Show me the money? Maybe not. I would never criticize a kid for taking the millions and heading to the NBA, but there???s certainly something to be said for loving every second of the college experience. It seems that Texas freshman and AP Player of the Year Kevin Durant may not be ready to leave Austin just yet.

???The NBA can wait. I love college so much and if I decide to stay, that???s going to show a lot of freshmen that don???t have to go to college just for one year. I love my family so much at Texas and I really don???t want to leave them. [The NBA] is my dream but it???s going to be a hard decision. I want to play in the NBA one day. But I need to be physically stronger and get my mind and body ready for a long NBA season if I do go. College is the most fun time of your life, it's not just to go to the NBA," said Kevin Durant.

It???s hard to turn down the riches a career in professional basketball will bring. It???s especially hard when your father can???t work due to poor health and your family must survive on your mother???s teaching salary.

After Florida???s run to the national championship last year, forward Corey Brewer had one foot in the NBA Draft, ready to sign a big contract and help his parents financially. His father, Pee Wee, told him to get his foot back on the Gainesville campus and enjoy school. That???s exactly what Corey did.

When Brewer told his teammates he was coming back to school, everyone followed his lead, and that???s why the Gators will have the same five starters tonight as they did in last year???s title game. Corey, the only one of the four junior standouts whose father did not play professional sports, was the one who kept everyone in college.

One of the hardest workers on the Florida roster, Corey has his father to thank for his work ethic. Pee Wee rose every day before dawn to head into the tobacco fields and stayed there under the hot Tennessee sun for hours each day. Often, Corey spent the day working alongside his father, which is why the two are so close today.

Some may think it was a bad decision for Corey to return to school, but like usual, the junior is happy he went with Dad.

When Chalonda Simpson signed the frame of her new home, her message was simple: ???To Dominique, Love Mommy.??? The proud beneficiary of a new Habitat for Humanity, home, the Hurricane Katrina victim marked one of the most important days of her life with a message to the most important man in her life ??? her 3-year old son.

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, the NCAA and Habitat for Humanity established a partnership to help provide displaced individuals with new homes across the country. There have been Habitat builds at many of the NCAA???s championships since that time, as each community comes together to give back.

Yesterday, nearly 100 student-athletes from seven area colleges and universities showed up in Atlanta???s Centennial Park to build two homes, one for Chalonda and Dominique and the other for a local Atlanta family. Despite a bit of rain and cool temperatures, enthusiasm was high and everyone enjoyed what they were doing.

I had the chance to chat with a bunch of folks, including student-athletes from each of the three divisions, Chalonda, Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford and NCAA President Myles Brand, who was out helping with the build during the afternoon.

What I love most about Habitat builds is the hope it brings. Chalonda was beaming all day and it was refreshing to see her smile after hearing what she???s been through. At the time of the hurricane, she was finishing up her degree at Xavier but moved out to Atlanta after she lost everything. She enrolled at Georgia Tech and received her degree from Xavier last spring. Now, she???s about to become the proud owner of a brand new home she helped build and is looking forward to beginning graduate school.

Chalonda was delightful to speak with and is grateful to have this opportunity. She is a hardworking, intelligent girl who will now have the means to make her mark in the world and provide a warm home for her son. Isn???t that what it???s all about?

Take three minutes out of your day and meet some student-athletes who are making a name for themselves off the fields of play.

It???s a big deal when any college student earns a spot on the university???s Dean???s List. It???s an even bigger deal, however, when the student does it at one of the nation???s most respected public universities in a country that is unfamiliar. Since arriving at Georgia Tech three years ago, Sweden native Chioma Nnamaka has picked up impeccable English and mastered her academic work.

Nnamaka, who hails from a town just north of Stockholm, has also become one of the ACC???s top basketball players. With a three-point shot that rarely misses, Chioma averaged 13 points per game for the Yellow Jackets this season. She also grabbed nearly five rebounds per contest.

Chioma comes from a family of basketball players, as older brother Oluoma played at Marquette and now plays professionally in Italy. Sisters Azuka and Ifeanyi also play overseas.

With a strong focus on her academics and top-notch abilities on the court, Nnamaka will have plenty of choices upon her graduation next spring.

North Carolina senior Wes Miller grew up loving ACC basketball. He was born along Tobacco Road in North Carolina, rooted for Wake Forest and dreamed of competing in the league. It may have taken a little longer than expected, but Miller eventually made his mark in the ACC.

After graduating from New Hampton Prep in New Hampshire in 2002, Miller accepted a full scholarship to James Madison. After a year in Richmond, however, Miller realized he missed ACC country and decided to transfer home.

Miller arrived in Chapel Hill in the fall of 2003 and had to sit a year due to NCAA transfer regulations. The following season, he played limited minutes as a walk-on for the Tar Heels, but he was a member of the 2005 national champion team. After Carolina lost its top seven scorers to the NBA, Miller was offered a scholarship and moved into the starting lineup as a junior.

With the team???s roster full of all-Americans again this year, Miller willingly accepted a move back to walk-on status this season. A consummate team player, Miller still had a significant role off the bench this year as the Tar Heels advanced to the Elite Eight. Most importantly, he finished his career right where he wanted ??? the ACC.

The festivities at the Final Four kicked off last night with the Men???s Salute, as players and coaches from the four teams were honored during a formal program hosted by broadcasting great Jim Nantz. I have never been to the Men???s Final Four before and this event really raised my excitement about being here. There was a certain buzz in the room, an air of anticipation that is taking a hold of the city and everyone in it.

Some observations from the evening:

??? Georgetown???s players were dressed to the nines. There wasn???t one player who wasn???t wearing a jacket and a tie and they all conducted themselves with the utmost maturity. I complimented athletics director Bernard Muir on the way his kids presented themselves and he was effusive in his praise of head coach John Thompson III, saying it was a reflection on him and his values.

??? Jim Nantz is amazing. I???ve always respected the way he does his job, but to watch him in action was inspiring. He spent just one hour on stage, but I could have watched him for days. He tells a story when he speaks, and it was an honor to watch him in action.

??? When Nantz interviewed Thompson on stage, the coach called his father ???cantankerous.??? The auditorium shook with laughter.

??? I chatted with NCAA President Myles Brand after the program for a couple of moments and although he???s been here before, his enthusiasm for this event is evident. Dr. Brand greeted each player on the stage to present him with his Final Four gift and when we chatted afterwards, he mentioned how much he enjoyed himself. He also commented on the size of some of the student-athletes, notably Georgetown???s Roy Hibbert and Ohio State???s Greg Oden.

??? I finally had a chance to meet one of the most respected guys in intercollegiate athletics last night. Bill Hancock, former administrative director of the Men???s Final Four and now the administrator of the Bowl Championship Series, alluded to the fact that he???d like to utilize the Double-A Zone during the 2007 football season and that???s something we???re going to work out in the next five months.

Our apologies. I would like to apologize for any inconvenience our technical difficulties during the past couple of days may have caused. It???s always frustrating to deal with those sorts of things, but we seem to have worked out the kinks and I???m looking forward to sharing my experience in Atlanta with you during the next few days.

Bluffton???s back. Exactly four weeks after a tragic bus crash left seven people dead, the Bluffton baseball team makes its return to the diamond this afternoon. Bluffton players will wear black uniforms today and for the remainder of the season in honor of their five fallen teammates. The Beavers will take the field against Mount St. Joseph without head coach James Grandey, who is recovering from broken bones in his face and injuries to his right leg. The bleachers at Bluffton???s field only hold about 100 people, but a significant overflow is expected. While I???m sure the Bluffton players would love to win today, the fact that they???re on the field is already a huge victory. They are playing for the love of the game, and most importantly, to remember their lost brothers.

Racking up the awards. Southern Maine senior Ashley Marble recently completed a remarkable career on the hardwood. Marble finished as the school???s second all-time leading scorer with 1,981 points and set the record for career rebounds with 1,157. The senior has been collecting awards left and right since the season ended ??? both athletic and academic. A two-time Kodak/WBCA all-American, Marble was recently named D3hoops.com National Player of the Year and Women???s DIII News Player of the Year. She was also named ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA College Division Academic All-American of the Year and a first-team Academic All-American. During her career, Southern Maine recorded an overall record of 119-10 and won four Little East Conference regular season and tournament titles.

When Kiera Hardy and Chelsea Aubry showed up in Lincoln four years ago, the Nebraska program was coming off of an 8-20 season and hadn???t qualified for the postseason in three years.

Since their arrival, the Huskers have made four consecutive trips to the postseason for the first time in school history. In their final season with the program, Kiera and Chelsea led Nebraska to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2000.

Hardy, a lightly recruited shooting guard from Kansas City, finished her career as the best three-point shooter in school history. Aubry, a highly recruited forward from Ontario, was a team captain for her final three years in Lincoln.

Despite a first-round loss to Temple, the Huskers are back in the limelight thanks to two special seniors.

A two-time Miss Basketball in the state of North Carolina, LaToya Pringle knew something was wrong during her freshman year in Chapel Hill. After playing just 11 minutes per game and averaging 4.6 points per contest, Pringle was diagnosed with anemia.

The anemia had left LaToya feeling tired and worn-down for much of her freshman season, but two years later she has emerged as one of UNC???s most feared players. Pringle has been in the starting lineup all season long and has averaged nearly 10 points per game. She became just the second player in school history to record at least 100 blocked shots in a season.

Now full of energy, Pringle has been a major reason for North Carolina???s run to the Women???s Final Four this season. The Tar Heels will take on Tennessee in the national semifinals on Sunday evening.

On the road. I???m about to hop in the car for the drive down to Atlanta, where I will take part in the festivities surrounding the Men???s Final Four during the next few days. Most folks believe that the Final Four is only about the games, but believe me, there are a whole host of events that take place and it all begins tonight. This evening, the four teams remaining in the bracket will be honored at the Men???s Salute, an annual dinner celebrating the success of those particular student-athletes. I attended the Women???s Salute in Boston last year and had a marvelous time. It???s a great way to get the weekend rolling and I???m actually looking forward to getting all dressed up. I will bring as much of the action as possible to the Double-A Zone, through first-hand accounts, photo blogs and video clips. I hope you???ll spend the weekend with me!

Let???s go Maine! I am officially on the Maine bandwagon, as I will embed with the Black Bears during the upcoming Frozen Four in St. Louis. I???ll spend time at the team hotel, eat with the players, attend practice and try and get a feel for what big-time hockey and the Frozen Four are all about. I???ve never been to this event, but I???m really fired up about the experience. When I was 12, I gave roller hockey a bid, but it took me so long to put on all my body guards that the games were usually over by the time I started moving. Additionally, I couldn???t turn around, so the puck was always moving in the opposite direction as I was. My experiences have given me a great respect for the game and this will be a good opportunity to get up close and personal with some of our best student-athletes. Maine will take on Michigan State in the national semifinals on Thursday while Boston College and North Dakota match-up on the other side of the bracket.

Appalachian State gives back. Student-athletes from 12 different teams at Appalachian State gave back to the High County community earlier this week at the annual Celebrity Serve event, which benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The student-athletes volunteered their time to wait on tables at local restaurants, as a portion of every bill and all tips were donated to local Make-A-Wish efforts.

Senior all-American Lindsey Harding missed a pair of free throws with less than one second to go, but that does nothing to minimize the impact she???s had on one of the country???s top programs.

The team???s second leading scorer this season, Harding is a wizard on the defensive end of the court. Yesterday, the Women???s Basketball Coaches Association named the Houston native as its defensive player of the year. A former high school sprint champion, Harding is undeniably one of the top athletes in the country. It???s her activity off the court, however, that will truly stand the test of time.

Harding has forged a relationship with the Special Olympics and has worked hard to build a foundation between the organization and the Duke athletics program that will last after her graduation. Initially, Harding volunteered as a youth soccer coach but expanded her participation to basketball, baseball and other activities.

She has been especially touched by youngsters Tyler and Andrew Coburn and has become a part of their family. The Coburns traveled to watch the Blue Devils play in last year???s Women???s Final Four in Boston and made Lindsey a cake for her birthday. Andrew refers to Lindsey as his ???sister.???

Although she will graduate in May with a degree in sociology, Lindsey will have a presence in Durham for a long time to come.

Sherron Collins didn???t grow up in the best of Chicago???s neighborhoods. With his father in prison and his best friend dead after a drive-by shooting, Collins is happy to be 600 miles away in Lawrence, Kansas.

He credits the local Boys and Girls Club for saving his life, giving him a safe place to spend time after school let out each day. Now he feels safe all of the time, walking around campus and town without having to look behind him every few seconds. Sherron spends a lot of his time with teammate Brady Morningstar, because he still doesn???t like to be alone.

Sherron???s father was known around the neighborhood as ???Gym Shoe Daddy,??? because he always had new shoes for his children, but was never around to be a real dad. When Sherron???s child was born last summer, he promised to be the best father he could for the baby. He loved Sherron Jr. with all his heart, but less than two weeks after the happiest day of his life, tragedy struck. The baby???s lungs couldn???t get oxygen and he died from an infection. Before he shoots each free throw, Sherron glances at a tattoo on his right forearm that bears his son???s name.

A standout freshman on the Jayhawk team that advanced to the Elite Eight, Sherron averaged nearly 10 points per game this season.

Noise in the Big Apple. Things are heating up in the New York, as West Virginia and Clemson advanced to the NIT championship game last night with a pair of thrilling victories. In one semifinal, West Virginia???s Darris Nichols nailed a three at the buzzer to lead the Mountaineers over Mississippi State, 63-62. In the other game, Clemson held off Air Force, 68-67, as K.C. Rivers paved the way with 19 points and six rebounds. West Virginia and Clemson will play for the title on Thursday night.

Tennessee, UNC advance. Tennessee and North Carolina advanced to the Women???s Final Four with victories in the regional finals last night. The Lady Vols and Tar Heels join Rutgers and LSU as the final teams vying for the national championship. Tennessee was dominant in its win over Mississippi, as Candace Parker had 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots in the 98-62 win. In the later game, Ivory Latta had 21 points to lead UNC to an 84-72 win over Purdue. The Women???s Final Four begins on Sunday evening.

Bringing the heat. St. Joseph???s (New York) hurler Jennifer Martinez was really happy to take the field for the first time this season. She was so happy in fact, that she struck out 21 batters against Shawnee State in the opener. Martinez, a biology/secondary education major, tied her own NCAA record and also tossed a no-hitter in the victory. It was one of two no-no???s she tossed on the team???s spring break trip, with the other coming against Division II Shepherd University. During the four-day trip, Martinez posted a 4-1 record, didn???t allow an earned run in 34 innings of action and struck out 90 batters.

Holy Cross lost in the first round of the women???s tournament, but with Bethany O???Dell signed on for three more years, the Crusaders will have a good chance of returning to the Dance.

Bethany started all but three games for Holy Cross this season and was selected as Patriot League Rookie of the Week six times. She garnered league Rookie of the Year honors and was also named MVP of the Patriot League tournament after scoring 20 points in the championship game.

O???Dell averaged 12.4 points per game during her inaugural campaign and made her mark as a sharpshooter ??? the Rhode Island native knocked home 87 three-point field goals this season.

Drake entered the women???s basketball tournament with a 14-18 record and a tough first-round assignment against top-seeded Tennessee. The Bulldogs lost handily, 76-37, but the fact that they were in the draw at all was a huge victory.

Having lost three starters to season-ending injuries, Drake only suited up eight players for much of the season. The Bulldogs were picked first in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll but injuries derailed the season.

Junior Lindsay Whorton was asked to pick up her already standout play as more and more players went down for the Bulldogs. Whorton, who was the only player to start all 33 games this season, responded by averaging 14.3 points per game. Lindsay surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in a game against Illinois State earlier this season.

Even more remarkable than her presence on the hardwood, Lindsay has made a mark in the classroom. An ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII first-team selection, Whorton boasts a 4.00 GPA with a double major in secondary education and English.

Alice Jamen arrived in the United States six years ago unable to speak a lick of English. A native of Cameroon, the 15-year-old Jamen came thousands of miles to begin a new life as a West Virginia high school student.

Not only was Alice able to learn the language, she became a hot commodity during her final year in high school and was recruited by Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Dartmouth. James chose the Buckeyes and despite an injury-riddled career, has made a significant impact for the Big Ten power.

Much of Alice???s impact has come off the court, where she often serves as a host for prospective Ohio State basketball student-athletes. James is a perfect candidate, as the aspiring doctor boasts a 3.32 GPA in biology and is never too far from her books.

Whitney Taylor began her career at Bowling Green in the limelight, starting her first collegiate contest against Ohio State. To date, it was the only game Whitney has started during her first three years on campus.

After averaging 1.9 points per game as a freshman and 1.3 per contest as a sophomore, Whitney took a more active role in the offense this season. She played in nine of the Falcons??? first 10 games off the bench, averaging 3.1 points. Unfortunately, Taylor would have to watch the rest of the season from the bench, as she tore her ACL on December 26.

One of the team???s most popular players, Whitney made her contributions off the court count this winter and was an integral part of the squad???s run to the NCAA tournament.

??? In the U.S. News and World Report's list of the country???s best national universities, Stanford was tied with MIT and Caltech for fourth overall.

??? Among the companies Stanford faculty and alumni have helped create are Charles Schwab & Company, Cisco Systems, eBay, Gap, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Nike, Sun Microsystems and Yahoo!

??? Stanford has one of the most distinguished faculties in the nation. Among the scholars are 18 Nobel laureates, 23 MacArthur Fellows, four Pulitzer Prize winners and three Presidential Medal of Freedom Winners.

??? More than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students live in the 78 residential facilities on campus.

??? There are an estimated 12,000 bicycles in use on the Stanford campus.

For Marist redshirt sophomore guard Julianne Viani, home is not only where the heart is ??? it???s where the hoops are, too.

After initially enrolling at Rhode Island, the Poughkeepsie, New York native elected to come home shortly after beginning summer classes during her freshman year. She reunited with Brian Giorgis, who coached Julianne in high school before taking over at Marist.

Julianne comes from a basketball family and in her first college game, she was matched up against older sister Jenna, who played for Villanova. The Red Foxes lost that game, but they haven???t faltered on their home floor since.

Viani played a large part in the team???s inspirational run to the Sweet 16 this season, averaging 10 points per game. The best part of it all, however, is playing close to home, where her family can cheer her on every step of the way.

??? Founded in 1911 as one of three state schools for teacher training.

??? The school???s Center for Popular Music and Center for Historic Preservation are two of the country???s finest in those respective disciplines.

??? Middle Tennessee is the oldest and largest public university in the mid-state.

??? The university boasts that it has a $250 million economic impact on the region.

??? The student body is 54 percent female and has students from more than 70 countries.

Aaron Nixon???s college basketball career may have finished, but the senior has plenty of memories to keep him going. Known for his last-second heroics, Nixon made a name for himself during his time at Long Beach State.

The game-winning shots started during last winter???s Big West Tournament. With time expiring in the tournament semifinals, Nixon sank UC Irvine with a shot from the left corner. This season, game-winners followed against Loyola Marymount and UC Santa Barbara.

Nixon didn???t just wait for the last second to shine ??? he was good for the entire 40 minutes. The conference player of the year and MVP of the conference tournament, Nixon averaged 18.8 points per game this season.

Katie Gearlds has played most of her career hurt, but on the brink of a berth in the Women???s Final Four, the Purdue senior has never felt better.

Following her sophomore year, Gearlds had surgery to repair torn ligaments in her right ankle. She also had pain in her left leg and a lingering thumb injury. Katie played through the pain and still managed to average 14.1 points per game and earn second-team all-Big Ten honors.

The health issues continued prior to this season, as Katie underwent surgery in August for lateral compartment syndrome and missed a month of preseason workouts. The surgery relieved pain in both of her legs, however, and Gearlds turned in the best season of her career this winter.

Purdue???s leading scorer with 18.5 points per game, Katie has led the Boilermakers to the Elite Eight. She had 30 points and nine rebounds while playing all 40 minutes in the team???s 78-65 victory over Georgia on Sunday and will look for more of the same tonight, as Purdue takes on top-seeded North Carolina in Dallas.

Four in a row. LSU is headed to the Women???s Final Four for the fourth consecutive year, and there???s no doubt that this was the most difficult journey yet. The Tigers lost coach Pokey Chatman before the tournament and have responded by playing their best hoops of the season. In each of the last three years, standout Seimone Augustus called Baton Rouge home, but her departure hasn???t signaled the end of LSU???s dynasty. The Tigers dismantled a talented Connecticut team last night, 73-50, to earn a berth in the national semifinals. In the other lopsided regional final, Rutgers advanced to the Final Four with a convincing 64-45 victory over Arizona State.

Extreme makeover. Community service is an integral part of the college experience for many student-athletes and the folks at Cameron University participated in a special project in Lawton, Oklahoma last month. Student-athletes from each of the school???s 10 teams volunteered more than 400 hours of community service for ABC???s ???Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,??? which helped enhance the home of the Westbrook family, locals who had experienced a great deal of misfortune. After Mr. Westbrook was injured overseas while serving the country and lost the use of his legs, the family was in an automobile accident and one of the Westbrook sons was also paralyzed without the use of his legs. The home makeover was a way for the community to give back to some of its own, and the project fit in perfectly with the Cameron mission. Throughout each school year, Cameron student-athletes aspire to provide the community with 2,500 hours of community service. The Aggies always surpass their goal and fulfill the university slogan: ???You???re Cameron, you???re changing lives.???

Our sports, our voice. If you don???t think student-athletes are involved in discussions concerning intercollegiate athletics, think again. I???ve discussed the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committees before, but it???s important to note that each of the 1,000+ NCAA institutions has a SAAC, as does every athletics conference in the country. At its recent spring meeting in Birmingham, the SEC SAAC welcomed student-athletes from eight sports, with football sending the most participants. The weekend meeting included discussions on various national hot topics as well as on-going SEC-specific projects.

Every NCAA student-athlete dreams of winning a national championship, so when your former team claims a title, it can be especially poignant. Delaware senior Chrissy Fisher began her career at Maryland, was named to the ACC all-freshman team in 2003, and transferred to Wilmington after her sophomore year. Fisher watched her former teammates hoist the trophy in Boston last season.

Fisher has certainly made her mark with the Blue Hens, averaging nearly 14 points per game this season and leading the team in three-point field goals. In fact, Chrissy is the school???s all-time leader in three-point field goal percentage, hitting nearly 40 percent of her attempts.

In just two years with the Blue Hens, Chrissy earned enough respect to be named team co-captain. She earned third-team all-Colonial Athletic Association honors for her efforts this winter.

North Carolina student Jason Ray died this morning after being hit by a sport-utility vehicle on Friday. Ray served as the Tar Heel mascot for the past three seasons and was just a couple of blocks from the team hotel when he was hit. Although he wasn???t a student-athlete, Jason was revered by the UNC community and this is a significant loss for the world of intercollegiate athletics.

It???s all in the family for the Louisville basketball program. Ellis Myles, the starting center on the team that went to the 2005 Final Four, returned to the program as an assistant strength coach this season. His impact was evident on the court as the Cardinals made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, thanks in large part to the strong play of freshman Derrick Caracter.

If not for the hard work Myles put in with Caracter, the freshman may never have made it on the floor this season and Louisville may not have made it to the tournament. After missing 16 of the team???s first 24 games, Derrick finally made his way into the rotation after losing more than 50 pounds. He averaged 7.8 points and 4.1 rebounds this and set the stage for a long, healthy career.

??? The school, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, offers 61 undergraduate majors, 14 master???s programs, and two doctoral degrees. ORU???s largest majors are business administration, mass media communications, pastoral Christian ministry, psychology, biology, and nursing.

??? Chancellor Oral Roberts, founder of Oral Roberts University, is recognized as one of the outstanding personalities of his generation. Educator, evangelist, businessman, author, and television personality are among the many titles for which Roberts has gained acclaim. The university that bears Oral Roberts' name was chartered in 1963, and accepted its first students in 1965.

??? A high percentage of ORU student-athletes are international students. There are approximately 64 international student-athletes, representing 16 countries.

??? Each year, the university hosts several events to promote multicultural awareness. These events include a special chapel service on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day; a Martin Luther King, Jr., Speech Contest; and different celebrations of diversity throughout the school year.

??? Oral Roberts University Community Outreach is an effective program that provides students with the opportunity to touch the world around them while continuing their studies. ORU Community Outreach sets up different groups that students can join, such as tutoring, street evangelism, and Habitat for Humanity.

It only took Alysha Clark 52 games to score her 1,000th point in a college uniform, so some quick math will tell you that the Belmont standout has a nose for the net. Only a sophomore, Clark earned Atlantic Sun Player of the Year honors for the second time this season.

Alysha isn???t the only member of the Clark family to make a mark on the national scene. Her brother, Corey, was a finalist during the second season of American Idol. Alysha is taking the spotlight now, however, having ranked fourth in the country in rebounds and seventh in field-goal percentage this winter.

Clark also makes a habit of doing good work off the court. She volunteers bi-weekly at Campus for Human Development, which works with Nashville???s homeless population. She also coaches a team of 10-year-old girls in her spare time.

Although Belmont was eliminated in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, with Alysha Clark leading the way, one would think that a return tip will most definitely be in the cards.

Everyone outside of Connecticut was pulling for N.C. State to continue its run in the Division I Women???s Basketball Championship this weekend, but the Huskies proved to be too strong for Kay Yow and the Wolfpack. Coach Yow, who is battling stage 4 breast cancer, returned to the bench in the middle of the season and has served as an inspiration for the entire community of intercollegiate athletics. Whether or not she will return for a 37th year at the helm in Raleigh will depend on her response to treatment during the off-season.

???People are always talking about coaching basketball but I always thought of myself as coaching people,??? said North Carolina State women???s basketball coach Kay Yow.

On today???s edition of Mondays With Myles, NCAA President Myles Brand gives us a sneak peek at preliminary Academic Progress Rate (APR) data. The actual numbers will be released at the end of April, but we???ve already been able to examine trends for individual sports.

Dr. Brand is encouraged by much of the data and reveals that almost every Division I sport has improved its academic performance in the past year. Disappointingly, the sport of men???s basketball seems to have taken a step backwards and this is certainly a point of concern.

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A Hall of Fame performance. Somewhere, James Naismith is beaming. While working as a physical education teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts in the late 19th century, Naismith developed the game of basketball. Nearly 120 years later, the birthplace of basketball was rockin???, as the 2007 Division II Men???s Basketball Championship proved to be one of the most exciting sporting events in history.

Barton???s Anthony Atkinson scored 10 points in the final 45 seconds of the championship game to lift the school to its first Division II title. Atkinson single-handedly stunned Winona State, which was the defending national champ and had its 57-game winning streak snapped. Atkinson scored with 19.4 seconds remaining, proceeded to steal the inbounds pass and hit a reverse layup to tie the game, and then swiped the ball again with four seconds left and hit a game-winning layup as time expired. You can watch the heroics unfold here.

The Bulldogs would never have made it to the championship game if it hadn???t been for Atkinson???s heroics in the previous two contests. In the quarterfinals, Atkinson hit a long three-pointer as time expired to sink Grand Valley State in overtime, 83-81. The following night, Atkinson hit a free throw with 1.5 seconds remaining to lead Barton over Cal State San Bernardino in the national semifinals, 80-79. Not surprisingly, Atkinson was named the tournament???s Most Outstanding Player.

The championship game was enough to have people buzzing around the coffee machine this morning, but when you add in the heroics of the other two games, it???s a remarkable story. If this had happened in the Division I tournament, every office in the country would be talking about it this morning, and although Barton College only has about 1,000 students, there is no question in my mind that the Bulldogs brought us the most exciting basketball we???ll see this year. It???s unfortunate more people don???t tune in to Division II because this was some special stuff.

Right or wrong? Just days after the Wildcats were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Kentucky center Randolph Morris signed a free agent contract with the New York Knicks and will join the team soon. Morris originally declared for the 2005 draft after his freshman season and wasn???t selected. He was reinstated and returned to school to play two more seasons as a free agent, since he was ineligible to enter the draft again. The fact that Morris bolted for the NBA less than one week after the college season finished doesn???t really bother me ??? if I had $1.6 million on the table, I???d move as well. What does bother me, however, is that school never was a factor with Morris and Kentucky didn???t really seem to care so long as he helped the program win. With Morris leaving in the middle of spring classes, Kentucky will have to pay the price with its Academic Progress Rate (APR), which will be adversely affected because Morris will certainly not leave in good academic standing. It???s a unique situation and while Kentucky couldn???t have prevented Morris from leaving in the middle of the semester, the school has to be willing to accept the repercussions for allowing academics to be second-fiddle from the start.

Things haven???t been easy for Michael Umeh since he arrived at UNLV. The son of Nigerian-born parents, Umeh has been hampered with injuries during his time in Las Vegas and lost some of the confidence necessary to shine as an elite shooter at the college level.

The challenges have been significant, but they???ve made the successes taste that much better. Umeh scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Runnin??? Rebels overcome an 11-point halftime lead to beat BYU in the Mountain West Conference tournament finals and savored every moment.

Michael continued his strong play in UNLV???s first-round victory over Georgia Tech, leading all scorers with 19 points. He had seven points and seven boards in the team???s second-round upset of Wisconsin and heading into the Sweet 16, Umeh is finally feeling good.

It took a lot of hard work to make it back from injuries to both knees, but Michael is used to hard work ??? he received his undergraduate degree in just three and a half years.

??? Chartered in 1766 as Queen's College, the eighth institution of higher learning to be founded in the colonies, the school opened its doors in New Brunswick in 1771 with a lone instructor, a single sophomore, and a handful of first-year students. During its early years, the college developed as a classic liberal arts institution.

??? In 1825, the name of the college was changed to honor a former trustee and Revolutionary War veteran, Colonel Henry Rutgers.

??? In 1869, Rutgers and Princeton played the first game of intercollegiate football on a New Brunswick field overlooking the Raritan River. Rutgers came out victorious, 6-4.

??? The school has more than 34,000 students.

??? Rutgers runs programs in every New Jersey community that enhance K???12 education, support economic growth, assist local government, and improve the quality of life for all state residents.

When Adrian Stelly walked on to McArthur Court at the University of Oregon for the first time, he wasn???t dribbling a basketball. To keep himself busy, Stelly had taken a part-time janitorial job that had him sweeping steps and vacuuming floors in the arena.

Five years later, the walk-on guard is an integral part of the Oregon basketball program. He was discovered during off-season workout games and was signed on to bring his incessant energy to the practice floor. For the past two seasons, Adrian has won the team???s John Warren Most Inspirational Player award.

Stelly is confident in his basketball abilities and has made the most of the time he does see on the court. During last season???s Pac-10 tournament, Stelly entered the game with the Ducks trailing No. 12 Washington by 11 points. The walk-on scored five points during a 27-14 run that propelled Oregon to victory.

The life of a walk-on is such that you never quite know when you???ll play. On Senior Day at McArthur Court, however, Stelly knew he???d be in the starting lineup and his parents ??? George and Kim ??? were there to cheer him on. Stelly didn???t take any shots, but he did dish out one assist in seven minutes of action.

For him, all that mattered was another Oregon win. The Ducks prevailed over rival Oregon State, 70-49. Tonight, they play for a berth in the Elite Eight.

Tuesday night signaled a disappointing finish to the season for Crystal Langhorne and the Maryland women???s basketball team. The defending national champs were bounced in the second round of the NCAA tournament by seventh-seeded Mississippi.

The daughter of Guyanan immigrants Juel and Cryhten Langhorne, Crystal didn???t face pressure to play sports while growing up in New Jersey. Academics always came first in the Langhorne household and the emphasis on schoolwork has followed the three-time all-ACC pick to College Park. The communications major and third-team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American boasts a 3.4 GPA in communications.

Crystal began playing basketball because her older brothers played the game (Cryhten at Maryland-Eastern Shore, Chris at Texas State) and she was taller than most other girls. She picked it up seriously in high school and had to work hard to convince her parents to let her join travel teams.

One of Maryland???s hardest-working players, Crystal has always done what it takes to be successful both on and off the court.

??? The name Harvard comes from the school???s first benefactor, John Harvard of Charlestown. When he died in 1638, he left half of his estate to the institution, including 400 books to start the library.

??? Crimson, Harvard???s school color was unofficially adopted by an 1875 vote of the student body. Some association with red can be traced back to 1858, when Charles William Eliot, one of Harvard???s first presidents, bought red bandannas for his crew so they could more easily be distinguished by spectators at a regatta.

??? The Harvard-Yale regatta is held annually in June and the oldest source of rivalry between the two schools, though the football game is also a point of contention.

??? In 1903, Harvard Stadium, the football arena, introduced a new era with the first permanent reinforced concrete stadium. The sport eventually adopted the forward pass because of the stadium's structure.

??? After Hurricane Katrina, Harvard opened its doors for 25 students who were put out by the effects. The law school also opened up spots and students weren???t charged tuition with housing being provided.

Creighton???s Anthony Tolliver gets the job done. During his four years on the Omaha campus, Tolliver has compiled a 3.53 GPA in finance and has racked up numerous academic accolades. In fact, Anthony was recognized as a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American selection this season.

Tolliver, who scored his 1,000th career point in a first-round NCAA tournament loss to Nevada, established himself as one of the country???s toughest players this winter. Anthony led the Bluejays with 23 charges taken on the defensive end and was the team???s second-leading scorer with 13.4 points per game. He also led Creighton with 6.7 rebounds per contest.

One of the 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School), Anthony hopes to eventually own his own business.

Louisiana-Lafayette senior Jeanenne Colbert knows she???s lucky ??? lucky to be alive and lucky to have finished her career on the basketball court. Her teammate Elaine McCants hasn???t set foot on the hardwood in the last two years after the women were involved in a car accident prior to preseason practice last fall.

Colbert and McCants were hanging out with some friends in Baton Rouge and on their way home, were headed west on Interstate-10. All of a sudden, a drunk driver coming in the wrong direction plowed into the teammates. Colbert fractured her orbital bone, missed the first seven games of last season and wore protective eye goggles when she returned to the floor. McCants shattered her elbow and hasn???t been able to find her way back to the court.

Jeanenne returned in a big way this season, starting 25 games and averaging 10.7 points per game. She also led the team in assists and helped Louisiana-Lafayette to an NCAA tournament appearance.

??? Founded in 1881 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Marquette had five men in its first graduating class.

??? Marquette has more than 11,000 students, making it one of the largest Jesuit universities in the country, and the biggest private college in its state.

??? The largest benefactors to the university are an anonymous couple and they have donated more than $50 million. In 2005 alone, they donated $25 million to the College of Engineering.

??? Marquette is located on University Hill in Milwaukee, which is also the site of the former Wisconsin State Fair.

??? The ???Marquette University Anthem??? is typically sung along with the school fight song during athletics events. The former, however, is often played using the carillon bells of the Marquette Hall bell tower in the afternoon.

Southern Illinois guard Wesley Clemmons lost his best friend in 2001. That was the year his grandmother passed away, and the house across the street in Indianapolis was suddenly vacant.

Growing up, Wesley???s grandmother shared her passion of stamp collecting with him. When she passed, she left her collection to Wesley and it has become his most treasured possession. Because of its sentimental value, Clemmons hasn???t changed anything in the last six years, keeping the stamps arranged the same way his grandmother had them.

Wesley enjoys collecting other items as well, including hats and tennis shoes. He currently has more than 30 pairs of tennis shoes in a rainbow of colors and a variety of styles.

Clemmons will lace up his basketball shoes tonight as the fourth-seeded Salukis take on No. 1 Kansas in the Sweet 16.

??? The University of Pittsburgh was founded in 1787 as a small, private school called the Pittsburgh Academy and was located in a log cabin near Pittsburgh???s three rivers.

??? On campus is a sidewalk known as the Varsity Walk. There, embedded in the stones, are the names of former Pitt athletes who have promoted the university through their athletics or academic achievements.

??? Pitt's total enrollment for its five campuses is more than 32,000 students.

??? The university seal is a variation on the coat of arms of William Pitt, first Earl of Chatham, who served as British prime minister in the 18th century.

??? In 1932, Charles Glen King, a University of Pittsburgh chemistry professor, identified the chemical structure of vitamin C after five years of research.

You haven???t seen a spirited pickup game until you???ve stopped by the Landry home in Milwaukee. Once Shenita Landry learned how to survive in her own driveway, cracking the starting five at Temple was a piece of cake.

Landry grew up in a basketball family and her parents ??? Mark and Anita ??? have nurtured a love of the game in each of their children. Shenita???s older brother Carl played at Purdue and earned all-Big Ten honors as a senior this season. Her brother Marcus was one Wisconsin???s top players off the bench this winter.

And then there is the little sister who had to learn to handle herself against her taller and stronger brothers. Shenita has become one of Temple???s more consistent performers and as a sophomore, averaged a solid 5.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. She also led the squad in blocked shots.

Although Anita wouldn???t build her kids a full court in the backyard, games between the Landry kids and their cousins used to run until after 2 a.m. With Shenita, Carl and Marcus all making names for themselves at the college level, you???d think that late-night activity would come to a close on Landry Court. Au contraire ??? the Landry???s have two more siblings waiting in the wings.

Unbeaten teams tangle. Bentley and Winona State battled in the Division II men???s quarterfinals yesterday in Springfield, Massachusetts. About 90 miles west of its Waltham campus, Bentley saw its dreams of a perfect season fade away, as Winona State extended its record winning streak to 56 games and moved one step closer to defending its national title from one year ago. Senior guard Zach Malvik led all scorers with 19 points and will lead the Warriors (34-0) against Central Missouri (31-3) in tonight???s national semifinal. Barton and Cal State San Bernardino will play in the other semifinal game after advancing on Wednesday.

FGCU rolls. Florida Gulf Coast is two wins away from a perfect season and its first Division II women???s basketball championship. The Eagles cruised against North Dakota in Kearney, Nebraska yesterday, winning 83-64 to earn a berth in the national semifinals. FGCU will meet Clayton State in one national semifinal while UC San Diego and Southern Connecticut State will square off in the other.

Oh sweetness. The Sweet 16 of the men???s tournament begins tonight and I???m definitely ready for some good games. My only issue is that the second games of the evening will begin around 10 p.m. which is way too late for this guy. I???m never going to make it that long, and I wish the games started a little bit earlier.

No need for official talk. In his article in yesterday???s Washington Post, John Feinstein suggests that officials should be made available for post-game interviews. His argument centers on the fact that officials don???t have to defend their bad calls and because they are paid professionals, they should have to walk up to microphone. Feinstein is making his point because the official in the Ohio State-Xavier game last week seemingly missed an obvious flagrant foul call on Greg Oden at the end of the game. While I believe the call was missed too, what good would it do to have the officials talk after the game? Do we want to embarrass them? If they admit a mistake, will the teams return from the locker rooms and pick up play from that point? Mistakes by officials are part of the game and we just have to live with it. I hated when umpires made bad calls during my career, but the truth is, we just have to deal.

Torrell Martin???s college basketball career may be over, but rest assured, you haven???t seen the last of the 6-foot-5 guard. If he???s not playing professionally in an arena near you, chances are Torrell will make his way into your local theater.

One of Winthrop???s all-time leading scorers and rebounders, Torrell is just as comfortable reciting Shakespeare on stage as he is taking jumpers on the court. While his dream is to make it to the NBA, Martin also aspires to nurture his acting skills. During his junior year in college, the theatre arts major performed the roles of four different characters in ???Twilight Los Angeles ??? The Rodney King Story.???

If a professional career in basketball doesn???t pan out, Torrell will be plenty comfortable making a living as a professional actor or film director. Either way, it???s pretty clear he???ll be on a big stage sometime soon.

Once a triplet, always a triplet. When New Mexico senior Katie Montgomery arrived in Albuquerque without brothers Scott and Rusty, it was the first time the wombmates had been separated since birth.

In order to help combat Katie???s triplet withdrawal, Kerry and Nadine Clark adopted the sharpshooter. Katie became a part of the Clark family, often babysitting for Kerry and Nadine???s own triplets ??? Brendan, Paul and Katie. Montgomery also attended athletics events for all three children and went over to the house to play with the kids.

The Clark family attended nearly all of the Lobos??? home contests to support Katie. On Senior Day, Katie brought the Clarks down to the floor as part of her own family.

While Montgomery was ecstatic to add on to her already large family (she has an older brother as well), she did her best to be a role model for the Clark triplets. The three-time academic all-conference honoree was one of 30 finalists for the Lowe???s Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award, which recognizes student-athletes for superior achievement during competition and in the classroom.

One of the country???s great shooters during the past four seasons, Katie capped her career with a trip to the NCAA tournament.

This feature was written by Zach Lawson.

The acclaim started early for Vanderbilt???s Caroline Williams. At the tender age of six, she was touted the ???best athlete in town??? while dribbling a basketball down the street. The statement came from a teacher in Williams??? hometown of Rockmart, Georgia, but with a population of only 4,500, maybe she was onto something.

During her junior year in high school, Williams tore up her knee, which affected the amount of recruiting and attention she might have seen. She was given an opportunity to walk-on at Vandy and earn a spot on the team. Caroline more than earned her spot.

Four years later, Williams, named second-team all-SEC, established herself as one of, if not the, best shooters in the country, shooting 50 percent from behind the arc. Her touch apparently rubbed off on her team, as the Commodores were the best in the country shooting the three-point shot this season.

Purdue senior David Teague was cut from his high school team during his sophomore year. Instead of packing it in and calling it a career, Teague rededicated himself to the sport by instituting his own two-a-day workouts. When his junior year rolled around, Teague was ready to light up the high school gyms in Indiana.

He had to wait until Christmas before suiting up with the varsity program, instead spending time honing his skills with the junior varsity squad. He cracked the starting lineup later that season and joined future Notre Dame standout Chris Thomas in the backcourt.

When he arrived at Purdue, things weren???t all rosy for Teague. After his freshman season, he broke his hand and tore his ACL in a two-year span. The lessons from high school paid off, however, as David stuck with the sport and returned to the court at the top of his game this winter.

A starter in all of Purdue???s 34 games this season, David averaged a career-best 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and led the Boilermakers to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

??? Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma State was founded in 1890 as a land grant university under the Morrill Act.

??? OSU is the flagship institution of the Oklahoma State University System, and has an enrollment of more than 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

??? Much of OSU???s growth can be attributed to the efforts of Henry G. Bennett, who served as the school's president from 1928 to 1950. Early in his tenure, Dr. Bennett developed a strategic vision for the physical expansion of the university campus. His vision was followed for more than 50 years, and made the university what it is today, including the Georgian architecture that permeates the campus. The focal point of his vision was a new library, which became a reality when the Edmon Low Library opened in 1953.

??? Oklahoma State has graduated more Native Americans than any other university in the nation.

??? The Cowboy wrestling team is among the most storied programs in all of college sports. The Pokes brought home their 34th NCAA championship in 2006. OSU's 34 team titles are the most ever collected by a school in one sport. The Cowboys have also produced 126 individual national champions, including the sport's first-ever four-time champion, Pat Smith.

Fans of Texas basketball really ought to send D.J. Augustin???s grandmother a thank you note. Had it not been for Marie Dufauchard, D.J. might not have fallen in love with basketball and become on the country???s top freshmen players.

When D.J. was four, his grandmother bought him a black and red Michael Jordan basketball. The ball became the youngster???s most prized possession and after years of wear and tear, D.J.???s father Darryl had plans to refurbish it, but unfortunately it was lost in Hurricane Katrina.

Dufauchard died just one year after giving her grandson the present of a lifetime, and D.J. has never forgotten. Last November, he had a tattoo etched on his back in her memory.

??? The quality of LSU???s academics is reflected in the number of nationally ranked programs and nationally recognized scholars at LSU. Since its first commencement in 1869, LSU has awarded nearly 200,000 degrees.

??? In 1978, LSU was named a sea-grant college, the 13th university in the nation to be so designated, and the highest classification attainable in the program. LSU is one of only 25 universities to be designated as both land grant and sea grant.

??? As an urban institution, LSU is committed to use its extensive resources to solve economic, environmental and social challenges. The Community University Partnership (CUP) exhibits the university???s commitment to community in a variety of these areas, with a concentrated focus upon Old South Baton Rouge and the neighborhoods immediately north of the campus.

??? In 1904, Olivia Davis transferred to LSU, becoming its first female student; she graduated in 1905.

??? In 2000, the baseball team and women's track and field team each captured a national title. The women's track team earned its 12th national championship, and the baseball team won its fifth championship title. The football team won the 2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl, and captured the 2003 BCS National Championship.

Where are the fans? I watched a couple of women???s basketball games last night and was bothered by the empty arenas in the background. I don???t pretend that women???s basketball is as popular as the men???s game, but this was the second round of the NCAA tournament. Where was everybody? NC State beat Baylor in an exciting overtime game, top-seeded North Carolina survived a valiant effort from Notre Dame, Bowling Green upset second-seeded Vanderbilt, and defending champion Maryland fell to Mississippi and The Anointed Voices. These were great playoff basketball games and the arenas were empty. I don???t fully understand why people aren???t in the seats, but it???s truly a missed opportunity to see some great student-athletes at their best.

Celebrating the champions. It???s necessary to remember that March isn???t solely about the Division I basketball championships. Thousands of other student-athletes have had the opportunity to compete in championships this month and we should celebrate that as well.

??? The Amherst men???s basketball team won the Division III national title on Saturday with an impressive 80-67 victory over defending champion Virginia Wesleyan. Junior point guard Andrew Olson was named the tournament???s most valuable player and Tim McLaughlin earned all-tournament honors.

??? In one of the most exciting games of the season, the DePauw women???s team captured the Division III basketball championship over the weekend with a 55-52 victory over Washington-St. Louis. It was the first-ever national title for the Tigers.

??? Oswego State stopped Middlebury from winning its fourth straight Division III men???s ice hockey title with a 4-3 overtime victory in Superior, Wisconsin. Junior goalie Ryan Scott had 47 saves in net for the Lakers. It was the first national championship in any sport for Oswego State.

??? The Middlebury women also failed in their attempt to win a fourth straight national title, as Plattsburgh State won the championship game, 2-1. The Cardinals capped an undefeated season (27-0-2) and won their first NCAA title. Danielle Blanchard, Shay Bywater and Bree Doyle represented Plattsburgh on the all-tournament team.

??? Legendary Auburn swimming and diving coach David Marsh will hang up his whistle on top of his game. Marsh led the Tigers to their record-tying fifth straight national title on March 17, as Auburn easily finished ahead of second-place Stanford at the Division I Men???s Swimming and Diving Championships in Minneapolis.

??? For the 28th consecutive year, the Kenyon men???s swimming and diving program brought home the hardwood from the Division III national championship meet, this time easily finishing in front of second-place Denison. Senior Eric Dunn won three individual national titles during the three-day meet.

??? At the Division II Swimming and Diving Championships in Buffalo on March 14-17, Drury dominated the competition, as both the men???s and women???s teams won national titles.

??? Originally, UCLA students were Cubs, but in 1924 the school adopted the more ferocious mascot of Grizzly. In 1926, however, as UCLA looked to enter the Pacific Coast Conference, the University of Montana ??? already a member ??? pressed its case for Grizzly ownership. Eventually, UCLA settled on Bruins.

??? The rivalry between USC and UCLA stems back to the days when UCLA was called Southern Branch and USC mocked them ??? calling the students ???twigs.???

??? Until 1996, UCLA held a Mardi Gras festival on its campus.

??? The UCLA Library contains eight million volumes and ranks among the top 10 in size in the United States.

??? Since 1996 UCLA has provided online courses to more than 35,000 students.

This feature was written by Michelle Hosick.

All the cameras and the crowds at the NCAA tournament are old hat to Pittsburgh???s Levon Kendall ??? he???s been on the big stage before.

At 12 years old, Kendall appeared in the film ???Air Bud??? and in a Sarah McLachlan music video. He also once played the drums in a cover band called ???The Unknowns.??? A native of Canada, Kendall is fluent in French and has an interest in extreme sports like cliff diving, white water rafting and snowboarding.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon never meant to recruit Kendall. Dixon attended a Toronto basketball event only because he could not get to New York on September 11, 2001. He spotted Kendall and came away from the event a convert.

Kendall was a member of the Canadian Senior National Team and helped lead his country to its first-ever basketball medal, a bronze at the FIBA World Basketball Championships in 2005. En route to the medal, he scored 40 points and tallied 12 rebounds against Team USA.

This feature was written by Zach Lawson.

Lyndsey Medders found a home away from home in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State floor leader, and Los Angeles native, adjusted to the small college-town atmosphere and etched her name into the Cyclone basketball records book.

Medders, the consummate point guard, dished out more than 700 assists during her career in an Iowa State uniform. During her junior season, she led the country in assists, and finished among the top 10 in the category this year. When she couldn???t find a teammate to pass the ball to, she was just as comfortable looking for her own shot. As well as leading the Cyclones in assists, she was their top scorer this season, averaging almost 13 points per contest.

She rooms with teammate Megan Ronhovde, and you???d be hard pressed to find a more productive pair. Both scored more than 1,000 points during their careers.

Lyndsey and the Cyclones finished the season 26-9, including a run to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

??? Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest state-supported institutions of higher education on the West Coast and is one of the preeminent research universities in the world. The main campus ??? with more than 39,000 students ??? is in Seattle.

??? The Territorial University of Washington was little more than a backwoods school, which closed for lack of funds several times during its earliest years. The first faculty consisted of one professor who taught a curriculum that included Latin, Greek, English, history, algebra and physiology.

??? In 1909, the University of Washington was the site of a world's fair called the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. The exposition opened a new period for the university, as national attention was focused on it and the Pacific Northwest.

??? UW???s Henry Art Gallery is a nationally recognized center for the exploration of visual culture, and is the Pacific Northwest's premier modern and contemporary art museum. The Henry engages visitors in the powerful experience of artistic innovation and serves as a catalyst for the creation of new work in the visual arts.

??? The university???s Burke Museum presents changing special exhibits and programs on the natural and cultural heritage of the Pacific Rim. Long-term exhibits feature Northwest Coast Native art, the only dinosaur in the Northwest, and gems and minerals.

When Amanda Popp first arrived at Wisconsin-Green Bay, it seemed as though she???d be mired at the end of the bench for most of her four-year career. Little did she know that she???d be a major player for the Phoenix in their quest to upset Connecticut in the second round of the women???s tournament.

A two-year starter, Amanda didn???t see much action during her first two seasons with the program. She suffered a broken foot as a freshman and was down the depth chart as a sophomore. She cracked the lineup last season and has been one of the team???s most consistent players this winter, averaging 10.2 points per game.

Popp???s perseverance has paid off on the floor, but it was in her personal life where she needed it the most. During her junior year in high school, Amanda???s brother Matt was killed in a car accident. To this day, Popp thinks about Matt when she steps on the basketball floor, lacing up sneakers with his name and high school number written on them.

Amanda has always loved children and works with them often in the community. A standout student, she was named an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District first-team player earlier this season.

UW-Green Bay and top-seeded Connecticut play tonight in Hartford.

??? Founded in 1895 as Arlington College, the university has more than 25,000 students from 150 nations.

??? UT Arlington???s planetarium is the newest and one of the largest in Texas. It features a unique, state-of-art projection system that allows virtual trips through the Solar System???and more!

??? The School of Architecture is the only one in Texas with accredited programs in architecture, landscape architecture and interior design.

??? Three members of the six-time national champion Movin??? Mavs wheelchair basketball team participated in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

??? UTA Volunteers is a student group that plans and implements volunteer and community service programs for UTA and the surrounding community. Its purpose is to promote active citizenship and strengthen the community by creating a role for students to become involved in community service, and provide tools and resources to the UTA community.

Notre Dame freshman Erica Williamson is a bona fide world traveler. Her father was employed with Eastman Kodak???s international division and the family moved a number of times while Erica was growing up.

Williamson lived overseas for the first seven years of her life. She was born in the Philippines and her brother was born in Morocco. The family also spent time in Indonesia and Singapore before moving to Rochester, New York in 1996.

The Williamsons settled in Rochester long enough for Erica to lead Honeoye Falls-Lima High School to a state title during her junior year in 2005. After the family moved to Charlotte before her senior season, Erica continued her winning ways and led South Mecklenburg to a North Carolina state championship. Two states, two schools, two years, two championships.

The 6-foot-4 center has been a key player off the bench for Notre Dame this season and hopes to continue the winning trend against top-seeded North Carolina tonight in Pittsburgh.

The only player to start all of Villanova???s games this season, senior Will Sheridan has made a habit of giving things everything he???s got.

A leader on and off the court, Sheridan represented the university at the NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando last spring and was one of two Villanova students to serve on the university???s Inauguration Committee last summer.

Will has written and performed his ???Spoken Word??? at the annual Villanova student-athlete talent show and has won the top overall award each time. He also published a column on the life of a student-athlete in the Philadelphia Daily News during the 2006 NCAA tournament.

A solid contributor on the hardwood, Will averaged more than five points and five rebounds during his four-year career.

??? The first of ten schools under the University of California system, Berkeley was established in 1868.

??? When the university first opened, it had 167 male and 222 female students filling the only two dorms.

??? Berkeley offers more than 7,000 courses, and has one of the lowest national faculty-student ratios at 15.5 students to 1 faculty member.

??? The university's 32 libraries together tie for fourth largest academic library in the United States with the University of Illinois. The Library of Congress, Yale, and Harvard surpass them. It was ranked in 2003, as the top public and third overall university library in North America.

??? Berkeley???s biggest rivalry is with Stanford, and the annual football game is referred to as ???The Big Game,??? which is celebrated wholeheartedly on both campuses.

Who says student-athletes think sports first, school second? Virginia Tech center Coleman Collins is walking proof that academic focus is a central tenet of intercollegiate athletics.

Coleman entered Virginia Tech at the age of 16, and played his freshman season in the Big East as a 17-year-old. He graduated in May 2006 with a degree in communications, just three years after arriving on campus. A voracious reader with a thirst for knowledge, Collins got on the team plane to the NCAA tournament with a copy of the New York Times.

Collins lost his father to cancer during his junior season and missed a couple of games. Coleman was able to turn to his teammates for support after his father???s passing, as the Virginia Tech team struggled with personal issues last season. Deron Washington???s mother relocated to Blacksburg from New Orleans after losing her home in Hurricane Katrina. Forward Allen Calloway, Coleman???s roommate, was diagnosed with cancer. Collins??? other roommate, Shawn Harris, lost his grandmother during the season.

The team???s camaraderie helped it stay together and the Hokies were one of the ACC???s top teams this season. Collins returned for his fourth year and attended graduate school. He spent time writing for the school newspaper and remained extremely active in campus and community events. He regularly reads to elementary school children.

A student first, an athlete second, Coleman Collins has established a remarkable blueprint for success that others will hopefully emulate.

It???s a big week for Division II. When I was a kid, I used to panic about the days in between the second and third rounds of the Division I Men???s Basketball Championship. When play finished on Sunday night, I wouldn???t know exactly what to do with myself until the Sweet 16 resumed the following Thursday. The evolution of the women???s tournament has given us games on Monday and Tuesday, but thanks to progressive work from Division II, we now have even more options to fill our need for postseason basketball.

The quarterfinals of the Division II men???s and women???s tournaments begin tomorrow and eight games will be played. I was at the women???s championship last year and the four consecutive games were absolutely thrilling. I can???t make it to Kearney, Nebraska or Springfield, Massachusetts this year, but the next best thing is available. The games will be broadcast over the Internet and we can watch all eight games on our computer screens. If you think for one second that I won???t have the games rolling tomorrow, you???re sadly mistaken. A couple of reasons why:

??? Bentley, which is located in the same town as my alma mater, is 32-0 and needs three wins to finish a perfect season.

??? Winona State is also undefeated at 33-0. Guess what? The Warriors will take on Bentley in one of the men???s quarterfinal games.

??? Florida Gulf Coast???s women???s team is 32-0. If you haven???t figured it out, I love teams going for perfect seasons.

??? FGCU will have to play North Dakota, which isn???t undefeated. North Dakota has been dominant in the tournament, however, winning three games by a combined 80 points.

??? Sixteen teams are in the hunt for a national title and will play just as hard as their Division I counterparts to claim that hardwood. Even without the drama of big-time quarterfinal games, that???s reason enough to tune in.

To watch the games, click here.

??? Boise State is Idaho???s metropolitan research university, located in the state???s population center and capital city, a hub of government, business, the arts, health care, industry and technology.

??? The campus is home of the 2005 national champion student debate and speech team. Boise State is the largest university in Idaho with an enrollment record of more than 18,500 students.

??? The university has produced two Rhodes Scholars, a Truman Scholar, a Mitchell Scholar, USA Today Academic All-American, several NCAA Academic All-Americans, several NCAA post-graduate scholars, and many Fulbright scholars and professors.

??? 1,660 Service-Learning students contributed 35,465 hours of service to the Treasure Valley in 2005-06.

??? More than one million people annually attend campus cultural, athletics and entertainment events.

Before Mississippi takes the court against Maryland in the second round of the NCAA tournament tomorrow, the Rebels will be led in song by three of their own players. Prior to each game, senior Armintie Price and juniors Danetra Forrest and Carla Bartee lead the team in a series of songs.

Two years ago, the three players formed a singing group called ???The Anointed Voices.??? The group focuses on gospel music and has performed several times locally. Price, Forrest and Bartee were the featured entertainment at the 2006 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.

Forrest and Bartee are both daughters of ministers and grew up singing in their respective churches. Price has been singing and playing instruments her entire life.

While the voices are impressive off the court, they are also strong on the hardwood, where Price and Forrest are both starters for the Rebels and Bartee is one of the top players off the bench. A two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Price is an all-America candidate and recently became just the fifth player in NCAA history to register 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists and 300 steals during her career.

Tyrelle Blair hit a field goal with 3.3 seconds remaining in Boston College???s 68-67 victory at Florida State on February 11. While the shot propelled the Eagles to a much-needed win, it was more poignant because Blair???s heroics occurred in his own backyard.

A native of Monticello, Florida, Blair went to Florida State High School but didn???t receive a scholarship offer from the university. He headed north to Loyola (Chicago), where he played two years before transferring to Boston College.

Blair didn???t enter this season with high expectations for playing time, but when junior standout Sean Williams was dismissed from the program in January, Blair took advantage of his opportunity. A hard-working player who doesn???t score a lot of points, Blair was a defensive stalwart in the middle for the Eagles and played a major role in the team???s run to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

??? The nickname ???The Fighting Blue Hens??? can be traced back to the early 1900s and a breed of bird called the Kent County Blue Hen, recognizable for its blue plumage.

??? The school colors of blue and gold were chosen by the school faculty in 1889 because those are the colors of the Delaware state flag and are representative of George Washington???s uniform. Additionally, Delaware???s first settlers were Swedish, and blue and gold are the Swedish colors.

??? Not only is Delaware one of the oldest land-grant institutions, but it is also a sea-grant, space-grant and urban-grant institution.

??? About one in three Delaware students studies abroad.

??? For the class of 2009, there were more than 22,000 applications, competing for roughly 4,000 spots.

??? The University of Nebraska ??? Lincoln, chartered in 1869, is an educational institution of international stature. Always a place of restlessness and high ambition, this was the first institution in the American West to grant the Ph.D. degree. Some 46,000 students are enrolled in the university.

??? Cornhusker athletes are students first and have been honored with more Academic All-American awards, both in football and in all sports combined, than athletes of any other university.

??? The university has been home to many legendary figures including the literary naturalist Loren Eiseley, geneticist George Beadle, artists Aaron Douglas and Weldon Kees, social researcher Alvin Johnson, investor Warren Buffett, comedian Johnny Carson, diva Barbara Hendricks, artist and engineer Harold Edgerton, General John J. Pershing, and authors Willa Cather and Mari Sandoz.

??? Nebraska student-athletes believe deeply in the benefits of giving back to members of the Lincoln and Nebraska communities. Huskers are involved in projects that touch not only young fans, but also the elderly, disadvantaged and hospitalized.

??? 93 percent of scholarship athletes who have exhausted their eligibility have graduated from the university - a total that leads the Big 12. Nebraska had 126 student-athletes named first- or second-team Academic All-Big 12 during the 2005-06 academic year.

Miranda Green had a ton of support every time she stepped on the floor at Xavier. Miranda???s mother and sister became quite acquainted with Interstate-74 during the past four years, making the 100-mile drive from Indianapolis to Cincinnati to see Miranda and the Musketeers play every home game.

Green???s sister Shy???la has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair to move around. While they were growing up, Miranda played a major role in the caretaking of her sister and has wanted to become a nurse ever since. During her time at Xavier, Miranda has studied to become a nurse and will finish her coursework this spring.

When she graduates, Green hopes to return to work in the Indianapolis area so that she can once again be close to her sister.

Mario West refused to walk away from basketball. In 2002, West arrived at the Atlanta campus and walked on to the team. After sitting out that initial season, West earned a scholarship the following year and played 19 games on the Final Four Team.

After graduating last May with a degree in management, head coach Paul Hewitt discouraged West from returning to the team unless he could do something to improve his resume academically. West heeded the advice and returned to take classes toward a certificate in economics. The one-time walk-on was the Yellow Jackets??? top player off the bench this season and turned into on the ACC???s best defenders.

The senior couldn???t leave his teammates after an 11-17 season, decided to return and was an integral part of the run to the tournament this winter. Although he turned away corporate honchos last spring, West now has an even more impressive resume and a great story to tell. He???ll certainly have his pick of the litter again this year.

??? Chartered by the Mississippi Legislature in 1844, The University of Mississippi opened its doors to 80 students in 1848.

??? Ole Miss is located in the rolling hills of North Mississippi about 80 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The historic, wooded campus encompasses nearly 1,000 acres and includes 220 major buildings.

??? With a long and storied history in intercollegiate athletics, the university competes at the highest level in 18 men???s and women???s sports. The football team has had the highest graduation rate in the SEC, and 15 teams have competed in postseason play in the past decade.

??? Ole Miss was the first public university in Mississippi to shelter a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honor society.

??? The university is home to the world's largest blues archive, Living Blues magazine (the country's longest-running magazine dedicated to blues music) and "Highway 61," a blues radio show produced weekly for Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

While most of her classmates were taking Caribbean vacations and visiting with family, Morgan Hatten was helping to rebuild the city of New Orleans during last year???s spring break from school. Morgan and some of her Maryland-Baltimore County teammates spent time in the Big Easy to help the community recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

The group drove 18 hours from Maryland to Louisiana and spent the week gutting homes in the St. Bernard Parish, one of hardest-hit communities in New Orleans. The girls slept on cots in tents provided by Habitat for Humanity and began working at the crack of dawn.

Morgan has also traveled to Africa to spend time in Kiberia, Kenya, the second-largest slum on the continent. After seeing the extreme poverty and suffering in Kiberia, the junior guard recognized how privileged she is and called the trip the best experience of her life.

While 16th-seeded UMBC took it on the chin against No. 1 Connecticut in the first-round of the women???s tournament on Sunday, Hatten and the Retrievers certainly should be proud.

For the past four seasons, Virginia guard J.R. Reynolds has made a name for himself on the basketball court. Reynolds has also earned quite the reputation off the court, as an active member of the Charlottesville community.

Along with the entire Virginia team, J.R. has participated in Alzheimer Foundation Memory Walks and in visits to a local children???s hospital. He also made a presentation to Head Start youngsters this fall and volunteers at youth basketball practices in his spare time.

A team captain in each of the past two seasons, Reynolds is known for his exceptional leadership abilities. Last year, J.R. was the co-recipient of the Sidney Young Memorial Trophy, a team award going to the athlete who exemplifies the highest qualities of leadership, cooperative spirit and unselfish service in the interest of athletics at Virginia. A sociology major, J.R. plans to enter the business world when he hangs up his sneakers.

Senior co-captain Christiana Lackner is a leader on and off the court for the Harvard women???s basketball team. The Pittsburgh native has started in every game this season and although her stats may not stick out on paper, her commitment to the team has been a driving force for the Crimson.

Christina???s work ethic and passion have made her an ideal student-athlete at Harvard. In December, she was recognized by the Margaret Fitzgerald Grogan Petersmeyer Foundation for being a natural leader, being well-rounded, finding academic success and possessing a palpable love of life.

The Foundation provides a monetary award that is to be used for further development of the recipient???s character, interests and talents. It can be used for travel or living abroad, lessons in a master class or other instruction in a field of promise, or any other worthy purpose that is of special interest to the recipient. Some 85 awards have been given since the foundation???s inception in 1988.

Christina and the 15th-seeded Crimson fell to defending national champion Maryland in the first round of the women???s tournament on Sunday.