Yale: 2018-19 Ivy League Men's Basketball Champions

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Two thoughts kept running through Alex Copeland's mind as his Yale team prepared to take on Harvard for the Ivy League championship and an NCAA berth.

First, he couldn't stop thinking about how hard he would cry if the Bulldogs lost on their home floor to their archrival in front of friends and family. Second, he couldn't stop thinking about how hard he would cry if they won.

The tears turned out to be happy ones.

Copeland scored a season-high 25 points and Yale beat the Crimson 97-85 on Sunday for its second NCAA Tournament trip in four seasons.

Yale (22-7), which lost to Harvard (18-11) twice in the regular season, used a 15-0 burst in the second half to take control. The Bulldogs celebrated with their fans who poured onto the floor when it was over.

"Visualizing those moments ... it's been going on for so, so long that to actually be here and to be talking about it sitting next to these guys feels so surreal and it just feels amazing," Copeland said.

The Bulldogs will return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since a memorable run that saw them beat Baylor in 2016. After that opening win, Yale then played Duke tough in a 71-64 loss.

"It was nice to go as freshmen, but at the end of the day we realized we were just minor pieces in that," senior Trey Phills said. "We really wanted to carry and lead a team, give these other guys the experience we had."

Bryce Aiken scored 38 points for Harvard and Noah Kirkwood added 19.

Copeland was chosen the Ivy tournament's most outstanding player. The senior guard, who had seven assists, scored eight points during Yale's big run that turned a 59-58 deficit into a 73-59 lead.

"He's had a tremendous career and he stepped up big time for us tonight," Yale coach James Jones said.

Miye Oni, the Ivy League's player of the year, spent most of the game in foul trouble, but added 17 points for Yale. Azar Swain had 15.

Yale hit four of its first six shots and jumped out to an 8-2 lead on a spinning layup by Jordan Brunner. The Bulldogs stretched that to double-digits when Brunner found Blake Reynolds (14 points) underneath for a layup that made it 29-19.

But Aiken kept Harvard in the game. He hit six of his 10 shots in the first half and his three free throws gave the Crimson their first lead at 38-37.

Yale, which shot 61 percent over the first 20 minutes, led 43-42 at halftime.

Harvard came out strong after intermission and led 52-45 after a dunk by Kirkwood.

"It's a game of runs and we weren't able theirs going down the stretch and ultimately that led them to get the victory," Aiken said.

Yale scored the next eight points, capped by a jumper from Oni, who picked up his fourth foul with more than 14 minutes left and played just 10 minutes after intermission.

"I looked at the clock and I looked at the rest of the guys on the court and I said, `We've got to do it without him. We've got to hold it down until he can get back in the game," Copeland said.

The Bulldogs kept the Crimson at bay after their big run and cut down the nets on their home court after winning basketball's version of The Game.

CHARITY AT HOME

Yale hit 28 of its 30 foul shots in the game (93.3 percent) and Oni was 10 of 10 from the line. Harvard made 19 of 24 free throws.

MOVING UP

The win gives Jones 310 at Yale, tying him with Fran Dunphy (Penn) for second all-time in the Ivy League. He would need another 204 to catch former Princeton great Pete Carril.

BIG PICTURE

Yale: The Bulldogs and Crimson were both 10-4 during the regular season, but the Bulldogs were playing as visitors on their home floor because of their two losses to Harvard during the regular season. .

Harvard: Harvard came into the game 7-0 versus Ivy League Tournament teams this season, including that 2-0 record against Yale, the tiebreaker which earned the Crimson the top seed in the tournament. It also guarantees them a spot in the NIT.

"I mentioned that to our kids," Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. "There's still basketball for our program to participate in a national tournament. We're proud of that."

UP NEXT

Yale: The Bulldogs await their opponent and site in the NCAA tourney.

Harvard: The Crimson await an NIT bid.

Duke Blue Devils: 2015 Pinstripe Bowl Champions

Indiana and Duke's Pinstripe Bowl matchup went back and forth so many times you'd think it was a basketball game (Indiana and Duke are historically better at basketball than football, you see).

And just like in basketball, Duke came out on top, winning 44-41 in overtime after IU kicker Griffin Oakes — the Big Ten's kicker of the year — missed a 38-yard field goal to win it ... or did he? Field goals can't be reviewed, but Oakes thought he made it, and he may have a point.

This was a special one for the Blue Devils. This wasn't the best season for coach David Cutcliffe since he's been at Duke, as his team won seven games, compared to nine and 10 the previous two years, but Duke had lost bowl games in those seasons, plus the previous year. This was the Blue Devils' first bowl win since a 7-6 win over Arkansas in the 1961 Cotton Bowl.

Duke looked like it had a chance to run away with this game early. Despite an interception, the Blue Devils took advantage of an Indiana turnover on downs and a Hoosiers interception to take a 10-0 lead. However, even through another IU interception, the much-improved Hoosiers defense held and waited for the vaunted passing offense to get going. It did, with two straight touchdown drives and 17 total points in the second half.

The second half is where things got really nutty, like a game involving #CHAOSTEAM should.

IU's offense got rolling, with over 200 rushing yards from Devine Redding, a touchdown from an Alex Rodriguez in Yankee Stadium. However, it was the defense that stepped up, with a fumble recovery, an interception from a defensive tackle and a big fourth down stop deep in their own territory. That's not the Indiana of old, but that's fitting of this season.

IU's offense got rolling (and it got a touchdown from an Alex Rodriguez in Yankee Stadium), but it was the defense that stepped up, with a fumble recovery, an interception from a defensive tackle and a big fourth down stop deep in their own territory. However, the defense couldn't hold at the end of the game, as Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk drove his team down the field for a touchdown with 41 seconds left to send the game to EXTRA INNINGS.

Sirk got injured on third down of Duke's overtime possession, leading to a field goal. The next possession, Oakes, who missed a potential 56-yard game winner at the end of regulation, missed again.

This bowl win is just another milestone for Duke, which continues to become a strong program under Cutcliffe. With the bowl victory, and with a young offense that should get better, the Blue Devils have the momentum of four straight bowl seasons heading into 2016.

Duke: 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Champions

INDIANAPOLIS -- Call them freshmen. Please, do not call them kids.

Led by Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor, Duke's talented group of youngsters outscored Wisconsin by 14 points over the final 13 minutes Monday night to grit out a 68-63 victory for the program's fifth national title.

Okafor, the likely first pick in the NBA draft if he decides to leave, got outplayed by Badgers center Frank Kaminsky but came through when the pressure was highest.

He made two straight buckets over Kaminsky, sandwiched between a pair of 3-pointers from Jones to help the Blue Devils (35-4) turn a one-time nine-point deficit into an eight-point lead with 1:22 left.

"They showed such grit tonight," said coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose five titles puts him alone in second place on the all-time list behind John Wooden. "Our bench was spectacular, and like we said about two months ago, eight is enough. Eight is enough."A furious Wisconsin rally ensued, but it came up short. Then, it was Okafor on the bottom of a rowdy, raucous dog pile -- a scene very reminiscent of the last time the Final Four was Indianapolis, back in 2010 when Duke won that one, too. The Blue Devils also took one here in 1991 -- the Grant Hill, Christian Laettner squad.

Among the eight who share all the playing time are Okafor, Jones and another freshman, Justise Winslow. They all might be one-and-dones.

But Grayson Allen? The most unheralded of Krzyzewski's first-year players, who averages four points a game, stepped up with Okafor on the bench for much of the second half in foul trouble. Allen, the slam-dunk champion at the high school McDonald's All-American contest last year, scored 16 points and kept Duke in it when Wisconsin (36-4) looked like it was about to run away.

Duke certainly didn't look young.

This was a savvy, calm, collected comeback against the team that wrote the book on that all season. Wisconsin kept its cool two nights earlier in an upset over undefeated Kentucky and looked to be pulling away early in the second half of this one.

Then, suddenly, Duke looked like veterans and Wisconsin looked like kids.

Kaminsky outscored Okafor 21-10 but struggled to get a good look down the stretch. On Okafor's first late bucket, Kaminsky tried to wrap an arm around him, but Okafor just powered his way through it for the bucket and the foul. He missed the free throw, but a different point had been made.

Nigel Hayes had 13 points and Sam Dekker, the key guy down the stretch against Kentucky, had a very quiet 13 for the Badgers, who were trying to bring their first title back to Madison since 1941.

8.2.2014.

This is LA, our city our home

Los Angeles, we never walk alone

Forever true we'll stay, in tribute to our city

No matter where we go, this is our home

On the Sunset Strip, the devil's hard at work

If you wanna play you gotta pay, you know

To keep the clubs from going under

That's the price to grace the floor, as every fool before

Underneath the haze, in the streets of this maze

All the way from the 10 to the 5 to the 134

These streets are nothing but a parking lot

But I don't care 'cause I'm not going anywhere

This is LA, our city, our home

Los Angeles, we never walk alone

Forever true we'll stay, in tribute to our city

No matter where we go, this is our home

It's 2 am again, when will I ever learn?

If those warm winds blow me home tonight

I'll have a place to lay my head

I'll leave my troubles at the foot of my bed

On the west coast shore, it's been far too long

So what if I got no money in my pockets

I'll always stand up strong

'Cause I'm in the city where I belong

This is LA, our city, our home

Los Angeles, we never walk alone

Forever true we'll stay, in tribute to our city

No matter where we go, this is our home, alright

This is LA, our city, our home

Los Angeles, we never walk alone

This is LA, our city, our home

Los Angeles, we never walk alone

Forever true we'll stay, in tribute to our city

No matter where we go, this is our home

This is LA, our city, our home

Los Angeles, we never walk alone

Forever true we'll stay, in tribute to our city

No matter where we go, this is our home

Forever true we'll stay, in tribute to our city

No matter where we go, this is our home!

2channel Anime Saimoe 2014: 10 Questions With Madoka Kaname

Miyuki Shiba, who qualified for the 2014 2channel Anime Saimoe Tournament, talked with the current Saimoe Prime Minister of Japan and defending AST champion, Madoka Kaname, over lunch in Mitakihara Town, Japan.

Miyuki: Madoka, do you ever get tired of this?
Madoka: (laughter) I wish I did. No, I never do. I mean, since I've already made it to the top, I approach this tournament as just fun and games because this is my last-around along with Homura-chan and all the others, and I don't get anything out of reelection but if it happens it happens. But I now play in this for fun, and that's good.

Miyuki: Tell me about your time as the Saimoe Prime Minister.
Madoka: I attend a lot of events, convene over special meetings involving the finest young women across the country and the world, and I do a lot of PR events. But I've had time to focus on my studies and prepare for university, because Homura-chan told me that growing up involves getting a good education and doing well in school. So there's that.

Miyuki: You always mention Homura, as in Homura Akemi, right?
Madoka: Yes.
Miyuki: Have you settled your differences with her regarding ideals and all that?
Madoka: We have. Every good couple is balanced. Co-existing harmoniously is key to making a relationship balanced and strong. I uplift her spirits, she keeps me humble. I learn from her, she learns from me. I could never hate Homura-chan completely because I need her like she needs me. It's a beautiful thing, you know?

Miyuki: Who do you think deserves to take over for you next year?
Madoka: Um...that's a pretty good question. I'm friends with everybody from the idol group mu's. I like their personality, their genuine approach to life, and they did perform at a number of functions that I attended. My personal favorite is Nico, if only for the twin tails. But she has a mindset similar to me in a number of ways and she sometimes asks me for advice.

Miyuki: What do you think of the new system of determining who wins the seat?
Madoka: Anything to help the election organizers draw more interest in this race helps, and they know that people need to come out and vote, but set out the field in a firm and fair process. That's what it boils down to.

Miyuki: Do you think Homura sabotaged her chances of making an impact in this race by sealing part of your powers and using it for her own?
Madoka: Homura-chan explained to me why she did it, and at first I didn't approve of it but eventually I came to accept it and then embrace it because I'm still here and I was given this chance to govern this country for one year. But it may not be so much Homura-chan's undoing as it is the past several years, you know? Because my team and everyone from Saki, including some friends of mine who play mahjong like Nodocchi and Shizuno, they have been dominating the race the past several years. So it's really unfair to say that Homura's choice to change the rules negatively impacted her chances to win this thing directly. It's recent history overall that make the voters do their own Rebellion Story and we're seeing that right now.

Miyuki: Do you think, in your heart, Homura should win this race for the Saimoe Prime Minister's Office?
Madoka: I imagine being the universe's watchdog is already enough work for her and Homura-chan thinks like a full-time mama because of all the loops, so she wouldn't gain anything, really, from winning this. Really, though, I won't know if my suspicions are right until Saturday, when she faces many of the greats from Saki.

Miyuki: Since you and Homura are concepts at the very heart of things, have you ever thought of having kids?
Madoka: Well, first, they'd all be girls. (laughter)
Miyuki: That's true.
Madoka: Second, one child is enough. Third, she'd be the concept of humanity.
Miyuki: Really?
Madoka: Yep. And finally, I'd name her Honoka, a combination of our names and also named after Honoka Kousaka, a good friend of mine from mu's. She'll grow up to be a good singer and tour the world and be famous.
Miyuki: But she won't be a magical girl, right?
Madoka: No contracts.

Miyuki: There have been lower vote totals among the new entrants, myself included. As for you, you're getting more votes, along with other veterans in this process. Are us new faces this bad?
Madoka: I believe every girl deserves a chance and a look. Some people, like Ai Haibara, really have no business being in this competition and yet the voters put her on. Those are the anons, who, I suspect, have been voting in this competition since its inception about a decade ago. I look up to Ai. She reminds me of Mami-san in a way because of her wiseness beyond her years. But really though, the big names come from my pools. They come from Saki's pools. All the veterans have made a bigger impact than the new entrants because the names resonate better.

Miyuki: Finally, where do you think you will finish in your preliminary group?
Madoka: Upper middle. Not top three, but maybe in the middle, along with the usual suspects from Saki and Teru-san. My stock has dropped, but not by much, and I'm fine with that. I head into this new race with dignity and a smile.