jimmer fredette

Former John Carrol star Immanuel Quickley lost his starting job seven games into his freshman year at Kentucky, but he's playing much better as he and the Wildcats enter the NCAA tournament Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla.

The three-time defending champion Overseas Elite beat the Golden Eagles, 85-60, on Thursday night to reach the championship game of The Basketball Tournament at Morgan State. They'll face Eberlein Drive for the title Friday night.

The Golden Eagles, named after Marquette, won all three rounds in the Northeast bracket to reach Baltimore as one of four surviving teams who have battled through a field of 72 in July to reach The Basketball Tournament (TBT) semifinals.

The 2011 NCAA tournament officially tips off tonight with a pair of play-in games -- I'm still scratching my head at UAB and Clemson playing for a No. 12 seed -- but the bracket bonanza for most pools begins Thursday afternoon with the Round of 64. That means we have approximately 48 hours to sort through statistics, break down matchups and finalize our brackets.