SPORTS NEWS

Duke Heads To Final Four After 66-52 Win Over Gonzaga

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HOUSTON (AP) — A special group of freshmen is taking Duke and Coach K back to the NCAA Final Four.</div>
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The Blue Devils and their trio of freshmen starters are going to their 16th Final Four, a record-matching 12th for coach Mike Krzyzewski, after a 66-52 win Sunday in the South Regional over Gonzaga.</div>
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Justise Winslow, the freshman playing home in Houston, had 16 points, including a big 3-pointer in the closing minutes. Matt Jones had also had 16 points while freshman Tyus Jones had 15 points, while Jahlil Okafor nine points and eight rebounds.</div>
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Duke (33-4), the region's No. 1 seed, is going to Indianapolis to play Michigan State in the Final Four. The other national semifinal game Saturday matches undefeated Kentucky and Wisconsin.</div>
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Krzyzewski is going to the Final Four for the 12th time, matching UCLA's John Wooden for the most by a head coach and five more than anyone else.</div>
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No. 2 seed Gonzaga (35-3) had taken a 38-34 lead less than 4 minutes into the second half, putting the Blue Devils in their largest deficit of this tournament.</div>
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These young Blue Devils responded with nine straight points and never trailed again. They had stretched it to 60-51 when Winslow made a 3-poitner from the left wing with 2:28 left.</div>
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<img alt="DUKE GONZAGA 2015" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2777578/images/n-DUKE-GONZAGA-2015-large570.jpg" /></div>

Duke Heads To Final Four After 66-52 Win Over Gonzaga

HOUSTON (AP) — A special group of freshmen is taking Duke and Coach K back to the NCAA Final Four. The Blue Devils and their trio of fres...

Daley Blind: Spain will be out for revenge against Netherlands

11:14 Unknown 0

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Daley Blind believes Spain will be seeking revenge for their World Cup thrashing when they meet Netherlands on Tuesday.</div>
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Vicente del Bosque's side arrived in Brazil last summer as reigning champions but suffered their heaviest defeat since 1963 as they lost their first group game 5-1 to a Netherlands team including Manchester United's Blind.</div>
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Spain were eliminated in the group stage, while Louis van Gaal's Dutch team went on to finish third.</div>
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The sides face each other again in a friendly in Amsterdam, and Blind expects the heavy defeat last June to motivate Spain.</div>
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"I think so -- I would have some revenge feelings if I lost against a team too," he told MUTV. "That wouldn't only be after a game at the World Cup, though.</div>
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"If you lose against any team, you always want to win the next time you play them. So I think they will have those feelings."</div>
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Blind set up Robin van Persie's spectacular equaliser in Brazil with a long pass that the Netherlands captain met with a superb diving header.</div>
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The injured Van Persie will miss the game but Blind could come up against United teammate David de Gea, who he thinks is one of the outstanding goalkeepers in the game.</div>
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"David is doing a great job here this season," the former Ajax player added. "He's one of the best keepers in the world at the moment.</div>
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"We're very happy that he's in goal, and he has made some great saves. All the credit goes to him. He works very hard and is getting better all the time.</div>
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"His shot-stopping is one of his best skills, but you also have to look at how he plays [with his feet] and how he comes for crosses -- the way he has improved that is very impressive.</div>
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"He has got better in every way. The skills when he is saving goals and also the skills with his feet: they make him an all-round keeper and that's one of the best things about him."</div>

SOCCER Daley Blind: Spain will be out for revenge against Netherlands

Daley Blind believes Spain will be seeking revenge for their World Cup thrashing when they meet Netherlands on Tuesday. Vicente del Bosqu...

Carlo Ancelotti's success in Europe tainted by lack of domestic titles

11:13 Unknown 0

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<img alt="Real Madrid's Champions League title last May was Carlo Ancelotti's third as a manager." src="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i/?img=/photo/2015/0214/soc_a_carl33_cr_1296x729.jpg&w=738&site=espnfc" style="-webkit-transition: width 0.25s; border: 0px; font-family: BentonSans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; transition: width 0.25s; width: 643px;" title="Real Madrid's Champions League title last May was Carlo Ancelotti's third as a manager." width="738" /></h1>
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It wasn't exactly a new scenario for Carlo Ancelotti, so he pointed to an old excuse. Real Madrid had just been beaten 2-1 by Barcelona in the latest Clasico, leaving the Italian again looking up at another leader in a title race, and he duly deflected by pointing to the quality of the display and competitions beyond the domestic front.</div>
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"We are disappointed, but it is better to have better feeling in the way we played," <a href="http://www.espnfc.com/real-madrid/story/2362668/carlo-ancelotti-says-luis-suarezs-goal-changed-the-clasico-then-hailed-complete-ronaldo" style="color: #1eb848; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ancelotti said</a>. "We can have more confidence in the future games in the league and the Champions League."</div>
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He can certainly have confidence in regards to the latter. Ancelotti has famously won the joint highest number of Champions Leagues, with three alongside former Liverpool boss Bob Paisley, and clearly has a knack for continental competition. But in regards to the domestic league, it's a lot more complicated, and shouldn't inspire the same confidence.</div>
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It's actually one of the game's great contradictions. How can a manager with such a historic record in Europe have such an average record in regards to league titles?</div>
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Despite spending 18 consecutive years at the continent's wealthiest clubs, Ancelotti only has three domestic medals. In Italy, he was often described rather disparagingly as a "perpetual runner-up", but that is only half the story. In half of those 18 years, he has actually finished third or lower in the league. It is barely even a 'good' record given the clubs he's been at, who should always expect to be at least competing. It is about par.</div>
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For context, compare that to his most successful peers, the type of managers that winning three Champions League titles should put you alongside.</div>
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Paisley won the league with Liverpool six times in nine years, and finished second twice. Ferguson won 13 titles in 27 years at Manchester United, and was runner-up on another seven occasions. Jose Mourinho has meanwhile won seven titles in 11 seasons at such competitive clubs, and only finished lower than second once -- last season.</div>
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For all the obvious prestige of the Champions League, these types of records display the relentlessness that really separates the elite managers, that hard-edged competitive baseline. These are qualities that Ancelotti doesn't seem possess, even if he does possess all those European medals.</div>
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The issue is almost the difference in competitions. The fact that it is a cup competition means it is far more open to blind luck and all the one-off nuances that knock-up football involves, although a canny coach can roll the dice and surf those idiosyncrasies. Ancelotti has often managed that, but leagues just aren't open to fortune in the same way. They tend to reflect reality much more, whether that is rewarding the wealthiest team or the best manager.</div>
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As Bayern Munich's Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on appointing Pep Guardiola in the summer of 2013, "The Champions League is a competition where there are no guarantees and the things you take for granted in domestic football don't always work."</div>
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Whereas managers like Guardiola and Mourinho have succeeded Ferguson as the closest to a sure thing in football, Ancelotti offers none of those guarantees.</div>
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His teams are oddly undependable. Just look at his big-game record, which Spanish newspaper AS <a href="http://as.com/diarioas/2015/03/23/english/1427134849_391731.html" style="color: #1eb848; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Spain's Diario As raised in the aftermath</a> of the latest Clasico defeat. For a man who the big teams turn to when they need a safe pair of hands, Ancelotti hasn't exactly turned over their main opposition much: In 71 league games against other top-four teams, he has won 26, drawn 17 and lost 28.</div>
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Along the same lines, his famous Champions League collapses with Milan against Deportivo la Coruna and Liverpool have parallels with some poor finishes to league campaigns. You only have to look at the way Real Madrid fell away last season.</div>
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Ancelotti has also himself admitted that it was a bad domestic title race that actually helped him win his first Champions League, with Milan in 2002-03.</div>
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"We had lost our determination in Serie A, so our focus was now on the European Cup," he wrote in his autobiography. That book was jokingly -- but also accurately -- titled 'I prefer Cups'.</div>
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He certainly isn't an autocrat with the same aggressive arrogance as Ferguson or Mourinho. The Italian simply sees life, and the game, in a different way. It is probably the reason that makes Ancelotti such an adept knock-out round coach -- not to mention a very likeable man -- and also makes him a relatively average title-race manager.</div>
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Consider Paolo Maldini's description of the type of coach he is in a dressing room: "Carletto remains what he has always been: an unparalleled comedian. He managed to crack jokes before the Champions League final. He talks about roast dinners, he cocks an eyebrow, and we go on to win, because we are relaxed."</div>
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The vast majority of those in the game say this is often the best approach to big one-off games, because the problem is usually that the top players are over-motivated. In that case, Ancelotti is perfect. It is not perfect, however, for maintaining that hardness and intensity throughout a season.</div>
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"Out of all the locker-room management techniques I've witnessed, his is definitely the least problematic," Maldini elaborated. "He holds in all his own worries and pressures, and so the team preserves its tranquility."</div>
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That is essentially the opposite of the likes of Ferguson, Guardiola and Mourinho, who have always instilled a competitive intensity, a real hardness. The difference tends to tell when the margins are slimmest.</div>
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It means there is a significant gap between their league records and that of Ancelotti. None of this is to say the Italian is not a good manager. His Champions League record means he will go down in history. It does not, however, necessarily mean he is one of the best coaches in history.</div>
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To change that, he needs to change his league record in the future.</div>
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SOCCER Carlo Ancelotti's success in Europe tainted by lack of domestic titles

Real Madrid's Champions League title last May was Carlo Ancelotti's third as a manager. It wasn't exactly a new scenario fo...

Southampton's Ryan Bertrand added to England squad for Italy friendly

11:12 Unknown 0

SOCCER Southampton's Ryan Bertrand added to England squad for Italy friendly

The ESPN FC crew react to England's solid performance against Lithuania at Wembley Stadium and whether it will continue. En...

Vincent Kompany hits back at 'predictable' Man City critics

11:11 Unknown 0

SOCCER Vincent Kompany hits back at 'predictable' Man City critics

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini speaks after his team's 3-0 victory over West Brom Manchester City skipper Vincent K...

Barcelona lose Jordi Alba for 10 days with hamstring injury

11:09 Unknown 0

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Barcelona defender Jordi Alba will be out for around 10 days after suffering a hamstring injury while on international duty.</div>
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Alba, 26, will miss the La Liga trip to Celta Vigo next Saturday and is also doubtful for the home game against Almeria three days later.</div>
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The defender was forced off during Spain's 1-0 Euro 2016 qualifying win over Ukraine on Friday.</div>
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A statement <a href="http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/jordi-alba-out-for-ten-days" style="color: #1eb848; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">on Barcelona's official website</a> read: "Tests performed by the FC Barcelona medical services on Saturday morning revealed that Jordi Alba has a grade 1 injury to the adductor muscle in his right leg.</div>
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"This hamstring injury means he'll be out of action for approximately 10 days.</div>
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"He was substituted in the 76th minute after feeling pain during a run down the left wing."</div>

SOCCER Barcelona lose Jordi Alba for 10 days with hamstring injury

Barcelona defender Jordi Alba will be out for around 10 days after suffering a hamstring injury while on international duty. Alba, 26, wi...

Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio 'back in days, not months'

11:08 Unknown 0

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Juventus have confirmed that midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who on Friday was <a href="http://www.espnfc.us/juventus/story/2367998/juventus-star-claudio-marchisio-out-for-six-months-with-cruciate-ligament-injury" style="color: #1eb848; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">ruled out for between six and eight months</a> after tearing anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) in training with Italy, could instead be back in action within days.</div>
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Further tests on the the 29-year-old's injured knee revealed that he had not, as initially feared, torn his ACL.</div>
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Marchisio was sent back to Turin on Friday after national team doctor Enrico Castellacci diagnosed that he had partially torn ligaments when spraining his knee.</div>
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Juventus ordered further tests to be carried out -- and they found that Marchisio could even be back for the Serie A game against Empoli on April 4.</div>
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"After returning from international duty on Friday afternoon, Claudio Marchisio underwent medical examinations conducted by Juventus club doctors and Dr Flavio Quaglia," <a href="http://www.juventus.com/juve/en/news/marchisio+medical+update+2703" style="color: #1eb848; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">a statement on the club's official website said</a>.</div>
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"The 29-year-old then underwent an MRI scan on his right knee this evening. The tests ruled positive, excluding the possibility of a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament.</div>
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"Marchisio will now rest, and his condition is to be monitored on a day-to-day basis."</div>
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Reports in Italy have suggested that Marchisio could be back in full training after only a few days -- a huge boost to coach Massimiliano Allegri, who is<a href="http://www.espnfc.us/uefa-champions-league/story/2356942/juventus-paul-pogba-has-torn-hamstringwill-miss-up-to-two-months" style="color: #1eb848; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">without Paul Pogba for two months</a> and awaiting <a href="http://www.espnfc.us/juventus/story/2318171/juventus-andrea-pirlo-out-three-weeks-with-ankle-injury" style="color: #1eb848; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Andrea Pirlo's comeback from injury</a>.</div>
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Meanwhile, Castellacci -- who has <a href="http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/27-03-2015/rete-adesso-sfotte-castellacci-ma-medico-topo-gigio-110261062323.shtml" style="color: #1eb848; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">become the butt of jokes on the internet</a> -- was <a href="http://www.football-italia.net/64444/italy-medics-explain-marchisio-chaos" style="color: #1eb848; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">quoted by Football Italia</a> as saying: "I spoke to my colleagues in Turin, explained what happened and organised to send the lad straight to the club for further tests.</div>
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"Juve gave me the all-clear to make the diagnosis public. That night, I contacted the Juve medics again. Now there are two contrasting test results.</div>
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"Naturally, I'd be very happy if the later test was confirmed. These are the facts."</div>

SOCCER Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio 'back in days, not months'

Juventus have confirmed that midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who on Friday was ruled out for between six and eight months after tearing ant...