TOURNAMENT QUESTIONS

Most emotional March story?

Albany's Peter Hooley hit a game-winning three-pointer against Stony Brook to get his team into the NCAA tournament, then explained: "When you have angels watching you, anything can happen." Hooley called it the best moment of his life. He had missed eight games during the season to be with his mother in Australia. She died of colon cancer Jan. 30.

Name the only coach in the NCAA tournament whose father was an usher at the Palestra.

That would be Fran McCaffery at Iowa.

Name the only coach whose brother is a local sports columnist.

That also would be McCaffery. His brother Jack is a longtime columnist for the Delaware County Times.

So if lottery picks are the way to get to the Final Four, what about Villanova?

No potential lottery picks on the team. In fact, Draft Express doesn't list a Villanova player in its top 100 players, going with DeAndre' Bembry of St. Joseph's at No. 64 as the only local player. It's a little surprising that 'Nova's Daniel Ochefu isn't on that list.

Give us a team our alma mater shouldn't want to face.

Cincinnati is a legitimate defensive outfit. Look for a 57-55, last-possession type of game for the Bearcats against almost any opposition.

Who could be a star of the first weekend?

If Providence point guard Kris Dunn played for Kentucky, they'd be handing John Calipari the trophy before the first game.

Do you like to root for first-time tournament schools?

Then the UC-Irvine Anteaters are your school.

South Florida is really in central Florida. Is North Florida in north Florida?

Yes, the Ospreys, representing the Atlantic Sun, are based in Jacksonville and thus appropriately named. North Florida made it to the NCAAs by beating South Carolina-Upstate. We admit to not knowing there was an upstate in South Carolina.

But Coastal Carolina is on the coast of Carolina?

It is 15 miles inland from Myrtle Beach. Don't look for ocean views from the top floor of the dorm if you're a Chanticleer.

What's a Chanticleer?

We Googled it and still don't know.

What's going on in Queens?

St. John's announced Sunday it had suspended center Chris Obekpa for two weeks. Obekpa is an important player for the Red Storm, averaging 7.0 rebounds, 5.8 points, and 3.2 blocks. When's the last time a team suspended a player for the first two weeks of the NCAA tournament?

Who is the best college player to make it to NCAAs as a first-time coach?

Has to be Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley, right? Hurley's own NCAA moments for Duke occurred before his current players were born.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Philadelphia hoops great Hank Gathers. Is there a sentimental choice to root for in this tournament?

Baylor's Rico Gathers averages a double-double, points and rebounds. A pretty appropriate tribute since his father was Hank Gathers' cousin.