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The NCAA will move seven championship events this academic year from the state of North Carolina, including the first and second rounds of the 2017 NCAA mens basketball tournament, because of the states controversial HB2 law.The NCAAs Board of Governors made the announcement late Monday night. The decision comes on the heels of the NBA moving the All-Star Game in February from Charlotte to New Orleans.The board issued a statement saying, Current North Carolina state laws make it challenging to guarantee the host communities can help deliver on that commitment if NCAA events remained in the state.The NCAA said deciding factors in moving the events were that the North Carolina law invalidated any local law that treats sexual orientation as a protected class or has a purpose to prevent discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals.The NCAA cited that the HB2 law makes it unlawful to use a restroom different from the gender on ones birth certificate, regardless of gender identity.The NCAA also pointed out that the law provides legal protection for government officials to refuse services to the LGBT community.The seven events that will be moved:??Division I womens soccer championship College Cup, slated for Cary, N.C., Dec. 2 and 4.? Division III mens and womens soccer championship in Greensboro, Dec. 2-3.? Division I mens basketball tournament first/second rounds in Greensboro, March 17 and 19, 2017? Division I womens golf championship regional in Greenville, May 8-10.? Division III mens and womens tennis championship in Cary, May 22-27.? Division I womens lacrosse championship in Cary, May 26 and 28.? Division II baseball championship in Cary, May 27-June 3.North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory issued a statement Tuesday denouncing the NCAA for taking political retaliation and failing to show respect while the matter is being addressed in the courts.The issue of redefining gender and basic norms of privacy will be resolved in the near future in the United States court system for not only North Carolina, but the entire nation, McCrory said in the statement. I strongly encourage all public and private institutions to both respect and allow our nations judicial system to proceed without economic threats or political retaliation toward the 22 states that are currently challenging government overreach.Sadly, the NCAA, a multi-billion dollar, tax-exempt monopoly, failed to show this respect at the expense of our student athletes and hard-working men and women.The Duke mens basketball team is expected to be a preseason No. 1 and a likely top seed, meaning the Blue Devils probably would have been placed in Greensboro.Duke already had to switch a non-conference opponent after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) banned the New York state university at Albany from playing at a North Carolina school due to HB2. New York, Minnesota, Washington, Vermont and Connecticut have banned state-sponsored travel to North Carolina.The deadline for submitting bids to host any of the championship games previously slated for North Carolina is Sept. 27. An announcement for the new sites is expected on Oct. 7. Private sale tickets for the NCAA basketball first- and second-round games in Greensboro will be refunded. That process already has started. ?Due to the TV component, the new NCAA Tournament sites will have to be in an Eastern time zone.Fairness is about more than the opportunity to participate in college sports, or even compete for championships, said NCAA president Mark Emmert in a statement. We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes, fans and everyone taking part in our championships.A number of musical acts also have canceled shows in the state due to the law.New sites for the championships are expected to be determined soon. Schools in the state of North Carolina can earn the right to host a postseason tournament event, but it would not be a championship event sponsored by the NCAA.NCAA vice president Dan Gavitt told ESPN that the mens basketball selection committee will have an expedited two-week bid process from interested sites to find a replacement for the first and second rounds of the tournament once slated for Greensboro in March. He said the plan would be to make the selection by mid-October.Gavitt said the new site will be in the East, joining the other East regional site, Buffalo. Orlando and Indianapolis, the Southeast and Midwest, are the other two Eastern Time Zone sites. The NCAA wants a fourth site. Gavitt said it will be tough to find one on short notice due to NBA and NHL scheduling. That means the venue may have to be an arena on a college campus, or one that has a college team as a primary tenant. South Carolina sites are now a possibility since the state removed the Confederate flag from its state capitol in Columbia.The future of the Belk Bowl in Charlotte is unclear. Although the NCAA could decertify the bowl this season -- the game cannot be played if its not certified -- an industry source said he doesnt think the NCAA will do so.The Belk Bowl matches teams from the SEC and ACC and is scheduled for Dec. 29 at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN from Bank of America Stadium.The NCAA is not going to do anything to make the Power 5 leagues mad, the source told ESPNs Brett McMurphy. It would be interesting, though, to see what would happen if the bowl game was between the Sun Belt and Conference USA, or any Group of 5 conferences.While the NCAA does not operate the postseason FBS bowl games or the College Football Playoff, it does certify bowls before each season. Since bowls already have been certified for the season, the NCAA could still decertify a bowl, making any student-athlete who participated in the game ineligible.The ACC also has not taken any action about moving its football conference championship game. Its been in Charlotte since 2010 and is in the midst of a six-year deal to remain in Charlotte through 2019.ACC commissioner John Swofford said his conference had previous plans to review the situation at this weeks ACC Council of Presidents meetingSo it would be premature to make any decisions or announcements, Swofford said.?In 2015, the NCAA threatened to move out of the state of Indiana, where its headquarters are located, if it didnt alter the states Religious Freedom Law. Gov. Mike Pence, the current GOP vice presidential nominee, clarified that the law wouldnt discriminate against the LGBT community.Information from ESPNs Brett McMurphy and Dana ONeil was used in this report. Vans Shoes Clearance . 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Vans Shoes Clearance Sale . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Having come in at the fall of an early wicket, Cheteshwar Pujara had done most of the hard things right in the Antigua Test. He had seen off the new ball, achieved a 100% control rate against the oppositions most dangerous bowler, Shannon Gabriel, and gone to lunch unbeaten. Shortly after the break, though, he got himself out, top-edging a pull off legspinner Devendra Bishoo.With that, his last five scores in Test cricket were 21, 31, 14, 28, and 16. Its the kind of sequence that, on paper, suggests a batsman isnt converting his starts, or is losing his concentration too often, and a not-too-dissimilar sequence - though longer - briefly cost Pujara his Test spot in early 2015. Pujara, though, says he isnt worried about his form. Speaking to the media on Thursday, he pointed out that some of his recent in-between scores were important contributions in a low-scoring home series against South Africa.Overall I have been batting well and even in the South Africa series there have been good scores and good batting on challenging wickets, he said. So at times you have to be realistic and see the contribution without seeing whether I am getting hundreds or big double-hundreds. Its always about contributing to the teams success.I feel I am batting well without worrying too much about it and at the same time I realise I played a bad shot in the last Test match when I was looking good. I did the hard work in the first session when the ball was moving. Obviously I played a bad shot and there are things to learn from that particular game. Overall the team did well and I am really happy with the way things are going.Pujara was one of only four Indian players - the others were Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul and Bhuvneshwar Kumar - who turned up for an optional practice session two days before the second Test against West Indiies in Jamaica.dddddddddddd. He said he wasnt working on anything specific, and that he just liked to take every opportunity to bat at the nets.I think I just want to practice a little more since I didnt score runs in the first Test match so I can get some extra hits, he said. Whenever there is an option to practice, I prefer to practice. It is always about the individual, [whether he] wants to take a break or practice. I am the kind of player who prefers to practice even on an optional day.There was a healthy covering of grass on the Sabina Park pitch on Thursday, but Pujara said it wouldnt affect the teams plans, or change their preparation, all that much.I dont think so, he said If we see the first Test, there was good pace and bounce from the wicket, and we did well. We just need to continue doing what we have been doing well and there have been many partnerships from the last game. In particular, [R] Ashwin batted well and [Amit] Mishra did well; the top order is doing well and there are contributions from the lower order which is a positive sign from the team.Pujara said his role in the side remained just the same under new head coach Anil Kumble.Things remain very simple, he said. I always have to contribute and play with responsibility. And I have been doing that and keep working hard on my game as I have been. And I dont think I need to really worry much about the kind of performances I have put on or what everyone is saying.I have spoken to [Kumble], he told me about a few things which obviously I cannot disclose here. He has been very positive with the way I have batted in the past and contributions I have made. And he is very happy with the way I have been batting. ' ' '