<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>washingtonpost.com - John Feinstein</title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/sports/columns/special?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><description>John Feinstein</description><language>en-us</language><ttl>15</ttl><image><title>washingtonpost.com</title><width>140</width><height>20</height><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com</link><url>http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/hp/image/wp_web.gif</url></image><item><title><![CDATA[All the Right Moves]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28294-2005Apr5.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28294-2005Apr5.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[UNC Coach Roy Williams played to win Monday, not worrying about possible postgame second-guessing by keeping Raymond Felton in  the game despite early foul trouble.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Marquee Matchup]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23718-2005Apr3.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23718-2005Apr3.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The national semifinal games were not as exciting as the games leading up to the Final Four, but they did give us the high-octane championship they many longed for.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finally Time for Ol' Roy]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22339-2005Apr3.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22339-2005Apr3.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[North Carolina coach Roy Williams has taken his teams to the championship game two times before but is still searching for his first title.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Turning Back the Clock]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19805-2005Apr1.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19805-2005Apr1.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Twenty years to the day after the greatest moment of his career, Rollie Massimino was surrounded by men who had worked for him, won with him, lost with him, cried with him.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Same Old Scene]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17141-2005Mar31.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17141-2005Mar31.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[A Final Four is a center for gossip and wild rumors, and this one is no different as the out-of-work coaches gather to swap stories and resumes.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Drama of Competition]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7850-2005Mar28.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7850-2005Mar28.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[While the quality of play not be the same it once was in college basketball, the quality of competition is at its highest level ever.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Fulfilling Promise, Hodge Gains Redemption]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52248-2005Mar20.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52248-2005Mar20.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[WORCESTER, Mass.<br>Julius Hodge stood at center court Sunday afternoon, pounding his hand on his chest, screaming at the top of his lungs, his eyes taking in every corner of DCU Center, savoring the moment.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Patience Pays Off]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50192-2005Mar19.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50192-2005Mar19.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[WORCESTER, Mass.<br>As Vermont and Syracuse battled down to the wire on Friday night, Doug Wojcik sat in the scouting seats on press row at the DCU Center calmly taking notes and drawing an occasional diagram. His face registered little emotion as the Catamounts went about pulling off their...]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cinderella, With an Orange Twist]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48695-2005Mar18.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48695-2005Mar18.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[This is why the NCAA tournament is like no other event in sports: Vermont.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brennan's Tears of Joy]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45668-2005Mar17.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45668-2005Mar17.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[If there is anyone in the state of Vermont who doesn't know and love coach Tom Brennan, no one can pinpoint exactly who that person is.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Best-Laid Plans Could Go to Waste]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32483-2005Mar13.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32483-2005Mar13.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[   Gee, what a surprise, the committee trying to set up a Duke-Kentucky regional final. One problem: It isn't likely to happen.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Heels' March Starts With Lowest Seed]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32470-2005Mar13.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32470-2005Mar13.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[   The first question regarding this regional is one only a few of us truly care about: If Illinois is the No. 1 team in the field, then why does North Carolina, the No. 2 seed in the field, play the winner of the play-in game  --  Oakland-Alabama A&#38;M  --  because those are presumably the two lowest-seeded teams in the field. What's more, it would have been an easy drive from Dayton to Indianapolis for the play-in winner, instead of a plane flight to Charlotte to play the Tar Heels. I know, who cares?]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Wrong Huskies Are the Top Dog]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32372-2005Mar13.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32372-2005Mar13.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[   Okay, I admit it, I really don't understand how the committee thinks sometimes  --  make that <em>most </em>of the time. Washington had an excellent season. It won the Pacific-10 tournament. But the committee makes Connecticut a No. 2 seed because it won the Big East regular season title and Syracuse, the tournament winner, a No. 4. Then it turns around and makes Washington, which lost its regular season finale to Stanford to finish <em>second </em>in the Pac-10, a No. 1 seed. I can understand a No. 2, but a No. 1? And what exactly did Little Ricky Pitino do to upset these guys? I'm the last guy to take up for Little Ricky, but there's no way the Cardinals are a No. 4.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Land of (Conference) Champions]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32300-2005Mar13.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32300-2005Mar13.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[   If there was one thing that was easy for the committee to do this year, it was decide who the top seed in the tournament would be: Illinois. Why, then, did the Illini end up opposite Oklahoma State, a team that might have been a No. 1 seed if the Big 12 started its championship game a couple of hours earlier? Clearly, Connecticut was the lowest-ranked No. 2 seed  --  a team that easily could have been a No. 3 seed after losing to Syracuse in the Big East tournament semifinals.]]></description><author></author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Real Games to Begin]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30450-2005Mar12.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30450-2005Mar12.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Everyone has a theory and a list on Selection Sunday, arguably the most anticipated sports day in the country this side of the Super Bowl.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Great Expectations]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28238-2005Mar11.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28238-2005Mar11.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Expectations, especially in college basketball where the fans and the media are so fervent, may be the most difficult thing coaches and their players face.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Purnell Has Tigers by Tail]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25105-2005Mar10.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25105-2005Mar10.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Oliver Purnell has taken a team that was 10-18 a year ago to 16-14 this season, including three wins over Maryland. Clemson will, at the very least, play in the NIT. For the Tigers, that's a step in the right direction.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[An Opening Act to the NCAAs, but a Headliner All the Same]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18597-2005Mar8.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18597-2005Mar8.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[It has been 31 years since the ACC tournament decided the postseason fate of the entire league. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that the 1974 final, the last one played in which only the tournament winner could advance to the NCAA tournament, is generally considered the best game played in the event's 51-year history and perhaps one of the greatest college basketball games ever played.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Playing In, Playing On]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8578-2005Mar4.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8578-2005Mar4.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The bottom four teams in the Colonial Athletic Association took part in college basketball's most dreaded event: play-in games -- the unseen corner of March Madness.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Painful Finish]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54515-2005Feb25.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54515-2005Feb25.html?nav=rss_sports/columns/special</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:12:54 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[If anyone deserves another run through March it's Travis Diener. But the Marquette point guard won't even be able to play on Senior Night, because a broken hand abruptly ended his college career.]]></description><author> John Feinstein</author></item></channel></rss>