NCAA Tournament 2015

Monday night’s NCAA men’s basketball championship game isn’t quite what many expected. It is missing Kentucky.

Undefeated throughout the season, the Wildcats met their demise on Saturday against Wisconsin, 71-64. So the Badgers advanced and will meet Duke, which knocked out Michigan State. Wisconsin is 36-3, Duke 34-4. Look for a battle of the big men, between Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky and Duke’s Jahlil Okafor. The game tips off in Indianapolis at 9:18 p.m. ET.

The women’s championship game is Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. in Tampa and matches Connecticut (37-1) and Notre Dame (36-2). Connecticut is seeking a 10th overall title and its third in a row. The Huskies beat the Irish last year in the title game when both were undefeated. Connecticut advanced by stopping Maryland 81-58; Notre Dame slipped by South Carolina 66-65.

BASEBALL

The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0 on Sunday night to open the Major League Baseball season. Monday, however, is still considered Opening Day. There are 14 Monday games, beginning at 1:05 p.m. ET with the Toronto Blue Jays visiting the New York Yankees. The defending champion San Francisco Giants send World Series hero Madison Bumgarner to the mound against the Arizona Diamondbacks at 10:10 p.m. ET.

GOLF

The Masters tournament will occupy the golf world’s attention this week, especially with Tiger Woods saying he will return to competitive play for the first time since early February. The Masters is the first of golf’s four majors. … One to keep an eye on in the Masters is J.B. Holmes. He won a playoff at the Shell Open in Houston for his fourth Tour victory. He made up a six-shot deficit on Sunday, shooting a 64. He was second twice this season (World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and Farmers Insurance Open). The Farmers event was Woods’ last and he withdrew from that with back spasms.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .