AP - P.J. Couisnard stepped back from the defender and launched a straightaway 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down. As soon as the ball swished through the net, Couisnard pointed triumphantly to Wichita State's rowdy fans.

AP - Wichita State stuck it to the critics of the Missouri Valley Conference with an easy win to open the NCAA tournament.

AP - Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick were as good as advertised. Their teammates? Well, that's another story altogether.

AP - As March Madness gets underway, AP sportswriters will be filing periodic, behind-the-scenes reports from the NCAA tournament:

AP - Dane Bradshaw was describing his part in Tennessee's winning play when a replay of it suddenly appeared on the locker room TV. "Hold on, we've got to see this," he said.

AP - Chris Lofton's remarkable shot allowed Tennessee to avoid a major upset and sent the Volunteers into the NCAA tournament's second round for the first time in six years.

AP - If you're reading this, odds are you're interested in the NCAA basketball tournament. If you're starting to sweat while doing so, odds are you have a few dollars on the games.

AP - As March Madness gets underway, AP sportswriters will be filing periodic, behind-the-scenes reports from the NCAA tournament:

AP - Shelden Williams came to the NCAA tournament with six double-doubles in his previous eight games, the completion of a stellar senior season at Duke.

AP - It's hard to say which was a worse look for Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl — the garish orange blazer he wore a few times this season, or the sweat-soaked suit that clung to his body in a game at Florida.

AP - North Carolina, Ohio State, LSU and Duke were selected Monday as the No. 1 seeds for the women's NCAA tournament.

AP - Duke was back in a familiar place in The Associated Press' final college basketball poll Monday.

AP - Everything was perfectly set for another Duke-North Carolina final in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Leave it to the league's newest member to spoil the occasion.

AP - Craig Smith had 23 points and 15 rebounds while No. 11 Boston College shot 61 percent to beat No. 10 North Carolina 85-82 in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Saturday.

AP - The final box score practically screamed "North Carolina victory." The 10th-ranked Tar Heels shot 51 percent, held Virginia to 28 percent and won the rebounding battle 43-36.

AP - The Atlantic Coast Conference tournament returns to Tobacco Road after a year in Washington, and not much has changed.

AP - Now that we know where NASCAR's much-ballyhooed Hall of Fame is going to be built, the bigger question remains: Who will be the building blocks of its legacy?

AP - NASCAR's first Hall of Fame will be built in downtown Charlotte, within miles of the garages and sprawling mansions that make the region an epicenter of the sport.

AP - A perfect league record carried Bowling Green into the Top 25.

AP - Laura Harper had 17 points to help No. 4 Maryland end a 14-game losing streak to second-ranked Duke with a 78-70 victory Saturday in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference women's tournament.