The women’s Final Four is set Demaryius Thomas Jersey , and it’s one exclusive party.
UConn, Louisville, Mississippi State and Notre Dame are headed to Columbus, Ohio, marking the fourth time in tournament history that four No. 1 seeds made it to the national semifinals.
It’s the 11th consecutive Final Four appearance for the Huskies, breaking a tie with John Wooden and the UCLA men’s team for the Division I record. UConn is into the national semifinals for the 19th time overall, snapping a tie with Tennessee for the most in women’s basketball history.
The Huskies will face former Big East rival Notre Dame on Friday night. The Cardinals will play the Bulldogs in the other game.
UConn’s 111-game winning streak was stopped at this point last season when Mississippi State won their semifinal on a last-second shot by Morgan William in overtime. The Huskies are undefeated again after knocking out defending national champion South Carolina in the Albany Region final.
LARRY NASSAR CASE
LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan State University official who oversaw Larry Nassar is facing criminal charges amid an investigation into the handling of complaints against the former sport doctor, who is in prison for sexually assaulting patients under the guise of treatment.
William Strampel was in jail pending an arraignment Tuesday, Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth told The Associated Press. He declined to say what charges Strampel faces because the probe is being led by the Michigan attorney general’s office.
A spokeswoman for Attorney General Bill Schuette declined to comment. A news conference was scheduled for Tuesday, two months after Schuette appointed a special assistant attorney general to investigate.
Strampel, 70, is the first person besides Nassar to be charged in connection with the worst sexual abuse case in sports history. Nassar pleaded guilty to molesting patients and possessing child pornography. Strampel’s arrest Monday was first reported by the Detroit Free Press, and WILX-TV earlier reported that state police were seen outside Strampel’s home in DeWitt, north of Lansing.
PRO BASKETBALL
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – Zeke Upshaw, a swingman for the Detroit Pistons’ G League affiliate who collapsed on the court during a game over the weekend, died Monday.
Upshaw, 26 Danny Trevathan Jersey , died at a hospital, the Grand Rapids Drive said. No cause was disclosed. He collapsed Saturday night near the end of a game against the Long Island Nets.
The Pistons held a moment of silence in Upshaw’s memory Monday night before their home game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The G League also pushed back the start of its playoffs, delaying not just the Drive’s upcoming game but the entire first round.
Upshaw’s mother, Jewel Upshaw, released a statement thanking the team and fans. Team owner Steve Jbara said the Grand Rapids area was fortunate to enjoy Upshaw’s commitment to the community, especially children.
Numerous NBA players posted messages of sorrow after Upshaw’s death was announced. Some members of the Pistons scrawled tributes on the sneakers they wore for their game Monday night, as did Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers.
PRO FOOTBALL
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh agreed to a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams, joining All-Pro Aaron Donald on a potentially fearsome defensive front.
Suh was released by the Dolphins earlier this month when he declined to restructure his hefty contract after three seasons in Miami. He attracted widespread interest as a free agent before agreeing to join the defending NFC West champion Rams, who have revamped their already solid defense with several impressive offseason additions.
Suh’s deal in Los Angeles is worth $14 million, according to the NFL Network and ESPN.
Suh is a five-time Pro Bowl selection during his eight-year career with Detroit and Miami. He is considered one of the NFL’s most impressive defensive linemen, with 51 career sacks and excellent run-stopping ability. He also has never missed a game due to injury.
BASEBALL
NEW YORK (AP) – The New York Yankees are on track to open the season this week with baseball’s seventh-highest payroll, their lowest ranking since 1992, according to projections by The Associated Press.
The Boston Red Sox will top the major leagues at about $223 million, ending the Los Angeles Dodgers’ four-year run as the top spender. San Francisco will be second at around $203 million, and the Chicago Cubs are set to be third at about $183 million.
The Dodgers and Washington Nationals will each be at approximately $180 million, and the Los Angeles Angels will be next at about $170 million. The Yankees will be at around $167 million – their lowest payroll since 2003.
New York has not been ranked as low as seventh since 1992, when it finished ninth at $34.5 million in the final season of owner George Steinbrenner’s 2 -year suspension. The Yankees rose to third the following year and topped the major leagues from 1994-97 and 1999-2013, interrupted by a season in which Baltimore finished $207,000 ahead. They were second to the Dodgers for each of the last four years.
LeBron James saved a game. Russell Westbrook and Paul George saved a season.
And now Josh Lambo Jersey , Game 6 awaits them all.
A trio of possible series-ending games are on Friday night’s NBA playoff schedule: Cleveland at Indiana, Toronto at Washington and Oklahoma City at Utah. For the Cavaliers and Raptors, the scenario is they advance with a road win or head back home for Game 7 on Sunday. The Thunder don’t have such a safety net; they must win in Salt Lake City, or it’ll be the Jazz going to the second round.
James went from goaltending to game-winning in a matter of seconds in Game 5 on Wednesday night, his straightaway 3-pointer at the buzzer giving Cleveland a three-point win and a 3-2 series lead. Westbrook and George looked well on their way to summer vacation in their Game 5 matchup with the Jazz , before they combined for 54 points in a 61-28 Oklahoma City run that rallied the Thunder from a 25-point second-half deficit.
The stars carried the Cavs and Thunder.
The Raptors, they have a 3-2 lead thanks to a more unsung hero. Delon Wright was fantastic for Toronto in the fourth quarter of Game 5 against Washington , and the Raptors held serve by beating the Wizards to reclaim the lead in their series.
What James did was stunning in Game 5, and his final half-minute was memorable to say the least. He went from potential goat (turning the ball over, which the NBA said was a bad call) to hero (blocking Victor Oladipo’s layup, which the NBA later said was also a bad call and should have been goaltending) to hero by hitting the game-winner.
”He’s the best player in the world,” Cleveland’s Kyle Korver said. ”He’s on our team, he’s going to give us a chance every single night. We all have to do our part but he is that good.”
Oklahoma City was finished, done, ousted – except no one told Westbrook and George. Those players alone shot 20 for 35 (and 6 for 9 from 3-point range) in the final 20 minutes of Game 5 against Utah, while the Jazz shot 11 for 36, 1 for 16 from 3-point range. So a 25-point hole in the third quarter ended up as a eight-point win, and now Utah will inevitably feel pressure in Game 6.
In Toronto, Wright scored 11 points in the fourth as the Raptors pulled away.
Some other things to know going into Friday’s Game 6 matchups:
RAPTORS AT WIZARDS
Toronto leads 3-2. Game 6 Eric Ebron Jersey , 7 p.m. EDT, NBATV.
NEED TO KNOW: The Wizards have been so much better at home than on the road, winning eight consecutive playoff games in Washington, so pushing this to a Game 7 is not out of the question. But another fourth-quarter collapse like in Game 5, when coach Scott Brooks’ team gave away a lead and went more than 3 minutes without a point, could spell the end of what would amount to a disappointing season for the No. 8 seed Wizards. ”We’re having trouble closing out games in Toronto,” Brooks said Thursday at the Wizards’ arena. ”We’ve done a pretty good job of closing out games here.”
KEEP AN EYE ON: DeMar DeRozan. He has been the unquestioned star of this matchup for No. 1 seed Toronto, putting up 28.8 points and 5.0 assists, with three games of at least 30 points apiece.
PRESSURE IS ON: Washington’s trio of max-contract players. While PG John Wall has been mostly terrific all series, averaging 26.6 points, 12.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds, his minutes (38.8) might be catching up to him. He faded late in Game 5, as did SG Bradley Beal, who was great in Games 3 and 4 at home, less so on the road. The biggest issue for the Wizards is a lack of production from their third-best player, SF Otto Porter Jr., who is scoring only 10 points per game and has made five 3s all series. As a whole, the Wizards need to be better from beyond the arc than in Game 5, when they went 5 for 26 Vontaze Burfict Jersey , 1 for 10 in the fourth quarter.
INJURY UPDATE: Porter sat out the last regular-season game with a strained right calf and his playoff problems could be connected to that. … The leader of Toronto’s second unit, PG Fred VanVleet, has played a grand total of three minutes in the series because of a hurting right shoulder.
CAVALIERS AT PACERS
Cleveland leads 3-2. Game 6, 8 p.m., ESPN.
NEED TO KNOW: When James gets a chance to land a knockout blow, he delivers. The last 11 times a James team has gotten to 3-whatever in a series, it has closed out the matchup in its very first opportunity. That’s not a great sign for the Pacers.
KEEP AN EYE ON: How Indiana responds. It’s very simple – after the NBA’s Last 2 Minute Report on Thursday for Game 5, the Pacers can very easily get lost in how Oladipo’s layup should have counted. Would James have gone for a 3-pointer if the Cavs were down by two in that situation? The Pacers need to regain focus and not worry about what’s already done, since calls were missed both ways in that game.
PRESSURE IS ON: Oladipo. He’s had a great year, and will likely be the league’s Most Improved Player. And he’s had a strong first five games, as well. But if he’s going to be thought of as someone who’s gotten to that next level, staring James down and fending him off in an elimination game would probably help his cause.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: The Pacers are 27-2 this season when holding opponents under 98 points, and 2-0 in this series when that happens.
THUNDER AT JAZZ
Jazz lead 3-2. Game 6, 10:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN.
NEED TO KNOW: Westbrook finally broke out in Game 5 and took over. Oklahoma City got Utah post players Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors in foul trouble, allowing Westbrook to play his normal aggressive style. Westbrook scored 33 of his 45 p Mikal Bridges Jersey ,