95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Friday, March 24, 2017
NCAAMBB – NCAA Tournament – Sweet 16
Last Night
Midwest Region
Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
(3) Oregon 69, (7) Michigan 68
(1) Kansas 98, (4) Purdue 66
West Region
SAP Center – San Jose, CA
(1) Gonzaga 61, (4) West Virginia 58
(11) Xavier 73, (2) Arizona 71
Oregon 69, Michigan 68 – Ducks end Michigan’s run with 69-68 victory, head to Elite 8
Tyler Dorsey scored 20 points and made the go-ahead layup with 1:08 left, and third-seeded Oregon ended No. 7 Michigan’s dramatic postseason run with a 69-68 victory in a Midwest Regional semifinal on Thursday night. Dorsey, the man the Ducks call “Mr. March,” had his sixth straight game scoring 20 or more points. The Wolverines (27-11) had one more chance to extend their run after Dylan Ennis missed a free throw with 15 seconds left. But Derrick Walton, who had carried the Wolverines the last three weeks, was off with his long jumper just before the buzzer. Jordan Bell had a double-double for the Ducks (32-5), with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Pac-12 player of the year Dillon Brooks added 12 points and Dylan Ennis had 10. Walton led the Wolverines with 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Zak Irvin had 14 of his 19 points in the second half and DJ Wilson had 12 points. Oregon plays Kansas on Saturday in the regional final.
Tonight
South Region
FedEx Forum – Memphis, TN
(4) Butler vs. (1) North Carolina, 7:09 p.m.
(3) UCLA vs. (2) Kentucky, 9:39 p.m.
East Region
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
(7) South Carolina vs. (3) Baylor, 7:39 p.m.
(8) Wisconsin vs. (4) Florida, 9:59 p.m.
NCAAMBB – NCAA dismisses Louisville’s response in sex scandal case
The NCAA is standing by its allegations against the Louisville men’s basketball program and Rick Pitino, saying the coach failed to notice “red flags” in activities by a former staffer who an escort says hired dancers for sex parties with recruits and players. The next step is a hearing before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions, but no date was set in the governing body’s response that was sent to the school last Friday. The NCAA’s response included what it described as aggravating factors that led to its conclusions, along with a detailed picture of its investigation in an excerpt of an interview with Pitino. The NCAA has said Louisville committed four Level 1 violations, one of which states that Pitino failed to monitor Andre McGee. Pitino and the university disputed that allegation when responding to the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations in January, but acknowledged that violations occurred.
NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Chicago Blackhawks 3, Dallas Stars 2 – Shootout
Blackhawks 3, Stars 2 – SO – Kane, Crawford lift Blackhawks over Stars 3-2 in SO
Patrick Kane scored his team-leading 33rd goal in regulation and connected again in the shootout as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Thursday night to open an eight-point lead for first place in the Central Division. Artemi Panarin also scored in the shootout as Chicago rode a 42-save effort by Corey Crawford through overtime to improve to 6-0-1 in its last seven. It was also the Blackhawks’ 18th win in their last 22 games. Marian Hossa scored his 24th goal of the season midway through the third period. Crawford was beaten only by Tyler Seguin in the shootout and twice in regulation by Ales Hemsky as he rebounded from giving up four goals on 10 shots to Vancouver on Tuesday night. Dallas’ Kari Lehtonen made 24 saves through overtime, following up on a 30-save shutout on Monday against San Jose.
Tonight
Tampa Bay Lightning at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
NHL – Blackhawks give F Tanner Kero 2-year contract extension
The Chicago Blackhawks have signed utility forward Tanner Kero to a two-year contract extension. The deal with the 24-year-old, signed by the Blackhawks as a free agent in April 2015, runs through the 2018 to 2019 season. Terms of the deal announced Thursday weren’t disclosed.
Olympics – NHL asked for decision on Olympics by end of April
The NHL has until the end of April to decide whether league players will be cleared to participate in the South Korea Olympics next year. International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel announced that timeline to The Associated Press as the NHL and its players remain divided on participation. Union chief Donald Fehr (feer) says players want to compete in the Winter Games, but team owners have made it clear they don’t want to stop their season again for the Olympics and put their stars at risk of injury.
USA Hockey – USA Hockey begins contacting potential women’s replacements
USA Hockey says it will begin reaching out to potential replacement players in case the women’s national team boycotts the upcoming world championships over an ongoing wage dispute. The organization says in a statement sent to The Associated Press that it’s still prioritizing having the original team on the ice. But USA Hockey informed players’ representatives that it will be gauging replacement players’ availability for the tournament, which begins March 31st in Plymouth, MI. Executive director Dave Ogrean says USA Hockey’s objective remains having the players picked for the team represent the U.S. and called negotiations this week “productive conversations.” The sides met for 10-plus hours in person Monday in an effort to resolve a dispute over wages. The U.S. is the defending champion.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Tonight
Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic, 7:00 p.m.
Denver Nuggets at Indiana Pacers, 7:00 p.m.
Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.
MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training
Yesterday
Chicago White Sox 4, Cincinnati 2
Chicago Cubs 5, Arizona 5
Atlanta 2, Detroit 1
Today
Atlanta vs. Detroit at Lakeland, Fla., 1:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox vs. Oakland at Mesa, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.
Cleveland vs. Chicago Cubs at Mesa, Ariz., 4:05 p.m.
NFL – Bears re-sign WR/KR Deonte Thompson to 1-year deal
The Chicago Bears have re-signed receiver and kickoff returner Deonte Thompson to a one-year contract. He had 22 receptions for 249 yards and finished second in the NFL with 804 kickoff return yards last season. Thompson has 39 receptions for 477 yards and 71 kickoff returns for 1,803 yards in five seasons with Baltimore Ravens (2012-13), Buffalo Bills (2014) and Bears (2015-16). The Bears announced the move on Thursday.
NFL – Bears reportedly will sign Sanchez
NFL Network has reported that the Chicago Bears have agreed on a deal with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez was backup to Dak Prescott for the Cowboys last year, throwing two interceptions on 18 pass attempts Sanchez is in his eighth year after starting his career with the New York Jets. Lifetime, Sanchez has thrown 86 touchdowns, but also 86 interceptions.
AHL – American Hockey League
Tonight
Rockford IceHogs at Grand Rapids Griffins, 7:00 p.m.
ECHL – East Coast Hockey League
Tonight
Norfolk Admirals at Kalamazoo Wings, 7:00 p.m.
Florida Everblades at Toledo Walleye, 7:15 p.m.
NBADL – NBA Developmental League
Tonight
Grand Rapids Drive at Fort Wayne Mad Antz, 7:00 p.m.
MHSAA – East Lansing’s Johns named AP Class A boys Player of Year
East Lansing’s Brandon Johns has been named The Associated Press Class A boys Player of the Year in Michigan. The 6-foot-8 junior forward is regarded as one of the nation’s top 50 prospects in the 2018 recruiting class. He averaged 20.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.2 blocks for an East Lansing squad that finished 24-1. Joining Johns on the Class A first team are North Farmington’s Amauri Hardy, Clarkston’s Foster Loyer, Grand Rapids Christian’s Xavier Tillman, Kalamazoo Central’s Isaiah Livers, Saginaw’s Henry Speight, Detroit East English’s Greg Elliott and David DeJulius, Holland’s Demetrius Lake and Wayne Memorial’s Rashad Williams. The 2016-17 AP All-State Basketball Team is selected by a panel of Michigan sportswriters. Flushing’s Adam Smith is the Class A Coach of the Year.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Basketball – Semifinals – Jack Breslin Student Events Center – Michigan State University
Class C
Flint Beecher 76, Detroit Edison PSA 68
G.R. Covenant Christian 62, Manton 35
Class D
Powers North Central 84, Southfield Chr. 83 – 2 OT
Buckley 68, Lansing Christian 61 vs., 7:50 p.m.
Baseball
Lake Michigan Catholic 5, Lawrence 1
South Haven 4, Hartford 1
Tonight
Boys Basketball – Semifinals – Jack Breslin Student Events Center – Michigan State University
Class A
West Bloomfield vs Clarkston – 1:00 p.m.
Grand Rapids Christian vs Romulus – 2:50 p.m.
Class B
Benton Harbor vs. New Haven – 6:00 p.m. 95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports
River Rouge vs Ludington – 7:50 p.m.
Girls Soccer
Cassopolis at Brandywine, 5:00 p.m.
Vicksburg at St. Joseph, PPD to 5/12
Baseball
Niles at Three Rivers, 4:30 p.m.
Softball
River Valley at Niles, 4:15 p.m.
