Breaking Down the NCAA Tourney

Column: Breaking Down the NCAA Tourney

Published: 3/18/06, 8:25 PM EDT
(AP) - Once Selection Sunday is over and the NCAA tournament's field is revealed, the next goal for coaches and players is the second weekend.

Reaching the regional semifinals means a second trip for a team and its fans. It means you have won two games and three-quarters of the schools that started March Madness will be watching the four days of games that decide the Final Four.

With its 74-61 victory over George Washington on Saturday, Duke extended its streak of consecutive regional semifinal appearances to nine.

If you're not impressed, try this: The next longest current streak is two. Washington's 67-64 victory over Illinois put the Huskies in the regional semifinals for the second straight year. Five teams will have a chance to match Washington on Sunday - Arizona, Kentucky, North Carolina, Villanova and West Virginia.

Duke's run is second only to North Carolina's 13 straight round of 16 appearances, which started in 1981. Sweet 16 records started with the 1975 tournament when the field was expanded to 32 teams and it took at least one win to reach the regional semifinals.

"It shows a level of consistency that we've had since we've been here and over the past nine years," Duke senior guard J.J. Redick said. "For the seniors, we've already been to the Sweet 16, so we're probably looking for a bit more than that."

Two schools moved on to the regional semifinals for the first time in a while Saturday.

Florida beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 82-60, the Gators' first appearance there since reaching the championship game in 2000. Florida lost in the first round in 2002 and 2004, and lost in the second round in 2001, 2003 and last year.

"The things that have happened in the past have already been written about and talked about," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "I really feel bad that our guys have to listen to that because for many of them, their roles have changed from several years ago.

"I hope people will give them credit for who they are. They've won an SEC championship, tied the school record for most wins in a season and they've made it to the Sweet 16."

Boston College had lost five straight second-round games since reaching the regional final in 1994. The Eagles, who beat Montana 69-56 on Saturday, had lost in the second round in 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2005.

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DAY OFF:@ With a team in every subregional, it would seem impossible that Big East fans would have a day off on the first weekend, but they did Saturday.

The three Big East teams that played Thursday - Seton Hall, Marquette and Syracuse - all lost, leaving Saturday as day to watch for the league that had a record eight teams in the field.

The other five teams - Connecticut, Villanova, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Georgetown - all won Friday and will play second-round games on Sunday.

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DIFFERENT YEAR:@ Bruce Pearl and Wisconsin-Milwaukee parted ways after a great NCAA tournament run last season. The first-year coach at Tennessee and his former players left this year's tournament a round earlier than in 2005.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a No. 11 seed which beat Oklahoma in the first round, lost 82-60 to Florida on Saturday. Four starters were back from last year's 12th-seeded team that beat Alabama and Boston College before losing to eventual national runner-up Illinois in the regional semifinals.

Pearl's second-seeded Volunteers lost 80-73 to Wichita State on Saturday.

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FINAL FOUR FOLLOW:@ Defending champion North Carolina plays George Mason on Sunday and the Tar Heels are the lone remaining team from last year's Final Four still playing.

Illinois, which lost in the 2005 title game, lost 67-64 to Washington in the second round Saturday. Michigan State lost 75-65 to George Mason in the first round. Louisville didn't make the field of 65.

The last time only one member of the previous year's Final Four reached the round of 16 was 2001. Defending champion Michigan State got to the Final Four, but Florida and North Carolina lost in the second round and Wisconsin lost in the first round.

The last time none of the Final Four teams reached at least the regional semifinals the next season was 1988. Defending champion Indiana lost in the first round and Syracuse and UNLV were knocked out in the second round. Providence didn't make the tournament.
credit BellSouth