North Carolina
Michigan State women’s basketball’s March Madness opponent is North Carolina in 2024 NCAA tournament
Michigan State women’s basketball is heading to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021.
The Spartans will be a No. 9 seed and face North Carolina, No. 8 seed in Regional 1 of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, ending a two-year tourney drought. MSU earned their bid after finishing 22-8 under first-year head coach Robyn Fralick; it’s the most wins for the MSU women since 2015-16, when they went 25-9.
The day and time for the game hasn’t been announced yet but the contest will be played in Columbia, South Carolina.
MSU finished the regular season 22-7 with a 12-6 record in conference play, entering the Big Ten tourney as the No. 4 seed, the Spartans’ highest finish since 2016. MSU was bounced in its quarterfinal opener by No. 5 seed Nebraska, but still had a strong enough résumé to earn an at-large bid.
PRINT YOUR BRACKET: NCAA women’s basketball tournament 2024
MSU finished with the second-best offense in the Big Ten and sixth-best offense nationally, averaging 83.7 points per game. MSU had the conference’s sixth-best defense, holding opponents to 67.3 points per game in league play, to boast an average scoring margin of plus-16.4, also second-best in the conference behind Iowa.
The team is led by a pair of fifth-year seniors, Moira Joiner and Julia Ayrault. The 6-foot-2 Ayrault is averaging 15.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. Joiner was a second-team All-Big Ten honoree for averaging 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 43.2% (76-for-176) from 3 as the team’s primary sharpshooter.
The Spartans also had two other players, junior DeeDee Hagemann and sophomore Theryn Hallock, earn conference honors. Hagemann, who won Miss Basketball at Detroit Edison, made second-team All-Big Ten for her work as the team’s point guard, averaging 12.4 points, 5.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 41.4% (41-for-99) from 3. Hallock was named Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year for her work off the bench, averaging 11.1 points, 2.7 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
TUNE IN: How to watch the NCAA women’s tournament
MSU got off to a hot start to the season, cruising to a 10-1 record in nonconference play with its only loss coming to Creighton in the Cancun Challenge in Mexico. MSU dropped two of its first three conference games, though, losing to Nebraska at home and Iowa on the road on a buzzer-beater, before beating Maryland and dropping to Ohio State to move to 2-3 in conference. Then they won five of their next six games, dropped back-to-back games to Indiana and Ohio State, before finishing the regular season with a five-game winning streak.
Fralick, who grew up in Okemos before playing ball at Davidson in North Carolina, built Bowling Green State into a winner before replacing Suzy Merchant, who led the program for 16 seasons. Fralick reached the WNIT and WBI in three of her five seasons at BGSU following a three-season run at Ashland in which she went 104-3 and won the 2017 Division II national title.
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North Carolina
NC Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Day results for July 4, 2026
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Saturday, July 4, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 4 drawing
17-38-46-50-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 4 drawing
Day: 0-2-0, Fireball: 8
Evening: 3-0-5, Fireball: 0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 4 drawing
Day: 1-1-9-3, Fireball: 9
Evening: 7-0-2-1, Fireball: 5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from July 4 drawing
11-22-24-25-29
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from July 4 drawing
13-20-28-32-43
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 4 drawing
17-20-37-40-43, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:
- Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
- Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.
When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.
North Carolina
How the hot weather affects people taking SSRIs
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — An intense heat wave will continue through the Fourth of July weekend. Highs will be around 100 degrees, with feels-like temperatures as high as 110 degrees. Daily record high temperatures may also be challenged or even broken.
The combination of intense sunshine and prolonged heat will create dangerous conditions for anyone spending extended periods outdoors. And as the temperatures soar outside, people across Central North Carolina do what they can to stay cool, especially when they have to head out. One homeowner who experienced a hours-long power outage in Durham said it was miserable without his air conditioning. Another said it feels like the heat has intensified in North Carolina.
“I grew up in North Carolina, but I don’t remember waves being quite this intense.”
To compound the misery, ABC11’s Forecast Team says there will be little overnight relief, with temperatures only falling into the mid-70s throughout the heat wave, and the air quality is deteriorating.
Basically, right now, Central NC is a hot, muggy, sweltering, poor-air-quality mess. And it’s expected to last into early next week.
With somewhat stagnant conditions, smoke from Saturday night’s July 4th fireworks could linger into Sunday, something to keep in mind, especially for those who are more sensitive to reduced air quality.
The record-breaking heat has led to organizers tweaking some July 4th plans for the safety of performers, staff, and attendees.
Download the ABC11 App for breaking news and weather alerts
North Carolina
Three wildfires continue burning across Eastern Carolina
The above video is our WITN+ livestream and may not reflect the content in this story.
EASTERN CAROLINA, N.C. (WITN) – With the extremely hot and dry conditions we’re seeing across Eastern Carolina, three wildfires continue to burn.
The North Carolina Forest Service says the latest one is in the Cypress Creek area of Duplin County, where 200 acres have burned. That fire is 10% contained.
In Hyde County, there are two active wildfires, one that has consumed 662 acres and is 83% contained, and another that has burned five acres and is zero percent contained.
Both of those fires are near the Lake Mattamuskeet area.
Copyright 2026 WITN. All rights reserved.
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