Russ Smith, Gorgui Dieng, Peyton Siva and Luke Hancock (Getty Images)

A is for Atlanta, which is hosting the Final Four for the fourth time. Marquette beat North Carolina for the national title in 1977, Maryland outclassed Indiana in 2002 and Florida defended its title against Ohio State in 2007.

B is for bloodlines, something Michigan has in abundance. Tim Hardway Jr. is the son of ex-NBA guard Tim Hardaway, Glenn Robinson III is the son of ex-Purdue star Glenn Robinson and Jon Horford is the son of ex-NBA player Tito Horford. All three Wolverines have thrived despite following in the footsteps of their father.

[Video: Tim Hardaway experiences son's joy]

C is for cutting down the nets, which Louisville will finally do if it wins Monday night's title game. The Cardinals have opted not to trim down the nets after winning the Big East tournament and advancing to the Final Four, a symbolic gesture meant to demonstrate they believe there is only one set of nets worth snipping.

D is for depth, which Louisville lacks at guard with Kevin Ware injured. Either Peyton Siva and Russ Smith are going to need to avoid foul trouble Monday night, or Louisville will have to get contributions from walk-on Tim Henderson for a second straight game.

E is for the early start John Beilein got scouting Louisville on Sunday morning. "I started at 5:45 this morning," Beilein said. "I didn't think they were fun because they give you so many looks. With a one-day prep, it's almost impossible to get ready for all of those things." Pitino had earlier called watching Michigan film "fun" because of the way the Wolverines cut, pass and shoot. As a coach going to play them, I really enjoy watching them on film," he said.

F is for the friendship between former prep school teammates Nik Stauskas and Russ Smith. They exchange texts frequently throughout the season, most recently after Stauskas sank six threes against Florida. "He texted me telling me I had a good game," Stauskas said. "I told him thanks and we'd see him in the finals."

Melissa McCarthy hosted Saturday Night Live this week and nailed a skit in which the show made fun of the scandal that led to Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice being fired and athletic director Tim Pernetti resigning.

McCarthy played tyrannical coach Sheila Kelly at fictional Middle Delaware State who has somehow managed to keep her job for three years with a 3-81 record. Enjoy.

(photo via @bradfnslagle)

Wichita State fans awoke Sunday morning to a classy gesture from the Shockers' coach.

Gregg Marshall, whose team fell to No. 1 overall seed Louisville in the Final Four on Saturday night, took out a full-page ad in Sunday's Wichita Eagle saluting Wichita State fans for their support. The ad reads "Thank You, Shocker Faithful" at the top with "WE KEEP MARCHING" underneath.

Wichita State fans were outnumbered both at the West Regional in Los Angeles and at the Georgia Dome on Saturday, but they made up for it by cheering louder than the crowd supporting any other team. The Shockers played in the national semifinals for the first time since 1965, becoming the fifth team seeded ninth or higher to reach a Final Four.

Rutgers president Robert L. Barchi addresses the behavior of ex-coach Mike Rice (Getty Images)

The more details that emerge from the Rutgers scandal, the uglier it seems to get for everyone involved.

It started with public outrage over video showing coach Mike Rice chucking balls at his players, kicking them and showering them with profanity and homophobic slurs. Next was the anger that athletic director Tim Pernetti had seen the video yet originally only suspended Rice for three games in December. And now comes news that even the whistleblower may have his hands dirty too.

The FBI is investigating whether former Rutgers director of basketball operations Eric Murdock tried to extort the university, the New York Times reported. In December, Murdock's lawyer reportedly sent a letter to Rutgers officials two weeks after Rice's initial suspension demanding $950,000, a sum that the university chose not to pay.

[Related: Tim Pernetti out as Rutgers athletic director]

When he did not receive any money, Murdock eventually shared dozens of hours of video of Rice's practices with ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and voiced his concerns over the abusive tactics of his former boss. The video has since resulted in the firing of Rice and Pernetti amid nationwide public outcry.

Murdock's apparent feud with Rutgers began after the 2012 season when the school chose not to renew his contract. The former Providence star has filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit against Rutgers claiming he was let go because of his concerns with Rice's abusive tactics, but the school denies that charge.

A boy in the crowd holds up a sign Saturday alluding to the infamous Chris Webber gaffe (Getty Images)

ATLANTA — When Michigan guard Spike Albrecht burned a timeout with 1:51 remaining in Saturday's game because he couldn't find an open teammate on an inbound play, the Wolverines suddenly found themselves in strangely familiar position.

They had no timeouts remaining in their first Final Four game since the infamous 1993 national title game.

"In the huddles and on the bench, we all looked at each-other and said, 'We have no timeouts. No timeouts,'" Michigan forward Jordan Morgan said. "We did not want to make that mistake again."

Most coaching staffs are careful to remind their players when they're out of timeouts since the penalty for calling one in that situation is a technical foul, but it's no surprise Michigan players and coaches were especially vigilant. Twenty years ago, Chris Webber cost the Fab Five the chance to win a championship when his timeout on Michigan's final possession in the 1993 national title game earned North Carolina two free throws and the ball.

"I made sure it was stressed in the timeout," Michigan's Nik Stauskas said. "Everyone was saying we had no timeouts left, so we made sure everyone was aware of it."

ATLANTA — As Kevin Ware was celebrating Louisville's come-from-behind victory over Wichita State, the injured Louisville guard heard a familiar voice in the stands calling his name.

It belonged to his father, who lives in the Bronx and had not seen Ware in person for over a year.

Once Ware got permission from a police officer to have his father leap the barrier and join him on the floor, the two shared an emotional hug. Kevin Ware Sr. then told his son how proud he was for the bravery and maturity he has shown since breaking his lower right leg in gruesome fashion in the first half of last Sunday's Elite Eight victory over Duke.

"It was everything, honestly," Ware said. "I haven't seen my dad in a really long time. Him missing his flight earlier and still fighting to get here as quickly as he could, that meant everything to me."

[Slideshow: Fans, players pay tribute to Kevin Ware]

In the six days since he suffered his injury, Ware has received an outpouring of support from everyone from NBA stars, to everyday fans, to athletes who have suffered similar injuries. That continued during Saturday's games as numerous Louisville fans showed up at the Georgia Dome with homemade signs bearing get well wishes or with his last name spelled out on their chests.

ATLANTA - Momentum is a fickle creature, in your hands one second, skittering off to consort with the enemy the next. Both Final Four semifinal games turned on a single play, momentum darting from one side of the court to the other in an instant. The Jump Ball will surely live on in Wichita State lore. Will The Charge have the same painful longevity for Syracuse?

With less than 30 seconds remaining, Trey Burke hit a free throw to put Michigan up by two points. It was the closest Syracuse had been since midway through the first half, and the 'Cuse had every ounce of a freight train's worth of momentum on its side.

Unfortunately, a freight train was exactly the model for Syracuse point guard Brandon Triche's drive into the lane. Michigan's Jordan Morgan was there waiting for him, and Morgan seemed (note: seemed; Syracuse fans surely have a different view) to establish position in the instant before contact.

One angle on the charge. (Getty Images)

Charge. Possession reversal. And 19 seconds later, the game and a trip to the

ATLANTA — Moments after sinking a key jump shot from the elbow late in the second half Saturday night, Mitch McGary approached Michigan's section of the crowd, popped his jersey and signaled for the fans to get louder.

As if Wolverines fans needed any further encouragement.

They stood and roared after every Michigan basket. They flung their Final Four seat cushions in the air like caps on graduation day as the buzzer sounded. And they chanted "beat the Cardinals" as their team celebrated at mid-court.

[Related: Hancock's heroics propel Louisville to title game]

On a night when Trey Burke missed seven of his eight shots, Nik Stauskas failed to score and Tim Hardaway Jr. needed 16 shots to score 13 points, Michigan still found a way to thwart a late Syracuse rally and escape with a 61-56 victory. McGary produced a near triple-double, Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht each hit a pair of threes off the bench and the Wolverines continued their recent trend of playing surprisingly stingy half-court defense.

The biggest play of the game came when Syracuse guard Brandon Triche drove to the rim with 17 seconds left and his team having cut an 11-point halftime deficit to two. Michigan big man Jordan Morgan stepped in front of Triche and drew a charge, helping the Wolverines survive a hail of missed free throws in the final two minutes and advance to face Louisville in Monday night's national title game.

"I was kind of in the lane watching the action," Morgan said. "That's something we preach all year on defense is taking charges. It's a big play in a basketball game, so I am just glad I was able to get there."