Monday Morning Sports Update-03/15/2021

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NCAAMBB – Gonzaga is No. 1 overall
Gonzaga, Illinois, Baylor and Michigan are the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which begins first-round play on Friday.  The Bulldogs have claimed the No. 1 overall seed and will head the West Regional. The Zags are the only unbeaten team in men’s Division I hoops and are trying to become the first squad to run the table on its entire schedule since Indiana in 1976.  Iowa has the second seed in the West, followed by Kansas and Virginia. Gonzaga beat each of those teams by double-digits during the regular season, including a 23-point rout of the defending-champion Cavaliers.  Baylor tops the South bracket and heads into the tourney with just two losses, including a setback in the Big 12 semifinals. The Bears spent most of the season as the No. 2 team in The Associated Press poll.  Ohio State is No. 2 in the South, just ahead of Arkansas and Purdue.  Big Ten rivals Illinois and Michigan took the other top seeds after competing in what arguably was the best and deepest conference. The Illini head the Midwest Region after winning the conference tournament, part of an eight-game winning streak. The Wolverines are tops in the East Region and own just four losses, although two of those defeats have come in their last three games.

NCAAMBB – Even with Livers injured, Michigan earns No. 1 seed in East
Michigan earned a No. 1 seed in the East Regional a day after announcing its second-leading scorer has an injury that could keep him out of the NCAA Tournament. Isaiah Livers is out indefinitely with a stress injury in his right foot that prevented him from playing in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal loss to Ohio State. Michigan opens its tournament run Saturday against the winner of Thursday’s matchup between Mount St. Mary’s and Texas Southern.  Other first-round games in the region include Colorado vs. Georgetown, BYU vs. the winner of Michigan State/UCLA and Alabama vs. Iona.

NCAAMBB – Big Ten has record 9 NCAA tourney teams; 4 get 1 or 2 seeds
The Big Ten again has more teams in the NCAA Tournament than any other conference. The league’s record nine teams include a pair of No. 1 seeds and two No. 2s in the 68-team field. The Big Ten had eight teams in the last tournament played two years ago. The ACC and Big 12 both got seven teams into this year’s tournament, the SEC has six and the Pac-12 five. There are 11 conferences sending multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament. That also happened in 2019.

NCAAMBB – NCAA field missing mainstays Duke, Kentucky and Louisville
Duke, Kentucky and Louisville are NCAA Tournament regulars. Not this year though. The Blue Devils, Wildcats and Cardinals were left out in the cold when the March Madness brackets were unveiled on Sunday. It is the first time since 1976 all three schools missed the tournament in the same year. Of the three, Louisville had the best chance after Kentucky had its first losing season in 32 years and Duke had to withdraw from the ACC Tournament due to a positive COVID-19 test. But the Cardinals were one of the first four teams not to make the 68-team field.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Chicago Bulls 118, Toronto Raptors 95

Bulls 118, Raptors 95 – Williams scores 23, Bulls beat Raptors 118-95
Rookie Patrick Williams had a career-best 23 points to lead the Chicago Bulls past the Toronto Raptors 118-95. Zach LaVine scored 15 to help the Bulls end a two-game slide. Coby White had 13 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Chicago maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second half. Norman Powell scored 32 points as the depleted Raptors, down five regulars, lost their fifth straight. Kyle Lowry had 20 points and eight assists before being ejected in the final minutes after picking up his second technical foul for arguing with officials.

Tonight
San Antonio Spurs at Detroit Pistons, 8:00 p.m.
Indiana Pacers at Denver Nuggets, 9:00 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Carolina Hurricanes 2, Detroit Red Wings 1

Hurricanes 2, Red Wings 1 – Hurricanes top Red Wings for 8th straight, take Central lead
Dougie Hamilton and Nino Niederreiter scored, Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 on Sunday night for their eighth consecutive victory. Carolina moved into the Central Division lead at 20-6-1, a point ahead of idle Tampa Bay and Florida. Anthony Mantha scored his eighth goal of the season for Detroit with just 9.4 seconds left in regulation, spoiling Nedeljkovic’s bid for his second career shutout. Niederreiter gave the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead early in the third period, scoring off a pass from Sebastian Aho.

Tonight
Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers, 7:00 p.m.

NFL – Record-setting Saints QB Brees announces retirement at 42
Saints record-setting quarterback Drew Brees has decided to retire after 20 NFL seasons, including his last 15 with New Orleans. The 42-year-old quarterback announced his decision on Sunday on a social media post. It comes after Brees won nine of 12 regular-season starts while completing 70.5% of his passes in 2020. He came back from multiple rib fractures and won a wild-card round playoff game before New Orleans’ season ended with a divisional-round playoff loss Tampa Bay. Brees is the NFL’s all-time leader in yards passing with 80,358. Brees’ 571 career touchdown passes rank second behind Tom Brady’s 581.

MLB – Spring Training
Yesterday
Detroit Tigers 5, Baltimore Orioles 1
Chicago White Sox 1, Oakland A’s 0
Chicago Cubs 1, Los Angeles Angels 1 – TIE

Today
Toronto Blue Jays at Detroit Tigers, 1:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox, 4:05 p.m.

Golf – PGA – Thomas outlasts Westwood to win Players Championship
Justin Thomas found the right time for a near-perfect performance to put a rough start to the year behind him, rallying from three shots behind with bold play to close with a 4-under 68 and win The Players Championship.  Thomas becomes only the fourth player to win a major, The Players Championship, the FedEx Cup and a World Golf Championship, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  He called it as good as he has ever played tee-to-green, and he needed it to outlast Lee Westwood, a hard-luck runner-up for the second straight week. Westwood birdied the final hole for a 72 to finish one shot behind at 13 under.  Bryson DeChambeau and Brian Harman tied for third at minus-12.

NASCAR – Truex breaks ice for 2021
Martin Truex Jr. pulled away in the final laps at Phoenix Raceway for his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season and 28th overall. Truex beat the four championship finalists from last year. He had failed to advance into the season-ending finale for the first time in four years and could only watch as Chase Elliott beat runner-up Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski for the title at the desert oval.

Boxing – Boxing great Marvelous Marvin Hagler dies at 66
Marvelous Marvin Hagler, the middleweight boxing great whose title reign and career ended with a split-decision loss to “Sugar” Ray Leonard in 1987, has died. Wife Kay G. Hagler confirmed the death on Facebook on the verified Marvelous Marvin Hagler Fan Club page. He was the undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 until his loss to Leonard at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 6, 1987. The fierce left-hander had two of his biggest victories at Caesars Palace, unanimously outpointing Roberto Duran in 1983 and knocking out Thomas Hearns in the third round in 1985. Marvin Hagler died Saturday at the age of 66 at his home in New Hampshire.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Tonight
Boys Basketball
Lake Michigan Catholic at New Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Heritage at Michigan Lutheran, 6:30 p.m.
Three Rivers at Dowagiac, 7:15 p.m.
Allegan at Otsego, 7:15 p.m.
Paw Paw at Plainwell, 7:15 p.m.
Edwardsburg at Vicksburg, 7:15 p.m.
Gobles at Decatur, 5:30 p.m.
Mattawan at Kalamazoo Christian, 7:00 p.m.
Portage Northern at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 7:15 p.m.
Gull Lake at Portage Central, 7:00 p.m.

Girls Basketball
Berrien Springs at Watervliet, 7:00 p.m.                 News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM
Benton Harbor at Battle Creek Central, 6:00 p.m.
Lake Michigan Catholic at New Buffalo, 6:00 p.m.
Bridgman at Coloma, 6:00 p.m.
Dowagiac at Three Rivers, 7:15 p.m.
Otsego at Allegan, 7:15 p.m.
Vicksburg at Edwardsburg, 7:15 p.m.
Plainwell at Paw Paw, 7:15 p.m.
Fennville at Bangor, 6:00 p.m.
Schoolcraft at Gobles, 7:00 p.m.
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian at Saugatuck, 7:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Portage Northern, 5:45 p.m.