The March to Madness

Butler Answers the Call

In case you missed it, here's the wild and crazy finish of the Butler-Pittsburgh game.

With Floyd Gone, Is Dixon the Next Coach for USC?

Now that Tim Floyd has resigned, where does USC turn to find a coach for its embattled program?

Don't be surprised if Trojan athletic director Mike Garrett makes a run at Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, who grew up in Southern California. Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News writes that USC might even name an interim coach and wait until next spring to land Dixon.

By then, the NCAA will likely have finished its dirty work and USC will know its penalty, which could be harsh. But getting rid of Floyd could ultimately soften the blow delivered by the NCAA.

Garnett, Dwight, McGrady, Smith in Adidas Campaign

Kevin Garnett dreams about playing at UCLA in a new commercial for Adidas. More players after the jump.

No. 1 No More — Pittsburgh Falls to Louisville

Louisville has five wins in 14 days after taking handing No. 1 Pittsburgh its first loss, 69-63, at Freedom Hall.

Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal writes: "Name a team that has done more the past two weeks. Maybe Wake Forest, with its victories against North Carolina and Clemson — and the Demon Deacons will become No. 1 with Pitt's stumble."

Hoopla in Pittsburgh

Joel Huerto is managing editor of One Man Fastbreak.net and a sports consultant with Opposing Views.com. He has been a member of the sports media for almost 20 years, which included nine years as a news editor at the Los Angeles Times. He will cover a variety of topics, from coach and player profiles to hot-button issues. Joel is also known as "maniLA ice" for his cool demeanor in the friendly confines of the YMCA hardwood. He loves to shoot the "tear drop" and prefers to play zone to hide his deficiencies on defense.

It has been a super week in The Steel City. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the NFL divisional round and the Pittsburgh Panthers are ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll.

Football is, and always will be, king in Pittsburgh, but Jamie Dixon's Pitt Panthers are changing the culture in Western Pennsylvania, something his predecessor, Ben Howland, started a few years back and laid down the foundation for Dixon.

There is mutual admiration between the Steelers and the Panthers. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and kicker Jeff Reed are regulars at Pitt home games and Dixon wouldn't mind having some of the football players log some minutes for his undefeated Panthers, who can be mistaken for being somewhat of a gridiron gang for the way they get after their opponents on defense.

When The Worldwide Leader's Dana Jacobson asked Dixon which Steelers he would recruit for his basketball team, Dixon mentioned six names: Reed, Hines Ward, Roethlisberger, James Harrison, Max Starks and Troy Polamalu.

Roethlisberger was a good choice since he was an all-district high school basketball player at Lima, Ohio. Big Ben averaged 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists as captain of Findlay High. The 6-foot-5 Roethlisberger can play guard or forward, but Dixon has him pegged at small forward.