Tim Benz: Crucial 2nd-half decision, critical execution help Duquesne stay alive in A-10
It was clear that things were starting to wobble for the Duquesne Dukes in their second-round Atlantic 10 Tournament game Thursday at PPG Paints Arena. And it was clear why. A second-half lead over Rhode Island that was once 12 points had been cut in half with just over six...
No. 6 Davidson holds off Loyola Chicago in overtime in 2nd round of A-10 Tournament
It took a few extra minutes of overtime but No. 6 Davidson survived and advanced in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tournament Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena. Sean Logan’s two baskets, and Josh Scovens’ short jumper in overtime helped the No. 6-seeded Wildcats earn a 64-59 win...
Duquesne wins at PPG Paints Arena, moves on in Atlantic 10 tourney
Duquesne’s Dru Joyce III glanced at two of his players sitting side-by-side just a few feet away. His eyes opened wide as he raised his brow and offered up a half-smile. Had his message finally sunk in? “We’ve grown a ton. We’ve definitely picked it up on the defensive end,”...
St. Bonaventure rallies around retiring coach Mark Schmidt, continues surprising A-10 run
Each passing day brings the possibility that Mark Schmidt’s coaching career will abruptly conclude. Schmidt, 63, who has led St. Bonaventure the past 19 seasons, is retiring at season’s end. As the Bonnies navigate the Atlantic 10 Tournament at PPG Paints Arena, the timing of Schmidt’s retirement is in the...
No. 13 St. Bonaventure upsets No. 5 George Mason in 2nd round of A-10 Tournament
The retirement tour will continue for St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt. His No. 13-seeded Bonnies scored their second upset of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Thursday, rallying from a 10-point halftime deficit to take down No. 5 George Mason, 63-57, in a second-round game at PPG Paints Arena. St. Bonaventure...
No. 8 George Washington holds off No. 8 Fordham rally for Atlantic 10 tournament win
George Washington had a comfortable 21-point lead at halftime of its Atlantic 10 second-round game against No. 8 Fordham on Thursday afternoon. It got uncomfortable soon after the break. The ninth-seeded Revolutionaries held off a furious second-half comeback from Fordham for a 66-62 victory at PPG Paints Arena. “We knew...
Tim Benz: Coaching for an A-10 title in Pittsburgh will be special in many ways for Pitt alum Ricardo Greer
Shortly after Davidson’s R.J. Greer checked into a game at Dayton on Feb. 15, he rotated toward the opposing bench during an offensive sequence. One of the Dayton coaches was quick to yell out to his players on defense to track him into the corner. The Flyers’ coach didn’t need...
David Dixon nears end of momentous Duquesne career
He will take over as the school’s all-time men’s basketball leader in games played with 128 when No. 7 seed Duquesne opens play in the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Thursday against No. 10 Rhode Island at PPG Paints Arena. But there’s more. Much more. As in a lot. And some...
Fans storm into town as A-10 Tournament commences; Duquesne highlights Day 2 slate
Cellphones blared in unison Wednesday in a postgame interview session during the first day of the Atlantic 10 men’s basketball tournament at PPG Paints Arena. The disruption occurred in mid-sentence of St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt’s reference to former golfing great Jack Nicklaus while Schmidt was attempting to illustrate a...
Syracuse fires coach Adrian Autry following 3 unsuccessful seasons
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Adrian Autry has been fired as basketball coach at Syracuse after three largely unsuccessful seasons. The school announced the decision Wednesday, one day after the Orange lost 86-69 to SMU in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Syracuse lost its final six games and 12 of...
Loyola Chicago upsets No. 11 Richmond in Atlantic 10 Tournament 1st round
Loyola Chicago fought back from a 15-point deficit with its season on the line to upset No. 11 Richmond, 75-67, in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena. Richmond led 53-38 with 13 minutes, 26 seconds remaining, but the 14th-seeded Ramblers went on...
Pitt’s season comes to close after loss to N.C. State in ACC Tournament 2nd round
Pitt got hot late in the season and looked to continue carrying momentum throughout the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C. Though the No. 15 Panthers notched a thrilling first-round upset of No. 10 Stanford on Tuesday, their run came to an end Wednesday against seventh-seeded N.C. State. In a high-scoring...
Duquesne’s Tarence Guinyard earns first-team Atlantic 10 honors
Duquesne senior guard Tarence Guinyard has earned another first-team honor. Guinyard on Wednesday was named to the all-Atlantic 10 Conference first team, the first Dukes player to accomplish the feat since Damian Saunders in 2010, a span of 16 seasons. The award comes a year after Guinyard earned first-team honors...
St. Bonaventure cruises past La Salle in Atlantic 10 Tournament opener
St. Bonaventure was one of the lowest-scoring men’s basketball teams in the Atlantic 10 during the regular season. That changed once March Madness began Wednesday. Sparked by a starting five that all scored in double-figures, the No. 13-seeded Bonnies rolled to a 99-80 victory over No. 12 La Salle in...
Blackhawk’s Archie Miller hopes Rhode Island has a long stay in his hometown for the A-10 Tournament
Archie Miller has one goal when it comes to visiting his hometown of Pittsburgh. Someday. “I’ll be honest with you, I’d love to come back one time and never have to coach,” Miller said. Just not this time. This time, the Beaver Falls native wants to coach as many games...
Penn State men eliminated by Northwestern in Big Ten Tournament
CHICAGO — Nick Martinelli scored 24 points, Jayden Reid added 14 and Northwestern defeated Penn State, 76-66, in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Tuesday. Fifteenth-seeded Northwestern led 34-32 at halftime and the Wildcats’ biggest lead of the second half was seven points before they went on...
Former RMU coach Mark Schmidt, back for A-10 Tournament, could be set for farewell game with St. Bonaventure
Mark Schmidt is back where he started. He’s back where his head coaching career began. Back in Western Pennsylvania. When the former Robert Morris coach leads No. 13 St. Bonaventure against No. 12 La Salle on Wednesday morning in the opening game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at PPG Paints...
Utah Valley will play in WAC tournaments after settling $1 million dispute over school’s exit fee
LAS VEGAS — Utah Valley and the Western Athletic Conference have cleared up their $1 million dispute that threatened to leave the Wolverines out of the league’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Utah Valley plans to leave the WAC for the Big West Conference at the end of this school...
No. 1 Duke loses Caleb Foster to broken foot; Patrick Ngongba II out for ACC tourney
Top-ranked Duke has lost starting point guard Caleb Foster to a broken right foot that will keep him out for an extended period, while starting big man Patrick Ngongba II won’t play in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament while dealing with his own foot issue. Foster was hurt in the...
Marshall sued for discrimination over plans to drop women’s swimming and diving
More than a dozen members of the Marshall University women’s swimming and diving team have filed a lawsuit over plans by the school to drop the sport. The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in southern West Virginia, accuses Marshall of discriminating against current and potentially future female student-athletes...
Damarco Minor’s last-second tip-in lifts Pitt over Stanford in 1st round of ACC TournamentVideo
It’s abundantly clear Pitt doesn’t want its season to end. After an overtime victory in the Panthers’ regular-season finale earned them the 15th and final seed in the ACC Tournament, they pulled off another dramatic win Tuesday against 10th-seeded Stanford. Damarco Minor scored the winning basket on a tip-in with...
First Call: Kenny Pickett leaves Raiders; Patrick Queen may go to an NFC team
Tuesday’s “First Call” has the latest destination for former Pittsburgh Steeler Kenny Pickett. Some NFC East teams are showing interest in Patrick Queen. The Penguins face the best in the Metropolitan Division. And we look at the odds for Pitt and Duquesne to stay alive in the postseason. Pickett on...
A-10 tourney returns to Pittsburgh: ‘The city is the roots of the Atlantic 10’
It’s true some Pittsburgh Penguins players were donning Duquesne jerseys before a recent game at PPG Paints Arena. After all, what’s wrong with a little neighborly love? The Atlantic 10 is hoping to see a host of team jerseys this week when the annual A-10 men’s basketball tournament returns to...
Atlantic 10 Tournament primer: Get to know the 14 teams playing at PPG Paints Arena
The Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament returns to PPG Paints Arena this week, with games beginning Wednesday through Sunday afternoon’s championship. The winner receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Here’s a look at the 14 teams from top to bottom. No. 1 Saint Louis First game: Double-bye; plays at...
Man who helped recruit players into a sprawling NCAA basketball point-shaving scheme pleads guilty
One of the so-called fixers in a sprawling betting scheme to cash in on big bets on rigged NCAA basketball games pleaded guilty Monday, according to the federal prosecutors’ office in Philadelphia. Jalen Smith appeared in federal court in Philadelphia and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bribery charges, becoming...
