Explorers

LOS ANGELES - By the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, it is usually obvious whether the selection committee did its work well in choosing the 68 schools that take part and in seeding them accurately. It is ridiculously difficult work to judge the differences among the teams and get the bracket exactly right, although we'd all have far more sympathy for the committee if it didn't remind us so often just how difficult it is. Aside from a couple of goofs that are obvious now - seeding Oregon way too low and New Mexico way too high come to mind - it turned out to be a solid bracket in which the better teams survived for the most part and a standard number of supposed guppies swam into the large pond of the Sweet 16 as well.

LOS ANGELES - La Salle's exit path from this NCAA tournament seemed inevitable. Not when it would happen - nothing was predictable about this unforgettable and historic Explorers run - but how. When your second-tallest starter is 6-foot-5 and your first big man off the bench is 6-6, getting beaten inside is the obvious worry. "They got bigger. We got smaller," a La Salle administrator noted at one early timeout Thursday night when Wichita State subbed out a 6-8 guy for a 7-footer while the Explorers switched out a 6-8 for a 6-6. It wasn't just height that determined this NCAA Sweet 16 at the Staples Center.

LOS ANGELES - This part of La Salle's NCAA run is a shame: By the luck of the draw, Bill Raftery hasn't been assigned an Explorers game yet. The CBS Sports college basketball analyst, best in his business, doesn't mind. "It's been fun being a fan - you don't often get a chance," said Raftery, who is working the games in Washington this week. Raftery, 69, was a La Salle cocaptain in 1962-63. "Don't look up my record, that's all," Raft rafted. (In fact, the Explorers weren't bad in his time, going 15-7, 16-9 and 16-8, and he led the Explorers with 17.8 points a game as a sophomore in 1960-61.)

LOS ANGELES - La Salle coach John Giannini compared it to Selection Sunday. There were 20 minutes left in the show before La Salle's name popped up on the board. There were 20 minutes left in the team's Wednesday afternoon shootaround at Staples Center when the coach got word that backup big man Steve Zack had been cleared to play. "It was totally unexpected," Giannini said. "It was almost like Selection Sunday. You've got 20 minutes left in your last practice before the Sweet 16, and your trainer comes and says he's cleared.

LOS ANGELES - The day starts out light for the La Salle Explorers as coach John Giannini knows the value of rest, especially at this time of the season. The team isn't required to be anywhere until a 10 a.m. breakfast in the basement of their hotel. While a lot of food does get consumed, the session primarily consists of laughter. Tyrone Garland, owner of the now-famous Southwest Philly Floater, cracks everyone up with some witty - and secretive - one-liners. His main audience is Ramon Galloway, who stands up to laugh loudly after a Garland quip.

LOS ANGELES - Florida Gulf Coast has been snatching up the Cinderella headlines in this NCAA tournament. La Salle's players were asked at a news conference Wednesday whether the Explorers were getting enough national attention. The Explorers sniffed out the no-respect story line and took it on a fastbreak the other way. "If we keep winning, we'll end up getting the national spotlight," Explorers point guard Tyreek Duren said. "But as far as that goes, I think we have enough shine in the city of Philadelphia.

LOS ANGELES - The good doctor didn't mean to be contrary. Dr. John Giannini was not being obtuse, or ornery, or even particularly prickly the past 2 weeks, when he disputed the "Cinderella" tag affixed to his Explorers. His dispute, of course, was meant to legitimize La Salle in his own players' eyes. He's practically a sports psychologist, for goodness' sake. Don't let him mesmerize you with that soothing tone. La Salle was as Cinderella a story as any team, ever.

LOS ANGELES - Game-day morning and the first person I see in La Salle's hotel lobby is Steve Zack. A good sign is that the 6-11 sophomore, who was just cleared to play on Wednesday after suffering a foot injury early this month, has sneakers on (as opposed to a fitted walking boot) and appears to be walking well. He admits the foot is sore after he ran a little bit on it for the first time in a while Wednesday. Playing appears to be a long shot, but Zack just wants to be in uniform and experience the thrills the great run has provided as a player, not as a bystander.

LOS ANGELES - Here we go again, another team with more size and depth trying to wear down La Salle. In the Shockers' 76-70 third-round win over the West's top seed Gonzaga, nine players saw seven minutes or more. Even though the Shockers have a decided size advantage, the key for La Salle is going to be how it defends the perimeter. (No. 13 seeded La Salle (24-9) plays No. 9 Wichita State (28-8), Thursday, 10:17 p.m. (ET), at the Staples Center.) Wichita State is known more for its defense, rebounding and grit, but the Shockers hit 14 of 28 three-point attempts against Gonzaga, beating the Zags at their own game.

Like musty heirlooms in an attic, La Salle's basketball glory had been stowed away and largely forgotten during two decades of mediocrity. But now that the 2013 Explorers have leaped back into the national spotlight with their unanticipated NCAA tournament success, La Salle's remarkable hoops history is being dusted off and proudly displayed once again. "La Salle has a really proud tradition in basketball," said Speedy Morris, who coached the Explorers from 1986 to 2001, including six straight postseason appearances from 1986 to 1992.