Alright, a lot to cover here, but you have to let me rant for a minute.  As many of you know, I am a West Virginia Mountaineers fan.  I know this team wasn’t good enough to even make it to the Sweet Sixteen, I do.  But man, did they get screwed over by some of the most corrupt decisions in college sports history, as well as Indiana getting the short straw as well.  West Virginia was left out of March Madness, yet North Carolina, Xavier, and Texas somehow found their way in.  Baffling right?  Let’s take a look into the numbers for each of these schools and you tell me if Bubba Cunningham (Athletic Director of North Carolina/Chairman of the Committee) had anything to do with this-he did. He secured a $104,000 bonus for getting the Tarheels in the dance on top of it.  Maybe we should let Peebles High School Athletic Director be the chairman of OHSAA and get Peebles the easiest route in the dance every year, while giving him a bonus for doing so.  Works for Bubba, right?

West Virginia –  111/111 bracketologists had WVU in the dance, Wins over Gonzaga (Neutral court), Arizona (Neutral court), Kansas (at Kansas), and Iowa State, 6 Quad 1 wins, 0 Quad 3 or 4 losses, .500 in the Big 12, Defeated 4 ranked teams, 4 Big 12 road victories, 3 wins against AP Top 10 teams (most in the Big 12), 1 of only 30 teams to have 6 quad 1 victories.  And don’t give me the injury excuse.  Tucker DeVries hasn’t played since December 6^th before conference play.  Give me a break!

North Carolina – 27/111 bracketologists had them in the dance, 1-12 in Quad 1 games (Atrocious), Quad 3 loss, Beat UCLA (Only ranked team they beat), 13-7 in a very poor ACC, 13 losses…But hey, they almost beat Duke

Xavier – 30/111 bracketologists had them in the dance, 1-9 in Quad 1 games, ranked wins over Marquette and Uconn, 13-7 in the Big East. 

Texas – 50/111 bracketologists had them in the dance, 15 losses, 6-12 in conference play (WOOF), Wins over ranked opponent Mississippi State, Texas A&M, UK, Missouri.

Which resume would you want if you wanted to get in the tournament?  Do you think the Athletic Director of North Carolina should be a chair on the selection committee?  I didn’t think so.  Shame on the NCAA. 

Bags Secured for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins

At last, our beloved duo finally has reached an agreement with Chase and Higgins including: 4 year extension for Chase, $161 million, $112 million guaranteed (Highest paid non-QB in NFL history).  Higgins signed a four year extension for $115 million and becomes the highest WR2 in NFL history.  Never say the Bengals are cheap ever again, as they just forked up the cash and added tax!  However, this shows that they waited too long.  Nail the draft Cincinnati and start paying your stars early, while reaping the benefits later.  Prices don’t go down, Brown Family!  Be happy though Bengals fans, as this is huge.  Hendrickson, you’re next if at all possible.  Defense has some major holes that need filled and I expect the draft to be majorly focused on pass rush and secondary help. 

One Week until Reds Opening Day

With just a week and some change until Reds Opening Day, the excitement is building around Cincinnati.  This city is ready for some baseball and the city desperately needs a contender this year-and I think they will get just that.  However, there are some areas of concern as of late:

• Tyler Stephenson will miss some time with an oblique strain-Massive blow to the lineup
• Jose Trevino is day to day with a thumb injury, leaving us with Wynns should Trevino also miss time
• Spencer Steer will likely miss Opening Day, but Francona is giving him every chance to try and be ready come next week

Outside of this though, the Reds are relatively healthy and look to bounce back from these injuries fast.  Cincinnati is in a much better spot than last season regarding health.  Some notable players that will not be making the Opening Day roster this year include Noelvi Marte and Will Benson.  Both have struggled, although I can see Benson joining the team within a month or so of playing time in AAA, as I think he is a true Major League batter.  If Stephenson and Steer both miss time, I expect Blake Dunn to be given a chance to make an impact quick, with Hurtubise ready to get some major league time as well.  They both have been highly impressive this Spring. 

Reds baseball is nearly here and it is the most magical time of the year!  Well unless you ask my wife, as we visited Dollywood this weekend and she got to see Dolly Parton in the parade.  I guess I owed her for the years of dragging her to RedsFest, Reds Games, and Bengals games! Seeing her happy to see Dolly was worth it and I owed her for the amount of time she has spent in line with me to talk to players season after season!

The post NCAA committee’s controversial decisions: Rant from a WVU fan appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By Herald Staff

March Madness 2023 is officially over, and the UConn Huskies beat the San Diego State Aztecs 76-59 to win this year’s championship.

While San Diego desperately tried to even the score late in the second half, they weren’t enough for the offensive power the Huskies.

This will be the Huskies’ fifth title since 1999.

In addition, this win draws UConn even with Duke and Indiana in a tie for fourth place in the race for most titles in men’s college basketball history.

The post UConn beats San Diego State to score its fifth national championship appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

This is the latest episode of the Chocolate News Podcast. We bring you news that discusses issues affecting the Black community.

On today’s show we will be discussing the death of Actor Lance Reddick, the March Madness Sweet Sixteen, the State of the Black Press, and more.

This week’s episode is hosted by John Alexander Reese (Digital Editor, The Cincinnati Herald) and Andria Carter (Digital Correspondent, The Cincinnati Herald).

This week’s podcast is sponsored by the Ohio Lottery. Keep it fun Ohio. Play responsibly.

Originally recorded on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

The post Remembering Lance Reddick and the State of the Black Press appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

This is the latest episode of the Chocolate News Podcast. We bring you news that discusses issues affecting the Black community.

On today’s show we will be discussing the winners at 95th Academy Awards, two local Cincinnati high school basketball teams winning state, the start of March Madness 2023, and more.

This week’s episode is hosted by John Alexander Reese (Digital Editor, The Cincinnati Herald) and Andria Carter (Digital Correspondent, The Cincinnati Herald)

Originally recorded on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.

The post Oscars Winners 2023 and March Madness appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By MIKE LOPRESTI

NCAA.COM

The defending champion is gone. No Kansas. For that matter, none of the schools that have won the past seven national titles.

The favorite for national player of the year is gone. No Zach Edey, who somehow did not take a shot in the last 9:24 of Purdue’s loss.

The tournament champions of the Big Ten, ACC, Big East and Pac-12 are gone. No Purdue or Duke or Marquette or Arizona.

The top six winningest programs in the history of the sport are gone. You have to go down to UCLA at No. 7 to find a survivor.

The ACC and Big Ten are nearly gone. One Sweet 16 team each, same as the Ivy League. But the Big East and SEC each have three.

All the No. 12 seeds are gone. For only the sixth time since tournament expansion in 1985, none of them knocked off a No. 5.

The first week of the tournament presented some truly astonishing moments. Purdue done in by a 16 seed, a year after being done in by a 15 seed, a year by after being done in by a13 seed. That makes 18 Boilermaker defeats by a lower seed since their last Final Four in 1980. Kansas out, with no Bill Self on the bench. Princeton on the march. Not many classic endings, though. Of the 52 games played so far, 28 were decided by double digits and only eight by one possession. There have been no overtimes.

But the Sweet 16 that all those exits produced is long on opportunity and novelty.

Twelve of the 16 have never won a national championship, seven have never been to a Final Four. Florida Atlantic had never won a game in the tournament until last Friday.

Consider the South Region this week in Louisville, where the only team in the field with prior Final Four experience will be . . . Princeton?

It is a Sweet 16 of the absent and the hurting. UCLA is there without star guard Jaylen Clark, Tennessee without all-SEC guard Zakai Zeigler, Xavier without second leading scorer and top rebounder Zach Freemantle. Houston still has All-American Marcus Sasser, but his sore groin is the most scrutinized muscle of the month. And Jamal Shead’s knee hurts, too. “We’re not the team we were that was 31-3 and a 1 seed,” coach Kelvin Sampson said the other day.

It is a Sweet 16 that includes the absent and the hurting. UCLA is there without star guard Jaylen Clark, Tennessee without all-SEC guard Zakai Zeigler, Xavier without second leading scorer and top rebounder Zach Freemantle. Houston still has All-American Marcus Sasser, but his sore groin is the most scrutinized muscle of the month. And Jamal Shead’s knee hurts, too. “We’re not the team we were that was 31-3 and a 1 seed,” coach Kelvin Sampson said the other day.

It is a Sweet 16 that proves sometimes, the beloved 3-point shot doesn’t mean squat. Princeton shocked Arizona while going 4-for-25 from the 3-point line. Arkansas took out Kansas while hitting only three of 15. Michigan State dumped Marquette while missing 14 of 16. Kansas State was under 24 percent from out there against Kentucky and Fairleigh Dickinson hit barely 30 percent against Purdue. “That’s why your defense matters,” Tom Izzo told his Michigan State Spartans when they were clanging 3-point attempts.

Here, then, are the games of the Sweet 16, and reasons to pay attention to each.

SOUTH REGION

No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 1 Alabama: Friday, March 24 | 6:30 p.m. | TBS

The scoreboard might be a little quiet. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Maryland could shoot only 34.7 and 35.2 percent against the Tide defense last weekend. San Diego State held Charleston and Furman to 57 and 52 points and 32 percent shooting. “Defense travels,” said San Diego State’s Darrion Trammell. “That’s something we have on the paper every away game.”

Speaking of away games, Alabama thrived in the neighborhood thunder of Birmingham last weekend. The Louisville crowd might not be so friendly. As for San Diego State, the last Final Four appearance of a sitting Mountain West member was UNLV 32 years ago.

No. 15 Princeton vs. No. 6 Creighton: Friday, March 24 | 9 p.m. | TBS

This pair is on the road rarely traveled. Princeton hasn’t been this far in the tournament in 56 years and Creighton is in only its second Sweet 16 since 1974. They haven’t met since 1961.

Arizona was fifth in the nation in scoring at 82.7 points a game, but the Wildcats managed only 55 against Princeton. Missouri was 23rd with a 79.5 average, but scored only 63. Princeton dominated them both by a combined 30-4 in second chance points.

In other words, these guys aren’t exactly cute, lovable underdogs. They do the tough stuff. “The world looks at us as two upsets,” Tosan Evbuomwan said. “But I feel like we’re supposed to be here.”

Here is about the last thing the Tigers want to see Friday in Louisville: Creighton at the free throw line. The Bluejays have taken 75 free throws since the Big East tournament began. They have missed six. That includes 22-for-22 in dumping Baylor. Four players have broken 30 points in this NCAA tournament so far and two play for Creighton — Ryan Kalkbrenner with 31 against North Carolina State, Ryan Nembhard with 30 against Baylor. The Bluejays sports information department dug up the fact that the only other team to ever have two guys with same first name score 30 in the same NCAA tournament was Memphis with Larry Finch and Larry Kenon 50 years ago.

By the way, that team ended up in the Final Four.

“We give everybody the respect they’re due,” Nembhard said. “But at the end of the day we think we’re just as good as anybody in the country.”

EAST REGION

No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Kansas State: Thursday, March 23 | 6:30 p.m. | TBS

Now here’s something of an odd couple. Jerome Tang is in his first year as a head coach, Tom Izzo is in his 15th Sweet 16. This will be Tang’s third NCAA tournament game. It will be Izzo’s 79th.

The Michigan State defense made life utterly miserable for Marquette Big East player of the year Tyler Kolek Sunday — 2-for-8 shooting, six turnovers — and now focuses attention on Markquis Nowell. He went for 17 and 27 points in the first two rounds with 14 and nine assists. Of the 58 Kansas State field goals in the tournament so far, Nowell has either scored or passed for 37 of them.

Meanwhile, Michigan State’s Tyson Walker is averaging 17.5 points a game in the tournament and has not made a single turnover in 67 minutes. So guard play should be interesting to watch.

No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 4 Tennessee: Thursday, March 23 | 9 p.m. | TBS

Remember the worries about the Vols, with Zeigler out and staggering down the stretch, losing seven 12 games? They flexed their muscles, started banging bodies and shut down the opponents, giving up 55 and 52 points to Louisiana and Duke. Also in those games, 31 of their 44 field goals came off assists.

“We’re a tough, hard-nosed team. That’s how we played everybody,” said Olivier Nkamhoua after scoring 27 points and roughing up Duke. “What we were saying before the game the whole time is we were going to bring them into the mud with us and make them play a tough, hard-nosed game and see if they were ready for it.”

The mud now awaits the upstarts from Boca Raton, who had all the warriors they needed over the weekend. First, it was Nick Boyd beating Memphis in the last seconds. Then a stat line for the ages from Johnell Davis against Fairleigh Dickinson: 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, five steals, just one turnover against the FDU press. The Owls, who had only 16 turnovers in their two early round games, apparently understand what they’re getting into. This from coach Dusty May: “We’re going to study Australian rugby rules and get ready for the Vols.”

MIDWEST REGION

No. 5 Miami vs. No. 1 Houston: Friday, March 24 | 7:15 p.m. | CBS

Nothing much has been easy so far for the banged-up Cougars, who had trouble shaking off Northern Kentucky and had to rally from 10 points down at halftime to pass Auburn. But when crunch time comes, the Cougars just turn up the thermostat on the defense. Auburn was 4-for-24 in the second half, Northern Kentucky 9-for-39. Together they were 3-for-26 from the 3-point line after halftime.

Northern Kentucky coach Darrin Horn observed afterward, “I don’t think it’s a stretch to say we outplayed Houston. We just didn’t make enough shots.” But then, lots of Cougar opponents go away feeling like that. In some ways, they get uglied into defeat.

Houston is two wins away from getting to the Final Four, which will be played in . . . oh, right. Houston.

Miami poses a threat, just off scoring 85 points against Indiana and pounding the Hoosiers into submission with a 48-31 rebound blowout and 29-11 gap in second chance points. Guard Isaiah Wong, the ACC’s player of the year, scored 27 points against the Hoosiers and will lead the drive against the Cougars defense. Except, that’s often not a lot of fun.

For being ACC co-champions and back in the Sweet 16 for a second consecutive year, the Hurricanes don’t seem to get a lot of national buzz. “All we can do is just come out and win basketball games,” guard Jordan Miller said. “I feel like winning a game in itself is a way to get recognition.”

Win the next one, and they certainly will.

No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 2 Texas: Friday, March 24 | 9:45 p.m. | CBS

The proud, the few, the Musketeers. With Freemantle out, Xavier is pretty much a six-man operation. The rest of the roster combined for 10 total minutes in the first two tournament games. But all six who play scored in double figures against Pittsburgh and the assists keep coming for a team that led the nation in those for much of the season. They had 38 in two games the past weekend.

That thin blue line now faces Texas and its nine players who average at least 11 minutes a contest. Seven of them have played a combined 913 college games. With such veteran depth, no wonder the Longhorns have trailed only 4:37 in two games against Colgate and Penn State. One Texas player likely to be prominent on the Xavier scouting report is the suddenly go-to force Dylan Disu. He came into the NCAA tournament averaging 8.3 points and 5.6 shots a game. He must like March. He scored 17 points against Colgate, 28 against Penn State, hitting 14 of 20 shots against the Nittany Lions.
The Longhorns are going to Kansas City, where they just won the Big 12 tournament.

WEST REGION

No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 UCLA: Thursday, March 23 | 9:45 p.m. | CBS

Think replays of Jalen Suggs’ Hail Mary banker from their 2021 Final Four overtime epic will get much air time this week? Here’s the rematch. Since Groundhog Day, these two are a combined 26-2.

UCLA’s only loss since early February was a two-pointer in the Pac-12 final against Arizona. That apparently miffed the Bruins and sent them on a mission. They have trailed 44 seconds in the NCAA tournament so far against UNC Asheville and Northwestern, allowing 37 percent shooting and outscoring their opponents 45-20 in points off turnovers.

“We don’t take losing well at UCLA,” coach Mick Cronin said after the UNC Asheville romp. “We spell fun w-i-n. We lost our last game. These guys took it personal.”

If they took that game personal, what must they think about the stake in the heart Gonzaga and Suggs inflicted on them in the 2021 Final Four? One look at Drew Timme will remind them, and he’s been on a tear himself with 28 points against TCU, including his first 3-pointer since December. That made him only the seventh player in history with at least 20 points in nine NCAA tournament games.

Gonzaga has won 11 games in a row and just cliched a rather remarkable eighth consecutive Sweet 16 spot, but somehow has been able to hide in the shadows late in the season. That changes Thursday in Las Vegas.

No. 8 Arkansas vs. No. 4 Connecticut: Thursday, March 23 | 7:15 p.m. | CBS

Questions abound. Can Connecticut’s Adama Sanogo be stopped? He has scored 28 and 24 points in the tournament, shooting 73 percent, but now faces the long arm of the Arkansas law. Six Razorbacks have a wingspan of at least seven feet.

Will Arkansas’ Davonte Davis continue to come out of the halftime locker room as a scoring machine? He has put up 31 of his 41 tournament points in the second half.

What if the Razorbacks ever actually need a 3-pointer? They tend to build their leads the old-fashioned way, two points at a time. They’re 342nd in the nation in making 3-pointers and have only six in two tournament games. This while Connecticut is 21-for-47 from the arc.

Can Connecticut ride a good omen? Last time the Huskies played in the Sweet 16 was 2014. The national champion in 2014 was . . . Connecticut.  Come to think of it, the Huskies are the only program that has won any of the past 21 national championships to still be playing.

And finally, the big one. If Arkansas wins, will Eric Musselman keep his shirt on?

All 16 teams have reason to be grateful, just look at the victims left behind.  Marquette’s Shaka Smart spoke for a lot of them after being taken out by Michigan State Sunday: “This game does not define the season that our team had, but what it does do is it knocks you out of the NCAA tournament. That’s how it works. It’s a one-time single elimination deal. And as sweet as it feels to advance, it’s even worse to lose.”

The post The unexpected March Madness Sweet 16, previewed and how to watch appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By Herald Staff

The Xavier University Musketeers, the No. 3 seed, defeated the No. 11 Pittsburgh Panthers, to make it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2023’s March Madness tournament.

Xavier has not been to the Sweet Sixteen since the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

This is will be the ninth time that Xavier has reached this milestone.

Senior Jack Nunge led six the Musketeers in double figures with 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting.

Next: Xavier will play the Texas Longhorns this Friday, March 24 at 9:45 PM.

The post Xavier makes the Sweet Sixteen; first time since 2017 appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

It’s time to go dancing!

By: Molly Schramm

CINCINNATI — March Madness is upon us, and both the Xavier Musketeers and Northern Kentucky Norse are going dancing!

The No. 16 Norse will be playing the No. 1 Houston Cougars on Thursday in Birmingham, Alabama. NKU (22-12) was selected within the Midwest region of the tournament.

𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗡.

We're gonna have a 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗠. 😤@NKUNorse | #NorseUp pic.twitter.com/w63tMGcQc4

— NKU Men's Basketball 🏀 (@NKUNorseMBB) March 12, 2023

The Cougars (31-3) fell to Memphis Tigers 75-65 on Sunday in the the AAC Tournament championship game. Despite not winning the tournament, Houston did knock out the UC Bearcats in a 69-48 semifinal win. The Bearcats weren’t selected in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

This is the Norse’s third time since transitioning to Division I that they’re going to the Big Dance. The Norse secured their spot after a 63-61 win against Cleveland State in the Horizon League championship game March 7.

This will be NKU’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019, when they fell to No. 3 Texas Tech in the first round. That Red Raiders team went on to the National Championship.

Last season, the Norse just barely missed the tournament after falling to Wright State 72-71 in the Horizon League championship game.

No. 3 Xavier will face off with the No. 14 Kennesaw State Owls on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Muskies (25-9) are also in the Midwest region of the bracket.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 3️⃣ 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻! pic.twitter.com/vr14wlsVSZ

— Xavier Basketball (@XavierMBB) March 12, 2023

This is the Musketeers first time back to the Big Dance after they missed it for four straight seasons.

Ahead of the NCAA tournament, Xavier fell to Marquette 65-51 Saturday in the Big East championship game. The Owls (26-8) won the ASUN Tournament after beating the Liberty Flames 67-66 on March 5.

The No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats will also see the Big Dance when they face the No. 11 Providence Friars on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina.

6️⃣ Kentucky vs. 1️⃣1️⃣ Providence#BlueGetsIn x #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/LkrDajzSga

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 12, 2023

The Wildcats (21-11) fell to Vanderbilt 80-73 in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. The Friars (21-11) fell in the Big East Tournament to the Connecticut Huskies.

The NCAA Tournament kicks off March 14 with the First Four, and the National Championship game is held in Houston on April 3.

You can check out the full NCAA March Madness bracket below:

THE BRACKET 🙌#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/HZYnwD3s3x

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 12, 2023

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati

The post Xavier University and NKU join March Madness 2023 appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By DOUG FEINBERG

AP Basketball Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Dawn Staley hoisted the championship trophy high, strutted around the court and stopped for a brief victory dance. She handed over the hardware to South Carolina’s student band, then headed back to midcourt for more merriment.

The Gamecocks hit all the right notes this season, and they finished with a masterpiece.

Staley’s team buttoned up on defense and dominated on the glass, beating UConn 64-49 on Sunday night to end the Huskies’ undefeated streak in title games. Destanni Henderson scored a career-high 26 points, Aliyah Boston added 11 points and 16 rebounds, and the Gamecocks handed Geno Auriemma’s Huskies their first loss in 12 NCAA title games.

“We played every possession like it was our last possession,” said Staley, the first Black men’s or women’s coach with two Division I titles. “They were determined to be champions today.”

A year ago, South Carolina lost in the Final Four when Boston missed a layup before the buzzer.

“Honestly, I’ve been thinking about this since last season. Everyone had a picture of me crying,” said Boston, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. “Today, we’re national champions and I’m in tears.”

With Staley calling the shots in a Louis Vuitton letterman jacket, South Carolina took UConn to school on the boards and capped a wire-to-wire run as the No. 1 team in the country in The Associated Press poll. The Gamecocks also won the championship in 2017 with A’ja Wilson leading the way.

This time it was Boston — the AP Player of the Year — and her fellow South Carolina post players who dominated on the game’s biggest stage. The Gamecocks outrebounded UConn 49-24, including a 21-6 advantage on offensive boards.

“We knew tonight that if we didn’t hold our own on the boards, that it was going to be a really bad night for us,,” Auriemma said. “And that’s exactly what happened.”

They also clamped down on star Paige Bueckers and the Huskies on defense, just like they did all season long.

“They deserved it 100%,” Auriemma said. “They were the best team all year.”

It was South Carolina’s night from the start. The Gamecocks (35-2) jumped to an 11-2 lead, grabbing nearly every rebound on both ends of the floor. They led to 22-8 after one quarter much to the delight of their fans, who made the trip to Minneapolis to be part of the sellout crowd.

UConn (30-6) trailed by 16 in the second quarter before Bueckers, a Minnesota native, got going. After having just one shot in the first quarter, she scored nine points in the second to get the Huskies within 35-27 at the half. She finished with 14.

An 8-2 run to start the third quarter put South Carolina up 43-29 before the Huskies finally started connecting from behind the arc. UConn missed its first eight 3-point attempts until Caroline Ducharme made one from the wing and Evina Westbrook followed with another to get the Huskies within 43-37.

That’s as close as they could get because of Henderson.

The senior guard had a three-point play to close the third quarter and then had the team’s first four points in the fourth to restore the double-digit lead. The Huskies couldn’t recover.

“My teammates believed in me once again. We’ve been working so hard since Day 1, and it finally paid off, all my hard work, all my focus,” Henderson said. “Me trusting the process. Me trusting God. She just put me in a position just to be great, and today, we national champions.”

This was UConn’s first trip to the championship game since 2016, when the Huskies won the last of four straight titles. Since then, the team has suffered heartbreaking defeats in the national semifinals, losing twice in overtime, before holding off Stanford on Friday night. The Huskies were trying to win their 12th title in the same city they won their first one in 1995.

Auriemma said Saturday that when his team had won each of its 11 titles, the Huskies entered the game as the better team. They certainly weren’t on Sunday.

“We just didn’t have enough,” he said. “They were just too good for us.”

It had been one of the most challenging seasons of Auriemma’s Hall of Fame career. UConn overcame losing eight players for at least two games with injury or illness, including Bueckers, who missed nearly three months with a left knee injury suffered in early December. She came back in late February but wasn’t at the same level that earned her AP Player of the Year as a freshman last season.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Gamecocks have been stalwarts on defense all season long, ranking third nationally with 50.5 points allowed per game. They were even sharper in the NCAA Tournament, holding opponents to 44.8 points entering Sunday’s finale.

Henderson had three steals, Boston blocked two shots and South Carolina forced 15 turnovers. The Gamecocks’ plus-25 rebounding margin was the second biggest ever in a title game.

BIG PICTURE

UConn: The Huskies lose three seniors in Christyn Williams, Westbrook and Olivia Nelson-Ododa but still have a solid group back led by Bueckers and freshman Azzi Fudd. If the Huskies stay healthy, they’ll have a good shot to contend for next year’s title.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks lose Henderson and Victaria Saxton but have all the talent to repeat as champions.

The post Staley leads South Carolina over UConn for second NCAA title appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By JOHN MARSHALL

AP Basketball Writer

March Madness has taken a power turn as it turns to the Final Four. No more plucky underdogs, much as we enjoyed the run by Saint Peter’s. No more double-digit seeds looking for upsets.

This year’s Final Four is Duke and Carolina, Kansas and Villanova, four powerhouses looking to add another national championship to their formidable resumes.

Blue bloods in the Big Easy. It could be an all-time weekend of games and we’ve got a rundown of what to look for:

TEAMS

Kansas. The lone No. 1 seed left in the bracket may be Bill Self’s best chance to add an elusive second national championship to the one he and the Jayhawks won in 2008.

Duke. You may have heard: Coach K in his final NCAA Tournament. A walk-off national title would be the perfect ending to a Hall of Fame career that includes the most wins in NCAA history.

Villanova. Another year, another Wildcats trip to the Final Four. Losing Justin Moore to a torn Achilles tendon is tough, but never count out a Jay Wright team.

North Carolina. Hubert Davis took the reins from Roy Williams and continued the Tar Heels down the championship path. He follows Bill Guthridge by taking UNC to the Final Four in his first season.

STAR PLAYERS

Paolo Banchero, Duke. Offense, defense, clutch plays — the 6-foot-10 freshman can do it all. No wonder he’s projected as a possible top-3 pick in the NBA draft.

Ochai Agbaji, Kansas. The first-team All-American may be the best athlete in the Final Four — and that’s saying something in this bracket.

Armando Bacot, North Carolina. Will block your shot, then dunk in your face. Dominating at both ends.

Collin Gillespie, Villanova. Heady, steady, clutch and experienced. The perfect floor leader for one of the game’s most efficient teams.

KEY PLAYERS

Mark Williams, Duke. Scoring over the 7-1 sophomore in the lane is an accomplishment. Getting dunked on by him is almost inevitable.

Christian Braun, Kansas. The sharpshooter is perfect for Self’s high pick-and-roll offense. Surprisingly good finisher at the rim.

Caleb Love, North Carolina. The athletic freshman can score in bunches and loves big moments. He had 30 points, including two late 3-pointers in 37 seconds in the Tar Heels’ Sweet 16 win over the Bruins.

Caleb Daniels, Villanova. The New Orleans native is headed home and will need to be a difference maker with Moore out. He has the tools.

THE GAMES

Villanova vs. Kansas, 6:09 p.m. ET Saturday (TBS). The Jayhawks have the depth advantage, particularly with Moore’s injury. The Wildcats are uber efficient, powerfully built and never back down. Nothing will be easy about this big-time match-up.

Duke vs. North Carolina, 8:49 p.m. ET Saturday (TBS). The Tobacco Road rivals have met 257 times. This will be their first in the NCAA Tournament and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game against the Tar Heels. Not sure it gets any better than this.

ODDS

Odds to win the national title, according to FanDuel Sportsbook: Duke plus-160, Kansas plus-180, Villanova plus-450, North Carolina plus-500.

Final Four game odds: Kansas minus-4.5 vs. Villanova; Duke minus-4 vs. North Carolina.

Over/under: Kansas-Villanova 151 points, Duke-North Carolina 132.5.

NUMBERS

3 — Hall of Fame coaches in the Final Four: Krzyzewski, Self and Wright.

17 — Combined national championships. Each team has won at least three, a first for the Final Four.

21 — Final Fours for North Carolina, an NCAA record.

61 — Combined Final Four appearances for Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Villanova.

83 — Villanova’s free-throw shooting percentage, on pace to break Harvard’s NCAA record of 82.2% set in 1994.

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By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer

Any hoops fan hungering for a return to normal this March might have looked at the bracket when it finally came out and wondered what ever changed.

Gonzaga is the tournament’s top seed. Kansas and Arizona are No. 1s, as well. Duke and Kentucky are right up there as No. 2s and the defending champion, Baylor, is the other top seed and a force to be reckoned with again, too.

But all that sameness felt like more of a celebration when the pairings were set this Selection Sunday. The most-anticipated reveal of the year felt like a party again, even if it might have been pushed down a notch on the ticker by the unexpected return of Tom Brady to the NFL in an announcement that came just as Dick Vitale and Co., were starting to break down the 68-team draw.

“This was a really special year because we all realized what we missed,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said.

For the first time since 2019, the teams will scatter across the country to eight cities for 48 games over the first four-day weekend of America’s unofficial hoops holiday. Then, they will move to four cities for the Sweet 16. And they will cut down the nets in New Orleans, where the Final Four runs April 2-4.

It figures to be a much different atmosphere than in Indianapolis last year, where all 67 games were held in a makeshift bubble with limited fans. A year after COVID-19 scrubbed the event completely, 2021 offered a tournament that put the NCAA under the glare of the spotlight for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the inequities between the men’s and women’s events.

This year, the women’s tournament is being branded as “March Madness,” just like the men’s. That bracket was revealed on Sunday, just like the men’s. The No. 1 seeds in that one: South Carolina, Louisville, North Carolina State and Stanford.

As always, there was a decent-sized menu of snubs and oversights to debate. On the men’s side, Xavier didn’t make it despite four wins against teams that qualified for the 68-team field. Texas A&M made the final of the SEC Tournament but got snubbed, too. Among those making the cut were Michigan, despite 14 losses, and Indiana and Rutgers, which had 13 each.

The Big Ten got its fair share of love, with a nation-high nine teams, which made it surprising to some that the conference’s tournament champion, Iowa, was stuck with a 5 seed.

Leading the Hawkeyes this year is Keegan Murray, a 23-point-per-game scorer who is one of the best inside-outside threats in the game.

Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji is something rare in college — a senior, and one who averages around 20 points and five rebounds a game and also plays great defense. He withdrew from the NBA draft last season and has led the Jayhawks to their first No. 1 seed since 2018.

Also, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, one of dozens who switched schools via the amped-up transfer portal that is displaying a penchant for reshaping college hoops — and college sports — in the blink of an eye.

“It’s all about staying in the moment and having more fun than anybody in the tournament,” said Tshiebwe’s coach, John Calipari.

The best way to have fun, of course, is winning it all. Baylor did that last year in a title-game romp over Gonzaga. Just like last year, both are No. 1 seeds again, with the Zags the 3-1 favorite to win the title, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Arizona was next at 6-1, followed by Kentucky (17-2) and Baylor (10-1).

“A great learning experience,” Gonzaga’s Drew Timme said on ESPN of last year’s second-place finish. “Obviously, things didn’t go the way we wanted. But it allowed for a lot of self-growth for the program. We’re excited for the challenge.”

So many storylines in this tournament will revolve around Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski. The 75-year-old coach is calling it quits after this season, his 42nd with the Blue Devils. He needs four wins to reach his 13th Final Four, but the road is not easy.

It could include a matchup with Tom Izzo and Michigan State in the second round, then a trip to San Francisco for a possible matchup with Gonzaga in the Elite Eight.

“It’s the last time I’m going to be able to do this,” Krzyzewski tweeted after the brackets came out, “and to be a No. 2 seed is terrific.”

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More AP coverage of March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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