NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament – First Four Games
Last Night:
#16 Radford 71, #11 LIU Brooklyn 61
#11 St. Bonaventure 65, #11 UCLA 58
Tonight:
#16 North Carolina Central vs #16 Texas Southern – 6:40 pm
#11 Arizona State vs. #11 Syracuse – 9:10 pm – 957 & 1400 WSJM Sports
Radford gets first NCAA tourney win
Radford got 13 points each from Travis Fields Jr. and Ed Polite Jr. to beat LIU Brooklyn in the opening First Four game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Dayton, Ohio. The 71-61 win was the first-ever in the tournament for the Highlanders. The Blackbirds got within a point with five minutes remaining before the Highlanders went on a 9-1 run. Radford next faces top seed Villanova on Thursday.
St. Bonaventure Stuns UCLA
St. Bonaventure can prepare for a Thursday meeting with sixth-seed Florida after stunning UCLA, 65-58. Courtney Stockard returned from a hamstring injury and scored 26 points to help the Bonnies get their first NCAA Tournament win in 48 years. Jaylen Adams made a jumper and three free throws in the final minute after missing 14 of his first 15 shots.
NIT
Last night:
#1 Notre Dame 84, #8 Hampton 63
Irish Cruise Past Hampton In NIT Opener
Martinas Geben and T.J. Gibbs combined for 35 points, Bonzie Colson had a double-double and Notre Dame cruised to an 84-63 win over Hampton on Tuesday night in the opening round of the NIT. Geben had 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, Gibbs added 17 with three 3-pointers and Colson scored 14 and grabbed 12 rebounds. The Irish (21-14), a top seed, scored six points after Hampton (19-16), an eight-seed, scored the first basket and pulled away. Notre Dame will host the winner of Wednesday’s game between Temple and Penn State in the second round.
Virginia’s Hunter to miss NCAA tourney
Top-ranked and top-seeded Virginia will be without forward De’Andre Hunter for the entire NCAA Tournament because of a broken left wrist suffered during the ACC tourney. The ACC’s sixth man of the year averaged 9.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 33 games this season, reaching double figures 16 times and leading the Cavaliers in scoring on six occasions. Hunter is expected to need 10 to 12 weeks to recover from next Monday’s surgery.
MHSAA Boys Basketball
Tonight
Class B Regional Final (@ Coloma)
Benton Harbor Tigers (23-1) vs. Dowagiac Chieftans (17-5) – 7 pm – LIVE on 95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports
NBA
Last night:
Indiana Pacers 101, Philadelphia 76ers 98
LA Clippers 112, Chicago Bulls 106
Utah Jazz 110, Detroit Pistons 79
Turner leads Pacers past 76ers 101-98
Myles Turner scored 25 points, including two clutch free throws with 21.5 seconds remaining, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 101-98 on Tuesday night in a possible Eastern Conference playoff preview. Thaddeus Young added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the surprising Pacers (40-28), who overcame an off shooting night by leading scorer Victor Oladipo to win their third straight and improve to a season-high 12 games over .500. They were coming off a 99-97 victory at Boston on Sunday night. The Pacers and upstart 76ers could meet in the first round of the playoffs, and the game had some intensity reminiscent of a postseason matchup. Indiana entered third in the Eastern Conference, two games in front of sixth-place Philadelphia. The 76ers are aiming for their first postseason berth since 2012.
Jordan, Williams lead Clippers over Bulls 112-106
The Los Angeles Clippers need all the wins they can get if they’re going to make the playoffs for the seventh straight year, even the ugly ones. So they’ll take this. DeAndre Jordan dominated with 29 points and 18 rebounds, Lou Williams scored 26 and the Clippers beat the Chicago Bulls 112-106 on Tuesday night. Tobias Harris added 18 points, and the Clippers started to take control late in the third quarter on the way to their fifth win in six games. Bobby Portis led Chicago with 19 points and nine rebounds. Kris Dunn added 18 points and six assists. But with Lauri Markkanen sidelined by lower back spasms, the Bulls lost for the eighth time in 11 games.
Hot start propels Jazz to 110-79 win over Pistons
If there’s such a thing as a perfect quarter, the Utah Jazz came close to playing one. No one could have scripted a better start to Utah’s 110-79 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night than what unfolded for the Jazz in the first quarter. They never trailed and buried Detroit early behind a barrage of crisp passes and smooth baskets. Utah went 17 of 21 from the floor in the quarter and scored on its final 10 possessions to take a 42-21 lead at the end of the period. The Jazz won their seventh straight and 19th of their past 21 games. Luke Kennard scored 18 points and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who have lost 11 of 14 and 10 straight on the road.
MLB Preseason
Yesterday:
Detroit Tigers 2, New York Yankees 2 – TIE
San Diego Padres 7, Chicago Cubs (ss) 5
Chicago Cubs (ss) 2, San Francisco Giants 1
Chicago White Sox were off
Today:
Chicago White Sox @ Milwaukee Brewers (Maryvale, AZ) 4:05 pm
Chicago Cubs @ Kansas City Royals (Surprise, AZ) 4:05 pm
Detroit Tigers are off
NFL-NEWS
Brees, Saints work out extension
The New Orleans Saints are hanging onto Drew Brees. A person familiar with the contract says the quarterback and the Saints have worked out a two-year, $50 million extension, one day before he was due to become a free agent. Brees has said he wanted to finish his career in New Orleans, where he has played since 2006, won a Super Bowl and led what has been one of the most productive offenses in the NFL since he and coach Sean Payton arrived. The 39-year-old Brees completed an NFL-record 72 percent of his passes last season for 4,334 yards and 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He ranked fourth in the NFL in yards passing and the Saints ranked second in the NFL in total offense.
Bradford To Cardinals
A person with knowledge of the situation said quarterback Sam Bradford and the Arizona Cardinals have agreed to a one-year, $20 million contract with a 2019 option for $20 million. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft signed with Minnesota in 2016 and missed most of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Bradford has started all 80 of his NFL games for the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota, completing 63 percent of his passes for his career.
Cardinals Release Adrian Peterson
The Cardinals have released veteran running back Adrian Peterson, who spent a half-season with the team after opening last year with New Orleans. The seven-time All Pro rushed for 134 yards in a win over Tampa Bay and 159 in a win over San Francisco. Peterson gained 448 yards on 129 carries in six games for Arizona before being sidelined with a neck injury.
Packers Cut WR Jordy Nelson
The Packers have cut veteran Jordy Nelson, the third-leading receiver in franchise history and one of Aaron Rodgers’ top targets in the passing game. Nelson had 550 receptions and 69 touchdown catches in 10 seasons in Green Bay, but his production declined last season with Rodgers sidelined much of the year by a collarbone injury. He had 53 receptions for 482 yards and six scores in 2017, a year after winning Comeback Player of the Year honors.
Keenum Heading To Denver
ESPN reports that Case Keenum plans to sign with the Broncos when free agency opens Wednesday. The 30-year-old Keenum is considered the second-best QB available on the open market. He guided Minnesota to the NFC championship game after replacing an injured Sam Bradford last season.
Cousins Likely Going To Minnesota
Free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins is predictably the top priority on Minnesota’s offseason shopping list. ESPN says Cousins will visit with the Vikings on Wednesday, although his agent says no decision has been made. The Jets and Cardinals were the other clubs expected to pursue Cousins, who has played consecutive seasons playing for Washington on a franchise tag salary.
Lions, Bears Making Moves
Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson tells ESPN he plans to sign a three-year, $42 million package with the Chicago Bears. The Detroit Lions have re-signed safety Tavon Wilson, who has started 23 of 25 games the last two years with Detroit.
MLB-NEWS
Cespedes dealing with wrist injury
New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was scratched from Tuesday’s exhibition game due to a sore right wrist. The Mets are awaiting test results on Cespedes, who injured the wrist during a game last Tuesday. The team also announced that captain David Wright won’t participate in baseball activities for two months because of back and shoulder issues. The 35-year-old Wright has been limited to 75 regular-season games during the past three years.
Arrieta Signs With Phillies
Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta donned a Phillies jersey Tuesday for the first time since finalizing his three-year, $75 million contract. He joins a ballclub that hasn’t had a winning season since capturing their fifth straight NL East title in 2011.
