Guard Haley Jones (30) and Stanford face UConn in the Final Four of the women’s basketball tournament at 9:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN. Photo courtesy of Stanford Athletics
MIAMI, April 1 (UPI) — The Final Four for the respective NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, two NASCAR races and a PGA Tour golf tournament lead the weekend sports schedule.
The NBA, NHL, domestic soccer league regular seasons and the Miami Open tennis tournament also pack the Friday through Sunday slate.
But March Madness will be the main event for sports fans. Eight total teams remain in the combined men’s and women’s tournament fields.
On the men’s side, top seed Kansas will face No. 2 Villanova in the first of two National Semifinal matchups Saturday in New Orleans. No. 2 Duke then battles rival North Carolina, a No. 8 seed, in the second men’s Final Four matchup on the same court.
The women’s Final Four features three No. 1 seeds. Top-seeded foes South Carolina and Louisville will face off in the first matchup Friday in Minneapolis. No. 2 UConn then battles No. 1 Stanford in the second women’s National Semifinal game.
Men’s Final Four
No. 2 Villanova and No. 1 Kansas tip off the men’s Final Four with a 6:09 p.m. EDT matchup Saturday on TBS.
Kansas is a 4.5-point favorite to beat Villanova and advance to the title game, where they could face No. 2 Duke or No. 8 North Carolina.
Duke and North Carolina meet in the NCAA tournament for the first time in the history of their storied rivalry.
Duke is a slight favorite to knock off the Tar Heels. That game is scheduled to tip off at 8:49 p.m. Saturday on TBS.
The men’s National Championship game airs at 9:20 p.m. Monday on TBS.
Women’s Final Four
No. 1 overall seed South Carolina takes on fellow top seed Louisville in the first game of the women’s Final Four at 7 p.m. EDT Friday on ESPN.
No. 2 UConn battles No. 1 Stanford at 9:30 p.m. Friday on the same network.
South Carolina is an 8-point favorite to advance. Stanford is a slight favorite to knock off UConn.
The women’s National Championship game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.
PGA Tour
Rory McIlroy, the No. 9 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, is the favorite to win this weekend’s Valero Texas Open.
The tournament teed off Thursday and runs through Sunday at the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. The four round competition airs on Golf Channel and NBC.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth, Corey Conners, Hideki Matsuyama, Abraham Ancer and Bryson DeChambeau are among the other favorites to win the tournament, which occurs a week before the 2022 Masters Tournament and serves as a warm-up for the major.
The winner of the Texas Open will take hope $1.3 million of the tournament’s $7.9 million prize purse.
The second round of the Texas Open airs from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday on NBC’s Golf Channel. The third round airs from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday on Golf Channel and from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on NBC.
The final round of the tournament airs from 1 to 2 p.m. Sunday on Golf Channel and from 2 to 6 p.m. on NBC.
Weekend schedule (all times EDT)
Friday
Tennis
Miami Open: Men’s semifinal at 1 p.m. on Tennis Channel
Miami Open: Men’s semifinal at 7 p.m. on Tennis Channel
Golf
Valero Texas Open: Second round from 4 to 7 p.m. on Golf Channel
College basketball
Women’s
Final Four: South Carolina vs. Louisville at 7 p.m. on ESPN
Final Four: UConn vs. Stanford at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
NHL
Predators at Sabres at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Blackhawks at Lightning at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Islanders at Rangers at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Senators at Red Wings at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Blues at Oilers at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
Golden Knights at Kraken at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
Ducks at Coyotes at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN+
NBA
Suns at Grizzlies at 8 p.m. on NBA TV
Pelicans at Lakers at 10:30 p.m. on NBA TV
Saturday
Soccer
Premier League: Watford at Liverpool at 7 a.m. on USA
Premier League: Brentford at Chelsea at 9:30 a.m. on USA
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich at SC Freiberg at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN+
Premier League: Aston Villa at Wolves at 10 a.m. on CNBC
Premier League: Leicester City at Manchester United at noon on USA
La Liga: Real Madrid at Celta Vigo at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund at RB Leipzig at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+
La Liga: Alaves at Atletico Madrid at 3 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Dallas at Chicago at 3:30 p.m. on TUDN/Twitter
MLS: Montreal at Cincinnati at 4 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: NYCFC at Toronto at 4 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Nashville at Columbus at 6 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Atlanta at DC United at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: New York Red Bulls at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: LAFC at Orlando at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Charlotte at Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Austin at San Jose at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Houston at Miami at 8 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Seattle at Minnesota at 8 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Kansas City at Vancouver at 8 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Salt Lake at Colorado at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
NHL
Panthers at Devils at 12:30 p.m. on NHL Network
Penguins at Avalanche at 3 p.m. on ABC
Blue Jackets at Bruins at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Canadiens at Lightning at 7 p.m. on NHL Network
Maple Leafs at Flyers at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Wild at Hurricanes at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Kings at Jets at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Blues at Flames at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
Stars at Sharks at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Golf
Valero Texas Open: Third round from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Golf Channel; from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on NBC
Tennis
Miami Open: Women’s singles final at 1 p.m. on Tennis Channel
Miami Open: Men’s doubles final at 3:30 p.m. on Tennis Channel
NASCAR
Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250 at 1:30 p.m. on FS1
College basketball
Men’s
Final Four: Villanova vs. Kansas at 6:09 p.m. on TBS
Final Four: North Carolina vs. Duke at 8:49 p.m. on TBS
NBA
Nets at Hawks at 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
Sunday
Soccer
Premier League: Everton at West Ham at 8 a.m. on USA
Premier League: Newcastle at Tottenham Hotspur at 11 a.m. on USA
Serie A: Inter Milan at Juventus at 2:45 p.m. on beIN Sports
Ligue 1: Lorient at PSG at 2:45 p.m. on beIN Sports
La Liga: Sevilla at Barcelona at 3 p.m. on ESPN+
MLS: Los Angeles Galaxy at Portland at 4:30 p.m. on FS1
Golf
Valero Texas Open: Final round from 1 to 2 p.m. on Golf Channel; from 2 to 6 p.m. on NBC
Tennis
Miami Open: Men’s singles final at 1 p.m,. on Tennis Channel
NHL
Panthers at Sabres at 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Red Wings at Senators at 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Islanders at Devils at 4 p.m. on TNT
Flyers at Rangers at 7 p.m. on NHL Network
Wild at Capitals at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Coyotes at Blackhawks at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Golden Knights at Canucks at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Oilers at Ducks at 8 p.m. on ESPN+
Stars at Kraken at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
NBA
Mavericks at Bucks at 1 p.m. on ABC
Nuggets at Lakers at 3:30 p.m. on ABC
Heat at Raptors at 7 p.m. on NBA TV
Pelicans at Clippers at 9:30 p.m. on NBA TV
NASCAR
Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at 3:30 p.m. on Fox
College basketball
Women’s
National Championship game: South Carolina/Louisville vs. UConn/Stanford at 8 p.m. on ESPN