A Sports Filled Weekend

If an 18-wheeler ran over a crate of roofing nails, you would still have fewer blowouts than the NCAA basketball playoffs — men’s and women’s — foisted upon us. Perhaps Monday night’s men’s championship game between North Carolina and Villanova will be taut, well-played and dramatic. We’ve missed that.

In men’s action, Villanova inflicted the worst beating ever recorded in a Final Four game on Oklahoma, 95-51. North Carolina had no problem with Syracuse, 83-67. UNC-Villanova tips off at 9:19 p.m. ET on TBS. UNC seeks its sixth national title.

In the women’s Final Four, Connecticut flattened Oregon State 80-51 and Syracuse mashed Washington 80-59. UConn has won three consecutive championships, seeks an unprecedented fourth and has won 74 games in a row. That final is Tuesday night.

Baseball

Major League Baseball’s season opened on Sunday with three games. Of special note was the Kansas City Royals’ 4-3 win over the New York Mets in a rematch of last October’s World Series, won in five games by the Royals. Another postseason rematch takes place on Monday when the Houston Astros play the New York Yankees, whom they eliminated in the American League’s wild-card play-in game.

Elsewhere

Kyle Busch won the STP 500 at Martinsville, Va. … Novak Djokovic won his sixth Miami Open, beating Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3 in Key Biscayne, Fla. Victoria Azarenka won the women’s title, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2. … Jim Herman, 38, won the Shell Open in Houston by a single stroke, giving him not only his first PGA Tour victory but an invitation to the Masters this week. “It’s a whirlwind. This is crazy,” Herman said. “I’ve dreamt of this for a long time and now it’s here. I’m going to enjoy it.” … The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors saw their 54-game home winning streak come to an end on Friday night when they fell 109-106 to the Boston Celtics. They got back on track on Sunday, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 136-111 behind 39 points from Steph Curry. … Blake Griffiin has returned from injury and suspension to the Los Angeles Clippers. … Nyquist won the Florida Derby on Saturday, establishing himself as the favorite for the Kentucky Derby. 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman