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Sports Throwback Thursday: 1983 NC State Title Run

NC State is one of the best stories in NCAA basketball history. This team had one of the most improbable runs in NCAA Tournament history. They weren’t the most talented team in the world, but they were the most determined and relentless team that season. The 30 for 30 documentary, Survive and Advance depicts all the moments of that 1982-1983 team. 

NC State head coach Jim Valvano set the tone from Day One when he told the team that his dream is to win the National Championship and cut down the net. The more the players heard it, the more they believed it and bought in. Jim Valvano’s father gave him more confidence about winning the national title. He told his son that he would be there when he won it. 

During the first three years of Valvano’s tenure with NC State, a lot of losing and early tournaments exists. 

NC State had players like Dereck Whittenberg and Sidney Lowe, who were entering their fourth year with NC State, and they wanted to go out as champions. NC State dealt with adversity, especially when Dereck went down with a broken right foot. He was supposed to miss the remainder of the season, but god was on his side, and he could compete. NC State had ten losses during the 1983 season. But coach Valvano told the team they needed to take one game at a time: Survive and Advance. NC State needed to win the ACC Tournament to enter the NCAA Tournament. 

NC State would defeat Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Virginia to win the ACC Tournament. NC State defeats North Carolina was massive because they were a great team during the 1980s led by a well-coached Dean Smith. 

NC State beat good teams in tight games against Pepperdine, Virginia, UNLV, and more. In the national championship game, they went up against Houston, also known as the “Phi Slama Jama.”

NC State knew they were going up against a really good led by two future hall of Famers: Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. Fast forward to the game’s last possession; both teams were tied 52-52. Dereck Whittenberg missed it from 35 feet but Lorenzo Charles caught the ball and scored the winning basket at the buzzer. NC State beats Houston, winning 54-52. Houston almost stole the ball twice during that possession. 

Lorenze Charles will forever be remembered for this unforgettable moment in NCAA history. Unfortunately and sadly, Charles died in a bus accident on June 27, 2011. He was 47 years old. Charles’s death fueled Dereck to reach out to his teammates to reunite. The NC State team reunited the following year and reminisced their Cinderella 1983 story. 

Saturday Hockey News with Miguel

Arizona Coyotes took on the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night. Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka’s save against Cale Makar is undoubtedly one of the best plays of Friday Night Hockey. It was a phenomenal save. He made 27 saves for the Coyotes. However, they didn’t come out victorious. Avalanche won this game 3-1. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Maker each had a goal and two assists. 

Matthew Tkachuk is doing everything he can to push the Florida Panthers into the playoffs. He’s having a terrific season. If the Panthers make the playoffs, I see Matthew finishing at least in second place for the Hart Trophy. There’s no one beating Connor McDavid for that accolade. 

The New York Islanders rallied and fought to get a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road. But that wasn’t the case. The Blue Jackets, thanks to Boone Jenner, won it in overtime to give the team a 5-4 win over the Islanders. Michael Hutchinson recorded 34 saves for the Blue Jays. As for the Islanders, Brock Nelson had two goals in this game. Sorokin, being Sorokin, made 22 saves for the Islanders. 

The Islanders are still first in the Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. 

Cuba Advance to Semifinals in WBC

Team Cuba is going to the semifinals for the first time since 2006. It’s the same year they went to the Championship game but lost to Japan. Cuba defeated Team Australia 4-3. Yoelkis Guibert hit an RBI single to right field, which drove in two runs in the 5th inning. It’s an exciting and emotional win for Team Cuba.

Team Dominican Republic defeated Team Israel 10-0 through 7 innings on Tuesday. The game’s memorable moment was when Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz received a standing ovation in Miami. Cano and Cruz were part of the 2013 team that went undefeated. Both veteran players got a hit in the 7th inning before Jean Segura finished the game by driving in the tenth and final run. 

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the first players to reach 100 points this season. McDavid holds the highest single-season point total among active players with 129. 

Since joining the Vegas Golden Knights, goaltender Jonathan Quick has been playing lights out. He’s gone 4-0 with a .930 save percentage. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers have found their new quarterback. The Bucs signed quarterback Baker Mayfield to a one-year, $8.5 million deal. Mayfield now has a chance to redeem himself and prove to critics that he can be successful in Tampa. He has weapons in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. 

Sunday Sports Shorts

Team Venezuela beat Team Dominican Republic for the first time in the World Baseball Classic tournament, 5-1. 

Fourteen years ago today, Syracuse and UConn went to six overtimes in the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals.

Marquette wins the Big East Championship. The Golden Eagles defeat Xavier to capture their first Big East title. Congratulations to Marquette! Well deserved! 

Duke wins the ACC Championship. The Blue Devils defeated Virginia on Saturday night. It’s their first ACC title since 2019. Duke has now won 9 in a row—one of the hottest teams entering the NCAA tournament. 

Howard University defeated Norfolk State Spartans 65-64. The win gives Howard its first NCAA men’s basketball tournament birth since 1992, the last time before this season that the Bison won the MEAC Tournament and regular season title. 

Edmonton Oilers took on the Toronto Maple Leafs in arguably the most anticipated Saturday night game. Connor McDavid scored No. 55. Oilers had a 3-1 lead, but then the Maple Leafs rallied. They scored five unanswered goals, and they never allowed Edmonton to gain confidence. The Maple Leafs won 7-4. Maple Leafs are a tough team to beat when all their key players contribute. 

Saturday Hockey News: Timo Meier, Chuck Fletcher Fired, Florida Panthers

Timo Meier is a game-changer and has been on a mission since the New Jersey Devils acquired him. Meier has 13 shots and 11 hits in his first three games with the Devils. His goals and assists will increase once he builds team chemistry. 

Chuck Fletcher was fired as general manager and president of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey operations on Friday. His replacement is Daniel Briere. The 45-year-old new interim general manager played six of his 17 NHL seasons with the Flyers from 2007-13. Under Fletcher, the Flyers have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs just once. 

Florida Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour wins overtime to give the Panthers a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Matthew Tkachuk added three assists. The Panthers have won three in a row and are within two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card spot. 

College Basketball: Big East Tournament Quarterfinals, Jim Boeheim’s Retirement


Xavier rallied in the second half to defeat DePaul by the final score of 89-84. Xavier ended the game on a 14-4 run. Forward Jack Nunge led Xavier with 23 points, ten rebounds, and four assists. Xavier had all the momentum in the last four minutes of the game.

St John’s had a chance to get revenge on Marquette after losing to them in a close game last week. The Red Storm led 36-26 by the end of the first half. Marquette was the better team in the second half and during the overtime period. Marquette defeated St John’s 72-70. It is one of the best games of the Big East Tournament this season. St John’s relief too much from the perimeter. Marquette, on the other hand, fought and rallied back and made better adjustments. They were resilient, and that’s why they won this game. 

Creighton took out the defending Big East champs, Villanova Wildcats, 87-74. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner led the team with 21 points on a 9-for-12 shooting from the field, 12 rebounds, nine assists, and two blocks. 

Jim Boeheim worked his last game as Syracuse’s head men’s basketball coach on Wednesday.

Adrian Autry is the successor of Jim Boeheim as the new head coach of the Syracuse Men’s Basketball team. 

Who is Adrian Autry? The 51-year-old played four seasons at Syracuse from 1990-94. After an overseas professional career as a player and a brief stint on the Virginia Tech sideline, Autry returned to Syracuse as an assistant coach in 2011.

During Jim’s 47-year career span, he went to 35 NCAA tournament appearances, five Final Fours, and the 2003 national championship featuring Carmelo Anthony.

His 1,015 career wins rank second all-time in Division I basketball, behind only Krzyzewski’s 1,202.

When you think about Syracuse basketball, you think about Jim. He was an integral part of the Golden Era of Big East in the 1980s alongside his rivals John Thompson, Rollie Massamino, and Lou Carsenneca. The battles between Georgetown and Syracuse were epic. 

Sports Throwback Thursday: Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain

Welcome to Sports Throwback Thursday! We have a good one to discuss today featuring two iconic legends: Mickey Mantle and Wilt Chamberlain. Yesterday, we marked the 54th anniversary since Mickey Mantle announced his retirement. Sixty-one years ago today, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game. A record that he still holds to this day. 

Mickey Mantle is one of the greatest to wear the Pinstripe uniform and one of the greatest baseball players ever. Over his 18-year career with the New York Yankees, he won seven World Series titles and the AL MVP three times. In 1969, he announced his retirement from the game of baseball. 

Wilt Chamberlain is one of the most dominant centers ever to play the game of basketball. Wilt might have passed away over 20 years, but he is still talked about by players and is one of the most revered players ever. It’s been 61 years since he scored 100 points. Kobe Bryant, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, and David Robinson have come the closest to that record, especially the late great Kobe Bryant. We don’t know if we will ever see someone break the record, but anything is possible. Look at Lebron James. He surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the NBAs all-time scoring list – a record that no one thought would ever break. Let’s see if the same thing can happen to Wilt’s record in the future. 

FILE – Wilt Chamberlain, of the Philadelphia Warriors, holds a sign reading “100” in the dressing room in Hershey, Pa., March 2, 1962, after he scored 100 points, as the Warriors defeated the New York Knicks. Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of the greatest scoring effort in NBA history — 36 field goals, 28 free throws, 100 points for Chamberlain, in the Warriors’ 169-147 win in a game played before about 4,000 people in Hershey. It might be the closest thing the NBA has to a single-game record that will never be broken. (AP Photo/Paul Vathis, File)

Sunday Sports Shorts

Duke was in command against Virginia Tech in this ACC matchup. Duke went on multiple runs throughout the second half. It’s an impressive victory for the Blue Devils as they had former alumni and hall of Famer Grant Hill watching them from the stands. The Blue Devils won 81-65. 

Jason Tatum silenced and stunned Philadelphia with a late game-winning three points to lead the Celtics to victory over the Sixers, 110-107. Joel Embiid finished with a game-high 41 points for the Sixers. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets gave a lot of problems to the Edmonton Oilers’ goalies. Edmonton came back to tie the game 4-4 after trailing 4-0, but the Blue Jackets attacked two more goals in the third period to win the game, 6-4. Connor McDavid finished with 4 points (2 goals and two assists). 

Baseball is back. Spring Training is here. The Mets and Yankees lost their games on the road against the Astros and Phillies. Baltimore Orioles beat Minnesota Twins, 10-5. The Toronto Blue Jays played a great game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Vlad Jr, Santiago Espinal, and Addison Barger all homered on Saturday. Pitcher Yusei Kikuchi played a good game with five strikeouts and no earned runs allowed through two innings. Blue Jays won 9-7.