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83 Stories on NCAA Basketball Tournament
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Humans trump computers in NCAA hoops picks

Once in a while, a gut feeling and some human instinct can out-think a computer.

CNNMoney: Final Four: Detroit's own stimulus plan

It's a stimulus plan on sneakers.

SI.com: Seth Davis: Celebrating the 30th anniversary of '79 title game: Larry vs. Magic

When I began working on a book about the 1979 NCAA championship game, one of the first things I did, naturally, was watch a DVD of the game. NBC's telecast began with host Bryant Gumbel narrating a pregame segment before handing the game off to the trio of Dick Enberg, Billy Packer and Al McGuire. During the segment, Gumbel stood by himself on the court. There was no set, no fancy trappings, no commercial presence at all aside from a small "Pro Keds" sign that disappeared from view when the camera zoomed in on Gumbel's face.

SI.com: SI's Final Four Coverage

From Bill Russell's 1955 San Francisco Dons to Mario Chalmers '08 Jayhawks, Sports Illustrated has covered the NCAA basketball championship for more than 50 years. Here are the SI game stories for one of sports' biggest events:

SI.com: Seth Davis: Betting on three one seeds to head to the Final Four

Feeling Sweet, Hoopheads? Of course you are. It's our time of year, and this is another week to soak it up. I'm sure devoted readers of this space are not surprised the Sweet 16 includes all the number 1, 2 and 3 seeds for the first time in tournament history. I've been writing for weeks that, for all the tumult at the top of the polls, this was still a very top-heavy season in college basketball. It's too bad there aren't more Cinderellas to spice up the dance, but there's a payoff ahead as we get a weekend full of games played by the most powerful and recognizable brands in college basketball.

SI.com: Joe Posnanski: Explaining a new measure of success for NCAA tournament teams

Bill James put together a mathematical system that, more or less, figures out what percentage of the time one NCAA tournament seed should beat another. According to his system, for instance, a No. 1 seed should beat No. 16 seed a bit more than 99 percent of the time ... and of course a No. 1 seed has never lost to a No. 16 seed in 100 chances. In fact, the math is pretty easy to figure out this year because the tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1985, which means that this is the 25th year, which means that there have been exactly 100 first-round games played for each matchup.

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: Addressing five annual criticisms of the NBA

At this time of year while the entire nation is gambling on the wholesome sport of college basketball, here are a few of the complaints I hear from fans about the NBA in relation to March Madness. I can't tell you how many times I've heard fans who love the NCAA tournament launch into complaints about pro basketball. In some cases their criticism is spot on, but a lot of the arguments are missing the larger point.

SI.com: Joe Lemire: UNC point guard Ty Lawson unlikely to play vs. Radford

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The most famous digit in America right now isn't 64 for the NCAA tournament field, 44 for President Barack Obama's historic presidency, $165 million for AIG's contested bonus money or $787 billion for the government stimulus package.

SI.com: Bill Trocchi: Looking for a Cinderella? Breaking down the mid-majors

Northern Iowa Panthers Seed: No. 12 Record: 22-10 (14-4 Missouri Valley) NCAA bid: Automatic RPI: 59 Coach: Ben Jacobson (Third year at Northern Iowa, first NCAA tournament) Best player: Adam Koch. The junior forward was first-team All-MVC and leads the Panthers in scoring at 12.1 points. He also shoots 77 percent from the line and was 23-for-23 at the line over one two-game stretch. Key stat: Northern Iowa committed 10 turnovers or fewer in 16 games, including all three MVC tournament wins Notable games: beat Auburn, lost to Iowa St., lost at Iowa, lost at Siena Record in last 12 games: 8-4 Last NCAA appearance: 2006, as No. 10 seed, lost to Georgetown 54-49 in first round

SI.com: Ted Keith: Top five NCAA tournament storylines

America's favorite sporting event is also its best. Nothing delivers such an electrifying combination of excitement, unpredictability and competitiveness with such giddy regularity as the NCAA tournament. Below are the five storylines that you'll be hearing about over the next three weeks.

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