SPORTS - Sharks beat Ducks 4-2 in possible playoff preview (AP)

SPORTS - Sharks beat Ducks 4-2 in possible playoff preview (AP)

AFP/Getty Images – Victoria Azarenka of Belarus serves against Maria Sharapova of Russia during the women's singles …

– Sat Apr 2, 5:55 pm ET

MIAMI (AFP) – Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4 here Saturday to win the WTA's prestigious Miami hardcourt crown for the second time.

Azarenka, the 21-year-old eighth seed from Belarus, took full advantage of Sharapova's struggles, as the former world number one held serve just once and committed 43 unforced errors.

"I played real well the first set," said Azarenka, who matched Sharapova shriek for shriek in a battle of two of the WTA's loudest players.

"Maria is such a great fighter, I knew she was going to fight to the end. She came up with great tennis at the end, and I had to hang in there. That's what paid off."

Azarenka had won nine straight games to take control when Sharapova dug in, finally holding serve and breaking Azarenka twice to close to 4-3 in the second set.

Once again, however, Sharapova was broken, giving Azarenka a 5-3 lead with her seventh double fault of the match.

In the next game, Sharapova saved two match points before Azarenka double-faulted on break point.

"I didn't feel like I was doing anything wrong," Azarenka said. "She was just playing really good, so I just had to hang in there."

But Sharapova couldn't follow up. Azarenka gave herself a third match point with a backhand winner down the line, and Sharapova then belted a forehand into the net to give Azarenka a second Miami title to go with her victory over Serena Williams in the 2009 final.

"It's a little bit too late to pick up the pace when you're down a set and 4-love," Sharapova said. "I wish I picked it up earlier, obviously. She did many things better than I did today."

The two Miami titles are the biggest of the Azarenka's career.

With the victory, Azarenka is projected to rise to number six in the world, the highest ranking of her career.

Although both Serena and Venus Williams missed the tournament, Azarenka's path to the final included victories over Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva.

Known for her emotion on court, Azarenka stayed on an even keel on Saturday, and said she had reassessed her mental game after falling in the third round at Dubai in February.

"I changed my mentality a little bit," she said. "I'm enjoying myself so much on the court that there's no room for me for frustration.

"I just don't care if I lose - what I mean is not to create such a big drama out of it. If you lose the match, it's not the end of the world."

Despite her defeat, Sharapova is expected to return to the top 10 for the first time in two years.

She won three Grand Slam titles between 2004 and 2008, but has struggled to regain that form since surgery on her right shoulder late in 2008.

Since then she has won titles in Tokyo in in 2009 and Memphis and Strasbourg last year, but has yet to claim a major crown.

Sharapova also fell to 0-3 in Miami finals, adding another runner-up finish here to those in 2005 and 2006.

She has lost her last four finals appearances, yet Sharapova said the fact that she's reaching the title matches is encouraging.

"It means that I'm winning matches, and winning more of them," she said. "It has been a long road to get here. It's not over yet."

The men had the day off on Saturday, but will take center stage again Sunday when world number one Rafael Nadal takes on red-hot Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic, ranked number two in the world, is unbeaten in 2011, with 23 match victories and titles at the Australian Open, Dubai and Indian Wells.

The Serbian defeated Nadal in the final at Indian Wells two weeks ago, but insisted he'll be the underdog against the Spaniard on Sunday.

"I obviously wouldn't feel like a favorite," he said. "For me to win, I will be have to be on the top of my game."

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SPORTS - It's small school vs. big, bad Big East for title (AP)

SPORTS - It's small school vs. big, bad Big East for title (AP)

AFP/Getty Images/File – Champion cyclist, cancer survivor, and Livestrong founder Lance Armstrong addresses the media during …

– Fri Apr 1, 11:55 am ET

PARIS (AFP) – American football club Kansas City will name their stadium Livestrong, the foundation set up by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong to fight cancer, merchandising company Sponsoring.fr said Friday.

A six-year deal has been agreed under which Livestrong will not have to pay anything to have the 18,500-capacity venue bear its name while the foundation will receive a portion of gate receipts worth as much as 10 millions dollars (7.2 million euros) over the period in question.

Armstrong, 39, retired definitively from racing after the Tour Down Under last January.

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SPORTS - A step ahead: Stevens' cool gives Butler edge (AP)

SPORTS - A step ahead: Stevens' cool gives Butler edge (AP)

AP – Butler head coach Brad Stevens reacts to action against Virginia Commonwealth during the second half …

By JIM LITKE, AP Sports Columnist Jim Litke, Ap Sports Columnist – 1 hr 51 mins ago

HOUSTON – Butler and coach Brad Stevens had just shaken loose from Virginia Commonwealth, 70-62, Saturday night and booked a spot in the national championship for a second straight season. But even as stars Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack tried to keep their emotions under wraps explaining how the Bulldogs had accomplished something no mid-major school had done since UNLV's high-flying Runnin' Rebels in 1990-91, Stevens sat off to one side, already scribbling notes for the next game.

That comes Monday night against Connecticut, which beat Kentucky in the second semifinal Saturday night.

"We said coming into the game that it was going to be a possession game and something where we had to be great with the ball," he said, "which I thought we were."

Stevens also knew Butler was going to have to find a way to offset VCU's strength, a torrid 3-point shooting attack, especially after the Rams deposited three in a row a few minutes into the game. He accomplished that by opening up the middle of his defense and inviting VCU to drive to the basket. They were lulled into playing inside game, going nearly 18 minutes in one stretch without an attempt. Next, he went to work exploiting their weakness.

"We tried to get 80 percent-plus back on the defensive glass and 40 percent plus back on the offensive glass. And we were 83-38," Stevens added, "and that turned out to be good enough."

Translation: To have a chance, Stevens knew Butler would have to rebound the basketball like, well, Bulldogs.

For the record, the margins were 16-6 in Butler's favor under its own basket and 32-26 under VCU's. Because Stevens is as good at statistical analysis as any coach in the land, what often gets overlooked is how a coach motivates his kids to hustle and fight — which is basically what rebounding is — to pile up margins like that.

That part of his repertoire, the ability to motivate players, is often overlooked. That's because just a few games into his four-year career, Stevens worked the Butler sideline as nervous and fidgety as a young coach can be and quickly figured out that his own mood was reflected in his team's play. If he wanted them to show poise in the closing moments, he had to do the same.

From that day forward, Stevens often took to watching big chunks of the games from the far end of the floor, down past the end of his own bench, looking to all the world like someone studying the players instead of coaching them. He usually kept his glasses on and never shed his jacket. Butler's players are anything but buttoned-down, but they're almost never sloppy.

"They've got smart players," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "They have guys that know how to execute. ... They're not going to beat themselves.

"As for Butler going back-to-back to the national championship game, I'm not surprised. Their program's rock solid. They've got a great coach and a great system. They have players that every time they take the floor, they do so with a clear head. And when you have a clear head for winning," he added, "you have a great opportunity to win."

Stevens is the equivalent of a third-degree black belt in that way. During the summer, he decided that practicing holding opponents to 12 points in the final 10 minutes of a game was too generous, so he set a goal of eight. That mindset came in handy as Butler won its four previous tournament games — in succession over Florida, Wisconsin, Pitt and Old Dominion — by three, seven, one and two points.

"We don't need to score 10 points in the last two minutes to win the game," center Andrew Smith said. "We'd much prefer to just get a few stops. That's kind of what we're made to do."

Yet there was a stretch in February when the Bulldogs couldn't do much of anything. They lost three straight league games to Milwaukee, Valparaiso and last-place Youngstown State. They were 6-5 in a mid-major conference. A return to the tournament looked out of reach, let alone zooming all the way back to the title game.

Instead of blistering his players, Stevens does what he often does in the huddle late in games. Coolly, he lays out the next task, tells them he's confident they can finish one task and then tackle the next. It sounds hokey, but he usually closes by simply saying, "We're going to win this game."

He turned out to be right on that night in mid-February, through most of March, and the Bulldogs haven't looked back. Optimism is one thing, having a plan is another. But getting a bunch of kids to put all those things together on the floor in the closing minutes of a basketball game is about belief as much as brains.

"That," Shawn Vanzant said, "is a tribute to our coach."

___

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org

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SPORTS - Mack gets Butler another shot at title (AP)

SPORTS - Mack gets Butler another shot at title (AP)

AP – Butler's Shelvin Mack reacts to action against Virginia Commonwealth during the second half of a men's …

By KRISTIE RIEKEN, AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken, Ap Sports Writer – Sat Apr 2, 9:51 pm ET

HOUSTON – Shelvin Mack wasn't daunted by playing on college basketball's biggest stage.

After all, this was nothing new for Butler.

Mack scored 24 points, including 10 straight in a key second-half run, and the Bulldogs beat Virginia Commonwealth 70-62 on Saturday night for their second straight trip to the title game.

"We're just looking forward to the game on Monday," Mack said with a huge smile.

The junior seemed perfectly comfortable from the start, then stepped up in the second half when most of his team was struggling on offense. Butler led by one before Mack outscored VCU 10-4 in a stretch covering just over 2 minutes, the lead swelling to 54-47.

He was 5 of 6 from beyond the 3-point line.

"He was a killer tonight," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "He stepped up and made some huge, huge shots, especially from beyond the arc."

Mack shared the spotlight with Matt Howard, who had 17 points, to give America's favorite underdogs another shot at the national championship.

The pair talked after the game about how it felt playing in the Final Four again.

"Tonight it's just like any game, weirdly enough," Howard said. "In our minds I don't think we let our surroundings get to us. It didn't feel like a national semifinal."

Butler lost to Duke in last year's title game when a half-court shot by Gordon Hayward bounced off the rim at the buzzer. Hayward left school early for the NBA, leaving Mack and Howard to lead the Bulldogs deep into this year's NCAA tournament.

The sting of that loss has stayed with this team.

"This is great, but we're not going not going to settle on just getting back," teammate Zach Hahn said. "I remember the sour taste it left in my mouth last year and I just think this group, we're here now and we have a chance. That's all you can ask."

Howard raved about Mack when asked to describe his teammate.

"An incredible basketball player," Howard said. "He has a will and determination that's unlike many guys."

Butler led by six at halftime, but saw its advantage slip away as during a slow start to the second half. The Bulldogs didn't score until Howard's layup almost 4 minutes out of the break.

Hahn, who has had a relatively quiet tournament, stepped up for Butler by scoring its next eight points — and Mack took over from there. He made two straight 3s for the Bulldogs before driving into the lane for a layup. He finished his run with a jumper with 9 minutes left.

"That's why we're here," Hahn said of the balanced offense, with everyone contributing key baskets down the stretch. "There's no other explanation. It's not one guy making plays. It's literally a collective effort, it's all 14 guys."

Howard had to sit out for a few minutes late in the game after picking up his fourth foul about the same time Mack was finishing his run. Once he got back on the floor, Howard hit a layup and four free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

Freshman Khyle Marshall said that Howard, Mack and the other veterans made it easy for the younger guys to deal with the pressure of the Final Four.

"We have 10 guys who were here last year and they know how to handle it and what they want to do," Marshall said. "Just mimicking what they do is pretty easy."

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SPORTS - UConn holds on for 56-55 win over Kentucky (AP)

SPORTS - UConn holds on for 56-55 win over Kentucky (AP)

AP – Connecticut's Kemba Walker falls away as Kentucky's Terrence Jones controls the ball during the second …

By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer Eddie Pells, Ap National Writer – 1 hr 2 mins ago

HOUSTON – When the options boil down to winning or heading home, nobody's better than Kemba and Connecticut.

Kemba Walker scored 18 points Saturday night to lift UConn to its 10th straight victory since finishing off a .500 Big East regular season, a 56-55 win over cold-shooting Kentucky that moved the Huskies a victory away from their third, and most improbable, NCAA title.

Walker, a quick-handed junior from the Bronx, added seven assists and six rebounds to help the young UConn team (31-9) extend a winning streak that started with a five-wins-in-five-nights leg-drainer at the conference tournament and now includes five more at the tournament that really counts.

The third-seeded Huskies — lowest seed left in a tournament that has been as unpredictable as any in history — will face No. 8 Butler, a 70-62 winner over 11th-seeded VCU in the first semifinal, on Monday.

"The guys decided they didn't want to go home; this is too much fun," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said.

But this win, which improved Calhoun to 5-1 in his four Final Four appearances, was not a work of art on either end.

Fourth-seeded Kentucky (29-9) shot 33.9 percent for the game and went 5:39 without a point late in the second half. UConn wasn't much better, but Walker, Alex Oriakhi and Shabazz Napier all made baskets to turn a 48-48 tie into a 54-48 lead with 2:29 left.

DeAndre Liggins made a 3-pointer for the Wildcats to cut the deficit to three, and Kentucky had its chances. But Brandon Knight, one of John Calipari's three sensational freshmen, barely drew iron on a 3-pointer. After Kentucky got the rebound, Liggins drew a foul but only hit one of two free throws.

Kentucky forced one more turnover and went for the win, but this time, it was Liggins whose 3-pointer was short.

"I should have drove it," Liggins said. "It was a good shot, but it fell short."

Napier made two free throws to make it 56-52, then Knight ended the game with a 3-pointer at the buzzer — a meaningless make and a cruel close to what has otherwise been a remarkable season for Calipari and Co. — Kentucky's first trip to the Final Four since winning it all in 1998. The Wildcats, the nation's all-time winningest program, stayed stuck on 105 NCAA-tournament wins in the program history, still tied for first with North Carolina, the team they beat to get here.

"We held a pretty good team to 56 points," Calipari said. "I hate to tell you, we talked about if we defend them this way, they're going score around 56 points, maybe 60. I just didn't think we'd score 55."

The Huskies have won by one, by two, by three, by five and more on this unexpected postseason run. Before that, Calhoun's roster full of freshmen lived down to expectations by going 9-9 in their conference. But the Huskies haven't lost since falling to Notre Dame to close the regular season on Feb. 5.

UConn wasn't nearly as dominating here in Houston as in its 84-67 victory over Kentucky in November at the Maui Invitational. But a win's a win, and nobody does it better than UConn when it's all-or-nothing. Counting that relatively low-key get-together on the island, the Huskies are 13-0 in tournament games this season.

Next up: A meeting with Butler, the small school from Indianapolis that was last year's runner-up. But after this one, it was UConn sounding like the plucky underdog.

"We gonna shock the world," the Huskies chanted as they sprinted to their locker room.

Nobody's surprised by Walker anymore.

Kentucky did a decent job containing him with its zone, which forced the Huskies to be more patient and look for second options. Jeremy Lamb was the most obvious one. The freshman, whose father Ronaldo made a game-winning shot to knock Calhoun out of the tournament when he was coaching at Northeastern in 1984, had 12 points, including a fancy scooping layup with 2:29 left to put the Huskies ahead by six.

From there, it was a hectic, hard-fought finish that included few baskets and even fewer breaks. The teams played nearly five straight minutes without a whistle, and the 4-minute media timeout didn't come until there was a bit more than 120 seconds left.

The quick pace might have made some legs tired and had something to do with Kentucky coming up short on some of those key shots late. There wasn't much of an explanation, though, for the 9-for-32 shooting in the first half. The Wildcats trailed 31-21 at the break, their lowest first-half output of the season.

"I just think we missed a bunch of open shots," Kentucky senior Josh Harrellson said. "We had good looks, and we just weren't knocking anything down. ... We just couldn't make anything."

Knight finished 6 for 23 with 17 points, Doron Lamb had 13 on 5-for-10 shooting. But the Wildcats made only 21 field goals, only nine from 3-point range and shot 4 for 12 from the free-throw line.

Calipari barely lost this latest matchup against Calhoun — a showdown between a couple of coaches who haven't hidden their dislike for each other, dating to the day when Calipari was at UMass in the 1990s and moving in on Calhoun's turf.

"We had our chance to win the game, and as a coach, that's all you can ask of these young people," Calipari said. "Give us a chance, and we had an opportunity."

While Calhoun has become a fixture at UConn — in his fourth Final Four — Calipari has moved around. This year, he joined Rick Pitino as only the second coach to take three different programs to the sport's biggest stage.

He said he'd prefer talent over experience any day. His ability to bring this group of freshmen this far was remarkable, given that this was considered something of a rebuilding year for the Wildcats, who lost John Wall and four others to the NBA draft after last season.

Calhoun could tell the same story. He wasn't expected to do much this year and was depending mainly on his star, Walker, to shoulder the load. It worked early in the season, but teams figured out how to limit him in the Big East — as grueling a conference as there is.

Walker has been electric in leading the Huskies this far in the tournament, though, averaging 26 points a game on the road to the Final Four. Did he think something like this was possible?

"Man, probably not in the beginning of the season because I wasn't thinking about it," he said. "As the season went on in the Big East and the first game in the NCAA's, I saw the teams that we could possibly play, I knew we had a chance."

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SPORTS - Arsenal's title bid in tatters after Rovers draw (AFP)

SPORTS - Arsenal's title bid in tatters after Rovers draw (AFP)

AFP – Arsenal's Robin van Persie reacts after missing another chance during their English Premier League …

by Ben Hunt Ben Hunt – Sat Apr 2, 10:18 pm ET

LONDON (AFP) – Arsenal's title challenge is in tatters as the Gunners lost more ground on leaders Manchester United after being held to a 0-0 draw against Blackburn on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger's side went into the Emirates Stadium clash knowing that anything less than a victory would not be good enough to maintain their push for the title.

The north Londoners would have been delighted to hear that West Ham were beating United 2-0 at half-time earlier on Saturday.

However, United's ability to respond to a crisis is in stark contrast to Arsenal's mental lapses and the Premier League leaders came back to win 4-2, while Wenger's men were unable to see off 10-man Blackburn despite Steven N'Zonzi's late dismissal.

Arsenal are seven points behind United with one game in hand and the destiny of the title is now out of their hands.

It is an astonishing meltdown by an Arsenal side who just over a month ago went into the League Cup final against Birmingham with genuine hopes of winning a quadruple.

Instead, they lost to Birmingham and then crashed out of the Champions League to Barcelona and the FA Cup against United.

It has been a frustrating time for Wenger, whose wait for silverware has now reached six years.

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott was vocal in English press on Saturday as he claimed his team would win the Premier League this season.

Walcott looked as good as his word too, as he started this match at breakneck speed with some surging runs down the right.

Walcott's pace and delivery almost caused Ryan Nelsen to turn the ball into his own next inside the opening five minutes.

While Arsenal enjoyed the lion's share of possession in the early exchanges, Martin Olsson had a half-chance to give Blackburn the lead but under pressure from Sebastien Squillaci, he was unable to hit the target.

Rovers midfielder Brett Emerton then fired his free-kick wide after Laurent Koscielny made an unnecessary foul on David Hoilett on the edge of the box.

Arsenal quickly upped the pressure once again and Andrey Arshavin's effort stung Paul Robinson's palms.

Jack Wilshere squandered a great chance to put Arsenal in front when he fired wide from just six yards out after starting the sweeping move.

But Arsenal's problems have been in defence this season and in particular with their erratic goalkeepers.

Manuel Almunia has come in for fierce criticism in recent weeks and he did his battered reputation no good when he spilled Olsson's speculative long-range effort

The Spanish keeper them fumbled at Paul Robinson's long free-kick into the box.

The second-half introduction of Cesc Fabregas as a 58th minute substitute failed to spark Arsenal as the hosts lacked the composure to break down Blackburn's defence.

They were even given a helping hand when referee Phil Dowd sent off N'Zonzi with 14 minutes to go for a tackle on Koscielny.

In truth the decision looked hard on the Rovers midfielder. But even with their extra man, Arsenal could not find a breakthrough as substitute Marouane Chamakh saw his late effort blocked.

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SPORTS - Kansas City name stadium Livestrong (AFP)

SPORTS - Kansas City name stadium Livestrong (AFP)

AP – Anaheim Ducks goalie Ray Emery (29) blocks a shot by a San Jose Sharks player in the second period of …

By JOSH DUBOW, AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow, Ap Sports Writer – 33 mins ago

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Devin Setoguchi scored the tiebreaking goal on the power play with 5:21 remaining and the San Jose Sharks rallied from an early two-goal deficit too beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Saturday night in a possible playoff preview.

Patrick Marleau scored twice and Dany Heatley added his 25th goal for the Sharks, who trailed 2-0 after one period before coming back for their seventh win in eight games. San Jose remained a point ahead of Detroit for second place in the Western Conference with four games remaining, reaching the 100-point mark for the fifth consecutive season. The Sharks can clinch the Pacific Division by beating Los Angeles at home Monday night.

Bobby Ryan and Lubomir Visnovsky scored for the Ducks, who had won seven of eight to move into seventh place in the conference. Anaheim can clinch a playoff berth by winning two of its final four games. Ray Emery made 29 saves for the Ducks, but lost for the first time in seven starts this season.

Setoguchi showed some patience on the game-winner as the Sharks put heavy pressure on Emery on their first power play. Setoguchi passed up a chance at a one-timer because he didn't have a clear path to the net, sending the puck to Dan Boyle at the point.

Boyle immediately returned the puck to Setoguchi, who rocketed a one-timer past Emery to give the Sharks the lead with his 21st goal. Setoguchi gave a big fist pump after the goal.

Marleau put the game away in the final minute with an empty-netter for his 37th goal of the season and 10th in eight games.

Antti Niemi made 20 saves to get the win in his 33rd consecutive start.

This was a tense meeting between two rivals who could meet again with much more at stake in a little more than a week. If the season ended Saturday, these teams would open the playoffs against each other.

There were few good scoring chances early in the third with no one wanting to make the mistake that could cost their team crucial points.

Heatley made a great end-to-end rush before being stopped by Emery. The Sharks couldn't knock in the rebound following a scramble in front but got their first power play when Jason Blake was called for holding with 6:22 remaining. That set up Setoguchi's goal.

The Sharks responded from a lackluster first period to erase a two-goal deficit in the second and send the game into the third period tied at 2.

Heatley got San Jose started when he skated in from the boards and tried to center the puck. But the pass deflected, and Heatley knocked the loose puck past Emery with his backhand 2:01 into the second.

Marleau got the equalizer midway through the period with help from a puck that deflected off Ryan's face. Marleau took a whack at a centering pass from Boyle, and the puck hit Ryan, sending him to the ice. Setoguchi centered the loose puck back to Marleau, who stickhandled past Emery.

After putting up a season-high 52 shots in a 6-0 win over Dallas on Thursday, the Sharks got only two on net in the first 18-plus minutes of this game.

The Ducks scored twice in that stretch, with the first coming from their top line when Ryan redirected a centering pass from Corey Perry into an open net just 3:21 in for his 34th goal. Visnovsky added a power-play goal midway through the period.

NOTES: The Ducks and Sharks are the only teams with five players with at least 60 points this season. ... Sharks coach Todd McLellan got his 150th career win, two behind Mike Keenan for the most in the first three seasons behind the bench.

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