NCAA MEN’S FINAL FOUR
Upstart Michigan State vs. Duke…Wisconsin tackles 38-0 Kentucky
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) β It’s Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, where a who’s who of coaches is trying to beat each other to reach Monday’s men’s national title game.
National championships, multiple Final Four appearances, impressive won-loss records year after year. Whatever your criteria for deciding the best of the coaches, this year’s Final Four group has it.
Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (shuh-SHEF’-skee) is one ring away from a hand full of championship jewelry. He’s tied with John Wooden for most Final Four appearances and his career victory total stands alone at 1,016.
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo has one national title and seven Final Four appearances. He is the Spartans’ all-time winningest coach and he is just five wins from 500 in 20 seasons. Izzo’s upstart Spartans take on Coach K’s Blue Devils in tonight’s first game (6:09 p.m. Eastern tip-off).
Kentucky’s John Calipari, in addition to being two wins from the best record in Division I history, is trying for a second national title in his sixth Final Four, although trips with Massachusetts and Memphis were vacated for NCAA violations. He has 635 wins. He’s also the runaway AP coach of the year, receiving 40 of the 65 first-place votes.
Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan is in his second straight Final Four at the Division I level, but he led Wisconsin-Platteville to four Division III national championships and two of those were with unbeaten teams. He has a combined win total at three schools of 739 in 31 seasons. Ryan has the AP player of the year in 7-foot center Frank “The Tank” Kaminsky, who’s averaging 18.7 points and 8 rebounds a game while shooting 54.9 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from 3-point range.
Calipari’s 38-0 Wildcats tackle the Badgers in the second national semifinal at 8:49 p.m. Eastern time.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Playoff hopefuls in action
UNDATED (AP) β The Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are battling each other for the final two playoff slots in the Eastern Conference. Two of those teams are in action tonight.
The Nets, fresh off their 114-109 victory over Toronto last night, try for their seventh straight victory when they hit the road at Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta, which long ago clinched the Southeast Division title.
The Celtics, who lost 110-101 to Milwaukee last night, start the night a half-game back of Miami for the final Eastern playoff slot. The Celtics are at Toronto.
Those are two of 10 games on tonight’s NBA schedule. Elsewhere, it’s Charlotte hosting Philadelphia, Miami at Detroit, Washington is at Memphis, Milwaukee hosts Orlando, Golden State takes its 11-game winning streak to Dallas, Denver hosts the L.A. Clippers, Utah is at Phoenix and the New Orleans Pelicans are at Portland. New Orleans is fighting with idle Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Going Wild for the playoffs
UNDATED (AP) β Over the past 11 weeks, the Minnesota Wild have the best record in the NHL — 27-6-2. And that’s after the Wild had their five-game winning streak snapped by the New York Rangers, 3-2, Thursday night.
Tonight, the Wild will have one more test against a quality Eastern Conference foe, when they host Detroit. The Red Wings haven’t secured their spot in the postseason yet, either.
That’s one of 13 games on a busy hockey Saturday. It starts with three day games with Carolina hosting Philadelphia, Pittsburgh at Columbus and Winnipeg hosting Vancouver.
Tonight, the Boston Bruins hope to hold onto their eighth spot in the Eastern Conference when they host Toronto. Tampa Bay, which is battling the Rangers and Montreal Canadiens for best record in the East, is at Florida. And the Rangers are home against the New Jersey Devils.
Elsewhere, Washington is at Ottawa, Buffalo visits the New York Islanders, Nashville hosts Dallas, San Jose is at Arizona, Edmonton is home against Calgary and the L.A. Kings host Colorado.
LPGA-ANA
Ko 7 back of leader
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) β Lydia Ko, who missed a chance to break the LPGA Tour record for consecutive rounds under par yesterday, closed with a bogey for a 1-over 73 in the second round of the ANA Inspiration. Ko had fired 29 straight rounds under par, tying the PGA mark set by Annika Sorenstam in 2004.
Ko was seven strokes behind leader Sei Young Kim as they enter the third round of the first major of the LPGA season.
PGA-HOUSTON OPEN
Putnam leads Phil by one
HUMBLE, Texas (AP) β Andrew Putnam takes a one-shot lead over Phil Mickelson and Austin Cook into today’s third round of the Houston Open. This is the final event on the PGA Tour before next week’s Masters.
Putnam is at 12 under par following yesterday’s 7-under 65. Mickelson has gone 66-67 during his first two trips around the track.
Canadian Graham DeLaet and Luke Guthrie are two shots off the lead.
