DETROIT, MI - MARCH 20: Daniss Jenkins #24 of the Detroit Pistons plays defense during the game against the Golden State Warriors on March 20, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Detroit Pistons are officially heading back to the playoffs. It is the first time the franchise has gone to the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 2009. The clinching victory came at the hands of an undermanned Golden State Warriors team, 115-101.
Cade Cunningham missed his second consecutive game with a collapsed lung, and Jalen Duren once again led the team to victory. He scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added six rebounds. Daniss Jenkins, who has really been struggling with his offense lately regained a bit of his scoring punch. Starting in place of Cunningham, Jenkins scored 22 points, dished eight assists, and secured seven rebounds.
The Pistons dominated in their typical phases of the game. They had a 30-point edge in the paint (74-44), almost quadrupled them in fastbreak points (19-5) and forced (or were gifted) 26 Golden State turnovers. Ausar Thompson led the way with seven swipes. Detroit was down nine midway through the second quarter, but then they turned on the pressure, started to get out and run, and never looked back. They led by a smany as 24 in the second half.
Paul Reed continued his stellar showing in place of the injured Isaiah Stewart with 15 points off the bench, while Tobias Harris had 13 and Duncan Robinson and Ron Holland also had double figures with 11 apiece.
Next up for the Pistons is hosting the white-hot Los Angeles Lakers, who have won eight games in a row.
MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 20: Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics dribbles the ball during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 20, 2026 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
On a night when the Celtics shot 26% from three, they found a way to beat the Grizzlies 117-112 behind 30 points from Jaylen Brown and a season-high 22 points from Luka Garza.
The Celtics started their usuals with only Nikola Vucevic missing the game. Joe Mazzulla put Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta out there to start the game. Memphis had a slew of injuries. Ja Morant, Cedric Cowherd, Zach Edey, Santi Aldama, Brandon Clarke, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Scotty Pippen Jr., GG Jackson, Jahmai Mashack and Taj Gibson (yes, he is on the Grizzlies) were out for this one. They started Ty Jerome, Javon Small, Jaylen Wells, Taylor Hendricks and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.
The Grizzlies were leading the Celtics at the first timeout, 11-9. It was a slow start for the Celtics offense; they made only one of their first 6 shot attempts, but were able to stay in the game at the foul line, a place Jaylen Brown has been living the last few games.
Payton Pritchard came in and flipped the energy for the Celtics, scoring 10 points as the Celtics took the lead late in the quarter.
The Celtics led the quarter after a massive dunk from Hugo Gonzalez, 29-27. Pritchard’s 10 points led the team while Jaylen Brown had 6 points and Luka Garza had 4.
Memphis was playing with a lot of hustle and the Celtics could not make a shot so Memphis led 41-38 in the middle of the 2nd quarter.
Ty Jermone, Tyler Burton and Javon Small were all getting the ball in the hoop for the Grizzlies with 8, 8 and 7 points respectively.
Jayson Tatum could not get it going for the Celtics, he missed his first 8 shots of the game going 0-5 from beyond the arc as well. He made his first shot with 1:20 to go in the 2nd quarter.
It was a frustrating half for the Celtics as they shot 38% from the floor. However, they led 55-54. Jaylen Brown led the team with 16 points while Payton Pritchard had 12 and Neemias Queta had 10 points to go along with 7 rebounds.
The Celtics were just sleepwalking through much of the game. Memphis was just a step quicker for much of the early part of the game.
We did get a Nikola Vucevic update during the game.
NBC Sports Boston reporting Vucevic will have an X-Ray in a week and return to contact, play in the final few regular season games if all goes well.
The Grizzlies just would not go away, every time it felt like the Celtics were getting ready to pull away, Memphis would get a big basket. They took their largest lead to that point in the middle of the third quarter, 74-68, off of a Cam Spencer three pointer.
The two teams went back and fourth the rest of the quarter as the Grizzlies led the Celtics 88-84 at the end of three. Jaylen Brown’s 26 points and Payton Pritchard’s 17 points led the team in scoring.
The Grizzlies had built a 7-point lead early in the fourth but 7 straight Derrick White points tied the game back up at 98.
The Celtics finally went on their run in the fourth quarter, going on a 19-5 run to take a 7-point lead with 3 minutes left.
Luka Garza had his best scoring game as a Celtic with 22 points on 9/12 shooting.
Derrick White dominated the fourth quarter with 11 of his 14 points along with 3 assists and 1 steal in the quarter.
The Celtics were able to hang on for the win, 117-112. Jaylen Brown led the team with 30 points while Payton Pritchard had 19 points to go along with the previously mentioned 22 from Garza.
Boston shot 45% from the field and 26% from three while Memphis shot 47% from the field and 32% from three. The Celtics’ next game is Sunday night at 8 EST from TD Garden against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Mar 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) shoots against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images
The Hawks looked to keep rolling in Houston, but it wouldn’t be easy in this toughest matchup of the winning streak.
Both teams were clicking on offense early on, with the Rockets capitalizing on paint touches to the turn of 14 points in the paint in just the first six minutes of the game. The Hawks countered with hot three-point shooting, hitting four of their first seven from deep.
Houston began to pull away a tad behind 10 early points from Jabari Smith Jr. The Hawks faced a 32-24 deficit before Zaccharie Risacher hit this corner catch-and-shoot three:
After one quarter (and one phantom foul call), the Rockets led 35-27.
The second quarter was more of the same, with the Hawks unable to slow down the Rockets offense — although you can’t plan for them canning this number of deep threes. Atlanta hung tough and didn’t let the game get out of hand, however.
Atlanta put together an 10-0 run to pull to within five points when the game was teetering for them. Two-way efforts like in the below video helped spark the run:
Bucks co-owner and governor Wes Edens told ESPN that the Bucks likely will execute one of just two outcomes regarding Antetokounmpo this offseason: the team will sign another extension or he will be traded.
The star is eligible for a contract extension on Oct. 1.
The statement hints at the Bucks' intentions not to allow Antetokounmpo to play out the final year of his contract for the 2026-27 season and opt for free agency. The former two-time MVP is expected to make $58.4 million next season and has a player option in 2027-28 that would pay him $62.8 million.
The team tried to make additions to the roster, acquiring center Myles Turner before the trade deadline, in an attempt to produce a winner, but the team continued to be plagued by injuries this season.
While Antetokounmpo claims to be ready for a return, the team doesn’t have the same urgency to have him return to the court.
The Bucks have a 28-41 record as of March 20 and have lost back-to-back games. The franchise has not missed the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. Milwaukee is currently 11th in the Eastern Conference and positioned to be one of 14 teams in the NBA draft lottery in May.
Antetokounmpo was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee and a bone bruise, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. He is expected to be reevaluated in a week. Coach Doc Rivers told reporters on March 17 that imaging of Antetokounmpo's knee did not show any structural damage. He’s missed 33 games this season.
The Knicks eventually overcame their lethargic start, and blowing a double-digit fourth quarter lead, in their 93-92 win over the Nets in Brooklyn on Friday night.
New York has won five games in a row and has now defeated the Nets 14 consecutive times.
Here are the takeaways...
-The first quarter was a slog offensively for both teams. Thanks to sloppy dribbling, turnovers and rushed shots, the two combined for just 24 points with two minutes to go. However, the scoring picked up a bit for Brooklyn in the final minutes, as the Nets hit a couple of threes to go up 22-14 after one. Brooklyn shot 41 percent from the field, including hitting 4 of 10 threes.
The Knicks shot just 21 percent and were 2 of 7 from downtown.
Mikal Bridges led the Knicks with seven points on 2 of 4 shooting. Jalen Brunson, returning to the lineup after a game off due to a stiff neck, was held scoreless in the first. The Knicks had five turnovers, the most in a first quarter for the team this season. Their 14 points were also a season low for the first frame.
-The second quarter saw a different Knicks strategy, namely giving Karl-Anthony Towns the ball and letting him get to the basket. The Knicks would cut Brooklyn's lead to four, but then the Nets began to make their threes, pushing their lead to 13 points. The Knicks were upset with the officiating in this one. Towns had to sit midway through the second after picking up his second foul and a technical for arguing.
Mitchell Robinson was unhappy with a few fouls from Nic Claxton. It boiled over when he went up for an alley-oop and Nolan Traore fouled him hard. Robinson stood over Traore. Robinson pointed at Danny Wolf, who was trying to get to his teammate and Ziare Williams pushed Robinson, causing a fracas. Cooler heads prevailed with Williams and Robinson receiving techs.
The dust-up woke up the Knicks, as their defensive intensity increased and they started to work the interior on offense. They went into halftime down 50-44.
The Knicks' 10 turnovers didn't help their cause, but the second quarter was dominated by Towns, who scored 10 of his 13 points in the frame. The Knicks were still shooting just 32 percent from the field, but they've supplemented that by getting to the free-throw line. They were 14 of 20 from the charity stripe -- Robinson was 1-for-5 from there at the half.
-The Knicks started the second half on a 7-0 run to take their first lead since early in the first quarter. The 50-50 balls the Knicks were losing in the first half, they started to get. Offensive rebounds and better defense helped New York.
The intensity between the two teams boiled over again when Claxton and OG Anunoby got into a pushing match early in the third that resulted in double techs.
The Nets punched back to retake the lead, and it was back and forth until the final minutes when the Knicks got off to an 11-0 run. Jordan Clarkson and Brunson led the run with their scoring and passing to give New York a 75-65 lead heading into the fourth.
-The fourth quarter started like the third ended, with the Knicks' offense buzzing and grabbing a lead as large as 14 points. However, the offense began to stall and the Nets' three-point shot helped them cut New York's lead to five, forcing a Mike Brown timeout. Even with Brunson back in the game, the offense was stagnant as Brooklyn went out to a 17-0 run to retake the lead with three-and-a-half minutes remaining.
Towns checked in, and the offense opened up. The team answered with an 8-0 run, with Brunson scoring back-to-back buckets to give the Knicks the lead they wouldn't relinquish. But Towns' defense was priceless, with his contests at the rim causing the Nets players to alter their shots. The Knicks couldn't ice the game at the free-throw line as the Nets hit a quick three to cut the Knicks' lead to 93-92 with five seconds remaining. Towns then missed his two free throws, allowing Brooklyn to get the final shot.
The Nets couldn't get a clean look, however, as the Knicks' defense held to deliver the win.
-Brunson had a tough night shooting. He scored 17 points but on 7-for-19 shooting, and he dished eight assists. Towns led the team with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Anunoby posted 16 points on 7 of 13 shooting while Bridges had nine points and seven rebounds in 36 minutes.
Clarkson was the leading scorer off the bench with nine points.
-Landry Shamet was inserted into the starting lineup with Josh Hart (knee) missing the game. He scored just three points on 1 of 5 shooting in 22 minutes, but did not appear in the fourth quarter with what the Knicks called a right knee.
Game MVP: Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns was questionable for this game due to personal reasons, but they would have lost this one without him. When they were down, Towns entered the game and a flip switched for the team. Towns helped on both ends of the floor, allowing the Knicks to escape Brooklyn with the win.
UCLA guard Skyy Clark is in need of a dentist appointment.
Clark had his front tooth knocked out during the second half of UCLA’s 75-71NCAA Tournament win against UCF.
Clark’s tooth was dislodged after he dove to the floor in an attempt to get a loose ball. UCF’s Themus Fulks inadvertently elbowed Clark in the face as he tried to pry the basketball away from the UCLA guard.
Clark pointed to his missing tooth after the play. He was tended to by UCLA’s medical staff and later checked back into the game without his front tooth. He even hit a free throw with 2.3 seconds left to seal the victory for the Bruins.
TORONTO (AP) — Alexander Nikishin scored 41 seconds into overtime to give the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night.
Nikishin fired a shot beyond goalie Joseph Woll’s blocker.
Eric Robinson scored on a penalty shot for Carolina, K’Andre Miller and Jordan Staal also had goals, and Brandon Bussi made 23 saves. Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho each had two assists.
John Tavares, William Nylander and Dakota Joshua scored for Toronto. Woll stopped 32 shots, and Matias Maccelli had two assists.
Robinson scored on the penalty shot in the second period after being hooked on a breakaway by defenseman Troy Stecher. The Carolina winger beat Woll to the glove side.
Aho became the third player to hit at least 70 points in five seasons with the Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise. Ron Francis (11) and Eric Staal (seven) top the list.
Toronto captain Auston Matthews had surgery on his left MCL in New York on Thursday. He was injured last week on a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim defenseman Radko Gudas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Logan Thompson made 30 saves, losing his shutout bid with just 43 seconds remaining, and the Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Friday night.
Ryan Leonard scored midway through the first period, and Aliaksei Protas added an empty-netter with 1:43 remaining.
Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, extending his point streak with three goals and four assists over his last seven games. Jake Allen stopped 26 shots.
It was the third meeting between the teams and the first that didn't require extra time. The Devils beat the Capitals in a 3-2 shootout win on Nov. 15, but lost 4-3 in overtime on Dec. 27. Thompson and Allen covered the net in all three games. They will conclude their season series on April 2 in Newark.
Up next
Devils visit the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.
Capitals wrap a four-game homestand against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday afternoon.
NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame senior Eszter Muhari won her third career individual national title in epee and the Fighting Irish fencing team won the inaugural women's three-weapon national championship on Friday after edging Columbia 102-99.
It was the 15th national championship for the Irish after winning 14 co-ed titles, including six of the last eight. Notre Dame won the national championship last year in the final year of the combined women’s and men’s team championship.
Muhari also won epee in 2023 and 2025 to finish her Notre Dame career as the sixth woman in NCAA history to win three or more individual titles.
Harvard junior Jessica Guo won the foil for her second NCAA championship, adding to the title she earned in 2024. Guo rallied to go ahead 7-5 after the second period and secured the title with a 15-6 victory over Columbia’s Carolina Stutchbury, who earned first-team honors for the second consecutive year.
Natalia Botello became the first Ohio State Buckeye to win the NCAA women’s saber crown and the fourth individual national champion in program history, joining Katarzyna Dabrowa (epee, 2012), Eleanor Harvey (foil, 2016) and Yelena Kalkina (epee, 1997).
The men’s championships begin on Saturday with three rounds in each weapon.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA filed a complaint in federal court Friday seeking an emergency restraining order to stop online sportsbook DraftKings from using registered trademarks associated with the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments.
The complaint for trademark infringement was filed in the Southern District of Indiana and requests that DraftKings stop using terms including “March Madness,” “Final Four,” “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen" or variations of them in sports betting products, promotional campaigns or marketing.
A message seeking comment was sent after business hours to DraftKings' general media relations address.
The NCAA said in the complaint its trademarks are used to identify, brand, advertise and distinguish the tournaments across broadcast media, digital platforms, merchandise, sponsorships and licensed commercial activities.
“On the eve of the Tournaments, DraftKings deliberately adopted and prominently began using the NCAA’s iconic NCAA Basketball Marks, including confusingly similar variations thereof, to trade on — and usurp — the immense goodwill, recognition, and consumer trust embodied in those Marks at the precise moment of peak public attention,” the complaint said.
Screenshots of DraftKings wagering platforms were included in exhibits attached to the complaint.
“DraftKings’s unlawful use quickly proliferated across its consumer-facing websites and mobile applications, embedding the marks and logos into betting menus, promotional graphics, and marketing publications, to deliberately exacerbate consumer confusion and reinforce a false association with or sponsorship by the NCAA in order to continuously capitalize on the goodwill of the NCAA,” the complaint said.
The NCAA said it avoids any appearance of affiliation with gambling companies and has declined sportsbook sponsorships, banned sports betting by athletes and staff and publicly opposed prop bets and micro-bets. The NCAA noted it has launched initiatives to prevent harassment and improper influence in college sports and preserve the integrity of its competitions.
"Every day that DraftKings continues to use these marks, millions of sports fans — and, critically, college students and young adults who are particularly susceptible to gambling harm — are exposed to the false suggestion that the Association has authorized or endorsed DraftKings’ gambling platform,” the NCAA said in a statement.
ATLANTA (AP) — Virginia junior Claire Curzan repeated as champion in the 100-yard backstroke on Friday and the Cavaliers remained in first place heading into the final day of the women’s swimming and diving championships.
Curzan won the race with the second-fastest time ever at 48.24, trailing only Gretchen Walsh (48.10). She was 1.38 seconds faster than Bella Sims and Maggie Wanezek, who tied for second.
Curzan also joined freshman Sara Curtis, Aimee Canny and Anna Moesch to dominate the 400 medley relay, winning by 3.13 seconds over Tennessee.
The Cavaliers also secured two second-place finishes to lead the team standings with 437.5 points, followed by Texas with 272 and Stanford 242.5.
Stanford's Lucy Bell also defended her title in the 200 breaststroke with a program-record 2:02.38. Then Bell's teammate Torri Huske earned a second individual title at the NCAAs with a time of 20.66 in the 50 freestyle.
California freshman Claire Weinstein led wire-to-wire in the 500 freestyle.
South Carolina diver Sophie Verzyl won the three-meter competition.
The meet wraps up on Saturday with the 200 IM, 100 free, 200 fly, 200 back and 400 free relay.
No. 9 seed Utah State pulled off an upset against No. 8 Villanova in a 86-76 win during the first round of the Men's NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California, on March 20.
It was a back-and-forth battle throughout, everything that you love about March Madness.
Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun must have said something during the pregame pep talk inside the Aggies' locker room that resonated with his players as they jumped out to a 22-13 lead.
What needs to be studied is Calhoun's playbook, let alone coaching.
"This guy is an offensive genius," CBS commentator and former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy said of Calhoun.
Once Villanova settled into the game, they went on a run of their own, eventually taking their first lead of the game, 33-31, with 5:10 to go in the first half. They kept a two-point lead going into the halftime break, largely thanks to 7-of-14 shooting from deep, while the Aggies only connected on one attempt in eight tries. They ended the game with 14 threes on 47% shooting, while Utah State shot 13% for the game.
Villanova built a 10-point lead early in the second half but Utah State didn't fade or shy away from the task.
The fight of the Aggies' throughout the game is what really turned heads. They remained calm, leaned on each other and went on a 14-4 run to climb their way back to tie the game at 54 with 14:05 remaining.
Both teams continued to trade blows until Utah State pulled away in the end starting on the defensive end which turned into easy fastbreak points, and offensively, they were polished. The Aggies ended the game on a 15-3 run.
"Defense. Coach came in at halftime [and said] we're in a good spot, down two," said senior guard MJ Collins Jr. who had 20 points. "We weren't making threes, so we knew we had to rely on our defense. And it kind of carried us over in the second half. That's what we're known for, getting our offense based off our defense. You know, we switched up a couple coverages late in the game, and it kind of messed them up. They were kind of stagnant, and we executed off of it."
Calhoun showcases coaching 'masterclass'
CBS Sports analyst Jamal Mashburn, who played 11 NBA seasons out of University of Kentucky, had high praise for Calhoun and what he's done with the Utah State program.
"Just a masterful job of what he's been able to do," Mashburn said. "Teach these kids how to play that way, and also put them in a position to be aggressive and not be afraid to make mistakes."
Even TNT Sports host Adam Lefkoe had to admire Calhoun's coaching prowess.
"Many of you have not seen Utah State. But we sat here and went, 'Coaches around the country need to steal their plays.' Hopefully they don't steal their players," Lefkoe said. "Utah State's offense was phenomenal. ... Let's look at the highlights because almost every play you see is a masterclass from coach Calhoun."
Held in high regard is Calhoun, who's in his second season as the head men's basketball coach at Utah State. He's the 22nd head coach in the Aggies' men's basketball program history.
"I really want to tip our cap to Villanova," Calhoun told reporters after the game. "I thought that was just a tremendous basketball game. They're very, very well coached. I thought Kevin [Willard] did a great job of, you know, really changing up the defenses, man, zone. They made an incredible amount of threes, and they put a ton of pressure on the paint."
He added: "Kevin is a tremendous coach, but our guys in the last seven, eight minutes, I thought we really buckled down. Our execution offensively was tremendous, our screening, getting to the next action. And I thought what won the game was our 'will to' and our 'want to' this team has been very connected throughout the year, and in March, you have to be connected."
Utah State was led by junior guard Mason Falslev with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Fellow senior guard Drake Allen filled the stat sheet with 11 points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals. Freshman forward Adlan Elamin, who climbed the rafters a few times for soaring dunks, added 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Villanova was led by sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay with 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including 6-of-11 from beyond the three-point stripe. Senior forward Duke Brennan and junior guard Tyler Perkins each had 15. Sophomore guard Malachi Palmer added 11 for the Wildcats.
Utah State finding their 'swagger'
Calhoun has his team playing with a chip on their shoulder and so far it's served them well.
"We did not like our seed. We were not too fond of being a 9-seed," Calhoun said. "We won 28 games. We won the [Mountain West] regular season title, we won the tournament title. So when this team has an edge, and they play, you know, with a little bit of swagger and a little bit of toughness and resilience, we can cause a lot of problems."
"You know, this defense was originated from from Ralph Willard, Kevin's father, and it's hard to play against," Calhoun said. "So I think, as MJ said, we didn't want to overreact to the threes, but we felt like the game would loosen up eventually. And you saw MJ made some big steals, Mason, Adlan, Drake, their activity, KT's [Karson Templin] activity, defensively, I thought was the difference."
Up next for the Aggies are another pack of Wildcats, No. 1-seeded Arizona in the NCAA men's basketball tournament Round of 32.
LAAX, Switzerland (AP) — Eileen Gu added another halfpipe title to her resume Friday, taking the first Snow League season championship by capturing gold in the circuit's last contest.
The victory came nearly four weeks after the 22-year-old capped off the Milan Cortina Olympics with a gold medal on the halfpipe, adding to a pair of silver medals she had won earlier in slopestyle and big air. Over two Games, Gu has captured a medal in all six events she's entered — the only freeskier to do that in the sport's history.
“I take a lot of meaning in being the first to do things,” Gu said after becoming the first champion crowned in Shaun White's new league that features halfpipe riding in skiing and snowboarding. “To be a part of this league means so much to me. ... I believe so much in the vision and the direction that it’s pushing the sport.”
Gu, who was born in the United States but competes under the flag of her mother's homeland, China, earned $75,000 for the victory — $50,000 for winning the contest and another $25,000 for capturing the season crown. Fifteen of Gu's 20 World Cup titles have come on the halfpipe.
Luke Harrold of New Zealand took home $75,000 for winning both the event and the season title on the men's side.
The snowboarders will close the league's first season Saturday, with Olympic gold medalist Yuto Totsuka trying to wrap up the title; he holds a slim lead in the standings over Olympic bronze medalist Ryusei Yamada.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Ohio State scored four goals in the final 10 minutes of the first period, and the No. 1 overall seed Buckeyes beat fifth-seeded Northeastern 5-0 on Friday in the first of two semifinals Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena.
Ohio State (36-4-0), which set the program's single-season wins record with 36, advanced to its fifth straight national title game to improve to 14-4 in the NCAA Tournament and 7-4 in the Frozen Four.
Northeastern (29-9-1) was making its fourth Frozen Four appearance in program history and first since 2023 when Ohio State defeated the Huskies 3-0. The Huskies dropped to 5-7-0 in the NCAA Tournament.
Five different players scored for the Buckeyes and 10 players recorded a point.
Joy Dunne, a Patty Kazmaier top-10 finalist, scored on a rebound 10 minutes into the game for her 27th goal of the season. Then Kaia Malachino and Sanni Vanhanen scored a minute apart for a 3-0 lead.
Emma Peschel beat the first-period buzzer with a slap shot to make it 4-0 and Sara Swiderski sent a shot from the blue line that deflected into the goal in the third.
Hailey MacLeod recorded her fifth shutout this season with 15 saves — five coming in the first 10 minutes. She ended a breakaway chance five minutes in and finished the frame with eight saves.
Northeastern goaltender Lisa Jönsson made 37 saves.
Up next
The Buckeyes will face the winner of the second semifinal between No. 2 Wisconsin and No. 3 Penn State.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — If there is one thing about March Madness that is consistent on a yearly basis, it is the rallying love from men's college basketball fans for the mid-major programs that are included in the 68-team field.
But it isn't necessarily love from the high-level programs when it comes to non-conference scheduling. It's something that fourth-year Miami (Ohio) head coach Travis Steele said needs to change from an analytical standpoint.
"A lot of it's analytically driven. There needs to be adjustments made," Steele said after Miami (Ohio) fell to 6-seed Tennessee on Friday at Xfinity Mobile Arena in the first round of the Midwest Region. "... I don't know when's the last time that they made an adjustment to it or if they have. But fans want to see those games. Our fans do. Their fans do. They want to see brands. It stinks."
RedHawks senior guard Peter Suder agrees with his coach on why high-major programs won't schedule mid-majors.
"I wouldn't say they're afraid. It's a numbers thing, an analytical thing," said Suder, who scored a team-high 27 points on Friday against the Volunteers. "We would like to play them. It's a great opportunity for the mid-majors to go out there and prove they're just as good. It's more of an analytical thing.
Steele and Studer's comments come less than 24 hours after High Point coach Flynn Clayman spoke on the matter after his team knocked off 5-seed Wisconsin in Portland on Thursday. Clayman's emotion in his postgame interview came a few days after Miami (Ohio)'s metrics were once questioned ahead of Selection Sunday because the RedHawks did not have a single Quad 1 win until their First Four win over SMU.
"It looks pretty obvious to me that high-majors need to play mid-majors during the season," Clayman said. "Because they said we ain't played nobody? We played somebody now."
The conversation of Miami (Ohio)'s resume and metrics started well before Selection Sunday for the RedHawks, who are now No. 91 on KenPom and No. 86 on Bart Torvik, two analytical websites, after Friday's win. The RedHawks entered the day as a Quad 2 game for Tennessee, with their No. 64 ranking in the NCAA's NET system.
"Most of the scheduling's done on the phone, and it's frustrating," Steele said.
Steele said he knew back in June of last year that his team would be "in trouble" with its non-conference schedule.
"We didn't finish our schedule until mid-October. We played two weeks later, which is ridiculous, especially in today's college landscape," Steele said. "It sounds crazy to me, but again, I get why they don't want to play because you want to stay away from Quad 2 or Quad 3 games. It does nothing for you.
