Sports category, Page 1359
Indiana tops turnover-prone Wyoming in First Four
DAYTON, Ohio — University of Dayton Arena was rocking, thanks to hordes of Indiana fans who made the drive to the First Four to see the Hoosiers play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. The 13,400-seat newly renovated venue just got louder as Indiana pulled away...
Tim Benz: If NFL teams have concerns over public relations fallout from acquiring Deshaun Watson, they aren’t showing any
The Steelers surfaced as a rumored trade destination for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson last week. A frequent and immediate response from many who cover the team or root for it was that the franchise couldn’t make such a deal “because it would be a public relations nightmare.” The Steelers...
Kelvin Sampson transforms Houston from afterthought to contender
HOUSTON — When veteran coach Kelvin Sampson took over at Houston in 2014, the Cougars had made the NCAA Tournament just once since 1992. “There was no success. There was no hope. There was no aspirations,” Sampson said Tuesday, recalling the culture he inherited. “No, there was a lot of...
First Call: Eagles may be out on Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster; Browns may be out on Baker Mayfield; tough night in the Metro
In “First Call” for Wednesday, Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is still looking for work. And he may not find it anywhere else in the state of Pennsylvania. Baker Mayfield is acting like a quarterback who knows he may be traded, even if the Cleveland Browns don’t get Deshaun Watson....
Former Steelers, Bears QB says Mitch Trubisky was ‘being vilified as the problem maker’ in Chicago
Former Steeler Jim Miller knows about quarterbacking in both Pittsburgh and Chicago. He knows what a cluttered QB room is like, having been in that situation with Neil O’Donnell, Kordell Stewart and Mike Tomczak. And he knows the game of new Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky pretty well, too. Miller is...
IUP tops Cal (Pa.) to win NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional championship
Playing Cal (Pa.) for the fourth time of the season, IUP head coach Joe Lombardi said he had to come up with a way for his Crimson Hawks to be the hunter, to chase the Vulcans a little heading into Tuesday’s NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship. That’s where social media came...
Line changes spark little offense for Penguins in loss to Predators
The trio of Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust might be the NHL’s top line, let alone the Pittsburgh Penguins’ best. Their success largely has carried the Penguins’ five-on-five play for the bulk of the 2021-22 season. At the same time, the Penguins have become a somewhat top-heavy squad...
Ovechkin scores 767th goal, passes Jagr for 3rd on NHL listVideo
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored his 767th NHL goal, passing Jaromir Jagr for third on the career list. Ovechkin beat fellow Russian Semyon Varlamov for the goal with 4 minutes, 58 seconds left in the third period of the Washington Capitals’ game against the New York Islanders on Tuesday night....
Texas Southern outlasts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in First FourVideo
DAYTON, Ohio — Bryson Etienne scored 21 points, and Texas Southern beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 76-67, on Tuesday night in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys earned their third NCAA Tournament win in five seasons and will play top-seeded Kansas in the Midwest first round. The First...
Rams tackle Andrew Whitworth retires after 16 years capped by first Super Bowl winVideo
A month after Andrew Whitworth reached the pinnacle of his long football career, he decided to go out on top. The 40-year-old left tackle announced his retirement Tuesday after a 16-season NFL career capped by his first Super Bowl championship last month with the Los Angeles Rams. “The warrior in...
Jets bolster secondary, add former Pitt safety Jordan WhiteheadVideo
NEW YORK — The New York Jets opened the second day of the NFL’s legal tampering period by addressing their shaky secondary. Former Seattle Seahawks cornerback D.J. Reed and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead agreed to terms on deals with the Jets on Tuesday. A person with direct...
Michigan hires Power 5’s 1st female football grad assistantVideo
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan has hired Milan Bolden-Morris to be the first female graduate assistant football coach in the Big Ten. The school said she’s also the first female GA in a Power Five football program. Michigan announced her hire Tuesday. The former college basketball player, who started for...
Big Ten lands three players on AP All-America first teamVideo
Keegan Murray has given Iowa a first-team Associated Press All-American for the third straight year, and Kofi Cockburn has made it two in a row for Illinois — not bad for a couple programs that haven’t had a whole lot of them. The Fighting Illini never had a first-team pick...
Steelers receive 4th-round compensatory pick in next month’s draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers were given an extra draft pick Tuesday when the NFL announced its list of compensatory picks distributed to teams based off each team’s defections and signings during 2021 unrestricted free agency. The Steelers were given the first of six picks doled out at the end of the...
How hosting NCAA basketball tournament benefits Duquesne and Pittsburgh
It has been 45 years since the Duquesne men’s basketball team has been to the NCAA Tournament. As a participant, that is. While it’s been four-and-a-half decades since Duquesne received a coveted invitation to the Big Dance, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been at the party. In fact, the Dukes...
Steelers reportedly sign former Bills CB Levi Wallace
The Pittsburgh Steelers began the process of what could be a re-make of their secondary, reportedly agreeing to a two-year contract with free-agent cornerback Levi Wallace on Tuesday. Wallace has started for the Buffalo Bills the past 3 ½ seasons dating to the midway point of his rookie year when...
Pitt hopes to build foundation this spring for improved run game
Kenny Pickett showed up Tuesday for Pitt’s fourth practice of the spring. Likewise, Damarri Mathis and Lucas Krull were there, scoping out what they left behind while taking a break from preparations for Pitt’s Pro Day next Monday. All three played major roles last season in helping Pitt capture its...
Pitt backup forward Noah Collier enters NCAA transfer portal
The first move of Pitt basketball’s offseason occurred Tuesday when backup forward Noah Collier entered the NCAA transfer portal. Collier, a sophomore, entered games when center John Hugley was in foul trouble or needed a break. He made only two starts in two seasons, averaging 9.4 minutes, 1.3 points and...
Seton Hill not retaining men’s basketball coach Kendrick Saunders
Seton Hill is parting ways with men’s basketball coach Kendrick Saunders after three seasons. Griffins athletic director Chris Snyder confirmed the university will not retain Saunders or his assistant, Ryan Joyce. Seton Hill finished 3-24 this season, including a 3-19 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division. The...
MLB players ponder how Manfred can mend icy relationship
VENICE, Fla. — Rob Manfred made a startling admission while announcing the end of baseball’s bitter labor battle last week: He’s failed in his role as a diplomat to players. The acknowledgement was stunning enough that famously polite Atlanta Braves starter Charlie Morton nearly laughed when told about it. “The...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton believes tumult of his tenure has made him a better leader
BRADENTON, Fla. — As Derek Shelton starts his third season as Pittsburgh Pirates manager, he believes the adversity he has dealt with is making him a battle-tested leader who knows how to adapt and adjust. Shelton’s first spring training was interrupted by the outbreak of a global pandemic that shut...
Duquesne’s Toby Okani enters transfer portal
Duquesne forward Toby Okani has entered the NCAA transfer portal after spending two seasons with the Dukes. The 6-foot-8 Okani, who has three years of eligibility remaining, averaged 3.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game this season in 30 games, 15 as a starter. While averaging 20.1 minutes, Okani shot...
Expansion: Women’s NCAA field features inaugural First Four
Florida State coach Sue Semrau has always been a fan of adding teams to the women’s NCAA Tournament. She is thrilled it happened this season, giving her late-developing Seminoles the opportunity to be a part of history. Florida State (17-13) is one of the schools participating in the inaugural women’s...
Brent Sass wins his 1st Iditarod sled dog race across Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Musher Brent Sass won the arduous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska on Tuesday as his team of 11 dogs dashed off the Bering Sea ice through a crowd of fans in downtown Nome. Sass mushed down Front Street and across the finish line just before...
Penguins to honor retired Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger before March 29 game
The first local professional sports franchise to formally honor the retired Ben Roethlisberger with a pregame ceremony won’t be the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead, it will involve a puck. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Tuesday that Roethlisberger will take part in a ceremonial puck drop and be the subject of recognition prior...
