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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Saturday / November 23.
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Louisville, Michigan

INDIANAPOLIS  — Moritz “Moe” Wagner and D.J. Wilson embraced near the Michigan basket following their latest win, the seventh straight for this “Team of Destiny.”

The two roommates had just combined for 43 points to lead No. 7 Michigan to a thrilling 73-69 win over No. 2 Louisville at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to advance to the Sweet 16 in the Midwest Region.

“We’re very close, we work so much together,” said the 6-foot-11 Wagner, who scored 17 of his career-high 26 points in the second half when Michigan outscored Louisville 45-33. “We did some similar things so it’s beautiful to see others being successful and very happy that the team in general could be successful, too.”

The Wolverines, who last week won the Big Ten Tournament in Washington, D.C., by winning four games in four days following a plane wreck in Michigan, will face the Oregon-Rhode Island winner in the Sweet 16 in Kansas City.

In their last five games, Michigan has beaten five straight NCAA Tournament teams: Purdue, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State and Louisville.

Breaking News, Coaching moves, Syracuse, Washington

INDIANAPOLIS — Mike Hopkins won’t be waiting on Jim Boeheim any longer.

The man named the “head-coach designate” at Syracuse has been hired away by Washington to replace the fired Lorenzo Romar. The school made it official after ESPN’s Jeff Goodman and others reported it. ESPN reported the deal is for six years.

“The University of Washington is such a unique place, with a world-class University, an exciting basketball history and unbelievable fan support,” Hopkins said. “Together, I believe we can build something very special in Seattle, and I can’t wait to get started.

“I can’t express enough thanks to Coach Boeheim for so many years of mentorship and guidance,” added Hopkins, who had been linked to openings at Charlotte and Oregon State in recent years. “The timing is right for me and my family to make this move.”

A Laguna Hills, Calif., native who was a member of the 1987 California state championship team at Mater Dei High School, Hopkins has West Coast ties. He played at Syracuse for Boeheim from 1989-93 and has been on the coaching staff since 1996.

Hopkins was due to take over for Boeheim, 72, after the 2017-18 season when Boeheim was set to retire. The school named Hopkins as Boeheim’s successor in 2007, a decade ago. It remains unclear what this means for Boeheim and the Syracuse coaching situation going forward.

“I think it means Jim’s staying,” one industry source said.

Duke

By DENNIS CHAMBERS

GREENVILLE, S.C. — On the surface, this season would seem like a big step backward for Duke’s Grayson Allen.

Last year the embattled star guard averaged more points, he shot the ball at a higher percentage, he played more minutes. Oh, and he was a starter.

This year Allen has taken a seat on the bench due to the emergence of sophomore Luke Kennard, who took Allen’s place as the team’s most dynamic scorer. The last time he showed up in the starting lineup was in an away game against Syracuse on Feb. 22. Duke lost that contest on a buzzer-beater by John Gillon.

Since then, Allen slid into a reserve role and Duke responded more positively than you would guess. The Blue Devils are 6-1 since the move and in the midst of a five-game winning streak that includes an ACC Tournament title and a Round of 64 blowout victory over Troy.

Kentucky

INDIANAPOLIS — Isaiah Briscoe was seated in the corner of the Kentucky locker room at Bankers Life Fieldhouse preparing for what could be his final NCAA Tournament.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore from Newark, N.J., tested the NBA Draft waters last season and then opted to return to campus. There’s no guarantee he’ll return for his junior year, so that puts an urgency on the here and now.

“I wanna go out with a bang, obviously,” he told me here this week. “I’m not gonna shy away from it, but obviously I want to win. I want to win a national championship.  We gotta work hard, we gotta play together, we gotta play Kentucky basketball. And if we do all that, great things will happen.”

No. 2 Kentucky faces a tough No. 10 Wichita State team here on Sunday afternoon, a team that includes fellow New Jersey native Markis McDuffie out of St. Anthony’s. If the Wildcats survive that they will advance to Memphis in the South’s “Bracket of Death” that also includes No. 1 North Carolina and No. 3 UCLA.

Kentucky, Wichita State

INDIANAPOLIS — Neither Landry Shamet nor any of his Wichita States teammates were ever seriously recruited by Kentucky.

“They never talked to me,” Shamet, a 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman guard from Kansas Citym said here ahead of the South Regional second-round game between No. 10 Wichita State and No. 2 Kentucky on Sunday.

Shamet ultimately chose the Shockers over Colorado. He did so in part because of Wichita State’s veteran core that included Cleanthony Early, Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet, a group that reached the 2013 Final Four under coach Gregg Marshall before losing to Louisville.

“That was a big reason I came here,” Shamet said. “I wanted to play with Ron and Fred, knowing they’re two NBA guards. When you can say that about your program, it’s definitely going to be more attractive to people.”

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