Sports

Kemba Walker scored 16 points and Alex Oriakhi added a double-double as the University of Connecticut captured the men’s N.C.A.A. championship with a 53-41 win over Butler. The victory gave Huskies Coach Jim Calhoun his third N.C.A.A. championship and his first since 2004.

To get there, his players won their final 11 games, including the Big East conference tournament, transcending from a team with uncertain prospects to national champion.

“I love coaching,” Calhoun, who became the oldest coach to win an N.C.A.A. title at the age of 68, said in a television interview afterward. “I love my team.”

In a game marked by suffocating defense, Butler led, 22-19, at the half, but the Bulldogs endured a second-half slump in which they scored on just 1 of 23 field-goal attempts. Shelvin Mack led the scoring for Butler with 13 points but shot only 4 of 15 from the field.

“They challenged every shot,” Butler Coach Brad Stevens said after the game.

Jeremy Lamb added 12 points for Connecticut, all of them in the second half. Oriakhi scored 11 points, added 12 rebounds and shut down the Butler offense in the post.

Butler shot only 18 percent from the field, breaking the record for field goal futility of 21.5 percent set by Washington State in 1941. - NY Times

So apparently Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco began his tryout with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer Wednesday. I wonder why you need this. You have TV shows, Football, Wrestling, that Basketball Wives bitch what else do you want son?

The UFC returns to Newark, N.J. on March 19 as UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua tries to defend his title versus whiz kid, Jon Jones. Watch video of UFC 128′s Main Event in full below. (more…)

Amare Stoudemire pivots through the lane, elevates, and throws down on top of Greg Monroe.#Sheesh

In an interview with T.J Simers of the L.A. Times Phil Jackson speaks candidly about Kobe in comparison to Michael Jordan.

“Kobe has patterned himself after Michael, and there are a lot of identical things there, but it’s one thing to hope to be like him, it’s another thing to be like him.”

When asked who the best is?

“I’m with Bill Simmons on this. We have to take Michael Jordan out of the equation. Stop comparing anyone to Michael Jordan. It’s just not fair. He was remarkable. Kobe’s in his own sphere. He doesn’t shoot the same percentage [.455] as Michael [.497]. He has the same characteristics as Michael, but he’s not the same player. It takes nothing away from him — he’s a great player in his own right.”

The early 90s marked a period of time where hip hop was emerging as a powerful presence in pop culture. Coinciding with the increasing influence of the genre was a basketball team that also contributed to its growth: The Fab 5. ESPN premiered another fantastic installment of their 30 For 30 series as ‘The Fab Five’ documented the Michigan Wolverines of the early 1990s – from the ups and the downs on the court to their transcendent legacy – illustrated by black socks, black shoes, baggy shorts and an overall epitomization of the growing hip hop culture fused into basketball. – CN via MWP

“Believe it or not, it’s been 20 years since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the Chicago Bulls to their first NBA title together. And last night at the United Center in Chicago, at half time of the Utah-Chicago tilt, the two Hall of Famers took turns on the mic.

“When it came to talking about the past, the two had a lot of worthwhile stuff to say. When it came to the present and future, Jordan, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, had this to say about the Bulls: “You guys are in store for a lot of other championships. If you look at this team tonight…don’t be surprised if you have six more coming.”- SLAM

If you missed it don’t worry we have you covered over at MTD. Check out last night’s full fight above as Miguel Cotto takes on Ricardo Mayorga.

WASHINGTON — Unable to decide how to divvy up $9 billion a year, NFL owners and players put the country’s most popular sport in limbo Friday by breaking off labor negotiations hours before their contract expired.

The union decertified, and 10 players, including MVP quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, sued the owners in federal court, putting the NFL on a path to its first work stoppage since 1987.

“We are locked out,” union president and former player Kevin Mawae said in a text message to The Associated Press. “We were informed today that players are no longer welcome at team facilities.”

Despite two extensions to the collective bargaining agreement during 16 days of talks overseen by a federal mediator — and previous months of stop-and-start negotiating — the sides could not agree on a new deal. The league said it hadn’t decided as of Friday evening whether to lock out the players, who, meanwhile, went to court to request an injunction to block such a move.