on the SIDELINES

Texas advances to Final Four\nSAN ANTONIO -- As the final seconds ticked off, T.J. Ford dribbled to halfcourt, flashed the "Hook 'em Horns" sign to a sea of burnt orange in the crowd and hugged his grinning coach.\nThe star guard and the rest of the Texas Longhorns can celebrate all the way to the Final Four, the school's first trip there in 56 years.\nFord scored 19 points and had 10 assists in an 85-76 victory over Michigan State in the South Regional final Sunday, leaving the Longhorns as the only top-seeded team in the tournament.\nThey did it just 80 miles from their Austin campus and in front of a crowd that filled the Alamodome with chants of "Texas Fight" and "Final Four." Texas will play Syracuse next Saturday night in the semifinals.\n"Watching everyone drop off as one seeds that last couple days, it was just a great moment to know we're going to New Orleans," Ford said about hugging coach Rick Barnes. "I love Coach. It was very important for his career, and our career as players."\nSyracuse downs Oklahoma\nALBANY, N.Y. -- Carmelo Anthony cut the down the net, then stuck strands underneath his brand new white cap that showed the next stop for the Syracuse Orangemen: New Orleans.\nThe freshman sensation led the way, scoring 20 points and adding 10 rebounds to help knock off top-seeded Oklahoma 63-47 in the East Regional final Sunday.\n"This is my first time getting to the Final Four," he said, "and hopefully not my last."\n"I'll second that one," coach Jim Boeheim yelled.\nWith Anthony stepping up from the start and Syracuse dominating with its 2-3 zone, the Orangemen advanced to their first Final Four in seven years.\n"Our defense was the difference," Boeheim said. "That was probably the best we've played defensively all year. We did a good job of getting to their shooters and making them shoot tough shots."\nThe third-seeded Orangemen (28-5) will face Texas, the top seed from the South Regional, next weekend. \nAfter slow starts in the first three games of the NCAA tournament, Anthony came out strong, scoring 10 points in the opening 12 minutes.\nSyracuse's zone took over from there, causing the Sooners (27-7) fits inside and outside. The Sooners managed just three points over the final 8 1/2 minutes of the first half as Syracuse took a 30-20 lead.