11-28-2019, 02:17 AM
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Connecticuts exclusive club of elite guards welcomed a new member Monday night. Oakland Athletics Gear . Amid a rain of confetti, Shabazz Napier basked in the celebration on the court after being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four following the 60-54 win over Kentucky. Napier had 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting with six rebounds, and played lockdown defence in his final collegiate game. His career began as a freshman on the 2011 Connecticut team that won the title behind star guard Kemba Walker. Now, Napier is the man. "I will say one thing when they say Ray, Rip, Ben, Emeka, Kemba -- theyll soon say Shabazz," former coach Jim Calhoun, who won the 2011 title, said after watching the 2014 squad cut down the nets. Calhoun was referring to Ray Allen, Richard "Rip" Hamilton, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor and Kemba Walker. All except Okafor were guards. Not bad company at all. The Huskies steely point guard outshined Kentuckys freshmen phenoms. Napier and fellow backcourt mate Ryan Boatright controlled the tempo and together outscored Wildcats twin guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison 36-15. On Saturday against Florida in the semifinals, Napier had 12 points and six assists. "Hes up there, hes up there," forward Niels Giffey said when asked where Napier rated among the history of Huskies guards. "He bleeds blue. He bleeds UConn." Napier looked like a floor general the way he directed players on offence with forceful motions. Instead of sulking after one blown play, Napier waited down court for his teammates and raised his right fist. Giffey said Napier promised his team after the 10-point loss to Louisville in the AAC tournament finals last month that they would cut down the nets in Texas. "I looked into his eyes and I really believed him," Giffey said. Chris Bassitt Jersey . "That was a great lift for the staff," Padres manager Bud Black said. Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal homered, and Chase Headley drove in three runs, as the Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 11-1 on Friday night. Chris Bassitt Athletics Jersey . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ . The Los Angeles Clippers showed them just how ugly that life could be. Jared Dudley scored a season-high 21 points, Chris Paul added 16 points and 17 assists, and the Clippers jumped all over the Bulls in Roses absence for a 121-82 victory Sunday.Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Florida State was able to stop Georgia Techs potent triple-option attack for most of the second half, and the second-ranked Seminoles captured their third straight ACC title with a 37-35 win over the No. 12 Yellow Jackets. Roberto Aguayo made three field goals in the second half and the Seminoles (13-0) extended their winning streak to 29 games. With the win, Florida State all but locked up a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Seminoles entered the game No. 4 in the CFP rankings. All four of the top-ranked teams in the playoff rankings were victorious over the weekend. Alabama beat Missouri, Oregon rolled past Arizona and TCU dominated Iowa State. Florida States winning streak started with a 21-15 win over Georgia Tech in the 2012 ACC title game. Jameis Winston, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, completed 21-of-30 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns for the Seminoles, who won their 15th ACC championship overall since joining the conference in 1992. Dalvin Cook carried the ball 31 times for 177 yards and a score for Florida State. Rashad Greene caught seven passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. It was a great game. We knew going in Georgia Tech was going to be tough with that option, said Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher. Our defense did a great job in the second half getting enough stops. Offensively, we maximized and got points. Wish we could have got touchdowns but we scored every time we had it. Justin Thomas connected on 8-of-14 passes for 134 yards, one touchdown and an interception for the Yellow Jackets (10-3), who were trying for their first conference crown since 2009. Thomas also carried the ball 11 times for 104 yards. Synjyn Days rushed for 67 yards and three scores on 19 carries for Georgia Tech, which racked up 331 yards on the ground. Days third 1-yard TD run of the game tied the game at 28 with 8:01 left in the third quarter. Florida States ensuing drive stalled at the Georgia Tech 16 and Aguayo made a 33-yard field goal. After forcing Georgia Tech to punt, the Seminoles moved the ball to the Yellow Jackets 15-yard line before Aguayo made a 32-yarder with 10:25 to play. Georgia Tech went for it on 4th-and-5 from its own 47, but Thomas pass fell incomplete. Aguayo made a 28-yard field goal to give Florida State a 37-28 lead wwith 4:28 to go. Wholesale Athletics Jerseys. Thomas was intercepted by Lamarcus Brutus at the Yellow Jackets 43. However, Florida State failed to capitalize and was forced to punt. Georgia Tech stayed alive with a 97-yard drive that took just 1:09 off the clock. Darren Wallers 25-yard TD catch cut the gap to two with 1:47 left, but Florida State recovered the ensuing onside kick. Nobody is perfect so you cant score every drive, but just they made good plays on the defensive side and stopped us a few times, said Thomas. After forcing a three-and-out on Florida States game-opening possession, the Yellow Jackets used their potent triple-option attack to perfection for the games first score. Days 1-yard TD run capped the drive. The Seminoles needed just over two minutes to tie things up. Nick OLeary caught two passes for 68 yards, including a 46-yard score. OLeary was left wide open along the left sideline as he hauled in Winstons scoring throw. Georgia Tech responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Days second 1-yard TD run of the night gave the Yellow Jackets a 14-7 edge with 1:45 remaining in the first quarter. The high-scoring affair continued on the ensuing Florida State possession. Cook got the ball all seven times and rumbled into the end zone from one yard out. Georgia Techs first pass of the game went to Deon Hill for a 27-yard gain. Zach Laskeys 4-yard TD run made it 21-14 Georgia Tech with 8:02 left in the first half. Winston and the Seminoles needed just six plays to keep the chess match going. A Georgia Tech defender fell down and Greene was wide open for a 44-yard score. After forcing Georgia Techs first punt of the game, the Seminoles went 75 yards in 10 plays. Greene capped the march with a 9-yard TD catch to make it 28-21 Florida State with 30 seconds remaining. The Yellow Jackets opened the second half with a 14-play, 77-yard drive that took almost seven minutes off the clock. Days converted a 4th-and-1 just beyond midfield and capped the series with another 1-yard touchdown run. Game Notes Florida State leads the all-time series by a 14-9-1 margin ... OLeary caught three passes for 97 yards ... Waller hauled in five passes for 73 yards ... Georgia Tech rewarded head coach Paul Johnson with a four-year contract extension prior to Saturdays game. ' ' '