In case your favorite team does not happen to be either Villanova or Temple, we thought it might help your planning to provide the TV lineup on CBS3 for the first-round games Thursday and Friday.

Of course, you know CBS will be zooming all over the place to the hot game or the big story, but it always helps to know what game will be coming on when Greg Gumbel gives that list of tip times.

Thursday

12:20 p.m. #8 LSU VS. #9 BUTLER

3 p.m. #1 CONNECTICUT VS. #15 CHATTANOOGA

7:20 p.m. #3 VILLANOVA VS. #14 AMERICAN

9:40 p.m. #2 DUKE VS. #15 BINGHAMTON

Friday

12:15 p.m. #14 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN VS. #3 SYRACUSE

2:35 p.m. #11 TEMPLE VS #6 ARIZONA STATE

7:10 p.m. #16 ALABAMA STATE OR MOREHEAD ST VS. #1 LOUISVILLE

9:30 p.m. #9 SIENA VS. #8 OHIO STATE (FROM DAYTON, OH)
 

La Salle sophomore guard Darryl Partin has been granted his release from his scholarship and will transfer, the university announced today.

Partin appeared in 50 games over two seasons. He made four starts and averaged 3.5 points per game. He is from Seattle, but played his final years of high school ball in North Carolina.

“Darryl has done well on and off the court at La Salle,” Explorers coach John Giannini said. “I am confident he will do well in the future.”

The Explorers were 18-13 this past season.

The eight teams coming to Philadelphia for the NCAA Tournament will have practice sessions Wednesday at the Wachovia Center. The sessions are free and open to the public. You do not need a ticket to the games to attend the practices.

Here is the practice schedule:

12 p.m. - 12:40 p.m.: Texas A&M
12:45 p.m. - 1:25 p.m.: Chattanooga
1:30 p.m. - 2:10 p.m.: BYU
2:15 p.m. - 2:55 p.m.: UConn
4:25 p.m. - 5:05 p.m.: Villanova
5:10 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.: UCLA
5:55 p.m. - 6:35 p.m.: American
6:40 p.m. - 7:20 p.m.: VCU

Here is the game schedule for Thursday's first round:

12:30 p.m.: (8) BYU (25-7) vs. (9) Texas A&M (23-9)

Twenty minutes after conclusion of first game: (1) UCONN (27-4) vs. (16) Chattanooga (18-16)

7:20 p.m.: (3) Villanova (26-7) vs. (14) American (24-7)

Twenty minutes after conclusion of first game: (6) UCLA (25-8) vs. (11) VCU (24-9)
 

The winners will meet Saturday, with the Villanova/American winner playing UCLA/VCU winner at 1:05 p.m. and 20 minutes after conclusion of the first game, the winners of Connecticut/Chattanooga vs. BYU/Texas A&M will meet.

CBS has announced the broadcast team for the site: Dick Enberg, Carter Blackburn, Jay Bilas, Mark Wolff and Mark Grant.

*

For our look at eight players to watch at the Wachovia Center, click here.
 

In 2006, the Wachovia Center hosted eight teams for first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games.

In Villanova's victory over Monmouth, Randy Foye and Allan Ray combined to score 36 points.
Connecticut's Marcus Williams hit several key three-pointers to help the Huskies overcome No. 16-seed Albany.

Villanova and Connecticut, albeit with different stars, return to Philadelphia for first-round games on Thursday.

Here is a look at a player on each of the eight teams playing at the Wachovia Center on Thursday.

Hasheem Thabeet
School: Connecticut
Position: Center
The matchup: No. 1 Connecticut plays No. 16 Chattanooga at 2:50 p.m.
What makes him special: No other player impacts the opposing team's offense like Thabeet. He's first in the NCAA with 142 blocks on the season and was voted the Big East Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. But it's not just his defense anymore. He also had 16 double-doubles on the season.
His numbers: 4.6 blocks per game, 64.3 percent field goal percentage (second in nation), 13.7 points per game, 10.9 rebounds per game (11th in nation). 

Stephen McDowell
School: Chattanooga
Position: Guard
The matchup: No. 16 Chattanooga plays No. 1 Connecticut at 2:50 p.m.
What makes him special: McDowell played two seasons with back-to-back NIT champion South Carolina before transferring. He graduated with a degree in finance in December 2007.
His numbers: 18.6 points per game, 43.4 three-point field goal percentage.

Lee Cummard
School: Brigham Young
Position: Guard
The matchup: No. 8 BYU plays No. 9 Texas A&M at 12:30 p.m.
What makes him special: Cummard was a 2004 McDonald's All-America nominee. Last season, he was an AP All-American honorable mention and the Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Year.
His numbers: 16.8 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, .520 field goal percentage.

Chinemelu Elonu
School: Texas A&M
Position: Forward/Center
The matchup: No. 9 Texas A&M plays No. 8 BYU at 12:30 p.m.
What makes him special: Elonu moved into the post this season after 4-year starter Joseph Jones graduated. The junior, whose sister Adaora plays for the Aggies' women's team, would present an interesting
matchup in the second round against Thabeet, as he was heavily recruited by UConn.
His numbers: 10.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks per game.

Scottie Reynolds
School: Villanova
Position: Guard
The matchup: No. 3 Villanova plays No. 14 American at 7:20 p.m.
What makes him special: Reynolds has scored at least 20 points in three of his four NCAA Tournament games and led the team in scoring in each of them. If his shot is not falling, he often gets to the free throw line, leading the team with 5.6 attempts per game.
His numbers: 15.5 points per game, 3.6 assists per game.

Derrick Mercer
School: American
Position: Guard
The matchup: No. 14 American plays No. 3 Villanova at 7:20 p.m.
What makes him special: The 5-7 point guard, who is generously listed at 5-9, was named the Patriot League Player of the Year last week. Last season, he nailed two free throws to send the Eagles to their first-ever NCAA Tournament. He has played in every game at American, averaging 37.2 minutes per game this season, and has only missed two starts.
His numbers: 11.5 points per game, 4.4 assists per game, 41.4 three-point field goal percentage.

Darren Collison
School: UCLA
Position: Guard
The matchup: No. 6 UCLA plays No. 11 VCU at 9:45 p.m.
What makes him special: Collison, the son of two track and field athletes, mixes speed with endurance. He leads the
Bruins in minutes played per game at 31.5 but still has the quickness to pester opposing teams on both sides of the ball.
His numbers: 91.2 free throw percentage (first in NCAA), 14.5 points per game, 4.9 assists per game, 54 steals.

Eric Maynor
School: Virginia Commonwealth
Position: Guard
The matchup: No. 11 VCU plays No. 6 UCLA at 9:45 p.m.
What makes him special: Who can forget Maynor's game-winning shot over Duke's Jon Scheyer with 1.8 seconds to go two tournaments ago that gave the Rams a 79-77 victory? He led his team in scoring in all but nine of the Rams' 33 games this season, only scoring less than double figures twice.
His numbers: 22.4 points per game (11th in the nation), 6.2 assists per game (16th in the nation).
 

For the first time since 2006, Philadelphia will be at the center of March Madness.

Saint Joseph’s is the host for this year’s first- and second-round games at the Wachovia Center, with play beginning on Thursday and continuing Saturday.

Villanova, as a No. 3 seed in the East, will be the main attraction. The Wildcats will face the Patriot League’s American University – the 14th seed. Villanova is allowed to play at the Center because they did not play more than three games there this season.

In the other game in that session, UCLA will make the nearly 3,000-mile journey from Los Angeles to tip-off against Virginia Commonwealth. UCLA, the sixth seed, has won 11 national championships. Virginia Commonwealth is no stranger to Philadelphia, having been in town to face Drexel during the Colonial Athletic Association regular season.

Connecticut grabbed the No. 1 seed in the West region, and earned a trip down I-95 from Storrs to face serious underdog Chattanooga, which won the Southern Conference championship. UConn was one of three Big East teams to grab No. 1 seeds, joining Louisville and Pittsburgh.

In the 8-9 game, the BYU Cougars will fly in from Provo to battle Texas A&M, from the Big 12.
 

Temple knew it was heading back to the NCAA Tournament, but the Owls had to wait until the very last slot was announced tonight to find out the particulars.

The 11th-seeded Owls (22-11) will face No. 6 seed Arizona State (24-9) on Friday in Miami in a South Region first-round game. Tipoff will be at 2:45 and will be on CBS-3 and WPHT (1210-AM).

The winner faces either Syracuse or Stephen F. Austin on Sunday.

The Owls secured their second consecutive Atlantic 10 Tournament title and second consecutive automatic NCAA Tournament berth under Fran Dunphy with a 69-64 victory over Duquesne on Saturday night.

They defeated Saint Joseph’s by the same score last year before losing to Michigan State, 72-61, in the first round of the NCAAs.

For the Owls, the chance to remain on the East Coast was welcome. Last year, they traveled to Denver and ended up playing in the first game, at 10:30 a.m. local time.

"That was nuts. We were too far outside the city," Dunphy said. "I was complaining the whole time. Now I have no complaints. Just shut up and just play the game. My one complaint is that we have to play a team as good as Arizona State."

The A-10 championship is the Owls’ eighth overall, the most in the league. They are the first team to repeat as A-10 champions since Hall of Fame coach John Chaney led them to back-to-back titles in 2000 and ’01.

Senior guard Dionte Christmas also repeated as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Performer. He scored 29 points, the most since the 27 he dropped against Rhode Island on Jan. 27, and tied an A-10 championship record with seven 3-pointers. Saturday’s outing followed up Christmas’ performance Friday night against No. 19 Xavier, when he scored 20 points and hit two three-pointers within 30 seconds of each other during the final 2 minutes to lead the Owls to a 55-53 semifinal victory. With those 3’s, the senior vaulted into first place all-time in three-pointers made in Temple history.

Prior to those games, Christmas had been mired in a semi-slump, scoring only seven and nine points, respectively, in a quarterfinal victory over St. Joe’s and the regular-season finale against George Washington.

"Going into this year, we know what we got to do and we know what it takes to win," Christmas said. "Last year we had a lot of distractions. We weren't really prepared for all the things that were presented to us going out to Denver."

Senior center Sergio Olmos and junior guard Ryan Brooks each added 14 points in Saturday’s game, and sophomore forward Lavoy Allen had his 13th double-double of the season, with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Here is some information about Arizona State:

Last NCAA: 2003, Lost in second round to Arizona, 108-76.
Head Coach: Herb Sendek.

Probable Starters
Derek Glasser, G, 6-1, Jr., 8.0 pts., 2.0 reb., 37.1 FG%, 84.8 FT%
Ty Abbott, G, 6-3, So., 6.3, 4.1, 34.0, 66.7
James Harden, G, 6-5, So., 20.8, 5.4, 50.4, 75.2
Rihards Kuksiks, G-F, 6-6, So., 10.8, 4.0, 45.9, 75.0
Jeff Pendergraph, F, 6-9, Sr., 14.4, 8.5, 66.5, 77.2
Other Key Players
Jamelle McMillan, G, 6-1, So., 5.0, 2.1, 42.3, 57.9
Jerren Shipp, G, 6-3, Jr., 2.9, 1.6, 42.6, 66.7

About the Sun Devils: It is the first time they’ve had back-to-back 20-win seasons since 1979-80 and ’80-81 ... Pendergraph has started 118 games, which is a school record ... Sendek graduated summa cum laude from Carnegie-Mellon in 1985 ... They are a very good shooting team, hitting 48% from the floor and 74% from the foul line ... Harden is the real deal, a first team all-American by The Sporting News ... Shipp’s older brother Josh plays for UCLA ... This team was just 8-22, including 2-16 in the conference in Sendek’s first year (2006-07) ... In the past eight seasons, including time at North Carolina State, Sendek teams have defeated seven of the past nine NCAA champions.
 

Villanova has earned a third seed and will open the NCAA Tournament against American University on Thursday at the Wachovia Center.

The game will begin at 7:20 p.m. and will be on CBS-3 and ESPN (950-AM).

"There are pluses and minuses [to being at home], but I think the plus\ses outweight the minuses," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "It's an advantage. You get to stay at home an extra day and keep some normalcy. We went in so wide-eyed [in 2006] saying this is awesome. Then you find out about the distractions. We learned from that. We have three seniors who were part of that. We want to make sure they enjoy this, play like we always play and try to have some fun.

"[No matter where you play], if you get a bad matchup you can be in trouble real fast."

Said Reggie Redding: "It's always great to play in front of family and friends and 'Nova nation. I hope we don't let them down."

American, the 14th seed, was 24-7 and won the Patriot League. If Villanova wins, it will play the winner of the UCLA-Virginia Commonwealth game on Saturday at the Wachovia Center.

This is the fifth consecutive season Villanova has gone to the NCAA Tournament. In 3 of the previous 4 years, Villanova won at least two games in the tourney.

Villanova finished the season 26-7 and ranked 10th in the country. The Wildcats lost in the Big East semifinals to Louisville, 69-55. Last year, Villanova was a 12 seed. The Wildcats beat fifth-seeded Clemson in the first round, 75-69 and beat 13th-seeded Siena in the second round, 84-72. Villanova lost in the Sweet 16 to eventual national champion Kansas, 72-57.

VILLANOVA (26-7)
Location: Villanova, Pa.  Conference: Big East.
Bid: At-large.
NCAA Tournament Record: 44-29 (1 Title, 3 Final Fours).
Last NCAA: 2008, Lost in regional semifinals to Kansas, 72-57
Head Coach: Jay Wright.
School: 148-83 (7 years). Overall: 270-168 (14 years).
Probable Starters Pos. Hgt. Yr. Pts. Reb. FG% FT%
Scottie Reynolds G 6-2 Jr. 15.7 2.7 41.3 81.8
Reggie Redding G 6-5 Jr. 6.8 4.8 43.4 71.2
Dwayne Anderson G-F 6-6 Sr. 8.2 5.8 43.7 83.3
Shane Clark F 6-7 Sr. 5.4 3.8 51.3 56.3
Dante Cunningham F 6-8 Sr. 16.4 7.3 53.7 67.6
Other Key Players
Corey Fisher G 6-1 So. 10.8 2.1 45.6 76.2
Corey Stokes G 6-5 So. 9.5 3.4 41.4 83.1
Antonio Pena F 6-8 So. 5.8 4.5 48.8 68.7
About the Wildcats: They’ve made it to the second weekend 3 of the last 4 years, losing to the eventual national champion each time. Won twice as a 12 seed last March. This was their fifth straight 20-win season, a program first. The 25 regular-season wins tied a school record. It had been done three times, but not since 1950-51. They convert 74 percent at the foul line. Cunningham added a midrange jumper and became the Most Improved Player in the Big East. Fisher won the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year award. If Kelvin Sampson hadn’t left Oklahoma to coach at Indiana, Reynolds would have been a Sooner.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY (24-7)
Location: Washington. Conference: Patriot.
Bid: Automatic.
NCAA Tournament Record: 0-1 (0 Titles, 0 Final Fours)
Last NCAA Appearance: 2008, Lost in first round to Tennessee, 72-57
Head Coach: Jeff Jones.
School: 149-120 (9 years). Overall: 294-225 (17 years).
Probable Starters Pos. Hgt. Yr. Pts. Reb. FG% FT%
Derrick Mercer G 5-9 Sr. 11.5 4.3 47.5 60.9
Garrison Carr G 5-11 Sr. 17.8 3.1 40.0 77.9
Frank Borden G 6-4 Sr. 3.5 3.0 33.6 70.5
Jordan Nichols F 6-5 Sr. 5.2 5.2 65.2 51.6
Brian Gilmore F 6-8 Sr. 12.4 5.4 53.1 68.2
Other Key Players
Nick Hendra G 6-3 So. 6.5 4.5 48.1 57.5
Stephen Lumpkins F 6-8 Fr. 3.4 2.5 47.5 50.8
Bryce Simon F 6-6 Sr. 2.9 1.0 43.4 100
About the Eagles: The terrific senior backcourt of Carr and Mercer (Ahmad Nivins’ teammate at St. Anthony High in Jersey City) trailed Tennessee by just one point in a 2-15 NCAA game last year. Carr and Mercer almost never come out. Carr has made 243 threes and 172 free throws the last two seasons. Jones, a former Virginia player and coach, has created a real Patriot power in Washington. His team has won 13 straight, but was not much of a factor against the better teams it played early in the season. Their bench accounts for just 21.4 percent of the minutes, 328th in Division I. Shot seven points better (46.6% to 39.4%) than their opponents from the floor.
 

NEW YORK – So now, there’s nothing left to do for Villanova but head home and wait.

Unlike last season, the Wildcats won’t be wondering whether they’ve done enough to make the NCAA Tournament. They’ve already taken care of that some time ago.

This March, it’s only a matter of seed and destination. The Selection Committee will let everyone know for sure tomorrow night. At the moment it seems likely that they’ll be a 3, and quite possibly be sent to the Wachovia Center, their home away from Lancaster Avenue, for the opening weekend.

Yet until it becomes official, you’ll just have to trust your favorite bracketologist.

In the first half of Friday night’s Big East semifinal doubleheader at Madison Square Garden, the 10th-ranked Wildcats got the regular-season conference champion Louisville for the second time in two months. In early January in South Philly, they couldn’t convert a tip-in at the buzzer and went down by one.

This time, it never got to that point.

The fifth-ranked Cardinals (27-5), who are trying to make a case for one of the top four seeds in the Madness, came back from an eight-point halftime hole to advance to the title game, 69-55. They’ll get either Syracuse or West Virginia at 9 p.m. tonight.

The Cards went on a 17-2 run to start the second half. But the Wildcats (26-7) had things tied up at 50 with a little over eight minutes to go. Louisville then scored the next 10, and held Villanova to a single field goal the rest of the way.

The Wildcats were trying to make it to their first final since 1997.

The Cards have won eight straight.

“At halftime, I told the guys I was speechless for the first time all year,” said Louisville coach Rick Pitino. “I said, ‘I don’t recognize you. I don’t know who you are.’ Individual glory is nice, but team is what it’s all about.”

When the Cards play like they did after intermission, they’re as scary as anyone. Still, Villanova was right there until the next-to-last TV timeout.

Which doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to digest.

“I thought we were definitely playing well enough to grind one out,” said Villanova coach Jay Wright. “So right now it hurts. But we’ve got to recover. We’ve been good at that this season. But I honestly thought this was one that we had a chance to win. A chance.”

Didn’t happen. Louisville obviously had something to do with that. But for the second straight night, Villanova played two different halves. On Thursday, the Wildcats led Marquette by 16 at the break, but needed a last-second layup to pull out a 1-point victory. This time, there would be no such heroics.

“That’s just something you can’t do at this point in the season,” Wright said, correctly.

The Wildcats got only two points on six shots from Scottie Reynolds, who had 21 against the Golden Eagles. It was the first time in five Big East tourney games that he didn’t lead his team in scoring. Again, the Cards weren’t going to let him hurt them.

Dante Cunningham had 14, but only two of those came after intermission, and none in the closing 18 minutes. Corey Fisher also scored 14 off the bench, but had seven of Nova’s season-high 23 turnovers. Both played 24 minutes due to foul trouble. Dwayne Anderson, who made the winning bucket 24 hours earlier, added a dozen points to go with his four giveaways.

Louisville got 17 points from Earl Clark and 16 from Jerry Smith, who shot 6-for-9, 4-for-7 from the arc. The Cards had only four turnovers after halftime, and made 13 of 28 treys. In the first meeting, they were 3-for-25. They also converted just three from deep in their easy quarterfinal win over Providence.