Sports category, Page 1676
Now comes the hard part for 68 NCAA Tournament teams
The 68 teams whose names popped up in the March Madness bracket only thought it was time to celebrate: The next four or five days figure to be the most nerve-wracking part of their seasons. Welcome to Bubble Ball — the NCAA Tournament is being played in a pandemic, where...
Several top teams seeking 1st title in this NCAA Tournament
If you’re tired of watching the same old powerhouses, this is an NCAA Tournament for you. Duke, Kentucky and Louisville didn’t qualify. UCLA, Michigan State and Syracuse barely did. North Carolina is a No. 8 seed. Connecticut is a No. 7. The four No. 1 seeds are Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois...
Stuck in quarantine, Virginia has spot in tournament waiting
Virginia has a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Whether the Cavaliers can get to Indianapolis with enough available players is to be determined. Virginia was forced to withdraw from the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals Friday because a person with the team tested positive for covid-19. Coach Tony Bennett said...
This date in sports history: March 15Video
1869 — The Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first pro baseball team, are organized by George Ellard and Harry Wright. 1940 — Colorado, led by Bob Doll’s 15 points, beats Duquesne, 51-40, for the NIT championship. 1985 — Larry Holmes scores a 10th-round knockout of David Bey in Las Vegas to...
Madden Monday: Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster was ‘destined to leave after 4 years the minute he was drafted’
Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is likely to be with a new team by the end of the week via free agency. And if that happens, he wanted to bid a fond farewell to the City of Pittsburgh. No matter what happens this week, if I’m back or if I’m...
First Call: Are Steelers keeping Al Villanueva?; Penguins watching red-hot Islanders; scouting the Bruins
Could a certain Steelers veteran re-sign during free agency after all? That’s where we start Monday’s “First Call.” We also look at the Penguins’ next opponent after they dismissed the Buffalo Sabres. We keep an eye on the division-leading New York Islanders. And we have a mixed bag on the...
Tim Benz: List of ‘Steelers fallacies’ growing, getting more difficult to believe
This is a very delicate time of year on the calendar for Steelers fans. We’re in that period where we are barely getting over the shock of the annual January indignity endured by the team. We are just far enough away from whatever hurt we suffered, seeing the franchise eliminated...
Trevor Cahill will take survivor techniques to the mound for Pirates
Living the life of a starting pitcher, Trevor Cahill knows what it feels like to fall short of expectations and suffer through the next five days before you can do something about it. It can be a mental grind. But Cahill, 33, can be labeled a survivor in baseball terms,...
Pitt baseball beats No. 7 Georgia Tech, 18-12, for 2nd series victory against top-10 team
Pitt baseball recorded its second series victory against a top-10 team in the past three weekends, toppling No. 7 Georgia Tech (9-5, 6-3), 18-12, Sunday at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta. Pitt won two of the series’ three games after sweeping then-No. 9 Florida State on Feb. 26-28. Through three...
Picking the NCAA Tournament bracket: The Big Ten will feel right at homeVideo
This is the annual story to tell you how to win your office NCAA tournament pool. We will begin with one important caveat. Logic will not apply this year. Don’t pretend otherwise. Nobody knows who will handle this quasi-bubble situation in Indianapolis well. Nobody knows which team will see its...
NCAA field missing mainstays Duke, Kentucky and LouisvilleVideo
Duke, Kentucky and Louisville are NCAA Tournament regulars. Not this year, though. The Blue Devils, Wildcats and Cardinals were left out in the cold when the March Madness brackets were unveiled on Sunday. It is the first time since 1976 all three schools missed the tournament in the same year....
West Virginia men earn No. 3 seed, will play Morehead State in NCAA Tournament
For the first time in three seasons, West Virginia men’s basketball is going dancing. The Mountaineers (18-9) were awarded a No. 3 seed in the Midwest region and will open the NCAA Tournament against No. 14 Morehead State (23-7) at 9:50 p.m. Friday. The game will be played at Lucas...
Truex Jr. pulls away late to win NASCAR race at PhoenixVideo
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Martin Truex Jr. pulled away in the final laps Sunday at Phoenix Raceway for his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season and 28th overall. Truex beat the four championship finalists from last year. He had failed to advance into the season-ending finale for the first...
Thomas lives on edge and rallies to win Players ChampionshipVideo
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Justin Thomas found the right time for a near-perfect performance to put a rough start to the year behind him, rallying from three shots behind with bold play to close with a 4-under-par 68 and win The Players Championship on Sunday. Thomas became only the...
Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois, Michigan get No. 1 seeds for NCAA TournamentVideo
The biggest unknown leading into a March Madness bracket reveal more than a year in the making had nothing to do with bubble teams or top seeds. Instead, it was the not-so-simple matter of which programs would be healthy enough to play. Kansas and Virginia, two programs hit with covid-19...
No. 3 Illinois beats No. 9 Ohio State in OT to take Big Ten titleVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmu both scored 16 points, both grabbed nine rebounds and both made key plays in overtime to give No. 3 Illinois a 91-88 victory over No. 9 Ohio State on Sunday for its first Big Ten Tournament title since 2005. Cockburn made the go-ahead...
It’s only spring training, so Pirates’ Steven Brault can take ‘getting punished’
When he walks to the mound for a spring training game, Steven Brault fills his head with three purposes: • Renewing familiarity with hitters he hasn’t seen since last season. • Rebuilding his arm strength for the next six months. • Taking it on the chin, if necessary. The Pittsburgh...
Record-setting Saints QB Drew Brees announces retirement at 42Video
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the NFL’s leader in career completions and yards passing, decided to retire after 20 NFL seasons, including his last 15 with New Orleans. “Til the very end I exhausted myself to give everything to the Saints organization, my team and the...
Aaron Jones staying with Packers on 4-year, $48 million dealVideo
Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones agreed to a new deal with the Green Bay Packers and won’t be exploring free agency. Drew Rosenhaus, Jones’ agent, confirmed his client had agreed on a four-year deal worth $48 million that includes a $13 million signing bonus. “We anticipated bigger offers in...
Fewer brackets but same number plan bets on March Madness
ATLANTIC CITY — Fewer Americans expect to fill out brackets for the NCAA’s college basketball tournament this year, but the overall number of people making bets on March Madness should remain about the same as the last time the tournament was held, according to the gambling industry’s national trade association....
St. Bonaventure beats VCU in Atlantic 10 Tournament title gameVideo
DAYTON, Ohio — Kyle Lofton scored 23 points, and Osun Osunniyi scored 14 points with 12 rebounds as St. Bonaventure beat VCU, 74-65, on Sunday in the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship to clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. St. Bonaventure (16-4) entered the A-10 Tournament as the top...
JuJu Smith-Schuster: Pittsburgh will always be ‘part of who I am’
If receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster signs elsewhere as a free agent, he says he will still carry a part of Pittsburgh with him. The future of Smith-Schuster, who becomes an unrestricted free agent Wednesday, may be unclear, but his professed love for the city doesn’t appear to be in doubt. “No...
No. 6 Alabama adds another SEC title, edges LSU in championship gameVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Herbert Jones drove for a go-ahead layup with 19.5 seconds, and No. 6 Alabama won the SEC Tournament for the first time since 1991, holding off a late flurry to edge LSU, 80-79, on Sunday. Coach Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide added to their regular-season title...
Jerry Schmitt gets 100th win with Duquesne in shutout of WagnerVideo
NEW YORK — Jerry Schmitt collected his 100th win as Duquesne coach as the Dukes blanked Wagner, 17-0, on Sunday. Garrett Owens ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns for Duquesne (2-0, 2-0 Northeast Conference). Schmitt joins eight active coaches in the FCS with at least 100 wins at their...
Report: Rangers place Jack Johnson on waivers
The New York Rangers reportedly placed much-maligned former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson on waivers on Sunday. NHL Network insider Elliotte Friedman first reported the move. Johnson signed a one-year, $1.15 million deal with the Rangers just days after the Penguins bought out his contract. The Penguins put Johnson on...
