HOT TEAMS AND BLAZERS

Iowa State entered the NCAA tournament as one of those hot teams capable of making a deep run. The Cyclones had won five in a row, coming back from double-digit deficits in three games in the Big 12 tournament to win the championship.

A Sweet 16 team last year, the Cyclones, a No. 3 seed, simply had to get past a No. 14 seed in Alabama-Birmingham on Thursday. UAB is best known for shutting down its football program last December. The Blazers hadn’t won an NCAA basketball tournament game since 2005.

Yeah, you guessed it. The Cyclones, who had lived by the comeback, died by one. They led 55-51 with 1:48 to play but couldn’t hold on. UAB’s William Lee owned the end of the game, scoring his team’s last four points, blocking a shot and grabbing the rebound. UAB prevailed 60-57.

That’s the beauty of this tournament. Upsets and drama lurk everywhere. For want of a jump shot (they missed three in the closing seconds), Harvard lost to North Carolina 67-65. Georgia State upset No. 3 seed Baylor 57-56 as R.J. Hunter, the coach’s son, hit a three-pointer with 2.7 seconds left. The Panthers held the Bears scoreless for the final 2:54.

That’s the NCAA tournament. For all of the talk this season about how bad the college game has become, it still provides endless excitement and twists and turns in what we all now call March Madness.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .