NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball
Last Night
NCAA Tournament – First Four – Dayton, Oh
16 Prairie View A&M 67, 16 Lehigh 55
11 Miami (OH) 89, 11 SMU 79
PVAM 67, Lehigh 55 – Prairie View A&M defeats Lehigh 67-55 in the First Four for its first March Madness win
Dontae Horne scored 25 points and Cory Wells had 19 points and 11 rebounds as Prairie View A&M earned its first NCAA Tournament victory, 67-55 over Lehigh in the First Four. Lance Williams added 10 points for the Panthers, who advance as the No. 16 seed in the South Region to face top seed and defending national champion Florida on Friday night in Tampa, Florida. Lehigh leading scorer Nasir Whitlock went scoreless for more than 26 minutes and finished with five points.
MIAOH 89, SMU 79 – Miami (Ohio) makes a March Madness statement with an 89-79 win over SMU in the First Four
Eian Elmer scored 23 points and Miami of Ohio beat SMU 89-79 in the First Four for its first NCAA Tournament victory in 27 years. Elmer went 6 of 9 from 3-point range as the 11th-seeded RedHawks, who were unbeaten during the regular season, advanced in the Midwest Region to play No. 6 seed Tennessee. Brant Byers added 19 points, including four 3s, and Luke Skaljac had 17 points for Miami, which is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007. The RedHawks finished 16 of 41 from 3-point distance. Jaden Toombs led SMU with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 18 points and Boopie Miller had 15 for the Mustangs.
Tonight
NCAA Tournament – First Round
3 Michigan State vs. 14 North Dakota State, 4:05 p.m. Cosy Classic Hits 103.7 3:00p
1 Michigan vs. 16 Howard, 7:10 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:30p
NCAAMBB – Fresh off first NCAA Tournament win, Howard braces to face No. 1 Michigan
Howard coach Kenny Blakeney’s first glimpse at Michigan came as a fan when he watched the Wolverines play Duke in-person in late February. On Thursday, he and his MEAC champion Bison will get an up-close look at the Midwest Region’s top-seeded Wolverines in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan is 31-3 this season and making its fourth tournament appearance as a No. 1 seed. Howard is coming off a First Four win over UMBC on Tuesday night, its first tournament win in five appearances. In the Midwest’s only other game of the day, eighth-seeded Georgia plays No. 9 seed Saint Louis.
NBA – Natioinal Basketball Association
Last Night
Portland Trailblazers 127, Indiana Pacers 119
Toronto Raptors 139, Chicago Bulls 109
Blazers 127, Pacers 119 – Avdija scores 32 as Blazers beat Pacers 127-119 close in on play-in spot
Deni Avdija scored 23 of his 32 points in the first half and Donovan Clingan added a career-high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Portland Trail Blazers hold off the hard-charging Indiana Pacers 127-119. Portland won the for the third time in four games and inched closer to a Western Conference play-in spot. Avdija also had 11 rebounds on a night Portland had 79 first-half points to match its highest-scoring half this season. Ivica Zubac led the injury-riddled Pacers with 18 points. Indiana extended the longest losing streak in the franchise’s NBA history to 15 games.
Raptors 139 Bulls 109 – Barrett and Ingram help the Raptors cruise past the Bulls 139-109
RJ Barrett scored 23 points, Brandon Ingram had 18 and the Toronto Raptors pounded the Chicago Bulls 139-109 for their third consecutive win. Toronto shot 57% from the field and put seven players in double figures in the opener of a five-game trip. Scottie Barnes had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Ja’Kobe Walter also scored 18. The Raptors led by as many as 38 while completing a sweep of their three-game season series against the Bulls. Matas Buzelis scored 19 points for Chicago, which lost for the third time in four games. Collin Sexton had 14 in his return from a left leg injury.
Tonight
Detroit Pistons at Washington Wizards, 7:00 p.m.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls 8:00 p.m.
NCAAWBB – Michigan shooting for a run in March Madness with super sophomores
Michigan celebrated its best women’s basketball players for the first time this season, honoring Diane Dietz, Katelynn Flaherty Yates and Naz Hillmon by raising maize banners to the rafters at Crisler Center with their names and number in blue. Olivia Olson and Syla Swords might be next. The sophomore shooting guards are the stars on perhaps the top team in program history, helping the Wolverines set a school record with 24 regular-season victories and earn their highest seed in the NCAA Tournament. No. 2 Michigan will host No. 15 Holy Cross on Friday in the first round.
WNBA – WNBA labor deal nears reality, paving the way for first million dollar players
A landmark new WNBA collective bargaining agreement was reached in principle early Wednesday morning that will give the league its first million dollar players. There’s still a lot of work to do between now and the start of the regular season on May 8, however. Lawyers on both sides are finalizing the term sheet for players and the league’s Board of Governors to approve, which should be done in the next day or so.
National Hockey League
Tonight
Montreal Canadiens at Detroit Red Wings, 7:00 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at Minnesota Wild, 7:30 p.m.
MLB – Spring Training
Yesterday
Pittsburgh Pirates 3, Detroit Tigers 1
Arizona Diamondbacks 16, Chicago Cubs 8
White Sox were off
Today
Arizona D’Backs at Chicago White Sox (SS), 9:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (SS) at San Diego Padres, 9:10 p.m.
Tigers and Cubs
MLB – New women’s pro baseball league turns dreams into reality at Red Sox spring home
Kelsie Whitmore stood near third base at JetBlue Park and looked around at her new norm. Women baseball players from around the world tossed balls back and forth, sharing laughs and taking pointers from major league coaches. In less than five months, they will play in the first women’s professional baseball league in the U.S. in more than 70 years. Reality set in Wednesday for Whitmore and players from the WPBL. The upstart league is taking part in a two-day event at the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox ahead the launch of its season on August 1.
NFL – Bears bring back linebacker Jack Sanborn for second stint with 1-year contract
The Chicago Bears have brought back Jack Sanborn for a second stint, signing the Chicago-area linebacker to a one-year contract. Sanborn is from Lake Zurich, Ill. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin with the Bears in 2022. He started 19 of the 48 games he played in over three seasons in Chicago. Sanborn signed with Dallas and was limited to five starts and six games because of a concussion and groin injury. He has 183 tackles plus 15 total special teams tackles in his career. The Bears also signed former Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans defensive lineman James Lynch to a one-year deal. He has 98 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks over five seasons.
MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association
Today
Girls Basketball – State Semifinals
Division 3 at MSU Breslin Center
Brandywine vs. Jackson Lumen Christi, 2:00 p.m.
Girls Soccer
Zeeland West at St. Joseph, 6:30 p.m.
Battle Creek Central at Sturgis, 6:30 p.m.
Battle Creek Lakeview at Plainwell, 6:30 p.m.
Baseball
South Haven at Mich. Lutheran, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Softball
South Haven at Mich. Lutheran, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Delton-Kellogg at Plainwell, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Girls Tennis
Berrien Springs at St. Joseph, 4:00 p.m.
Niles at Schoolcraft, 4:00 p.m.
Boys Volleyball (Debut of new MHSAA Sport)
Mattawan at Grandville, 5:00 p.m.
