Here’s the news for December 8, 2008 from the Double-A Zone, the official blog of the NCAA:

TOP POST

Experience the first ever basketball games at Indianapolis' new Lucas Oil Stadium

The inaugural basketball games were played on Saturday at Indianapolis' new Lucas Oil Stadium. The games were part of The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase, which matched Gonzaga against Indiana, and Ohio State versus Notre Dame.

The new venue will be at the center of the sports world for numerous occasions over the next few years. Lucas Oil Stadium will host the Midwest Regional in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament later this season. Additionally, it will also be the site for the 2010 Men's Final Four, the 2011 Women's Final Four and the 2012 NFL Super Bowl.

The Double-A Zone attended Saturday's games, and got a first-hand look at the new stadium, which is shown in this video.

THE ZONE

North Carolina women's soccer wins championship in dramatic fashion, adds to dynasty - Dec 08, 2008 | 15:07:22

The Women's College Cup ended in dramatic fashion for soccer-powerhouse North Carolina, with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over undefeated Notre Dame. The Irish scored in the game's first minute to jump ahead, but North Carolina's Casey Noqueira responded with a pair of goals, including the game-winner with just over two minutes remaining in the game. It was as exciting and dramatic of a finish as any NCAA Championship could hope for.

For Notre Dame, it was heartbreak once again. In 2006, North Carolina defeated Notre Dame in the national championship on penalty kicks. Ironically, that game also took place in Cary, North Carolina.

With the win, North Carolina head coach Anson Dorrance captures his 20th national championship in his 30 years at the school (19 NCAA Championships, one AIWA title before the NCAA held a championship). The Tar Heels have won 19 of the 27 NCAA championships that have been contested, with no other school holding more than two titles.

Northwestern's softball field wins award - Dec 08, 2008 | 14:57:07

Northwestern's Sharon J. Drysdale Field has won the 2008 Stabilizer Solutions/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Field Maintenance Award. The softball facility was recognized as possessing the most outstanding grounds maintenance and quality playing surface.

Army-Navy game features new uniforms - Dec 08, 2008 | 14:24:44

Nike debuted new 'Enforcer' uniforms for both Army and Navy during Saturday's game. Army's new look is complete camouflage, on the helmets, the pants, and even on the jersey numbers. The back of the jerseys say: Duty. Honor. Country.

Navy's unis incorporate symbols associated with the miltary, and the pants have blue and gold running up the sides.

Army-Navy is one of the sport's oldest rivalries. Navy has won nine of the last 10 games, including Saturday's game, 34-0.

Student-athlete excited for senior year - Dec 08, 2008 | 13:23:43

Alabama's football student-athlete Terrence Cody plans on returning to school for his senior season.

"Yeah, I'm definitely coming back," Cody said in an interview last week. "When I signed, my main thing that I cared about was graduating from college. No one on either side of my family has ever graduated from college."

Cal State Dominguez Hills men, Seattle Pacific women claim Division II soccer crowns - Dec 08, 2008 | 12:07:57

Cal State Dominguez Hills won the Division II men's soccer championship with a 3-0 victory over Dowling yesterday. In the women's championship, Seattle Pacific's Janae Godoy scored a golden goal in the second overtime (107th minute) to beat West Florida, 1-0.

Lopsided wins a theme in Division II and Division III football playoffs - Dec 08, 2008 | 11:03:28

In the Division II football semifinals over the weekend, Northwest Missouri State and Minnesota-Duluth both flexed their muscles on their way to the national championship game next Saturday.

Northwest Missouri State breezed by North Alabama, 41-7, while Minnesota-Duluth hammered California (Pennsylvania), 45-7. Saturday's championship game can be seen on ESPN2 at 1 p.m Eastern time, live from Florence, Alabama.

In the Division III quarterfinal round, the four matchups were decided by an average margin of 30 points. No. 1 Mount Union defeated Cortland State, 41-14, and will face Wheaton (Illinois) in one semifinal, which knocked off Franklin, 48-28.

On the other side of the bracket, Wisconsin-Whitewater defeated Wartburg, 34-17, and Mary Hardin-Baylor rolled over Washington and Jefferson, 63-7.

Messiah sweeps Division III soccer titles, again - Dec 08, 2008 | 10:22:13

For the second time, Messiah claimed both the men's and women's Division III national championships in the same year. The school also pulled off the feat in 2005.

On the men's side, Messiah narrowly escaped with a 2-1 shootout win over Stevens Institute of Technology. This marked the program's sixth men's soccer national title. It wasn't so close in the women's championship, as Messiah breezed past Wheaton (Illinois), 5-0. Congratulations to Messiah!

Swimmer returns to the pool - Dec 08, 2008 | 9:43:48

Olympian Eric Shanteau returned to competitive swimming over the weekend for the first time since he was treated for testicular cancer. Shanteau clocked a personal best and finished second in the Men's 200-yard individual medley at the the U.S. Short Course Nationals.

The 25-year-old drew international attention before the Beijing Games when he postponed treatment so he could compete in the Olympics.

A week after the Olympics, he returned to the United States for surgery to remove the cancer. Tests revealed that most of the cancer was successfully removed and that he would not need chemotherapy.

"This experience gave me a very different and new perspective on life -- it's a good one," Shanteau said. "As traumatic as cancer can be, there's a lot of good that you can take out of it. Appreciate the small things."

Testicular cancer is diagnosed in about 1 in 300 men in their lifetime,

Three-time defending champ Appalachian State upset - Dec 08, 2008 | 8:41:28

Three-time defending Division I FCS football champion Appalachian State was defeated by Richmond in the quarterfinal round over the weekend, 33-13. The 20-point victory for the Spiders matched the same margin as last year's semifinal matchup between these two teams, except Appalachian State defeated Richmond, 55-35, on its way to its third-straight national championship.

Northern Iowa slipped by New Hampshire in another quarterfinal, 36-34, and will meet Richmond in one semifinal next weekend.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 1 James Madison held off Villanova, 31-27, while Montana defeated Weber State, 24-13.