SPORTS 4-16
NBA:
The Trail Blazers play-in win at Phoenix propels them into the first round of the playoff, fulfilling a 2021 trade-requirement giving the Chicago Bulls their first round pick this year.
The Blazers were an unlikely play-off contender when the season began last fall when head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested after the first game for being part of an alleged illegal gambling operation.
Now the team goes to the 62-win San Antonio Spurs for a first round-series.
The Blazers are not favored to win it.
Game one is set for Sunday night in San Antonio.
Game 3 of the best of 7 series will be at the Moda Center on Friday the 24th.
Tickets for the first Portland Trail Blazers playoff games since 2021 are rising fast. The Blazers secured the seventh seed in the Western Conference after beating the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. They will face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio spurs in a seven game series, with at least two games guaranteed at the Moda Center. Game one of the series is set for Sunday in San Antonio, while games three and four at Moda are set for April 24th and 26th. Tickets are already on sale for the games in Portland, ranging from as low as 133-dollars for upper deck seats and as high as 38-hundred-dollars for courtside seats.
COLLEGE BASEBALL:
Baseball America has released this week’s projected field of 64 for this year’s NCAA Tournament.
The 6th ranked Oregon State Beavers could host their own regional in Corvallis, matched up with Gonzaga and maybe Oklahoma.
19th ranked Oregon is slotted as a two seed in the Austin Texas regional.
This projection is subject to change.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL:
The OSU men’s team has signed Center Yabi Aklog.
Head coach Justin Joyner announced Wednesday, Aklog will join the Beavers as a freshman four-star recruit out of Sammamish, Washington. The Beavers returned only one scholarship player from last season.
Oregon State is adding one of the West Coast Conference's best three-point shooters. Legend Smiley committed to the Beavers Wednesday after transferring from the University of San Francisco. During his freshman season with the Dons, the six-five guard shot 42-percent from behind the arc. Smiley will be reunited with former USF assistant Michael Plank at OSU.
Oregon’s team was similarly decimated by transfers. UO head men’s coach Dana Altman cited less NIL money available to pay players as one of the reasons for the player exodus. The Ducks have recently signed Boise State forward Andrew Meadow, who will be entering his Senior season.
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