FOUR ON THE FLOOR

ESPN, which may or may not stand for the Extra Sensory Perception Network, had it pegged all along on its Big Monday cablecasts: The Big East vs. the Big Ten for all the Marbles in New Orleans. What? Roy Marble and Iowa didn't make it after the Hawkeyes led UNLV by 16 points at the half? Oh, well. Typical of this mysterious, marvelous season. Guess somebody wasn't minding his 3's and Q's. And so in the Dome: UNLV vs. Indiana. What happens when an irresistible shark meets an immovable general? And Providence vs. Syracuse. Who but a few Northeasterners cares about that intramural face-off? The answers are: Anything and Everything, and merely Everybody. It's trey for two at the Final Four to see which five finishes No. 1.

PHOTO

CARL SKALAK

Defensive gems like this one by Providence's Steve Wright blocked Georgetown's path to New Orleans.