WSJM Sports

NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball – NCAA Tournament
Yesterday
First Round
11 Michigan 75, 6 Colorado State 63

Michigan 75, Colorado State 63 – Collins provides spark, Michigan beats Colorado State 75-63
Freshman Frankie Collins provided the spark Michigan needed in a turbulent year for the Wolverines and coach Juwan Howard. He helped the 11th-seeded Wolverines rally from a 15-point deficit to beat sixth-seeded Colorado State 75-63 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Collins was pressed into the starting lineup because starting point guard DeVante’ Jones was out with a concussion. He had season highs of 14 points, six rebounds and 31 minutes. Big man Hunter Dickinson led Michigan with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Dischon Thomas scored 15 points on 5-of-7 3-point shooting for Colorado State.

Today (local teams)
6 Alabama vs. 11 Notre Dame, 4:15 p.m.            San Diego, CA
7 Michigan State vs. 10 Davidson, 9:40 p.m.     Greenville, SC               Superhits 103.7 Cosy-FM 8:30

Thursday Games
4 Providence 66, 13 South Dakota State 57
9 Memphis 64, 8 Boise State 53
1 Baylor 82, 16 Norfolk State 49
3 Tennessee 88, 14 Longwood 56
12 Richmond 67, 5 Iowa 63
1 Gonzaga 97, 16 Georgia State 72
8 North Carolina 95, 9 Marquette 63
12 New Mexico State 70, 5 UConn 63
15 Saint Peter’s 85, 2 Kentucky 79 – OT
5 Saint Mary’s-CA 82, 12 Indiana 53
9 Creighton 72, 8 San Diego State 69 – OT
4 Arkansas 75, 13 Vermont 71
7 Murray State 92, 10 San Francisco 87 – OT
4 UCLA 57, 13 Akron 53
1 Kansas 83, 16 Texas Southern 56

Friday Games
7 Ohio State vs. 10 Loyola Chicago, 12:15 p.m.       Pittsburgh, PA
2 Auburn vs. 15 Jacksonville State, 12:40 p.m.        Greenville, SC
3 Texas Tech vs. 14 Montana State, 1:45 p.m.          San Diego, CA
3 Purdue vs. 14 Yale, 2:00 p.m.                              Milwaukee, WI
2 Villanova vs. 15 Delaware, 2:45 p.m.                   Pittsburgh, PA
7 USC vs. 10 Miami (Fla.), 3:10 p.m.                        Greenville, SC
6 Texas vs. 11 Virginia Tech, 4:30 p.m.                   Milwaukee, WI
4 Illinois vs. 13 Chattanooga, 6:50 p.m.                 Pittsburgh, PA
2 Duke vs. 15 Cal State Fullerton, 7:10 p.m.           Greenville, SC
6 LSU vs. 11 Iowa State, 7:20 p.m.                         Milwaukee, WI
1 Arizona vs. 16 Wright State, 7:27 p.m.                San Diego, CA
5 Houston vs. 12 UAB, 9:20 p.m.                            Pittsburgh, PA
3 Wisconsin vs. 14 Colgate, 9:50 p.m.                    Milwaukee, WI
8 Seton Hall vs. 9 TCU, 9:57 p.m.                          San Diego, CA

NCAAMBKB – Notre Dame not concerned about quick turnaround, long trip
Mike Brey knows more than anyone that sleep can be overrated during the NCAA Tournament. Fresh off an 89-87 double overtime victory over Rutgers in Wednesday’s First Four in Dayton, Ohio, Brey and his Notre Dame squad arrived in Southern California early Thursday morning without much time to prepare for Friday’s West Region first-round matchup against sixth-seeded Alabama. Brey said 11th-seeded Notre Dame’s flight landed at 4:30 a.m. About 13 hours later, the team had a brief walkthrough at Viejas Arena.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Detroit Pistons 134, Orlando Magic 120

Pistons 134, Magic 120 – Bey scores career-high 51 points, Pistons beat Magic 134-120
Saddiq Bey scored a career-high 51 points and the Detroit Pistons beat the Orlando Magic 134-120 on Thursday night end a four-game losing streak. Bey tied the franchise record with 10 3-pointers in 14 attempts. He was 17 for 27 overall. Two nights after being torched for 16 points in the first quarter by Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving on his way to a 60-point game, the Magic gave up 21 points in the first quarter to Bey. Marvin Bagley III added 20 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit in the matchup of the bottom two teams in the Eastern Conference. Franz Wagner led Orlando with 26 points

Tonight
Indiana Pacers at Houston Rockets, 8:00 p.m.
Chicago Bulls at Phoenix Suns, 10:00 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Detroit Red Wings 1, Vancouver Canucks 0

Red Wings 1, Canucks 0 – Alex Nedeljkovic makes 43 saves, Red Wings beat Canucks 1-0
Alex Nedeljkovic made 43 saves, Pius Suter scored and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Vancouver Canucks 1-0 on Thursday night to end a six-game winless streak. Nedeljkovic had his second of the season and the fifth of his career. Suter scored midway through the second period, with help from Vladislav Namesnikov. Thatcher Demko stopped 34 shots for the Canucks. Vancouver pushed in the third, outshooting the Red Wings 14-4 in the period and pulling Demko with 2:23 left on the game clock. The Red Wings road trip continues on Saturday night at the expansion Seattle Kraken.

MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training
Yesterday
Chicago White Sox (ss) 4, Chicago Cubs (ss) 3 – F/7                            Mesa, AZ
Chicago White Sox (ss) 5, Chicago Cubs (ss) 2 – F/7                            Glendale, AZ

Today
Philadelphia Phillies at Detroit Tigers, 1:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at San Francisco Giants, 10:05 p.m.

MLB – Tigers agree to 2-year deal with LHP Andrew Chafin
Left-hander Andrew Chafin and the Tigers finalized a $13 million, two-year contract, giving Detroit one of the top relief pitchers on the free agent market. Chafin gets a $1 million signing bonus, $5.5 million this season and $6.5 million in 2023. The 31-year-old had a 1.83 ERA with a career-high five saves and 64 strikeouts in 71 games in 2021, splitting the season with the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics. His ERA ranked No. 5 in the majors among relievers and he ranked among baseball’s leaders in opponents’ on-base and slugging percentage and opponents’ slugging percentage.

MLB – AP sources: Cubs add Villar, Givens in flurry of moves
The Chicago Cubs stayed busy, agreeing to contracts with infielder Jonathan Villar and pitchers Mychal Givens, Daniel Norris and Robert Gsellman. The Cubs also finalized right-hander Chris Martin’s one-year deal and placed left-hander Brad Wieck on the 60-day injured list with a left elbow strain. The additions are the latest in a flurry of moves for the Cubs since they opened spring training — especially on the pitching side. There is concern across the majors about pitching depth with baseball’s adjusted schedule after the lockout.

MLB – Cubs’ Hendricks eyes return to form coming off rough season
Kyle Hendricks hopes to return to the form that made him one of the Chicago Cubs’ most reliable pitchers in recent years. The team is counting on the veteran right-hander to do just that. The 32-year-old right-hander won 14 games last season to match his second-highest total. Otherwise, it was by far his worst year. Hendricks’ ERA leaped from 2.88 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season to a career-worst 4.77. The major league-leading 200 hits were the most he has allowed. So were the 31 homers, a big jump for someone who had never given up more than 22. With 131 strikeouts and 44 walks, his strikeout-to-walk ratio was below 3.00 for the first time — a big drop from his NL-leading mark of 8.0 in 2020.

NCAA – NTSB: 13-year-old drove pickup in Texas crash that killed 9
A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman says a 13-year-old was driving the pickup truck that struck a van in West Texas in a fiery collision that killed nine people. NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said Thursday the truck’s left front tire, which was a spare tire, also blew out before impact. One must be 14 in Texas to start taking classroom courses for a learner’s license and 15 to receive that provisional license to drive with an instructor or licensed adult in the vehicle. The pickup crossed into the opposite lane on a darkened, two-lane highway before colliding head-on with a van, killing the boy, a man traveling with him, six New Mexico college students and a golf coach.

NFL – Lions sign receiver DJ Chark to $10 million, 1-year contract
The Detroit Lions signed wide receiver DJ Chark to a $10 million, one-year contract. Detroit made a short-term investment for a former Pro Bowl player coming off an injury-shortened season. A broken ankle limited Chark to four games last season in Jacksonville. He earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2019 after he had 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns with the Jaguars. Chark said a few other teams wanted to give him a long-term deal, but he chose to sign in Detroit because of the fit with a team that desperately needs a deep threat at receiver.

NFL – AP source: Raiders acquiring Davante Adams from Packers
The Las Vegas Raiders are making a blockbuster move to keep up in the AFC West, acquiring All-Pro receiver Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers. A person familiar with the move said Thursday the Raiders are sending the No. 22 overall pick in the April draft and additional compensation to the Packers to reunite Adams with his college quarterback, Derek Carr. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced. NFL Network reported that Adams has agreed to a new five-year deal with the Raiders that will pay him $141.25 million in the richest deal ever for a wide receiver.

Golf – Sheriff: Workers maybe sparked country club fire with torch
Surveillance camera footage shows maintenance workers using a propane torch prior to a blaze that destroyed a century-old clubhouse at a suburban Detroit country club. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said the Oakland Hills Country Club has estimated the loss of the clubhouse at about $80 million. Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Thursday that the footage appears to show the workers attempting to douse a small fire in a wall using a garden hose on Feb. 17. Bouchard says investigators could have a preliminary finding on the cause of the fire next month. He did not mention the possibility of criminal charges.

WNBA – Report: Griner’s arrest extended to May 19
Russia’s Tass news agency says a court near Moscow has announced it has extended the detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner until May 19.  Griner was detained at a Moscow airport, reportedly in mid-February, after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges as allegedly containing oil derived from cannabis.  The seven-time All-Star has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. and a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury.

AHL – American Hockey League
Tonight
Texas Stars at Grand Rapids Griffins, 7:00 p.m.

ECHL – ECHL Hockey
Tonight
Iowa Heartlanders at Kalamazoo Wings, 7:00 p.m.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Yesterday
Girls Basketball – Semifinals
Division 3 at Michigan State University
Kent City 47, Madison Heights Bishop Foley 30
Ypsilanti Arbor Preparatory 57, Maple City Glen Lake 44

Division 4 at Michigan State University
Fowler 51, Baraga 45
Plymouth Christian 50, Lenawee Christian 39

Today
Girls Basketball – Semifinals
Division 1 at Michigan State University
West Bloomfield vs Rockford, 12:00 p.m.
Hartland vs Wayne Memorial, 2:00 p.m.

Division 2 at Michigan State University
Grand Rapids West Catholic vs Detroit Country Day, 5:30 p.m.
Detroit Edison vs Ludington, 7:30 p.m.

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Listen to Phil McDonald on the call as the Tigers battle the Eddies for the Division 2 Regional Championship.

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NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball – NCAA First Four
UD Arena, Dayton, OH (Seeds in superscipt)
Last Night
16 Wright State 93, 16 Bryant 82                                                South Region – First Four
11 Notre Dame 89, 11 Rutgers 87 – 2 OT                                       West Region – First Four

Notre Dame 89, Rutgers 87 – 2 OT – Notre Dame beats Rutgers in double-OT to cap First Four
Paul Atkinson Jr.’s putback layup with 1.4 seconds left in the second overtime gave Notre Dame an 89-87 win over Rutgers in a wild First Four game. Ron Harper Jr. tied it with a long 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in the second OT. Notre Dame’s Blake Wesley then missed a shot before Atkinson grabbed the rebound and put back the winner. Atkinson finished with 20 points, Nate Laszewski 18 and Cormac Ryan 16 to lead the Irish who as the No. 11 seed advance to face sixth-seeded Alabama in a first-round game Friday in San Diego. Caleb McConnell had career-high 23 points and Ron Harper Jr. 22 for the Scarlet Knights.

Today (local teams)
11 Michigan vs. 6 Colorado State, 12:15 p.m.  Indianapolis           News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 11:45

Other games
4 Providence vs. 13 South Dakota State, 12:40 p.m.           Buffalo, New York
8 Boise State vs. 9 Memphis, 1:45 p.m.                              Portland, Oregon
1 Baylor vs. 16 Norfolk State, 2:00 p.m.                           Fort Worth, Texas
3 Tennessee vs. 14 Longwood, 2:45 p.m.                            Indianapolis, Indiana
5 Iowa vs. 12 Richmond, 3:10 p.m.                                     Buffalo, New York
1 Gonzaga vs. 16 Georgia State, 4:15 p.m.                         Portland, Oregon
8 North Carolina vs. 9 Marquette, 4:30 p.m.                     Fort Worth, Texas
5 UConn vs. 12 New Mexico State, 6:50 p.m.                      Buffalo, New York
2 Kentucky vs. 15 Saint Peter’s, 7:10 p.m.                          Indianapolis, Indiana
5 Saint Mary’s (CA) vs. 12 Indiana, 7:20 p.m.                     Portland, Oregon
8 San Diego State vs. 9 Creighton, 7:27 p.m.                     Fort Worth, Texas
4 Arkansas vs. 13 Vermont, 9:20 p.m.                                Buffalo, New York
7 Murray State vs. 10 San Francisco, 9:40 p.m.                  Indianapolis, Indiana
4 UCLA vs. 13 Akron, 9:50 p.m.                                         Portland, Oregon
1 Kansas vs. 16 Texas Southern, 9:57 p.m.                         Fort Worth, Texas

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Utah Jazz 125, Chicago Bulls 110

Jazz 125, Bulls 110 – Mitchell scores 25 of 37 points in 3rd, Jazz beat Bulls
Donovan Mitchell scored 25 of his 37 points in the third quarter, Jordan Clarkson added 26 and the Utah Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls 125-110 on Wednesday night. Mitchell made a franchise-record seven 3-pointers in the third period on nine attempts. He broke Karl Malone’s team mark of 22 points in a quarter. Mitchell finished with nine 3-pointers, besting his previous career best of seven. Chicago’s Zach LaVine, who has been affected by a sore left knee, made five 3s and had 33 points in tying his highest scoring output in four months. DeMar DeRozan added 25 points. The Bulls have dropped seven of nine.

Tonight
Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic, 7:00 p.m. 

NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Detroit Red Wings at Vancouver Canucks, 10:00 p.m.

NHL – NHL trade deadline could be full of last-minute deals
The combination of jumbled standings in the Western Conference and a flat salary cap has stalled much of the trade market around the NHL. Most teams are waiting until close to the deadline Monday before making major moves. General managers say things are quiet now but expect activity to pick up this weekend. West titans Colorado and Calgary have already made substantial additions. The Avalanche and Flames might not be done dealing. Calgary acquired forward Calle Jarnkrok from Seattle on Wednesday.

MLB – Major League Baseball – Spring Training
Today
Chicago White Sox (ss) at Chicago Cubs (ss), 4:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs (ss) at Chicago White Sox (ss), 4:05 p.m.

MLB – AP source: Cubs, Seiya Suzuki agree to $85M, 5-year deal
A person familiar with the situation says the Chicago Cubs and star Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki have agreed to an $85 million, five-year deal. The person was confirming several reports and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical. Chicago will pay an additional $14,625,000 as a posting fee to Suzuki’s club, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan’s Central League. Suzuki was a five-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner over nine seasons with the Carp. He batted .317 with 38 home runs and 88 RBIs in 132 games last season.

MLB – Eduardo Rodriguez heads young Tigers’ pitching staff
Eduardo Rodríguez is the highest-paid and most experienced pitcher on the Detroit Tigers after signing a $77 million, five-year contract. Yet, manager A.J. Hinch doesn’t believe in labeling someone a No. 1 starter. Rodríguez, a 29-year-old left-hander, will start Friday’s exhibition opener and perhaps the Tigers’ opener against the Chicago White Sox on April 8. Rodríguez has 153 career starts. Casey Mize, Matt Manning and left-handers Tarik Skuba and Tyler Alexander, the four pitchers likely to join him in Detroit’s rotation have a combined 116, most of them last season.

MLB – White Sox finalize $5.5M, 2-year deal with Josh Harrison
Two-time All-Star Josh Harrison has finalized a $5.5 million, one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox. Harrison has a $4 million salary this year, and the White Sox have a $5.5 million option for 2023 with a $1.5 million buyout. The option price can escalate by up to $500,000 based on plate appearances this year: $125,000 each for 400, 450, 500 and 550. Harrison has played second base, third base, shortstop and all outfield positions over 11 seasons with Pittsburgh, Washington, Detroit and Oakland.

MLB – MLB drops regular COVID tests, can move games for health
Major League Baseball is dropping regular COVID-19 testing for all but symptomatic individuals while maintaining an ability to move games if the public health situation in an area deteriorates. MLB and the players’ association finalized their 2022 COVID-19 protocols. Restrictions such as wearing facemasks in dugouts were eased during the 2021 season when a team reached 85% vaccination among players, coaches and other staff with field and clubhouse access. Six of the 30 teams did not reach 85% last year: Arizona, Boston, the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City, the New York Mets and Seattle.

NCAAWBKB – Michigan women enter NCAA Tournament at hoops program’s peak
Kim Barnes Arico left her close-knit family in New York and New Jersey a decade ago to turn Michigan’s women’s basketball program into a consistent winner for the first time. The former St. John’s coach has pulled off the feat. She is leading Michigan to the NCAA Tournament for a fifth time. The program’s previous eight coaches combined for just four appearances in the top-tier tournament. Third-seeded Michigan plays 14th-seeded American at home on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament.

NCAA – 9 dead in Texas crash involving U. of Southwest golf teams
The Texas Department of Public Safety says nine people were killed in a head-on collision in West Texas, including six New Mexico university students and a coach returning from a golf tournament, as well as a 13-year-old boy. Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Steven Blanco says a pickup truck crossed the center line of a highway and crashed into a van carrying members of the University of the Southwest men’s and women’s golf teams. They had been playing in a tournament in Midland, Texas. Blanco says six students were killed, along with a faculty member. The two occupants of the pickup, including the 13-year-old, also died. Blanco says two students were taken to a hospital in critical condition.

NFL – New Chargers defender Mack happy to be reunited with Staley
Khalil Mack was watching the television show “Bel-Air” with his fiancéé and son last Thursday when he got a call from his agent that the Chicago Bears were trading him. In a strange coincidence Mack’s new team is close to the real Bel Air. Mack met with reporters on Wednesday after his trade to the Los Angeles Chargers became official with the start of the new league year. The Chargers sent a second-round pick this year and a 2023 sixth-round selection to the Bears for one of the league’s top pass rushers and a three-time All-Pro defender. Chargers coach Brandon Staley was Mack’s linebacker coach when the Bears acquired Mack from the Raiders during the 2018 preseason.

NFL – Bears sign Bengals DT Ogunjobi to 3-year contract
The Chicago Bears have added a disruptive force, signing Cincinnati Bengals stalwart defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi to a three-year contract. The Bears also finalized a two-year deal with Green Bay offensive lineman Lucas Patrick and a one-year contract with Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow. Ogunjobi played an important part in Cincinnati’s big jump in his lone year with the Bengals. And he figures to play a key role as Chicago switches from a 3-4 to a 4-3 scheme. Ogunjobi set career highs with seven sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss before suffering a season-ending foot injury in the first-round playoff win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bengals went 10-7 and reached the Super Bowl for the third time in franchise history.

NFL – Buck, Aikman going from Fox to ESPN’s ‘Monday Night’ booth
On the first day of the new league year, one of the NFL’s top broadcasting teams is moving from Fox to ESPN. ESPN announced on Wednesday a move that has been in the works for nearly a month — Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will be broadcasting “Monday Night Football.” Buck and Aikman have been doing games together since 2002, when they became Fox’s top crew. They will tie Pat Summerall and John Madden’s record for the longest NFL booth pairing this year at 21 seasons.

AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Grand Rapids Griffins 5, Texas Stars 4 – OT

ECHL – ECHL Hockey
Yesterday
Kalamazoo Wings 3, Cincinnati Cyclones 2

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Basketball – Regional Championships
Division 1 at Battle Creek Central
Kalamazoo Central 70, Okemos 62 – 2 OT
-Kalamazoo Central will face Grand Rapids Northview at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg on Tuesday at 7:00 in the quarterfinals

Division 2 at Three Rivers
Benton Harbor 76, Edwardsburg 58
-Benton Harbor will face Grand Rapids Catholic Central at Calvin University on Tuesday at 7:00 in the quarterfinals

Division 3 at Centreville
Schoolcraft 45, Watervliet 31
-Schoolcraft will face Pewamo-Westphalia at Kalamazoo Central on Tuesday at 7:00 in the quarterfinals

Division 4 at New Buffalo
Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian 57, New Buffalo 40
-Tri-Unity will face Adrian Lenawee Christian at Portage Northern on Tuesday at 7:00 in the quarterfinals

Today
Girls Basketball – Semifinals
Division 3 at Michigan State University
Maple-City Glen Lake vs. Ypsilanti Arbor Prep, 12:00 p.m.
Kent City vs. Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 2:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Michigan State University
Baraga vs. Fowler, 5:30 p.m.
Plymouth Christian Academy vs. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 7:30 p.m.

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