Weekday Morning Sports – Tuesday 4/7/15

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Sports Radio 1400 WSJM     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Tuesday, April 07, 2015

NCAA Tournament – Men’s National Championship
Last Night – Lucas Oil Stadim, Indianapolis, IN
(1) Duke Blue Devils 68, (1) Wisconsin Badgers 63

Duke 68, Wisconsin 63 – Comeback! Duke tops Wisconsin 68-63 for national title
Jahlil Okafor scored two big buckets late and his freshman buddy Tyus Jones hit a key 3-pointer to lift Duke to its fifth national title Monday night in a 68-63 comeback win over Wisconsin. Okafor spent big chunks of the second half on the bench after drawing his third, then his fourth foul.  When he returned, he beat Wisconsin’s big man, senior Frank Kaminksy, for a pair of buckets, then Jones hit a 3-pointer to complete a run from nine down to eight up with 1:22 left. Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski captured his fifth title, putting him in second place alone behind John Wooden.  Kaminsky outscored Okafor 21-10 but came up short in his last game, as the Badgers (36-4) couldn’t duplicate their thrilling win over Kentucky two nights earlier. Jones led the Blue Devils (35-4) with 23 points.  Jones was named tournament MVP.

MLB – Major League Baseball – Regular Season Opening Night/Day
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 4, Minnesota Twins 0
Kansas City Royals 10, Chicago White Sox 1

Tigers 4, Twins 0 – Price falls 1 out short of complete game shutout, Tigers beat Twins 4-0
David Price left no doubt about his worthiness as Detroit’s opening day starter, coming within one out of a shutout in the Tigers’ 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday. Price retired the first 13 Minnesota batters and allowed five hits before being pulled with two on and two out in the ninth. Joe Nathan struck out Torii Hunter for the save, although Hunter argued to plate umpire Joe West that he checked his swing. The Twins lost in their first game under new manager Paul Molitor. J.D. Martinez and Alex Avila homered off Phil Hughes, and Yoenis Cespedes tripled and scored in his Detroit debut. Cespedes also reached above the wall in left to catch Kurt Suzuki’s drive in the third.  The Tigers acquired Price at last year’s trade deadline, and manager Brad Ausmus picked him to start opening day, snapping Justin Verlander’s seven-year streak of openers.

Royals 10, White Sox 1 – Ventura wins despite thumb cramp, Royals rout White Sox 10-1
Yordano Ventura pitched six solid innings before leaving with a thumb cramp, and Alex Rios had a three-run homer among his three hits as the AL champion Kansas City Royals defeated the Chicago White Sox 10-1 on Monday. Ventura was replaced by Kelvin Herrera in the seventh after crumpling to the ground following a strike to Adam LaRoche. The preliminary report was a right thumb cramp. Ventura will be evaluated later this week, but Royals trainers said it is not believed to be serious.  Rios, who was making his Kansas City debut, homered in a five-run seventh with Kendrys Morales and Alex Gordon aboard. Jose Abreu homered in the seventh for the White Sox.

Today
St. Louis Cardinals (Lynn 0-0) at Chicago Cubs (Arrieta 0-0), 8:05 p.m.

MLB – Fewer restrooms at Wrigley Field added up to long waits
The Chicago Cubs say they’ll add portable toilets at Wrigley Field after fans had long, and uncomfortable, waits to use toilets during the season opener. That’s because of a massive renovation project that kept some of the bathrooms closed during Sunday’s game and problems that forced the temporary closure of more bathrooms. The team apologized for the inconvenience. Fans took to social media to complain about missing chunks of the game waiting in long lines. Cubs spokesman Julian Green said in a statement after the game that the team “missed the mark.” He said the Cubs weren’t “prepared to handle guests during peak periods.” The Cubs said before the game that the renovation project would delay the opening of some restrooms.

MLB – 2018 game in DC
Nationals Park will host baseball’s 2018 All-Star Game, the fourth consecutive year that event will be in an NL city. New Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement before attending Washington’s opener against the New York Mets. Cincinnati will hold the All-Star game this year, followed by San Diego in 2016 and Miami in 2017.
NBA – Rose’s return date for Bulls remains unclear
Derrick Rose’s return date to the Chicago Bulls’ lineup remains unclear with five games remaining.  Rose has been taking contact in practice the past week. But coach Tom Thibodeau would not say Monday when he will return from his latest knee operation. He says Rose has not experienced any setbacks and that he just has “to feel comfortable enough to play.” He says the star point guard’s conditioning is improving. The Bulls visit Orlando and Miami on Wednesday and Thursday, host Philadelphia on Saturday and visit Brooklyn on Monday before finishing the regular season at home against Atlanta on April 15. Rose had minor surgery Feb. 27 and was expected to miss four to six weeks. A torn meniscus in his right knee sidelined him most of last season.

NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.

NHL – Red Wings call up Ferraro from AHL
The Detroit Red Wings recalled right wing Landon Ferraro on Monday from Grand Rapids of the AHL. The 23-year-old Ferraro has 27 goals and 15 assists in 70 games with the Griffins this season. He played four games for the Red Wings last season. Detroit drafted Ferraro in the second round in 2009. The Red Wings are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with Ottawa only two points behind. Detroit hosts Carolina on Tuesday night.  If Detroit wins and Ottawa loses in regulation, Detroit can clinch a playoff spot.

NCAA Tournament – Women’s Final Four
Tonight – Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
(1) Notre Dame vs. (1) Connecticut, 8:30 p.m.

NCAA – UConn, Notre Dame set for women’s championship game rematch
Notre Dame faces UConn tonight in the NCAA women’s championship game for the second straight year. The Irish are looking for their first national title since 2001. A win for the Huskies would be a third straight title for UConn and 10th overall for coach Geno Auriemma.

NCAA looking for ways to speed up game, increase scoring
An NCAA basketball committee is expected to consider rules changes that could speed up games and increase scoring as soon as next season. On Monday, committee members and officials from schools, conferences and the NCAA briefed reporters on what may change. Three proposals stand out: Reducing the shot clock from 35 seconds to 30, moving the restricted area arc from 3 feet in front of the basket to 4 feet, and calling more fouls in hopes of keeping players from being so physical. Another possibility is changing how timeouts are used. The rules committee will meet in Indianapolis from May 12-15. Any changes that pass would still have to be approved by another committee in June.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Today
Baseball
St. Joseph at Benton Harbor, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Niles at Lakeshore, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Mich. Lutheran at River Valley, 4:15 p.m. (DH)
Coloma at Buchanan, 4:15 p.m.

Softball
St. Joseph at Benton Harbor, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Niles at Lakeshore, 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Eau Claire at Watervliet Grace Chr., 4:30 p.m.
Coloma at Buchanan, 4:15 p.m.

Girls Soccer
Bridgman at Niles, 5:00 p.m.
Coloma at River Valley, 5:00 p.m.
Lake Michigan Catholic at Lakeshore, 6:00 p.m.
Brandywine at Buchanan, 6:00 p.m.

Girls Tennis
Lakeshore at St. Joseph, 4:00 p.m.
Niles at Brandywine, 4:00 p.m.