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03/27/2023

FAU-SDSU; Miami vs. UConn

Add-on posted early Wed. a.m.

March Madnesss

Saturday / Final Four

9 Florida Atlantic vs. 5 San Diego State
5 Miami vs. 4 UConn

First time ever, there are zero 1, 2 or 3 seeds in the Final Four.

But UConn has also been dominant in its first four games.

I picked Miami, but I am far from confident against the Huskies.

--Nancy Armour / USA TODAY…looking back at ending of Creighton-San Diego State…

“What a buzzkill.

“When San Diego State commemorates the moment it clinched its first trip to the Final Four, will it use a photo of the referees huddled around the scorer’s table?  A stopwatch?

“Yes, officials were right to call the foul on Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard.  It was obvious in real time, and replays afterward confirmed, that Nembhard had his left hand clamped firmly at Darrion Trammell’s waist as Trammell put up a layup that clanged off the rim. That’s a foul in every game, at every level, whether it’s a Final Four or post-game ice cream on the line.

“But to have this game, between these two teams, end like that sucked all the joy and drama out of it. And when officials took several minutes to review who knows what on Creighton’s last-gasp inbounds play, it robbed the Aztecs of the jubilant on-court celebration they deserved.  Especially for their very first Final Four appearance….

“Creighton coach Greg McDermott was heated during the game, red-faced as he yelled at official Lee Cassell.  But he was diplomatic afterward, refusing to address the foul call and saying one play wasn’t responsible for Creighton’s loss.

“ ‘You win with class and you lose with class, and that’s what we’re going to do,’ McDermott said.  ‘We had some decent looks at the basket in the second half but were unable to knock them down. …It’s on us we didn’t quite get it done, not anyone else.’

“No doubt his friendship with (SDSU coach Brian) Dutcher was a large factor in his restraint…

“So no matter what McDermott really thought about the last 1.2 seconds of the game, or the several minutes it took to review them, he wasn’t going to say it.

“ ‘With all due respect, two teams played their tails off,’ McDermott said.  ‘Officiating is part of the game. We’re not going to go there.  We lost the game because we didn’t do enough, and San Diego State did.’

“On that, he is correct.  Creighton shot less than 28% in the second half and was an abysmal 0-for-10 from 3-point range.”

--All eyes in Austin, Texas, are on Texas Athletics Director Chris Del Conte and his decision on interim coach Rodney Terry.

The rap on Terry is that he was 163-156 as a head coach at Fresno State and UTEP, and thus no reason to believe he’d be successful at Texas.

And so Monday, the school named Terry the head coach, with a contract for five years.

With Terry at the helm, following the departure of Chris Beard, the Longhorns went 22-8 overall and 12-6 in conference play.  We’ll see….

--Duke received some good news…talented point guard Tyrese Proctor announced he would return for his sophomore season.

“This is the best decision for my career, both present and future,” Proctor told ESPN.  “Coach Scheyer and I share the same vision; we have unfinished business.  We have the best staff in the country, and they will push me each and every day.”

Proctor was the No. 30 prospect in ESPN’s 2023 NBA draft projections, but the 6-foot-5 Proctor will have a good chance to build himself into a lottery pick next spring.

--But North Carolina’s star guard Caleb Love became the hottest commodity in the portal when he announced Monday he was leaving Chapel Hill. He averaged a career-high 16.7 points this past season, after averaging 18.8 points in six NCAA tournament games the year before on the Tar Heels’ run to the national title game.

Wherever he ends up, he has two seasons of eligibility left.

--Two terrific NIT semifinal contests last night in Vegas…North Texas beat Wisconsin 56-54, and UAB defeated Utah Valley 88-86.

The championship game is Thursday.

--The Women’s Final Four is set…and for all the upsets, it is basically form….

Friday

1 South Carolina (undefeated) vs. 2 Iowa (with superstar Caitlin Clark)
3 LSU vs. 1 Virginia Tech (first-ever Final Four…Go ACC!)

--Ratings for women’s basketball are rising, so we’ll see how Caitlin Clark impacts things this weekend.

Last year’s title game between South Carolina and UConn drew 4.85 million viewers, the most watched title game since 2004.

NBA

--The Knicks (43-33) got a needed break, their fans relieved, following a 137-115 win over the lowly Rockets (18-58) at the Garden on Monday night.  Immanuel Quickley had a career-high 40 points, playing for the injured Jalen Brunson (sprained hand), and Julius Randle (26 points) played without any drama.  But a biggie, Wednesday, against the Heat.  Brunson said he’ll be back for it, and we’ll see if Randle can keep his composure.

--We had a biggie in the Western Conference last night, the Warriors beating the Pelicans, 120-109, that moved them into sixth place, ahead of the T’Wolves.

Western Conference

1. Denver 51-24
2. Memphis 48-27
3. Sacramento 45-30
4. Phoenix 40-35
5. Clippers 40-36
6. Golden State 40-37
7. Minnesota 39-37
8. New Orleans 38-38
9. Lakers 37-38
10. Oklahoma City 37-39
11. Dallas 37-39

--I watched the “60 Minutes” segment with Charles Barkley, and Sir Charles took another shot at Kevin Durant.

“He’s very sensitive,” Barkley said of KD.  “Great player.  He’s part of that generation who thinks he can’t be criticized. He’s never looked in the mirror and says, ‘Man, is that a fair criticism?”

Durant quickly responded on Twitter.

“This ain’t gettin tired chuck?” he asked.  “I’ll never respect the words that come out ya mouth fam just deal with it.”

Barkley should drop it until we see what Durant does in the playoffs for the Suns.

MLB

--With Opening Day upon us, Thursday at Yankee Stadium the fans will no doubt give a rookie will receive a huge ovation when he’s introduced as part of the starting lineup, the Yanks new shortstop, 21-year-old Anthony Volpe, who hails just 10 minutes from here, Watchung, N.J.

Yankees fans have eagerly been waiting for this day, and Volpe made manager Aaron Boone’s and GM Brian Cashman’s job easier by having a terrific spring, a .314 batting average, 1.064 OPS with six doubles and three home runs, five stolen bases.  The kid has the goods.

And then Sunday, the Yankees announced Volpe would be starting, not just making the roster.

Boone said that while he shined at the plate, Volpe’s intangibles made a difference.

“He earned the respect of the veterans in the room,” the manager said.  “His work is excellent. There’s an energy he plays the game with, and an instinct that he has that’s evident.  When we take a step back and evaluate, he really checked every box that we could have had for him, and absolutely kicked the door in and earned this opportunity.”

Aaron Judge agreed with sentiment.

“He just shows up ready to work.  He’s prepared.  Very rarely do you see that at such a young age,” Judge said.  “He’s seemed ready to go every single game I’ve played behind him.”

You have to picture that we’ve known of the kid in this area for a while, and he grew up a Yankees fan, idolizing Derek Jeter

--Wake Forest fans have a new major leaguer to root for.  Phil W. reminded me that the Braves were looking at starting pitcher Jared Shuster in spring training, and I forgot he was a 2020 first-round draft pick out of Wake Forest.  Shuster didn’t have a particularly great record at Wake, in terms of W/L and ERA, but he had nasty stuff.  Unfortunately, Covid ruined life in 2020 for minor leaguers, but suddenly, Jared Shuster made the Braves Opening Day roster when Kyle Wright was placed on the 15-day IL.

So Shuster and fellow rookie Dylan Dodd have a brief shot to make an impression, Wright not slated to be out for long.

--Speaking of the Deacs….

Baseball America Top 25 (3/27)

1. LSU
2. Florida
3. Wake Forest !!!
4. Vanderbilt
5. Virginia
6. Stanford
7. Arkansas
8. Louisville
9. East Carolina
10. South Carolina
13. Boston College
15. North Carolina
16. Miami…despite Wake sweeping them, fell only 3 spots…

Wake at Clemson for three this weekend.

Golf Balls

--The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship has run its course, and it’s simple; the World Golf Championships concept is no longer needed with the way the PGA Tour has transitioned to designated events with elite fields of 70 to 80 for 2024.

So at least for 2024, the match play format is out, unless one of the new sponsors opts for it.

I was thinking this weekend that you have your new 70 to 80 designated field play one round of stroke play on Thursday to reduce the field to 32; Friday you play 16 matches to cut the field to 16; Saturday, get down to your final four for Sunday.

Which is similar to what the college championships do.

That would sure make Thursday’s first round worth tuning into. 

Anyway, 2024 is going to be exciting regardless.  The non-designated events will remain very important as well.

NFL

--Lamar Jackson unleashed his latest surprise in his ongoing contract saga with the Ravens on Monday, announcing that he had requested a trade from the team just as coach John Harbaugh sat down to talk to reports at the NFL’s annual league meeting.

Jackson, who represents himself, tweeted that he requested the trade on March 2 as the team “has not been interested in meeting my value” in contract talks.

“…I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team win the super bowl,” he continued, adding that Ravens fans “are great but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I….”

Harbaugh said he was following the situation closely and looking forward to a resolution.

After the Ravens placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on Jackson on March 7 – five days after he said he made his trade request – Jackson was allowed to negotiate with other teams.  If Jackson signs an offer sheet, Baltimore would have five days to either match it or receive two first-round picks as compensation.  If there is no offer sheet, Jackson would earn $32.416 million this million if he plays under the tag.

So it’s now March 28, and it seems as though interest in Jackson is limited.

It’s about the guaranteed money, and Jackson reportedly turned down an offer last September that would have guaranteed $200 million if he was on the roster on the fifth day of the 2026 league year, including $133 million guaranteed at signing.

But Jackson wants what Deshaun Watson received from the Browns (five years, $230 million guaranteed).

Other teams are clearly concerned about Jackson’s durability, let alone his passing ability.

Jets fans have been wondering why we’re waiting on the following, when we could be negotiating with Jackson.  But….

--….Also at the NFL Owners Meetings in Phoenix, Monday, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst told a group of Packers reporters he refuted Aaron Rodgers claim he was hurt by the Packers “shopping” him to other teams.

“I didn’t really take his comments like that.  And it’s certainly not true,” Gutekunst said.  “After the season…we had a good conversation and then we were going to have some follow-up conversations. And our inability to reach him, or for him to respond in any way, I think at that point, I had to just kind of do my job and understanding that a trade could be possible and see who was interested. But shopping was not really a part of that.”

Suddenly the whole hang-up between the Jets and the Packers didn’t feel as much about fair compensation as it was about Gutekunst trying to make sure that Rodgers pays a bit of a price on his way out of town.

NHL

--In a 5-4 win Monday night over the Coyotes, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid picked up an assist for his 140th point of the season, becoming the first player to reach the mark since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr had 140+ for the 1995-96 Penguins. [Lemieux 161, Jagr 149.] McDavid also became just the seventh player in NHL history with 60 goals and 80 assists in a season.

--The Rangers beat Columbus 6-2 last night at the Garden, their seventh win in eight.  We have a biggie on Thursday, Rangers-Devils for second place in the Metro division and probable home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

College Hockey / Frozen Four

We had the other quarterfinals in the Div. I Men’s Hockey Championship Sunday night, and Quinnipiac defeated Ohio State 4-1, while Michigan edged Penn State 2-1 in overtime.

So the Frozen Four, April 6 and 8 in Tampa, Florida…

1 Minnesota vs. Boston University
3 Michigan vs. 2 Quinnipiac

Heavyweight matchups after some of the historically awful blowouts in the Round of 16.

Stuff

--Tyler Reddick scored his first victory with new team 23XI Racing (the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan) by holding on over multiple late restarts to win in triple overtime Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, the first road course race on this year’s NASCAR schedule.  It was Reddick’s third career Cup Series victory, all on road courses.

Kyle Busch was second.

--Tottenham manager Antonio Conte left the squad by mutual consent after 16 months in charge.

Conte, a real asshole, had called the Spurs players “selfish” and criticized the club’s culture after a recent draw at Southampton, sealing his fate.

Conte’s assistant, Cristian Stellini, who did well in Conte’s absence when he had recent surgery, will step up as head coach for the rest of the season, as he attempts to keep Tottenham in the Champions League hunt.

“We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place,” chairman Daniel Levy said.

“We all need to pull together.  Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our club and amazing, loyal supporters.”

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted right after Miami-Texas….]

Add-on posted by noon, Wed.

Baseball Quiz: The new season is upon us, and among the rules changes are bigger bases and pitchers being limited on how often they can throw over to first, two steps that could lead to a sizable increase in stolen bases.  So…name the eight runners, post-1900, to have 90 or more SBs in a season. Answer below.

March Madness

What follows was written as it happened….

--Thursday…we had a game for the ages, as 3 Kansas State defeated 7 Michigan State, 98-93 in overtime.  Markquis Nowell, the smallest guy on the court at 5’ 8”, had one of the great tournament games of all time, 20 points, a tourney record 19 assists, just two turnovers for the Wildcats (though he took three godawful attempts from downtown in the second half…no matter), and Wake transfer Ish Massoud came up big again, 15 points off the bench of 4 of 6 from three, the two kids from Harlem wowing the Madison Square Garden crowd.

Yes, as Ernie Johnson said in the studio after, “An Instant Classic.”

--3 Gonzaga edged 2 UCLA 79-76, in a wild finish.  UCLA’s Amari Bailey hit a three to put the Bruins ahead, 76-75, with 12 seconds to play, and then the Zags’ Julian Strawther hit a long 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds, Gonzaga up 78-76.

But UCLA coughed it up trying to tie or go ahead and the Zags added a free throw, 79-76.

--4 UConn looked terrific in whipping 8 Arkansas 88-65.

--9 FAU upset 4 Tennessee 62-55.

--Friday…5 San Diego State took down No. 1 Alabama, 71-64, as Brian Dutcher, in his sixth season as head coach of the Aztecs, is finally out of the shadow of Steve Fisher, for whom he was an assistant for all of Fisher’s 18 seasons at the helm.

Dutcher kept up the same intense defense Fisher’s teams had and that was the key against Bama.  Their star, Brandon Miller, an upcoming NBA lottery pick, was awful…3 of 19 from the field, 1 of 10 from three, six turnovers.  It was indeed justice.

Nancy Armour / USA TODAY

“San Diego State is America’s team now.

“The Aztecs did the entire country – well, 49 of the states, at least – a solid Friday night by eliminating top-seeded Alabama and its thick cloud of ick. Rather than cringing at the thought of Nate Oats getting rewarded for his shameless opportunism with a national title, we can enjoy the rest of the NCAA men’s tournament without feeling the need for a shower when it’s over.

“ ‘It’s been an unbelievable year,’ Oats said after the 71-64 loss.  ‘Everybody is really disappointed in the loss.  It ended too soon.’

“More like not soon enough.

“If Oats and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne had even the slightest shred of conscience or integrity, they’d have shut the program down two months ago, when at least three players were present during a shooting that left a young woman dead.

“One of the players, Darius Miles, is now facing capital murder charges because police say it was his gun used in the shooting.  Freshman phenom Brandon Miller drove the car where Miles’ gun had been stashed to the scene, and police say he and Jaden Bradley were still there when the shooting occurred.

“Miles didn’t fire the fatal shot.  Miller said he didn’t know the gun was in his car and was only going to pick Miles up, and he doesn’t face any charges.  None of it changes the fact that a 23-year-old woman with a young child is dead, and that she’d still be alive had either Miles, Miller or both made different choices that night.

“This was not, contrary to what Oats would have you believe, a matter of ‘wrong spot at the wrong time.’  It was a moral failing at the very least, and anyone not blinded by team loyalties knows losing the privilege of playing basketball should have been the bare minimum as far as consequences.

“Not at Alabama!  Not when the Crimson Tide had a team built for a deep run in the NCAA tournament and Miller, the leading scorer, was central to their national title aspirations.  Oats allowed Miller to continue to play, enabling and excusing him at every turn, the uncomfortability of the whole situation growing with every game.

“ ‘I think it was a pretty successful season,’ Miller said when asked to sum up the year.  ‘Made it to the Sweet 16.  Probably one of the biggest tournaments I’ve ever played in in my life. I think we really just came to have fun really and just compete at a high level.’

“Even for a 20-year-old, even for someone trying to stick to sports, the lack of introspection is jarring.

“This has arguably been the most compelling men’s tournament ever….

“(There) is a purity to (it), the idea that anything is possible playing out before our eyes as a Fairleigh Dickinson topples a Purdue or a Princeton reaches the Sweet 16.  So long as Alabama remained, that was tainted.  For every plucky team that dared us to dream bigger and strive harder, Oats and Alabama were there to remind us how much easier it is to give in to temptation and trade integrity for expedience.

“ ‘I think we’re doing pretty good things at Alabama,’ Oats said.

“That depends on your definition of ‘good things.’  If it’s wins and losses, sure….

“But if it’s running a program of character, Oats and Alabama fall well short.

“ ‘It’s a great group that really loves each other,’ Oats said.  ‘I mean, they’re going to be close for life, most of them.’

“Good for them.

“As for the rest of us, a hearty ‘thank you’ to San Diego State will do.”

--5 Miami then took out No. 1 Houston, 89-75, as the Hurricanes’ outstanding backcourt of Nigel Pack and Isaiah Wong combined for 46 points, Pack 7 of 10 from downtown, and just two turnovers; Miami with just six TOs as a team.

Houston All-American Marcus Sasser was a non-factor, 14 points, 4 of 12 from the field.

Good for Coach Jim Larranaga. 

--6 Creighton burst 15 Princeton’s bubble, 86-75, the Bluejays 58.2% from the field, and looking very Final Fourish, Baylor Scheierman with 21 points and 9 rebounds, 5 of 7 from three.

Creighton has zero depth, and that’s always a concern, but as I wrote earlier in the year, you can match their starting five with anyone’s.  And Scheierman, who according to some was the top pick in the transfer portal last spring (South Dakota State), is capable of carrying this team.

--2 Texas beat 3 Xavier, 83-71, as interim coach Rodney Terry continues to build his case for receiving the full-time nod.  But Texas doesn’t want to give him the job, because there is nothing in his past that suggests he can be successful in the long run.

However, here they are, and of course he’s rallied the players behind him after the Chris Beard mess.

By the end of play Friday, for the first time in history we had an Elite Eight without a single No. 1 seed.

We also had San Diego State and Florida Atlantic making the Elite Eight for a first time, and Creighton hasn’t advanced this far since 1941, when the tournament only had eight teams.

Meanwhile, Miami, reaching a second consecutive Elite Eight, has never made the Final Four.

--On to Saturday….

9 Florida Atlantic and 3 Kansas State faced off in the first Elite Eight matchup at the Garden, and it was once again the Markquis Nowell Show, picking up the scoring from Keyontae Johnson, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, who was limited to eight minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, and would eventually foul out with just nine points.

Nowell had 30 points, another 12 assists and 5 steals, but the supporting cast largely didn’t step up.

That said, K-State took a 63-57 lead over the Owls with 8:39 to play, but then they were outscored 15-1 over the next 6:09, down 72-64 with 2:30 to play.

But after Cam Carter buried a three for K-State it was 75-74 FAU, 0:24 remaining.  That’s when Michael Forrest came up big for FAU with four free throws, and Nowell frankly botched a last-second play for the tie, passing it off to Massoud in an impossible position to get off a potential game-tying three when Nowell should have taken it himself, time running out, 79-76, FAU moves on to its first improbable Final Four.

FAU won despite 22 turnovers, hitting a solid 9 of 23 from three, and 18 of 22 from the free throw line.  Forrest, who hadn’t been to the line all day, was clutch, and the hero to me.

Vladislav Goldin, the Owls’ 7’1” center from Russia, had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

FAU is the ninth No. 9 seed or lower to reach the Final Four since seeding began in 1979.  But none of the previous eight made it to the title game.

In the nightcap, 4 UConn rolled, 82-54 over 3 Gonzaga.

The Zags, who were awful from the floor, managed to keep it close, down 39-32 at the half, but then the hottest team in the tournament rolled after the intermission, the UConn outscoring Gonzaga 43-22.

The Zags ended up 20 of 60 from the field (33%), and 2 of 20 from three.  Drew Timme was held to 12 points, 9 below his average, and Julian Strawther had just 11 on 4 of 15 shooting, 0 for 6 from downtown.

The Huskies were balanced, with seven players with eight points or more.  UConn has also won all four regional games before the Final Four by 15 or more points, just the seventh team in tournament history to do so.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, for all his greatness, is now 2-3 in Elite Eight games, this moment being the worst, and the Zags go another season without winning the national title.

--Today, Sunday, I have to be honest. I watched all but the first few minutes of 6 Creighton vs. 5 San Diego State (due to the golf semis wrapping up), and the game essentially sucked.

How can a 57-56 SDSU win over the Bluejays suck?  Because it was Brick City.  Yes, the defense, on both sides, was pretty good, but Creighton was 2 of 17 from three, the Aztecs 3 of 13, and these were mostly open shots.

As for the foul by Nembhard at 56-56 that led to the final free throw for the win, that was a foul.  I disagree with Sir Charles and others in the studio.  And I also think that final desperation pass went off Kaluma, for starters.

So there.  I had Creighton in the Final Four, but it’s not like I was winning the ESPN Challenge (the only bracket contest I enter), and I’m happy for SDSU, as any longtime reader of Bar Chat can understand.  They were my adopted team way back for a few seasons and I went out there for a game.

I also have to say, that as I wrote long ago during the Doug McDermott days, his father, Greg, never got enough credit for being a solid coach, and he’s a classy guy, as you saw in the handshake line at the end.  So Go Creighton.  I hope he stays there.

And Go Brian Dutcher, who waited patiently for the opportunity when Steve Fisher probably should have retired about three years earlier than he did.  Dutcher had offers and stayed.  And now he gets his moment in the sun.  Well deserved, Coach.  [And congrats to my longtime Summit High School classmate and friend, Bobby C., who now hails from San Diego and is rather pumped.]

And then in the nightcap, Go Miami!  My pick to win it all, down 13 in the second half to Texas, kept their cool and won it 88-81.

Jordan Miller, the ultimate role player, was perfect…like really perfect….7 of 7 from the field, 13 of 13 from the free throw line.  27 points.

And my man Isaiah Wong, who reminds me of former Demon Deacon Jeff Teague (who had a very solid 12-year NBA career); Wong, Mr. Cool, delivered in the clutch as well.  I love his demeanor, like that of his coach.

Miami ended up 28 of 32 from the foul line. 

Go ACC!  Go Hurricanes! Win it all!

--In other CBB news….

--Providence hired Kim English as its new coach.  English was the coach at George Mason.

The 34-year-old replaces Ed Cooley, who took the Georgetown job.

Micah Shrewsbury is leaving Penn State for Notre Dame.

Congratulations to Wake assistant Brooks Savage, a top coach, who was just named the new leader of East Tennessee State.  And this should be no surprise.

The Deacs got Steve Forbes from ETSU, where Savage had been an assistant of his for five seasons.  So now Savage gets a great shot, with Forbes’ blessing, and all is good.  There was no way Wake would have been able to hold onto the guy, and we wish him well.

--Rick Pitino isn’t wasting any time (he can’t afford to), working the wires, trying to put together a new team at St. John’s.

One guy who is intriguing that I saw entered the transfer portal is Wyoming’s 6’9” power forward Graham Ike. I mean the guy averaged 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds.  He had 17 points and 9 rebounds in the Cowboys’ NCAA tournament loss to Indiana.

But that was 2021-22. He missed all of last year due to a lower right leg injury. Initially expected to miss just two months, he shut it down in early February and took a redshirt year.

--Shockingly, or maybe not so much, Armando Bacot announced he was returning to North Carolina for a fifth year instead of heading to the NBA.

Bacot, 23, had a superb NCAA Tournament last spring for the Tar Heels, and certainly would have been drafted.

But he opted to return for a fourth season, surprising everyone, and then he didn’t play as well, nor did Carolina.

But he earned upwards of $500,000 in NIL money, and some are saying he’ll hit seven figures for the 2023-24 campaign while staying in Chapel Hill.

Compare that to struggling to make an NBA roster, and then perhaps playing overseas for less.

Why not?  The game has changed, in more ways than one.

--ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, in an interview with ESPN over the weekend, said he will be meeting with his league’s basketball coaches and athletic directors as soon as the season ends to discuss ways to be more “proactive” and “aggressive” in changing the narrative surrounding the conference.

For the second consecutive year, the ACC only received five bids to the men’s NCAA tournament.

Last year, despite the five bids, three made it to the Elite Eight and two made the Final Four.

This year, while only Miami made the Elite Eight, Clemson, and maybe North Carolina, should have been invited over some of the at-large teams that were, and it was a travesty Pitt got a First Four game.

--The NIT semifinals are Tuesday in Las Vegas….

North Texas (29-7) vs. Wisconsin (20-14)
Utah Valley (28-8) vs. UAB (28-9)

--On the women’s side….

UConn’s dynasty is officially dead.  For the first time in 15 postseasons, the women’s Final Four (and Elite Eight) will not include the Lady Huskies, the most dominant program in women’s basketball this century.

In a tournament with stunning upsets, Ohio State beat the Huskies 73-61 on Saturday to advance to the Elite Eight.

Two No. 1 seeds (Stanford and Indiana) had already fallen by the time the Buckeyes and Huskies tipped off.

So in the Elite Eight, some of the action tonight after I post….

1 South Carolina vs. 2 Maryland
9 Miami vs. 3 LSU

5 Louisville vs. 2 Iowa
1 Virginia Tech vs. 3 Ohio State

--In a WNIT game Thursday, Memphis guard Jamirah Shutes was charged with assault after hitting Bowling Green senior guard Elissa Brett in the face following the team’s 73-60 victory over the Tigers.

After the final buzzer, players and coaches gathered to participate in the handshake line when Shutes stopped and exchanged words with Brett.

The 23-year-old Shutes, the team’s leading scorer, then punched Brett in the face and was pulled away from the incident by the Memphis coaching staff.

Brett, who scored 15 in the victory, fell to the ground by the scorer’s table before being assisted by her team’s staff and players.

According to an incident report obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the Bowling Green State University police investigated the situation and said the Memphis player struck Brett with a closed fist and she sustained “some swelling in her right eye” from the punch. Shutes was subsequently charged with assault. 

Good!

Ms. Shutes is a jerk, an idiot, and a dirtball, the trifecta.  Into the December file she goes.

--A Division II school I’m pretty familiar with, Black Hill State University out of Spearfish, South Dakota (I have some cool t-shirts from my many trips there), made the D-II men’s Final Four last week, but lost to West Liberty (WV) in the semis, while West Liberty then lost to Nova Southeastern (FL) in the title game, Saturday, 111-101. 

I ended up watching an extended video of the title game and there are some good ballplayers in D-II, as we all now know with what Fairleigh Dickinson’s now former coach Tobin Anderson did with his squad, Anderson bringing over three key components of the team that shocked the world from Division II.

No doubt, FDU opened some eyes in the sport…with perhaps even some big programs looking a little more closely at the D-II talent.

--Back to Brian Dutcher, he had an interesting observation after his team traveled 2,000 miles to Orlando, Florida, for their opening weekend of the tournament.

“Even though [our flight] was a charter, I thought, my goodness, those guys have to do this every other week to play a basketball game?  It would be exhausting.”

What’s he referring to?  USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten.

“It’s going to be a real challenge to be at their best with that kind of travel.  I’m wishing them the best, but that’s more travel than I would ever wish on anybody.”

Dutcher was talking about more realignment, and how he plans to showcase SDSU on the recruiting front.  And athletic director John David Wicker said the program, regardless of whether it’s in the Mountain West or Pac-12, will be able to sell regional travel to recruits.

NBA

--The Knicks are suddenly in deep s---, in fifth place in the East at 42-33, but struggling to hang onto that spot, or even to avoid a play-in game.

And it’s all about Julius Randle, who time and again the last two weeks has lost his cool, totally, in big moments.

The Knicks were 42-30, going back to Monday when Randle had a career-high 57 points, but lost it near the end and the T’Wolves prevailed, 140-134.

Wednesday, the Knicks then lost down in Miami, 127-120, Randle just so-so, with the Heat now breathing down their necks in sixth.

Thursday, after the Knicks rallied from 19 down at Orlando, Randle argued with officials and teammate Immanuel Quickley at the end of the first half, and the Knicks proceeded to drop their third straight, 111-106.

Randle was assessed a technical foul for a third straight game as the half ended, pulled away by Quickley, and then the two got into it on the way to the locker room.

After the game, the Knicks kept the room closed for 40 minutes, and they did not make Randle available to the media.

New York is back home Monday, thankfully against the Rockets.  It’s going to be interesting to see what edition of Julius Randle shows up.  He’s been terrific this season, until the last 7 or so games, when he reverted to the Randle of 2021-22, who was a miserable mess.

Meanwhile, the Heat took on the Nets, Saturday, in Miami, the Nets losers of five straight.  And kind of out of nowhere, Brooklyn blew out Miami, 129-100, and jumped ahead of the Heat into sixth.

Eastern Conference, thru Sat.

1. Milwaukee 53-21
2. Boston 51-23
3. Philadelphia 49-25
4. Cleveland 47-28
5. Knicks 42-33
6. Brooklyn 40-34
7. Miami 40-35
8. Atlanta 37-37
9. Toronto 36-38
10. Chicago 35-38
11. Washington 33-41

--Ja Morant returned on Wednesday, coming off the bench and receiving a standing ovation from the hometown crowd, the Grizzlies winning 130-125 over Houston.

The two then hooked up again Friday, Memphis winning 151-114, Morant playing 19 minutes, 18 points, 8 assists.

Morant after Wednesday’s game held his 3-year-old daughter, who was wearing a custom hoodie with a picture of Morant and the word “REDEMPTION” on the front, as did Morant’s father and uncle while sitting courtside.

“This was my family’s idea,” Morant said.  “It’s me coming back after some negative things have been said constantly throughout this whole basically, what, year and a half now… I got a second chance.  I feel like it’s only going to make it right.  Show who Ja is as a person.”

We’re waiting.  And, Ja, the negative things said were 100 percent the result of your actions, and those of your posse.

MLB

--It is hard to believe…Opening Day is Thursday! Goodness gracious. 

But the Phillies suffered an awful break when slugging first baseman Rhys Hoskins tore his left ACL fielding a ground ball in an exhibition game and he’s out for the season.  Devastating.  Made more so by the fact that he’s a free agent after the season.  You have to feel for the guy.

--The Yankees have lost starting pitchers Carlos Rodon and Frankie Montas to injury and they’ll start the season on the injured list (Montas out for months).  And now Luis Severino has a lat strain and will miss at least his first scheduled regular-season start.  It’s the same injury that cost him more than two months last season.

So for now, the Yanks are reduced to Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, and Clarke Schmidt.

--The Cardinals signed Adam Wainwright, 41, to one final contract, $17.5 million, and he’s going to miss “several weeks” after suffering a groin strain during the WBC.

Wainwright needs five wins to reach 200 for his career. He was scheduled to be the Opening Day starter.

--You try not to make too much of a slump in the exhibition season, but the Cubs just shelled out $177 million over the next seven seasons for shortstop Dansby Swanson, formerly of the Braves, and Swanson is 3 for 37, .081.

--The World Baseball Classic averaged 4.5 million viewers for its championship game, a staggering 69 percent increase from 2017’s WBC finale, Fox Sports announced.  That number is also higher than all but three Divisional League playoff games from last year.

That’s strong, folks.  Good for MLB, and after giving it a little thought, it should stay in March.  That Monday and Tuesday is the perfect window, before the start of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  You get undivided attention.

--Wake Forest, #4 in the latest Baseball America poll, took the first game of their big weekend series against #13 Miami, down in Winston-Salem, 11-0, as ace pitcher Rhett Lowder threw seven scoreless. 

And we beat the Hurricanes 4-1 in the second game, Saturday.

And we beat them today, again, 4-1!  A freakin’ sweep!  We certainly aren’t going down in the rankings…Monday, we find out if we rise another notch or two.

Deacs 22-3, 7-2 ACC. This was big.  And we had a crowd of 5,967 today, the largest regular season crowd in program history.  Wow.

[By the way, I’m only going to use Baseball America’s rankings the rest of the way.]

NFL

--The NFL sent out a memo to all clubs Thursday notifying them that a person who is not certified by the NFLPA might be attempting to persuade team personnel to enter into contract negotiations with Lamar Jackson, who received the nonexclusive franchise tag from the Ravens, and thus he can negotiate with other teams.

“As an uncertified person, (Ken) Francis is prohibited from negotiating Offer Sheets or Player Contracts, or discussing potential trades on behalf of any NFL player or prospective player or assisting in or advising with respect to such negotiations.”

Francis told ESPN he has not contacted teams on Jackson’s behalf.

Jackson also denied Francis has been contacting teams on his behalf, tweeting: “Stop Lying that man never tried to negotiate for me.”

Francis said he’s business partners with Jackson on portable gym equipment.

Jackson represents himself and doesn’t have an agent.

But clearly Francis contacted someone.

It all reminds me of Woodstock, when Chip Monck (not Wavy Gravy) issued a public service announcement to the throng.

“To get back to the warning that I’ve received, you might take it with however many grains of salt you wish, that the brown acid that is circulating around us is not specifically too good.  It’s suggested that you do stay away from that.  Of course it’s your own trip, so be my guest.  But be advised that there is a warning on that, okay?”

So if a man identifying himself as Ken Francis appears at your door, saying he represents Lamar Jackson, politely tell him you don’t own an NFL team, but, sure, give him directions to Jets camp in Florham Park, N.J.  At least that’s what I would do.

After all, still no final word on Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, no deal having been worked out.

Golf Balls

--At the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event at Austin County Club, Austin, Texas, you start out with 64 of the best golfers in the world and by Saturday you are down to the Round of 16, which included Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Jason Day, and Cameron Young.

But Mackenzie Hughes took out Homa, 3 & 2…and by the end of the morning sessions, we were down to the quarterfinals….

Scheffler vs. Day
Young vs. Kitiyama
Burns vs. Hughes
McIlroy vs. Schauffele

Participants in the Round of 16 each made $365,000.

By advancing to the quarterfinals, the eight are assured $770,000.

Scheffler then beat Day, 2 & 1
Young beat Kitiyama, 1 up
Burns defeated Hughes, 3 & 2
Rory beat Schauffele, 1 up

The play in the afternoon was great theater.

I have to admit, I wasn’t fired up for this event, I never am, but then Saturday rolls around, you’re waiting for the Elite Eight hoops action, there’s nothing else on, and you realize, hey, I can literally watch golf all day, and top notch golf on an entertaining course made for match play (it helped the weather in the New York area Saturday was dismal).

So I got into it…and now we had a potential dream matchup in the final.

But first, Scheffler needs to defeat his good buddy Burns in one semi, and Rory has to win his duel with Cameron Young; Young still seeking his first PGA Tour victory.

And we had two upsets.  Burns, who hasn’t been playing that well this year, with three top 10s in ten events coming in, defeated Scheffler on the third extra hole, after Scheffler forced a playoff on the 18th hole.

And then Young defeated Rory on the first extra hole, after Rory blew a 2 up lead with four holes to play.

So the 26-year-old Burns, with four wins, against the 25-year-old Young.

As for Rory vs. Scottie, you know they’re tired as hell, they’re pissed at their play and not being in the finals, and the difference in money - $1,420,000 for 3rd; $1,145,000 for 4th – isn’t significant in their world.  But Rory won it, 2&1.

And Burns got win No. 5, blowing out Young, 6&5, who remains winless…maybe it’s Augusta for him, though.

Burns won a cool $3.5 million.  Young, $2.2 million.  And the Wake Forest alum is super pleased with his new caddie, Paul Tesori.

I’ll comment on the fate of this tournament in my Add-on….this being the last edition of the event due to all the changes with the PGA Tour.

--We did have an alternate field event, the Corales Puntacana Championship in Punta Cana, DR, and Matt Wallace, the 32-year-old volatile Englishman, picked up his first PGA Tour win.  I was happy to see Bill Haas make this third straight cut as he struggles to get back into the game, now something like 182nd in the FedEx Cup standings, or thereabouts.  It’s a start.

NHL

--Connor McDavid scored his 60th goal of the season, Wednesday, a game-winner in overtime for Edmonton, 4-3 over Arizona.  It was the Oilers’ 72nd game, and McDavid was the fastest to 60 since Mario Lemieux did it in 70 games all the way back in 1987-88.

--Alex Ovechkin has 42 goals, and 13 40-goal seasons, the most in NHL history, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s 12.  Marcel Dionne and Mario Lemieux are next with 10 each.

Ovechkin is also up to 822 career goals, behind Gretzky’s 894.

--In the NCAA Men’s Division I hockey championship, the four regionals were held and there were some major blowouts in the Round of 16, especially Friday….

Thursday

1. Minnesota manhandled overmatched Canisius, 9-2
St. Cloud State over Minnesota State, 4-0

Cornell beat 4 Denver, 2-0
Boston University beat Western Michigan, 5-1

Friday

3. Michigan annihilated Colgate, 11-1 !!!  Good gawd, and Pete M. paid like $42,000 for his ticket
Penn State destroyed Michigan Tech, 8-0

2. Quinnipiac whipped Merrimack, 5-0
Ohio State had its way with Harvard, 8-1

Well, quarterfinal action Saturday was better.  Minnesota over St. Cloud, 4-1, and B.U. defeating Cornell, 2-1.

Stuff

--No Premier League action this weekend due to international play.

Top 3 songs for the week 3/28/64:  #1 “She Loves You” (The Beatles) #2 “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (The Beatles)  #3 “Twist And Shout” (The Beatles)…and…#4 “Please Please Me” (The Beatles…hey, these guys are pretty good…they just might make it…) #5 “Dawn (Go Away)” (The Four Seasons)  #6 “Fun, Fun, Fun” (The Beach Boys)  #7 “Suspicion” (Terry Stafford…sounded like Elvis…)  #8 “Hello, Dolly!” (Louis Armstrong)  #9 “My Heart Belongs To You” (Bobby Vinton)  #10 “Glad All Over” (The Dave Clark Five… ‘A’ week…I was about six…which proved to be my peak…)

Baseball Quiz Answer: Eight to steal 90 or more bases in a season.

Rickey Henderson, 130 (1982), 108 (1983), 100 (1980), 93 (1988)
Lou Brock, 118 (1974)
Vince Coleman, 110 (1985), 109 (1987), 107 (1986)
Maury Wills, 104 (1962), 94 (1965)
Ron LeFlore, 97 (1980)
Ty Cobb, 96 (1915)
Omar Moreno, 96 (1980)
Tim Raines, 90 (1983)

Add-on up top by noon, Wed.



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Bar Chat

03/27/2023

FAU-SDSU; Miami vs. UConn

Add-on posted early Wed. a.m.

March Madnesss

Saturday / Final Four

9 Florida Atlantic vs. 5 San Diego State
5 Miami vs. 4 UConn

First time ever, there are zero 1, 2 or 3 seeds in the Final Four.

But UConn has also been dominant in its first four games.

I picked Miami, but I am far from confident against the Huskies.

--Nancy Armour / USA TODAY…looking back at ending of Creighton-San Diego State…

“What a buzzkill.

“When San Diego State commemorates the moment it clinched its first trip to the Final Four, will it use a photo of the referees huddled around the scorer’s table?  A stopwatch?

“Yes, officials were right to call the foul on Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard.  It was obvious in real time, and replays afterward confirmed, that Nembhard had his left hand clamped firmly at Darrion Trammell’s waist as Trammell put up a layup that clanged off the rim. That’s a foul in every game, at every level, whether it’s a Final Four or post-game ice cream on the line.

“But to have this game, between these two teams, end like that sucked all the joy and drama out of it. And when officials took several minutes to review who knows what on Creighton’s last-gasp inbounds play, it robbed the Aztecs of the jubilant on-court celebration they deserved.  Especially for their very first Final Four appearance….

“Creighton coach Greg McDermott was heated during the game, red-faced as he yelled at official Lee Cassell.  But he was diplomatic afterward, refusing to address the foul call and saying one play wasn’t responsible for Creighton’s loss.

“ ‘You win with class and you lose with class, and that’s what we’re going to do,’ McDermott said.  ‘We had some decent looks at the basket in the second half but were unable to knock them down. …It’s on us we didn’t quite get it done, not anyone else.’

“No doubt his friendship with (SDSU coach Brian) Dutcher was a large factor in his restraint…

“So no matter what McDermott really thought about the last 1.2 seconds of the game, or the several minutes it took to review them, he wasn’t going to say it.

“ ‘With all due respect, two teams played their tails off,’ McDermott said.  ‘Officiating is part of the game. We’re not going to go there.  We lost the game because we didn’t do enough, and San Diego State did.’

“On that, he is correct.  Creighton shot less than 28% in the second half and was an abysmal 0-for-10 from 3-point range.”

--All eyes in Austin, Texas, are on Texas Athletics Director Chris Del Conte and his decision on interim coach Rodney Terry.

The rap on Terry is that he was 163-156 as a head coach at Fresno State and UTEP, and thus no reason to believe he’d be successful at Texas.

And so Monday, the school named Terry the head coach, with a contract for five years.

With Terry at the helm, following the departure of Chris Beard, the Longhorns went 22-8 overall and 12-6 in conference play.  We’ll see….

--Duke received some good news…talented point guard Tyrese Proctor announced he would return for his sophomore season.

“This is the best decision for my career, both present and future,” Proctor told ESPN.  “Coach Scheyer and I share the same vision; we have unfinished business.  We have the best staff in the country, and they will push me each and every day.”

Proctor was the No. 30 prospect in ESPN’s 2023 NBA draft projections, but the 6-foot-5 Proctor will have a good chance to build himself into a lottery pick next spring.

--But North Carolina’s star guard Caleb Love became the hottest commodity in the portal when he announced Monday he was leaving Chapel Hill. He averaged a career-high 16.7 points this past season, after averaging 18.8 points in six NCAA tournament games the year before on the Tar Heels’ run to the national title game.

Wherever he ends up, he has two seasons of eligibility left.

--Two terrific NIT semifinal contests last night in Vegas…North Texas beat Wisconsin 56-54, and UAB defeated Utah Valley 88-86.

The championship game is Thursday.

--The Women’s Final Four is set…and for all the upsets, it is basically form….

Friday

1 South Carolina (undefeated) vs. 2 Iowa (with superstar Caitlin Clark)
3 LSU vs. 1 Virginia Tech (first-ever Final Four…Go ACC!)

--Ratings for women’s basketball are rising, so we’ll see how Caitlin Clark impacts things this weekend.

Last year’s title game between South Carolina and UConn drew 4.85 million viewers, the most watched title game since 2004.

NBA

--The Knicks (43-33) got a needed break, their fans relieved, following a 137-115 win over the lowly Rockets (18-58) at the Garden on Monday night.  Immanuel Quickley had a career-high 40 points, playing for the injured Jalen Brunson (sprained hand), and Julius Randle (26 points) played without any drama.  But a biggie, Wednesday, against the Heat.  Brunson said he’ll be back for it, and we’ll see if Randle can keep his composure.

--We had a biggie in the Western Conference last night, the Warriors beating the Pelicans, 120-109, that moved them into sixth place, ahead of the T’Wolves.

Western Conference

1. Denver 51-24
2. Memphis 48-27
3. Sacramento 45-30
4. Phoenix 40-35
5. Clippers 40-36
6. Golden State 40-37
7. Minnesota 39-37
8. New Orleans 38-38
9. Lakers 37-38
10. Oklahoma City 37-39
11. Dallas 37-39

--I watched the “60 Minutes” segment with Charles Barkley, and Sir Charles took another shot at Kevin Durant.

“He’s very sensitive,” Barkley said of KD.  “Great player.  He’s part of that generation who thinks he can’t be criticized. He’s never looked in the mirror and says, ‘Man, is that a fair criticism?”

Durant quickly responded on Twitter.

“This ain’t gettin tired chuck?” he asked.  “I’ll never respect the words that come out ya mouth fam just deal with it.”

Barkley should drop it until we see what Durant does in the playoffs for the Suns.

MLB

--With Opening Day upon us, Thursday at Yankee Stadium the fans will no doubt give a rookie will receive a huge ovation when he’s introduced as part of the starting lineup, the Yanks new shortstop, 21-year-old Anthony Volpe, who hails just 10 minutes from here, Watchung, N.J.

Yankees fans have eagerly been waiting for this day, and Volpe made manager Aaron Boone’s and GM Brian Cashman’s job easier by having a terrific spring, a .314 batting average, 1.064 OPS with six doubles and three home runs, five stolen bases.  The kid has the goods.

And then Sunday, the Yankees announced Volpe would be starting, not just making the roster.

Boone said that while he shined at the plate, Volpe’s intangibles made a difference.

“He earned the respect of the veterans in the room,” the manager said.  “His work is excellent. There’s an energy he plays the game with, and an instinct that he has that’s evident.  When we take a step back and evaluate, he really checked every box that we could have had for him, and absolutely kicked the door in and earned this opportunity.”

Aaron Judge agreed with sentiment.

“He just shows up ready to work.  He’s prepared.  Very rarely do you see that at such a young age,” Judge said.  “He’s seemed ready to go every single game I’ve played behind him.”

You have to picture that we’ve known of the kid in this area for a while, and he grew up a Yankees fan, idolizing Derek Jeter

--Wake Forest fans have a new major leaguer to root for.  Phil W. reminded me that the Braves were looking at starting pitcher Jared Shuster in spring training, and I forgot he was a 2020 first-round draft pick out of Wake Forest.  Shuster didn’t have a particularly great record at Wake, in terms of W/L and ERA, but he had nasty stuff.  Unfortunately, Covid ruined life in 2020 for minor leaguers, but suddenly, Jared Shuster made the Braves Opening Day roster when Kyle Wright was placed on the 15-day IL.

So Shuster and fellow rookie Dylan Dodd have a brief shot to make an impression, Wright not slated to be out for long.

--Speaking of the Deacs….

Baseball America Top 25 (3/27)

1. LSU
2. Florida
3. Wake Forest !!!
4. Vanderbilt
5. Virginia
6. Stanford
7. Arkansas
8. Louisville
9. East Carolina
10. South Carolina
13. Boston College
15. North Carolina
16. Miami…despite Wake sweeping them, fell only 3 spots…

Wake at Clemson for three this weekend.

Golf Balls

--The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship has run its course, and it’s simple; the World Golf Championships concept is no longer needed with the way the PGA Tour has transitioned to designated events with elite fields of 70 to 80 for 2024.

So at least for 2024, the match play format is out, unless one of the new sponsors opts for it.

I was thinking this weekend that you have your new 70 to 80 designated field play one round of stroke play on Thursday to reduce the field to 32; Friday you play 16 matches to cut the field to 16; Saturday, get down to your final four for Sunday.

Which is similar to what the college championships do.

That would sure make Thursday’s first round worth tuning into. 

Anyway, 2024 is going to be exciting regardless.  The non-designated events will remain very important as well.

NFL

--Lamar Jackson unleashed his latest surprise in his ongoing contract saga with the Ravens on Monday, announcing that he had requested a trade from the team just as coach John Harbaugh sat down to talk to reports at the NFL’s annual league meeting.

Jackson, who represents himself, tweeted that he requested the trade on March 2 as the team “has not been interested in meeting my value” in contract talks.

“…I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team win the super bowl,” he continued, adding that Ravens fans “are great but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I….”

Harbaugh said he was following the situation closely and looking forward to a resolution.

After the Ravens placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on Jackson on March 7 – five days after he said he made his trade request – Jackson was allowed to negotiate with other teams.  If Jackson signs an offer sheet, Baltimore would have five days to either match it or receive two first-round picks as compensation.  If there is no offer sheet, Jackson would earn $32.416 million this million if he plays under the tag.

So it’s now March 28, and it seems as though interest in Jackson is limited.

It’s about the guaranteed money, and Jackson reportedly turned down an offer last September that would have guaranteed $200 million if he was on the roster on the fifth day of the 2026 league year, including $133 million guaranteed at signing.

But Jackson wants what Deshaun Watson received from the Browns (five years, $230 million guaranteed).

Other teams are clearly concerned about Jackson’s durability, let alone his passing ability.

Jets fans have been wondering why we’re waiting on the following, when we could be negotiating with Jackson.  But….

--….Also at the NFL Owners Meetings in Phoenix, Monday, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst told a group of Packers reporters he refuted Aaron Rodgers claim he was hurt by the Packers “shopping” him to other teams.

“I didn’t really take his comments like that.  And it’s certainly not true,” Gutekunst said.  “After the season…we had a good conversation and then we were going to have some follow-up conversations. And our inability to reach him, or for him to respond in any way, I think at that point, I had to just kind of do my job and understanding that a trade could be possible and see who was interested. But shopping was not really a part of that.”

Suddenly the whole hang-up between the Jets and the Packers didn’t feel as much about fair compensation as it was about Gutekunst trying to make sure that Rodgers pays a bit of a price on his way out of town.

NHL

--In a 5-4 win Monday night over the Coyotes, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid picked up an assist for his 140th point of the season, becoming the first player to reach the mark since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr had 140+ for the 1995-96 Penguins. [Lemieux 161, Jagr 149.] McDavid also became just the seventh player in NHL history with 60 goals and 80 assists in a season.

--The Rangers beat Columbus 6-2 last night at the Garden, their seventh win in eight.  We have a biggie on Thursday, Rangers-Devils for second place in the Metro division and probable home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

College Hockey / Frozen Four

We had the other quarterfinals in the Div. I Men’s Hockey Championship Sunday night, and Quinnipiac defeated Ohio State 4-1, while Michigan edged Penn State 2-1 in overtime.

So the Frozen Four, April 6 and 8 in Tampa, Florida…

1 Minnesota vs. Boston University
3 Michigan vs. 2 Quinnipiac

Heavyweight matchups after some of the historically awful blowouts in the Round of 16.

Stuff

--Tyler Reddick scored his first victory with new team 23XI Racing (the team co-owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan) by holding on over multiple late restarts to win in triple overtime Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, the first road course race on this year’s NASCAR schedule.  It was Reddick’s third career Cup Series victory, all on road courses.

Kyle Busch was second.

--Tottenham manager Antonio Conte left the squad by mutual consent after 16 months in charge.

Conte, a real asshole, had called the Spurs players “selfish” and criticized the club’s culture after a recent draw at Southampton, sealing his fate.

Conte’s assistant, Cristian Stellini, who did well in Conte’s absence when he had recent surgery, will step up as head coach for the rest of the season, as he attempts to keep Tottenham in the Champions League hunt.

“We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place,” chairman Daniel Levy said.

“We all need to pull together.  Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our club and amazing, loyal supporters.”

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

-----

[Posted right after Miami-Texas….]

Add-on posted by noon, Wed.

Baseball Quiz: The new season is upon us, and among the rules changes are bigger bases and pitchers being limited on how often they can throw over to first, two steps that could lead to a sizable increase in stolen bases.  So…name the eight runners, post-1900, to have 90 or more SBs in a season. Answer below.

March Madness

What follows was written as it happened….

--Thursday…we had a game for the ages, as 3 Kansas State defeated 7 Michigan State, 98-93 in overtime.  Markquis Nowell, the smallest guy on the court at 5’ 8”, had one of the great tournament games of all time, 20 points, a tourney record 19 assists, just two turnovers for the Wildcats (though he took three godawful attempts from downtown in the second half…no matter), and Wake transfer Ish Massoud came up big again, 15 points off the bench of 4 of 6 from three, the two kids from Harlem wowing the Madison Square Garden crowd.

Yes, as Ernie Johnson said in the studio after, “An Instant Classic.”

--3 Gonzaga edged 2 UCLA 79-76, in a wild finish.  UCLA’s Amari Bailey hit a three to put the Bruins ahead, 76-75, with 12 seconds to play, and then the Zags’ Julian Strawther hit a long 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds, Gonzaga up 78-76.

But UCLA coughed it up trying to tie or go ahead and the Zags added a free throw, 79-76.

--4 UConn looked terrific in whipping 8 Arkansas 88-65.

--9 FAU upset 4 Tennessee 62-55.

--Friday…5 San Diego State took down No. 1 Alabama, 71-64, as Brian Dutcher, in his sixth season as head coach of the Aztecs, is finally out of the shadow of Steve Fisher, for whom he was an assistant for all of Fisher’s 18 seasons at the helm.

Dutcher kept up the same intense defense Fisher’s teams had and that was the key against Bama.  Their star, Brandon Miller, an upcoming NBA lottery pick, was awful…3 of 19 from the field, 1 of 10 from three, six turnovers.  It was indeed justice.

Nancy Armour / USA TODAY

“San Diego State is America’s team now.

“The Aztecs did the entire country – well, 49 of the states, at least – a solid Friday night by eliminating top-seeded Alabama and its thick cloud of ick. Rather than cringing at the thought of Nate Oats getting rewarded for his shameless opportunism with a national title, we can enjoy the rest of the NCAA men’s tournament without feeling the need for a shower when it’s over.

“ ‘It’s been an unbelievable year,’ Oats said after the 71-64 loss.  ‘Everybody is really disappointed in the loss.  It ended too soon.’

“More like not soon enough.

“If Oats and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne had even the slightest shred of conscience or integrity, they’d have shut the program down two months ago, when at least three players were present during a shooting that left a young woman dead.

“One of the players, Darius Miles, is now facing capital murder charges because police say it was his gun used in the shooting.  Freshman phenom Brandon Miller drove the car where Miles’ gun had been stashed to the scene, and police say he and Jaden Bradley were still there when the shooting occurred.

“Miles didn’t fire the fatal shot.  Miller said he didn’t know the gun was in his car and was only going to pick Miles up, and he doesn’t face any charges.  None of it changes the fact that a 23-year-old woman with a young child is dead, and that she’d still be alive had either Miles, Miller or both made different choices that night.

“This was not, contrary to what Oats would have you believe, a matter of ‘wrong spot at the wrong time.’  It was a moral failing at the very least, and anyone not blinded by team loyalties knows losing the privilege of playing basketball should have been the bare minimum as far as consequences.

“Not at Alabama!  Not when the Crimson Tide had a team built for a deep run in the NCAA tournament and Miller, the leading scorer, was central to their national title aspirations.  Oats allowed Miller to continue to play, enabling and excusing him at every turn, the uncomfortability of the whole situation growing with every game.

“ ‘I think it was a pretty successful season,’ Miller said when asked to sum up the year.  ‘Made it to the Sweet 16.  Probably one of the biggest tournaments I’ve ever played in in my life. I think we really just came to have fun really and just compete at a high level.’

“Even for a 20-year-old, even for someone trying to stick to sports, the lack of introspection is jarring.

“This has arguably been the most compelling men’s tournament ever….

“(There) is a purity to (it), the idea that anything is possible playing out before our eyes as a Fairleigh Dickinson topples a Purdue or a Princeton reaches the Sweet 16.  So long as Alabama remained, that was tainted.  For every plucky team that dared us to dream bigger and strive harder, Oats and Alabama were there to remind us how much easier it is to give in to temptation and trade integrity for expedience.

“ ‘I think we’re doing pretty good things at Alabama,’ Oats said.

“That depends on your definition of ‘good things.’  If it’s wins and losses, sure….

“But if it’s running a program of character, Oats and Alabama fall well short.

“ ‘It’s a great group that really loves each other,’ Oats said.  ‘I mean, they’re going to be close for life, most of them.’

“Good for them.

“As for the rest of us, a hearty ‘thank you’ to San Diego State will do.”

--5 Miami then took out No. 1 Houston, 89-75, as the Hurricanes’ outstanding backcourt of Nigel Pack and Isaiah Wong combined for 46 points, Pack 7 of 10 from downtown, and just two turnovers; Miami with just six TOs as a team.

Houston All-American Marcus Sasser was a non-factor, 14 points, 4 of 12 from the field.

Good for Coach Jim Larranaga. 

--6 Creighton burst 15 Princeton’s bubble, 86-75, the Bluejays 58.2% from the field, and looking very Final Fourish, Baylor Scheierman with 21 points and 9 rebounds, 5 of 7 from three.

Creighton has zero depth, and that’s always a concern, but as I wrote earlier in the year, you can match their starting five with anyone’s.  And Scheierman, who according to some was the top pick in the transfer portal last spring (South Dakota State), is capable of carrying this team.

--2 Texas beat 3 Xavier, 83-71, as interim coach Rodney Terry continues to build his case for receiving the full-time nod.  But Texas doesn’t want to give him the job, because there is nothing in his past that suggests he can be successful in the long run.

However, here they are, and of course he’s rallied the players behind him after the Chris Beard mess.

By the end of play Friday, for the first time in history we had an Elite Eight without a single No. 1 seed.

We also had San Diego State and Florida Atlantic making the Elite Eight for a first time, and Creighton hasn’t advanced this far since 1941, when the tournament only had eight teams.

Meanwhile, Miami, reaching a second consecutive Elite Eight, has never made the Final Four.

--On to Saturday….

9 Florida Atlantic and 3 Kansas State faced off in the first Elite Eight matchup at the Garden, and it was once again the Markquis Nowell Show, picking up the scoring from Keyontae Johnson, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, who was limited to eight minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, and would eventually foul out with just nine points.

Nowell had 30 points, another 12 assists and 5 steals, but the supporting cast largely didn’t step up.

That said, K-State took a 63-57 lead over the Owls with 8:39 to play, but then they were outscored 15-1 over the next 6:09, down 72-64 with 2:30 to play.

But after Cam Carter buried a three for K-State it was 75-74 FAU, 0:24 remaining.  That’s when Michael Forrest came up big for FAU with four free throws, and Nowell frankly botched a last-second play for the tie, passing it off to Massoud in an impossible position to get off a potential game-tying three when Nowell should have taken it himself, time running out, 79-76, FAU moves on to its first improbable Final Four.

FAU won despite 22 turnovers, hitting a solid 9 of 23 from three, and 18 of 22 from the free throw line.  Forrest, who hadn’t been to the line all day, was clutch, and the hero to me.

Vladislav Goldin, the Owls’ 7’1” center from Russia, had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

FAU is the ninth No. 9 seed or lower to reach the Final Four since seeding began in 1979.  But none of the previous eight made it to the title game.

In the nightcap, 4 UConn rolled, 82-54 over 3 Gonzaga.

The Zags, who were awful from the floor, managed to keep it close, down 39-32 at the half, but then the hottest team in the tournament rolled after the intermission, the UConn outscoring Gonzaga 43-22.

The Zags ended up 20 of 60 from the field (33%), and 2 of 20 from three.  Drew Timme was held to 12 points, 9 below his average, and Julian Strawther had just 11 on 4 of 15 shooting, 0 for 6 from downtown.

The Huskies were balanced, with seven players with eight points or more.  UConn has also won all four regional games before the Final Four by 15 or more points, just the seventh team in tournament history to do so.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, for all his greatness, is now 2-3 in Elite Eight games, this moment being the worst, and the Zags go another season without winning the national title.

--Today, Sunday, I have to be honest. I watched all but the first few minutes of 6 Creighton vs. 5 San Diego State (due to the golf semis wrapping up), and the game essentially sucked.

How can a 57-56 SDSU win over the Bluejays suck?  Because it was Brick City.  Yes, the defense, on both sides, was pretty good, but Creighton was 2 of 17 from three, the Aztecs 3 of 13, and these were mostly open shots.

As for the foul by Nembhard at 56-56 that led to the final free throw for the win, that was a foul.  I disagree with Sir Charles and others in the studio.  And I also think that final desperation pass went off Kaluma, for starters.

So there.  I had Creighton in the Final Four, but it’s not like I was winning the ESPN Challenge (the only bracket contest I enter), and I’m happy for SDSU, as any longtime reader of Bar Chat can understand.  They were my adopted team way back for a few seasons and I went out there for a game.

I also have to say, that as I wrote long ago during the Doug McDermott days, his father, Greg, never got enough credit for being a solid coach, and he’s a classy guy, as you saw in the handshake line at the end.  So Go Creighton.  I hope he stays there.

And Go Brian Dutcher, who waited patiently for the opportunity when Steve Fisher probably should have retired about three years earlier than he did.  Dutcher had offers and stayed.  And now he gets his moment in the sun.  Well deserved, Coach.  [And congrats to my longtime Summit High School classmate and friend, Bobby C., who now hails from San Diego and is rather pumped.]

And then in the nightcap, Go Miami!  My pick to win it all, down 13 in the second half to Texas, kept their cool and won it 88-81.

Jordan Miller, the ultimate role player, was perfect…like really perfect….7 of 7 from the field, 13 of 13 from the free throw line.  27 points.

And my man Isaiah Wong, who reminds me of former Demon Deacon Jeff Teague (who had a very solid 12-year NBA career); Wong, Mr. Cool, delivered in the clutch as well.  I love his demeanor, like that of his coach.

Miami ended up 28 of 32 from the foul line. 

Go ACC!  Go Hurricanes! Win it all!

--In other CBB news….

--Providence hired Kim English as its new coach.  English was the coach at George Mason.

The 34-year-old replaces Ed Cooley, who took the Georgetown job.

Micah Shrewsbury is leaving Penn State for Notre Dame.

Congratulations to Wake assistant Brooks Savage, a top coach, who was just named the new leader of East Tennessee State.  And this should be no surprise.

The Deacs got Steve Forbes from ETSU, where Savage had been an assistant of his for five seasons.  So now Savage gets a great shot, with Forbes’ blessing, and all is good.  There was no way Wake would have been able to hold onto the guy, and we wish him well.

--Rick Pitino isn’t wasting any time (he can’t afford to), working the wires, trying to put together a new team at St. John’s.

One guy who is intriguing that I saw entered the transfer portal is Wyoming’s 6’9” power forward Graham Ike. I mean the guy averaged 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds.  He had 17 points and 9 rebounds in the Cowboys’ NCAA tournament loss to Indiana.

But that was 2021-22. He missed all of last year due to a lower right leg injury. Initially expected to miss just two months, he shut it down in early February and took a redshirt year.

--Shockingly, or maybe not so much, Armando Bacot announced he was returning to North Carolina for a fifth year instead of heading to the NBA.

Bacot, 23, had a superb NCAA Tournament last spring for the Tar Heels, and certainly would have been drafted.

But he opted to return for a fourth season, surprising everyone, and then he didn’t play as well, nor did Carolina.

But he earned upwards of $500,000 in NIL money, and some are saying he’ll hit seven figures for the 2023-24 campaign while staying in Chapel Hill.

Compare that to struggling to make an NBA roster, and then perhaps playing overseas for less.

Why not?  The game has changed, in more ways than one.

--ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, in an interview with ESPN over the weekend, said he will be meeting with his league’s basketball coaches and athletic directors as soon as the season ends to discuss ways to be more “proactive” and “aggressive” in changing the narrative surrounding the conference.

For the second consecutive year, the ACC only received five bids to the men’s NCAA tournament.

Last year, despite the five bids, three made it to the Elite Eight and two made the Final Four.

This year, while only Miami made the Elite Eight, Clemson, and maybe North Carolina, should have been invited over some of the at-large teams that were, and it was a travesty Pitt got a First Four game.

--The NIT semifinals are Tuesday in Las Vegas….

North Texas (29-7) vs. Wisconsin (20-14)
Utah Valley (28-8) vs. UAB (28-9)

--On the women’s side….

UConn’s dynasty is officially dead.  For the first time in 15 postseasons, the women’s Final Four (and Elite Eight) will not include the Lady Huskies, the most dominant program in women’s basketball this century.

In a tournament with stunning upsets, Ohio State beat the Huskies 73-61 on Saturday to advance to the Elite Eight.

Two No. 1 seeds (Stanford and Indiana) had already fallen by the time the Buckeyes and Huskies tipped off.

So in the Elite Eight, some of the action tonight after I post….

1 South Carolina vs. 2 Maryland
9 Miami vs. 3 LSU

5 Louisville vs. 2 Iowa
1 Virginia Tech vs. 3 Ohio State

--In a WNIT game Thursday, Memphis guard Jamirah Shutes was charged with assault after hitting Bowling Green senior guard Elissa Brett in the face following the team’s 73-60 victory over the Tigers.

After the final buzzer, players and coaches gathered to participate in the handshake line when Shutes stopped and exchanged words with Brett.

The 23-year-old Shutes, the team’s leading scorer, then punched Brett in the face and was pulled away from the incident by the Memphis coaching staff.

Brett, who scored 15 in the victory, fell to the ground by the scorer’s table before being assisted by her team’s staff and players.

According to an incident report obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the Bowling Green State University police investigated the situation and said the Memphis player struck Brett with a closed fist and she sustained “some swelling in her right eye” from the punch. Shutes was subsequently charged with assault. 

Good!

Ms. Shutes is a jerk, an idiot, and a dirtball, the trifecta.  Into the December file she goes.

--A Division II school I’m pretty familiar with, Black Hill State University out of Spearfish, South Dakota (I have some cool t-shirts from my many trips there), made the D-II men’s Final Four last week, but lost to West Liberty (WV) in the semis, while West Liberty then lost to Nova Southeastern (FL) in the title game, Saturday, 111-101. 

I ended up watching an extended video of the title game and there are some good ballplayers in D-II, as we all now know with what Fairleigh Dickinson’s now former coach Tobin Anderson did with his squad, Anderson bringing over three key components of the team that shocked the world from Division II.

No doubt, FDU opened some eyes in the sport…with perhaps even some big programs looking a little more closely at the D-II talent.

--Back to Brian Dutcher, he had an interesting observation after his team traveled 2,000 miles to Orlando, Florida, for their opening weekend of the tournament.

“Even though [our flight] was a charter, I thought, my goodness, those guys have to do this every other week to play a basketball game?  It would be exhausting.”

What’s he referring to?  USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten.

“It’s going to be a real challenge to be at their best with that kind of travel.  I’m wishing them the best, but that’s more travel than I would ever wish on anybody.”

Dutcher was talking about more realignment, and how he plans to showcase SDSU on the recruiting front.  And athletic director John David Wicker said the program, regardless of whether it’s in the Mountain West or Pac-12, will be able to sell regional travel to recruits.

NBA

--The Knicks are suddenly in deep s---, in fifth place in the East at 42-33, but struggling to hang onto that spot, or even to avoid a play-in game.

And it’s all about Julius Randle, who time and again the last two weeks has lost his cool, totally, in big moments.

The Knicks were 42-30, going back to Monday when Randle had a career-high 57 points, but lost it near the end and the T’Wolves prevailed, 140-134.

Wednesday, the Knicks then lost down in Miami, 127-120, Randle just so-so, with the Heat now breathing down their necks in sixth.

Thursday, after the Knicks rallied from 19 down at Orlando, Randle argued with officials and teammate Immanuel Quickley at the end of the first half, and the Knicks proceeded to drop their third straight, 111-106.

Randle was assessed a technical foul for a third straight game as the half ended, pulled away by Quickley, and then the two got into it on the way to the locker room.

After the game, the Knicks kept the room closed for 40 minutes, and they did not make Randle available to the media.

New York is back home Monday, thankfully against the Rockets.  It’s going to be interesting to see what edition of Julius Randle shows up.  He’s been terrific this season, until the last 7 or so games, when he reverted to the Randle of 2021-22, who was a miserable mess.

Meanwhile, the Heat took on the Nets, Saturday, in Miami, the Nets losers of five straight.  And kind of out of nowhere, Brooklyn blew out Miami, 129-100, and jumped ahead of the Heat into sixth.

Eastern Conference, thru Sat.

1. Milwaukee 53-21
2. Boston 51-23
3. Philadelphia 49-25
4. Cleveland 47-28
5. Knicks 42-33
6. Brooklyn 40-34
7. Miami 40-35
8. Atlanta 37-37
9. Toronto 36-38
10. Chicago 35-38
11. Washington 33-41

--Ja Morant returned on Wednesday, coming off the bench and receiving a standing ovation from the hometown crowd, the Grizzlies winning 130-125 over Houston.

The two then hooked up again Friday, Memphis winning 151-114, Morant playing 19 minutes, 18 points, 8 assists.

Morant after Wednesday’s game held his 3-year-old daughter, who was wearing a custom hoodie with a picture of Morant and the word “REDEMPTION” on the front, as did Morant’s father and uncle while sitting courtside.

“This was my family’s idea,” Morant said.  “It’s me coming back after some negative things have been said constantly throughout this whole basically, what, year and a half now… I got a second chance.  I feel like it’s only going to make it right.  Show who Ja is as a person.”

We’re waiting.  And, Ja, the negative things said were 100 percent the result of your actions, and those of your posse.

MLB

--It is hard to believe…Opening Day is Thursday! Goodness gracious. 

But the Phillies suffered an awful break when slugging first baseman Rhys Hoskins tore his left ACL fielding a ground ball in an exhibition game and he’s out for the season.  Devastating.  Made more so by the fact that he’s a free agent after the season.  You have to feel for the guy.

--The Yankees have lost starting pitchers Carlos Rodon and Frankie Montas to injury and they’ll start the season on the injured list (Montas out for months).  And now Luis Severino has a lat strain and will miss at least his first scheduled regular-season start.  It’s the same injury that cost him more than two months last season.

So for now, the Yanks are reduced to Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, and Clarke Schmidt.

--The Cardinals signed Adam Wainwright, 41, to one final contract, $17.5 million, and he’s going to miss “several weeks” after suffering a groin strain during the WBC.

Wainwright needs five wins to reach 200 for his career. He was scheduled to be the Opening Day starter.

--You try not to make too much of a slump in the exhibition season, but the Cubs just shelled out $177 million over the next seven seasons for shortstop Dansby Swanson, formerly of the Braves, and Swanson is 3 for 37, .081.

--The World Baseball Classic averaged 4.5 million viewers for its championship game, a staggering 69 percent increase from 2017’s WBC finale, Fox Sports announced.  That number is also higher than all but three Divisional League playoff games from last year.

That’s strong, folks.  Good for MLB, and after giving it a little thought, it should stay in March.  That Monday and Tuesday is the perfect window, before the start of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  You get undivided attention.

--Wake Forest, #4 in the latest Baseball America poll, took the first game of their big weekend series against #13 Miami, down in Winston-Salem, 11-0, as ace pitcher Rhett Lowder threw seven scoreless. 

And we beat the Hurricanes 4-1 in the second game, Saturday.

And we beat them today, again, 4-1!  A freakin’ sweep!  We certainly aren’t going down in the rankings…Monday, we find out if we rise another notch or two.

Deacs 22-3, 7-2 ACC. This was big.  And we had a crowd of 5,967 today, the largest regular season crowd in program history.  Wow.

[By the way, I’m only going to use Baseball America’s rankings the rest of the way.]

NFL

--The NFL sent out a memo to all clubs Thursday notifying them that a person who is not certified by the NFLPA might be attempting to persuade team personnel to enter into contract negotiations with Lamar Jackson, who received the nonexclusive franchise tag from the Ravens, and thus he can negotiate with other teams.

“As an uncertified person, (Ken) Francis is prohibited from negotiating Offer Sheets or Player Contracts, or discussing potential trades on behalf of any NFL player or prospective player or assisting in or advising with respect to such negotiations.”

Francis told ESPN he has not contacted teams on Jackson’s behalf.

Jackson also denied Francis has been contacting teams on his behalf, tweeting: “Stop Lying that man never tried to negotiate for me.”

Francis said he’s business partners with Jackson on portable gym equipment.

Jackson represents himself and doesn’t have an agent.

But clearly Francis contacted someone.

It all reminds me of Woodstock, when Chip Monck (not Wavy Gravy) issued a public service announcement to the throng.

“To get back to the warning that I’ve received, you might take it with however many grains of salt you wish, that the brown acid that is circulating around us is not specifically too good.  It’s suggested that you do stay away from that.  Of course it’s your own trip, so be my guest.  But be advised that there is a warning on that, okay?”

So if a man identifying himself as Ken Francis appears at your door, saying he represents Lamar Jackson, politely tell him you don’t own an NFL team, but, sure, give him directions to Jets camp in Florham Park, N.J.  At least that’s what I would do.

After all, still no final word on Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, no deal having been worked out.

Golf Balls

--At the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event at Austin County Club, Austin, Texas, you start out with 64 of the best golfers in the world and by Saturday you are down to the Round of 16, which included Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Jason Day, and Cameron Young.

But Mackenzie Hughes took out Homa, 3 & 2…and by the end of the morning sessions, we were down to the quarterfinals….

Scheffler vs. Day
Young vs. Kitiyama
Burns vs. Hughes
McIlroy vs. Schauffele

Participants in the Round of 16 each made $365,000.

By advancing to the quarterfinals, the eight are assured $770,000.

Scheffler then beat Day, 2 & 1
Young beat Kitiyama, 1 up
Burns defeated Hughes, 3 & 2
Rory beat Schauffele, 1 up

The play in the afternoon was great theater.

I have to admit, I wasn’t fired up for this event, I never am, but then Saturday rolls around, you’re waiting for the Elite Eight hoops action, there’s nothing else on, and you realize, hey, I can literally watch golf all day, and top notch golf on an entertaining course made for match play (it helped the weather in the New York area Saturday was dismal).

So I got into it…and now we had a potential dream matchup in the final.

But first, Scheffler needs to defeat his good buddy Burns in one semi, and Rory has to win his duel with Cameron Young; Young still seeking his first PGA Tour victory.

And we had two upsets.  Burns, who hasn’t been playing that well this year, with three top 10s in ten events coming in, defeated Scheffler on the third extra hole, after Scheffler forced a playoff on the 18th hole.

And then Young defeated Rory on the first extra hole, after Rory blew a 2 up lead with four holes to play.

So the 26-year-old Burns, with four wins, against the 25-year-old Young.

As for Rory vs. Scottie, you know they’re tired as hell, they’re pissed at their play and not being in the finals, and the difference in money - $1,420,000 for 3rd; $1,145,000 for 4th – isn’t significant in their world.  But Rory won it, 2&1.

And Burns got win No. 5, blowing out Young, 6&5, who remains winless…maybe it’s Augusta for him, though.

Burns won a cool $3.5 million.  Young, $2.2 million.  And the Wake Forest alum is super pleased with his new caddie, Paul Tesori.

I’ll comment on the fate of this tournament in my Add-on….this being the last edition of the event due to all the changes with the PGA Tour.

--We did have an alternate field event, the Corales Puntacana Championship in Punta Cana, DR, and Matt Wallace, the 32-year-old volatile Englishman, picked up his first PGA Tour win.  I was happy to see Bill Haas make this third straight cut as he struggles to get back into the game, now something like 182nd in the FedEx Cup standings, or thereabouts.  It’s a start.

NHL

--Connor McDavid scored his 60th goal of the season, Wednesday, a game-winner in overtime for Edmonton, 4-3 over Arizona.  It was the Oilers’ 72nd game, and McDavid was the fastest to 60 since Mario Lemieux did it in 70 games all the way back in 1987-88.

--Alex Ovechkin has 42 goals, and 13 40-goal seasons, the most in NHL history, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s 12.  Marcel Dionne and Mario Lemieux are next with 10 each.

Ovechkin is also up to 822 career goals, behind Gretzky’s 894.

--In the NCAA Men’s Division I hockey championship, the four regionals were held and there were some major blowouts in the Round of 16, especially Friday….

Thursday

1. Minnesota manhandled overmatched Canisius, 9-2
St. Cloud State over Minnesota State, 4-0

Cornell beat 4 Denver, 2-0
Boston University beat Western Michigan, 5-1

Friday

3. Michigan annihilated Colgate, 11-1 !!!  Good gawd, and Pete M. paid like $42,000 for his ticket
Penn State destroyed Michigan Tech, 8-0

2. Quinnipiac whipped Merrimack, 5-0
Ohio State had its way with Harvard, 8-1

Well, quarterfinal action Saturday was better.  Minnesota over St. Cloud, 4-1, and B.U. defeating Cornell, 2-1.

Stuff

--No Premier League action this weekend due to international play.

Top 3 songs for the week 3/28/64:  #1 “She Loves You” (The Beatles) #2 “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (The Beatles)  #3 “Twist And Shout” (The Beatles)…and…#4 “Please Please Me” (The Beatles…hey, these guys are pretty good…they just might make it…) #5 “Dawn (Go Away)” (The Four Seasons)  #6 “Fun, Fun, Fun” (The Beach Boys)  #7 “Suspicion” (Terry Stafford…sounded like Elvis…)  #8 “Hello, Dolly!” (Louis Armstrong)  #9 “My Heart Belongs To You” (Bobby Vinton)  #10 “Glad All Over” (The Dave Clark Five… ‘A’ week…I was about six…which proved to be my peak…)

Baseball Quiz Answer: Eight to steal 90 or more bases in a season.

Rickey Henderson, 130 (1982), 108 (1983), 100 (1980), 93 (1988)
Lou Brock, 118 (1974)
Vince Coleman, 110 (1985), 109 (1987), 107 (1986)
Maury Wills, 104 (1962), 94 (1965)
Ron LeFlore, 97 (1980)
Ty Cobb, 96 (1915)
Omar Moreno, 96 (1980)
Tim Raines, 90 (1983)

Add-on up top by noon, Wed.