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Looking for all the latest news on your favorite March Madness teams? You can easily stay up-to-date by downloading the NCAA March Madness app on your phone, iPad, or iPod. You’ll have access to all the latest scores, blocks, steals, rebounds, and heated rivalries within the Final For. Make sure you’re not missing out on all the action your friends are watching!  We have sad news to relay, as news disseminates that Victor Sanchez died this past weekend after being involved in a boating accident over a month ago. Sanchez was a pitcher for the minor league system's Seattle Mariners. Apparently, he was taking a swim in Venezuela when he came into contact with a boat propeller. He was placed on life support and showed some promising signs, but succumbed to the injuries last Saturday. His teammate had this to say: “We lost a teammate, but lost an even better person with the passing of Victor Sanchez… Your memory will live on forever in my heart.”   Louisville was eased out of the Final Four race today in a stunning overtime victory for Michigan State. The final score was 76-70 after the two partook in a heated battle when tied at 65 to push the typical regulation play to overtime. Michigan State looked a tad shaky in the first portion of the game, but caused Louisville to blunder an 8-point lead after halftime. The game was neck and neck up until overtime, where Louisville just could not get a foot in the competition. Michigan State was led to victory by Travis Trice with 17 points. Denzel Valentine added 15 points. The university will be heading to the Final Four to face off against the winner of the Duke vs. Gonzaga battle occurring as we speak. Kentucky and Wisconsin have already claimed their spots in the Final Four and will face off against each other in what is sure to be an exciting end to the March Madness season. Let us know who you have in the Gonzaga vs. Duke game. It’s looking pretty close!  It appears Steve Nash’s quiet NBA leave slipped by us. Why? Just as the humble, quiet, and undoubtedly talented player took his injuries in stride and with a calm assurance, he decamped the same way.
Steve Nash finished his last seasons out with the Los Angeles Lakers after being the true light of the Phoenix Sun’s team for years. Last Saturday, he announced that with the plaguing injuries, it was time to hang up his basketball shoes for good. Nash played his last game on 2/7/2014, the day he turned 40-years old. Nash was a machine of stealth for years, gliding down the court, and making jump shots look so effortless as they cleared the basketball hoop. He also exuded a sense of humility, maturity, and humanitarianism that is not found in many entertainers or athletes today. Nash stated, “I love the game. And when you realize it’s almost gone, you love It more.” This is perhaps why Nash fought through his nagging pains and injuries to continue playing for the association and the game he so cherished.  The shoe company Adidas may have made the worst mistake of their financial life in 1984 if recent reports from USA Today are true. The media outlet is drawing from findings that have surfaced from the Wall Street journal unveiling the fact that Michael Jordan sought out Adidas to sponsor his now famous, “Jordans” back in the 80’s. Adidas turned him down flat because their shoemaker in Germany wanted to go with a “taller” guy to promote their brand. They decided to go with Kareem Abdul-Jabber instead. Well, the rest is history. Jordans sell out show outlets today faster than shoe departments can re-stock them. This kind of makes you contemplate what aspects of life you’ve passed up that could have changed your future forever.
All is fair in love and basketball, unless the correspondence involves threats on your life. At that point, the sport is no longer a game. President Obama’s niece, Leslie Robinson, was surely feeling the pressure of a big game between Princeton and Maryland yesterday night. However, it may have been for all the wrong reasons, after a cryptic voicemail was left with the University of Maryland’s police department. A woman’s voice warned that another individual was in possession of a handgun and headed for the game in which Leslie Robinson would be playing for Princeton. Authorities took the anonymous threat seriously. More security detail was ordered and secret service officers were also on hand to survey the crowd, but for a different reason. There were Supreme Court members and other dignitaries present as well. Courtney Banghart, the Princeton coach, had this to say, “She’s (Leslie) an important part of our team, so keep the freaks out of the gym.”   Do you remember Brent Calloway? If you’re not a University of Alabama fan, you may be hard pressed to recall the name. Calloway played football at the university until he was dismissed in 2013. He made headlines after being arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia in Florence, AL over the weekend.
Calloway’s football dream seemed to be undeterred after leaving the University of Alabama. He journeyed to Arizona and secured a spot on the Arizona Community College football team. Ironically, Calloway was said to be sporting an Alabama shirt in his recent mug shot for the arrest. It’s funny how things always come back around full circle.  Does March Madness have you on the edge of your seat so far? Well, hold on because we’re giving you the top matchups to watch for today that will surely thrill you. One hot match-up will be Duke vs. San Diego State. Their dynamic offenses will face off today in an exciting competition. San Diego State is ranked number 8, Duke holds the number 1 spot.
A second tough battle will be between Michigan State and Virginia. The defensive stance Virginia has taken in the past may cause trouble for Michigan State. Virginia is ranked number 2 going into this game. Wichita State will get the chance to face Kansas today as well. State is hoping that offensive star, Tekele Cotton, will pull them to a victory in this match-up. The 4th game you must see is the throw-down between Maryland and West Virginia. The Terps have an astounding free throw completion percentage, but will that be enough to surpass their opponents? Only time will tell. The last featured battle of today is the Wisconsin vs. Oregon game. Basketball aficionados are skeptical about any team being able to successfully guard or contain Oregon’s, Joseph Young. Can Wisconsin pull it out? We’re sure no matter who wins in these heated competitions, everything will be left on the court today. This has been a challenging and strenuous year for the Oklahoma City Thunder to say the least. With the recent injury to Russell Westbrook and the ever-present hindrance of Kevin Durant's foot, who's left to take up the slack? Westbrook has still been putting on a satisfactory performance for the Thunder, but he obviously can't do it alone. Today the announcement came down that Durant would not be returning at the end of March as predicted. With the Thunder struggling to clutch a playoff spot, the NBA quicksand is getting even deeper.
 President Obama sat down with ESPN to educate us all on the art of NCAA bracket creation. He divulged his top pick to be Connecticut for Women’s NCAA basketball. However, he goes on to state that Princeton will score a place in the Final Four. Other NCAA aficionados only placed Princeton in the eighth spot of power rankings.
The Tigers may have a difficult road ahead as they challenge Wisconsin-Green Bay first in the tourney, followed by highly ranked, Maryland in regionals. The president goes on to predict a loss for Louisville in order to thrust UConn into a heated regional battle with Princeton. According to his stats, the Tigers will defeat Oregon State in the Spokane Regional final. In his final conjecture, the president places Baylor in the Oklahoma City tourney and Florida State in the Greensboro Regional finals. Who knew sports and politics could flow so well? What are your predictions? We'd love to hear them! Are you getting tired of the madness yet? Well, it's only just begun! We want to know who you're putting your NCAA faith in! Vote in our poll below and comment for your views to be featured here! Let everyone know why you believe your team will win it all!  The New York Mets will be rotating out a viable asset to their team due to a torn ligament. According to ESPN, the injury occurred in the pitching elbow of Zach Wheeler. As a result, he will be forced to go through surgery instead of playing alongside his team this year. This appeared to be an ongoing injury for Wheeler that he’d been fighting since 2014 and was treated accordingly since then. However, the surgery now required will take precedent over any baseball play for the season because of the nagging pain. After the previous losing seasons for the Mets, this can only be the last straw for another long year.
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