Your 2011 NCAA Basketball Champions

Congratulations to the Connecticut Huskies and the Texas A&M Aggies for winning the 2011 Men's and Women's NCAA Basketball Tournaments.

Danielle Adams scored 30 points and added 9 rebounds, and Tyra White chipped in 18 points as the Aggies won their first Women's Basketball Championship. Adams powered her way to 22 second half points after scoring just 22 points in the two previous games against Baylor and Stanford. White and Adams combined to hit 20 of 29 shots in leading Texas A&M to victory. Skylar Diggins had 23 points and Devereaux Peters had 21 points and 11 boards in a losing effort.

Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

On the men's side, bad shooting was the story. Butler and Connecticut combined to make just 31 of 119 shots, or 26%, and just 10 of 44 3-pointers, 23% in a low scoring affair that saw Connecticut cap off an impressive 11 game run through the Big East and NCAA Tournaments with a 53-41 win over Butler. Butler managed to make just 12 field goals the entire game and nobody on the team shot over 30%. Kemba Walker finished win a game-high 16 points and 9 rebounds and Alex Oriakhi added 11 and 11 as the Connecticut men clinched their 3rd Championship. Shelvin Mack had 13 points and 9 rebounds to lead Butler who lost in the Finals for the second straight year.

Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

Champions League Update

11 goals scored today in 2 Champions League Matches with a pair of teams taking commanding leads into the second leg.

Real Madrid took advantage of an early ejection to Tottenham striker Peter Crouch, who picked up a pair of yellows by the 15th minute, and scored 3 times in the second half to route Spurs 4-0 behind a pair of goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and single stirkes from Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo. Madrid ened up outshooting Tottenham 36-4 for the match and now have a commanding lead as they head back to England for the second leg.

Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

In a bit of a surprise in the other match, Inter Milan dropped a home game against Schalke 04 by a final score of 5-2 blowing leads of 1-0 and 2-1 putting their chances of repeating as Champions League winners in serious jeopardy. Inter got on the board just 16 seconds into the match on a goal from Dejan Stankovic, but the momentum didn't last as Joel Matip equalized in the 17th minute. Eduardo Goncalves de Oliveira (Edu) would score the next equalizer and Raul would put Schalke ahead for good in the second half. An own goal and a second strike from Edu rounded out the scoring as they now head to Germany with a huge advantage.

Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

Two matches tomorrow as Barcelona hosts Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk while English Powerhouses Manchester United and Chelsea face off at Stamford Bridge.

NHL Playoff Races

We're down to just 5 teams fighting for the final 3 spots in the Eastern Conference. Realistically it's going to be tough for either Carolina or Toronto to get in though. With only 3 games remaining, there is basically no margin for error for either side as they hope to steal a final spot. Here are the schedules for the 5 teams still in contention with the number of games remaining in parentheses.

MONTREAL (3)

4/5 vs Chicago
4/7 @ Ottawa
4/9 @ Toronto

NY RANGERS (2)

4/7 vs Atlanta
4/9 vs New Jersey

BUFFALO (3)

4/5 vs Tampa Bay
4/8 vs Philadelphia
4/9 @ Columbus

CAROLINA (3)

4/6 vs Detroit
4/8 @ Atlanta
4/9 vs Tampa Bay

TORONTO (3)

4/5 vs Washington
4/6 @ New Jersey
4/9 vs Montreal

We're in the final week of the NHL season and still only 3 teams have clinched a playoff spot out West. While Calgary and Dallas definitely have their work cut out for them, particularly Calgary since they only have 2 games left, there's still a chance for both of them to get in. Especially when you look at all the matchups between teams still in the thick of things over the course of the week. Here are the schedules of the 7 teams still trying to lock down a spot out west with number of games remaining in parentheses:

PHOENIX (3)

4/6 @ Los Angeles
4/8 vs San Jose
4/9 @ San Jose

LOS ANGELES (3)

4/6 vs Phoenix
4/8 @ Anaheim
4/9 vs Anaheim

NASHVILLE (3)

4/5 vs Atlanta
4/8 vs Columbus
4/9 @ St. Louis

ANAHEIM (3)

4/6 vs San Jose
4/8 vs Los Angeles
4/9 @ Los Angeles

CHICAGO (4)

4/5 @ Montreal
4/6 vs St. Louis
4/8 @ Detroit
4/10 vs Detroit

CALGARY (2)

4/6 vs Edmonton
4/9 vs Vancouver

DALLAS (4)

4/5 vs Columbus
4/7 vs Colorado
4/8 @ Colorado
4/10 @ Minnesota

Texas A&M (32-5) vs Notre Dame (31-7)

All four number one seeds in the Women's NCAA Tournament can thank these two squads for sending them home short of a shot at the Championship. Notre Dame stunned Tennessee and Connecticut while Texas A&M upset Baylor and Stanford and now both have a chance for a storybook ending as they face off tonight.

Players to Watch:

For Notre Dame-

Skylar Diggins, Sophomore Guard - Diggins has averaged 18.6 points and 6.4 assists in the Irish's run to the NCAA Championship and she saved her two best games for her two biggest foes. Against Tennessee, Diggins finished with 24 points, 4 assists and 4 steals and against Connecticut, she had 28 points on 10 of 14 shooting to go along with 6 assists.

Natalie Novosel, Junior Guard - Novosel has scored at least 15 points in all five of Notre Dame's NCAA Tourney games averaging 18.2 points a contest. Novosel also saved her best for the big stage scoring her tournament-best 22 points against Connecticut in the Final Four on 8 of 13 shooting.

Devereaux Peters, Senior Forward - The 6'2" Peters leads the Irish in rebounding during the Tournament with 8.6 a game. She also has a team high 9 blocks and has scored 17 points in two separate contests.

Brittany Mallory, Senior Guard - Notre Dame's defensive stopper  can also hit from outside connecting on 8 of 21 3-point attempts including 6 of 10 against Oklahoma. Mallory also is tied for the team lead in steals with 9 and averaged 8.4 points a game in the tournament.

For Texas A&M-

Danielle Adams, Senior Forward/Center - Adams leads the Aggies with 18.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in the tournament. While she's struggled to hit from outside, just 5 for 28, she's hit 96% of her free throws (22/23) so far. She also has a team high 9 blocked shots.

Tyra White, Junior Guard - White has scored in double figures in all 5 games with an average of 13 to go along with 5.2 rebounds a contest. White has 18 points in the upset win over Stanford.

Sydney Carter, Junior Guard - Carter has hit a team high 10 3-pointers and finished with 22 points in the win over Baylor and 14 more against Stanford. Carter is also second on the team with 9 steals. Carter played all 40 minutes in each of the Aggies' last two games.

Sydney Colson, Senior Guard - Colson has averaged 5.0 assists per game in the tournament and leads the team with 13 steals.


Road to the Finals:

For Notre Dame-

W vs Utah (15) 67-54
W vs Temple (10) 77-64
W vs Oklahoma (6) 78-53
W vs Tennessee (1) 73-59
W vs Connecticut (1) 72-63

For Texas A&M-

W vs McNeese State (15) 87-47
W vs Rutgers (7) 70-48
W vs Georgia (6) 79-38
W vs Baylor (1) 58-46
W vs Stanford (1) 63-62

Cricket World Cup Wrapup - Championship Match

Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

India is your 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Champion defeating fellow co-host Sri Lanka 277-274 by 6 wickets with 10 balls remaining. In a high scoring affair that saw 3 players score at least 90 runs, it was the Indians who emerged victorious clinching their second World Cup Title thanks to clutch batting from team captain MS Dhoni. Dhoni finished with 91 runs off 79 balls including the game's only sixes en route to being named the man of the match as India overcame getting 0 runs from their top batsman Virender Sehwag who had entered the final with 380 runs. Gautam Gambhir added 97 runs and the World Cup Player of the Series (MVP) Yuvraj Singh took 2 more wickets bringing his tournament total to 15 and also managed 362 runs including 21 in the Championship Match. Sri Lanka gave it their best shot and Mahela Jayawardene tallied 103 runs off just 88 balls with 13 fours, but it wasn't enough as India was able to rally for the victory. Upul Tharanga, who finished the World Cup with 395 runs, managed just 2 off 20 balls in the final as Sri Lanka would have to settle for second place for the second straight tournament. The next World Cup is set to be cohosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2015 as India will look to defend their title.

Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

Photo Courtesy: zimbio.com

Top Tens

Men's Tennis Rankings

1. Rafael Nadal (Spain) - 12870 points
2. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) - 9700 points
3. Roger Federer (Switzerland) - 8550 points
4. Andy Murray (Great Britain) - 5545 points
5. Robin Soderling (Sweden) - 5420 points
6. David Ferrer (Spain) - 4600 points
7. Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) - 3900 points
8. Fernando Verdasco (Spain) - 2925 points
9. Jurgen Melzer (Austria) - 2660 points
10. Gael Monfils (France) - 2600 points


Out: Andy Roddick (14)



Women's Tennis Rankings

1. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) - 9740 points
2. Kim Clijsters (Belgium) - 8145 points
3. Vera Zvonareva (Russia) - 7815 points
4. Francesca Schiavone (Italy) - 5171 points
5. Samantha Stosur (Australia) - 4606 points
6. Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) - 4470 points
7. Li Na (China) - 4300 points
8. Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) - 4155 points
9. Maria Sharapova (Russia) - 3726 points
10. Serena Williams (USA) - 3035 points


Out: Venus Williams (15), Marion Bartoli (12)



FedEx Cup Points Leaders

1. Mark Wilson 1161 (1)
2. Phil Mickelson 1048 (-)
3. Gary Woodland 1002 (3)
4. Nick Watney 960 (2)
5. Martin Laird 937 (4)
6. Aaron Baddeley 876 (8)
7. Rory Sabbatini 820 (5)
8. Bubba Watson 807 (6)
9. Jhonattan Vegas 791 (7)
10. D.A. Points 759 (9)


Out: Luke Donald (13)



NCAA Baseball Rankings (Previous Week)

1. Vanderbilt 26-3 (2)
2. Virginia 28-2 (1)
3. South Carolina 22-5 (4)
4. Florida 24-5 (3)
5. Texas A&M 22-6 (5)
6. Arizona St. 21-6 (9)
7. North Carolina 26-4 (6)
8. Texas 21-7 (7)
9. Oklahoma 22-6 (11)
10. Florida St. 21-7 (7)

Out: Georgia Tech (11)


AL Leading Hitters

1. Carlos Quentin CHW - .545 (6/11)
2. Alberto Callaspo LAA - .500 (6/12)
2. Brennan Boesch DET - .500 (6/12)
4. Carlos Santana CLE - .462 (6/13)
5. Jose Bautista TOR - .455 (5/11)
5. Gordon Beckham CHW - .455 (5/11)
7. Nelson Cruz TEX - .429 (6/14)
7. Russell Martin NYY - .429 (6/14)
7. Nick Markakis BAL - .429 (6/14)
10. Orlando Cabrera CLE - .417 (5/12)
10. Coco Crisp OAK - .417 (5/12)


NL Leading Hitters

1. Ryan Howard PHI - .538 (7/13)
2. Jimmy Rollins PHI - .500 (6/12)
2. Chris Iannetta COL - .500 (3/6)
2. Miguel Montero ARI - .500 (6/12)
2. Starlin Castro CHC - .500 (8/16)
6. Freddy Sanchez SF - .467 (7/15)
7. Ben Francisco PHI - .462 (6/13)
7. Gaby Sanchez FLA - .462 (6/13)
9. Nick Hundley SD - .455 (5/11)
9. Drew Stubbs CIN - .455 (5/11)


Photos Courtesy (in order of appearance):

livetennisguide.com
bbs.chinadaily.com.cn
sportinglife.com
tennessean.com
zimbio.com
zimbio.com

And We're Back

Been a crazy couple of days in the sports world since I last wrote. We've got a new Cricket World Cup Champion, a new NCAA Men's Basketball Champion, we've been guaranteed a new NCAA Women's Basketball Champion, the Baltimore Orioles are 4-0 while the Boston Red Sox have yet to win a game, the USA Women's Soccer team got upset by England, and much more. I'll try to get caught back up over the next few days so please bear with me. Here we go...