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PIAA postpones state basketball games involving WVC teams

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Trump unveils budget that slashes agencies, programs to focus on wall, defense

This year&#8217;s NCAA Tournament has a chance to be just as good as 2016, when Kris Jenkins capped March Madness the most dramatic way possible with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win Villanova a title.North Carolina fans may not have liked it, but it was the perfect end to a wild tournament filled with upsets and great games. Plus, the Tar Heels are a No. 1 seed again opposite Villanova on the other side of the 68-team field, setting up the chance for a championship game rematch on April 3.And so the madness of March revs up all over again &#8212; a tournament loaded with great teams, players and marquee matchups.A few things to look for:TOP TEAMS Villanova: The defending national champions are the top overall seed and on a roll. No need to start anywhere else.Kansas: The Jayhawks may have had an early exit in the Big 12 Tournament, but they have one of the most talented rosters anywhere.North Carolina: So good, even a loss to rival Duke in the ACC Tournament wasn&#8217;t enough to knock them down from a No. 1 seed.Gonzaga: Call them overrated all you want, these Zags are deep, athletic and probably the best team coach Mark Few has had in the Inland Northwest.Arizona: Pac-12 Tournament and co-regular season champions have coach Sean Miller eyeing his first Final Four.Duke: Blue Devils had their share of struggles, but appear to be peaking at the right time.TOP PLAYERSFrank Mason III, Kansas: Leader and go-to player for a program that won its 13th straight Big 12 title.Josh Hart, Villanova: Does it all, already has one national title.Lonzo Ball, UCLA: One-and-done star plays with poise and flair, led the nation in assists (7.7), could be the No. 1 overall NBA pick.Caleb Swanigan, Purdue: Double-double machine is doing things that haven&#8217;t been done in the Big Ten for decades.Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga: Steady, clutch, engine that makes the Zags go.Monte Morris, Iowa State: Led the nation with a 6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio &#8212; and no else was even close.MUST-WATCH GAMESNorthwestern vs. Vanderbilt, West Region, Thursday in Salt Lake City: The Wildcats waited 78 years to play in the NCAA Tournament and the Commodores want to spoil it.UNC-Wilmington vs. Virginia, East Region, Friday in Buffalo: The Seahawks were 10th nationally with 85.2 points per game. The Cavaliers barely give that up in two games.Michigan vs. Oklahoma State, Midwest Region, Friday in Indianapolis: Two of the nation&#8217;s best in offensive efficiency will put the ball in the basket.Iona vs. Oregon, Midwest Region, Friday in Sacramento: The cameras may need to stay on wide angles to keep track of these frenetic teams.Dayton vs. Wichita State, South Region, Friday in Indianapolis: Two mid-majors looking to make a major run through the bracket.Kentucky vs. UCLA, South Region final: Here&#8217;s hoping they get that far. The first game in Las Vegas was epic.MID-MAJOR STARSMike Daum, South Dakota State: The Summit League player of the year is the top scorer in the NCAA Tournament at 25.3 points per game.Junior Robinson, Mount Saint Mary&#8217;s: The smallest player in the bracket &#8212; 5-foot-5 &#8212; plays big. He had 23 points and the go-ahead jumper in the Mountaineers&#8217; 67-66 First Four win over New Orleans.Keon Johnson, Winthrop: Another little guy &#8212; he&#8217;s 5-7 &#8212; who can score in bunches. The Big South player of the year averages 22.5 points per game.Jimmy Hall, Kent State: He declared for the NBA draft last season before changing his mind. It worked out for the Golden Flashes; he leads them with 18.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.JaCorey Williams, Middle Tennessee: Arkansas transfer was the Conference-USA player of the year after averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds.NUMBERS5-1 &#8212; Odds Kansas will win the national title, according to MGM Resorts International. Other casinos disagree, listing North Carolina as the favorite. Some even opened giving No. 2 seed Duke the best odds before switching to the Tar Heels.9 &#8212; ACC teams in the field, most of any conference.13.1 &#8212; Rebounding average of Seton Hall&#8217;s Angel Delgado, best in the field.32-1 &#8212; Best record in the field, by Gonzaga.79.9 percent &#8212; Free-throw percentage by Notre Dame, highest of the 68 teams.90.3 &#8212; Scoring average of UCLA, leading the nation.2,900 &#8212; Approximate miles of the longest road trip in the tournament, by Rhode Island to Sacramento, California, for games in the East Regional.10.4 billion &#8212; Amount in dollars expected to be bet on this year&#8217;s tournament, about $1.2 billion more than last season.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Kansas State's Isaiah Maurice, left, and Wake Forest's John Collins, right, battle for a rebound in the first half of a First Four game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_115554298-affc116b6e34431e96803732448af6ca.jpg</photo0><caption0>Kansas State's Isaiah Maurice, left, and Wake Forest's John Collins, right, battle for a rebound in the first half of a First Four game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>What you should know about the top teams, players in this year&#8217;s tournament</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By John MarshallAP Basketball Writer</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>THURSDAY&#8217;S TV SCHEDULE12:15 p.m.CBS &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Notre Dame vs. Princeton, at Buffalo, N.Y.12:40 p.m.TRU &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Virginia vs. UNC-Wilmington, at Orlando, Fla.1:30 p.m.TNT &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Butler vs. Winthrop, at Milwaukee2 p.m.TBS &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Gonzaga vs. South Dakota St., at Salt Lake City2:45 p.m.CBS &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, West Virginia vs. Bucknell, at Buffalo, N.Y.3:10 p.m.TRU &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Florida vs. ETSU, at Orlando, Fla.4 p.m.TNT &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Minnesota vs. Middle Tennessee, at Milwaukee4:30 p.m.TBS &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Northwestern vs. Vanderbilt, at Salt Lake City6:50 p.m.TNT &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Maryland vs. Xavier, at Orlando, Fla.7:10 p.m.CBS &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Villanova vs. Mount St. Mary&#8217;s, at Buffalo, N.Y.7:20 p.m.TBS &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, St. Mary&#8217;s (Cal.) vs. VCU, at Salt Lake City7:27 p.m.TRU &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Purdue vs. Vermont, at Milwaukee9:20 p.m.TNT &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Florida St. vs. Florida Gulf Coast, at Orlando, Fla.9:40 p.m.CBS &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Wisconsin vs. Virginia Tech, at Buffalo, N.Y.9:50 p.m.TBS &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Arizona vs. North Dakota, at Salt Lake City9:57 p.m.TRU &#8212; NCAA Tournament, first round, Iowa St. vs. Nevada, at Milwaukee</factboxMeta></div>

Let March Madness begin