Bryce Dejean-Jones, a former Taft High and USC basketball player, is fatally shot

guard Bryce Dejean-Jones was fatally shot after breaking down the door to a Dallas apartment, authorities said Saturday. 

A man living at the apartment was sleeping when he heard his front door kicked open, Dallas Police Senior Cpl. DeMarquis Black said in a statement. When Dejean-Jones began kicking at the bedroom door, the man retrieved a handgun and fired. 

Officers who responded found Dejean-Jones collapsed in an outdoor passageway, and he later died at a hospital. He was 23. 

“We are devastated at the loss of this young man's life,” the Pelicans said in a statement. 

Dejean-Jones was visiting his girlfriend for his daughter's first birthday, which was Saturday, according to his agent, Scott W. Nichols. He said the girlfriend returned to the apartment first while Dejean-Jones went for a walk after they had gone out. 

She lives on the fourth floor, and Dejean-Jones, who was visiting the complex for the first time, went to the third. 

“He went to the wrong apartment unfortunately and I think he thought his girlfriend locked him out, so he was knocking on the door, banging on the door, it's locked,” Nichols said. “So one thing led to another.” 

It is legal in Texas for someone to use deadly force in order to protect themselves from intruders. 

“I just lost my best friend/cousin last night enjoy life because you never know if tomorrow is guaranteed,” Shabazz Muhammad of the Minnesota Timberwolves wrote on Twitter. 

Julie Keel, a spokeswoman for Camden Property Trust, the real estate company that owns the apartment complex in Dallas, confirmed that the complex's apartment manager had sent out an email to residents saying that the person who had been shot had been trying to break into “the apartment of an estranged acquaintance” and that this person had “inadvertently” broken into the wrong apartment. 

See the most-read stories in Sports this hour >>

Black said he could not confirm that Dejean-Jones was trying to access an acquaintance's apartment. 

In Dejean-Jones' only NBA season, which ended in February because of a broken right wrist, the 6-foot-6 guard started 11 of 14 games and averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds. 

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called it a “tragic loss.” 

“Bryce inspired countless people with his hard work and perseverance on his journey to the NBA, and he had a bright future in our league,” Silver said in a statement issued Saturday. 

Dejean-Jones was part of the 2014-15 Iowa State team that went 25-9, captured a Big 12title and made a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. He was fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.5 points in 33 games. He shot a career-best 47.6% in his lone season as a Cyclone. He also played at USC and UNLV. 

Taft High's Bryce Dejean-Jones celebrates after making a game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer against Leuzinger in a state playoff game. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Dejean-Jones was suspended late in the 2013-14 season from UNLV for conduct detrimental to the team, and announced that he was leaving USC midway through the 2010-11 season. 

Jones was the Los Angeles City Section's John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award winner his senior season at Taft, when he averaged 16.9 points and 7.5 rebounds and led the school to the third round of the Division I state playoffs.

Former Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg, now coach of the Chicago Bulls, added in a statement that Dejean-Jones was a “passionate and talented player that lived out his dream of playing in the NBA through hard work and perseverance.” 

Besides Muhammad, several NBA players reacted on Twitter on Saturday. 

“Crazy how life is man,” wrote Brooklyn Nets guard Shane Larkin. “Prayers out to Bryce Dejean Jones and his family.” 

Added Quincy Pondexter, one of Dejean-Jones' teammates with the Pelicans: “This Can't be real life Rest easy lil bro.” 

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Rookie Alexander Rossi wins Indianapolis 500

ter parking in Victory Lane, Alexander Rossi removed his helmet and sat motionless in his race car for a moment, seemingly to fully grasp what had just happened.
And why not? Rossi, 24, had won the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie after a stunning turn of events in the closing laps.
The native of Nevada City, Calif., inherited a sizable lead after front-runners Tony Kanaan, Josef Newgarden and Carlos Munoz were forced to pull into the pits for a splash of fuel.
Rossi’s car also was running out of fuel on the final lap, and he slowed sharply as he approached the checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
But Rossi had just enough speed left to cross the finish line and become the first rookie to win the famed open-wheel race since Helio Castroneves in 2001.
“I just can’t believe that we’ve done this,” Rossi said after taking the winner’s traditional drink of milk. “I’m just so thankful.”
Munoz, a teammate of Rossi’s, finished second. Newgarden was third and Kanaan, who won the Indy 500 in 2013, finished fourth. Charlie Kimball, from Camarillo, was fifth.
“I really think we had a shot,” Newgarden said. “It just didn’t fall our way.”

Photos from the 2016 Indy 500.

While the low-key Rossi benefited from his rivals’ fuel-mileage woes, his victory was not an accident.
Rossi initially set his sights on the Formula One racing series, and he reached that circuit last year when he raced in the season’s final five races for the Manor Marussia team.
But after he failed to secure the seat for this year, he moved to the Verizon IndyCar Series, and Sunday he drove in a car prepared by the veteran IndyCar teams of Andretti Autosportand Bryan Herta Autosport.
Rossi started the race 11th in the 33-car field and, at one point, recorded the fastest lap of the race at 225.288 mph. He also stayed near the front until he could exploit the fuel-mileage battle.
“You can’t undervalue what he did all month,” Newgarden said.
Still, Rossi “had never seen this place until like a couple of months ago,” said team owner Michael Andretti.
“He really went to school and used his teammates and learned every day throughout the month,” Andretti said. “I saw he was very confident going into the race.”
Until Rossi inherited the lead, it appeared Kanaan, Newgarden and Munoz would decide the race as they kept swapping the lead.
“I’m just sad and really disappointed,” said Munoz, a 24-year-old Colombian. “I knew I didn’t have enough fuel. Half a lap short.”
As in recent years, the racing at the Indy 500 was close. There were 54 lead changes and the top six or seven cars often were separated by less than two seconds.

Memoriable moments from Indy 500 races.

One of the largest Indy 500 crowds in recent memory, more than 300,000 spectators, witnessed Rossi’s win. With this being the race’s centennial, the event was sold out.
“I am humbled to experience this atmosphere today at this place that is packed,” Kanaan said, adding that he also drove “the best race of my life” despite finishing fourth, “probably even better than when we won in 2013.”
Pole-sitter James Hinchcliffe, making a comeback since being severely injured in a practice crash before the Indy 500 a year ago, was strong all day but finished seventh.
There were several accidents Sunday but none of the drivers was seriously injured.
Takuma Sato hit the outside wall and finished 26th, as did Mikhail Aleshin (27th) and Sage Karam (32nd).
Just past the halfway point, Townsend Bell and former Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay -- who were leading at the time -- collided while leaving pit row and ruined their chances at winning.
And defending Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya spun and crashed on Lap 64.
Rossi said it was “no secret” that his “goal was to get to Formula One” but that he was “ecstatic” be in the IndyCar series instead, especially now that he’s won the Indy 500.
“It’s obviously a huge honor and privilege, something I’m going to carry with a great sense of responsibility,” he said.
Although Formula One remains elusive, Rossi added, “I think it worked out just fine at the end of the day.”

 

50% of Teens Say They’re Addicted to Smartphones

A significant minority of families seems to be truly struggling"

A new poll has found that one in two of teens say they feel addicted to their mobile devices, while 59% of parents worry that their young ones are addicted.

To discover how cell phones and mobile devices have affected child-parent relationships, Common Sense Media conducted 1,200 interviews with children and their parents between the ages of 12 to 18. The nonprofit, which provides education on media and safe technology for children, found that 72% of all teens felt the urge to respond to texts and social networking messages immediately and 80% check their phones hourly. Furthermore, 85% of all parents polled said that their teens get distracted by their devices.

“The poll paints a changed portrait of family life in 2016” says Common Sense Media’s CEO James P. Steyer in the report. “A significant minority of families seems to be truly struggling to integrate mobile technology in a healthy way. And many concerning behaviors and outcomes are associated with mobile use.”

However, according to Steyer, it is not all doom and gloom as this might be an evolution of normal family relationships: “The generational gap revealed in the different behaviors of teens and their parents raises the question of whether we may be too quick to label as “addiction” something that is actually a normal adaptation to rapidly and constantly evolving social norms,” Steyer said.

Defending Vibrant City Life: Jane Jacobs at 100

Her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, challenged the accepted wisdom of urban planners

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Jane Jacobs, the woman who defended the vibrancy and diversity of city life against urban planners who sought to tear down slums, was born 100 years ago Wednesday. TIME once called her “the blunt poet laureate of the way modern cities really work.”

Born in Scranton, Penn., on May 4, 1916 she moved to New York City in 1934 to live with her sister, and once in the city she worked a variety of jobs. She met and married her husband, an architect, ten years later. In 1952, though she had never finished college, she began working as an editor at Architectural Forum, where she developed her ideas on city life further. It was a pivotal moment for the field she entered: in the post-World War II boom, many of the most prominent people working in urban planning believed that the way forward for the American city involved a firm push into the future. Cities, like the suburbs that were springing up, could be clean and car-friendly and orderly.

Jacobs, however, disagreed. In fact, she believed, the very qualities that the city planners wanted to squash were what made cities desirable: quirkiness, variety, density and self-regulating community.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

Her 1958 Fortune article “Downtown is for People” offered an early view of her ideas on city life, what made it worthwhile for both passersby and local residents. In the article she argued that the “magnetism” of cities was what “made people want to come into the city and to linger there.” She told readers: “You’ve got to get out and walk. Walk, and you will see that many of the assumptions on which the [redevelopment] projects depend are visibly wrong.” Cities, she argued, are not like suburbs and should not be made to appeal to the scale and ideals of the suburbs.

Over the next three years she developed those ideas into her 1961 book The Death and Life of Great American Cities. TIME’s 1961 article on the book opened:

U.S. planners and redevelopers, in trying to save U.S. cities, are in reality destroying them. Attached to the outmoded ideals of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City and Le Corbusier’s Radiant City, they are creating a future wilderness of standardized, monotonous never-never lands. This is the contentious charge of Critic Jane Jacobs in a new, passionately argued and well-documented book (The Death and Life of Great American Cities), which has planners all shook up.

The book was highly influential, offering a radically different view from what city planners of the time put forward. Jacobs argued that urban renewal—tearing down old neighborhoods to build housing developments in their place—was not the answer to the problem of urban slums. “This is not the rebuilding of cities,” she wrote. “This is the sacking of cities.”

MORE: Read TME’s 1962 Cover Story on the American Urban Renaissance

Jacobs was not just a writer who had big ideas, she was also the champion of those ideas in the real world. At the time city planning aimed to make cities orderly, with tall buildings and open space, and had no qualms about demolishing large swaths of neighborhoods to make their ideas reality, as with New York City’s Cross Bronx Expressway. A similar highway was the subject of what remains perhaps her most famous battle: The Lower Manhattan Expressway, proposed by city planner Robert Moses, which would have been a 10-lane road cutting across what is now SoHo and Little Italy. At a public hearing on the proposed expressway in 1968, Jacobs wasarrested and later charged with “second-degree riot, inciting to riot and criminal mischief,” according to the New York Times.

The project was eventually abandoned—just as Jacobs, who moved to Toronto that year, wanted—and the neighborhood soon developed into a haven for artists and later a commercial center.

By 1969, TIME noted that despite its faults (“As an organic cure for the complex ills of great U.S. cities, Jane Jacobs’ program was preposterous.”) her work transformed how people understood city planning: “No matter. Despite her mistakes, Jane Jacobs, operating as curmudgeon and gadfly, had taken grandiose assumptions of city planning and stood them on theirears with invigorating effect.”

The effect has only continued, and her 2006 TIME obituary described her as a “self-taught urban-planning guru” who “miffed the powerful and revolutionized the field.”

Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley 3: Complete guide to HBO Boxing PPV event tonight

If tonight (Sat., April 9, 2016) is in fact Manny Pacquiao's (57-6-2) last appearance inside the squared circle, you better believe he's going to be at his best.

Luckily for Pacquiao's opponent, 32-year-old Timothy Bradley Jr. (31-1-1), these two Welterweights have already met before. Their first encounter in 2012 saw Bradley steal one of the more controversial split-decision calls in recent boxing memory and hand "Pac Man' his first loss in nearly seven years. In the 2014 rematch, Pacquiao left no stone unturned by defeating "Desert Storm" via unanimous decision.

 

Entering tonight's trilogy fight inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, there are a variety of possibilities that could occur over the duration of 12 rounds. So in order to dial in on the action and gear up for one of 2016's best, here are a number of links to "Pacquiao vs. Bradley 3" coverage compiled over the past week.

Upcoming

Results and play-by-play

Weigh Ins

Results and replay

Photo gallery

Preview Videos

Greatest Hits

 

Legacy on the Lines

Under the Lights

Betting odds

Latest odds, props, and more

Press Conference

Final pre-fight

MMAmania will deliver LIVE coverage of "Pacquiao vs. Bradley 3" tomorrow night (Sat., April 9, 2016), starting with the HBO PPV broadcast at 9 p.m. ET. We will also offer a stream for the various non-televised undercard bouts, which feature top prospects Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Egidijus Kavaliauskas, among others, starting at 6 p.m. ET.

Conor McGregor promises three UFC titles by year's end, Welterweight champ Robbie Lawler unimpressed

When Conor McGregor announced he'd be moving up to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight division, there was no shortage of fighter's eager to welcome him to the weight class.

That's because a fight against "Notorious" will bring plenty of eyeballs to the fight, as well as plenty of cash. So you would think he'd get the same response after his coach revealed that a move up to Welterweight isn't completely out of the question down the road, right?

 

Wrong.

Current 170-pound champion, Robbie Lawler, recently told MMA Junkie that he "doesn't get excited" about potential moves like that because at the end of the day, it could simply be a lot of hot air coming out of someone's mouth. And he isn't going to get riled up or waste his time thinking about "what ifs".

"I don't really get excited. It's just how I am, nothing really gets me riled up too much. I just concentrate on myself. A lot of things could happen; everyone knows that. So I can't concentrate on all these what-ifs because these what-ifs might never happen, and then I've wasted my time. So there you go."

For now, McGregor will try to add the 155-pound title to go along with hisFeatherweight strap when he faces Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC 197 on March 5, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada (full details here).

But, as he declared during today's UFC 197 press conference (see it), McGregor is more than confident that he will be a three-division champion by year's end.

"I am an active champion, I will fight in many weight divisions. I like the sound of the 170-pound title, I've got to be honest with you. I feel I can take down them three gold belts, so, and I feel like I can do it by the year's end."

 

Should McGregor shock the world yet again in two months time there is no telling just what his next move might be. After all, it seems the fiery Irishman can pretty much get anything he asks for from the higher-ups at Zuffa.

But, would asking for a title fight at Welterweight be too much?

UFC 196 payouts and salaries: Conor McGregor banks $1 million, Nate Diaz and Holly Holm grab $500k

C 196 fighter payouts for those athletes competing at the "McGregor vs. Diaz" pay-per-view (PPV) event last weekend (Sat., March 5, 2016) from inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, were released earlier today by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).Reigning UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor raked in a historic $1 million for less than two rounds of work. Not too shabby when you consider he lost by submission. Nate Diaz, meanwhile, earned his highest paycheck to date with $500,000.

In the UFC 196 co-main event, Holly Holm matched Diaz with a $500,000, then matched McGregor with a submission loss. That makes Miesha Tate the new women's bantamweight champion, but "Cupcake" is only on the books for $92,000.

That's not all.

Here is the complete list of UFC 196 payouts and salaries:

Nate Diaz: $500,000 (no win bonus)
Conor McGregor: $1,000,000
Diaz def. McGregor by submission

Miesha Tate: $92,000 (includes $46,000 win bonus)
Holly Holm: $500,000
Tate def. Holm by submission

Ilir Latifi: $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus)
Gian Villante: $36,000
Latifi def. Villante by decision

Corey Anderson: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
Tom Lawlor: $28,000
Anderson def. Lawlor by decision

Amanda Nunes: $56,000 (includes $28,000 win bonus)
Valentina Shevchenko: $14,000
Nunes def. Shevchenko by decision

Siyar Bahadurzada: $38,000 (includes $19,000 win bonus)
Brandon Thatch: $22,000
Bahadurzda def. Thatch by submission

Nordine Taleb: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
Erick Silva: $34,000
Taleb def. Silva by knockout

Vitor Miranda: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus)
Marcelo Guimaraes: $13,000
Miranda def. Guimaraes by technical knockout

Darren Elkins: $74,000 (includes $37,000 win bonus)
Chas Skelly: $21,000
Elkins def. Skelly by decision

Diego Sanchez: $150,000 (includes $75,000 win bonus)
Jim Miller: $59,000
Sanchez def. Miller by decision

Jason Saggo: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Justin Salas: $16,000
Saggo def. Salas by technical knockout

Teruto Ishihara: $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus)
Julian Erosa: $12,000
Ishihara def. Erosa by knockout

The total disclosed payroll for UFC 196 was $2,871,000.

Keep in mind the salaries listed above do not include fight bonuses, sponsorships, percentages and other unofficial payments. It also does not include deductions for expenses such as insurance, taxes, etc.

For example, the promotion often hands out extra cash for "Fight of the Night" and "Performance of the Night" bonuses. To check out these figures for "McGregor vs. Diaz" click here.

For complete UFC 196 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action clickhere.

Video: Live stream Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley non-televised undercard

Manny Pacquiao may be making his final walk to the ring this evening in a trilogy fight with Timothy Bradley (series currently locked at 1-1).

Bradley will attempt to ride his recent momentum under new head trainer Teddy Atlas in order to defeat "Pac Man" for a second time, solidify his role at the Welterweight level, and take a glorious event away from the people of the Philippines. As for Pacquiao, he will try to cap a legendary career by being the quicker and stronger fighter Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

But before the main card action begins, there are a bunch of non-televised undercard matchups that are sure to deliver. Luckily, we here at MMAmania have the live link and will give fight fans the chance to view some good action.

MMAmania will deliver LIVE coverage of "Pacquiao vs. Bradley 3" tomorrow night (Sat., April 9, 2016), starting with the HBO PPV broadcast at 9 p.m. ET. We will also offer a stream for the various non-televised undercard bouts, which feature top prospects Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Egidijus Kavaliauskas, among others, starting at 6 p.m. ET.

Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley 3 live streaming results for PPV main card

It's a helluva supporting cast!

We're closing in on the third -- and likely final -- clash between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, which takes place TONIGHT (Sat., April 9, 2016) inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. But, they're not alone this evening in "Sin City" -- Top Rank has put together a solid main card to support the rubber match, featuring multiple unbeaten prospects and a title fight.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of "Pacquiao vs. Bradley 3," starting with the HBO Boxing pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast at 9 p.m. ET.

 

The PPV co-main event pits long-time veteran and current WBO Super Middleweight Champion "King" Arthur Abraham (44-4, 29 KO) against unbeaten Gilberto Ramirez (33-0, 24 KO) in the former's sixth title defense, while blue-chip Featherweight prospect Oscar Valdez (18-0, 16 KO) faces former IBF title holder Evgeny Gradovich (21-1-1, 9 KO).

Last, and certainly not least, former United States Olympian Jose Ramirez (14-0, 11 KO) opens the show against Manuel Perez (25-11-1, 6 KO).

"PACQUIAO VS. BRADLEY 3" PPV MAIN CARD QUICK RESULTS:

Vacant WBO International Welterweight Title Fight: Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley --

CLICK HERE

Super Middleweight Championship: Arthur Abraham vs. Gilberto Ramirez --

Featherweight: Oscar Valdez vs. Evgeny Gradovich -- Valdez def. Gradovich by TKO at 2:14 of Round Four

Super Lightweight: Jose Ramirez vs. Manuel Perez -- Ramirez def. Perez by unanimous decision (97-93, 98-92, 99-91)

"PACQUIAO VS. BRADLEY 3" PPV MAIN CARD PLAY-BY-PLAY RESULTS:

 

Arthur Abraham vs. Gilberto Ramirez

Round one: Abraham with his usual high guard. Ramirez prods it with jabs and lefts. Ramirez to the body, lands a 1-2 upstairs. Ramirez still dinging the guard. One minute in. Abraham has yet to really throw back. Ramirez still just bouncing punches off his guard. Ramirez to the body. Mostly target practice thus far, though not much has landed clean. 10-9 Ramirez.

Round two: Abraham starting to throw a bit. Ramirez to the body with some hard hooks. Left hand lands upstairs. They trade in the center, no clean connections. Combination by Ramirez. Halfway through. Another right hook to the body by Ramirez. 1-2 from Abraham. Ramirez to the body. One minute to go. That right hook is money so far. Hard counter left. HARD right hook from Abraham, Ramirez  shrugs it off. Ramirez answers with a brutal right hook of his own and Abraham wobbles to the corner. Abraham desperately clinches until the bell. 10-9, 20-18 Ramirez.

Round three: Ramirez to the body to start the round. Abraham just following so far. Ramirez staying busy with the combinations. Straight left knocks Abraham back. One minute in. Another left hand by Ramirez. Ramirez rips another right hook to the body. Upstairs around the guard. Abraham with a pair of hooks. Abraham reacting to Ramirez's feints. Left hand by Ramirez near the ropes. Left downstairs. Abraham with a left hook in the waning seconds. 10-9, 30-27 Ramirez.

Round four: Ramirez splits the guard with a straight left. Abraham tries to mug him inside. Ramirez to the body. Twice more on the ropes. Overhand left around the guard. One minute in. Ramirez again digs to the body. Left hands upstairs. Abraham just looks bad in there so far, blocking a lot but offering very little back. Ramirez again to the body. One minute to go. Abraham tries to open up on the ropes. Right to the body, Ramirez answers in kind. Ramirez knocks him with with a left hand, digs a left to the body as well. Abraham tries to swarm him before the bell. 10-9, 40-36 Ramirez.

Round five: Ramirez continues to land blows around Abraham's guard. Abraham just a stationary target for the most part, showing no answer for the right to the body. One minute in. Ramirez circling well. Good left hand, then another as he angles off. Ramirez fires a body shot that strays low. Abraham briefly recovers. Ramirez goes back to the body. Abraham with a right on the ropes. clinch, rabbit punches on both side. Abraham's losing the exchanges and getting picked apart at range. Body blows from "Zurdo." 10-9, 50-45 Ramirez.

Round six: All Ramirez so far. Abraham still walking after him. One minute in. Abraham with some right hands, then one that knocks Ramirez backwards. Abraham opens up a bit on the ropes, lets Ramirez off. One minute to go. Ramirez with a left to the body that he's been finding success with on the counter. Ramirez warned again for rabbit punches. 10-9, 60-54 Ramirez.

Round seven: Ramirez still running circles around Abraham. That left hand to the body is working well. 1-2 by Abraham. Combination lands, Abraham comes back with a left hook. Ramirez with a 2-1 downstairs. Clinch. One minute to go. Ramirez still picking him off. Abraham puts him on the ropes, gets clinched. Abraham stumbles a bit from a left hand before the bell. 10-9, 70-63 Ramirez.

Round eight: Hard overhand left from Ramirez. Straight left on the counter. Left around the guard. 1-2 from Abraham. Ramirez with a right to the body. Halfway through. Ramirez to the body, then left hands upstairs. Again to the body. One minute to go. Abraham with a left hook. Ramirez with a counter left to the body. Abraham pops him with a jab. 10-9, 80-72 Ramirez.

Round nine: Ninth verse, same as the first eight. Ramirez circling well. Body shots. Abraham backs him to the ropes, doesn't throw. One minute in. Ramirez warned for a left to the groin. Clinch. One minute to go. Combinations from Ramirez. Clinch. Body shot. Clinch. Right hand by Abraham in the last ten seconds. Counter left forces him back before the bell. 10-9, 90-81 Ramirez.

Round ten: Still all Ramirez. Combinations to the head and body while Abraham covers up. To the body. One minute in. Ramirez still running circles around him. That right hook to the body has been money. Ramirez tries to chase, no dice. One minute to go. Right hand by Abraham. Abraham looking a little more aggressive. 10-9, 100-90 Ramirez.

Round eleven: Abraham still hasn't thrown caution to the wind. Ramirez circling, potshotting, landing that right hook downstairs. Clinch. One minute in. Abraham lands a right hand, eats a bigger left hand in return. Ramirez with a combination to the body. Abraham tries the 1-2. Swatting right from King Arthur. One minute to go. Abraham opens up a bit more in the last seconds, doesn't land clean. 10-9, 110-99 Ramirez.

Round twelve: More good combination work from Ramirez. Abraham with a right hand, eats a left to the body. One minute in. Ramirez backs Abraham to the ropes and uncorks a long combination. Abraham needs to go wild here but shows no inclination to do so.  One minute to go. Abraham with a right as they clinch. Another one to the body, then upstairs. 2-1 from Ramirez. Big counter left from Ramirez, who lands some hard shots in the waning seconds. 10-9, 120-108 Ramirez.

Final result:

-end-

Oscar Valdez vs. Evgeny Gradovich

Round one: Gradovich marching forward as usual. Valdez looking to counter to the head. Valdez has a very pronounced speed advantage with his hands. Counter uppercut by Valdez. Nice left hook. One minute in. Jabs from Valdez. Body shot. Gradovich getting picked off on the way in. Lead right by Valdez, stiff jab afterwards. One minute to go. Valdez with a 2-1. Gradovich with a stiff left. Valdez to the body. Again. Gradovich's defense isn't doing well thus far. 10-9 Valdez.

Round two: Valdez doing a very solid job thus far of fighting off of his back foot and steering clear of the ropes and corners. Gradovich lands a right hand. Body shot by Valdez, then a brutal combination. Body shots and an overhand right. Check hook. One minute in. Hard right hand. Clinch. Gradovich still running into jabs and has yet to get a consistent body attack going. Hard body blow from Valdez. One minute to go. Right hands.. Gradovich with a right cross inside. Valdez again with a hard body shot on the counter. Valdez putting together combinations in the waning seconds. Brutal hook upstairs on the now-bleeding Gradovich. 10-9, 20-18 Valdez.

Round three: Gradovich cannot corral Valdez and he's taking a lot of punishment trying. Valdez's jab is stiff and persistent. Hard hook upstairs. Gradovich has yet to slow Valdez's movement. One minute in. Check hook lands for Valdez, then a darting right hand. Jabs, straight right. 1-2 by Valdez. Valdez picking him apart. One minute to go. Check hook yet again. Another heavy right hand. He's just handling Gradovich thus far. Valdez to the body. Gradovich storming forward, just not landing. 10-9, 30-27 Valdez.

Round four: Valdez keeps landing straight shots from the outside. Good jabs, good right hands. Gradovich just unable to cut the ring off. Hard right from Valdez. Valdez to the body. One minute in. Yet another series of hard shots from Valdez. Low blow by Gradovich. Left hook, jabs from Valdez. Right hand. Another counter right. Valdez is outclassing him and dealing some tremendous damage. A massive counter hook drops Gradovich. The Russian makes it to his feet and referee Russell Mora has seen enough.

Final result: Valdez def. Gradovich by TKO

-end-

Jose Ramirez vs. Manuel Perez

Round one: Both men jabbing early. Ramirez's looks very sharp. Hard right to the body. Perez looks for a 1-2-3, lands to the body well. Both men go to the body. Ramirez still winning the jab battle. One minute in. Perez continuing to target the left to the body, straying low at times. More body blows from Perez as Ramirez potshots his head. Left hook and 1-2 from Ramirez. One minute to go. To the body. 1-2 by Perez, then  another two. Ramirez with the left hook. 1-2-3 from Ramirez, body shots from Perez. 10-9 Perez.

Round two: More stiff jabs from Ramirez. Jab-uppercut-left hook. Ramirez hooking off the jab to good effect. More solid jabs. One minute in. Hard right hand lands for him as Perez plods forward, targeting the body. Left hook by Perez, then downstairs. Ramirez complaining of low blows. Perez trying to jab with him with mixed success, although the body blows continue to pile up. One minute to go. Combination by Ramirez. Ramirez working behind the jab, eats hooks from Perez. 10-9 Ramirez, 19-19.

Round three: Ramirez continues working behind that piston jab, but isn't doing a great job of keeping Perez at range. Perez with a pair of right hands. Ramirez has yet to really make a dent in Perez or slow the body shots. One minute in. Ramirez goess downstairs. Left hooks by Ramirez and a hard uppercut, only for Perez to crack the body in return. Perez bleeding from a butt. Nice right hand by Ramirez inside. 1-2-3 connects. Perez  still landing to the body with volume, eats a short 1-2. One minute to go. Ramirez doubles up the body hook, then goes high. Glancing combinations. Hard right hands. Ramirez starting to find his mark at the bell. 10-9, 29-28 Ramirez.

Round four: Ramirez comes out a bit more aggressively and the two trade in the center, landing hard to the head and body. Perez with a body shot and overhand right. Left hooks land for him inside. Ramirez looking for the 1-2, lands a body shot. One minute in. Ramirez putting together combinations, lands a hard straight and left uppercut. Ramirez's jab is hard. Nice combinations flowing for Ramirez, uppercuts and body shots slipping in. Perez, undaunted, continues to tag the body. Swatting right lands for Perez. One minute to go. Perez with a pair of left hooks. 1-2 from Ramirez met by a body shot. Ramirez picking him off with great effect now. Perez corners him and they trade, Perez doing more good work to the body. 10-9, 39-37 Ramirez.

Round five: Ramirez starting to take the front foot and bounce combinations off Perez's guard. Solid body shots come back. Ramirez looking to counter with short uppercuts. Ramirez to the body, then up top with the left hook. Good 1-2. One minute in. Perez still advancing and landing. Counter right hits home for Ramirez. 2-3 lands and seems to rattle Perez a bit. Body shots keep landing for him, though. One minute to go. Ramirez jabbing, landing mostly to the guard as Perez dings away. Clinch. 10-9 Perez, 48-47 Ramirez.

Round six: same thing as always; Ramirez buffeting him with jabs and eating body shots in return. Ramirez answers to the gut. Perez flurries to the body. One minute in. Hard 1-2 by Perez. 1-2 from Ramirez. 1-2-1 connects. Left hook by Ramirez. Jab exchange. One minute to go. Counter right lands for Ramirez. Nasty combination near the ropes. 1-2-3. Left hook by Perez. 10-9, 58-56 Ramirez.

Round seven: Right hand lands for Ramirez. Jabs and a hook off of it. Ramirez circling, potshotting. One minute in. Perez gets him to the ropes, lands some body shots, and eats some hard blows in return. Ramirez uppercut. Perez not landing as much this round. Left hook does connect for him. Three-piece by Ramirez. One minute to go. Perez dings the body with left hooks. He's warned for low blows. They exchange in the center. 10-9, 68-65 Ramirez.

Round eight: Thumping combination from Ramirez to start the round. Perez still chasing with body shots. Perez lands some decent shots in the phone booth. Good exchange. One minute in. Ramirez mostly using the jab at the moment, still taking body blows. Solid uppercuts and body shot by Ramirez. More body shots by Ramirez. Body shot exchange. One minute to go. Ramirez landing hard combinations, capped off by left hooks. Perez to the body, 1-2 from Ramirez. 10-9, 78-74 Ramirez.

Round nine: They trade in the center to start things off. Perez seems implacable as always. Body blows, headbutt. Perez gets him to the corner and flurries as Ramirez tries to counter. One minute in. Ramirez to the body. Right hands by Perez. Ramirez circles off and cracks him with a right hand. 1-2-3 by Ramirez. Double body hooks. Forehead-to-forehead near the ropes, Perez to the body. One minute to go. Perez landing some quality body blows, just eating too much in return. Clinch. 1-2 by Ramirez. 10-9, 88-83 Ramirez.

Round ten: Perez comes out and keeps doing what he's been doing. Ramirez wobbles him with a combination and Perez starts weaving, staying out of trouble. Ramirez rips to the body, eats a 1-2. One minute in. Perez lands to the body, then eats a monstrous left hook to the head. Big right hand by Ramirez. Perez soldiering on. Another left hook by Ramirez. Perez cracks him in the phone booth, eats a hook on Ramirez's way out. One minute to go. 1-2-3 from Ramirez, 1-2 soon after. Big shots by Ramirez with his back on the ropes. Perez blasts him with a 2-3 in return, walks through a right cross and a 1-2. Wow. Ramirez lands yet another brutal right and rips away with combinations until the bell. 10-9, 98-92 Ramirez.

Final result: Ramirez def. Perez by unanimous decision

Bracketology: Championship Week has the bubble in major flux

Our resident bracketologist salutes the three new teams that reached the 2016 NCAA Tournament on Sunday and examines the eight teams who should be the most anxious during the final week before Selection Sunday.

Three further teams will now have their names in ALL CAPS from here on out, thanks to the conference tournament titles they claimed on Sunday afternoon.

In the Missouri Valley final, Northern Iowa's Wes Washpun stunned the Evansville Purple Aces at the buzzer to send the Panthers to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament. Not long after action wrapped up in St. Louis, the UNC Asheville Bulldogsqualified by pulling away from the Winthrop Eagles late in the Big South final. Finally, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles spared their conference, the Atlantic Sun, some blushes by defeating the tournament-ineligible Stetson Hatters in an overtime thriller in Fort Myers. Had the seventh-seeded Hatters defeated Dunk City, the regular season champion North Florida Ospreys would have represented the conference instead.

 

In non-elimination action, Sunday was a better day for the bubble teams in action than Saturday. All three American Athletic Conference bid contenders in action -- theConnecticut Huskies, Cincinnati Bearcats and Temple Owls -- won. Cincinnati picked up the biggest win of the trio, as it completed a season sweep of the SMU Mustangs. However, UConn awaits the Bearcats in the 4 vs. 5 game of the conference tournament on Friday afternoon.

In the Big Ten, the Indiana Hoosiers completed their Big Ten championship season with a resounding win over the Maryland Terrapins, a result that led to the teams swapping places on the three and four lines of the bracket below. The Purdue Boilermakers, another team with protected seed hopes, knocked off the Wisconsin Badgers to help their cause.

After today's full bracket and rundown, I'll look more closely at the eight teams surrounding this projected field's cut line.

(1) MIDWEST Chicago (Fri/Sun)		(2) EAST Philadelphia (Fri/Sun)
Des Moines (Thu/Sat)		Brooklyn (Fri/Sun)
1	Kansas (Big 12)	1	Villanova (Big East)
16	FLORIDA GULF COAST/Texas Southern	16	AUSTIN PEAY/Hampton
8	Providence	↑8	USC
9	Vanderbilt	9	Connecticut
Denver (Thu/Sat)		Spokane (Fri/Sun)
5	Iowa	5	Purdue
12	Saint Mary's (WCC)	12	San Diego State (MW)
4	Duke	4	Kentucky
13	Akron (MAC)	13	YALE (Ivy)
Des Moines (Thu/Sat)		Brooklyn (Fri/Sun)
6	Baylor	6	Arizona
11	St. Bonaventure/Wichita State	11	Syracuse/VCU
↑3	Indiana (Big Ten)	3	West Virginia
14	Stephen F. Austin (Southland)	14	UAB (C-USA)
St. Louis (Fri/Sun)		Raleigh (Thu/Sat)
77	Notre Dame	7	Texas Tech
10	Temple (American)	↑10	Oregon State
2	Xavier	2	North Carolina (ACC)
15	Weber State (Big Sky)	*15	UNC ASHEVILLE (Big South)
(4) WEST Anaheim (Thu/Sat)		(3) SOUTH Louisville (Thu/Sat)
St. Louis (Fri/Sun)		Raleigh (Thu/Sat)
1	Michigan State	1	Virginia
16	Lehigh (Patriot)	16	Wagner (NEC)
↓8	Colorado	8	South Carolina
↑9	Butler	↓9	Saint Joseph's
Oklahoma City (Fri/Sun)		Providence (Thu/Sat)
5	Iowa State	5	Texas
12	Hofstra (CAA)	*12	NORTHERN IOWA (MVC)
4	Texas A&M (SEC)	↓4	Maryland
13	Little Rock (Sun Belt)	13	Chattanooga (SoCon)
Providence (Thu/Sat)		Denver (Thu/Sat)
6	California	6	Wisconsin
11	Monmouth (MAAC)	11	Valparaiso (Horizon)
3	Miami	3	Utah
14	Stony Brook (Am East)	14	IPFW (Summit)
Spokane (Fri/Sun)		Oklahoma City (Fri/Sun)
7	Dayton (A 10)	↑7	Seton Hall
↑10	Cincinnati	↓10	Pittsburgh
↑2	Oregon (Pac-12)	2	Oklahoma
↓15	Hawai'i (Big West)	15	New Mexico State (WAC)
FIRST FOUR (Dayton)
Tuesday: To Des Moines		Tuesday: To Des Moines
16	FLORIDA GULF COAST (A-Sun)	*11	St. Bonaventure
16	Texas Southern (SWAC)	11	Wichita State
Wednesday: To Brooklyn		Wednesday: To Brooklyn
16	AUSTIN PEAY (OVC)	↓11	Syracuse
16	Hampton (MEAC)	↓11	VCU

BIDS BY CONFERENCE	AVOIDING DAYTON	ARRIVALS	DEPARTURES
ACC: 7	Connecticut (36)	Northern Iowa (MVC)	Evansville (MVC)
Big 12: 7	Oregon State (37)	St. Bonaventure	Tulsa
Pac-12: 7	Pittsburgh (38)	UNC Asheville (Big South)	Winthrop (Big South)
Big Ten: 6	Cincinnati (39)
Big East: 5	LAST FOUR IN
Atlantic 10: 4	Syracuse (40)
SEC: 4	St. Bonaventure (41)
American: 3	VCU (42)
MVC: 2	Wichita State (43)
One-Bid Conferences: 23	FIRST FOUR OUT
	Tulsa
	Florida
	Gonzaga
	Michigan
	NEXT FOUR OUT
	Florida State
	George Washington
	Ohio State
	Washington

 

Also considered (in order): Princeton, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Creighton, Georgia Tech, BYU, Alabama, LSU, Clemson

With less than a week remaining until Selection Sunday, it's time to take our first close look at the four teams that are just on the right side of the cut line, and the quartet that's the closest to breaking through with the right results this week.

Note: All Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and strength of schedule (SOS) information is courtesy RPIForecast.com.

Last Four IN

Avoiding Dayton: Connecticut Huskies, Oregon State Beavers, Pittsburgh Panthers, Cincinnati Bearcats

Syracuse Orange

19-12 (9-9 ACC); RPI: 60; SOS: 39; Non-conf. SOS: 110 ; KenPom: 41

The Orange looked to be in great position in mid-February, until they dropped four of their final five regular season games. Saturday's loss at Florida State is particularly ugly and costly, especially since the Orange handled the Seminoles at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse's profile features an 8-9 record against the RPI Top 100 with five particularly good wins, three of which came away from home (over Connecticut and Texas A&M en route to the Battle 4 Atlantis title and at Duke). However, Jim Boeheim's team has three bad losses—at former Big East rivals Georgetown and St. John's, and to Clemson at the Carrier Dome.

However, that trio of defeats came during Boeheim's NCAA-mandated suspension. If the Selection Committee considers his absence in its deliberations as promised in media and broadcast reports, Syracuse might get a boost. However, after a rough finish, the Orange would be well advised to win a game or two in Washington, D.C., especially Wednesday's third meeting of the season with Pitt, a possible elimination game. Claim victory then and a third shot at a North Carolina squad the Orange lost to by five in Chapel Hill a week ago would await in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Next game: Pittsburgh in the ACC second round (Wednesday)

St. Bonaventure Bonnies

22-7 (14-4 A 10); RPI: 27; SOS: 85; Non-conf. SOS: 163; KenPom: 77

What's now one of Syracuse's five best wins came over the Bonnies at the Carrier Dome back in the season's earliest stages—on Nov. 17. The Orange were the only "name brand" team Mark Schmidt's squad played in November and December, which is part of the reason why they're near the cut line, despite their high RPI position. Note that Hofstra, whom the Bonnies fell to in Olean, actually ranks as the Bonnies' best non-conference opponent in the metric.

But St. Bonaventure, left for dead after dropping three straight to Duquesne, Dayton and VCU in January, rallied to win 10 of its last 11. Unfortunately, the only loss in that span came at a La Salle squad that finished last. That result also hurts their hopes. However, a road win at Dayton and a sweep of Saint Joseph's helped push Bona into a three-way tie for the conference title, while pushing their RPI into the Top 30.

A win or two in Brooklyn would push the Bonnies even nearer to safety.

Next game: TBD in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals (Friday)

VCU Rams

22-9 (14-4 A 10); RPI: 41; SOS: 70; Non-conf. SOS: 61; KenPom: 37

Like St. Bonaventure, the Rams started slowly, Shaka Smart left new head coach Will Wade a tough November and December slate, and VCU failed to record victories against teams like Duke, Wisconsin (both in New York), Florida State, Georgia Tech (both in Atlanta) and Cincinnati (also away from Richmond). As a result, the Rams' best non-league win came against a Middle Tennessee team that's barely within the RPI Top 100.

Since falling to 5-5 after the loss to the Bearcats, VCU has gone 17-4, but the Atlantic 10 schedule didn't do them many favors. While the Rams defeated both St. Bonaventure and Saint Joe's in league play, they only played each once. The same goes for the Dayton team they lost to after overtime on Saturday night. That result might be one they regret on Sunday evening.

Of course, VCU and St. Bonaventure are each a win away from meeting in the Atlantic 10 semifinals on Saturday. If you're a fan of a bubble team, you might want to keep an eye on happenings in Brooklyn on Friday evening.

Next game: TBD in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals (Friday)

Wichita State Shockers

24-8 (16-2 MVC); RPI: 48; SOS: 105; Non-conf. SOS: 11; KenPom: 11

On Sunday, I wrote about the Shockers' situation and little has changed, except for the fact their 1-2 record against Missouri Valley Tournament champions Northern Iowalooks far better now than it did on Saturday evening.

Similar to Syracuse's case, if the Selection Committee accounts for the absences of Fred VanVleet and Anton Grady (which most seem to forget about), Wichita State should be in good shape. If not, they'll be a top seed in the NIT.

Next game: none

First Four OUT

Next Four Out: Florida State Seminoles, George Washington Colonials, Ohio State Buckeyes, Washington Huskies

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

20-10 (12-6 American); RPI: 51; SOS: 57; Non-conf. SOS: 104; KenPom: 46

While Sunday was a good day for the American's bubble teams as a whole, the Golden Hurricane dropped out of this projection, for the moment at least. That's despite a win over Wichita State and a 4-4 mark against the three other American contenders and ineligible SMU. A lack of non-conference results beyond the victory over the Shockers (a loss to South Carolina in the Paradise Jam final hurts) and a late loss at strugglingMemphis damage Tulsa's case.

Wins in Orlando, starting with a rematch against those same Tigers, would do wonders for Frank Haith's team, especially with the competition that will be sharing the stage there.

Next game: Memphis in the American quarterfinals (Friday)

Florida Gators

18-13 (9-9 SEC); RPI: 54; SOS: 18; Non-conf. SOS:4 ; KenPom: 44

Just two weeks ago, the Gators were 17-10 and in relatively decent shape, even after an overtime loss at South Carolina. Since Feb. 20, Florida lost three further games, not looking particularly interested in defending in any of them, before finally winning at woeful Missouri on Saturday.

Far and away, Mike White's team has the best non-conference schedule of the eight teams profiled here, a gift from the NBA-bound Billy Donovan. However, other than a home win over West Virginia and a win over Saint Joseph's in Connecticut, Florida didn't take advantage of its opportunities. A 2-8 record against the Top 50 and 7-12 mark against the Top 100 is the result. Lost opportunities against Miami, Michigan State, Purdue and Florida State might end up sending UF to the NIT (where it can't even host games).

Winnable games against Arkansas and possibly Texas A&M (who only defeated Florida by three in College Station) in the SEC Tournament might give the Gators some fresh hope.

Next game: Arkansas in the SEC second round (Thursday)

Gonzaga Bulldogs

24-7 (15-3 WCC); RPI: 66; SOS: 127; Non-conf. SOS: 57; KenPom: 30

If the Bulldogs fail to win the WCC Tournament, their run of consecutive NCAA appearances that began in 1999 will likely be over. Gonzaga played a typically difficult non-conference schedule, even hosting Arizona and UCLA at the Kennel, but they claimed just one Top-100 win in November and December, a 73-70 decision over UConn in the Battle 4 Atlantis third-place game. The Zags also failed to win at SMU in their typical mid-February, non-WCC test.

Making matters worse, Gonzaga only went 1-3 against the other two possible bid teams in the WCC, as they were swept by co-champ Saint Mary's and split with BYU. That combination of results leaves Mark Few's team needing to defeat both over the next two nights to get back to the dance.

Next game: BYU in the WCC semifinals (tonight)

Michigan Wolverines

20-11 (10-8 Big Ten); RPI: 68; SOS: 59; Non-conf. SOS: 190; KenPom: 54

The best thing about the Wolverines' profile is that they went a perfect 16-0 in games against teams from outside of the Top 100. However, Michigan went just 3-11 in its games against the teams in that group. Home wins over Maryland, Purdue and a Battle 4 Atlantis victory over Texas likely won't be enough.

John Beilein's team, which finished by winning just three of its last nine games, will have to pick up some wins in Indianapolis to reach the field. They'll start by putting that perfect record against non-contenders on the line.

Next game: Northwestern in the Big Ten second round (Thursday)

Three bids are on the line tonight, with the Monmouth Hawks a possible at-large team should they fall in the Metro Atlantic final. Plus, the WCC semifinals are also on the night's slate. I'll be back tomorrow with a new bracket accounting for tonight's games.