Sam Dekker punctuates Wisconsin Badgers trip to Final Four with shooting display

Sam Dekker dribbled twice and glided like a gazelle into the 3 point line with the game clock ticking away here Saturday night. He rose released a high arcing feathery moonball on the right wing near the team bench and watched as it hung in the air for a veritable eternity. It was enough time for teammates to experience a full scope of emotions hope doubt awe at an attempt that could help lift Wisconsin's basketball team back to the Final Four.

Buckets yelled point guard Traevon Jackson from the bench.

Right on the money guard Josh Gasser thought from his spot near half court.

No no no forward Duje Dukan opined.

Then as the ball sailed closer and dropped through the net with 17.6 seconds remaining an explosion of cheers and applause diffused through the Badgers' side. Dekker strutted down the court. Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan patted his backside. And the celebration of a clinching basket in Dekker's defining college performance was on.

Dekker's shot put the finishing touches on a second half team shooting display which may not be duplicated for quite some time during No. 1 seed Wisconsin's 85 78 victory against No. 2 seed Arizona at Staples Center in the NCAA tournament West Region Elite Eight. He scored a career high 27 points and made all five of his 3 point tries in the second half as Wisconsin (35 3) earned a Final Four rematch of last year's national semifinal against Kentucky (38 0).

I had to get it up a little higher said Dekker who earned the West Region's Most Outstanding Player award two days after scoring 23 points against North Carolina in the Sweet 16. But actually I had a good clean look at the rim. I just had to put a lot of arc on it and kind of float it towards the rim. It felt good off the hand.

So did seemingly everything he threw at the rim on a night in which he hit 8 of 11 field goal attempts. Dekker the 6 foot 9 junior and former five star recruit from Sheboygan Wis. who never could do enough to please a fan base with sky high expectations showcased every bit of the skill set that made him such a highly coveted player. His final 3 over the outstretched arm of Arizona forward Rondae Hollis Jefferson put Wisconsin ahead 84 76 and dashed Arizona's hopes of reaching the final weekend for a second consecutive season.

I was so happy he hit it on Rondae too Jackson said. I guess he was talking stuff before the game. He's a good dude a good player but he's not better than Sam. That was great to see that. And I don't usually say stuff about players but I didn't like that. That was great to see Sam go out and go to work. That was awesome.

Dekker's heroics coupled with center Frank Kaminsky's 29 points and six rebounds were needed because Arizona (34 4) was every bit as good as advertised. The Wildcats entered the game ranked third nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and held the Badgers in check during a rugged first half. Arizona led 33 30 at halftime and seemed destined to help head coach Sean Miller win his first Elite Eight game in four tries.

This was one of those times where it was just that look we give each other Badgers forward Nigel Hayes said of the halftime scene. We shouldn't be in that situation. But it was a look like 'All right guys here we go again.' ... Nothing's said but the look says it all.

What followed was an 11 1 Wisconsin surge out of halftime that turned the tide of the game. Not surprisingly Kaminsky and Dekker were heavily involved in the run. Kaminsky buried a 3 from just right of the top of the key to tie the game at 33 holding up three fingers as he jogged down the court. Dekker then drained a 3 off Kaminsky's interior pass and Kaminsky scored the next five points for a 41 34 Badgers lead.

Arizona cut the deficit to 47 46 on Brandon Ashley's layup with 13 48 remaining. But 16 seconds later Dekker made another 3 and the Wildcats could not creep closer than two points the rest of the way.

That's the best I've ever seen him play and I've been playing with him for years now going back to AAU Badgers point guard Bronson Koenig said. Just that second half was pretty crazy for him.

Dekker was so hot and confident that after making one of his 3s from the left corner he stared down a section of Arizona fans that had been yelling his name throughout.

If you follow us I like to play with some energy some spunk Dekker said. I get a little bit of a swagger sometimes if I'm feeling good. That's just part of basketball. I don't think there's anything wrong with a little emotion a little trash talk. That stuff is all part of the game. But you have to back it up at the same time. That was just a little glare. That stuff happens. It's basketball.

In the end Wisconsin shot an astounding 78.9 percent from the field in the second half (15 of 19) and made 83.3 percent of its 3s (10 of 12). For the game UW set season highs against Arizona for points scored (85) shooting percentage (.556) 3 pointers made (12) and 3 point percentage (.667).

This one I'm going to enjoy quite a bit because Arizona gave us everything they had Ryan said. And I'm sure Sean is looking at that and going 'Come on how many times is that going to happen '

Added Arizona's Miller No team has done what they did to us in the second half. That's to their credit. They made shots and if they play like that next weekend they have a chance to win it all.

When the issue was no longer in doubt in the waning seconds Dekker winked at Hayes and collected a big hug from Kaminsky. Wisconsin's players donned black hats with gold lettering that read Regional Champs and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers walked on the court and gave a bro hug and a high five to Dekker. The team took a Twitter selfie on the podium Ryan hugged his wife Kelly and bent down to hug three granddaughters and players took turns cradling the regional championship trophy.

It was a celebration players had expected all season the third net cutting ceremony this month after Wisconsin won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. Perhaps a loss would not have constituted a failure for the season but it surely would have represented a major disappointment for the most talented team in school history a group that already has surpassed the single season program record for victories.

Now the Badgers want more. And they'll certainly get all they can handle at the Final Four against one of the best college basketball teams in generations.

It's a different feeling this year Gasser said on the floor during the net cutting ceremony. Last year it was like the end of the world we made it there. Now it's like all right what's next We've got a good feeling right now.

Follow Jesse Temple on Twitter

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Time to Believe Surprising Michigan State Streaks into 2015 Final Four

SYRACUSE N.Y. Amid the celebration after Michigan State's win over Louisville in the East's regional final Sunday the Spartans players sought the one man who hadn't yet taken a piece of net. They looked around yelled for him. The pep band even roused itself from baseline seats once Tom Izzo ended a conversation and strolled to the ladder.

It had been a while since the Spartans' adored leader had achieved these intoxicating heights and this one definitely felt different. He said it leading up to the chance to play Louisville on Sunday. His moist eyes and the tight hugs he dished out added to the affirmation. Achieving a nylon conquest at the Carrier Dome the fight song played the coach saluted. He snipped and smiled mightily.

When asked why this upcoming Final Four appearance means so much he can really cut to the heart of the matter. There were early season misgivings free throw shanks competition that frankly seemed way above the Spartans' pay grade.

I d like to tell you I thought five different times this year we were good enough to get to a Final Four Izzo said not long after earning his first Final Four bid since 2010. But I d be lying to you. I just wasn t sure we had enough size enough talent in certain areas.

A 76 70 overtime triumph may be the most special of his fabulous career s success stories. And for all of the doubters out there who can assuredly bet against them now in a two game season

The seventh seeded Spartans are far from done in this tournament. Now slotted as the underdog surrounded by No. 1 seeds they are ready to own that label.

They re in contention regardless of the number to the left of their name difficult to beat with several days notice and nearly impossible to handle with only a day of prep time thanks to Izzo.

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

They were just tearing us apart in every aspect. But we all got together and fought together MSU s Bryn Forbes said noting an eight point halftime deficit that you just knew wasn t going to hold as long as Izzo was around.

That would be like an MSU basketball game these days going on without some reference to and crowd shot of Magic Johnson.

Oh and speaking of magic the Spartans improved to 20 4 under Turnaround Tom in NCAA tournament games with only one day of prep time.

How he does it why these spunky Spartans are still playing is as critical as the talent itself. This isn t Izzo s best collection with a 27 11 record it will be a clear underdog in Indianapolis later this week against Duke and either Kentucky or Wisconsin if it happens to win Saturday.

Yet none of that seems to matter to this team.

That success is a two pronged synchronized attack with a savvy head coach. First Izzo knows just what buttons to press within the preparation time without letting players get bogged down in details. It s about 10 or 15 minutes of film respecting weary attention spans and tired bodies.

Then it s also about a simple message. Before the game Izzo wrote this particular one on the blackboard 2 hours/Memory for Life.

Nick Lisi/Associated Press

Earlier in the day he also had a heart to heart in front of the team calling out Branden Dawson. The sometimes mercurial senior apologized in front of the team after Friday night s game dismayed at his own effort against Oklahoma. He spent five minutes thanking the group for essentially extending his career.

Izzo praised Dawson for the mea culpa a few hours before facing Louisville telling him he knew now exactly how much the game and the team meant to the senior and he d never question him again.

Let s make sure you leave it all on the court assistant coach Dane Fife said recalling Izzo s message and then Izzo addressed the team.

Powerful stuff Fife said.

Dawson s career came amazingly full circle from a lot of potential to full execution with a remarkable putback of a missed Bryn Forbes three pointer that put the Spartans ahead by four with 30 seconds left.

The Spartans overcame a scorching first half from Montrezl Harrell and Izzo s head went into whiplash mode a couple of times after Terry Rozier turned three steals into a nonchalant six points. The Spartans don't have that kind of breathing room even on their best days. The raspy voiced coach has been around long enough to know that.

We don t make it easy Izzo said to the crowd with a microphone. But we re going to the Final Four.

And they re going to be a Webster s definition of a hard out.

MSU may have been the most pressure packed No. 7 seed ever.

Last March ended in the Elite Eight in heart shattering fashion. Go figure UConn was a No. 7 seed that went on to win the national championship. But the outcome was a devastating historical marker for Izzo s program because it produced unfortunate trivia answers in Keith Appling and Adreian Payne the first MSU seniors in Izzo s 20 years to not reach a Final Four. That burden wasn't going away without a win against the Cardinals.

You feel for those guys that kind of were tagged with the burden of being the first team that the seniors didn't make it because it's kind of ridiculous when you think about it Izzo said before facing Louisville. I mean it was something that was going to end sooner or later.

Izzo praised this year's veterans for being on a mission to maybe start their own legacy.

This will be Izzo s seventh Final Four and he certainly appreciated what he has no problem calling a surprise of an achievement to get this far. He wiped his brow repeatedly and tears filled his eyes as he hugged staff alumni and current players not long after the final horn. To compare the program to a similar level with the Badgers Blue Devils or Wildcats is completely fair. But regarding this particular team it just hasn't been close.

The East Region turned wide open starting with top seeded Villanova going down last weekend. That part of the bracket gave a spry team like MSU just enough wiggle room. It ousted Virginia at its own game to reach the Sweet 16 then dismissed Oklahoma with just enough of that classic Izzo grit and guts.

It may have been Izzo's most meaningful win ever in large part because of the way his players reacted.

Several Spartans noted they had never seen Travis Trice so ill a few years ago actually cry.

You don t ever want to see your baby cry said his mother Julie wearing a No. 20 jersey herself. But this time I just told him Let it go.'

It seems like all year MSU s just been trying to hold on. It was shaken by a home overtime loss to Texas Southern in late December. Free throw woes threatened to undermine a team that was otherwise unified. Back to back losses right before the Big Ten tournament to Minnesota and Wisconsin made Spartan Nation wonder.

Then even the first half against Louisville Michigan State played from behind and couldn't stop the Cardinals.

Izzo credited his staff for pulling the Spartans along too. This was a major confidence hurdle cleared.

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

MSU can put the modesty away. Tum Tum Nairn Jr. sure did.

Did you see me on TV Did you see us on TV he screamed into a cell phone as a CBS camera panned by while the Spartans were on stage accepting their regional championship trophy.

The TV time is just getting started. So is Izzo whose talents energy and experience become the great wild card of the tournament's final weekend.

I just love to work at this time of year he said.

Jason Franchuk covered BYU basketball for the Provo (Utah) Daily Herald for 11 years including all of Jimmer Mania and now resides in Albany New York. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Comcast Business Launches 10 Gbits Ethernet in Connecticut

NORWICH Conn. Comcast Business today announced that its full portfolio of multi Gigabit Ethernet services is now available across six communities in New London County Connecticut bringing the total number of towns and cities in Connecticut that have access to Comcasts services to 66. Capable of up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps) of performance these services are specifically designed for businesses hospitals schools and other organizations requiring more capacity looking to network multiple locations together or planning to connect their offices to a third party data center.

Eastern Connecticut is filled with thriving businesses of all sizes nearly all of which require access to a reliable high performance communications network to successfully compete in todays ever changing economy said Tony Sheridan president of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT. Were very happy that Comcast Business has continued to invest in bringing its multi gigabit Ethernet services to so many of our local communities and we look forward to continuing our valuable partnership well into the future.

With this announcement the communities of Bozrah Franklin Lisbon Norwich Preston and Sprague can now take advantage of four different types of Comcast Business multi Gigabit Ethernet services including

Ethernet Private Line point to point service between two customer sites for bandwidth intensive applications. Ethernet Virtual Private Line point to multipoint service that allows customers to tailor capacity performance characteristics and cost to meet the needs of their applications. Ethernet Network Service multipoint to multipoint service to connect organizations with high bandwidth requirements and multiple locations across Comcasts network. Ethernet Dedicated Internet continuous high capacity service between customers LANs and the public Internet.

Whether its a school providing tablets to its students for online learning a hospital transferring large imaging files or a police department monitoring surveillance video in real time capacity and performance are increasingly becoming the two main engines driving all businesses said Paul Savas vice president of Comcast Business in Connecticut. Our fiber expansion in these six communities is the latest example of the significant investments weve made to increase the availability of our multi Gigabit Ethernet services which can scale from anywhere between 1 Mbps all the way up to 10 Gbps of performance to help foster economic development and drive competition innovation and value for our customers across New London County and Connecticut overall. We look forward to continuing to expand these services so businesses of all sizes can take advantage of the scalability and performance our vast network can offer.

All of Comcasts multi Gigabit Ethernet services are delivered over an advanced network that spans 145 000 miles across 39 states and the District of Columbia. Serving 20 of the top 25 U.S. markets Comcasts network features a 100 Gbps backbone and expanded local footprint through Ethernet over HFC. Bandwidth is available up to 10 Gbps and can be scaled in increments and offered in three different classes of service backed by service level agreements and monitored 24x7x365 from Comcasts dedicated Network Operations Centers. Comcast was the first service provider in the world to offer Metro Ethernet Forum CE 2.0 certified Ethernet services and was also the first service provider to achieve all three of the previous CE 1.0 certifications (MEF 9 14 and 18).

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Watch George Ezra Bring the Folk to SNL

British singer George Ezra made his biggest U.S. television appearance to date as the rising folk star performed a pair of his hit singles during the Rock hosted episode of Saturday Night Live. Ezra whose Wanted on Voyage is already a Number One album in the U.K. seemed genuinely delighted to deliver pitch perfect renditions of Budapest and Blame It On Me to an audience of millions in his SNL debut.

Sidebar 10 Artists You Need to Know Now

From Bastille and Sam Smith in Season 39 to Hozier earlier in Season 40 Saturday Night Live has made it a habit in recent years to give emerging talent the prestigious musical guest spot at Studio 8H before the artists become a household name and Ezra is the latest up and comer to carry that torch.

Ezra one of Rolling Stone's 10 New Artists You Need to Know for January 2015 discussed his folk influences earlier in the year. My dad's CD collection was Tom Waits Cat Stevens Bob Dylan Paul Simon Ezra told Rolling Stone. When I first heard Dylan's debut album he's a 20 year old singing on that album and whether you're 20 years old in the Sixties or 20 years old now I think you're gonna be on some sort of level. I understood what he was going on about even though he didn't sound like any of the 20 year olds I was hanging around with at the time.

Ezra's next high profile American gig will come when the British crooner performs at the Coachella Festival. However Ezra didn't provide the only noteworthy musical moments on SNL Check out the Rock's catchy opening monologue where he sings about being Movie Franchise Viagra

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Irritated by Palm Sunday

We were bad before Easter.

Easter celebrates the conquest of death by Life. This is the day we remember that God became man so man could become like God. This is the greatest party and a foreshadowing of the party to come.

But I am a philosopher by nature and we are cynical souls and so begins a series on the people who are more like I would have been during those great days. These are the people who had a Bad Easter. They chose to quote The Last Crusade poorly.

There but for the grace of the calendar go I.

Palm Sunday started this best week off with a celebration. Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead. People were excited and he entered Jerusalem looking like a King. If you were a Roman this was bad news but it was also bad news for a certain type of religious person. As the excitement built they saw people having fun and knew in their hearts something must be wrong.

Joy is suspicious. Religious joy doubly so. Flourishing human beings are hard to control rob and destroy. There is a reason toxic churches exist they exercise control to enrich themselves. They do well for themselves by perverting the gospel for power and profit. Jesus was coming into the city but he was not coming with the right permission or approval and not in a way where money could be made. He was wasting this chance to monetize his ministry and irritating the powerful establishment. Let the historical record reveal the wickedness (from the account of Saint Luke)

As he rode along people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen saying

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him Teacher order your disciples to stop. He answered I tell you if these were silent the stones would shout out.

Why would the Pharisees so irritated It was not their beliefs. Remember in terms of Jewish schools of thought and ideas Jesus was a Pharisee. He believed what they believed but unlike the Pharisees Jesus did what he preached. He believed in the resurrection of the dead like they did but he saw the dead raised. He believed in Scripture like they did but he lived it. He rejected watering down Scripture to fit with the trendy ideas of the academic elite like the Pharisees did but kept talking about it publicly.

He cared about the poor in practice and not just in words. He cared about justice in practice not just in words. He opposed sin and was sinless.

Worst of all Jesus was having a big show outside the Temple structure. If a rabbi spoke in the Temple money could be made product (doves in this case not DVDs) could be sold. Jesus was wasting His chance and worst of all He was doing so in a way calculated to ruin the fun for everyone else. He was giving away the pitch and irritating the Romans.

How could the hypocrites keep their graft going

Jesus disciples were proclaiming Jesus king. This was not going to go well with the statists in government who thought they had a monopoly on power. Romans wanted everyone to say Caesar (government) is Lord but Jesus disciples were saying He was Lord. Liberty was threatening to break out all over Jerusalem.

Jesus disciples were asking God for help directly (Hosanna ) not going through the established regime. No offering was being collected. Jesus was on a donkey and not the ancient equivalent of his own jet. He was a Pharisee making the other Pharisees look like the sold out to the Romans grifters they were.

Being a Pharisee is good business you represent the reaction to the secular Romans and the liberal Sadducees. You can peddle apocalypse and fear. You can develop a counter culture that can be quite lucrative. You can build a small pond and be the big perch of the pond.

Jesus was a real threat not because He was some hippy liberal Sadducee but because Jesus took Moses seriously. He lived out the conservative way of life. He had no King but God and He wasn t part of their counter culture establishment. His disciples were messing up the compromise that if churches were quiet about their beliefs in public the Romans would let them say any of their Jewish nonsense in private.

Jesus was being a public Jew.

How to attack this man He was faithful to the Scriptures. He was righteous. He went around doing good. He was not a Roman flunky cutting deals in private.

The only recourse was to shut Jesus and His students up. On Palm Sunday they would not be quiet. They were shouting Jewish truths so loudly that everyone could hear and so the establishment (right and left) was mad.

Judging people is unpopular just now but forget particular people. We all have traces of Bad Easter in us. The line between Hosanna and Get those kids out of my palm trees runs through every human heart. We are cranky when we should be joyous. We are narrow when we should be broad and broad when we should be narrow.

Am I irritated by Jesus Does Jesus demand I do what I say Is Jesus insisting I shout in public that He is Lord and not Washington Is He demanding I stand in solidarity with the sick the poor the prisoner and the powerless Is Jesus saying both never do I condemn you and so irritating the religious right and go and sin no more irritating the religious left

Are Jesus followers being loud about some truth in ways that shame me in front of my cool academic friends Am I putting Jesus in American Christian speak so only those who know my dog whistles can hear what I am saying Am I bold in Church but a coward in public Am I part of a Temple system that sells the truth for money

I am. We all are. I can wave a palm branch and still think those kids should be quiet. Am I

Time to pray Lord Jesus Christ son of God have mercy on me a sinner.

The oldest Christian churches celebrate Easter on a different schedule. We are one week later . . . but in an act of ecumenical joy I am writing this week

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Kids Choice Awards 2015 Angelina Jolie Jennifer Lopez Tons of Slime

Nick Jonas wowed the crowd at the 2015 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards held Saturday at the Forum in Inglewood Calif. which seats 17 500 screaming kids.

The host pulled double duty kicking off the live show with a medley performance of his hits Chains and Jealous. Welcomed by a video montage of A listers chanting his name Taylor Swift Heidi Klum and of course SpongeBob SquarePants Patrick Star Jonas took the stage in front of the star studded audience including Chris Pratt Jamie Foxx and Angelina Jolie who was joined by two of her kids Shiloh and Zahara.

A lot of girls in the house are still struggling after One Direction became two directions Jonas greeted the crowd alluding to this week s news of the boy band losing member Zayn Malik. Poking fun at himself he quipped What s next the Jonas Brother

Emma Stone won the first award of the night for favorite movie actress. Next up Kaley Cuoco Sweeting and Kevin James presented Liam Hemsworth who walked up to stage through a fountain of slime with the orange blimp for favorite male action star. Hemsworth s co star Jennifer Lawrence not in attendance also won for favorite female action star and The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 won for favorite movie.

Some of the night s other big winners were Jolie who won for Maleficient Ben Stiller who won for the latest Night at the Museum installment girl band Fifth Harmony The Voice for favorite talent competition show Disney Channel s Austin Ally and Modern Family whose entire cast was slimed when they accepted their honor for favorite family show.

When I was little I was told I was different Jolie said during her acceptance speech picking up the award for best villain. She addressed the room of kids with an inspiring message. Different is good. So don t fit in. Don t sit still. Don t ever try to do less than you are. When somebody tells you you re different smile and hold your head up high and be proud. And as your villain I would also say cause a little trouble. It s good for you.

Josh Gad who headed to the Kids Choice Awards after Variety Studio Actors on Actors presented the blimp for favorite reality Sh ow with Adam Sandler. The comedians (not to be confused with Gad s upcoming FX series) announced the winner Dance Moms but not before Sandler doused Gad in green goo via a gigantic slime gun.

Throughout the night Jonas made his way through the crowd to take photos with celebrities such as Terrell Owens and Al Roker who predicted a forecast of slime.

Jennifer Lopez was one of the show s surprise superstars. The American Idol icon presented the award for favorite male singer which went to the man of the night Jonas.

You deserve this and so much more Lopez said bringing down gallons of slime to drench the host. Do you want some more Because I can make it happen she teased.

Chris Rock Zendaya Tia Mowry Hardrict Debby Ryan YouTube phenomenons Bethany Mota and Shawn Mendes and Nick Cannon who donned an orange suit were presenters at the KCAs.

Iggy Azalea and Jennifer Hudson teamed up to perform their single Trouble with the rapper dressed up as an inmate and the songstress as a cop.

Closing the night Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer rocked out to their hit What I Like About You and yes the stage exploded with slime.

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Gonzaga vs. Duke 2015 results 3 things we learned from Blue Devils shutdown ...

Duke was looking for its 12th Final Four berth. Gonzaga was looking for its first.

On Sunday in Houston history repeated itself at NRG Stadium in the South Regional final. No. 1 Duke locked down the Bulldogs on defense and made free throws and clutch shots down the stretch to earn a 66 52 win over No. 2 Gonzaga along with the last Final Four berth awarded in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Talented freshmen carried the day for Duke Matt Jones (16 points 4 for 7 from three) fired away from deep Justise Winslow (16 points) mixed threes and free throws and Tyus Jones contributed 15 points and six assists. That production made up from another relatively quiet game from Jahlil Okafor who finished with just nine points and seven rebounds.

But it was defense that made the difference down the stretch for the Blue Devils who held Gonzaga without a field goal for the final 6 40 of play building a double digit lead in the process. Bulldogs big men Przemek Karnowski and Domantas Sabonis combined for just 13 points and while Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer's 16 points led Gonzaga only one other Zag Byron Wesley scored in double figures.

The victory gives Duke and Mike Krzyzewski 12 Final Four appearances tying Coach K with John Wooden for the most Final Four appearances by a coach in college basketball history.

Here are three things we learned from Duke's latest Elite Eight win under Krzyzewski.

1. Duke can be great without much from Okafor

In 40 minutes against Gonzaga Duke committed just three turnovers one in the first half (with 1 44 left on the clock) and two in the second one of them deliberate. Gonzaga had 11.

That care taken with the ball helped make up for a relatively mortal day by Okafor who struggled to find a rhythm against Gonzaga's bigs and underwhelming shooting inside the arc where the Blue Devils made only slightly more than a third of their shots. Duke took 56 shots to Gonzaga's 50 and 19 free throws to the Zags' nine keeping the ball for long enough to take shots and get fouled was the main difference there.

2. Duke is immune to shooting struggles in Houston

The NCAA Tournament has made three trips to the Houston Texans' stadium for regional and Final Four play since 2010. The cavernous venue and the use of huge black curtains to cover seats not sold for those games have wreaked havoc on shooting percentages most notably in the 2011 NCAA Tournament final a game in which UConn shot 34.5 percent from the field nearly doubling Butler's wretched 18.8 percent shooting on the night.

But Duke Duke has been just fine in Houston.

In four NCAA Tournament games in what was Reliant Stadium in 2010 and is NRG Stadium now Duke has made 28 of 66 threes and shot better than 40 percent from distance in three of four tries including an 8 for 19 performance on Sunday. 10 other teams have had a combined 14 chances to shoot in Houston and just one of those three point performances Baylor's 8 for 17 night against Saint Mary's in 2010 topped the 40 percent mark.

That magic the Blue Devils have at this venue has helped make them a perfect 4 0 in games in Houston since 2010 propelling them to two Final Fours.

3. Gonzaga just didn't have enough

Gonzaga had a chance to tie the game with just under five minutes to play on a Wiltjer layup but he missed. From that point on Duke would outscore the Zags 13 1.

And it wasn't shooting that got the Blue Devils those points Duke made just two field goals in the final 6 40 while Gonzaga made none. But Duke and especially Winslow was able to drive on Gonzaga to create scoring opportunities at the line while Gonzaga simply couldn't do the same with a team lacking in players capable of breaking down a defense off the dribble.

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Final Four rematch Its UK Wisconsin again

VIDEOS UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo Final Four preview No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky 01 57

USA TODAY Sports' Scott Gleeson and Nancy Armour preview the Final Four matchup between Kentucky and Wisconsin.

VIDEOS UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURHow to beat Kentucky in the Final Four 01 37

USA TODAY Sports' Scott Gleeson discusses the game plan to beating undefeated (38 0) Kentucky.

VIDEOS UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo Calipari players after thrilling win 17 53

Video Kentucky talks after defeating Notre Dame

VIDEOS UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo UK fans celebrate in Lexington 01 00

Kentucky basketball fans took to State Street in Lexington Saturday night to celebrate UK's win over Notre Dame and earn a trip to the 2015 Final Four in Indianapolis. James Crisp / special to The Courier Journal

VIDEOS UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo UK's Cauley Stein on defensive heroics vs. ND 05 36

Video UK's Cauley Stein on defensive heroics vs. ND

VIDEOS UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo UK's Aaron Harrison on another clutch three 01 16

Video UK's Aaron Harrison on another clutch three

VIDEOS UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo UK's Andrew Harrison on clinching free throws 01 16

Video UK's Andrew Harrison on clinching free throws

VIDEOS UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo UK's Ulis has a new net necklace Final Four ticket 03 07

Video UK's Ulis has a new net necklace Final Four ticket

VIDEOS UK BASKETBALL IN THE FINAL FOURVideo UK's Towns hugs trophy talks Elite Eight win 03 06

Video UK's Towns hugs trophy talks Elite Eight win

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BasketballInsiders.com s Cody Toppert and CineSport s Brian Clark discuss Kentucky s dominant win over West Virginia and discuss Wisconsin Arizona and Notre Dame s Sweet 16 wins.

Last VideoNext Video

Kentucky's Aaron Harrison far left celebrates with his team after the Wildcats defeated the Badgers Saturday night at the Final Four at ATT Stadium in Arlington Texas. April 5 2014

CLEVELAND Since Aaron Harrison's final dagger dropped with six seconds left in last year's national semifinal Wisconsin has been on a mission.

That loss left a sour taste in our mouth so we wanted to get back Badgers forward Sam Dekker said Saturday after winning the NCAA Tournament's West Regional to return to the Final Four.

Since Connecticut ruined Kentucky's storybook ending in the national championship game last season the Wildcats have been similarly motivated.

Just two more games said Andrew Harrison late Saturday night after hitting the clinching free throws against Notre Dame to get UK into its second straight Final Four and fourth in five years under coach John Calipari. You really remember that feeling you had after the (title) game last year. You don't want to have that feeling again.

But someone's redemption tour will be stopped short in the rematch. The undefeated Wildcats (38 0) must go through red hot Wisconsin (35 3) again this time in Indianapolis for their shot at a ninth NCAA championship and college basketball's first 40 0 season.

The Badgers who returned eight of the nine guys who played in last year's Final Four duel with Kentucky have won 10 straight games and hit 10 of 12 3 pointers in the second half Saturday to blow by Arizona.

I know (Wisconsin coach) Bo Ryan and he's a great friend and how good he coaches said Calipari who has won 15 of his last 16 NCAA Tournament games. I've said all along I thought the (four) best teams were us Wisconsin and Arizona and Duke. And other teams are right there but those four seem to be a little bit better than the others.

The Badgers have a combination of shooting and size seven players 6 8 or taller including 6 9 Dekker and 7 foot All American Frank Kaminsky to threaten the Cats. Kentucky with just one major contributor shorter than 6 6 ultimately overtook the Fighting Irish with a massive mismatch in length.

That's a great matchup said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey after his team fell just short in a 68 66 thriller. Wisconsin's a little bit like us they're skilled and they can spread people out. They have a little more bulk and frontline size but they're really skilled offensive guys and certainly we were able to get some things tonight.

THE COURIER JOURNAL

Analysis Towns UK outlast Notre Dame 68 66

The Cats returned just five of the guys who played against Wisconsin the first time and lost their top two scorers from that 74 73 classic but that doesn't mean the Cats are less equipped. This team is actually far better than that one. They added four McDonald's All Americans including 6 11 freshman star Karl Anthony Towns who poured in 25 points against the Irish.

Junior 7 footer Willie Cauley Stein the nation's top defender who helped save Saturday's game with a late block was injured and didn't play the Badgers last year. But he knows this will be a challenge.

I'm glad we have a week to prepare for them Cauley Stein said. The way they play together is the best in the country. This is when I'm glad we don't have one day to prepare for them. One day to prepare for a team like Notre Dame That's why we couldn't stop them. If we'd had a couple more days to see where the holes are . but the way they run their offense is crazy. You really can't stop it.

THE COURIER JOURNAL

Analysis Towns UK outlast Notre Dame 68 66

It's really them missing shots and you get the rebounds and that's how you stop them. Otherwise they're going to get their shots up and if they're making them it's going to be a long night.

One of the Wildcats' newcomers rookie point guard Tyler Ulis is still familiar with Wisconsin's best player Kaminsky. They're both former Illinois high school stars and played in the same league.

Ulis is new to this matchup and this stage but he knows what to expect.

Another hard fought game he said and I feel like they want some get back from last year.

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582 4361. Follow him on Twitter KyleTucker_CJ.

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Justin Timberlake Thanks Pregnant Wife Jessica Biel At The iHeartRadio Awards

Justin Timberlake was sure to save the best for last during his lengthy iHeartRadio Awards acceptance speech for the Innovator Award on Sunday.

After spending some time encouraging his young fans to embrace being different as well as thanking his mother and management team the 34 year old ended his speech with a touching (and funny) shout out to his pregnant wife Jessica Biel.

Lastly you can't have innovation without creation so finally I want to thank my best friend my favorite collaborator my wife Jessica at home who's watching Timberlake said. Honey I can't wait to see our greatest creation yet. Don't worry Daddy's heading home right now to innovate by learning how to change a poopy diaper and get my swaddle on.

Biel and Timberlake are expecting their first child together any day now.

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Kaminsky Dekker lead fun loving Wisconsin Badgers back to Final Four

LOS ANGELES Traevon Jackson called it.

Jackson Wisconsin s often used go to option in the clutch the point guard who has made four game tying or winning shots in college had the best view of Sam Dekker s heave with the shot clock expiring. Wisconsin was up 81 76 with Arizona frantically looking for something to go right when Dekker shot over the outstretched hand of Rondae Hollis Jefferson.

Buckets Jackson cried out from the bench. And in it went the Badgers 12th three pointer of the night giving them an 84 76 lead with 17 seconds to go. The shot was a dagger right through the heart of UA point guard T.J. McConnell who shuffled to the sideline eight seconds later and buried his head into his Sean Miller s arms with tears in his eyes apologizing to his coach for not taking him to a Final Four.

The regional rematch everyone wanted lived up to its hype Saturday night at the Staples Center with the Badgers reaching the Final Four for the second year in a row on an 85 78 win. But the reasons were different from what everyone expected. This was not the back and forth trading punches final of last year when Wisconsin escaped with a 64 63 overtime win. This was offensive efficiency at its finest a Wisconsin team showing off its shot making capabilities in the second half hitting everything from everywhere. The Badgers shot 55.6% for the game overall and 78.9% in the second half (15 of 19). They were so hot said Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan they probably should have made those four misses. Who cares that they were playing Arizona one of the best defensive teams in the country

I think they had two threes at the half Arizona coach Sean Miller (correctly) said in postgame. Think about that. Two made threes at the half they had eight in the second half.

College Basketball Try 10 coach.

Ten

Yep. It s O.K. if you didn t expect it Coming into Saturday Wisconsin ranked 111th in three point percentage.

Six of those treys came from Dekker including the back breaker with 17 seconds to go on which he had two thoughts One it looked good when it floated off his hand. And yes he shot it with that much arc on purpose because have you seen Hollis Jefferson s wingspan Two it looked familiar if you ve watched Dekker before. It was eerily similar to the shot that won Sheboygan Lutheran High its first state championship when Dekker was a senior. Ryan called both buckets cold blooded.

After it dropped through the net Dekker turned to Ryan and gave him a little wink. Then he stared down an Arizona contingent that had spent all night chanting Dehhhhh kker Dehhhh kker

MORE CBB Latest scores schedule in live tournament bracket

Sometimes I get a little swagger he said afterward in a jubilant Wisconsin locker room a piece of the net tied around his regional champs ball cap.

It was a tremendous three days for Dekker the regional MVP who followed up a career high 23 points against North Carolina in the Sweet 16 Thursday with another career high (27) against Arizona. As the clock wound down Saturday at Staples Center Wisconsin guard Josh Gasser turned to CBS analyst Reggie Miller known for hitting a few big shots of his own. Sam's got stones like you Gasser said to Miller who laughed and nodded. Gasser repeated the anecdote in the press conference afterward cracking up when Ryan interjected to tell a story about Miller at Wisconsin s shootaround Saturday morning. When an errant pass landed over by Miller the former NBA All Star tossed it inbounds which caused Ryan to say in mock disbelief Guys I want you to look at this. Reggie Miller is passing the ball.

College Basketball All postseason Wisconsin has looked like it s having more fun than anyone else. There s Kaminsky and the GoPro camera strapped to his chest Nigel Hayes flirting with the stenographer and then on Friday Kaminsky strolling over to the ESPN SportsCenter set it s located across from Staples and making a guest appearance on the evening show. I didn t even talk to Ryan about it Kaminsky said. We're just trying to have as much fun as possible. We're still kids.

Ryan said he actually did know where Kaminsky was going and didn t worry about it.

I coached a lot of engineers in Division III for 15 years Ryan said. Their sense of humor isn't always the same ... This is a group that and I said it before with Frank coming back it kind of set the tone for everything.

They know when to get serious.

Kaminsky got serious by scoring a game high 29 points and the entire team will undoubtedly be focused come next week in Indianapolis. Last season a last second Aaron Harrison three pointer kept Wisconsin from reaching its first ever national championship game under Ryan. On Saturday night the Badgers prevented Arizona's revenge bid and now get a shot of their own against another group of Wildcats.

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Duke and Wildcats Match Up Tuesday in Davidson

DURHAM N.C. Following a 10 9 defeat of Syracuse Saturday in Durham fifth ranked Duke (10 1 4 1 ACC) steps out of conference play to travel to in state opponent Davidson Tuesday at 6 p.m. Live video and live stats links for the non conference matchup will be available on GoDuke.com.

By the Numbers250 Career points accumulated by senior attacker Kerrin Maurer who is now tied for third in program history with Caroline Cryer in the category6 Maurer s current rank among all active Division I players in career points1/11 The team s conference and national rank in goals against average (7.09)9 The Blue Devils national rank in scoring margin (6.55)44 Number of goals by which Duke is outscoring its opponents in the first half this season4 1 Duke s record against ranked foes this spring6 0 The Blue Devils record at home so far this season

Davidson Series HistoryThe Blue Devils and the Wildcats will meet for the 13th time in program history Tuesday ... Duke is undefeated in the all time series with a 12 0 ledger ... The Blue Devils are 6 0 in contests played in Davidson N.C. ... Last year s meeting saw nine different Blue Devils tally goals to fuel a 21 2 victory at Koskinen Stadium ... Defensively Duke limited Davidson to just two goals on six shots ... Defender Taylor Virden won five draw controls to help the Blue Devils take the category 18 6.

Scouting the WildcatsDavidson (3 5 0 1 A 10) will look to snap a three game losing streak against Duke Tuesday ... The Wildcats are coming off of a 10 11 loss to George Washington in the team s Atlantic 10 opener last weekend ... Emily Cooke paces the attack with 20 points on four goals and 16 assists while Lucy Sexton (19g) and Annie Brockett (16g 3a) both have 19 points each ... Cooke moved into second place on Davidson s all time career points list earlier this month and holds the school s career assists record ... Emma Sissman leads the team at the draw with 25 in eight games while goalkeeper Katy Boyle owns a 10.23 goals against average and a .444 save percentage.

Blue Devils vs. the Atlantic 10The Duke program is 31 2 all time against Atlantic 10 opponents ... The Blue Devils defeated A 10 member Richmond in February 17 4.

A Look at DukeThe Blue Devils moved up one spot to No. 5 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll after edging No. 7 Syracuse Saturday 10 9 ... The squad is outscoring opponents by an average of 6.55 goals a game to rank second in the ACC and ninth nationally ... Duke is also 10th in the country in total points (220) and 11th in goals against average (7.09) ... Senior Kerrin Maurer ranks second in the ACC in assists per game (1.82) and ranks fifth in points per game (4.00) ... Junior Kelsey Duryea is among the top five goalkeepers nationally in save percentage (.520) and leads the conference in that category as well as in goals against average (6.86).

Last Time OutSixth ranked Duke came out on top in a back and forth battle between a pair of top 10 teams Saturday defeating No. 7 Syracuse 10 9 in Koskinen Stadium ... The Blue Devils rebounded from a loss last weekend at Virginia to collect their fourth victory in ACC play ... Senior Brigid Smith recorded her fourth hat trick of the season and freshman midfielder Maddie Crutchfield logged a season high three points and added three caused turnovers ... Senior attacker Kerrin Maurer matched a career high with eight draw controls ... Junior goalkeeper Kelsey Duryea totaled nine saves in the victory.

One Goal GamesThe Blue Devils prevailed over Syracuse 10 9 in their first one goal game of the season Saturday ... The program is 32 32 all time in contests decided by one goal ... Since 2010 Duke has played in 17 one games posting an 11 6 record in that span.

Hats OffSeniors Kerrin Maurer and Brigid Smith pace the Duke attack with four hat tricks on the season while three other Blue Devils seniors Katie Trees and Taylor Trimble and freshman Kyra Harney have recorded three ... Smith collected her fourth hat trick Saturday in the win over the Orange ... Maurer leads all current Blue Devils with 22 hat tricks for her career ... Trimble tallied four goals to fuel a 10 8 Duke victory at Louisville March 14 ... Maurer scored a season high six markers in the opener at Elon Feb. 7.

Maurer Quarterbacks Duke AttackSenior Kerrin Maurer continues to lead the Blue Devil offense in her final season ... The Setauket N.Y. native paces Duke in goals assists points and draw controls ... She owns 108 assists for her career to rank second all time at Duke and 10th in ACC history ... Maurer is seventh among all active Division I players in career assists and first among current ACC student athletes in the category ... She reached the 250 point mark for her career in Saturday s win over Syracuse tying her for third all time at Duke.

Div. I Active Career Leaders Points

Div. I Active Career Leaders Assists

Senior Experience Paying DividendsDuke is fielding one of its most experienced teams in recent history led by an eight member senior class ... The starting lineup features six seniors including Chelsea Landon Kerrin Maurer and Brigid Smith on attack Katie Trees and Taylor Trimble in the midfield and Gabby Moise on defense ... Captain Erin Tenneson has seen valuable minutes on the second midfield line and Angel Thompson provides leadership as the team s backup goalie ... The eight seniors average 52.1 games played and 33.5 games started for their careers.

Noting the Strong StartThe Blue Devils 10 1 record to open the spring matches the program s best start to a season set in 2006 ... That team went on to finish the spring as the ACC regular season champions and reached the NCAA semifinals ... Head coach Kerstin Kimel s squad is tied for third among all Division I teams with a .909 win percentage.

Devilish on DefenseOpponents are averaging just 7.09 goals per game against a tough Duke defense ... Duke currently leads the ACC and is ranked 11th nationally in that category ... The defensive unit has held nine of its 11 opponents to single digit scoring ... The Blue Devils have averaged 7.5 caused turnovers a game ... Anchored by junior Kelsey Duryea in the net Duke has kept opponents off the board for 20 or more minutes four times on the spring and for 15 or more minutes 11 times.

Scoring StreaksSenior attacker Kerrin Maurer has tallied at least one point in a career best 37 consecutive games heading into the weekend ... The Setauket N.Y. native has scored multiple goals in nine of the 10 contests this spring and posted multiple assists seven times ... Senior Taylor Trimble and freshman Kyra Harney have registered at least one point in all 11 games this spring.

Blue Devils Climbing Career ChartsSenior Kerrin Maurer has surpassed the 250 points 100 draw controls and 100 assists marks for her career this season ... She is one of just nine players all time at Duke with 200 or more points for her career (250) and moved into a tie for third with Caroline Cryer on the all time list last weekend ... The 250 career points also rank her sixth among all active Division I players ... Senior Taylor Trimble recorded the 100th goal of her career in the season opening win over Elon ... Junior goalkeeper Kelsey Duryea owns 366 saves for her career to rank sixth at Duke and topped the 100 ground balls mark March 14 against Louisville.

Duke in the PollsThe Blue Devils have been ranked inside the top 10 of the IWLCA Coaches Poll every week dating back to May 2008 when the squad was tabbed No. 12 ... The squad earned a season high ranking of No. 4 in the IWLCA poll March 9 ... The No. 4 ranking was the highest for the program since March of 2012.

Scheduling the BestDuke s 2015 slate features nine teams currently ranked in the IWLCA and Inside Lacrosse national polls ... The Blue Devils schedule includes matchups with four of the top five teams in the coaches poll ... Duke will face 10 of the teams selected to the 2014 NCAA Tournament field including national semifinalists Northwestern Syracuse and Virginia.

250 Victories for Kimel and Duke ProgramThe March 14 victory at Louisville marked the 250th for the Duke program ... Head coach Kerstin Kimel has guided the Blue Devils to an all time record of 251 119 since establishing the program in 1996 ... Kimel registered the 250th victory of her coaching career Feb. 22 against William Mary ... She is one of just six active Division I head coaches with 250 or more career wins.

GoDuke

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Artist owned streaming service TIDAL promises to re establish the value of music

This afternoon Jay Z formally launched his new streaming music service TIDAL with an all star event in New York City. As it turns out Jay Z is merely a co owner Arcade Fire s Win Butler and R gine Chassagne Kanye West Jack White Daft Punk Beyonc Chris Martin of Coldplay Rihanna Madonna also have ownership interests in TIDAL.

All these artists were at hand for today s event and showed their commitment by signing a declaration on stage.

TIDAL is described as a platform owned by artists with the goal to re establish the value of music. Speaking on behalf of the group Alicia Keys explained We want to create a better service and experience for fans and artists. Our mission goes beyond commerce and technology.

Update Jay Z spoke to Billboard about his vision for TIDAL. Read below.

A video proceeding the event featured footage from a recent summit in which the owners of TIDAL gathered to discuss their vision. Daft Punk described the group as the Avengers of Music.

As previously reported TIDAL offers two paid subscription options $19.99 a month for high fidelity audio and $9.99 for standard quality audio. TIDAL can be streamed on the web and downloaded for iOS and Android devices.

It s reported that TIDAL s owners will exclusively release their music through the platform but that has yet to be confirmed.

Replay the event below.

Update Jay Z spoke to Billboard about his vision for TIDAL. We didn t like the direction music was going and thought maybe we could get in and strike an honest blow and if you know the very least we did was make people wake up and try to improve the free vs. paid system and promote fair trade then it would be a win for us anyway he explained.

People are not respecting the music and are devaluing it and devaluing what it really means Jay Z added. People really feel like music is free but will pay $6 for water. You can drink water free out of the tap and it s good water. But they re OK paying for it. It s just the mind set right now.

He said the overriding goal is to ensure artists are properly compensated for your work and not just the owners each of whom control a 3 percent stake in the company will reap the benefits. For someone like me I can go on tour. But what about the people working on the record the content creators and not just the artists If they re not being compensated properly then I think we ll lose some writers and producers and people like that who depend on fair trade. Some would probably have to take another job and I think we ll lose some great writers in the process. Is it fair No. If you put in work everyone else you go to work you get paid. That s fair trade. It s what our country is built on.

Jay Z also said he hopes TIDAL will inspire artists to take more risks creatively. He explained Artists come here and start making songs 18 minutes long or whatever. I know this is going to sound crazy but maybe they start attempting to make a Like a Rolling Stone you know a song that doesn t have a recognizable hook but is still considered one of the greatest songs of all time the freedom that this platform will allow art to flourish here

And while he would not confirm it outright he did tease TIDAL acquiring exclusive content from artists. Anything they want to offer you know just be as creative as possible that s the only charge really. Make it look really good and make everyone that consumes it think Man I got something really great. Treat the people with respect make it memorable.

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Image courtesy Comedy Central

Trevor Noah has been selected to become the next host of the Emmy and Peabody Award winning The Daily Show.

Noah joined The Daily Show in 2014 as a contributor. He made his U.S. television debut in 2012 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and has also appeared on Late Show with David Letterman becoming the first South African stand up comedian to appear on either late night show. Noah has hosted numerous television shows including his own late night talk show in his native country Tonight with Trevor Noah.

He was featured on the October 2014 cover of GQ South Africa and has been profiled in Rolling Stone Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal and by CNN and NPR s Talk of the Nation among others. He continues to tour all over the world and has performed in front of sold out crowds at the Hammersmith Apollo in London and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

Noah only debuted on The Daily Show as senior international correspondent on December 4. And in this morning s coverage of the news NBC s Today show report was typically illustrative of how well known Noah isn t in this country

We now know who will replace Jon Stewart. His name Trevor Noah Savannah Guthrie revealed.

Huh responded Al Roker.

I think it s fair to say he s not well known in this country. He s a South African comedian she continued.

Do not feel bad if you have to Google him assured Tamron Hall.

Trevor Noah is the name look him up advised Willie Geist.

Noah made the shortlist of contenders in early February as more likely candidates or at least those topping the media s list of likely candidates shrank with news they d been snagged by Comedy Central competitors. The list included former Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert who already had committed to taking over David Letterman s CBS late night show (CBS started running Colbert promos Friday in its basketball coverage) former Comedy Central star John Oliver who decided instead to sign a contract extension to continue hosting Last Week Tonight at HBO former Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones who said so long to the show last week as he heads to TBS to star and produce a comedy series and also exec produce a planned topical talker that would star his wife fellow Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee also on the list of People Not Hosting The Daily Show that s expected to be a late night vehicle and current Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams who declared herself underqualified for the gig in February in response to a petition calling for Comedy Central to give her the host s chair.

Noah commented on today s news via Twitter

No one can replace Jon Stewart. But together with the amazing team at The Daily Show we will continue to make this the best damn news show

Trevor Noah ( Trevornoah) March 30 2015

One industry source told Deadline that Comedy Central wanted a host who was not another white male. The genre has taken a lot of criticism among all networks for the homogeneity in its ranks. Noah is from South Africa his mother is South African and his father is Swiss.

In an interview with the New York Times which was given the jump on this morning s announcement Michele Ganeless the Comedy Central president was not quoted addressing that directly but said the network s goal had been to find someone who brings something really exciting and new and different explaining We talked to women. We talked to men. We found in Trevor the best person for the job. You don t hope to find the next Jon Stewart there is no next Jon Stewart.

But the network referenced the debate elliptically in a tweet this morning

Very excited to welcome our next host Trevornoah That's right another guy in late night from Soweto. http //t.co/zlNhBmjg6I

The Daily Show ( TheDailyShow) March 30 2015

We re always excited to find new talented voices that can contribute to our program Stewart said when he unveiled Noah to The Daily Show back in December

Noah is repped by CAA LEG and Morris Yorn.

PREVIOUS 6 AM Comedy Central made it official this morning leaking to the New York Times its planned Monday announcement that the young South African comic will take over the hosting slot on The Daily Show when Jon Stewart departs. That date remains unknown. Deadline revealed on Friday that Noah was being fast tracked for the job.

You don t believe it for the first few hours Noah told the Times by phone from Dubai where he is on a leg of a comedy tour. You need a stiff drink and then unfortunately you re in a place where you can t really get alcohol.

Jon Stewart in an uncharacteristically exclamation point laden profusion of boosterism told the Times I m thrilled for the show and for Trevor. He s a tremendous comic and talent that we ve loved working with. Mr. Stewart added that he may rejoin as a correspondent just to be a part of it

The comedian 31 has only appeared on the flagship Comedy Central program three times. Michele Ganeless the Comedy Central president told the Times We talked to women. We talked to men. We found in Trevor the best person for the job. You don t hope to find the next Jon Stewart there is no next Jon Stewart. So our goal was to find someone who brings something really exciting and new and different.

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