similar near-elimination experiences. Duke needed Grant-Hill-to-Christian-Laettner against Kentucky in 1992; UCLA needed Tyus Edney going the length of the floor against Missouri in 1995.

2. Tyler Hansbrough tried two different masks to shield the broken nose suffered when Duke's Gerald Henderson slugged him on March 4. He hated both. "It was like a little bee flying around your face that you try to slap away," he told reporters. "And it won't go away." He finally tossed the streamlined second version aside 7 1/2 minutes into Saturday's game against Michigan State. Unmasked, Hansbrough scored 33 points in North Carolina's emphatic victory over the always-forceful Spartans.

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Maddalena McDonnell stood outside of the Kiva Han coffee shop in Oakland, Pa., last week, frowning at the title of a book called "Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both," by Laura Sessions Stepp.

"Nothing she's saying is new," said Ms. McDonnell, 19, a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh. "This sort of thing has been going on for decades. And why didn't she write about men? By focusing on women, she's just perpetuating a double standard."

Stepp's controversial new book on the "hookup culture" of casual sex among young people - not to be confused with the 40-something version of meeting for lunch or a movie - has attracted its share of criticism. Some, like McDonnell, say it overstates the emotional damage done to young, ambitious college women who decide they want sex but are too busy and achievement-oriented for committed relationships.

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Subject(s):

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Win or lose tonight, the University of Memphis is looking to move up in the standings -- at least in Tennessee. Boosters and school officials are pushing for more clout in Nashville and more power in Memphis.

With momentum brewing from a winning basketball season, which continues tonight in the NCAA South Regional against Texas A&M, and numerous multimillion redevelopment projects both on and off campus, prominent donors are aggressively calling for an independent governing board that would allow the school to call its own shots.

U of M booster Harold W. Byrd, vice chairman and president of the Bank of Bartlett, said the request for an independent governing board touches on the longstanding desire of many alums who are eager to elevate the status of their alma mater.

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1. Should the stifling defense of Southern Illinois handle the sizzling offense of Kansas?

Yes and no. Three teams that led their conferences in scoring defense (the ACC's Duke, the Big Ten's Illinois and the Pac-10's Washington State) have been eliminated from the NCAA tournament.

Not good for Southern Illinois. While the Salukis allowed their first two tournament foes to score only 48 and 51 points, Kansas managed 107 and 88 points during its opening games.

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SAN ANTONIO -- The 19-year-old, 7-foot wunderkind who stands between Tennessee and history sat before a horde of reporters in the Ohio State locker room at the Alamodome on Wednesday afternoon. A pair of student managers, resembling the college basketball version of the Secret Service, occupied folding chairs to his immediate right and left.

Whether they were seeking to shield Greg Oden, Ohio State's freshman center, from the media onslaught or merely trying to catch some of his deflected fame was unclear.

What is clear for the fifth-seeded Vols, who will play top-seeded Ohio State in the South Regional semifinals tonight, is the challenge before them. A victory tonight would send Tennessee (24-10) into the Elite Eight for the first time. In three previous trips to the Sweet 16, the Vols failed to advance.

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Each week, Steve Schrader hands out "Stevies" to the best, the worst and the weirdest from the week that was in sports. This week's Stevies:

The "Anybody But Duke" award

To the Blue Devils, who made all those Duke haters so happy just by losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament (added bonus: seeing Christian Laettner suffering the loss in the crowd). Think Coach K's job is in trouble, especially since Tommy Amaker is available?

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When the University of Memphis opened spring practice Tuesday at the Murphy Athletic Complex, one would have expected the new assistants on coach Tommy West's staff to be somewhat unfamiliar with one another.

After all, cornerbacks coach Derek Jones, defensive coordinator Rick Kravitz, receivers coach Darin Hinshaw, defensive line coach Brent Pry and running backs coach James Joseph have been together, as a group, for less than a month.

Yet during Tuesday's practice -- an opening-day workout conducted in shorts and helmets -- the group appeared as if it had been around each other for years.

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Vaughn scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half. The 6-foot-4 center also grabbed seven rebounds, blocked six shots and had four steals. But the key was getting MSU center Allyssa DeHaan in foul trouble.

Vaughn scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half. The 6-foot-4 center also grabbed seven rebounds, blocked six shots and had four steals. But the key was getting MSU center Allyssa DeHaan in foul trouble.

GOAT: Allyssa DeHaan

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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Playing at home is no advantage when facing Rutgers.

The fourth-seeded Scarlet Knights beat Michigan State 70-57 Tuesday night on the Spartans' own court in the second round of the Greensboro Regional.

"Since we were the higher seed, we just listened to the fans and thought they were cheering for us," Rutgers guard Dee Dee Jernigan.

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TAMPA - Virginia Commonwealth coach Anthony Grant, once rumored as a top prospect for the vacant job at South Florida, is coming to town today, but apparently not to talk with the Bulls.

"He's not here for that," said Lakewood coach Dan Wright, who expects Grant on campus today to visit with senior guard Ed Nixon and his family.

The former Florida assistant's first recruiting class at VCU already has four signees from state high schools: Orlando, Fort Myers, Gainesville and Port St. Lucie.

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In dollars and cents, Texas finished ahead of such traditional basketball powers as Duke, Kansas, Indiana, UCLA, Purdue, Michigan State and ? are you sitting down? ? Kentucky. Only Louisville, North Carolina, Arizona and Syracuse pulled in more revenue from hoops.

The revenue numbers come from the federal Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act forms that schools submitted for 2005-06, which can be like comparing so many financial apples and oranges because of the different accounting practices at the universities.

Nevertheless, Ed Goble, associate athletic director for business at UT, said, "If we were all accounting the same way, I'm pretty sure we'd still be in the the top 10."

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HARTFORD, CONN. Maryland fell into Mississippi's trap and the defending NCAA champion never got out.

Mississippi (23-10) used its stifling defense to steal the ball 15 times and force 29 Maryland turnovers and the Rebels upset the No. 2 seed Terrapins 89-78 in the Dayton Regional on Tuesday night.

Armintie Price scored 28 points to lead the Rebels, the same Ole Miss team that was blown out by the Terps 110-79 at a tournament in the Bahamas in November.

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WASHINGTON - Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Tuesday she wants answers about the departure of the former U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, who resigned last October before the Justice Department's dismissal of eight other U.S. attorneys sparked controversy.

"I have questions about Debra Yang's departure and I can't answer those questions right at this time," Feinstein, D-Calif. and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters in response to a question. "Was she asked to resign, and if so, why? We have to ferret that out."

Debra Wong Yang went to work for a private law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and has said she left of her own accord.

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Brian Keigher (Warp) was just a kid with a drum kit whose Beatles

records lead him to the tabla and other sounds of the East. Matthew

Fusello (Radiohiro) had a musical epiphany involving John McLaughlin and

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Former player at Pace, PJC enters final stretch with Florida Gators

David Jones

jones@flatoday.net

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The Stanford senior's eyes filled with tears during the final seconds of her team's loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Florida State.

The 6-foot-3 Smith, who is not much accustomed to losing, did what she could, scoring 12 points, grabbing eight rebounds and rallying her team at one point.

Smith had hoped to lead her team to the Final Four - and perhaps a national title. After all, that's what happened when she was a senior at Marin Catholic and the Wildcats won the state championship with her leading the way.

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Tampa Bay 7, Cleveland 0 F

Pittsburgh 3, Detroit 1 F

Washington 3, Florida 0 F

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5:00 ESPN 2: Womens college basketball: NCAA tournament, Temple vs. Duke.

7:00 ESPN 2: Womens college basketball: NCAA tournament, Michigan State vs. Rutgers.

7:00 ESPN: College basketball: NIT, Florida State vs. Mississippi State.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- No. 13 seed Davidson went first, opening the tournament with a late fade against Maryland. No. 11 seed Winthrop stayed the longest before facing Oregon, which proved bigger, faster and willing to snuff out Cinderella until next March.

The Southern Conference's Wildcats, the Big South Conference's Eagles and all the NCAA tournament underdogs in between proved underwhelming during the event's first two rounds. Their failures have turned this season's Road to the Final Four into a chalk walk bereft of the little guy that is said to bring the tournament its magic.

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LAS VEGAS ? There was a time when coach Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV Runnin' Rebels were the biggest stars in Sin City. With Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony leading the charge, UNLV won the 1990 national championship and came up a victory short of a second consecutive title a year later

The Runnin' Rebels haven't been a headline act since ? until now, that is.

UNLV, which hadn't won an NCAA game since losing to Duke in the Final Four in 1991, is making another run in the tournament.

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The family of Raymond D. Nasher was scheduled to host a gathering in honor of the late businessman and art patron Monday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Nasher Sculpture Center in downtown Dallas.

Nasher, who developed Dallas' landmark NorthPark shopping center, died March 16 in a local hospital. He was 85.

The Sculpture Center event follows a memorial service for Nasher held Monday morning at Temple Emanu-El, 8500 Hillcrest Road in Dallas. Another memorial event was planned for Monday afternoon at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where four works on loan from the Nasher Sculpture Center are on display outside the airport's International Terminal D.

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      Dacono, Colo. — With everything knotted up in Dacono's mayoral election, the incumbent jokingly suggests the candidates decide things with boxing gloves in the streets of this old coal-mining town.

      "I'm willing to duke it out," Mayor Wade Carlson said. "And I'm the old codger."

      The Nov. 7 election between Carlson and challenger Larry Johnston is still undecided, tied at 366 votes each.

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GAINESVILLE Butler did it, as far as most followers of the Florida basketball program are concerned.

Billy Donovan was in his fourth season as coach of the Gators and was coming off a Sweet 16 berth in 1999, which ended on a sour note in Phoenix when Gonzaga won 73-72 on a final-second shot by Casey Calvary. The 2000 team earned a share of the Southeastern Conference title only the second squad in school history to reach that level. The postseason looked promising.

Then came Butler. In Winston-Salem, N.C., Florida trailed 56-49 with 4:17 left in regulation but fought back to tie it on two free throws by Udonis Haslem in the closing moments. In overtime, the Bulldogs appeared to have the game won, but two missed foul shots gave UF a final chance.

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University of Pennsylvania sociologist Beth Soldo, an early-wave

baby boomer, wasn't seeking potentially ominous news about the health

of her generation, but it was staring her in the face.

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Marketers have long wondered why simple campaigns sometimes have a greater impact than more sophisticated efforts. Brothers Chip and Dan Heath explore this conundrum in their new book Made to Stick (Random House). The authors--Chip is a professor at Stanford, and Dan works at Duke's corporate education program--looked at ideas from the golden rule to popular urban legends to create a checklist of what makes an idea truly memorable. The Heaths recently ran down their checklist with editor Mike Hofman.

Why do you think some ideas catch on while others languish?

Chip: We believe that the best ideas have most of these traits: They are simple, core messages; they are unexpected; they are concrete, credible, and emotional; and they are stories. So when John F. Kennedy said that we were going to put a man on the moon within the decade, that idea stuck because it had many of those qualities. A more current example, and our favorite marketing example, would be Jared, the Subway spokesperson who lost 245 pounds by eating Subway every day. It meets all of those criteria. But believe it or not, some top people at Subway initially objected to the campaign.

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GAINESVILLE -- Butler did it, as far as most followers of the Florida basketball program are concerned.

Billy Donovan was in his fourth season as the head coach of the Gators and was coming off a Sweet 16 berth in 1999. The 2000 team earned a share of the SEC title -- only the second squad in school history to reach that level. The postseason looked promising.

Then came Butler. In a first-round NCAA Tournament game against the Bulldogs in Winston-Salem, N.C., Florida trailed 56-49 with 4:17 left in regulation. The Gators fought back to tie it up on two free throws by Udonis Haslem in the closing moments. In overtime, the Bulldogs appeared to have the game won, but two missed foul shots gave UF one final chance.

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Let's start with the relatively minor. In his statement to Congress, Gonzales acknowledges it would be wrong to remove prosecutors for political reasons. It is so wrong, he tells Congress, that he would never, ever do such a terrible thing.

And yet he did.

Since that statement, the evidence has become overwhelming that some if not most of the attorneys were ousted for political reasons, with considerable input from the White House. One of the eight, for example, was removed as U.S. attorney in Arkansas despite glowing performance reviews. Why? So an aide to White House political adviser Karl Rove could get the job.

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NEW ORLEANS -- For the first time since 2004, a defending national champion advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

No. 1 seed Florida knocked off ninth-seeded Purdue 74-67 in the second round of the Midwest Regional on Sunday, thanks to the inside play of Al Horford and huge 3-pointers by Taurean Green.

The Gators were more concerned with enjoying the moment -- and maybe rubbing a few of the bruises away.

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As hundreds of friends and mourners gathered Monday at a memorial service for Dallas developer and arts patron Raymond D. Nasher, new details emerged that show his final days were a valedictory lap through some of Paris’ most venerated venues. Also Online

Timeline: Major Nasher acquisitions

03/19/07: Nasher landmarks draw grateful fans

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GAINESVILLE - Butler did it, as far as most followers of the Florida basketball program are concerned.

Billy Donovan was in his fourth season as the head coach of the Gators and was coming off a Sweet 16 berth in 1999, which ended on a sour note in Phoenix when Gonzaga won, 73-72, on a final-second shot by Casey Calvary. The 2000 team earned a share of the SEC title -- only the second squad in school history to reach that level. Post-season looked promising.

Then came Butler. In Winston-Salem, N.C., Florida trailed 56-49 with 4 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in regulation but fought back to tie it up on two free throws by Udonis Haslem in the closing moments. In overtime, the Bulldogs appeared to have the game won, but two missed foul shots gave UF one final chance.

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DURHAM, N.C. (AP) The former prosecutor in the Duke lacrosse sexual assault case didn't violate the constitutional rights of the three charged players, his attorneys said in a renewed effort to have some of the ethics charges against him dismissed.

In papers filed last week, attorneys for District Attorney Mike Nifong added to their argument that the players' attorneys received a report and its underlying data on DNA testing well before any trial. The report was conducted as part of the assault investigation.

The DNA tests found genetic material from several men on the 28-year-old accuser's underwear and body, but none from any of the players.

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Para nosotros que no vamos al gimnasio tan a menudo como quisi?ramos, hay esperanza de hacer ejercicio moderado en la vida diaria. Seg?n investigadores de la Universidad Duke, incluso ejercicio moderado, como una caminata ligera, puede aumentar significativamente salud cardiovascular dedic?ndoles dos horas por semana.

Mucha gente pasa largas horas laborando y no tiene oportunidad de dejar la silla de su oficina. Pero hay formas de ejercitarse sentado al escritorio.

Deskercise: 10 minutos repetidos de actividad aer?bica ? incluso mini ejercicio de un minuto ? puede sumarse al requerido de 30 minutos diarios. Tiene tambi?n la ventaja de adiestrar a su coraz?n para saltar del estado de reposo al de ejercicio, proceso que disminuye el riesgo de mal del coraz?n, seg?n el sitio de WebMD en la Red.

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The KUTV Bracket Challenge rolls on. Im about a third of the way down the list. Typical me. I do pretty well, but I am never in danger of winning. Dan Sheldon leads the KUTV talent with 51 points. I have 46. Mark Koelbel has 45. Dave Fox and Allie Mac Kay are tied with 37 points.

Im proud of my Winthrop over Notre Dame and VCU over Duke picks. The Irish and Devils werent playing well down the stretch. The same logic burned me when Kentucky won.

Id rather not discuss George Washington.

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RALEIGH, N.C. - Abby Waner is best known for knocking down 3-pointers. The Duke star made an impression this time by knocking a 3 into the stands. With her near-perfect shooting nights becoming common, it was her improbably emphatic blocked shot at the other end of the court that sent the message to the rest of the NCAA tournament field: Forget that recent loss. Duke is back.

"I felt like Alison Bales for a little bit," Waner said, referring to her teammate, the nation's leading shot-blocker. "It's nice to be in her spotlight for once."

Waner hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 of her 26 points during an overwhelming first half, and top-seeded Duke cruised to an 81-44 rout of the Crusaders on Sunday night in the first round of the Greensboro Regional.

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RALEIGH, N.C. - Temple found a way to hang around the NCAA tournament a little longer. Lady Comfort scored the go-ahead basket in the final two minutes and Fatima Maddox hit four clinching free throws to help the Owls rally past Nebraska 64-61 on Sunday night, earning a first-round victory for the second time in three seasons.

Maddox scored 18 points for the eighth-seeded Owls (25-7), who advanced to play top-seeded Duke in the Greensboro regional on Tuesday. Comfort added 15 points, while Kamesha Hairston shook off a bad first half and finished with 12.

It was Temple's second NCAA victory in five appearances under coach Dawn Staley. The Owls certainly had to earn this year's trip to the second round by rallying from a four-point deficit in the final 2 1/2 minutes against the ninth-seeded Cornhuskers (22-10), who led almost the entire second half.

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CHICAGO ? Lon Kruger was beaming. Happy as a coach, proud as a dad. Thanks to a shooting surge by his son Kevin, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels rallied for the school's biggest win since the 1991 team made the Final Four.

Kevin Kruger shook off a shooting slump, connecting on three straight 3-pointers late in the second half Sunday as UNLV beat second-seeded Wisconsin 74-68 in the second round of the Midwest Regional.

Lon Kruger has no trouble acknowledging that winning is great, but watching your son play such an instrumental role makes it even better.

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TOURNAMENT BRACKETS Interactive men's bracket ...

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There won't be any little guys to pull for on the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. For just the second time since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, no double-digit seed advanced to the round of 16.

Winthrop was the last of the teams seeded 10th or lower to have a chance to reach the third round, but the 11th-seeded Eagles lost 75-61 to Oregon on Sunday. The only other double-digit seed to advance to the second round, No. 12 Virginia Commonwealth, lost 84-79 in overtime to Pittsburgh on Saturday.

No double-digit seed reached the third round in 1995, and only five times since 1985 had only one moved on. The most to reach the round of 16 was five in 1999.

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I am very saddened and much concerned about so many traffic fatalities of victims younger than age 20. Most reports state the driver "over corrected" and/or "seat belts were not in place."

Usually involved is a late-model vehicle driven by an intelligent person. Experience or education in handling emergencies seem to be missing. I suggest that "What if?" scenarios of accidents involving fatalities be shown on film and discussed at length before issuing a driver's license.

While driving 70 miles per hour, the left front tire of my vehicle literally exploded. I gripped the steering wheel, removed my foot from the accelerator, assessed the situation, continued in the lane until slowing enough to apply the brake, allowing exit into the emergency lane. No accident.

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments,

compiled by editors of HealthDay:

60 Million Units of Pet Food Recalled After Unexplained Kidney Failure Reports

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RALEIGH, N.C. ? The Baylor Lady Bears don't know what it's like to lose early in the NCAA tournament. Jessica Morrow kept them from finding out.

Morrow scored 13 points and led the decisive run, and Baylor nearly blew a big lead before pulling away from Chattanooga 68-55 on Sunday in the first round of the Fresno Regional.

"Now, we don't get rattled, we keep our composure and know how to play through it when teams make their run at us," Morrow said.

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Ninth-seeded Purdue played just about how it wanted against the Gators ? slowing down the tempo, rebounding well with a smaller lineup and keeping the game close much of the way. But the top-seeded Gators never panicked and made several clutch shots down the stretch to advance to the round of 16.

Horford had three big buckets in the final minutes, and Brewer hit a spinning jumper and then made six consecutive free throws to seal Florida's 14th consecutive postseason win. Brewer finished with 17 points and eight boards.

The Gators (31-5), trying to become the first team to repeat as champions since Duke in 1992, advanced to play fifth-seeded Butler in the Midwest Regional semifinals Friday in St. Louis.

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NEW ORLEANS - For the first time since 2004, a defending national champion advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

Top-seeded Florida knocked off ninth-seeded Purdue 74-67 in the second round of the Midwest Regional on Sunday, thanks largely to the inside play of Al Horford and a couple of huge 3-pointers by Taurean Green.

The Gators (31-5) will face Butler (29-6) in Friday's game in St. Louis -- a rematch of the 2000 tournament opener -- with the winner advancing to Sunday's regional final.

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CLEARWATER - After taking a few days off to make sure his pitching shoulder is fine, All-Star closer Tom Gordon returned Sunday and was encouraged despite allowing the winning run in the Phillies' 5-4 split-squad loss to the Devil Rays.

"I felt really good, and I knew that I would," Gordon said after allowing a ninth-inning run on two hits. "I felt comfortable."

The outing was only the third of the spring and first in eight days for Gordon, who traveled to Philadelphia last week for a precautionary exam with team doctor Michael Ciccotti.

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