Forty games into the NCAA Tournament, fans hoping to fill out a perfect bracket were a respectable 2 for 26,587,885.

No. 3 Michigan Wolverines (27-2, 17-1 Big Ten) begins the final week of the conference schedule Thursday with a road meeting at Iowa (20-9, 10-8 Big Ten) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

Mikey Lewis made seven 3-pointers and scored 31 points to help Saint Mary’s beat No. 9 Gonzaga 70-59 to give the Gaels a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season title.

The 18th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats have lost back-to-back games and three of their last five.

Michigan has jumped to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll.

Yaxel Lendeborg had 20 points and 11 rebounds as No. 7 Michigan routed No. 12 Gonzaga 101-61 to win the Players Era Championship.

In the fast-changing world of college basketball, some things remain constant.

Javon Small scored five of his 31 points in overtime and Tucker DeVries added key free throws late in regulation and finished with 16 points as West Virginia beat No. 3 Gonzaga 86-78 in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Kansas is No. 1 in the AP Top 25 preseason men's basketball poll ahead of Alabama and two-time defending national champion UConn.

Basketball powerhouse Gonzaga will become the latest member of the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference.

NASA says a small, harmless asteroid has burned up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Police investigating racist incidents directed toward the Utah women’s basketball team when they were near their Idaho hotel while in town for the NCAA Tournament say they’ve found an audio recording in which the use of a racial slur was clearly audible.

Utah coach Lynne Roberts says her team experienced a series of “racial hate crimes” after arriving at its first women's NCAA Tournament hotel in Idaho last week.

The first round of the 2024 NCAA men’s tournament is underway as 32 teams take the court today.

Connecticut jumped to No. 1 in this week's AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll.

The AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll has been a mainstay for 75 years, but much like the game itself, it has evolved with the times.

Purdue remained atop the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the third straight week while Gonzaga dropped to No. 24 after a loss to San Diego State but managed to keep alive its streak of 142 consecutive weeks in the poll.

Donovan Clingan scored 21 points, and No. 5 UConn ran away in the second half again, beating No. 10 Gonzaga 76-63.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark says his conference is done expanding, shutting down the possibility of adding UConn and Gonzaga after engaging with the basketball powerhouses on potential membership.

The advanced stats can tell us a lot about the teams in this year's Final Four.

Dan Hurley got choked up when asked about his dad on the eve of UConn’s Sweet 16 game.

Julian Strawther hit a 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left to answer a 3-pointer by UCLA’s Amari Bailey, lifting Gonzaga to a wild 79-76 win over UCLA in the Sweet 16.

March Madness isn’t just about filling out — and later trashing — brackets.

Antoine Davis of Detroit Mercy set the NCAA record for career 3-pointers on Saturday, hitting a career-best 11 3s and scoring a season-high 41 points in an 87-75 win over Robert Morris.

Tyrese Hunter scored 26 points and a led a 3-point shooting spree for No. 11 Texas that carried the Longhorns to a 93-74 win over No. 2 Gonzaga.

Tom Izzo is proud of the fact that Michigan State has played anyone, anytime, anywhere with consistently tough nonconference schedules throughout his career.

Tom Izzo is proud of the fact that Michigan State has consistently played tough nonconference schedules throughout his career.

They’re going to try to play college basketball on an aircraft carrier again.

There were 17.3 million brackets filled out in ESPN's Tournament Challenge this year, and the quest for a perfect one was done before the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

College basketball fans hungering for a return to normal this March should feel happy.

Last season’s NCAA Tournament ultimately unfolded in familiar fashion.

The 2022 NCAA Tournament bracket field has been unveiled and now you can start making your picks.

The NCAA Tournament has some very interesting potential matchups in the second round, especially in the West Region.

Andrew Nembhard scored 19 points, Rasir Bolton added 18 and top-ranked Gonzaga outlasted No. 17 Saint Mary’s 82-69 to win its eighth West Coast Conference tournament title in nine years.

The top six and seven of the top 10 teams in the AP Top 25 lost on the same day last week, both records.

The madness arrived early this year.

Gonzaga is the unanimous No. 1 in the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.

Gonzaga, Auburn, Arizona and Kansas hold No. 1 seeds in the initial rankings for the committee that will select the field for next month’s 68-team men's NCAA Tournament.

Gonzaga has reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.

Gonzaga has suspended John Stockton’s basketball season tickets after the Hall of Fame point guard refused to comply with the university’s mask mandate.

Purdue is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time.

Andrew Nembhard scored 24 points, freshman Chet Holmgren showed off his unique skill set and top-ranked Gonzaga overwhelmed No. 2 UCLA 83-63 to win the Empire Classic.

Gonzaga, UCLA and Kansas hold the top three spots in first regular-season AP Top 25.

Drew Timme of Gonzaga is the lone unanimous selection on The Associated Press preseason All-America team.

Even an NCAA championship matchup between the two widely acknowledged as the best men's college basketball teams in the country couldn't set the television world afire.

Twenty teams have entered the NCAA Tournament unbeaten.

Baylor knew it would need to play to near-perfection to end Gonzaga’s flawless season.

The fresh-as-can-be Baylor Bears obliterated wobbly-legged Gonzaga’s march to perfection in an 86-70 runaway in the national title game.

Baylor is the national champion in college basketball.

Now comes the hard part for Gonzaga.

Gonzaga has given fans the NCAA championship game they wanted with a shot for the ages.

Gonzaga’s undefeated season hangs in the balance in overtime against UCLA.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)It’s not easy to bury a team as good as USC, let alone in a half, no matter how easy Gonzaga made it look. He asked Few the day before their game against the high-flying Trojans whether his defense was getting lost in the shuffle. “Obviously, I think he’s the best defender in the country,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. Then Baylor’s bout with the virus came late in the season, requiring a pause of three weeks plus. After everything else fans weathered throughout this wacky season, a few more days might finally deliver a national championship game worth the wait.

Gonzaga (30-0) has been an offensive juggernaut rarely seen in college basketball. Ad“Everyone wants us to keep moving forward, but that’s not how we roll,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. That doesn’t lessen our desire to win this game, the next game or win two more games.”The next one won't be easy. The Bears were embroiled in one of the darkest scandals in college basketball history, when Patrick Dennehy was murdered by teammate Carlton Dotson in 2003. They played in the Final Four.”___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – Official Bert Smith collapsed on the floor early in the Elite Eight game between Gonzaga and Southern California and had to be taken off the court on a stretcher. He stayed down for about five minutes, and then was able to stand up and move to a nearby stretcher. Additionally, Tony Chiazza — the standby official for the UCLA-Michigan game later Tuesday — would also serve as the standby official for the remainder of the USC-Gonzaga game, Worlock said. The matchup was the 70th game Smith has worked this season, according to kenpom.com. ___This story has been corrected to show the replacement official is Tony Henderson, not Williams.

… Gonzaga is seeking to become the first team to make it to the Final Four unbeaten since Kentucky in 2015. 11 seed UCLA (21-9), East Region final, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis. … UCLA is back in a regional final for the first time since earning three straight Final Four berths from 2006-08. 6 seed Texas (21-9), Hemisfair Region final, Alamodome, San Antonio. … Texas is in a regional final for the first time since 2016 and seeking its first Final Four appearance since 2003.

Nembhard had 17 points and eight assists, both season highs, to keep the NCAA Tournament's top overall seed rolling Sunday with a 83-65 rout of fifth-seeded Creighton in the West Region semifinals. Defensively, the Zags held Creighton to 40 points over the final 30 minutes as they methodically turned a 27-25 game into a blowout. “They just play so fast, so efficient with everything they do," said Marcus Zegarowski, who led Creighton with 19 points. That just about finished off Creighton as the Zags moved within three wins of becoming the first undefeated national champion since Indiana in 1976. Gonzaga: The Zags have won their first three tournament games by a combined 77 points.

(AP Photo/Young Kwak, File)Two years ago, before the start of the last NCAA Tournament, we presented a system that could help narrow down the bracket, using advanced stats from recent seasons. Virginia, one of six teams that passed all of our statistical tests, did in fact win the national championship. To review: This method uses six stats in which every champion since 2008 has ranked in the top half of Division I. All these stats are available at barttorvik.com — and we'll use that information to pare down this year's contenders. Effective field goal percentage (eFG%) is a measure of field goal percentage in which 3-pointers are given extra weight.

Gonzaga players celebrate after defeating BYU in an NCAA college basketball game for the West Coast Conference men's tournament championship Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)Gonzaga has completed a start-to-finish run atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, will try to become the first unbeaten national champion since Indiana in 1976. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25___Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap

Second round winners: Michigan, Florida State, Texas, Alabama. On to the upsets ...First round winners: Baylor, North Carolina, Winthrop, Purdue, Texas Tech, Colgate, Virginia Tech, Ohio State. AdFirst round winners: Gonzaga, Missouri, UCSB, Virginia, USC, Kansas, VCU, Iowa. Second round winners: Gonzaga, Virginia, USC, Iowa. The Big Ten tournament gets replaced by a Final Four in the heart of Big Ten country.

1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket announced Sunday as they try to become the first team in 35 years to complete a perfect season. 4 seed Virginia 98-75 in late December. Grand Canyon lost to New Mexico State in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament title game for two straight years under previous coach Dan Majerle. Drew knows a little something about NCAA Tournament drama, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer for Valparaiso against Mississippi 23 years ago, so you never know. 5 Creighton had a 20-win season that included victories over NCAA Tournament teams Georgetown, Villanova and two over Connecticut.

(AP Photo/David Becker)All a team needs to play in this year's NCAA Tournament is five healthy players. AdPlayers will have their own rooms and teams will have their own floors at designated hotels throughout their stay in Indiana. But Gavitt acknowledged that as long as a team has five players, it can stick around for as long as it keeps winning. Ad“We decided if they had five players eligible and healthy," they could play, he said. “We're looking at who's played games and missed games.

The Zags won their eighth WCC title in nine years and 17th under coach Mark Few. The Cougars were the last team to beat Gonzaga, 91-78 on Feb. 22, 2020. The Cougars did just that to start the game, hitting 10 of their first 16 shots to take a 26-19 lead. Expect the Cougars to be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament. UP NEXTBYU should be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.

Gonzaga won 86-69. Gonzaga won its ninth consecutive West Coast Conference regular-season title after going 14-0 and is the lone remaining undefeated team in Division I. Win those two and Gonzaga will become the fifth team in the last 45 years to head into the NCAA Tournament undefeated. AdThe win over the Mountaineers gave Baylor its first Big 12 regular-season title and moved it back into the No. The Razorbacks entered the AP Top 25 on Feb. 15 and have made a quick climb, reaching No.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few, left, speaks with guard Jalen Suggs during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against San Diego in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. The WCC has a second NCAA Tournament team in BYU, but the Cougars won’t be more than a No. Here are the teams Gonzaga has beaten on the road this season: Portland, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, Pepperdine, Pacific, BYU and San Francisco. Again, BYU is a solid team, but the rest of that list isn’t even in consideration for the NCAA Tournament. In the past, road games have been very important to the NCAA Tournament selection committee, but maybe not so much to AP voters.

1 Gonzaga remained the only unbeaten in the country with a 86-69 win over Loyola Marymount on Saturday night. The Bulldogs (24-0, 15-0 WCC) won their 51st straight home game to set a school record and finished off a perfect regular season. Gonzaga has won 28 straight games dating to last season and is the first team to finish the regular season unbeaten since Kentucky in 2014-15. Eli Scott had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead Loyola Marymount (12-8, 7-5), and Mattias Markusson added 19 points and 10 rebounds. AdGonzaga: The Bulldogs won their 21st straight game by double-digits as the No.

(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The NHL is down to a season-low eight players on the COVID-19 list after play on Tuesday night, five of them on the Philadelphia Flyers. That’s a marked improvement in the 11 days since the league had a season-high 59 players on the list. The Flyers have moved into third among NHL teams, with players spending a combined total of 98 days on the list, one more than Buffalo. He joined Nellie Fox (1959), Dick Allen (1972) and Frank Thomas (1993, 1994) as the team's only MVP winners. ___The West Coast Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be held without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

14 Texas 84-82 on Saturday to move up three spots in this week’s poll. JAYHAWKS CLIMBKansas is climbing after seeing its record run in the AP Top 25 end two weeks ago. 17 in this week’s poll. Kansas returned to the poll last week after dropping out on Feb. 8, ending a stretch of 231 consecutive weeks in the AP Top 25. 15 Virginia dropped eight spots after losses to Duke and Florida State last week.

2 Baylor remained atop Monday's latest AP Top 25, where they have been for all 13 polls this season. 8 in the AP poll to pull closer to the committee's seeding of seventh overall shortly before the Crimson Tide scored 115 points in a win over against Georgia. THE TOP TIERCoach Mark Few’s Bulldogs received 59 of 64 first-place votes in the new AP Top 25, while Scott Drew’s Bears claimed the other five. The Jayhawks fell out of last week’s poll for the first time in 12 years. Kansas was one of three new additions to this week’s poll, joined by No.

9 Alabama on Saturday, the Sooners became just the second team in 25 years to beat three straight top-10 opponents. The Sooners got off to shaky Big 12 start, opening 2-3 after losses to Baylor and Kansas. Oklahoma (11-4, 6-3 Big 12) has been on quite a run since then, taking down then-No. 17 West Virginia earlier this month, knocked off the Crimson Tide despite playing without Austin Reaves and starting guard Alondes Williams due to COVID-19 protocols. The Bears (16-0, 8-0 Big 12) received the other three first-place votes following wins over Kansas State and Auburn.

Gonzaga forward Drew Timme celebrates after scoring a basket during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Pacific in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)Gonzaga, Baylor and Villanova remained atop The Associated Press men's college basketball poll Monday, while ninth-ranked Alabama climbed to its highest ranking in 14 years. Villanova remained third followed by Michigan, with the Wolverines cracking the top five for a second straight season under Juwan Howard after being unranked earlier in the year. 18 Tennessee took the week's biggest tumble, falling 12 spots after losses to Florida and Missouri. ___More AP college basketball: http://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25___Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap

Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs (1) shoots against Saint Mary's forward Dan Fotu (42) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Moraga, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. Saint Mary's pulled to 56-48 on Dan Fotu's layup with 9:01 to play before another decisive Gonzaga burst, this time 8-0. “Not a pretty game for us, and Saint Mary’s deserves a lot of credit for that,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “You have to generate some points against those guys because they’re going to score,” Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said. Saint Mary’s: At Loyola Marymount on Thursday.

(AP Photo/Steve Dykes)Gonzaga and Baylor were the top two teams in The Associated Press preseason men’s college basketball poll. Villanova, Texas and Iowa rounded out a top 5 that remained the same from last week. Gonzaga and Baylor split most of the first-place votes in the preseason AP Top 25, but the Zags have become the clear-cut No. Gonzaga, which had five games canceled due to COVID-19 issues last month, has won 16 straight dating to last season. The Huskies won the national championship in 2014 but went to the NCAA Tournament only one more time before Hurley was lured from Rhode Island.

The top-ranked Zags and second-ranked Bears remained 1-2 in Monday's latest Top 25 as they have all season. 25 Florida State had the week's biggest tumble, falling seven spots after losing at Clemson and then having its game against No. 6 Kansas fell three spots after the Texas loss, bringing the total of teams that fell from last week's rankings to 11. CONFERENCE WATCHThe Big Ten continues to have the biggest haul of ranked teams, though the Big 12 has a strong showing in the poll's top tier. But the Big 12 has three of the top six teams in Baylor, Texas and Kansas and five teams overall.

(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)It's hard to decide who has been more dominant in men's college basketball this season: Gonzaga or the Big Ten Conference. The sixth-ranked Badgers began a run of Top 25 teams from the league, jumping three spots after wins over Nebraska and then-No. 12 Michigan State. The Hawkeyes dropped from fourth to 10th while surprising Rutgers began a run of four more Big Ten teams at No. Minnesota, whose lone loss came to Illinois and which was last ranked on Dec. 4, 2017, plays its next six against Top 25 teams: Michigan State, at Wisconsin, Ohio State, at Michigan, at Iowa and the Wolverines at home.

Kispert scored a career-high 32 points and tied a school record with nine 3-pointers, leading the Zags to a 98-75 romp over 16th-ranked Virginia on Saturday. After the Zags' game against No. Gonzaga: The Zags didn't cool off at all in the second half after Kispert came out hitting 3-pointers almost from the start. Gonzaga shot 68% after halftime to beat Virginia for the third time in four meetings in the series. Gonzaga: Northern Arizona at home Monday in the last of four consecutive games added after the five-game coronavirus pause.

1 spot in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll after beating Iowa. The Zags received 61 of 64 first-place votes from a media panel in the poll released on Monday. 2 Baylor got the remaining three first-place votes and No. Gonzaga had 54 first-place votes last week. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs (1) shoot a 3-pointer during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 in SIoux Falls, S.D. Suggs entered the game against Iowa averaging 13.3 points per game. We got into the double bonus relatively early in the second half, but then we miss 12 free throws, which is also very uncharacteristic of our team.”Iowa seemed to have one last gasp midway through the second half. Entering the game, Gonzaga was just 16 for 55 from beyond the arc in its first three games. Iowa: The 99 points scored by Gonzaga is the most Iowa has given up this season.

The Bulldogs finally got back on the court to practice this week following a two-week break due to COVID-19 cases within the program. It looked like the first practice of the year to the Gonzaga head coach. The matchup with Baylor was going to be the showcase event for the early portion of the college basketball schedule. The first full squad practice for Gonzaga since the day before the Baylor game was scheduled for Thursday. Their whole lives are about playing basketball.”While facing the Hawkeyes is a marquee opportunity for Gonzaga, there is still hope of facing Baylor.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few talks with the team during a timeout in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against West Virginia, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)Gonzaga and Baylor sit atop an unchanged top tier of The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, while West Virginia and Tennessee have cracked the top 10. Houston, Villanova, West Virginia, Creighton and Tennessee rounded out the top 10. 13 Illini dropped seven spots, while the No. ___More AP college basketball: http://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25___Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap

West Virginia and Gonzaga play during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, in Indianapolis. Gonzaga was scheduled to play Baylor but the game was cancelled due to COVID. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)Gonzaga and Baylor remained atop the AP Top 25 men's basketball poll Monday after their hotly anticipated weekend game in Indianapolis was called off about 90 minutes before tipoff because of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the Bulldogs' program. Wisconsin was tied with the Longhorns, followed by Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Virginia, Richmond and Florida State. The final five were Rutgers, Ohio State, Arizona State, San Diego State and Louisville.

Gonzaga was scheduled to play Baylor but the game was cancelled due to COVID. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS – Coaches Mark Few of Gonzaga and Scott Drew of Baylor scheduled Saturday's game for all the right seasons. "They (the Bears) are good, really, really good. Just really, really good." And whenever they do play, Drew knows one thing — people will be watching.

2 Baylor will play in Indianapolis on Saturday for the ninth meeting between the top two teams in AP Top 25 since 2005. 2 Kentucky met last season in the previous 1-vs.-2 meeting, a game won by the Wildcats 69-62. Playing in Las Vegas, Baylor opened with a 112-82 win over Louisiana-Lafayette and followed with an 96-52 thumping of Washington. Jay Wright's Wildcats opened the season in Bubbleville and opted to stay in Connecticut to face Hartford. Villanova won that game 87-53 to bounce back from its first loss of the season, 81-73 to No.

FILE - Gonzaga players celebrate after defeating Saint Mary's in an NCAA college basketball game in the final of the West Coast Conference men's tournament in Las Vegas, in this Tuesday, March 10, 2020, file photo. Gonzaga will begin the college basketball season No. 1 for the first time after coach Mark Few's bunch earned 28 first-place votes in the preseason AP Top 25 poll released Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

NEW YORK, NY Notre Dames 12-year run in The Associated Press womens college basketball poll is over. The Fighting Irish fell out of the AP Top 25 on Monday for the first time since the end of the 2006-07 season, stopping a streak of 234 consecutive weeks being ranked. Tennessee owns the longest streak of being ranked, remaining in the AP Top 25 for 565 consecutive weeks before falling out in 2016. 3 on the active list with 177 consecutive weeks ranked. ___Follow Doug Feinberg on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg___More AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25