Oklahoma State

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The little team that could, did. Again. Top-seeded but much-maligned Saint Joseph's continued to silence its critics, including one sitting courtside at Continental Airlines Arena for last night's NCAA tournament Sweet 16 game against No. 4 seed Wake Forest. With senior All-America point guard Jameer Nelson and junior shooting guard Delonte West each scoring 24 points, the Hawks pulled away from the Demon Deacons in the second half and then hung on to win, 84-80, before a sellout crowd of 19,557 and Wake Forest alum Billy Packer, who was cheered derisively at the end of the game.

No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh Time: 7:27 p.m. Records: Oklahoma State 29-3, Pittsburgh 31-4. How they got here: Oklahoma State defeated No. 15 Eastern Washington, 75-56, defeated No. 7 Memphis, 70-53; Pitt defeated No. 14 Central Florida, 53-44, defeated No. 6 Wisconsin, 59-55. What to watch for: This has the potential to be one of the tournament's best games. The reason: These teams are really good and should not be meeting in a regional semifinal. A national semifinal or a regional final, OK. But not a regional semifinal.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Oklahoma State showed Memphis to Graceland, all right. Making music on offense and defense, with basketball elegance and downright grit, Oklahoma State yesterday demonstrated the virtues required to proceed far into the NCAA tournament with a resounding 70-53 second-round victory. "They were physical, mature, set unbelievable screens, fought through screens on the other end, rebounded like crazy," Memphis coach John Calipari said. And he didn't event mention that the Cowboys shot 68 percent from the field in the first half and 59.6 for the game.

Sam Lewnes is enjoying a wrestling utopia in Stillwater, Okla. It's a place where wrestlers are treated with the same respect as football and basketball players. It's a place where even a redshirt freshman season such as the one Lewnes is going through has its share of glamour and matches (last year's Sun Wrestler of the Year from Mount St. Joseph is 17-11 at 157 pounds in open tournaments). Welcome to Oklahoma State, collegiate wrestling's version of the New York Yankees. The Cowboys have won 31 NCAA wrestling championships, far surpassing second-place Iowa, which has captured 20 NCAA titles.

Today's bowl games Cotton Bowl No. 16 Mississippi (9-3) vs. No. 21 Oklahoma State (9-3) Time, TV: 2 p.m., chs. 45, 5. Line: Mississippi by 2 1/2 . Why you should watch: It's your last chance to see Ole Miss QB Eli Manning before he's a high pick in the NFL draft. About Mississippi: Manning has had a sterling season (278.4 ypg, 27 TDs, nine interceptions, 61.7 completion percentage) for the Rebels, who were in contention for the SEC title until a Nov. 22 loss to LSU. The Rebels were surprisingly effective running the ball this season (143.

A is for Auburn, which could be primed for a Southeastern Conference crown and a hard run at the second national championship in school history. The Tigers might have the best defense in the land and return eight starters on each side of the ball. B is for the Big 12 Conference, which has three strong national championship contenders in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas State, two more programs on the rise in Missouri and Oklahoma State, and possibly has supplanted the SEC as the game's top league.

Crownsville resident Ryan Davis said that surgery to repair a knee injury suffered two weeks ago while wrestling a larger opponent will not affect his scholarship to defending NCAA champion Oklahoma State University. Davis, a three-time National Preps champ who earned Sun Wrestler of the Year honors as a McDonogh sophomore in 2000-01, said he "was messing around with a bigger guy and got chop-blocked to the knee." Jeff Buxton, Davis' wrestling coach at Blair Academy in New Jersey, confirmed his status with Oklahoma State.

BOSTON -- Syracuse staggered through the initial 13 1/2 minutes with turnovers, poor shot selection and lax defense. Name the shortcoming, and you'd find an Orangeman. Syracuse wasn't supposed to be down by 17 points to Oklahoma State in the second round of the East Regional yesterday at the Fleet Center. "Not with the East semis being right there home in Albany," forward Carmelo Anthony said. But it looked as if the closest Syracuse would get down the New York Thruway to the Pepsi Arena in Albany was the first rest stop.

Where's the help? Jameer Nelson scored 13 of St. Joseph's last 15 points in regulation, but Auburn won in OT. He said it "My abacus got stuck." Fran Dunphy, Penn coach, whose team was called for too many men on the court with 2.4 seconds left in the first half against Oklahoma State

Bowl results, schedule New Orleans: North Texas 24, Cincinnati 19 GMAC: Marshall 38, Louisville 15 Monday, Tangerine: Texas Tech 55, Clemson 15 Wednesday, Las Vegas: UCLA 27, New Mexico 13 Wednesday, Hawaii: Tulane 36, Hawaii 28 Yesterday, Motor City: Boston College 51, Toledo 25 Yesterday, Insight: Pittsburgh 38, Oregon State 13 Today, Houston: Southern Mississippi (7-5) vs. Oklahoma State (7-5), 1 p.m. (ESPN). Line: Oklahoma State by 7 1/2 Today, Independence (Shreveport, La.): Nebraska (7-6)