espn.com Ali Contest
The beauty of the NCAA Tournament is that it's "one and done." Page 2's Hot List for the Big Dance, on the other hand, is always a work in progress. Sure, we were wrong on Butler, Auburn and Tulsa (who wasn't?), but we were right on Illinois, Wake, Syracuse and Ashley Judd. And we're going out on the limb with a new list for the Sweet 16. WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT FOR SWEET 16




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One thing you've got to give the Good Doctor: The man's life is never dull. First, war breaks out. Then his home base of Woody Creek, Colo., is buried under three feet of snow. Then his hometown team (Louisville) is bounced from the NCAAs. But all's well that ends well: His beloved Anita made it back through the snow ... to be greeted with (gasp!) an engagement ring. No, really.

The Daily Quickie 500 In Their Sights
Can you go from disrespected to overhyped in less than a week? According to the Daily Quickie, you can, and the Butler Bulldogs have proven it. The DQ is also here to expose NFL refs, Martha Burk and ephedra use by ... NASCAR pit crews? No, we couldn't make that up.
 For baseball sluggers, 500 has always been the magic number. In the entire history of the game, only 17 men have hit 500 or more HRs. Amazingly, this year alone, four more could do it. Page 2's Eric Neel looks at the quests of Junior, Sammy, Raffy and the Crime Dog.

THE WACKY BRACKET
Here's a quick tourney update from the Wacky Bracket: Britney has rallied to take the lead on Halle, Eminem and Tony Soprano are locked in a tight battle, and Anna, Shania and Winona are all cruising. We'll announce the Sweet 16 on Thursday afternoon.


With U.S. troops at war in Iraq, the question was raised whether or not sports should continue on. They did, of course, but this isn't the first time issues of war and sports crossed paths. We've listed the the 10 most significant moments sports and war have intersected.
10]  Uninterrupted soccer resumes in Kabul (2002)
Free from the threat of interruption by the fundamentalist militia carrying out a public execution, groups of Kabul men take to the street to play soccer.
9]  The Gulf War and Super Bowl XXV (1991)
The first Gulf War, had already begun in the skies over the Middle East as Super Bowl XXV approached. Some debated whether the game should be played, but the decision was made that the Bills-Giants contest would go on, providing a valuable respite for those troops, who watched and listened.
8]  MLB changes schedule during WWII (1942)
Commissioner Landis took FDR's suggestion to not only keep baseball running, but altered the schedule to allow employees of all work shifts to attend games. Players got part of their pay in war bonds, and all kinds of patriotic, war-oriented activities regularly accompanied games
  • GET THE FULL LIST


NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
DAY FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG O/U
Thursday Arizona 8 Notre Dame 158
Thursday Kansas 3 Duke 155
Thursday Kentucky 12 Wisconsin 129
Thursday Pitt 5 Marquette 136½
Friday Oklahoma 7 Butler 120
Friday Syracuse 5½ Auburn 138½
Friday Texas 2½ UConn 152
Friday Maryland 3½ Michigan State 133
All Times ET -- Bold indicates home team
Complete Line


 
Got a comment about something you've seen on Page 2? Here's your chance to sound off to the editors and columnists. Plus, if you'd like to send an e-mail to The Sports Guy, here's your direct link to Bill Simmons.


THE SPORTS GUY
Live from Hollywood, it's the 75th Academy Awards ... and Bill Simmons' award-winning running diary from Oscar Night.

BIGGEST DANCE
The NCAA tourney is great, but is it sports' best postseason? Page 2's Eric Neel rates the best and worst in the tournament of tournaments.

THE WATER COOLER
An Iranian cab driver, Neil Diamond, sunny Arizona, Renee Zellweger, Jon Miller doing Vin Scully. What a weekend for Brian Murphy.

BASKETBALL DIARY
The Sixers and Wolves are both sizzling, but is either squad go enough to reach the NBA Finals? Page 2's Charley Rosen sizes up these two darkhorses.

UNIT OF MEASURE
Every athlete is lying when he says it's not about the money, writes Jim Armstrong. Well, everyone except Randy Johnson.

ALL-NAME
Lots of players will make names for themselves in the tourney, but Page 2's Dan Shanoff has a list of those who already have the best names.
If your favorite writer isn't on Page 2 today, click here to check out our full roster of columnists.


Here are two winning smiles: Texas guard T.J. Ford, left, and invincible golfer Tiger Woods. Page 2 has received 63 requests for this match. Browse our archives of past pairs or click here to submit a future duo.


Women's NCAA Tournament
5 p.m. ET, ESPN2
South Carolina at Penn St
 
Women's NCAA Tournament
7 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN2
'Nova vs. GW; Texas vs. Arkansas; Utah at Duke
 
Women's NCAA Tournament
9 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN2
TCU at UConn; Ohio St at La Tech; ND at K-State; UCSB at Texas Tech
 
• Complete TV Listings


If you missed Page 2 over the last week, check out our back issues:
• Tues., March 25: Biggest Dance
• Mon., March 24: Oscar Diary
• Fri., March 21: Feelin' Van Horny
• Thurs., March 20: Ballin4ever!

Other featured content:
• Page 2's Ultimate Scorecard
• 10 Hardest Things To Do In Sports
• Do's and Don'ts for Your Brackets
• Get Iverson onto Team USA
• 10 Burning Questions with Jennie Finch
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
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