95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Thursday, March 23, 2017
NCAAMBB – Sharp-shooting Michigan faces resilient Ducks
Michigan has won seven in a row and 12 of its last 14 after knocking out second-seeded Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City. The Wolverines have been a tournament darling since they escaped tragedy during an aborted takeoff on their way to the Big Ten Tournament. Oregon has withstood the loss of big man Chris Boucher to a season-ending knee injury in the Pac-12 semifinals to make the Sweet 16 for a second year in a row. When Michigan lost at home to Ohio State in early February, coach John Beilein said the mood around the team was “lower than low.” He demanded that everyone give just a little more effort. Derrick Walton Jr. took it to heart and has carried the team during its run. In the last six games, he’s averaging 19.7 points, 7.0 assists and 5.2 rebounds and shooting 41.7 percent from behind the 3-point line. Michigan is 4-0 all-time against Oregon. The Wolverines won the most recent meeting 70-63 in a Thanksgiving tournament in 2014.
NCAAMBB – NCAA Tournament – Sweet 16
Tonight
Midwest Region
Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
(7) Michigan vs. (3) Oregon, 7:09 p.m. 95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports 6:30
(4) Purdue vs. (1) Kansas, 9:39 p.m.
West Region
SAP Center – San Jose, CA
(4) West Virginia vs. (1) Gonzaga, 7:39 p.m.
(11) Xavier vs. (2) Arizona, 10:09 p.m.
NCAAMBB – NTSB cites mechanical issue in Michigan plane incident
A preliminary investigation into the runway accident involving a plane carrying the Michigan men’s basketball team cites a mechanical problem. The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday issued an update about the March 8 crash at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti Township, near the Ann Arbor school. The aborted takeoff caused extensive damage to the aircraft but only one minor injury during evacuation. The report does not list a likely cause of the incident, but it says flight data recorder shows the right elevator _ the primary mechanism controlling an airplane’s pitch _ didn’t move during the attempted takeoff. The plane carrying 109 passengers and seven crew members skidded 1,000 feet past the runway. The team was headed to Washington, D.C., for the Big Ten Tournament. They flew the next day and won the tournament and are now in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Dallas Stars at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Chicago Bulls 117, Detroit Pistons 95
Boston Celtics 109, Indiana Pacers 100
Bulls 117, Pistons 95 – Mirotic scores season-high 28, Bulls beat Pistons 117-95
Nikola Mirotic scored a season-high 28 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons 117-95 in a matchup between struggling teams fighting for a playoff spot on Wednesday night. Mirotic shot 12 of 15 and made 4 of 6 3-point attempts to lead Chicago to an easy win after dropping eight of 10. Jimmy Butler added 16 points and 12 assists. Joffrey Lauvergne filled in for suspended center Robin Lopez and outplayed Andre Drummond with 17 points and seven rebounds. Rookie Paul Zipser added a career-high 15 points as the Bulls moved into a ninth-place tie with Detroit in the Eastern Conference. Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris each scored 14 for the Pistons, losers of five of six. Drummond grabbed 17 rebounds but scored just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting.
Celtics 109, Pacers 100 – Celtics knock off Pacers
The Boston Celtics have added another half-game to their lead in the NBA’s Atlantic Division. Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points and the Celtics won for the fifth time in six games by topping the Pacers, 109-100. Al Horford added 15 points with eight boards and eight assists for the Celts, who top their division by 3 ½ games over Toronto. Boston turned a seven-point, halftime lead into a 14-point edge by scoring 39 points in the third quarter. Thomas delivered 11 points in the period while the Celtics shot 17-for-25.
NBA – Robin Lopez, Serge Ibaka get 1-game suspensions for fighting
Chicago’s Robin Lopez and Toronto’s Serge Ibaka have both been suspended one game without pay by the NBA for fighting. Lopez and Ibaka threw punches at one another during the Bulls-Raptors game on Tuesday. Lopez was barred from Chicago’s home game with Detroit on Wednesday, and Ibaka will not play when Toronto visits Miami on Thursday. Also, Raptors assistant coach Jamaal Magloire was fined $15,000 for his role in the altercation. He pushed Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic and the league says he acted “as other than a peacemaker.” Lopez and Ibaka were both ejected and issued technical fouls after Tuesday’s incident. The Raptors and Bulls do not play again this season.
MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training
Yesterday
Toronto 5, Detroit 4
Oakland 5, Chicago White Sox 3
Cincinnati 5, Chicago Cubs 2
Today
Cincinnati vs. Chicago White Sox at Glendale, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona at Scottsdale, Ariz., 4:10 p.m.
Detroit vs. Atlanta at Kissimmee, Fla., 6:05 p.m.
MLB – Tigers star Cabrera, out with stiff back, could return soon
Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera could soon return to the lineup after being sidelined by back stiffness. Cabrera has been out since leaving Venezuela’s game last Saturday in the World Baseball Classic. Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said Cabrera might play Friday against Atlanta. “Just not going to rush it,” Ausmus said before Wednesday’s game against Toronto. “There’s no reason to rush it. He’s got plenty of at-bats. We’ll see how he is on Friday.” Cabrera hit .316 with 38 homers and 108 RBIs last season. Outfielder J.D. Martinez, who sprained his right foot making a shoestring catch Saturday, is scheduled to be re-examined Friday. Martinez hit .307 last year with 22 home runs and 68 RBIs.
WBC – USA Claims World Baseball Classic Championship
Marcus Stroman tossed six hitless innings, Ian Kinsler slugged a two-run homer and the United States routed Puerto Rico 8-0 on Wednesday night to win its first World Baseball Classic in four tries. Stroman dominated the tournament’s highest-scoring team. Puerto Rico lost for the first time in eight games after outscoring the opposition 55-26. The U.S. territory finished runner-up for the second time, having lost to the Dominican Republic in the 2013 final. Stroman, who was named the tournament’s MVP, avenged his shakiness in the Americans’ 6-5 loss to Puerto Rico during pool play. The right-hander from the Toronto Blue Jays retired the side on three grounders to open the game. In all, he gave up one hit, struck out three and walked one on 73 pitches. He allowed just three balls past the infield until Angel Pagan’s double in the left-field corner leading off the 7th, when Stroman departed to a standing ovation, having led the Americans to a 7-0 lead.
NFL – Bears re-sign DL Wilson to 1-year contract
The Chicago Bears have re-signed defensive lineman C.J. Wilson to a one-year contract. A seven-year veteran, he appeared in six games for the Bears last season and had one sack. He has 122 tackles and 7 ½ sacks with the Green Bay Packers 2010-13), Oakland Raiders (2014-15), Detroit Lions (2015) and Bears (2016). The Bears announced the move on Wednesday. Chicago finished last in the NFC North at 3-13 last season.
NFL – NFL looking to speed up games via officiating and breaks
The NFL is making plans to speed up the pace of games, including changing how video replays are handled and using a time clock for extra points. The league also is discussing with the TV networks how to make commercial breaks less intrusive. For officiating replays, the referee no longer would go under a hood to watch a play. Instead, a tablet will be brought to him on the field and he will consult with league headquarters in New York. The final call will be made in New York. Support by 75 percent of the 32 team owners would be needed at next week’s annual meetings for passage of the proposal. In addition to a time clock for PATs when there is no TV break, the league is considering instituting a play clock after a touchdown. Also, to improve the flow of games on the field and for television audiences, commercial breaks would be reduced from 21 per game to 16, although each would last 30 seconds longer.
USA Hockey – USA Hockey postpones women’s training camp amid wage dispute
USA Hockey has postponed the start of the women’s national team’s world championship training camp amid an ongoing wage dispute. USA Hockey said the camp originally scheduled to begin Wednesday in Traverse City, Michigan, won’t happen. The organization “anticipates” a training camp in Plymouth, Michigan, site of the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship. Players announced last week that they’d boycott the tournament unless they made significant progress with USA Hockey in negotiations on a labor deal. The sides met for 10-plus hours Monday, and John Langel, a lawyer for the players, tells The Associated Press that the next meeting will be by phone but hasn’t been scheduled yet. The tournament begins March 31.
AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Cleveland 2, Chicago 1, SO
ECHL – East Coast Hockey League
Last Night
Kalamazoo 3, Florida 2
NBADL – NBA Developmental League
Last Night
Raptors 905 (Mississauga, ON) 112, Grand Rapids Drive 87
MHSAA – New Haven’s Weems named AP Class B boys Player of the Year
New Haven’s Romeo Weems has been named The Associated Press Class B boys Player of the Year in Michigan. The 6-foot-6 sophomore averaged 18 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.9 steals, 3.6 assists and 2.8 blocked shots a game this season. Weems was one of two sophomores named to the AP All-State team, which also included Benton Harbor freshman Carlos Johnson. Mark Watts of Detroit Old Redford was the other sophomore voted to the team by a panel of sports writers. The others were juniors Carl Bow Jr. of Hazel Park, Bryce Drews of Hillsdale and Lamar Norman of Wyoming Godwin Heights, and seniors Tyreese Gardner of Comstock, Avery Hudson of Wayland, Darian Owens-White of River Rouge and Mario Whitley of Frankenmuth. Tom Lewis of Williamston is Coach of the Year.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Girls Soccer
South Haven 0, Fennville 0 – TIE
Marshall 2, Paw Paw 1
Tonight
Boys Basketball – Semifinals – Jack Breslin Student Events Center – Michigan State University
Class C
Detroit Edison vs. Flint Beecher, 1:00 p.m.
G.R. Covenant Christian vs. Manton, 2:50 p.m.
Class D
Powers North Central vs. Southfield Chr., 6:00 p.m.
Lansing Christian vs. Buckley, 7:50 p.m.
Other Sports Tonight
Girls Soccer
Okemos at Gull Lake, 6:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Sturgis, 6:45 p.m.
Baseball
Lake Michigan Catholic at Lawrence, 4:30 p.m.
Niles at Three Rivers, 4:30 p.m.
Hartford at South Haven, 4:00 p.m.
Softball
Hartford at South Haven, 4:00 p.m.
