Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 15

www.lsj.com Lansing State Journal Saturday, April 10, 2010 9B Duke redux? Joe Rexrode reviews his MSU hoops preseason story and whether the Spartans can become a perennial power like the Blue Devils. Photo gallery: Relive the Spartans' march through the NCAA Tournament to the Final Four, with pictures from eachgameonlyatgreenandwhite.com. 1 GAME PLAN a Home games in bold Els' double LCC BASEBALL Tuesday 2 p.m. Thursday 2 p.m. April 17 1 p.m.

at Muskegon at Kellogg Jackson LCC SOFTBALL Today 1p.m. Glen Oaks Sunday 1p.m. at Lake Mich. Thursday 3 p.m. Jackson ifjp Sal bogey gives him lesson in scoring From wire services AUGUSTA, Ga.

Ernie Els almost had to crack open the USGA rule book Friday. That's never a good thing. Els removed himself from contention with a double bogey on No. 15 that was horrific enough to make "Paranormal Activity" seem like a romantic comedy. After a good drive, Els went for MSU BASEBALL Today 3 p.m.

Sunday 2 p.m. Wednesday 3 p.m. MSU SOFTBALL Today 1 p.m. Sunday 1 p.m. at Minnesota at Minnesota at W.

Michigan at Indiana at Indiana glory from 255 yards, but his approach landed in the middle of the pond. Then Masters notes Wednesday 4 p.m. at Penn State (2) LANSING LUGNUTS Today 7 p.m. at Dayton Sunday 3 p.m. at Great Lakes Monday 6 p.m.

at Great Lakes DETROIT PISTONS Today 7 p.m. Monday 7:30 p.m. Wednesday 8 p.m. End of regular season at Charlotte Toronto at Minnesota ROB CARR Associated Press Rough boy: Tiger Woods hits out of the rough off the first fairway during Friday's second round of the Masters. Woods shot a 2-under 70 and is two shots off the lead at 6 under going into today's third round.

Masters: Poulter, Westwood lead with big names lurking DETROIT RED WINGS Sunday 3 p.m. at Chicago End of regular season (1) v5 Jm DETROIT TIGERS Today 1 p.m. Cleveland Sunday 1 p.m. Cleveland Monday 1p.m. Kansas City he pitched about 20 yards past the hole.

His fifth shot hit the slick green and nearly rolled into the pond that swallowed his first ball Els believed his second ball would get wet, so he took out another ball and got in position to make a drop from the site of his fifth shot Fortunately, he didn't. If he had, Rule 20-4 would have kicked in: A substituted ball becomes the ball in play when it has been dropped or placed. Commented ESPN analyst David Feherty: "Wouldn't that have been annoying, to say the least?" Els chipped up and a made a short putt for a double bogey-7. He's even par, eight off the lead. OLD-TIMERS STRUGGLE: The Masters opened with Seniors Day.

On Friday, though, mature players departed the leaderboard with such haste you thought was ringing the supper bell. Conditions were tougher with tees moved back and pins set in tricky locations. After opening with a 3-under 69, 52-year-old Sandy Lyle tempted vertigo with his fall He shot 86 to drop 75 spots in the standings. And Bernhard Langer went from 71 to 78. Fred Couples, 50, and Tom Watson, 60, stubbornly held on but could not avoid falls.

Couples, who took the first-round lead with a 66, was even through 15 holes and then bogeyed the last three holes. Watson's 74 dropped him seven spots, tied with Couples for ninth. "Yesterday was a great day, today was not too good," Couples said. "I didn't feel great. But as soon as I get home and lay down I'll be fine." TVRADIO Leaf it be: England's Lee Westwood inspects his line at the 15th hole while an Augusta National course worker blows debris off the green.

Westwood is tied with Ian Poulter for the Masters' lead at 8 under. CHARLIE RIEDEL Associated Press Baseball 1p.m. Cleveland at Detroit FSN Detroit, WVFN 730-AM, WXYT 1270-AM, WK20 590-AM. WSGW 790-AM. WXYT 97J-FM lp.m.

College: Purdue at Michigan Big Ten Network WGN 1 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati FOX 3 p.m. New York Yankees at Tampa Bay WQTX 92 J-FM 7 p.m. Lansing at Dayton Basketball 7 pm NBA: Detroit at Charlotte FSN Detroit, WVFN 730-AM, WXYT 971-FM. WSGW 1005-FM, WIBM 1450-AM FSN Detroit 10 m.

NIKE Hoops Summit Billiards Noon San Diego Classic (tape) ESPN2 Boxing 9 p.m. Welterweight David Estrada vs. Orlando Lora ESPN2 10:30 p.ra Welterweight Andre Berto vs. Carlos Quintana HBO Continued From 10B He has been humbled by confessions of cheating on his wife, and one of the lingering questions was whether his personal chaos would make him seem less invincible on the golf course. He has won the Masters all three times when going into the weekend in a tie for third or better.

Y.E. Yang, who rallied to beat Woods at the PGA Championship eight months ago, had a 72 and was at 5-un-derl39. There's a great buzz on the golf course," said Poulter, who played the first two days in front of Woods. "I was happy to tee off when 1 did. The crowds are 10-deep.

That's always good. I think the tournament is a good one." And it might get better. Westwood pulled himself out of a deep slump to regain his status as the best in Europe, and he has been closing in on an elusive major. He came within one putt of getting into a playoff in the U.S. Open in 2008 and the British Open last year.

"It makes me sort of feel that I can contend in these big events now that my game is up to this level," Westwood said. "All in all, I'm delighted the way things are going." It was a wild ride, for sure. Westwood moved quickly to the top of the leaderboard with a 6-iron into 18 inches for eagle on the second hole, and he had two tries at an eagle at the par 5s on the back nine. But there also was a hook into the trees on the 14th that led to double bogey, and another tee shot into the pines on the 18th that kept him from the outright lead. Westwood didn't seem the least bit concerned that Woods was lurking.

Football 3 pm College: North Carolina Spring Game ESPN Golf 3:30 p.m. The Masters CBS i Hockey CBC 7 p.m. NHL Toronto at Montreal "I played with Tiger the last round of the U.S. Open (both shot 73 at Torrey Pines), so that's not really an issue," he said. "And I learned a few things, stuff I'm not going to share, because I think if you get into these situations and learn stuff, what's the point of passing it on? That's what going through these experiences is all about." Poulter began making his move on the par-3 12th with a shot over the bunker to about 8 feet for birdie.

There was muted applause, partly because it's difficult for the fans to see the green, and partly because most of them weren't watching. "Tiger was on the 11th green," Poulter said with a grin. Few players are as brash as Poulter, starting with his stylish, colorful clothes. He wore all pink in the final round of the 2006 US. Open, a bold move before a New York gallery, and once wore Union Jack trousers at the British Open.

Asked what would go best with a green jacket, Poulter didn't hesitate. "Absolutely anything," he said. As for that boast about joining Woods atop the world ranking ranking one day? "If I win this week, I'll probably go to No. 2, which would be lovely" Poulter said. "So I guess if a work in progress.

I'm working towards that. So we'll see." But it's more than just Poulter and Woods. It's even more than Poulter and Westwood. Seven players five of them among the top 15 in the world were separated by two shots going into the weekend at a course that is getting faster by the day under warm sunshine and scary, swirling wind. On a tougher course with daunting hole locations, Woods had to work hard for his 70.

He kept his round together by scrambling for pars and taking advantage of the par 5s he has played them in 8-under for the week. "He's a hell of a player," Matt Kuchar said after spending the last two days with Woods. "It's pretty amazing. I have no idea what he's been doing the last 144 days." 7 pm. College: NCAA final: Wisconsin vs.

Boston College ESPN 10 p.m. NHL Calgary at Vancouver CBC Horse Racing 5pjn. Arkansas DerbyBlue Grass Stakes NBC Motorsports 6 p.m. IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama qualifying Versus 7 pm Sprint Cup: Subway Fresh Fit 500 FOX, WITL 100.7-FM, WWWW 1023-FM 10:30 pm NHRA: O'Reilly Spring Nationals Qualifying (tape) ESPN2 Outdoors 7 a.m. 'Outdoors Show with Tommy Sanders' WIBM 1450-AM DAVID J.

PHILLIP Associated Press Tough day: Ernie Els watches his chip shot to the second green during Friday's second round of the Masters. Els carded a double bogey-7 at the No. 15 hole and is at even par after two days. 7 a.m. "A.M.

outdoors" WVFN 730-AM Softball 4 p.m. College: Ohio State at Illinois Big Ten Network Sports talk 8 am "Jack and Tom" WILS1320-AM BADGERS' GE0FFRI0N WINS H0BEY Hockey: Wisconsin had past Motor City successes "The thing Blake brings to the table is his balance across the board. His ability to play in all situations," Eaves said. "He's a guy that's going to be on the ice when we're up by a goal and when we're down by a goal." Geoffrion, a second-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2006, is the first Wisconsin player to win the DETROIT Wisconsin forward Blake Geoffrion, the grandson of Hockey Hall of Famer Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, received the Hobey Baker Memorial Award on Friday night as college hockey's top player. Geoffrion has helped lead Wisconsin to the NCAA championship game Saturday night against Boston College.

He has 28 goals and 22 assists in 39 games this season. Geoffrion's great grandfather, Howie Morenz, also is in the Hall of Fame, and his father, Danny, also played in the NHL Hobey Baker. Maine's Gustav Nyquist and New Hampshire senior Bobby Butler, both forwards, were the other finalists. Nyquist led the country with 61 points and 42 assists in 39 games and Butler led the nation with 29 goals and I INSIDE CORNER Ohio State's Turner, UConn's Charles win Wooden Awards LOS ANGELES Ohio State's Evan Turner won the John R. Wooden Award, claiming yet another trophy as the nation's top basketball player.

Turner was chosen Friday night over Kentucky freshman John Wall, Syracuse's Wesley Johnson, West Virginia forward Da'Sean Butler and Kansas guard Sherron Collins for the 34th Wooden Award at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The 6-foot-7 Turner said Tuesday he'll skip his senior season to enter the NBA draft. "It's definitely a great honor," Turner said. "The other nominees are great players and great people. Thank God for basketball, and thank God for everybody else." Connecticut's Tina Charles won the women's Wooden Award.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL Michigan coach John Beilein said Jeff Meyer, named assistant coach midway through the season, will keep the job permanently. Associate head coach Jerry Dunn and assistant coach John Mahoney are leaving the program. Both Dunn and Mahoney served on Beilein's staff at West Virginia and followed him to Ann Arbor when he took over the Wolverines program in 2007. Associated Press Geoffrion eled down to Detroit with a title on the line, they've had success. Wisconsin won the 1977 NCAA hockey title at Olympia Stadium, the former home of the Red Wings, and won it all again in 1990 at Joe Louis Arena, the current home of the storied NHL franchise.

Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves, who won the school's sixth national title in 2006 against Boston College, is looking forward to matching wits with York. "I relish being up against anybody at this point, but the fact that it's coach York and we have history makes it all the more interesting," Eaves said. "He coached one of our boys for six years and we get together at the coaches meetings down in Florida. "We have a ritual of having breakfast one of the mornings down there." Continued From 10B Wisconsin beat Michigan 3-2 in front of 55,031 fans at Camp Randall Stadium and Boston College lost by the same score to Boston University in front of 38,472 at Fenway Park. Tonight, Boston College coach Jerry York will have a chance to set a record with a 31st win in the NCAA Tournament breaking a tie with Boston University's Jack Parker when he leads his seventh team to the finals.

York won an NCAA title in 1984 with Bowling Green and added championships with the Eagles in 2001 and 2008. The Eagles are in the championship game for the fourth time in five years, shooting for their second title in three seasons and the fourth in school history. When the Badgers have trav "I've got a little something," Geoffrion said. "My father is in the hockey hall of shame, sorry dad, and my grandfather and great grandfather are both in the Hall of Fame. I don't think this compares to their accomplishments.

"My family's pretty much natural goal scorers. I have 28 goals this year, but they're not necessarily the prettiest goals I'm a little different player. Coach Mike Eaves said Geoffrion excels in all parts of the game. added 24 assists in 39 games. Nyquist, a fourth-round draft pick of the Red Wings, said he will return to Maine for his junior season.

Butler recently signed with Ottawa. Also, Colgate's Ethan Cox won the Hockey Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic work, Brown senior Jordan Pietrus received the Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award, and Merrimack freshman forward Stephane Da Costa was the National College Rookie of the Year. Associated Press.