Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame all tournament bound – Cosy Sports Update

wcsy-2020-podcasts
wcsy-2020-podcasts

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Los Angeles Clippers 106, Detroit Pistons 102
Atlanta Hawks 131, Indiana Pacers 128

Clippers 106, Pistons 102 – Morris, Kennard lead Clippers over Pistons, 106-102
Marcus Morris scored 31 points and Luke Kennard had 16 against their former team, helping the Los Angeles Clippers rally for a 106-102 victory against the Detroit Pistons. Reggie Jackson, another former Piston, finished with 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Jeremi Grant scored 21 for Detroit, and Cade Cunningham had 19 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. The Clippers trailed 44-26 in the second quarter, but they took an 85-83 lead on Kennard’s 3-pointer with 7:53 left.

Hawks 131, Pacers 128 – Trae Young scores 47, Hawks hold off Pacers 131-128
Trae Young scored 33 of his 47 points in the first half, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers 131-128. Atlanta had seven players score in double figures and shot 54.8% from the field. Danilo Gallinari and De’Andre Hunter had 15 points apiece, and Kevin Huerter finished with 14. The Hawks have won 13 of 15 at home and two straight overall. Tyrese Halliburton and Buddy Hield each scored 25 points for Indiana.

Tonight
Chicago Bulls at Sacramento Kings, 10:00 p.m.

NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball – Conference Tournaments
2022 Big Ten Tournament – Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Yesterday
Championship
5 Iowa 73, 3 Purdue 66

Iowa 73, Purdue 66 – No. 24 Iowa closes out No. 9 Purdue 75-66 for Big Ten title
Keegan Murray had 19 points and 11 rebounds as No. 24 Iowa beat No. 9 Purdue 75-66 to win its first Big Ten Tournament championship since 2006 and earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Jaden Ivey scored 20 points and Trevion Williams had 11 points and 11 rebounds to lead Purdue, which got within 63-62 with 3:13 to go. But Purdue only scored four more points.

2022 ACC Tournament
Saturday
Championship
7 Virginia Tech 82, 1 Duke 67

2022 Big 12 Tournament
Saturday
Championship
1 Kansas 74, 3 Texas Tech 65

2022 PAC 12 Tournament
Saturday
Championship
1 Arizona 84, 2 UCLA 76

2022 SEC Tournament
Sunday
Championship
2 Tennessee 65, 7 Texas A&M 50

2022 MAC Tournament
Saturday
Championship
4 Akron 75, 2 Kent State 55

NCAAMBKB – Back to normal: Zags, Baylor join KU, Arizona as NCAA No. 1s
The March Madness bracket is out. Gonzaga received the top overall seed, with Arizona, Kansas and defending champion Baylor joining the Zags as top seeds. Early round games in the 68-team tournament start Tuesday. The nets come down for the final time on April 4 at the Final Four in New Orleans. This marks the return to the first “normal” tournament since 2019, with teams scattering to eight cities for the first weekend and four more for the Sweet 16.

NCAAMBKB – Wolverines, Spartans, and Irish go dancing
After Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame all came up short in their conference tournament runs, all three still were able to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.  Michigan is the 11th seed in the south regional and will face 6th seeded Colorado State in Indianapolis on Thursday at 12:15 p.m.   Michigan State is the 7th seed in the West regional and faces 10th seed Davidson on Friday Night at 9:40 p.m.  The game is in Greenville, South Carolina.  Notre Dame has an extra step on their way to the final four in New Orleans, to get there the Irish will be a part of the first four.  Notre Dame is facing Rutgers of the Big Ten in the battle of 11 seeds, Wednesday at 9:10 p.m. in Dayton, Ohio.  The winner will take on Alabama in the West Regional.  The Big Ten Conference leads the tournament with 9 of it’s 14 members in the field of 68.

NFL – Tom Brady is returning to Tampa to play 23rd season in NFL
Tom Brady’s retirement lasted 40 days. Brady said Sunday he’s returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his 23rd season in the NFL. The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced his decision on Twitter and Instagram, saying he has “unfinished business.” “These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” Brady wrote. “That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa.”

MLB – Star slugger Cabrera, Tigers start spring with a new outlook
Miguel Cabrera showed up Sunday morning for the start of his 20th spring training camp in the majors, his 15th with the Detroit Tigers. This one is a little different. For the first time since 2016, the fortified Tigers are thinking about winning, perhaps even contending. Cabrera topped the career 500-homer mark last season and needs just 13 hits to reach 3,000. The 38-year-old star helped the Tigers go 77-85 last season in their first year under manager A.J. Hinch. It was a big leap up from four straight seasons of winning percentages under .400. In November, Detroit traded for catcher Tucker Barnhart from Cincinnati. The Tigers then signed left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez and shortstop Javier Báez to long-term contracts.

MLB – Robert, White Sox seek health, longer postseason run
Luis Robert bounced back from a serious hip injury to enjoy a strong final two months as the Chicago White Sox rolled to a second straight playoff berth and an AL Central championship. After a quick exit at the hands of the Houston Astros, the White Sox hope a healthy Robert and Eloy Jiménez can help the Sox reach the World Series.

MLB – Cubs add veteran reliever Jesse Chavez on minor league deal
The Chicago Cubs have signed Jesse Chavez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to big league camp, adding the veteran reliever after he had a strong year with the champion Atlanta Braves. The 38-year Chavez posted a 2.14 ERA in 33 2/3 innings last year after being called up for a start in June. He also pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in the postseason. Chavez appeared in 32 games with Chicago in 2018, going 2-1 with a 1.15 ERA over 39 innings.

MLB – Astros’ Verlander ‘on cloud nine’ after 1st bullpen session
Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander says he feels great following his first bullpen session at spring training. Verlander threw about 40 pitches in two simulated innings on the first day of Houston’s camp. The 39-year-old Verlander is returning from Tommy John surgery. Verlander, manager Dusty Baker and general manager James Click say they haven’t established a spring or regular-season workload expectation for the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner.

Paralympics – Paralympics close to end Asia’s run at center of world sport
The president of the International Paralympic Committee has expressed “hopes for peace” as the Winter Paralympics closed in Beijing but avoided mentioning Russia’s war on Ukraine. The closing ceremony marked the end of an almost six-week run for international sports in the Chinese capital that began with the opening of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 4. IPC President Andrew Parsons sounded a note of unity at the ceremony, saying “differences here did not divide us," after Russian and Belarusian athletes were expelled early in the competition. The next Summer Olympics and Paralympics are in 2024 in Paris, followed by Winter Games in Milan-Cortina in 2026.  The 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games are in Los Angeles.

NASCAR – Briscoe gets first Cup win
Chase Briscoe executed two great restarts over the final 20 laps to pull away from Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick in NASCAR’s Cup race at Phoenix Raceway.  It was an intense late battle between three drivers who had never won in the Cup Series. On the final restart with four laps left, the 27-year-old Briscoe started on the inside, dipped low on the dogleg apron, and was able to hold off the rest of the field.  Pole-sitter Ryan Blaney won the second stage after leading 138 of the first 185 laps before settling for fourth.

Golf – PGA – Scores higher than temps at Players Championship
The Players Championship has become a meteorologist’s dream. First came two days of heavy rain, followed by high winds on Saturday and frigid temperatures on Sunday. Players finally were able to complete the second round at TPC Sawgrass, where they braved 35-degree weather as Sam Burns and Tom Hoge moved into a first-place tie through two rounds. closed out his second round with a 75-foot eagle putt and an 18-foot par. Hoge shot a 71 on Sunday for a 7 under total.  Erik van Rooyen and Harold Varner III were one off the lead through 36 holes.  The third round was to finish Monday morning, followed by the final round in pursuit of the $3.6 million payoff to the winner. Anirban Lahiri of India was the clubhouse leader when Round 3 was halted by darkness.

AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Grand Rapids Griffins 2, Chicago Wolves 1 – OT

MHSAA – Spring High school sports begin practice
With the boy’s basketball finals coming up next weekend, it’ll mark the end of winter sports in the state of Michigan.  With that, spring high school sports will begin practice, even as some places in the state still covered with snow.  Track and Field, Baseball, Softball, Girls Soccer, Lacrosse, Boys Golf, and Girls Tennis will begin preparation for their first contests, which can officially begin Wednesday, March 23.  Spring sports returned last year after a year off, the spring season was cancelled in 2020 during the initial stages of the pandemic.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Tonight
Boys Basketball – Regional Semifinals
Division 1 at Battle Creek Central
St. Joseph vs. Kalamazoo Central, 5:30 p.m.            News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 5:15
East Lansing vs. Okemos, 7:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Three Rivers
Benton Harbor vs. Holland Christian, 5:30 p.m.
Edwardsburg vs. Parchment, 7:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Centreville
Lawton vs. Schoolcraft, 5:30 p.m.
Watervliet vs. Bronson, 7:00 p.m.

Division 4 at New Buffalo
Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian vs. Muskegon Heights Academy, 5:30 p.m.
Gobles vs. New Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.