A shattered backboard, words on just how great Thursday was and a great call by Raftery.

• Time for the ACC teams to prove it. I've got just Duke reaching the second weekend. {ACC Sports} • At least Billy Donovan knows what the hell he's getting into. My bracket is toast if BYU bows out early; I've got it in the Elite Eight. {Las Vegas Sun} • Luke Winn's Tourney Blog is a terrific lens to look at The Tournament through. Bookmark and check daily. {SI} • Knew it ... Read More

You want your NIT fix? We got your NIT fix. And some scary coincidences with one Tournament game this year.

Plus, let's look back at what Lunardi thought the bracket would be at the beginning of the year.

A must-read feature on Bill Raftery, Corliss Williamson gets a job in Arkansas, who's left from the 1996 Draft class, a Kentucky-Tennessee primer and many more links.

What quarter-of-a-century streak ended yesterday? And which school that won't be going to The Tournament has seven point guards playing in the NBA? (It ain't UNC.)

And it's an absolutely loaded slate of games today and tonight. The entire schedule is on the other side of the jump.

• The sister of Bobby Gonzalez wrote a pretty compelling retort to the New York Times exposé that her brother is a nuisance to many. {LindaMGonzalez.com} • Coach Cal has his own model of Mustang. Of course he does. We can't go one week without a Kentucky story. {UK Athletics} • Major props to the conferences who pulled the trigger on this. Not an easy call, even if trivial to some. {Sports ... Read More

• Got a busy day on the home front, so I may not be able to address the UConn women just yet. Will probably wait until season's end or whenever the streak ends. Here's video and the story on the record-breaking 71st win. {Hartford Courant} • On the flip side, Jim Calhoun admits, after 30 games, he still doesn't know what to do with this Huskies team. Uh, good to know, ... Read More

Wondering what coaches make the most money? Link's inside.

• Will the Big East eat its own? {Sporting News} • Just kinda curious why Vitale was here instead of the Duke-Maryland game. {Baltimore Sun} • A porn star/KU alumnae got terrific tickets to Wednesday night's Kansas-Kansas State game. She instantly became a woman of mystery so, naturally, Jason Whitlock was on the case. {Kansas City Star} • "This conference is so tough," UNI player Adam Koch said. Koch did not play in ... Read More

And: Panic has set in even more in Austin because Rick Barnes cares more about his players' happiness at the NBA level than winning national titles

• Samhan was nice at Saint Mary's, but I think Bouldin was the right choice, even if by a hair. {Seattle Times} • Didn't address Binghamton dropping out of the America East tournament here because I did so at The Dagger. Anyway, the school made the right move and got the fans' back by not making them pay for the conference tourney. {Press Connects} • This news has already taken off: John ... Read More

Plus, two players who have been out of college basketball for five years have their lives going in drastically different directions.

And what faux high school that recruits D-I athletes may be on the verge folding?

• Why didn't Stokes use the ol' uromysitisis excuse? {Zags Blog} • There was another ACL injury that ended someone's season yesterday. The Missouri Tigers are now without Justin Safford, a minutes eater. Tigers had already overcome a lot of roster problems this season. {Kansas City Star} • If you really want to get a good look at the personalities and tendencies of a lot of these teams, Seth Davis does a ... Read More

Plus, an interview with the player who has the best GPA in Division I.

Paul Hewitt has a few words for the "experts" out there. Surely he doesn't mean me!