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From Ben Bolch: The only nervous moments came several hours before tipoff.
A slew of massive upsets put UCLA on high alert against another Cinderella seeking a sprinkling of March magic.
None would be found after an early Bruin blitz of baskets eased any lingering fears. UCLA would not go the way of Arizona or Virginia and get eliminated during the NCAA tournament’s opening day.
The big question facing the second-seeded Bruins during an 86-53 first-round rout of 15th-seeded North Carolina Asheville on Thursday at the Golden 1 Center was how much rest the starters would get.
Everyone besides David Singleton was given the final 5:46 off.
The victory was so comfortable that the Bruins did not need to use freshman center Adem Bona, who was cleared to return following a left shoulder injury that had sidelined him since a Pac-12 tournament semifinal against Oregon.
He’ll likely play Saturday when UCLA (30-5) faces seventh-seeded Northwestern in the second round Saturday in a high-stakes preview of future Big Ten rivals.
Commentary: A talented player’s monumental mistake helps Furman achieve a March Madness miracle
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Men’s tournament schedule
All times Pacific
Round of 64
Thursday’s results
South Regional
No. 1 Alabama 96, No. 16 Texas A&M CC 75
No. 15 Princeton 59, No. 2 Arizona 55
No. 13 Furman 68, No. 4 Virginia 67
No. 5 San Diego State 63, No. 12 Charleston 57
No. 7 Missouri 76, No. 10 Utah St. 65
No. 8 Maryland 67, No. 9 West Virginia 65
West Regional
No. 1 Kansas 96, No. 16 Howard 68
No. 2 UCLA 86, No. 15 UNC Asheville 53
No. 7 Northwestern 75, No. 10 Boise St. 67
No. 8 Arkansas 73, No. 9 Illinois 63
Midwest Regional
No. 1 Houston 63, No. 16 Northern Kentucky 52
No. 2 Texas 81, No. 15 Colgate 61
No. 10 Penn State 6, No. 7 Texas A&M 59
No. 9 Auburn 83, No. 8 Iowa 75
East Regional
No. 4 Tennessee 58, No. 13 Louisiana 55
No. 5 Duke 74, No. 12 Oral Roberts 51
Today
East Regional
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 USC, 9 a.m., CBS
No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 15 Vermont, 11:30 a.m., CBS
No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson, 3:45 p.m., TNT
No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Providence, 4 p.m., CBS
No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 9 Florida Atlantic, 6:15 p.m., TNT
No. 3 Kansas St. vs. No. 14 Montana St., 6:30 p.m., CBS
Midwest Regional
No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 14 Kennesaw St., 9:30 a.m., truTV
No. 6 Iowa State vs. No. 11 Pitt, noon, truTV
No. 5 Miami vs. No. 12 Drake, 4:15 p.m , TBS
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 13 Kent State, 6:45 p.m., TBS
South Regional
No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 UC Santa Barbara, 10:20 a.m., TNT
No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 11 N.C. State, 12:50 p.m., TNT
West Regional
No. 5 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 12 VCU, 10:50 a.m., TBS
No. 4 UConn vs. No. 13 Iona, 1:20 p.m., TBS
No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Grand Canyon, 4:25 p.m., truTV
No. 6 TCU vs. No. 11 Arizona St., 6:55 p.m., truTV
Second round
Saturday
South Regional
No. 5 San Diego St. vs. No 13 Furman, 9:10 a.m., CBS
No. 7 Missouri vs. No. 15 Princeton, 3:10 p.m., TNT
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 8 Maryland, 6:40 p.m., TBS
West Regional
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 8 Arkansas, 2:15 p.m., CBS
No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 7 Northwestern, 5:40 p.m., TNT
East Regional
No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 5 Duke, 11:40 a.m., CBS
Midwest Regional
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 9 Auburn, 4:10 p.m., TBS
No. 2 Texas vs. No. 10 Penn St., 4:45 p.m., CBS
Women’s tournament
Schedule
All times Pacific
First Four
Thursday’s results
No. 11 St. John’s 66, No. 11 Purdue 64
No. 16 Tennessee Tech 79, No. 16 Monmouth 69
First round
Today
Regional (Greenville 1)
No. 8 South Florida vs. No. 9 Marquette, 8:30 a.m., ESPN2
No. 7 Arizona vs. No. 10 West Virginia, 9 a.m., ESPN
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Norfolk State, 11 a.m., ESPN
No. 2 Maryland vs. No. 15 Holy Cross, 11:30 a.m., ESPNEWS
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Southern Utah, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 11 Miss. St., 3 p.m., ESPNEWS
Regional (Greenville 2)
No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 UNLV, noon, ESPNU
No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 Hawaii, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 2 Utah vs. No. 15 Gardner-Webb, 4:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 7 N.C. State vs. No. 10 Princeton, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Regional (Seattle 1)
No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 16 Chattanooga, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 8 USC vs. No. 9 South Dakota St., 5 p.m., ESPNEWS
Regional (Seattle 2)
No. 7 Florida State vs. No. 10 Georgia, 10:30 a.m., ESPN2
No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 SE Louisiana, 1 p.m., ESPN
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 16 Sacred Heart, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 9 Gonzaga, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday
Regional (Greenville 1)
No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Portland, 6 p.m., ESPNU
No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 13 Sacramento State, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
Regional (Greenville 2)
No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech, 8:30 a.m., ESPN2
No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Miami, 11 a.m. ESPN
No. 5 Washington State vs. No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast, 11:30 a.m., ESPNU
No. 4 Villanova vs. No. 13 Cleveland State, 2 p.m., ESPNU
Regional (Seattle 1)
No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 13 Saint Louis, 10 a.m., ABC
No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 14 James Madison, 10:30 a.m., ESPN2
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Vermont, noon, ABC
No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 12 Toledo, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 St. John’s, 1 p.m., ESPN
No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 10 Alabama, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
Regional (Seattle 2)
No. 6 Colorado vs. No. 11 Middle Tennessee, 4 p.m., ESPNEWS
No. 5 Louisville vs. No. 12 Drake, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 Iona, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 4 Texas vs. No. 13 East Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN
DODGERS
From Jack Harris: The Dodgers have latched onto the little signs of progress this spring, the promising moments when Jason Heyward’s new-look, retooled and continued “work in progress” swing, as manager Dave Roberts called it, has looked more like a finished product at the plate.
Such as when the veteran outfielder hit two home runs in the first week of spring training.
Or during live batting practice sessions at the start of camp, when he laced line drive singles the other way.
It’s been enough for Heyward, who signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers this winter, to lock down a likely spot on the club’s opening day team.
Even though his camp performance has tailed off the last several weeks, and he remains no guarantee to produce during the regular season, it appears increasingly clear he’ll have a role to play in the Dodgers outfield in 2023.
“I think it’s a safe bet,” Roberts said of Heyward’s chances of making the major league team. “He’s come to spring training with this new revamped swing that, it looks like he’s done it for a long time.”
Mike Trout and Mookie Betts argue Edwin Díaz’s injury shouldn’t dim support for WBC
CLIPPERS
From Andrew Greif: Seeking stability in a season featuring little of it, the Clippers have turned to a player who wasn’t on the roster until a month ago.
“I think he gives us a calmness when he is on the floor,” coach Tyronn Lue said.
Amid a rotation where playing time is constantly undergoing evaluation, the Clippers have needed little time to embrace the new face as part of the lineups most often closing out tight games.
“It comes down to trust, we trust him with the ball,” All-Star Paul George said. “He’s going to make the right plays.”
That player is Eric Gordon, the 34-year-old, 6-foot-3 reserve guard whose 89 fourth-quarter minutes since his Clippers season debut Feb. 14 are the team’s second-highest total in that span, surpassed only by George’s 104. The Clippers have outscored opponents by 47 points in those Gordon minutes, a plus/minus that is not only a team high but the sixth-best fourth-quarter plus/minus in the NBA since Feb. 14.
CHARGERS
From Jeff Miller: Nasir Adderley, a 2019 second-round pick who started the last three seasons for the Chargers, announced his retirement Thursday on social media.
The 25-year-old safety became an unrestricted free agent Wednesday.
Writing that he was “finally going to put myself first for once,” Adderley mentioned his health and a desire to spend more time with loved ones as motivation.
“I believe I have yet to scratch the surface of the player I could be,” he wrote, “but if it’s at the expense of my peace of mind then it’s no longer for me.”
KINGS
From Helene Elliott: When the Kings acquired Joonas Korpisalo from Columbus on March 1 they gave the red-bearded Finnish goaltender a warm welcome and an unenviable task: succeeding Jonathan Quick, who had been the backbone of the franchise’s two Stanley Cup championships and still had fans’ undying gratitude for that despite the obvious slippage in his game.
Korpisalo, who was traded to the Kings with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov for Quick and first- and third-round draft picks, has responded with calm confidence. Playing behind a defense fortified by Gavrikov’s size and smarts, Korpisalo is bringing stability to an area the Kings had to upgrade to have any hope of making a long playoff run. He has stopped 78 of 84 shots in winning his first three starts with his new team, a sure way to make new friends.
He’s not out to make anyone forget Quick. That’s not going to happen.
————
Carl Grundstrom had a goal and an assist in Los Angeles’ four-goal second period, Pheonix Copley made 30 saves and the Kings beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Thursday night. Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Viktor Arvidsson also scored to help the Kings improve to 7-0-1 in their last eight games. Kirill Marchenko scored for Columbus. Daniil Tarasov was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 27 shots, and Michael Hutchinson made nine saves in relief.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1897 — Bob Fitzsimmons knocks out Jim Corbett in the 14th round to win the world heavyweight title in Carson City, Nev. It’s the first boxing match photographed by a motion picture camera.
1908 — Tommy Burns knocks out Jene Roche in 80 seconds at the Royal Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, to retain the world heavyweight title.
1939 — Villanova wins first game of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament, defeating Brown 42-30 in Philadelphia. Ohio State beats Wake Forest 64-52 in the second game of the doubleheader.
1940 — For the first time in NHL history, one line — The Kraut Line of Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer — finish 1-2-3 in NHL scoring when the Boston Bruins score five goals in the third period to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 7-2.
1955 — Canadien fans riot in the streets of Montreal protesting NHL President Clarence Campbell’s suspension of Maurice “Rocket” Richard the previous day. The Canadiens forfeit the game to the Detroit after a smoke bomb goes off in the Forum and crowds spill into the streets, setting fires, smashing windows and looting.
1961 — Manhattan District Attorney Frank S. Hogan arrests two professional gamblers, Aaron Wagman and Joseph Hacken, and implicates Hank Gunter and Art Hicks of Seton Hall in a collegiate point shaving scandal.
1993 — Dallas snaps a 19-game losing streak with a 102-96 win over visiting Orlando. The Mavericks were one game away from tying the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers for the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history.
2001 — Connecticut cruises to a 101-29 win over Long Island University in the first round of the East Regional, the best defensive effort in the history of the women’s NCAA tournament. Connecticut’s 72-point victory also ties the second-biggest margin in tournament history.
2006 — Jermaine Wallace hits a fadeaway 3-pointer with a split-second left, and little Northwestern State pulls off a shocker with a furious rally, beating No. 3 seed Iowa 64-63 in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament.
2012 — Lindsey Vonn sets a women’s record for the most World Cup points in a season after finishing eighth in a slalom won by Austria’s Michaela Kirchgasser at Schladming, Austria. Vonn reaches 1,980 points to beat the mark of 1,970 set by Janica Kostelic of Croatia in 2006.
2016 — Little Rock advances with an out-of-nowhere comeback that leads to an 85-83 double-overtime victory over Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
2018 — The UConn Huskies open their NCAA Women’s Tournament with a record-setting 140-52 rout of Saint Francis (Pa.). The tournament’s top seed sets a record for points in a tournament game and all-time NCAA records for points in a period (55 in the first) and a half (94 in the first).
2020 — French Open becomes first Grand Slam tennis tournament to be postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
—Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally
Princeton upsets Arizona. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
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