Masters, Kobe

Scott Wins Masters

- Australian Adam Scott won the first major of his career Sunday, taking down the field at the Masters. Scott defeated 2009 Masters Champion Angel Cabrera on the second playoff hole in a thrilling finish. Tiger Woods finished tied for 4th after being assessed a 2 stroke penalty earlier in the week for an illegal drop.  There was some controversy over the ruling as it could have called for disqualification had it not been assessed well after the round was over.  Additionally, the infraction was investigated after being reported by a TV viewer, which is controversial by itself.
- Scott, who last summer lost the US Open due to last minute mistakes, took advantage of a missed putt by Cabrera on the second playoff hole to win his first major. Cabrera won the 2009 Masters in a playoff where he defeated Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry.
- Perhaps the biggest story of the entire tournament was 14-year old Chinese phenom Tianlang Guan. Guan finished near the bottom of the field on Sunday, but became the youngest player to ever make the cut in the tournament.  Guan is an 8th grader and seems like he will be a fixture in the PGA for decades to come.


Kobe out 6-9 months

- In the midst of one of the Lakers most trying seasons in recent memory, the one constant has been the brilliant performance of Kobe Bryant, who has fended off teammates' injuries, inconsistency and his own aging to put up another classic statistical season.  All of that ended over the weekend when he tore his Achilles tendon in a game and will face a recovery period that could have him not only this season but the beginning of next season.
- The Lakers beat Golden State and then rallied to beat San Antonio without Bryant on Sunday, meaning they just need to win their final game of the season at home against Houston or have Utah lose one of their two remaining games in order to make the playoffs.
- That being said, their chances of beating the Oklahoma City Thunder (or Spurs) in a full series without their best superstar will be a very tall task.  Bryant has said that he may retire after next season.

Alex's 2013 Mock Draft

The 2013 NFL Draft will begin April 25th in New York City.  This is the second half of Sportico's 2013 Mock Draft series as Alex makes his selections.

These mocks try to take into account future Free Agency moves but since trades are so hard to predict, we're staying away from them completely.


1. Chiefs - Luke Joeckel, OT.  As a Chiefs fan myself it's been painful watching the team underperform this past season despite being relatively healthy.  The good news is that this is easily the most talented 2-14 team in NFL history and they don't have as many holes as you'd think.  The team released Eric Winston and can afford to play Joeckel at RT for a season while LT Brandon Albert is playing his one year franchise tag.  Next season they'll be able to re-evaluate, but for now Joeckel is the easy pick.

2. Jaguars - Dion Jordan, OLB/DE.  The Jaguars pass rush is simply abysmal although it's not for a lack of trying... they've just drafted bust after bust at this position.  They did pick up Jason Babin off the waiver wire late in 2012 and pairing him with a young potential star is going to give them the beginnings of a fearsome pass rush.

3. Raiders - Star Lotulelei, NT.  If I know anything about the way the Raiders pick, you can bet the farm on this pick happening as long as Star is still available.  The Raiders go with measurables such as speed, size and arm strength (in QB's) and Lotulelei is the biggest, baddest guy out there.  He also has a troubling heart condition, but worrying about career threatening ailments in a prospect isn't really the Raider Way.  Oakland released starting NT Tommy Kelly this past week, which was likely done in anticipation of this pick.  The only player guaranteed to be a "Star" in the NFL.

4. Eagles - Geno Smith, QB.  I could legitimately see Philly going with Alex Foles at QB and drafting some OL help, however Foles doesn't fit in as well with Chip Kelly's offense and I see him wanting his own QB just the way his predecessor started in Philly with McNabb.  Smith's mobility also fits Kelly's system.

5. Lions - Eric Fisher, LT.  I think Detroit was set to take Dee Miliner to shore up a pass defense that will need to improve when they play Rodgers and Cutler a combined 4 times every year.  However, after longtime LT Jeff Backus retired, the Lions will need to find someone to replace him and given Matt Stafford's injury history this pick is a must.  Calvin Johnson can't catch passes from Matt Stafford is Stafford is being used for target practice by opposing pass rushers.

6. Browns - Sharrif Floyd, DT.  There's a good chance he'll already be off the board by now but since he isn't in this draft, the Browns will take him to shore up a DL in a division where lots of teams traditionally love to run the ball.  Miliner is also in play here given that Joe Haden can't play both CB spots.

7. Cardinals - Zeke Ansah, OLB/DE.  The Cardinals badly need a QB but without Geno Smith being available it's a huge stretch to take any of the remaining options.  They take a pass rusher with a huge upside and take solace in the fact that the two star QB's in their division were taken outside of the first round in the past couple drafts.

8. Bills - Cordarelle Patterson, WR.  Buffalo's GM told the media he wants a franchise QB and a playmaking WR in this year's draft.  There is no QB worth taking this high and while some might argue Patterson doesn't deserve to have his name called this early either, he has tons of potential.  Of course even if he does produce, it doesn't mean he'll be effectively used in Buffalo.  *See C.J. Spiller*

9. Jets - Dee Miliner, CB.  As of the writing of this draft, Darrelle Revis is still technically a Jet but that's unlikely to be the case by the beginning of the 2013 season and the Jets will probably need to replace him.  They'll be overjoyed that Miliner is still available at this slot.

10. Titans - Chance Warmack, OG.  It's rare to see interior linemen go in the top 10, but Chance Warmack may be the most talented player in the entire draft and the Titans need help on the OL. Warmack could conceivably go even higher than this even though it's extremely rare to see interior offensive linemen taken in the top 10.

11. Chargers - Jarvis Jones, DE/OLB.  Jones stock has plummeted because of injury concerns and some negative buzz about his workout regimen but he's too talented to pass up for teams in this area and San Diego remembers how fearsome they were when Shawne Merriman was in his prime, wreaking havoc on opposing backfields.

12. Dolphins - Xavier Rhodes, CB.  The Dolphins already needed some help in the secondary but after losing free agent Shaun Smith to the Chiefs, they're now in crisis mode with regards to their secondary.  Rhodes will fill a major need and should become a #1 CB for Miami. 

13. Bucs - Barkevious Mingo, OLB/DE.  The Bucs badly need help at CB but will likely trade for Darelle Revis and even if they don't, pass rush is a major area of need as well.  Mingo is too talented to pass up on here and the Bucs will try to build a legitimate pass rush around him and find CB help elsewhere.

14. Panthers - Bjoern Werner, DE.  The Panthers have Charles Johnson but not much else on the DL and they need someone to get in the opposing backfield.  They'd love to have Mingo or Jones but Werner is the best available so they'll go with him (or possibly Sheldon Richardson) and try to beef up the front line in front of star MLB Luke Kuechly.

15. Saints - Jonathan Cooper, G.  As a North Carolina alum, I've seen lots of Cooper's play and can only say that whatever team gets him will notice immediately, significant improvement on the OL.  The Saints lost star guard Carl Nicks last season and Cooper will be a terrific replacement for an offense that struggled uncharacteristically for big parts of last season.

16. Rams - Tavon Austin, WR.  St. Louis needed some playmakers last year and now they've lost WR Danny Amendola to the Patriots which only highlights this need even more.  Austin is the easy pick if he's still available.

17. Steelers - Sylvester Williams, DT.  With Casey Hampton no longer in the picture, Pittsburgh needs a big guy in the middle to occupy blockers so their pass rushing LB's (and Safety) can wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

18. Cowboys - Sheldon Richardson, DT.  The Cowboys have seen inconsistent DL play hurt them over the past couple seasons, with Jay Ratliff hurt and not producing every week even when healthy, and Marcus Spears relegated to the bench before being cut this offseason.  Richardson will fix a lot of issues on the DL.

19. New York Giants - Tyler Eifert, TE.  The Giants have lost a lot of offense this offseason, cutting ties with RB Ahmad Bradshaw and TE Martellus Bennett.  They also have yet to re-sign restricted free agent WR Victor Cruz.  Eifert would become an immediate starter at TE and would give Eli Manning another reliable target in his receiving corps.

20. Chicago Bears - Lane Johnson, OT.  The Bears offensive line is a mess and they've allowed Jay Cutler to get hurt in each of the past two seasons, which has resulted in two great starts to a season being wasted, no playoff appearances and the firing of coach Lovie Smith.  OL should be a priority for new head coach Marc Trestman.

21. Cincinnati Bengals - Kenny Vaccaro, S.  The Bengals had a phenomenal defense down the stretch last year, but Safety was the oldest and weakest link and NFL offensive coordinators with an offseason to review tape will find ways to attack them if the Bengals don't improve. 

22. St. Louis Rams - DJ Fluker, OT.  After spending 2012 behind a miserable excuse for a OL, Sam Bradford gets a LT who's a former #1 overall pick in Jake Long and a RT who will hold his own against the fierce NFC West DE/OLB's just as he did in the SEC last season for Alabama.

23. Minnesota Vikings - Kawann Short, DT.  The Vikings are beginning to show some age in the interior of the DL and Short could give the Vikings a one/two punch in the middle that they haven't had since Pat Williams retired two seasons ago.

24. Indianapolis Colts - Damontre Moore, DE.  Moore will help lessen the pain of fan favorite Dwight Freeney's unceremonious release earlier this offseason.  With Andrew Luck showing as much promise as he did, the Colts might try to plan for another decade of taking early leads and rushing opposing QB's who have to pass.

25. Minnesota Vikings - Alec Ogletree, LB.  An extremely talented player who may drop to this point because of character concerns, Ogletree will step up and be a day one starter for whatever team decides he's worth the risk.  And it's not like the Vikings aren't used to dealing with players who have character concerns.  See: Randy Moss (twice), Jared Allen, Pat and Kevin Williams PED scandal, Vikings Sex Boat, etc.

26. Green Bay Packers - Giovanni Bernard, RB.  The one aspect of the Packers explosive offense that has been lacking during the Aaron Rodgers era is any kind of production from the RB position other than short bursts of effectiveness here and there from Ryan Grant/James Starks.  Bernard is a Darren Sproles clone who would be for Rodgers what Sproles has been for Phillip Rivers and Drew Brees. 

27. Houston Texans - Deandre Hopkins, WR.  The Texans need someone else to make plays from the WR position besides Andre Johnson and even Johnson isn't a lock to play a full season so the sooner the Texans can develop another threat at WR, the better.  Hopkins is a strong athlete who would form a terrific tandem with Johnson.

28. Denver Broncos - Datone Jones, DE.  The Broncos need to take someone to replace Elvis Dumervil's pass rushing production.  Hopefully they won't try to make this pick via fax.

29. New England Patriots - Jamar Taylor, CB.  I wanted to mock Manti T'eo here because he seems like the exact type of player the Patriots would take.  But not in the first round where the risk it so high.  Taylor is a safe pick who will help with CB depth and should be a starter by Opening Day 2014.

30. Atlanta Falcons - Marcus Trufant, CB.  Atlanta has glaring holes at CB if Brent Grimes leaves as expected so this is an easy pick as Trufant is one of the best overall players and fills a need.  These last two picks could easily be switched but New England seems to love Taylor.

31. San Francisco 49ers - Matt Elam, S.  After losing Dashon Goldson in free agency, San Francisco will replace with him a very similar, hard-hitting player who's a poor man's Mark Barron.  He should be effective immediately.

32. Baltimore Ravens - Jonathan Cyprien, S.  The run on secondary players continues for the Super Bowl champs who will try their best to replace Ed Reed with a player who has the upside to, like Reed, eventually become one of the best safeties in the NFL.

NCAA Championship Review

Louisville wins title

• After all the hype and plenty of nailbiters, the 2013 NCAA tournament concluded Monday Night with Louisville knocking off Michigan 82-76 behind a monstrous game (his second in a row) from reserve Luke Hancock, solid play from star PG Peyton Siva and unquestioned motivation stemming from the injury sustained by teammate Kevin Ware last weekend.  
• Michigan was playing in front of their most famous basketball alumni, the Fab Five, who last led the Wolverines to the Final Four, back in 1993.
• In the first half, Michigan raced out to a 12-point lead on the shoulders of little used reserve point guard Spike Albrecht. Albrecht played about 15 minutes in the first half in place of National Player of the Year Trey Burke, who had to sit because of foul trouble. Hancock helped Louisville respond with 4 straight made three pointers leading to a 14-3 run closing the lead to 1. 
• In the second half, Siva and Louisville forward Chane Behanan took Michigan inside and exploited the team's biggest weakness, their size and strength. A short spurt in the middle of the second half gave Louisville a lead that they never gave up. Hancock was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four by scoring 42 points during the weekend.

Title game's NBA prospects?

• Even though the Michigan Wolverines did not win the game Monday, the two (arguably three) best future NBA players wore maize, not red.
• Michigan Forward Mitch McGary is a freshman but has sky high potential. He needs to lose some weight and add some muscle and fine tune a large portion of his game, but the raw McGary shows lots of potential and proves why he was a highly sought after recruit. His NCAA tournament (championship game not withstanding) shows what he is truly capable of. He needs another year or two in college, but should be a dominant all-around NBA player, potentially like another star who played his college ball in the state of Michigan, Zach Randolph.
• Michigan Point Guard Trey Burke was the most NBA ready player on the court Monday Night and is probably the most hyped. Burke, a sophomore, should be one of the first point guards drafted this summer (assuming he does declare). Burke is a passing point guard who is also an incredible scorer. He is in the frame of a Chauncey Billups. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glenn Robinson III will also likely to eventually follow their fathers into the NBA. They are both extremely athletic scorers who should be able to do their family names proud.
• Louisville will send a few players to the NBA this season as well. Star Point Guard Peyton Siva is a senior and while he is very small, he is extremely fast and almost impossible to keep from penetrating into the lane with the ball in his hands. He can pass and score against much larger players. His size will definitely put a ceiling on his career, but he has the ability to become a Ty Lawson type player. Russ Smith’s father has claimed he will declare for the NBA draft. Though Smith had a dreadful championship game, he could be a decent NBA player. He is also small, but is a good ball handler and scorer and could be a contributor on a good team.

NCAA, NBA Hoops

Championship Game Tonight

- The Louisville Cardinals will face the Michigan Wolverines in tonight’s NCAA Championship game in Atlanta. This is the first championship game for the Cardinals since 1986, and for Michigan since 1993. Both teams are led by supurb backcourts and this should lead to a fantastic championship game.
- Louisville made it past surprising Wichita State after a major deficit in the first half.  A unrelenting second half run led by Luke Hancock’s 20 points put Louisville on top 72-68. The Shockers' Cinderella run ended a game short of the championship game, but catapulted this tiny school in Kansas to the spotlight. With injured player Kevin Ware sitting (and at times standing) near the bench, the Cardinals played inspired second half basketball and it paid off with a trip to tonight’s game.
- The Michigan Wolverines started out strong, taking an 11-point lead to halftime, against Syracuse, and never looked back winning 61-56. Led by Center Mitch McGary’s 10 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, the Wolverines were able to withstand a late run by Syracuse who brought the game to within 1 late.  A late charging call on Syracuse's Brandon Triche (on which he also fouled out) was a crucial call that seemingly swung the momentum back to the Wolverines.
- The game is tonight at 9:20 EST.


Clippers win first division title

- For the first time ever, the Los Angeles Clippers will be division champions, clinching the Pacific division after a 109-95 defeat of their famed Staples Center co-tenants, the Lakers.  Afterwards the Clippers posed for pictures with some T-Shirts but did not change into them, noting that they have not yet accomplished their goals of playoff success.
- In addition to winning the division, it marked the first time that the Clippers have swept the Lakers in a season (the only other time was when the franchise was known as the Buffalo Braves in 1974-75).  The loss moved the Lakers a half game back of the last playoff spot and they did so despite having Kobe Bryant play all but seconds of the game.  Bryant has averaged a very high 46 minutes per game over his past 4 but Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni justified the use given the team's dire situation.  It would be nothing short of embarrassment to have a team with four potential Hall of Famers in the starting lineup miss the playoffs.

Rutgers and Auburn Licking Wounds

Rice Out at Rutgers

• A day after an ESPN video of his practices surfaced, Rutgers University fired head basketball coach Mike Rice. This is after a 3-game suspension earlier in the season for his actions. Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti has come under fire and is no longer the AD at Rutgers due to this kerfuffle.
• The video showed Rice punching, grabbing, kicking, and throwing balls at his players during practice. In addition to the physical violence Rice cursed and used homophobic slurs against his players.
• Two players have come out in Rice's defense saying that the video was not the whole picture. He was still fired.

Mess at Auburn

• Auburn university is the latest major university to become embroiled in a major scandal, as they apparently changed players grades, gave cash to potential NFL draft picks so they would return for another season, and violated NCAA recruiting rules under former coach Gene Chizik. It didn't help apparently as Chizik was fired this past season after going winless in the SEC but Auburn faces possible punishment nonetheless.
• To the surprise of no one, Chizik denied the allegations, saying that they are "long on accusation and inference, but short on facts and logic."
• Additionally, Auburn had a dozen players fail drug tests for "spice" which is a synthetic drug similar to marijuana. While the team didn't test for it until after they won the 2010 National Championship, the team nonetheless decided to conceal the results. Star RB Michael Dyer was among those who tested positive as was freshman TE Dakota Moseley who failed seven consecutive tests but was never punished for it.

Anirudh's 2013 NFL Mock Draft

The 2013 NFL Draft will begin April 25th in New York City. Today Anirudh is releasing his mock draft. Alex will be releasing his next week. 

There are still things that could change, obviously as trades and free agents will still be made, but this is my best guess as of now.

1. Kansas City Chiefs – Luke Jockel – OT – Texas A&M – The Chiefs need to shore up their offensive line, and Jockel could be the blindside protector for newly acquired Alex Smith for the rest of Smith’s career (or whatever young QB takes over for Smith)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars – Dion Jordan – DE – Oregon – Jacksonville finished dead last in the league with only 20 sacks last year. Jordan will give them a huge boost to their pass rush.
3. Oakland Raiders – Sharrif Floyd – DT – Florida – The Raiders need a lot of help, the defensive line could definitely use an influx of talent from arguably the best player in the draft.
4. Philadelphia Eagles – Eric Fisher – OT – Central Michigan – The Eagles need a building block on the offensive line. Fisher will give them a pillar to build around a 2^nd day quarterback.
5. Detroit Lions – Dee Milliner – CB – Alabama – Detroit has long had trouble in the defensive secondary. Milliner is by far the best secondary player in this draft.
6. Cleveland Browns – Ezekiel Ansah – DE – BYU – Cleveland is another team that could use talent pretty much anywhere. Ansah is an athletic freak who could greatly help the Browns defense. Though offense seems to always be a need with the Browns, there’s nobody really worth taking this early.
7. Arizona Cardinals – Lane Johnson – OT – Oklahoma – Arizona made a splash trading for Raiders QB Carson Palmer, Johnson will give them a top tier tackle to help protect Palmer. Lots of offensive lineman are in play here, but Johnson would fill the greatest need.
8. Buffalo Bills – Geno Smith – QB – West Virginia – You rarely wait this long for the first quarterback, and even Smith isn’t good enough to be drafted this high, but the Bills are desperate enough they would reach for him.
9. New York Jets – Star Lotulelei – DT – Utah – The Jets defensive line just lost their best defensive tackle and had little talent there to start with. Lotulelei was widely considered the best player in the draft 6 weeks ago, a minor heart condition (that has since checked out) caused him to drop, the Jets get a steal at 9.
10. Tennessee Titans – Chance Warmack – G – Alabama – The Titans need lots of help on the offensive line to help open holes for Chris Johnson. This gives them one of the two best guards in the draft.
11. San Diego Chargers – Jonathan Cooper – G – North Carolina – Similar to the Titans, the Chargers need lots of help for their QB Phillip Rivers. Cooper is arguably better than Warmack and gives the Chargers a very versatile player along the offensive line.
12. Miami Dolphins – Xavier Rhodes – CB – FSU- The Dolphins need a lot of secondary help. They traded their best corner away last offseason, and never replaced him. It doesn’t help that their other corners are not good either.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Desmond Trufant – CB – Washington – The Bucs need corner back help. They are widely rumored to be close to acquiring Darrel Revis, but could use another quality corner anyways.
14. Carolina Panthers – Sheldon Richardson – DT – Missouri – The Panthers are desperate for defensive line help. They need a hole plugger to prevent opposing runners from setting career highs.
15. New Orleans Saints – Jarvis Jones – DE – Georgia – The Saints were tied for 25^th in the league with only 30 sacks last season. Jones has top 10 potential, but there was some concerns with injuries which have pushed Jones down.
16. St Louis Rams – Tavon Austin – WR – West Virginia – Austin will be an immediate replacement for the recently departed Danny Amendola and will give Sam Bradford a new target.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers – Barkevious Mingo – DE – LSU – The Steelers need youth on the defensive side of the ball, pretty much everywhere. Mingo is an athletic pass rusher, who will help fill the gap left when James Harrison was cut.
18. Dallas Cowboys – Kenny Vaccaro – S – Texas – The Cowboys need help in the defensive secondary. Vaccaro is the best safety in this draft and will give the Cowboys a ball hawk in the defensive backfield.
19. New York Giants – Bjoern Warner – DE – FSU – The Giants love drafting athletic pass rushers early. Warner will help fill the void left by the departure of Osi Umenyiora.
20. Chicago Bears – DJ Fluker – G – Alabama – Fluker’s versatility will be a huge selling point and the Bears will be thrilled for him to drop to them. Offensive line has long been a problem for the Bears, and they finally decided to spend money this offseason, Fluker will be a continuation of that.
21. Cincinnati Bengals – Arthur Brown – LB – Kansas State – The Bengals would love a hard hitting linebacker. Brown will be able to come and immediately start and contribute.
22. St Louis Rams – Sylvester Williams – DT – North Carolina – Williams will give the Rams one of the best young defensive lines in the league. Pairing him with Chris Long, Michael Brockers and former college teammate Robert Quinn will give them 4 first rounders on the defensive line.
23. Minnesota Vikings – Cordarrelle Patterson – WR – Tennessee – The Vikings need as much help on the offense as they can get. Young QB Christian Ponder would do well with Patterson and his ability to stretch the field. Adrian Peterson would also be helped by having opposing defenses have to focus on another talent.
24. Indianapolis Colts – Datone Jones – DE – UCLA – The Colts rocketed to prominence this offseason on the backs of a high powered offense. Andrew Luck was able to overcome a weak defense, and Jones gives them a versatile talent on the defensive line.
25. Minnesota Vikings – Kawann Short – DT – Purdue – The Vikings need to get younger on the defensive line. Short is a massive hole stuffer who will help the rest of the Vikings.
26. Green Bay Packers – Tyler Eifert – TE – Notre Dame – Eifert will give Aaron Rogers another target in the middle of the field. Jermichael Finley is atrocious and needs to be replaced at TE.
27. Houston Texans – DeAndre Hopkins – WR – Clemson – A major target across from Andre Johnson is desperately needed. The Texans are just a few pieces away from being contenders and Hopkins will help.
28. Denver Broncos – Tank Carradine – DE – FSU – The Broncos lost Elvis Dumerville due to antiquated technology, so they’re going to replace him with a Tank.
29. New England Patriots – Keenan Allen – WR – California – The Patriots have gone years without a true athletic wide out, Allen will give Tom Brady a young receiver to play with.
30. Atlanta Falcons – Alec Ogletree – LB – Georgia – Ogletree will give the Falcons a desperately needed linebacker, frankly the Falcons desperately need any defensive help.
31. San Francisco 49ers - Jonathan Cyprien – S – Florida International – Atlanta needs as much help in the defensive secondary as they can find. Cyprien has impressed a lot of people with his offseason workouts.
32. Baltimore Ravens – Marqus Hunt – DE – SMU – Hunt will give the Ravens some talent and youth along the defensive line in the wake of many injuries, retirements and free agent defection.

Final 4 set

Final Four Set

• The Syracuse Orange defeated conference foe Marquette using a stifling defense and continued incredible play by guards Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche to upend the Golden Eagles. The two guards combined for 21 points, 9 assists and 14 rebounds. The Orange will go on to play….
• The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Florida Gaters soundly lead by shooting guard Nick Stuaskas’ 22 points and Trey Burke’s 9 assists. Michigan makes it to their first final four since the 1993 “Fab Five” team.
• The Wichita State Shockers continued their surprising run through the tournament (that's right, we avoided the easy pun) by defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes thanks to a huge first half, going into the break with a 35-22 lead. A 44-point second half by the Buckeyes was not enough to come all the way back as Ohio State fell just short, sending the #9 seeded Shockers to the Final Four, only the second #9 seed and tied for the fifth lowest ever to make it to a Final Four.


Big Weekend for the Louisville Cardinals

• The Louisville men’s team rounded out the Final Four. The #1 team coming into the tournament continued their magical run with a monster second half against Duke. Russ Smith’s 23 points and Peyton Siva’s 16 points gave the Cardinals the victory. However, the most memorable moment of the game was with about six and a half minutes to go in the first half. When Duke’s Tyler Thornton gathered up to take a 3, Cardinals’ guard Kevin Ware came flying by for the block, but when he landed on his right leg his shin gave way with a clean break.
• The compound fracture led to his right shin poking through his skin, and his teammates literally sick on the sidelines. Ware, whose leg looked like it had two knee joints (we aren’t going to link to this, please search this video at your own risk), tried to get up once but quickly realized that wasn’t happening. Ware asked his team repeatedly to win the game for him, so he could travel back to his high school home town of Atlanta for the Final Four. Ware underwent surgery Sunday night that was successful. He is looking at probably a year of rehab before he can even think of playing again, everybody at Sportico wishes Ware the absolute best.
• The Cardinals’ women’s team looked like they were going to be the next victim of Brittney Griner and the Baylor Bears, who had only lost 1 game since the beginning of last season. However a very physical game by the Cardinal left Griner without any points in the first half, and didn’t hit her first field goal until 15 minutes left in the game. Even though Griner ended up with 14 points, the stars of the game were Antonita Slaughter and her 21 points, Shoni Shimmel’s 22. The Cardinals had a 19-point lead in the 2nd half. Though the Baylor Bears were able to take a 1-point lead with 9 seconds left (led largely by Odyssey Sims’ 22 points) the Cardinals hit a layup with 2 seconds left, and that lead stuck.
• Neither Griner nor Delaware's Elena Della Donne, both of whom are top 5 in career points in NCAA women's basketball made it to the Elite 8.