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March Madness: Saturday Recap

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – DJ Burns Jr. had six points and one crucial assist in overtime and No. 11 seed North Carolina State outlasted No. 14 Oakland 79-73 on Saturday to secure an improbable Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s South Region.

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Burns finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for the Wolfpack (24-14), who won their seventh straight postseason game between the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Michael O’Connell had 12 points and a season-high eight assists, and DJ Horne, Casey Morsell and Mohamed Diarra each supplied 11 points.

Oakland (24-12) clawed back in the final minutes of regulation before its underdog story ended with an 11-1 NC State run in overtime. Trey Townsend scored 24 of his 30 points after halftime and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Jack Gohlke, Oakland’s first-round hero who made 10 3-pointers against Kentucky, went 6-for-17 from deep Saturday to finish with 22 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Grizzlies.

West Region

No. 1 North Carolina 85, No. 9 Michigan State 69

RJ Davis scored 20 points and the Tar Heels shrugged off a slow start and a couple of shaky moments to defeat the Spartans in Charlotte.

Armando Bacot added 18 points and seven rebounds and Harrison Ingram had 17 points as the Tar Heels delighted a partisan crowd and were sent off to the West Coast with momentum after two games in their home state.

North Carolina (29-7) goes on to face Alabama or Grand Canyon in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night in Los Angeles. Tyson Walker scored 24 points Malik Hall added 17 for Michigan State (20-15), which began the season ranked No. 4 in the country.

No. 2 Arizona 78, No. 7 Dayton 68

Caleb Love scored 19 points and the Wildcats earned a Sweet 16 spot with a victory over the Flyers in Salt Lake City.

Pelle Larsson had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Keshad Johnson recorded 13 points and seven rebounds for Arizona (27-8). Jaden Bradley added 12 points, three steals and three blocked shots.

Daron Holmes II had 23 points, 11 rebounds and three steals for Dayton (25-8).

Midwest Region

No. 2 Tennessee 62, No. 7 Texas 58

Dalton Knecht churned out 18 points to help Volunteers coach Rick Barnes defeat his former Longhorns in Charlotte.

Knecht, who provided seven of his team’s final 15 points, clinched the outcome by sinking both ends of a 1-and-1 with 3.8 seconds to play. Tennessee (26-8) won despite shooting just 33.8 percent for the game and will face No. 3 Creighton on Friday.

Reserve Chendall Weaver and Tyrese Hunter both had 13 points to lead Texas (21-13), which is coached by former Barnes assistant Rodney Terry. The Longhorns shot 36.4 percent.

No. 3 Creighton 86, No. 11 Oregon 73 (2 OT)

Steven Ashworth scored 21 points and ignited the game-winning, 15-point run to propel the Bluejays past the Ducks in Pittsburgh.

Trey Alexander tallied 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Ryan Kalkbrenner had 19 points, 14 boards and five blocks for Creighton (25-9). The Blue Jays escaped a tough second half and will play No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16.

Oregon’s two-man wrecking crew of Jermaine Couisnard and N’Faly Dante ran out of gas in the second overtime. Couisnard finished with 32 points and eight rebounds, and Dante racked up a career-high 28 points and 20 rebounds for the Ducks (24-12).

No. 5 Gonzaga 89, No. 4. Kansas 68

Anton Watson scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and the Bulldogs delivered a massive second-half knockout punch in routing the Jayhawks in Salt Lake City.

Nolan Hickman had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting as Gonzaga reached its ninth consecutive Sweet 16. The Bulldogs blew the game open with a 32-4 burst over a 12-plus minute stretch of the second half.

Hunter Dickinson scored 15 points and KJ Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. added 10 points apiece for the Jayhawks (23-11). Harris added 11 assists, and Kansas again played without All-American Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee). Gonzaga will face either No. 1 Purdue or No. 8 Utah State in the Sweet 16.

East Region

No. 2 Iowa State 67, No. 7 Washington State 56

Tamin Lipsey scored 15 points and the Cyclones reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons with a victory over the Cougars in Omaha, Neb.

Curtis Jones added 14 points for Iowa State, which won for the ninth time in its past 10 games. Keshon Gilbert and Milan Momcilovic added 10 points apiece.

Jaylen Wells scored 20 points for Washington State. Myles Rice added 13 points.

No. 3 Illinois 89, No. 11 Duquesne 63

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a game-high 30 points and Marcus Domask added 22 to help the Fighting Illini cruise past the Dukes in Omaha, Neb., and into the Sweet 16.

Illinois (28-8) advanced to face No. 8 Iowa State in Boston on Thursday. It’s the Illini’s first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2005.

Saturday marked the final game for Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot, who is retiring at season’s end. Dambrot guided the 11th-seeded Dukes to an Atlantic 10 tournament championship to clinch the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 1977. Jimmy Clark III paced Duquesne with 14 points, and Fousseyni Drame followed with 13.

–Field Level Media

Celtics: Nine in a Row

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Sam Hauser made seven of his eight 3-point attempts and scored 23 points to help the visiting Celtics stretch their winning streak to nine games with a 124-113 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.

Jayson Tatum added 26 points and six assists for the Celtics, who have used eight different starting lineups during their nine-game winning streak. Al Horford finished the game with 23 points and eight rebounds for Boston (57-14), which has won six in a row on the road.

Chicago trailed by six, 113-107, with 4:35 to play, but Boston extended its lead to 10 points on a Tatum basket with 3:04 left. The Bulls never got within striking distance after that.

Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan had a game-high 28 points, nine assists and six rebounds in the loss. Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu and Nikola Vucevic each added 14 points for Chicago (34-37). Coby White had 11 points and 10 assists.

The Bulls shot 57.3 percent from the field (47 of 82).

Luke Kornet collected a game-high 13 rebounds for Boston, which played without three starters: Jaylen Brown (ankle injury), Jrue Holiday (AC Joint sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (right hamstring). The Celtics made 21 of their 48 3-point attempts.

Although the Bulls shot 59.1 percent from the field in the first half (26 of 44), they trailed 66-60 at halftime. It was 31-31 after one quarter, and the Celtics led 66-55 with 1:10 remaining in the half before Chicago scored the final five points of the second quarter. Hauser made four 3-pointers in the first half.

The Bulls took the lead for the first time in the second half on a Dosunmu basket that capped an 11-3 spurt and put Chicago in front 77-76 with 6:44 remaining in the third quarter, but the Celtics had a 95-92 advantage entering the fourth.

Boston has won each of its three games against Chicago this season.

–Field Level Media

O’s Owner Angelos, 94

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BALTIMORE – (Wire Service Report) – Longtime Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos died Saturday at the age of 94, the team announced.

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“Mr. Angelos had been ill for several years, and the family thanks the doctors, nurses, and caregivers who brought comfort to him in his final years,” the Angelos family said in a statement. “It was Mr. Angelos’ wish to have a private burial, and the family asks for understanding as they honor that request. Donations may be sent to charity in lieu of flowers.”

A successful trial attorney who made his fortune in class-action lawsuits, Angelos led a group of investors that purchased his hometown Orioles from Eli Jacobs for a then-record $173 million in October 1993.

In January, the Angelos family agreed to sell controlling interest in the team to a group led by billionaire David Rubenstein — and including Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. — for a reported $1.725 billion.

The Orioles, who have not been to the World Series since winning it in 1983, are coming off the winningest season (101-61) in Angelos’ tenure with the team. Baltimore made the playoffs six times in that span (1996, 1997, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2023).

–Field Level Media

WHALE of a Game for YALE

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SPOKANE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Yale’s John Poulakidas sank six 3-pointers and scored 28 points and Samson Aletan made a key blocked shot in the final seconds as 13th-seeded Bulldogs notched a 78-76 upset of fourth-seeded Auburn on Friday afternoon in an East Region first-round game.

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August Mahoney scored 14 points and Danny Wolf had 13 for the Bulldogs (23-9), who overcame a 10-point, second-half deficit to improve to 2-7 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Upstart Yale will face No. 5 seed San Diego State in Sunday’s second round with the winner headed to Boston for the Regional final.

“I don’t know if that’s the best win in Yale basketball history, but I will tell you that’s the best basketball team we’ve beaten in Yale basketball history as far as I’m concerned,” Bulldogs coach James Jones said.

Johni Broome recorded 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Tigers (27-8). Denver Jones added 17 points and Jaylin Williams had 13 for Auburn. K.D. Johnson had a chance to win it at the buzzer with a 3-pointer, but his shot bounced off the rim.

East Region

No. 1 UConn 91, No. 16 Stetson 52

Donovan Clingan scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half for the top-seeded Huskies, who began the defense of their national championship with a wire-to-wire win over the Hatters in an East Region first-round game in New York.

Cam Spencer had 15 points, including 13 in the first half, for UConn (32-3), which will oppose No. 9 Northwestern in a second-round game Sunday. Stephon Castle (14 points), Tristen Newton (13 points, eight assists) and Alex Karaban (12 points) all scored in double figures for the Huskies.

Stephan Swenson scored a game-high 20 points and Jalen Blackmon had 14 points and eight rebounds for Stetson (22-13), which made its first NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the Atlantic Sun Conference.

No. 5 San Diego State 69, No. 12 UAB 65

Jaedon LeDee recorded 32 points and eight rebounds to lead the Aztecs to a victory over the Blazers in East Region first-round play at Spokane, Wash.

Lamont Butler added 15 points and four steals for the San Diego State (25-10), which is looking for another deep run after losing to UConn in last season’s NCAA title game.

Efrem “Butta” Johnson made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points for UAB (23-12). However, Johnson missed a tying 3-point attempt with eight seconds remaining before Reese Waters split two free throws with 3.5 seconds left to seal it for San Diego State.

No. 9 Northwestern 77, No. 8 Florida Atlantic 65 (OT)

Ryan Langborg scored 12 points in overtime for the Wildcats, who squandered a nine-point second-half lead before recovering to beat the Owls in an East Region first-round game in New York.

Brooks Barnhizer forced overtime by hitting a floater with nine seconds left for Northwestern (22-11).

Vladislav Goldin scored 19 points for Florida Atlantic (25-9), which returned every player who had remaining eligibility from last year’s Final Four team. Johnell Davis had 18 points.

West Region

No. 3 Baylor 92, No. 14 Colgate 67

Four players scored in double figures and the Bears canned 16 of 30 3-point attempts to dispatch the 14th-seeded Raiders in an NCAA Tournament West Region first round game in Memphis.

Jalen Bridges scored a game-high 23 points for Baylor (24-10), which advanced to the second round Sunday against Clemson. Ja’Kobe Walter added 19, while Jayden Nunn tallied 15 and RayJ Dennis contributed 10 points plus nine assists.

Keegan Records paced Colgate (25-10), which won 17 of 18 prior to this one, with 14 points. Sam Thomson added 11, and Patriot League Player of the Year Braeden Smith scored 10.

No. 4 Alabama 109, No. 13 Charleston 96

Mark Sears poured in 30 points, and the nation’s top-scoring team was in high gear as the Crimson Tide rolled over the Cougars in Spokane, Wash.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr. made 5 of 6 3-point attempts while adding 17 points for Alabama (22-11), which entered the contest averaging 90.8 points per game and set a school mark for most points in an NCAA Tournament game. Alabama will face No. 12 Grand Canyon in Sunday’s second round.

Ben Burnham scored 19 points for Charleston (27-8), which had its 12-game winning streak halted. Frankie Policelli added 15 points.

No. 12 Grand Canyon 75, No. 5 Saint Mary’s 66

Tyon Grant-Foster recorded 22 points and seven rebounds and the Lopes beat the Gaels at Spokane, Wash., to win an NCAA Tournament game for the first time.

Ray Harrison added 17 points and six assists for Grand Canyon (30-4), which is making its third appearance in March Madness.

Mitchell Saxen had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Aidan Mahaney scored 13 points but shot just 5 of 21 from the field for Saint Mary’s (26-8).

No. 6 Clemson 77, No. 11 New Mexico 56

The Tigers got a game-high 21 points from Chase Hunter and led by as many as 23 points in the second half of a rout of the Lobos at Memphis.

First-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick PJ Hall scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half for Clemson (22-11).

Jaelen House scored 12 points for the Lobos (26-10) before fouling out with 6:27 remaining in the game. Nelly Joseph worked hard inside for 14 points and 12 rebounds but New Mexico never found any sort of rhythm, connecting on just 29.7 percent of its field-goal attempts and going 3 of 23 on 3-point shots.

South Region

No. 1 Houston 86, No. 16 Longwood 46

It didn’t take long for the Cougars to announce their presence with authority, and once they did, they were well on their way to a blowout of the Lancers in Memphis.

The result sets up a rematch Sunday in the second round against ninth-seeded Texas A&M, which beat Nebraska 98-83 earlier in the day. Houston held off the Aggies 70-66 on Dec. 16.

L.J. Cryer finished with 17 points, going 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, Jamal Shead finished with 11 points and nine assists and Damian Dunn added 17 points off the bench for Houston (31-4). Johnathan Massie scored 10 points off the bench to pace Longwood (21-14).

No. 2 Marquette 87, No. 15 Western Kentucky 69

Tyler Kolek returned from a three-week absence and fell just four rebounds shy of a triple-double to help the Golden Eagles pull away in the second half for a win over the Hilltoppers.

Kolek, who finished with 18 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, showed no ill effects from an oblique injury sustained on Feb. 28. Kolek hit two long threes on his first two shot attempts and scored 10 points in the opening seven minutes, helping Marquette (26-9) build a 26-17 lead. The Golden Eagles advance to a second-round matchup on Sunday vs. No. 10 seed Colorado.

For the Hilltoppers (22-12), Tyrone Marshall Jr. scored 17 of his team-leading 21 in the first half while teammate Don McHenry was the only other player in double figures with 11 points.

No. 4 Duke 64, No. 13 Vermont 47

Mark Mitchell and Jared McCain scored 15 points apiece to lead four Blue Devils players in double figures as Duke pulled away in the second half to beat the Catamounts.

Duke (25-8) will play James Madison in a second-round game on Sunday. The Blue Devils, who were knocked out by Tennessee in the second round last season, haven’t missed the Sweet 16 in consecutive tournaments since 2007-08.

Jeremy Roach scored 14 points and Tyrese Proctor added 13 for Duke. Kyle Filipowski, who was averaging 17.1 points per contest, was held to three points and just one field goal attempt but pulled down 12 rebounds. Shamir Bogues scored 18 points for Vermont (28-7), which won the America East for the third straight season.

No. 12 James Madison 72, No. 5 Wisconsin 61

Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 14 points for the Dukes, who never trailed as they upset the Badgers in a first-round matchup in New York.

James Madison (32-3) extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 14 games. T.J. Bickerstaff and Julien Wooden scored 12 points apiece, while Michael Green III added 11 points for the Dukes, who advanced beyond the first round for the first time since 1983.

Max Klesmit scored all 18 of his points while hitting five 3-pointers in the second half for Wisconsin (22-14).

No. 10 Colorado 102, No. 7 Florida 100

KJ Simpson capped a wild second half with a baseline jumper that hit the rim five times before rattling in with one second left, lifting the Buffaloes to a dramatic win over the Gators in Indianapolis.

Simpson finished with a team-leading 23 points while Eddie Lampkin Jr. added 21 for Colorado (26-10).

Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. scored a game-high 33 points and hit the backboard on a desperation miss at the final buzzer. The Gators (24-12) ended their season in heartbreak after erasing a 13-point deficit in the final 4:28.

No. 9 Texas A&M 98, No. 8 Nebraska 83

The Aggies converted 13 3-pointers and enjoyed a comfortable win over the Cornhuskers.

Wade Taylor IV bombed in 7 of 10 attempts from deep and scored 25 points for the Aggies (21-14). Manny Obaseki added 22 points, while Tyrece Radford stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Brice Williams scored 24 points to pace the Cornhuskers (23-11), who were making their first NCAA tourney appearance in 10 years. Keisei Tominaga added 21 points.

Midwest Region

No. 1 Purdue 78, Grambling State 50

All-American Zach Edey scored 30 points, grabbed 21 rebounds and blocked three shots to power the Boilermakers to a rout of the Tigers in Indianapolis.

The Boilermakers (30-4) pulled away at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half to atone for last year’s shocking first-round loss to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in Columbus, Ohio. Purdue will play No. 8 Utah State on Sunday in a second-round contest, again before a heavily partisan crowd inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Tra’Michael Moton had 21 points and Kintavious Dozier scored 16 to lead Grambling (21-15), which made it difficult for the first 18 minutes, trailing just 31-27 before Purdue scored the final five points of the first half.

No. 8 Utah State 88, No. 9 TCU 72

Isaac Johnson scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Aggies past the Horned Frogs, breaking their 10-game NCAA Tournament losing streak.

Ian Martinez added a game-high 21 points, while Darius Brown II chipped in with 10 points and 10 assists for Utah State (28-6).

JaKobe Coles had 19 points while Emanuel Miller added 13 points and 11 rebounds for TCU (21-13), which jumped out to leads of 16-8 and 18-10 but couldn’t hold on.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Roll Past Pistons

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DETROIT – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jaylen Brown poured in 33 points and the visiting Celtics extended their winning streak to eight games with a 129-102 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

Payton Pritchard had 20 points and nine assists for the Celtics (56-14), who are closing in on clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Derrick White had 19 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis also tossed in 19 points.

Sam Hauser added 14 points. Boston’s leading scorer and rebounder, Jayson Tatum, sat out due to a right ankle injury.

This was the Celtics’ second romp over the Pistons in five nights. They also recorded a 119-94 home win on Monday, another game that Tatum missed.

James Wiseman led the Pistons (12-58), who have lost five straight, with 24 points and nine rebounds. Jaden Ivey had 16 points and Cade Cunningham contributed 15 points, six rebounds and six assists.

The Pistons ruled three players out for the season (Ausar Thompson (blood cut), Isaiah Stewart (hamstring) and Stanley Umude (right ankle fracture) in recent days and starting center Jalen Duren was a late scratch due to back spasms.

Wiseman, Duren’s replacement in the starting lineup, had 12 points and five rebounds in the first quarter as the Pistons took a 34-32 lead.

The Pistons had a 46-45 lead with eight minutes left in the half. Then they went scoreless for nearly five minutes while Boston went on a 10-0 run. Brown scored the last two of those baskets.

The Celtics also finished the half with a 9-2 spurt for a 69-53 lead. Pritchard had a 3-pointer and an assist during that span and finished the half with 16 points and seven assists.

Pritchard’s layup nearly two minutes into the second half extended Boston’s advantage to 76-55. Porzingis’ putback about midway through the third quarter made it 90-64.

Boston led 104-83 at the end of the third. The Pistons had a 6-0 spurt early in the fourth to cut their deficit to 15. White then knocked down a 3-pointer off a Pritchard feed.

Detroit never got closer than 18 again.

–Field Level Media

MLB Investigating Ohtani & Interpreter

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Major League Baseball announced Friday that it has opened an investigation into the allegations involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.

Two days after the Dodgers fired Mizuhara, the league said it has been gathering information about the incident. Mizuhara was accused of “massive theft” on Wednesday by Ohtani’s lawyers after it was learned that at least $4.5 million of Ohtani’s money had been sent through wire transfers to a bookmaking operation under federal investigation.

According to ESPN, MLB is expected to request interviews with everyone involved in the matter, including Ohtani and Mizuhara. But the league has no way to compel Mizuhara to speak since he’s no longer employed by a team.

Ohtani also has the right to refuse to speak with the league as a member of the MLB Players Association, and he may do so because of the ongoing criminal investigation.

When news first broke of the wire transfers, Ohtani’s lawyers said the Dodgers slugger had paid Mizuhara’s gambling debts but then accused him of making those transfers without Ohtani’s knowledge.

The IRS said Thursday that Mizuhara and the alleged illegal bookmaker, Mathew Bowyer, are being investigated by the agency’s Los Angeles field office.

Mizuhara has been interpreting for Ohtani since the two-way superstar debuted with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017.

Ohtani signed a record-setting 10-year, $700 million with the Dodgers in December after batting .304 with an American League-leading 44 homers and 95 RBIs in 2023, when he earned his second AL MVP.

–Field Level Media

Oakland YAYS

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Oakland University was so far off the map before Thursday that casual fans of the NCAA Tournament needed reminding the school is in Michigan — not California.

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The Golden Grizzlies received the No. 14 seed in the South Region, knocked off third-seeded Kentucky and became the latest small school to enter the March Madness pantheon.

“This changed everything,” coach Greg Kampe said Thursday. “There’s nobody in the country that doesn’t know what Oakland basketball is.”

Either Oakland or No. 11 seed North Carolina State will extend a stunning run to the Sweet 16 when they face off in the second round of the tournament Saturday.

Kampe has led Oakland (24-11) for 40 seasons, far longer than the school has competed at the Division I level. The Golden Grizzlies’ 80-76 upset of Kentucky marked the first time the program won a game in the Round of 64.

Jack Gohlke knocked down 10 of 20 3-point shots, becoming the fifth player in NCAA Tournament history to make double-digit 3s in a game. He scored 32 points, and Trey Townsend added 17 points and 12 rebounds after he posted up and made a turnaround jumper over 7-footer Ugonna Onyenso in the final minutes.

“It’s such a great thing to see our fanbase travel,” said Townsend, who averages 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. “We wanted Pittsburgh (or) Indianapolis because we knew they would travel if they could drive … Seeing them out there, my parents are here, my dad is right back there. To win with them here was a special thing for sure and we’re definitely not done yet.”

One question for Saturday’s game against the Wolfpack (23-14) is how the Golden Grizzlies will match up against NC State’s DJ Burns Jr., all 6-foot-9, 275 pounds of him.

Burns has been on a heater for NC State, which won five games in five days to storm through the ACC tournament before beating No. 6 Texas Tech 80-67 on Thursday. Burns has shot 24-of-34 for 55 points over his past three games.

“He was a local star for a whole year and now everybody in the national media is starting to understand that,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said. “I mean, he’s just fun. He scores and he gets beat up all the time. And he’s almost gotta play through contact. But it is so fun to watch him.

“And you know, I consider him a closer for us. We put him in the game, and he closes the game.”

While four Wolfpack players have done the majority of the scoring this year — DJ Horne (16.9 ppg), Burns (12.5), Jayden Taylor (11.6) and Casey Morsell (11.4) — contributions are coming from up and down the bench.

Both Ben Middlebrooks (21 points) and Mohamed Diarra (17) put up career-high totals against Texas Tech, and Michael O’Connell scored in double figures in all five games of the ACC tournament before dishing six assists Thursday.

NC State and Oakland likely can appreciate one another’s paths to the Round of 32. Both teams, of course, are hungry for more.

“The whole thing down the stretch has been, once we knew we had won a ring, the whole banter in the locker room has been, what’s it going to say on that ring, right?” Kampe said. “What’s it going to say on that ring: just Horizon League champ? NCAA? Sweet 16? Final Four? I’ve put that thought in their mind, and they’ve really battled for it, and they understand that their life got changed (Thursday), but it could get changed a hell of a lot more if we keep this thing going.”

– Field Level Media

Baseball Starts Season in Seoul

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SEOUL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Major League Baseball’s regular season begins Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea, and Tuesday the league announced the starting pitchers for that game and the 15 Opening Day games that will be played March 28.

No fewer than 20 of the 30 pitchers named are All-Stars, and four of the Opening Day starters will be appearing with a new team.

Those staff aces making their debuts for their new teams are Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles, Tyler Glasnow of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Frankie Montas of the Cincinnati Reds and Alex Wood of the Oakland Athletics.

In the Seoul Series opener, at 6:05 a.m. ET, Glasnow and the Dodgers meet Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres with the teams playing again 24 hours later.

MLB Network will have all the preview material for Opening Day covered with nine studio shows airing March 27.

Highlighting the March 28 slate is the lone interleague matchup, ESPN’s national broadcast between last season’s World Series champion Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs in Arlington, Texas.

The Rangers will send right-hander Nathan Eovaldi against Cubs lefty Justin Steele.

The Dodgers, favorites to win the 2024 World Series, return from Seoul to host the St. Louis Cardinals March 28.

Prized free-agent acquisition Shohei Ohtani is expected to play his first home game for the Dodgers in that contest, an MLB Network-televised matchup against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas.

A pair of leading American League contenders meet in Houston when the New York Yankees send Nestor Cortes against the Astros’ Framber Valdez.

There are also six divisional contests, highlighted by the Philadelphia Phillies’ visit to the Atlanta Braves in a rematch of the National League Division Series. The Phillies will send Zack Wheeler to the mound while ace Spencer Strider takes the bump for the Braves.

The Braves and Phillies combined to win 194 games last season.

–Field Level Media

Boston Back-to-Back: Wizards & Pistons

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics will have a chance to improve the NBA’s best record when they face the visiting Detroit Pistons on Monday night. Boston (53-14) was missing three starters but extended its winning streak to five games with a 130-104 victory over the Washington Wizards on the road Sunday.

The Celtics played without center Kristaps Porzingis (right hamstring strain) and guards Jaylen Brown (ankle) and Derrick White (hand). Porzingis hasn’t played in Boston’s last five games.

Sam Hauser made 10 of 13 3-point attempts and tossed in 30 points before he left the game with an ankle injury in the third quarter. Payton Pritchard had a career-high 13 assists in the win.

“Just trying to play the right type of basketball – what we’ve been trying to do all year,” Pritchard said. “When I have the ball in my hands always trying to get my guys easy shots. I tell people all the time Sam is one of the top shooters in the league, so for us anytime he’s open we have to find him. It’s almost automatic. It was a good team win.”

Boston center Al Horford is unlikely to suit up Monday since he has not played in games on back-to-back nights this season.

The Pistons and Wizards are battling to stay out of the NBA’s cellar. The Pistons (12-55) are 14th in the Eastern Conference, one spot ahead of the Wizards (11-57), who own the league’s worst record.

Detroit is coming off Sunday’s 104-101 home loss to Miami. Evan Fournier scored a season-high 18 points for the Pistons. Cade Cunningham added 17 points and nine assists for Detroit, but went 1-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.

MIami prevailed when Bam Adebayo made a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“When you lose a game like that it’s hard to come down on the guys about anything,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said. “We battled when it didn’t look great. We executed some situations well defensively, holding them to 25 points (in the fourth quarter) and the point total in the second half (44 points) speaks for itself. We had a chance to win a big-time game at home.”

Miami’s Duncan Robinson made 7 of 12 3-pointers and scored 30 points. The Heat outscored the Pistons 39-27 in the second quarter. Miami also beat Detroit 108-95 on Friday.

“It wasn’t so much our scheme as it was our awareness of who was hot in the situation,” Williams said. “Robinson just hit shot after shot, and we didn’t switch well onto him. He even got stuff at the basket, which is not what he’s known for. We did not have great awareness of his scoring ability in the second.

“We have to be more of a consistent team. We brought that up last game in the shoot-around, how consistency helps you keep your rhythm. We just haven’t been that consistent these last two games.”

Monday’s game will be the second time the Celtics and Pistons have met this season. Boston overcame a 21-point deficit to earn a 128-122 overtime victory in Boston on Dec. 28. Porzingis led all scorers with 35 points in the last meeting, and White tossed in 10 of his 23 points in overtime. Cunningham had 31 points and nine assists for Detroit.

The teams also will face each other Friday night in Detroit.

–Field Level Media

NFL Report: Patriots Sign KJ Osborn

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots are bringing aboard one of the top remaining free agent receivers, signing former Minnesota Vikings wideout K.J. Osborn, according to multiple reports Sunday.

Osborn played a complementary role to standout Justin Jefferson in Minnesota, recording 158 receptions for 1,845 yards over the past three seasons.

He started 30 of his 59 games with the Vikings, contributing 15 touchdown receptions.

Osborn, who turns 27 in June, was a fifth-round pick by Minnesota in 2020.

The Patriots, who traded quarterback Mac Jones during this offseason, are likely to draft a QB with their first-round pick (No. 3 overall). New England’s receiver room is led by JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Reagor.

–Field Level Media