Cal Poly Pomona Fans Came a Long Way
By Mike Bogen
The Springfield Republican

They looked like a serving of string beans at a carrot convention.

But you have to expect that when your team is from California, the other guys are from Ohio, and the game is in Springfield, Massachusetts.

"I'm very proud of him, and I wouldn't have missed this for the world," said Britt N. Sumida, who actually began her journey from the campus of Cal Poly Pomona. 

Pitch Made to Keep Elite Eight in Springfield
The Springfield Republican

John Doleva, Paul Lambert, Barry Crosby and Matt Hollander Friday will go to bat for the city of Springfield one more time to try and keep the Elite Eight here for the next few years.

The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Committee will hear final presentations from Springfield and the other finalist - believed to be Northern Kentucky - today at the MassMutual Center, with the 2010 and 2011 Elite Eight tournaments the prize for the winner.

USC-Aiken Player Dies In Car Wreck
By Randy Key
WJBF-TV

According to USC-Aiken Athletic Director, Randy Warrick, a USC-Aiken basketball player was killed in a car accident last Thursday. 

The player has been identified as Javonte Clanton. USC-Aiken played Augusta State Tuesday night in a NCAA Division II Southeastern regional tournament championship game. The accident happened in West Virginia. He left after Tuesday night's game to drive to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. He reportedly fell asleep at the wheel.

Findlay Basketball Player a Class Act
By Mike Bogen
The Springfield Republican

Amazingly, Tyler Evans' greatest contribution to The University of Findlay's first-ever NCAA Division II national championship was not the overtime basket he made Saturday that lifted the Broncos over Cal Poly Pomona.

Evans' 26-foot buzzer-beating jumper may have been dramatic - and calling it dramatic would be like calling Hamlet just another confused kid - it was really only the most important hoop in the college's history.

Close Games Made for an Entertaining Elite 8
By Jeff Thomas
The Springfield Republican

Of the seven games that were played this week at the MassMutual Center in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, only one was decided by a double-digit score, and five were of the come-from-behind variety.

Now that's a good tournament.

Two of the games went to overtime, the University of Findlay winning them both, including the national championship game Saturday, 56-53, on a buzzer-beater.

Southern Gentleman Loves Visiting Springfield
By Garry Brown
The Springfield Republican

Roy Pickerill is back in town, which can only mean one thing - the Elite Eight of NCAA Division II men's basketball is in good hands. Loving hands.

To him, this national championship week in the birthplace of basketball is much more than a tournament.

"Coming to Springfield is like coming to a family reunion. The games are a picnic and I'm the dysfunctional Southern cousin to everybody here," he said playfully as he watched semifinal action Thursday night at the MassMutual Center.

Who's Next Fayetteville State Coach?
By Paul Shugar
The Fayetteville Observer

The Fayetteville State athletic department decided to go in a new direction with the program when it didn't renew coach Sam Hanger's contract earlier this month. Now, athletic director Edward McLean must find a replacement for Hanger, who went 99-101 the past seven years.