The NCAA Tournament moves on, switching this week to four Regional sites — Boston, Dallas, Detroit and Los Angeles – for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight play after staging four first-round and two second-round games last week in each of eight different cities, Memphis among them.

Friday’s four games at FedExForum were blowouts, but Sunday brought a pair — Clemson’s upset win over Baylor and South No. 1 seed Houston’s overtime victory over Texas A&M — that delivered all sorts of intrigue down the stretch.

Parth Upadhyaya was there to chronicle all the results, with an assist Friday from Frank Bonner II.

Drew Hill was there to capture the scene and wrote a thank-you note to Nebraska fans who flooded the city to loyally follow their Cornhuskers. John Martin was there and wrote about a blueprint, drawn by Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, that Martin believes Memphis Tigers coach Penny Hardaway ought to be following.

Tim Buckley was there to write mostly about what was going on off the court, including a blimp flying in the city sky, the backup official scorer who unexpectedly stepped into a starting role and the public address announcer who tried his hardest to keep things even-handed for all visiting teams.

Things didn’t stop elsewhere, however, just because the Big Dance was in town.

John Varlas penned a terrific story on the 50th anniversary of a historic Melrose High basketball state championship. Chris Herrington took a deep dive into the Grizzlies’ search for help at center and kept track of the games the struggling Grizzlies still are playing. And Upadhyaya reported on Tigers guard Jaylon Young’s entry into the NCAA transfer portal.

As the NCAA Tournament dances on and Hardaway works to pluck some fresh portal talent, the Memphis sports scene starts to pivot away from college basketball a bit going forward.

The Grizzlies have an upcoming NBA Draft in late-June for which they must prep. The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds open their 2024 season against Charlotte on Friday afternoon at AutoZone Park. And the Memphis Showboats of the new United Football League, a merger of the USFL and the XFL, open their spring season with an ESPN-televised game Sunday at Houston.

Here’s a look at some of the staff’s top work from the week: — Deputy sports editor Tim Buckley

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Houston punches ticket to Sweet 16 in overtime By Parth Upadhyaya

Dear Nebraska: Thanks for filling FedExForum, even in your torment By Drew Hill

Martin: Houston has the blueprint Penny's Tigers need By John Martin

Buckley: Announcer plays like Switzerland this March Madness By Tim Buckley

Buckley: Knockout! With NCAA official scorer out, backup subs in By Tim Buckley

Buckley: What's flying in the Memphis sky? Hello, Chuck Blimp By Tim Buckley

Undefeated Melrose set standard for high school hoops in 1974 By John Varlas

Herrington: First look at Grizzlies center search By Chris Herrington

Memphis Tigers guard Jayhlon Young enters transfer portal By Parth Upadhyaya

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