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What you need to know about each team in the Final Four – Sportsnet.ca

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There’s no room for a surprise team at this Final Four.

Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Villanova have combined for 17 national championships. Each of the schools has won at least three titles, making this the first Final Four in which each of the teams already had won multiple championships.

The closest thing to a Final Four party crasher is North Carolina, which was seeded eighth in the South Region but has won 10 of its last 11 games.

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Those aren’t the only impressive numbers involving the four tradition-rich programs remaining in the NCAA Tournament. Here are a few things to know about each of the teams in the Final Four:

DUKE

COACH K’s FINALE: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is making his 13th Final Four appearance to move into sole possession of first place (former UCLA coach John Wooden also had 12). Krzyzewski also has made more NCAA Tournament appearances (36) and won more NCAA Tournament games (101) than any other coach.

ON THE MARK: Mark Williams has blocked 16 shots in Duke’s first games, which matches the most by any Duke player in a single NCAA Tournament. Shane Battier had 16 in 2001 when Duke won the title. Williams also is shooting 80.6% from the floor, which puts him on pace to have the highest field-goal percentage in a single NCAA Tournament of any Duke player with at least 25 attempts. Williams’ accuracy has helped Duke shoot 53.8% in the tournament, the best field-goal percentage of anyone in the original 68-team field.

WATCH OUT FOR GRIFFIN: A.J. Griffin has been the barometer for Duke’s level of success against semifinal opponent North Carolina this season. He scored 27 points in Duke’s 87-67 victory at North Carolina on Feb. 5 but had just five points in 34 minutes when the Blue Devils fell 94-81 to the Tar Heels at home a month later.

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NORTH CAROLINA

FAMILIAR FINISH: This is North Carolina’s NCAA-leading 21st appearance in the Final Four. The Tar Heels also lead all schools with 130 victories in NCAA Tournament games.

SELECT COMPANY: North Carolina coach Hubert Davis is one of only two people to play and coach in the Final Four with the same school. Davis was on the 1991 North Carolina team that lost an NCAA semifinal to Kansas. The only other person to make a Final Four as a player and coach at the same school was Dick Harp, who played (1940) and coached (1957) NCAA runner-up teams with Kansas. Davis also was an assistant coach on Roy Williams’ staff when North Carolina reached an NCAA final in 2016 and won the title in 2017.

MANEK VS. DEVILS: Brady Manek scored at least 20 points in each of North Carolina’s previous two meetings with Duke this season. He had 21 points when the Tar Heels lost to Duke at home. He had 20 points and 11 rebounds when North Carolina won at Duke. Manek has scored 86 points in this NCAA Tournament, the most of any player.

KANSAS

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GETTING STINGY: The Jayhawks are allowing tournament foes to shoot just 34.1%. That’s the best NCAA Tournament field-goal percentage defense of any team in the original 68-team field.

MORE WINS THAN ANYONE: Kansas’ Midwest Region final triumph over Miami gave the Jayhawks 2,355 all-time victories. That enabled Kansas to take the Division I lead over Kentucky, a first-round loser that ended its season with 2,354 all-time wins.

UNDER 70: Kansas has held eight of its last nine opponents below 70 points. The Jayhawks are 24-0 this season when they allow fewer than 70 points. The only team to crack 70 points against Kansas during this tournament was Creighton, which lost 79-72 to the Jayhawks in the second round. Kansas’ semifinal opponent is Villanova, which has won nine straight but has reached the 70-point mark in just two of its last seven games.

VILLANOVA

NO MOORE: Justin Moore leads Villanova in minutes per game (34.4), ranks second on the team in scoring (14.8), 3-pointers (80) and assists per game (2.3) and ranks third in rebounds per game (4.8). Villanova will have to play the Final Four without Moore, who tore his right Achilles tendon in a 50-44 South Region final victory over Houston.

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SAMUELS’ SURGE: Jermaine Samuels has averaged 17.5 points in the tournament and has scored at least 15 points in each game. Samuels entered the tournament averaging just 10.4.

COLD BUT POISED: Villanova has shot 27.5% from 3-point range (14 of 51) over its last two games but still reached the Final Four. The Wildcats were 9 of 30 on 3-point attempts against Michigan and 5 of 21 against Houston. They’ve shot 30% or below from 3-point range in 13 games this season but have gone 9-4 in those games.

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Yankees' pressure meter approaching all-time high amid Juan Soto trade talks

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The Juan Soto sweepstakes are in a precarious position — for the Yankees, anyway. Deesha Thosar writes New York better trade for the Padres superstar now, before it’s too late.



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Fans React To First Images Of NBA In-Season Tournament Trophy

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(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

 

The NBA is about to start the next phase of its first In-Season Tournament and fans are excited to see what happens next.

Which team will reign supreme and claim the first NBA Cup?

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Speaking of the NBA Cup, the league showed it off on Monday morning, along with medals for the winning players and the tournament MVP trophy too.

Dave McMenamin shared pictures of the trophies on Twitter and the reaction from fans was decidedly mixed.

Some people came straight out and claimed that the trophy is officially “the ugliest award in sports history.”

Others called these “clown show awards.”

There were some positive reactions to the trophies, of course, but the majority of people didn’t seem very impressed.

Then were many people who showed their support for their favorite teams.

One fan plainly stated that the New Orleans Pelicans were going to earn these trophies, while others showed their support for the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Very soon, all fans will know which team was the best of the best in the In-Season Tournament.

The first games of the next round are being held on Monday night with the Pelicans facing off against the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers battling the Boston Celtics.

Although people weren’t sure how the tournament would go when it was first announced, the reaction has been very kind so far.

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Fans and analysts like the energy of the games and feel that players are performing well.

There is a sense of urgency to the tournament even though the games are being played at the beginning of the season.

Now it’s time to see who ends up winning it all and taking a place in NBA history.

The post Fans React To First Images Of NBA In-Season Tournament Trophy appeared first on The Cold Wire.





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Saints Star In Concussion Protocol For Second Time This Season

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(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

 

The New Orleans Saints have not been good this season.

Through 12 games, the Saints have a record of 5-7.

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Yet, they are still alive for the NFC South crown and a playoff berth.

One player who has not panned out as they had hoped is quarterback Derek Carr.

The Saints signed Carr to a lucrative contract this offseason.

But he has not been good in the first year of his four-year contract.

To make matters worse, Carr has consistently been injured this year.

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On Sunday, he took a big hit that knocked him out of the game.

According to Adam Schefter, Carr has been placed in concussion protocol.

This is the second time Carr has been placed in concussion protocol in the last month.

So, it makes sense that he is going to miss some time.

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Recovering from concussions is different for every player.

But the Saints should be extra cautious for someone who has had two concussions in the past four weeks.

Now it looks like the Saints will turn the starting job over to Jameis Winston until Carr is healthy enough to return.

Most NFL fans know Winston as a big risk-taker.

He once threw 30 interceptions in a season, but he can help the Saints win games.

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It is not crazy to think Winston has a higher upside than Carr.

He might be able to do more for the Saints offense than Carr could.

New Orleans needs to win as many games as possible to keep pace in the NFC South race.

It seems like they will have to find ways to win games without Carr under center.

The post Saints Star In Concussion Protocol For Second Time This Season appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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