Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

1928-79 | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Chairman & Founder Pakistan Peoples Party PERSONAL DETAILS Name Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Date of Birth January 5, 1928 Place of Birth Larkana District Father's Name Sir Shahnawaz Khan Bhutto Mother's Name Lady Khursheed Begum Mother Tongue Sindhi MARRIAGE: Married at Karachi to Ms Nusrat Ispahani September 8, 1951 CHILDREN: Benazir Bhutto - 1953 - 2007 Murtaza Bhutto - 1954 - 1996 Sanam Bhutto - 1957 Shahnawaz Bhutto - 1958 - 1985 EDUCATION Cathedral School, Bombay - 1937 - 1947 Joined University of Southern California - 1947 Transferred to Berkely Campus of USC - 1949 First Asian to be elected to Berkely Student Council Graduated with Honours in Political Science - 1950 Admitted to Christ Church College, Oxford - 1950 Graduated with Honours from Oxford University - 1952 Called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn - 1953 Lecturer of Sindh Muslim Law College – 1954 Member of Pakistan Delegation to the United Nations - 1957 Addressed the United Nations Sixth Committee on Aggression - October 25, 1957 Leader of Pakistan Delegation to United Nations Conference on the Law of the Seas, addressed the Conference on the Freedom of the Seas.- March - 1958 MINISTERIAL CAREER Minister of Commerce - 1958 Minister for Information and National Reconstruction - 1959 Minister for Fuel, Power and Natural Resources - 1960 Leader of Pakistan Delegation to the UN - 1959, 1960, 1963 & 1965 Statement in support of Algeria against French Imperialism at UN - 1959 Leader of Pakistan Delegation to Moscow to negotiate agreement on Oil and Gas Exploration with Soviet Union with 120 Million Roubles credit - 1960 Led Pakistan's Delegation to UN and differed with US by not voting against China's Membership - 1960 Foreign Minister of Pakistan - 1963 – 1965 Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, gaining 750 Square Miles for Pakistan 2nd March - 1963 Famous Speech at the U.N. Security Council "We will wage a war for a thousand years" - 22-23 September 1965 Resigned from the Federal Cabinet - June, 1966 PAKISTAN PEOPLES PARTY (PPP) Historic welcome in Lahore after resignation as Foreign Minister - 21st June, 1966 Manifesto of Pakistan Peoples Party prepared "Islam is our Faith, Democracy is our Policy, Socialism is our Economy, All Power to the People". October, 1966 Foundation of Pakistan Peoples Party, Lahore - 30th November, 1967 Led Mass Movement for Restoration of Democracy - 1968 Arrested for creating disaffection against Government-November 12, 1968 Landslide victory for PPP in 1970 elections in present day Pakistan - December 7, 1970 PRESIDENT/PRIME MINISTER Economic Reforms Order Nationalisation of Key Industries - January 3, 1972 Announcement of Labour Policies - February 10, 1972 Workers would participate in Profits Old Age Pensions and Group Insurance Land Reforms - 1st March, 1973 Ceiling reduced from 500 Acres to 150 Acres of irrigated land and 1000 Acres to 300 Acres for semi-irrigated land. All lands in excess of 100 Acres allocated to Govt. Servants confiscated and redistributed. The Law Reform Ordinance - giving effect to the recommendations of the Law Reforms Commission. - 14th April, 1972 Martial Law Lifted 21st April, 1972 Simla Agreement Signed Pakistan to get back 5000 square miles of territory occupied in 1971 war. India and Pakistan to respect line of control in Kashmir without prejudice to Pakistan's claim. - 2nd July, 1972 National Book Foundation established - 24th September, 1972 Inaugurated Pakistan's first Nuclear Power Plant at Karachi. - 28th November, 1972 Establishment of NDFC - 5th February, 1973 Establishment of Quaid-E-Azam University - 9th February, 1973 Constitution of Pakistan passed unanimously - 12th April, 1973 Establishment of Port Qasim Authority - 27th June, 1973 Elected Prime Minister of Pakistan - 14th August, 1973 Identity Cards for Citizens - 28th July, 1973 Agreement for repatriation of 93,000 POWs - 28th August, 1973 Administrative Reforms Order - September, 1973 Laid Foundation Stone of Pakistan Steel Mill - 30th December, 1973 Nationalisation of Banks - 1st January, 1974 Establishment of Allama Iqbal Open University - 21st May, 1974 Islamic Summit at Lahore - 22nd February, 1975 Inaugurated Pakistan's First Seerat Conference - 3rd March, 1976 Kissinger warned Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that if Pakistan continued with its nuclear programme "the Prime Minister would have to pay a heavy price." - August, 1976 Bhutto proposed a Third World Summit - September, 1976 BETRAYAL AND ASSASSINATION General Elections were held on March 7, 1977. PPP emerged as the victorious Party. At the behest of General Ziaul Haq, PNA accused government of so-called rigging in the elections. Negotiations with PNA resumed. An Agreement was reached on June 8, 1977 for holding Fresh Elections on October 8, 1977. On July 5, 1977 COAS General Ziaul Haq imposed Martial Law unilaterally. The National Assembly, the Senate and Provincial Assemblies were dissolved and Constitution held in abeyance. Zia's Military Junta established a dummy government of PNA with CMLA as President. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto arrested on July, 5, 1977 and released on July 28, 1977. Re-arrested on September 3, 1977 from Clifton, Karachi, on the charges of a fabricated murder case; again released on September 13, 1977 against Lahore High Court bail. Re-arrested at Larkana on September 17, 1977. On September, 1977 the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Justice Yakub Ali Khan was suspended from service because he had admitted Mrs. Nusrat Bhuto's Petition challenging imposition of martial law. On October 9, 1977, Maulvi Mushtaq, Chief Justice, Lahore High Court, cancelled the bail already granted to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto by LHC. Mercilessly and despicably murdered on April 4, 1979. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as 'Author' List of Publication Peace-Keeping by the United Nations. Pakistan Publishing House, Karachi. - 1967 Political Situation in Pakistan, Veshasher Prakashan, New Dehli. – 1968 The Myth of Independence, Oxford University Press, Karachi and Lahore. - 1969 The Great Tragedy, Pakistan People's Party, Karachi. - 1971 Politics of the People (speeches, statements and articles), edited by Hamid Jalal and Khalid Hasan: Pakistan Publications, Rawalpindi. - 1948-1971 Speeches and Statements, Government of Pakistan, Karachi. - 1971-75 Bilateralism: New Directions. Government of Pakistan, Islamabad - 1976 The Third World: New Directions. Quartet Books, London. - 1977 My Pakistan. Biswin Sadi Publications, New Dehli. - 1979 If I am Assassinated, Vikas, New Dehli. - 1979 My Execution. Musawaat Weekly International, London - 1980 New Directions. Narmara Publishers, London. - 1980 THE LEGACY OF ZULFIKAR ALI BHUTTO As a member of Pakistan's delegation to the United Nation in 1957, at the age of 29 years, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto addressed the Sixth Conference of the United Nations on "The Definition of Aggression", a speech which is still regarded as one of the best on the subject. As a participant at the International Conference in Geneva, Switzerland in March, 1958 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto spoke for mankind with the bold declaration: "The High Seas are free to all." He was the youngest Federal Cabinet member in the history of Pakistan, at the age of 30. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto held the key portfolios of Minister of Commerce, Minister of Information, Minister of National Reconstruction, Minister of Fuel, Power and Natural Resources before becoming the Foreign Minister. As Minister of Fuel, Power and Natural Resources, he signed a path breaking agreement for exploration of oil and gas with Russia in 1960. He set up a Gas and Mineral Development Corporation in 1961 and Pakistan's first refinery in 1962 at Karachi. Bhutto emerged on the world stage as Leader of the Pakistan Delegation to the UN in 1959. To muster the support for Kashmir issue he successfully toured China, Britain, Egypt and Ireland. He also held a series of talks with the Indian Foreign Minister Swaran Singh. He was appointed Foreign Minister in 1963 and remained at that post until his resignation in June 1966. Bhutto made indelible imprints on world community by his inimitable oratorical skills in United Nation's General Assembly and the Security Council. He had the vision to build a strategic relationship with China at a time when it was isolated. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto believed in an independent Foreign Policy which had hitherto been the hand maiden of the Western Powers. During his tenure as Foreign Minister, Pakistan and Iran cemented a special relationship. His opposition to the Tashkent accord between India and Pakistan led to his resignation from the government. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto believed in a Foreign Policy of bilateralism in which no state would be entitled to interfere in Pakistan's relations with other states. During his student days, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had acquired an anti-Imperialist view of the world. He was a firm believer in economic self reliance and political independence themes he expounded in his famous book "Myth of Independence". Bhutto's finest hour came in the reconstruction of Pakistan after the traumatic dismemberment of Pakistan upon the fall of Dhaka on 16th December, 1971. He successfully put the derailed nation back on the track by rebuilding national institutions. His lasting achievement was the unanimous adoption of the Constitution in 1973. He established the Pakistan Steel Mills, Heavy Mechanical Complex Taxila, Port Qasim Authority, Quaid-e-Azam University, Allama Iqbal Open University, Karachi Nuclear Power Plant; thus, fortifying the prosperity, integrity and security of Pakistan. Using his experience as Foreign Minister, Bhutto cemented Pakistan's relation with Afro-Asian and Islamic countries and by 1976 had emerged as the Leader of the Third World. As an author, he brilliantly advocated the cause of hewers of wood and drawers of water of the Third World. Bhutto was the founder of Pakistan's Nuclear Program. Under his guidance and leadership as Minister for Fuel, Power and Natural Resources, President and Prime Minister, Pakistan developed into the unique Muslim State with a nuclear capability for which he paid with his life. In his book "If I am Assassinated" written from the Death Cell, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto revealed how Kissinger had said "We will make an example of you". The Pakistan People's Party won the elections held in 1977 with a large majority; but the conspirators soon joined hands with Ziaul Haq at the behest of foreign powers who feared Bhutto's capacity of uniting the Third World countries and sought to punish him for developing Pakistan's nuclear capacity, and imposed Martial Law upon the country on 5th July, 1977. Soon afterwards, Bhutto was arrested and on 18th March, 1978, was sentenced to death in a politically motivated murder trial. The majority of original Court was for acquittal but was whittled down to a 4-3 verdict by the retirement of two judges. Despite appeals of clemency from several world leaders, Bhutto was executed on 4th April, 1979. The great leader of downtrodden masses and a visionary of unparalleled charisma will forever be remembered by his countrymen as Quaid-e-Awam (Leader of the Masses). RESUME Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has earned a place in the pantheon of leaders from the Third World who earned everlasting fame in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism. He had the privilege of interacting with many of those leaders who played a great role in the epic struggle for national independence in the 20th Century including Mao Tse Tung, Ahmed Soekarno, Chou-en Lai, Jawaharlal Nehru Gamal Abdel Nasser and Salvador Allende. During the period between the end of the Second World War and the end of the Cold War, the world was divided into two blocks: The Capitalist West and the Socialist East. All these leaders aspired to aspects of a socialist pattern of economy. Bhutto shared their faith in a leading role for the public sector as an instrument of self-reliance. President of Allende of Chile and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan pursued socialist democratic policies in countries long dominated by the military, and thus, were overthrown in the same year - 1977 by the collaborators of the Neo-Imperialists, killed at the behest of the Military Juntas of Pinochet and Zia and followed by long spells of repressive Military regimes which did not retreat until the Cold War drew to an end. The key factor in the over throw of Bhutto was Pakistan's nuclear capability. The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant was inaugurated by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as President of Pakistan at the end of 1972 but long before, as Minister for Fuel, Power and National Resources, he has played a key role in setting up of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. The Kahuta facility was also established by Bhutto. Bhutto's foundation of the PPP was a setback for the reactionary forces in a country long dominated by the Right. The slogan of "Food, Shelter and Clothing" shifted the focus of Pakistan politics from theological to economic issues. This focus has never shifted back. Bhutto nationalised the commanding heights of the economy; another blow to the capitalist West. During his tenure there was a massive transfer of resources towards the dominant rural economy by setting higher prices for agricultural products. The Constitution of 1973, passed unanimously, is yet another lasting legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Time has shown that it cannot be replaced. Constitution making in Pakistan was bedevilled, since the birth of the State, by three unresolved issues: (i) The role of Islam in the State, (ii) the degree of Provincial Autonomy, and (iii) the Nature of Executive. Bhutto managed to bring all the political parties, including those like the Jamat-e-Islami, JUI and JUP, who demanded an Islamic State, and the Awami National Party, which was the major party in the Frontier and Balochistan, calling for maximum provincial autonomy, to agree to a consensus on the Constitution, thus, permanently resolving all the three issues. A new institution, the Senate of Pakistan was, created in which the provinces had equal representation, in order to redress the balance of power in Pakistan, probably the only country in the world where one federating unit has an absolute majority. The creation of Council of Common Interest also gave to the provinces a greater weight in the federal dispensation. Islam was declared to be the State religion and the Council of Islamic Ideology given charge of Islamisation of laws. At the same time the Constitution reiterated the basic principle of socialism: "from each according to his ability to each according to his work". The never ending tussle between the Head of State and Parliament was resolved by empowering the Prime Minister. Ironically, it is opponents of Bhutto who have, through 13th Amendment of 1997, restored the role of the Prime Minister as was envisaged in the original Constitution of 1973 after General Zia had shifted power to dissolve the Assembly and make key civilian and military appointments to the President No better tribute can be paid to the foresight and sagacity of the martyred leader. Finally, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had the courage of his conviction to decide to lay down his life rather than compromise or seek appeasement. The last chapter of his life is a glorious example of martyrdom for the cause of resurrection of democracy. At the time of his overthrow, Bhutto was emerging as a spokesman of the World of Islam and the leader of the Third World. The age of Bhutto was an Age of Revolution. Although his life and career were cruelly terminated, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto will forever shine in history as one of the Great leaders who took part in the liberation of the Third World from the yoke of Imperialism and Neo Colonialism during the Twentieth Century.

Bhutto's Talents

As a member of Pakistan's delegation to the United Nation in 1957, at the age of 29 years, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto addressed the Sixth Conference of the United Nations on "The Definition of Aggression", a speech which is still regarded as one of the best on the subject. As a participant at the International Conference in Geneva, Switzerland in March, 1958 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto spoke for mankind with the bold declaration: "The High Seas are free to all." He was the youngest Federal Cabinet member in the history of Pakistan, at the age of 30. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto held the key portfolios of Minister of Commerce, Minister of Information, Minister of National Reconstruction, Minister of Fuel, Power and Natural Resources before becoming the Foreign Minister.

Blow to the West

Bhutto's foundation of the PPP was a setback for the reactionary forces in a country long dominated by the Right. The slogan of "Food, Shelter and Clothing" shifted the focus of Pakistan politics from theological to economic issues. This focus has never shifted back. Bhutto nationalised the commanding heights of the economy; another blow to the capitalist West. During his tenure there was a massive transfer of resources towards the dominant rural economy by setting higher prices for agricultural products.

About Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was born on January 5, 1928. He was the only son of Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto completed his early education from Bombay's Cathedral High School. In 1947, he joined the University of Southern California, and later the University of California at Berkeley in June 1949. After completing his degree with honors in Political Science at Berkeley in June 1950, he was admitted to Oxford.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto married Nusrat Isphahani on September 8, 1951. He was called to Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1953, and the same year his first child, Benazir Bhutto, was born on June 21. On his return to Pakistan, Bhutto started practicing Law at Dingomal's.

In 1958, he joined President Iskander Mirza's Cabinet as Commerce Minister. He was the youngest Minister in Ayub Khans Cabinet. In 1963, he took over the post of Foreign Minister from Muhammad Ali Bogra.

His first major achievement was to conclude the Sino-Pakistan boundary agreement on March 2, 1963. In mid 1964, Bhutto helped convince Ayub of the wisdom of establishing closer economic and diplomatic links with Turkey and Iran. The trio later on formed the R. C. D. In June 1966, Bhutto left Ayub's Cabinet over differences concerning the Tashkent Agreement.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto launched Pakistan Peoples Party after leaving Ayub's Cabinet. In the general elections held in December 1970, P. P. P. won a large majority in West Pakistan but failed to reach an agreement with Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman, the majority winner from East Pakistan. Following the 1971 War and the separation of East Pakistan, Yahya Khan resigned and Bhutto took over as President and Chief Martial Law Administrator on December 20, 1971.

In early 1972, Bhutto nationalized ten categories of major industries, and withdrew Pakistan from the Commonwealth of Nations and S. E. A. T. O. when Britain and other western countries recognized the new state of Bangladesh. On March 1, he introduced land reforms, and on July 2, 1972, signed the Simla Agreement with India, which paved the way for the return of occupied lands and the release of Pakistani prisoners captured in East Pakistan in the 1971 war.

After the National Assembly passed the 1973 Constitution, Bhutto was sworn-in as the Prime Minister of the country.

On December 30, 1973, Bhutto laid the foundation of Pakistan's first steel mill at Pipri, near Karachi. On January 1, 1974, Bhutto nationalized all banks. On February 22, 1974, the second Islamic Summit was inaugurated in Lahore. Heads of States of most of the 38 Islamic countries attended the Summit.

Following a political crisis in the country, Bhutto was imprisoned by General Zia-ul-Haq, who imposed Martial Law on July 5, 1977.

On April 4, 1979, the former Prime Minister was hanged, after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence passed by the Lahore High Court. The High Court had given him the death sentence on charges of murder of the father of a dissident P. P. P. politician.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was buried in his ancestral village at Garhi Khuda Baksh, next to his father's grave.

MotoGP: Marc Marquez triumphs in a bizarre 2016 Grand Prix of Argentina

ARGENTINA delivered a bizarre race befitting an equally bemusing lead-up, Marc Marquez taking his first MotoGP win of 2016 simply by staying out of trouble.

The Honda rider seized the lead early and held off a feisty Valentino Rossi ahead of compulsory pit stops at the halfway point of the shortened 20-lap race, both measures due to tyre issues suffered by Michelin during practice.

Marquez was peerless after the stops, Rossi unable to match his early pace and allowing his chief rival to race to a comfortable 7.6 second victory.

There should have been a pair of Ducatis between them but, in a total disaster for the Italian team, Andrea Iannone took out teammate Andrea Dovizioso at the final corner as he tried to nab second place.

The pair went tumbling into the gravel, allowing Rossi through to second and a surprised Dani Pedrosa into third, the latter struggling with handling all weekend but benefitting from the troubles of others.

While Iannone elected to walk home, where no doubt a severe talking to awaited, Dovizioso pushed his broken Desmosedici home to be classified 13th and last in a race of attrition.

After the Ducatis, the dramas were headlined by reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo.

The Yamaha man got the holeshot off the start but immediately began to slip down the order as he struggled with Michelin’s emergency-spec rear tyre. His day ended early with a crash on the sixth lap.

A promising race for Jack Miller also ended with his machine tumbling through the gravel. The Australian made a lightning start to pass the fading Lorenzo for sixth on the third lap, only to endure his fourth crash of the weekend on the next tour.

Aleix Espargaro and Cal Crutchlow had already departed the scene, the pair having separate, synchronised front-end crashes as the opening lap came to a close.

The list didn’t end there. Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales looked poised to beat the Ducatis and score his first podium finish until a crash at Turn 1 with just 3 laps to go, while Scott Redding was heading Pedrosa in what would become the final podium position until a mechanical failure stopped his Pramac Ducati.

All of the carnage allowed Eugene Laverty to take a remarkable fourth position, his best in MotoGP, ahead of Hector Barbera with an angry Pol Espargaro crossing the line in sixth after clashing with Barbera on the final lap.

MotoGP race officials elected to split the race in two with a compulsory pit stop in the wake of Michelin’s decision to withdraw its rear slicks after Redding had a failure on Saturday.

Michelin had an emergency-spec rear tyre on hand in case of just such a situation, but rain on race morning prevented the teams from properly testing it.

Taking a cautious approach, similar to that taken at Phillip Island in 2013 when Bridgestone encountered similar problems, riders were forced to change machines within a three-lap window at the halfway mark to minimise the chances of tyre problems.

The upshot of it all is that Marquez now leads the championship on a machine that looked in all sorts of trouble in pre-season testing, with Rossi eight points in arrears, Pedrosa 14 points back and Jorge Lorenzo 16 behind.

The next race is the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin in one week’s time.

Sir Bobby Charlton stand unveiled at Old Trafford

Manchester United have renamed Old Trafford's South Stand in honour of Sir Bobby Charlton.

Fans held aloft coloured tiles, spelling out his name, before the Premier League match against Everton.

Club director Charlton, 78, joined United in 1953 and made 758 appearances, scoring 249 goals.

A member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup, Charlton won four league titles with United and the 1968 European Cup.

The retired midfielder was one of the survivors of the Munich air disaster, which killed eight of his team-mates in 1958.

The South Stand, which contains the only remaining part of the original 1910 stadium infrastructure, houses the directors' box.

NCAA Final Four: Villanova, UNC easily advance to title game

Heading into Final Four weekend, there were questions on how well teams could shoot in NRG Stadium in Houston, a 70,000-plus seat venue, primarily the home of the NFL's Houston Texans.
Villanova had an emphatic answer Saturday in the first NCAA Final Four semifinal: No problem whatsoever.
Junior guard Josh Hart scored 23 points to lead a balanced attack, and the No. 2 seed Wildcats defeated No. 2 seed Oklahoma Sooners 95-51 to advance to the NCAA men's basketball national championship game.
On Monday, Villanova (34-5) will face No. 1 seed North Carolina, which defeated No. 10 Syracuse 83-66 in the second semifinal.
Villanova head coach Jay Wright said "it simply was one of those nights."
"I'm happy we had one of those games where we just make every shot," Wright said. "We had end-of-shot-clock shots we just threw up and went in."
As a team, Villanova shot an incredible 71.4% from the field and won by the biggest margin ever in a Final Four game. It was the second-best field goal percentage of the men's Final Four, trailing only Villanova's 78.6 percent effort (22 of 28) in the 1985 national championship game against No. 1 Georgetown on April 1, 1985.
"We got whipped in every way," Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger said.
It will be Villanova's first trip to the national championship game since that 1985 appearance, when the Wildcats were a No. 8 seed. UNC is a five-time NCAA champ, the most recent coming in 2009.
"I'll see you there," UNC senior forward Brice Johnson light-heartedly told a television reporter.

Hield struggles
This year's NCAA tournament had been all about Oklahoma's Buddy Hield, aka "Buddy Buckets." The senior guard from the Bahamas -- who is second in the nation in scoring this season at 25.4 points per game, had been lighting up the scoreboard for the Sooners (29-8), averaging 29 points per game in this year's tournament heading into the Final Four.
Saturday evening was a much different story.
Hield had his worst performance of the tournament. He was held to nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, including 1-of-8 from three-point range.
"Just credit (the Wildcats), what they were doing," Hield said. "Made it tough on me. Throwing a bunch of bodies at me. Just couldn't get it going.
"They made shots. We were trying to find a way to make shots. They just played terrific tonight. Sometimes shots were contested, and they made them, just played great. Hats off to Villanova. They deserved it."
Villanova's Hart, meanwhile, rarely missed. He finished 10-of-12 from the field.
Hart gave credit to his teammates.
"When you have guys like Kris Jenkins, Ryan Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu who can go off any night, even other guys, Jalen Brunson Phil Booth, Mikal Bridges have big nights," Hart said. "When they're aggressive, you know, it helps me, helps in the driving lanes. ...
"I definitely wanted to come in being aggressive and just try to help them make the right play."
This was a rematch for the two teams, with drastically different results. Oklahoma beat Villanova 78-55 on December 7 in Hawaii.
"We saw what they did to us in Pearl Harbor," Hart said. "We were dialed in defensively, ready to step up for each other. That's really what we did. We were just so dialed in defensively."

Second game: A blowout against familiar foes
The second game turned into another blowout, as North Carolina (33-6) outpaced Syracuse (23-14). UNC led 39-28 at halftime. Syracuse -- which was trying to become the first double-digit seed to reach the national championship game -- cut UNC's lead to seven points with 9:51 remaining to make it 57-50, but the Tar Heels weren't seriously challenged after that.
"The last four weeks we've been much, much better defensively," UNC head coach Roy Williams said. "We had a brain lapse there for about three minutes in the second half, but other than that I thought we were really good defensively against a team that's hard to guard."
For more ...


For more stories, video and live game feeds from the men's semifinals and finals go tocnn.com/marchmadness
Johnson and sophomore guard/forward Justin Jackson each had 16 points. Junior forward Kennedy Meeks had 15 points, while senior guard Marcus Paige had 13 points. Sophomore guard Joel Berry II had eight points and 10 assists.
UNC and Syracuse are extremely familiar with each other, as both are from the Atlantic Coast Conference. This was the third time these teams faced each other this season, with UNC now winning all three games.
Despite its reputation as a title contender in previous years, Syracuse, with the up-and-down season it has had, was one of the most improbable Final Four teams in the tournament's history.
Losing 13 games this season, including going 1-5 in its final six games before the NCAA tournament, Syracuse was in danger of missing the tournament altogether as a bubble team. Additionally, the Orange's head coach, Jim Boeheim, was suspended for nine games earlier this season for what the NCAA said was failing to monitor his basketball program.
Senior guard Trevor Cooney had 22 points, while freshman forward Malachi Richardson and senior forward Michael Gbinije had 17 and 12 points, respectively.
Boeheim said he told his players he was more proud of this team then any team he has ever coached.
"Tonight we had a bad start," he told a reporter. "We missed some free throws that we can't miss. You can't do that against North Carolina. They're just too big and strong and good."

Wrestlemania 32 live results: Charlotte retains the women's championship

 WrestleMania 32 is in Dallas is today and features two of the most anticipated matches in recent history, Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. If McMahon wins, he gets control of Monday Night Raw and Undertaker will never be able to wrestle at WrestleMania again.

The other anticipated match is HHH against Roman Reigns for the heavyweight championship. Will this be the day they finally turn Reigns heel, since most fans can't stand him? Stay here for all the results as they happen today.

Kalisto (champion) vs. Ryback, United States championship

Kalisto pinned Ryback after hitting the Salida del Sol. Ryback dominated most of the match, which was a lot slower than you would think for a Kalisto match. cored the pin with a drop toe hold into the exposed turnbuckle and then the Salida del Sol Ryback took most of the match doing power spots. It felt more like a dark match, It was a basic match. Kalisto didn't do any dives and Ryback did mostly basic power stuff in a slower paced match. Everything they did was fine. The stadium was pretty empty because there were problems getting people into the building.


Team Total Divas: Brie Bella, Eva Marie, Paige, Natalya, and Alicia Fox vs. Team BAD and Blonde: Naomi, Tamina, Lana, Summer Rae, and Emma in a 10-Diva tag match

Team Total Divas won when Brie used the Yes lock on Naomi. Nikki Bella, still recovering from major neck surgery, came out after the match to celebrate with her sister and the winning team. Most of the match was spent with the women hitting their finishing maneuvers on each other. Eva Marie was pretty much booed out of the building, because fans don't like the push she is receiving. She wasn't too bad in the ring though.

Lita came into the ring and made a long overdue announcement. The women will no longer compete for the Divas championship, they will compete for the WWE women's title. It's high time they stopped calling their women Divas and started presenting them as serious competitors and not just eye candy.

The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) vs. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley)

The Usos won by pinfall after Jey superkicked D-Von. After the match, the Dudleyz blindsided the Usos, then went and grabbed two tables from under the ring. However, the Usos recovered, knocked the Dudleyz down with superkicks, put them on the tables and did stereo splashes off the top rope to put the Dudleys through the tables.

That's it for the pre-show. WrestleMania starts for real at 4 p.m. PDT.

Fifth Harmony kicks things off with a beautiful version of America the Beautiful. This would have been a great time for Michael Hayes to come out and sing Badstreet.

Intercontinetal title ladder match: Kevin Owens (champion) vs. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Sami Zayn vs. Zack Ryder vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust

An amazing match. Some highlights: Zayn diving through a ladder, between the top and middle ropes and taking out five competitors at ringside. Then he got up, dove from the floor, through the corner of the ring and hit Kevin Owens with a DDT. Sin Cara was pushed off a ladder, but used the top rope as a springboard to splash four guys at ringside. Owens did a frogsplash onto Zayn, who was laying on a ladder propped up against the bottom rope. Ryder dropped an elbow from the top of a ladder onto The Miz, who was laying in the ring. Owens power bombed Ziggler off the middle of a ladder. Sin Cara did a splash from the top of a ladder set up in the ring, and landed on Stardust, who was laying on a ladder propped between the ring and the ringside barrier.

The match ended when The Miz raced to the top of the ladder, but started gloating before grabbing the belt. Ryder raced up, knocked Miz off the ladder and grabbed the belt for the victory and the Intercontinental championship. So, the least likely person to win ended up winning.

Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles

Another good match. Jericho reversed a calf crusher and Styles kicked out of a codebreaker. Jericho escaped one Styles Clash and kicked out after Styles hit a second attempt. Jericho kicked out after Styles hit a springboard 450 moonsault. Jericho won after he turned Styles' phenomenal forearm attempt into a codebreaker. Another surprising outcome to a match.

The New Day vs. the League of Nations

League of Nations won after Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick on Xavier Woods.

Wade Barrett then grabbed a microphone and said that they are better than any three men in WWE. That brought out Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley and Stone Cold Steve Austin. As the crowd went crazy, the three came to the ring and destroyed the League of Nations, with all three men hitting their finishing maneuver. New Day then came into the ring and tried to get them to dance. Michaels and Foley started dancing, but Austin decided to give a Stone Cold Stunner to Woods. Michaels, Foley and Austin then had some beers as the crowd cheered. A really good WrestleMania moment.

Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose, street fight

Both of these guys are going to be really sore tomorrow. Lesnar hit 13 suplexes on Ambrose, who must have hit Lesnar a dozen times on the chest and back with a kendo stick. Ambrose hit Lesnar with a fire extinguisher and a DDT on a chair. Finish came when Lesnar ducked the barbed wire baseball bat and hit an F5 on a chair.

Charlotte (champion) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks for the women's title

Charlotte retained when Lynch tapped out to the Figure 8. Banks tried to get in the ring to break it up, but Ric Flair grabbed her legs and stopped her. Great match, showing why they should not be referred to as Divas. Crowd popped big when Charlotte hit both with a moonsault off the top rope and when Lynch hit Ric Flair with a tope.

Lizzie Armitstead wins Tour of Flanders in sprint finish

Britain's Lizzie Armitstead triumphed in a sprint finish to win the women's Tour of Flanders for the first time.

The world champion, who rides for the Boels-Dolmans team, edged out Sweden's Emma Johansson to win the race, which is now part of the Women's WorldTour.

The pair broke clear on the final climb, leaving a group of nine to chase them down.

With the gap closing in the final kilometre, the pair had a long sprint to the line with Armitstead prevailing.

It is the 27-year-old's fourth win of the season after success at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche and Trofeo Binda.

Villanova scorches Oklahoma in record-breaking Final Four win

Buddy Hield's first Final Four shot read as a statement of intent: opening possession, an isolation out top, a trademark step-back, a helpless defender, a deep bucket buried. In the first seconds of Saturday's Final Four, Hield was already 1-for-1 with three points. Another classic shooting performance from one of the greatest shotmakers in college hoops history -- having one of the most productive NCAA tournaments ever -- appeared to be well underway.

It was like that -- with a twist.

Holding what was already a 15-point lead after the second half's under-12-minute media timeout, Villanova coach Jay Wright drew up a play that would cement the Wildcats' spot in the national championship game. Oklahoma was applying full-court pressure in an attempt to get back in the game, but the Sooners forgot to account for Villanova freshman guard Mikal Bridges. Bridges slipped behind the defense, whereKris Jenkins hit him with a three-quarter-court baseball pass. Bridges threw down a vicious slam and was fouled by Sooners big man Jamuni McNeace. Bridges made the free throw to put the Wildcats up by 18, a lead that was never threatened.

That opening-minute omen didn't presage another brilliant Hield performance. In retrospect, it was merely a sign that shooting in the notoriously tricky NRG Stadium confines wasn't going to be quite as daunting as advertised.

The proof itself would come not from Oklahoma, but from Villanova en route to a 95-51 win -- the largest margin in national semifinal history.

The Wildcats shot 66.7 percent in the first half Saturday. They were 6-of-11 from 3. They scored 1.45 points per possession against one of the best defensive teams in the country. They finished the first 20 minutes with more points than Butler scored in itsentire 2011 national-title game performance -- when NRG Stadium officially became the (very large) place where shooting goes to die.

Villanova had no such issues. For a few minutes early in the second half, the Wildcats looked set to cool off ... only to rip off a somehow-even-more-efficient 53 points in 35 possessions -- one bucket after the other, over and over and over and over.

The omen had worked its twisted dark magic throughout. Early in the second half, Oklahoma tried six shots, and five offensive rebounds, on one possession -- none of them fell.

Six minutes later, Wildcats guard Josh Hart would see his drive closed off at the elbow. He picked up his dribble, pivoted to find a teammate, found every avenue closed off. Oklahoma fans began to scream, hoping to will a turnover. Hart needed to do something, anything. So he wheeled to his left and tossed up a fadeaway prayer.

All net. It was like that.

Later, with three minutes to play, both coaches would empty their benches. NRG Stadium was still murmuring, but there was no anticipation in the air. Only shock.

Hield walked off the court shortly after. He was 1 of 8 from 3.

Why Villanova's blowout Final Four win was so crazy

It wasn't even close.
No. 2 seed Villanova had one of the most lopsided wins in the history of the NCAA tournament, blowing out fellow No. 2 seed Oklahoma 95-51 in the Final Four to advance to the national championship game, which is Monday at 9:19 pm ET. The Wildcats will face No. 1 seed North Carolina, who also won comfortably, 83-66, against No. 10 Syracuse.
"I feel bad for Oklahoma that it happened to them in the Final Four," Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. "I'm happy we had one of those games where we just make every shot. We had end-of-shot-clock shots we just threw up and went in. ...It was simply one of those nights."
The fans weren't particularly easy on the Sooners either, who got pilloried on social media after the blowout.


Here's how badly Oklahoma lost, by the numbers.

An absurdly good shooting percentage
Villanova shot 71.4% -- 35 of 49 -- from the field, the second best field goal percentage all-time in the men's Final Four.
So who has the record?
None other than the Wildcats, who shot an absurd 78.6% in the 1985 national championship game against No. 1 Georgetown. Nova won that game 66-64.
Before Saturday, Villanova's best shooting performance this season was 68%, which came January 2 against Creighton.

The margin of victory
Villanova's 44-point win is the largest margin of victory ever in a national semifinal game. The Wildcats' victory tops the previous high of 34 points, which has happened twice. Michigan State defeated the University of Pennsylvania 101-67 on March 26, 1979, and Cincinnati beat Oregon State 80-46 on March 23, 1963.
Oklahoma senior Buddy Hield, who had been the star of the NCAA tournament up until this loss, had his worst game of the tournament.
Hield was held to nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, including 1-of-8 from three-point range.
"Just credit [the Wildcats], what they were doing," Hield said. "Made it tough on me. Throwing a bunch of bodies at me. Just couldn't get it going."
Hield also credits Nova's offense.
"They just played terrific tonight. Sometimes shots were contested, and they made them," he said. "Hats off to Villanova. They deserved it."

Villanova's total points scored
On Saturday against Oklahoma, Villanova scored 95 points. That's the most in a national semifinal game since Syracuse defeated Texas 95-84 on April 5, 2003. Six Villanova players scored in double figures against Oklahoma.
-- 23 points, junior Josh Hart
-- 18 points, junior forward Kris Jenkins
-- 15 points, senior guard Ryan Arcidiacono
-- 11 points, freshman guard/forward Mikal Bridges
-- 10 points, senior forward Daniel Ochefu
-- 10 points, sophomore guard Phil Booth

Villanova lost badly to Oklahoma earlier this season
Another reason why this 44-point drubbing was shocking was because of the previous result against these two teams earlier this season.
On December 7 at Hickam Air Force Base/Joint Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Oklahoma beat Villanova 78-55. The Wildcats never led in that game.
"We saw what they did to us in Pearl Harbor," Hart said. "We were dialed in defensively, ready to step up for each other. That's really what we did. We were just so dialed in defensively."