Final Four

South Carolina, Gonzaga, Oregon And North Carolina

... 18 points for Florida. South Carolina will take on Gonzaga in the first semifinal Saturday at Glendale, Arizona. Like the Gamecocks, the Bulldogs have never played in a Final Four before. In Sunday's second game, North Carolina was facing overtime until Luke Maye drained a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the top-seeded Tar Heels a 75-73 win over Kentucky in the South Regional final. Maye's game-winning bucket came after Kentucky freshman Malik Monk hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 7.2 seconds remaining. De'Aaron Fox also hit a trey after North Carolina went on a 12-0 to take a six-point lead late in the game. Maye finished with 17 points off the bench for North Carolina. Justin Jackson scored 19 points, and Joel Berry II added 11. Bam Adebayo and Fox each had 13 points for the Wildcats, while Monk finished with 12. North Carolina will play Midwest champ Oregon on Saturday in Arizona. NCAA TOURNAMENT-WOMEN. Stanford edges Notre Dame to reach Final Four. Copyright 2017 by KPRC Click 2 Houston. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This ...

An Unlikely Final Four Is An Ode To Grinders

... the image of the work-a-day basketball lifers who coach them. And then there is mighty North Carolina, which has now made more Final Four appearances, 20, than any other team after surviving Kentucky in a classic on Sunday. North Carolina adds the star power, but this year’s collection of teams is an ode to quiet toil, and the career-defining joy for three coaches was hard to miss. Altman, who grew up in tiny Crete, Neb., got his start as the coach and physical education instructor at the vaguely named Southeast Community College. He never thought he’d coach Division-I basketball, much less this. “Today is just about our players,” Altman demurred, when asked about his journey to the Final Four. “I feel so good for them.”. He was trying hard to suppress a smile. Few is the son of a small-town pastor from Oregon. He spent his entire career, from graduate assistant to head coach, at one school. “I’ve been there 28 years,” he said Saturday. “My first year on staff we won four Division I games. And, I mean, this ...

South Carolina Defeats Florida For First Final Four Berth

... Gregory Shamus/Getty Images). TULSA, OK - MARCH 19: Johnathan Motley #5 of the Baylor Bears reacts against the USC Trojans during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 19, 2017 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images). SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 19: Dylan Ennis #31 of the Oregon Ducks reacts against the Rhode Island Rams during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 19, 2017 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images). GREENVILLE, SC - MARCH 19: Dusty Hannahs #3 of the Arkansas Razorbacks reacts after being defeated by the North Carolina Tar Heels 72-65 in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2017 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images). INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 19: Shaquille Morris #24 of the ...

The Final Four Of Never, Never, Almost Never And North Carolina

... has been looking forward to this moment for nearly two decades. The Bulldogs' inability to make the final weekend turned them into the game's most lovable lightning rod, a squad appreciated for its overreaching success but questioned for its underachieving results. The NCAA hosted its first hoops championship in 1939 in Evanston, Illinois; ironically, at Northwestern, the school that until this year couldn't get to the party it first hosted. Eight teams reluctantly agreed to participate in the newfangled tourney. The Webfoots, nicknamed the "Tall Firs," won the championship. We know them as the Oregon Ducks. They've spent the past 78 years designing new uniforms and cornering the Nike market, and were the only school that had a booster (Phil Knight) climb the ladder to snip a piece of the net. But cool unis do not necessarily beget basketball results. Oregon's drought had stretched the entire history of the sport. Playing Tournament Challenge? Don't forget to check your brackets! Bracket busted? We have you covered with a Second Chance Bracket. "1939 was a long ...

Mississippi State Advances To Final Four

... Bears guard Alexis Jones (30) during the first quarter in the finals of the Oklahoma City Regional of the women's 2017 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports. Mark D. Smith, Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports. Mar 26, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs forward Breanna Richardson (3) drives to the basket in front of Baylor Bears guard Alexis Jones (30) during the first quarter in the finals of the Oklahoma City Regional of the women's 2017 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports. Mark D. Smith, Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports. Mar 26, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs center Teaira Mc Cowan (15) fights for a rebound in action against the Baylor Bears during the first quarter in the finals of the Oklahoma City Regional of the women's 2017 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports. Mark D. Smith, Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports. Mar 26, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, ...

One Carolina Tweets Politely, The Other Gets Cocky

... Its Twitter feed , therefore, cocked a snook at all those who didn't even conceive that the so-called Gamecocks would come this far. Before the game had even tipped, the USC tweeted : "RT if you're part of the 0.6 percent." These were the 0.6 percent of sages who had South Carolina reaching the Final Four in their ESPN brackets. More Technically Incorrect. Trump takes to Twitter to promise death of Obamacare. During the game, the USC feed was offering this about its game against Florida: "Scale from 1-10, how shook is Florida rn?" This was accompanied by a poll in which 74 percent of people decided that, stunningly, Florida was, um, shook to the max. When victory was complete, the USC tweeters had their most cocky hurrah with a pinned tweet at the very top of the feed. "Oops, again. #Gamecocks #Final Four," it read , together with a graphic showing the ESPN experts giving the team only a 20.2 percent chance of winning. The two Carolinas aren't destined to meet in ...

The Final Four In Arizona Is Set

... in the first half during the finals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Fed Ex Forum. Justin Ford, USA TODAY Sports. North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) shoots over Kentucky Wildcats forward Derek Willis (35) and forward Edrice Adebayo (3) in the second half during the finals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Fed Ex Forum. Nelson Chenault, USA TODAY Sports. Kentucky Wildcats guard Dominique Hawkins (25) and North Carolina Tar Heels guard Nate Britt (0) battle for a ball in the first half during the finals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Fed Ex Forum. Nelson Chenault, USA TODAY Sports. North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) shoots a layup against Kentucky Wildcats guard Dominique Hawkins (25) and forward Isaac Humphries (15) and guard Mychal Mulder (11) in the first half during the finals of the South Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Fed Ex Forum. Justin Ford, USA TODAY Sports. Kentucky Wildcats forward Derek Willis (35) pulls in a rebound against ...

Oregon Ducks Final Four Appearance Is Lining The Pac 12's Pockets

... distributes more than $200 million to the respective conferences that appear in the Big Dance. That's why getting multiple teams into the bracket is advantageous for a given conference. And it's why winning big can be lucrative. Here's how it works. - Conferences receive a basketball "unit" for every NCAA Tournament game played by one of its teams. You play a first round game? You get one unit. You make the Final Four? You get five units. (The championship game is not counted.) So five units is the most any one program can attain for the conference, and that's what Oregon is going to get this season. - A unit won in this tournament is worth approximately $1.75 million to the conference. - The payouts are distributed evenly over a six-year pay window. Lets use Oregon as an example for the Pac 12 Conference. The Ducks win five basketball "units" in this NCAA Tournament. That payout is about $8.75 million for the Pac 12, but the payout is going to be spread over six years. So it's worth $1,458,333.33 annually to the conference or $121,527.78 per conference member in each of the next six years. Oregon's run to the Final Four just earned every ...

Um 'comes Together' Amid Adversity, Makes Wnit Final Four

... 'comes together' amid adversity, makes WNIT Final Four. Tony Paul , The Detroit News Published 12:03 p.m. ET March 26, 2017 | Updated 8 hours ago. Siera Thompson. 4 CONNECT TWEET LINKEDIN COMMENTEMAILMORE. Surely, the Michigan women's basketball team would rather have made the NCAA Tournament. It certainly believed that's where it belonged. But the Wolverines still see it as an accomplishment that they're still playing basketball in late March, having advanced Saturday to the Final Four of the Women's National Invitation Tournament. Michigan beat Virginia Tech, 80-62, to advance to the WNIT Final Four for a third consecutive year. That ties a WNIT record, set by Illinois State, which made three straight from 2009-11. Michigan has yet to advance to the championship game. It next will play Villanova (20-14), a 69-57 winner Sunday over Indiana (23-11), which lost for just the third time at home all season. "I think us ...

Victoria Vivians Helps Lead Msu To Final Four

... State defense during the first half of a regional final of the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 26, 2017, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams). Alonzo Adams, AP. Baylor's Kristy Wallace (4) drives against Mississippi State's Morgan William (2) during the first half of a regional final of the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 26, 2017, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams). Alonzo Adams, AP. Baylor's Nina Davis (13) shoots over Mississippi State's Breanna Richardson (3) during the first half of a regional final of the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 26, 2017, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams). Alonzo Adams, AP. Baylor's Kalani Brown (21) drives to the basket against Mississippi State's Teaira Mc Cowan (15) during the first half of a regional final of the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 26, 2017, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams). Alonzo Adams, AP. Baylor's Alexis Prince (12) drives against Mississippi State's Victoria Vivians (35) during the first half of a regional final of ...

Road To Final Four Went Through

... previous roles as head coach at Kansas State, their new teams could be Final Four-bound. With the regional finals advancing two other former Wildcats coaches in the Final Four — South Carolina’s Frank Martin and Oregon’s Dana Altman — only Asbury and his successor Wooldridge among the previous seven head K-State head coaches haven’t taken a team to college basketball’s final weekend. Sadly for the Wildcats, none of those who are taking or have taken teams to Final Fours accomplished the feat during their tenure in Manhattan, including current coach Bruce Weber. Weber got there with Illinois in 2005. Lon Kruger, the former K-State star, took Florida in 1994 and Oklahoma last season. Bob Huggins, who coached K-State in 2006-07, has had two Final Four teams, Cincinnati in 1992 and West Virginia in 2010. Woodridge is the athletic director at Riverside City College and Asbury is retired, having last coached Pepperdine in 2011. Martin joined ...