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NFL Mock Draft 2013: Datone Jones to Broncos in first round?

2013-04-19T03:24:45Z

UCLA Bruins defensive end Datone Jones is hovering around the first round of the NFL Draft, but one prominent NFL writer sees him getting selected next Thursday night by a team with a new opening at his position.

Sports Illustrated's Don Banks, in his latest mock draft on Wednesday, projects Jones will be selected by the Denver Broncos with the 28th overall pick.

More: UCLA coverage at Bruins Nation NFL Draft coverage at Mocking the Draft

Banks writes that going with Jones could give the Broncos another option for replacing Elvis Dumervil, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens this offseason:

Jones is a versatile and well-experienced collegiate player and represents very solid bottom-of-the-first-round value. He's not the most explosive of pass rushers, but he's going to generate steady heat on the passer and help offset some of the loss of rush felt by the unscripted Elvis Dumervil departure.

Jones is the fourth-rated defensive end in prospect rankings from SB Nation's Matthew Fairburn (though Fairburn lists Jones just outside the first round in his latest mock draft). In 2012, Jones registered 62 total tackles, 19.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks for the Bruins.

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2013 Final Four: How to watch online, TV schedule, radio and more

2013-04-06T14:00:08Z

The 2013 Final Four tips off on Saturday evening. Despite having only two games on the slate, these are both interesting matchups that should lead to some exciting basketball.

Complete Final Four coverage: Card Chronicle Maize n Brew Nunes Magician Mid Major Madness

Louisville and Wichita State are the first game of the evening. The Shockers are the first No. 9 seed to crash the Final Four party since Penn in 1979, and they'll try to keep their run going against the No. 1 overall seed.

Later, Michigan and Syracuse hope to break long title droughts. The Wolverines haven't won it all since 1993, and this is the Orange's first Final Four appearance since their championship run in 2003.

Here's everything you need to know about Saturday's schedule.

Game times: Louisville Cardinals vs. Wichita St. Shockers, 6:09 P.M. ET

Michigan Wolverines vs. Syracuse Orange, 8:49 P.M. ET

Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: CBS

Online: Both games streaming for free at March Madness Live

Radio: Westwood One (check your local listings)

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2013 NFL Mock Draft: Datone Jones projected as a 1st round pick

2013-04-04T12:13:06Z

UCLA defensive end Datone Jones could be selected in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft if the latest mock draft projection proves to be true.

More: Bruins Nation Conquest Chronicles Mocking the Draft

Jones is projected to be selected by San Francisco with the 31st pick in the latest mock draft from Don Banks of Sports Illustrated. Jones is considered to be one of the best 3-4 defensive ends in the draft and could be an ideal fit in San Francisco. The 49ers already have Justin Smith and Aldon Smith at defensive end, but Jones could play a backup role before eventually replacing Justin Smith down the road.

While Banks currently projects him to go in the first round, Jones' projection has varied from the first to third rounds. Jones is not included in the latest first-round mock draft from SB Nation's Dan Kadar. He is, however, mentioned as a possibility for the Indianapolis Colts with the No. 24 pick.

Jones is the lone UCLA or USC player projected to go in the first round. USC quarterback Matt Barkley and wide receiver Robert Woods have also been mentioned as possible first-round picks.

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March Madness Elite 8 results: Wichita State upsets Ohio State in Elite Eight

2013-03-31T02:53:18Z

The No. 9 Wichita St. Shockers Cinderella run continues to the Final Four after the team upset the Ohio St. Buckeyes 70-66 in the West regional final.

Although it ended up being a close game, it appeared for awhile that Wichita State would run away with the game. The Shockers held a 13-point halftime lead and led by 20 at the 11-minute mark, but for the second day in a row a Big Ten team came roaring back against a team from Kansas. The story ended differently this time though, as freshman point guard Fred Van Vleet sunk a clutch jumper with one minute left to extend the lead to six, followed by two free-throws from Ron Baker to ice the game.

Malcolm Armstead had an impressive performance, leading the Shockers with 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Cleanthony Early and Van Vleet each had 12 points, while Tekele Cotton chipped in 10. Deshaun Thomas led the Buckeyes with 23 points, while LaQuinton Ross had 19.

Wichita State will face either the No. 1 Louisville Cardinals or the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils in the Final Four.

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2013 NCAA Tournament schedule, bracket and predictions: Ohio State plays Wichita State in West final

2013-03-30T14:00:05Z

After squeaking by Iowa State and Arizona on last-second three-pointers, Ohio State will have the displeasure of facing upset-minded Wichita State in the Elite Eight. The Shockers have done just that, taking out perennial contenders Pitt and Gonzaga, while eliminating Cinderella-to-be La Salle.

Wichita State has been phenomenal in the tournament, pounding the paint at will and getting big buckets from Cleanthony Early. The Buckeyes have been getting clutch shots late, with game-winners by LaQuinton Ross and Aaron Craft. Let's take a run through some experts' picks to get a better idea of who will be heading to Atlanta to play in the Final Four:

Before Thursday's Sweet 16 action, ESPN's experts selected the team they though would win each region. Nine of the 11 experts picked Ohio State, while Jason King and Bruce Pearl picked Arizona. They are already wrong, as Ohio State took care of Arizona on Thursday. But you get the idea: no love for Wichita State.

Joseph Nardone of RantSports predicts much of the same for the regional final, predicting a 65-61 victory for Ohio State. He notes the physical play of Wichita, but also the apparent never-ending luck of the Buckeyes.

The lone standout to pick Wichita is KOAT out of Albuquerque, who cites -- what else -- the "big play" of the Shockers. But the piece goes on to point out the disparity in field goal percentage between Wichita and its opponents. The Shockers, who led their conference in field goal defense, have held their opponents to just 35.5 percent shooting. That includes a Gonzaga team that shot almost 50 percent on the season up to that point.

The analysis here is simple -- if the Buckeyes can score over 70 like they have in every game this tournament, they will win. If the Shockers can bang bodies inside force Ohio State into bad shots, they will reach their first final four in almost half a century.

Game time/TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, CBS

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles

For more on Ohio State, check out Land-Grant Holy Land. For more on Wichita State, head over to Mid-Major Madness.

For the full NCAA Tournament bracket, head here.

Here's how we got here, West region style:

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March Madness 2013 schedule and bracket: Wichita State, La Salle square off for unlikely Elite Eight berth

2013-03-28T18:49:27Z

The West Region! Where nothing went according to plan, insanity reigned and the person who picked teams based on mascots got your office pool looking topsy turvy.

Thursday brings the regional semifinals in Los Angeles -- you know, the Sweet 16 -- and there is a near complete absence of chalk. While other brackets had an upset here and there, the West went fully insane, with only one of the top four seeds winning its first two games and making it to the Staples Center.

That leaves two strange matchups, but we'll take them nonetheless as some teams look to continue shocking -- ugh -- runs to the Final Four.

Here's a look at Thursday night's matchups, with both games on TBS. All times listed are Pacific:

4:47 p.m.: No. 6 Arizona (27-7, 12-6 Pac-12) vs. No. 2 Ohio State (28-7, 13-5 Big Ten)

We were so close to this region being even more nuts: No. 10 Iowa State pushed the Buckeyes, with former Michigan State player Korie Lucious reminding the Big Ten champions how good he was by drilling five threes. But there was a questionable charge call, and the Buckeyes wound up with the ball and about 50 seconds to play. The Buckeyes didn't go 2-for-1, and they didn't give the ball to their star, Deshaun Thomas -- they had Aaron Craft pull up for a long two, which deflected out of bounds off an Iowa State defender. With the ball again, Craft held again, pulled up and the ice water flowed as he drilled a three for the win.

Arizona got lucky from the topsy-turvy nature of the bracket, as the Wildcats had to face No. 14 Harvard instead of regional rival New Mexico. They trounced the Crimson, with Xavier transfer Mark Lyons dropping 27 as he went to his second Sweet 16 in as many years with two different teams. Craft, an irritant on defense, will likely end up on Lyons, while the Wildcats will have to find an answer for Thomas, who has been all-everything for the Buckeyes and can score at will.

7:17 p.m.: No. 13 La Salle (24-9, 11-5 A-10) vs. No. 9 Wichita State (28-8, 12-6 MVC)

Which one of these mid-major squads can rise to the occasion and make it to the Elite Eight?

The Explorers have proven they deserved one of the final at-large spots in the tourney, winning their First Four game against Boise State, absolutely pounding Kansas State in the first half, going up 18 before holding on for a two-point win in the Round of 64. And then came their Round of 32 win over Ole Miss, where Tyrone Garland swooped to the basket and laid in a game-winner in the final seconds for a 74-72 victory over the Rebels.

The Shockers just outshot Gonzaga in the Round of 32, who had only lost twice on the season. Wichita State was up 13, and that was before it started drilling three after three after three, hitting five in a row at one point, finishing 14-of-28 from beyond the arc.

Each side has things they can exploit: La Salle is led from the backcourt, with Tyreek Duren and Ramon Galloway splitting scoring and passing duties and each possessing silky shooting from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Wichita State lives in the paint, as the Shockers have a strong rebounding team behind Cleanthony Early and Carl Hall, who are 1-2 in scoring and 2-1 in rebounding on the team, respectively. They're best on the offensive glass, where La Salle will offer little resistance.

Here's how the West regional has played out so far:

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NCAA bracket 2013: Predictions for Sweet 16 and Elite 8

2013-03-27T18:00:07Z

No team should feel safe in the West this March. The opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament saw top-seeded Gonzaga fall to Wichita State, and also saw losses from No. 3 New Mexico, No. 4 Kansas State and No. 5 Wisconsin. On Thursday night, four teams will battle to advance to the Elite 8.

The first game, starting at 7:47 p.m. ET, will feature No. 2 Ohio State against No. 6 Arizona. The nightcap will pit No. 9 Wichita State against No. 13 La Salle at 10:17 p.m.

The experts seem split between Arizona and Ohio State. Jeff Goodman and Matt Norlander of CBS Sports like the Wildcats to march on, while Gary Parrish and Jeff Borzello favor the buckeyes. Parrish and Norlander also like Wichita State to win its Sweet 16 matchup, while Goodman and Borzello like La Salle to continue its Cinderella run.

USA Today college hoops scribe Eric Prisbell picked Arizona to win the West and return to the Final Four for the first time since 2001.

Andy Glockner of Sports Illustrated has Ohio St. winning the West behind the dynamic duo of Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas.

They're the most polished and accomplished team left. They have an excellent coach and staff, probably the best pure scorer in the region, the best on-ball defender in Aaron Craft, X-factor guys like Sam Thompson and LaQuinton Ross, and are comfortable playing bigger or smaller and uptempo or slower.

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Printable NCAA Tournament Bracket: 2nd Round kicks off Thursday

2013-03-21T14:00:08Z

The NCAA Tournament every March is arguably the greatest sporting event of the year. With 68 teams fighting for their season, every year brings us Cinderella teams, upsets, heartbreak and triumph.

On Thursday, all of the madness is set to begin once again.

If you haven't filled out your bracket yet, there is still time to do so. You can print off an updated bracket for the 2013 NCAA Tournament here.

So far, four games have been played in the First Four portion of the tournament. On Tuesday, North Carolina A&T defeated Liberty at the buzzer, 73-72, to advance to the second round. They will now face top-seeded Louisville on Thursday night. The second game on Tuesday saw the Saint Mary's Gaels make quick work of Middle Tennessee. SMC will take on Memphis next.

James Madison defeated LIU Brooklyn in convincing fashion to play Indiana on Friday. The nightcap saw La Salle defeat Boise State to advance as the No. 13 seed in the West Region. La Salle will take on Kansas State on Friday afternoon.

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