Sports category, Page 1741
Jim Litke: With big upsets in NCAAs, has the mid-major revolution begun?
In any other college basketball season, four upsets in the eight second-round games played at the NCAA Tournament would be a sign that something big is brewing. Were those the opening shots in the long-rumored mid-major revolution? Have enough talented kids and smart coaches finally taken up residence at programs...
Madden Monday: Idea that JuJu Smith-Schuster took less money to stay with Steelers is fiction
If you are someone who is excited about JuJu Smith-Schuster returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers for one more year in 2021, I’m happy for you. He’s a good receiver. The offense is better with him than without him. If you are someone who thinks it’s better to have him than...
First Call: Was Philadelphia trying to sign JuJu Smith-Schuster or not?; Pirates said to have ‘top 10’ farm system
Monday’s “First Call” examines the alleged level of interest in Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster before he decided to stay in Pittsburgh. Specifically, from the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles. Alex Highsmith has a plan to replace Bud Dupree at outside linebacker. And at least one outlet seems to think that...
Tim Benz: Hope the Steelers enjoyed cornerback depth while it lasted
Remember when the Steelers had cornerback depth? I know, it was a long time ago. Like, December. How ‘bout before then? Go ahead and test your memories. I’ll wait. The Steelers entered 2020 with a starting cornerback tandem that was caked with accolades. Last season wasn’t as good as 2019....
Empty Thoughts: Devils 2, Penguins 1 (OT)Video
Observations from the Penguins’ 2-1 overtime loss to the Devils: Entering the season, the Penguins’ most obvious hole in the lineup involved their bottom-six forwards. Under former general manager Jim Rutherford, there was hope Mark Jankowski could reinvigorate his career and be the pivot of a new third line with...
Sweet 16 bound: No. 15 seed Oral Roberts stuns Florida
INDIANAPOLIS — Oral Roberts pulled off yet another upset to become just the second No. 15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the round of 16 with an 81-78 victory over Florida on Sunday night. Kevin Obanor and Max Abmas carried the Golden Eagles out of an 11-point...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Arkansas in Sweet 16 for 1st time in 25 yearsVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Justin Smith had 20 points and played a key role in a final-play defensive stop, helping Arkansas beat Texas Tech, 68-66, on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament, securing the program’s first trip to the Sweet 16 in a quarter-century. In the final seconds of a tense finish, Smith...
Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim tops West Virginia, gets dad back to Sweet 16
INDIANAPOLIS — Buddy Boeheim kept shooting, carrying his Hall of Fame father and 11th-seeded Syracuse back into the Sweet 16. The Orange, a top program for four decades under Jim Boeheim, once again showed they’re just as dangerous as an NCAA Tournament afterthought. “To win two games and be doubted...
Minor league report: Penguins fall to Phantoms in overtimeVideo
Forwards Jordy Bellerive and Nick Schilkey each had a goal and an assist for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins who lost their fourth consecutive game, a 5-4 overtime road defeat at the hands of the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Allentown, Pa. on Sunday. Defenseman Zach Trotman recorded two assists for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton...
Ryan Blaney wins at Atlanta after Kyle Larson fades on old tires
HAMPTON, Ga. — Ryan Blaney knew he had to let Kyle Larson go. Patience was the key, especially on a day when Larson looked unbeatable. In the end, Larson faded on an battered set of tires, and Blaney raced by him for an improbable victory Sunday. “I was not going...
Penguins forward Brandon Tanev ‘day-to-day’ with undisclosed injury
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Brandon Tanev missed his second consecutive game Sunday as a result of an undisclosed injury. Initially injured during a 3-2 road loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Tanev, arguably the team’s most energetic player, has missed only three...
Matt Jones wins Honda Classic by 5 shots, earns spot in Masters
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — When Matt Jones won his first PGA Tour title seven years ago, he needed a 45-foot birdie putt just to get into a playoff and a 40-yard chip-in to take the victory. This win was far less dramatic, yet just as meaningful. It got him...
Belle Vernon’s Zach Hartman, Kiski Area’s Darren Miller represent Bucknell well at NCAA Tournament
Belle Vernon’s Zach Hartman and Kiski Area’s Darren Miller put together special high school careers during their time in the WPIAL, but this past weekend, the pair represented Bucknell at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships. Hartman (13-3), who was making his third NCAA appearance after last year’s tournament was...
Serena Williams latest star to withdraw from Miami Open
MIAMI — Serena Williams is the latest Grand Slam champion to withdraw from the Miami Open. Williams pulled out Sunday, citing recent oral surgery. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer announced earlier they would skip the tournament, which begins Tuesday. Williams, who lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., has...
Mischler, Holder combine to help Duquesne beat Long IslandVideo
Joe Mischler threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns and Duquesne beat Long Island, 35-17, on Sunday. Mischler’s first touchdown came on a 75-yard pass to Cyrus Holder, who beat one-on-one coverage to tie the score 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. It was the longest scoring play...
Royals give Salvador Perez $82M deal, richest in team history
The Kansas City Royals gave six-time All-Star catcher Salvador Perez the richest contract in club history, a four-year, $82 million deal that begins in 2022. The contract includes a club option worth an additional $13.5 million and has a $2 million buyout for 2026. Kansas City announced Sunday it had...
Wil Crowe focused on winning job on Pirates’ pitching staff
Wil Crowe didn’t mind talking baseball Sunday afternoon, but he preferred to keep the conversation focused on his outing against the Boston Red Sox. He was the starting pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 9-4 victory at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., working 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run,...
Penguins fall to Devils in overtime at home
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in dire need of two things. Rest and goals. They’ll get the former as they enjoy a rare two-day respite Monday and Tuesday after they forged through an industrial metal shredder of a week in which they played five games in seven days. As for the...
Nun-and-done: Loyola Chicago stuns top-seeded Illinois
INDIANAPOLIS — Loyola Chicago carried out 101-year-old superfan Sister Jean’s plans to a T on Sunday, moving to the Sweet 16 with a 71-58 win over Illinois, the first No. 1 seed bounced from this year’s NCAA Tournament. Cameron Krutwig delivered a 19-point, 12-rebound masterpiece, and the quick-handed, eighth-seeded Ramblers...
Infant son of former Steelers WR Ryan Switzer back in hospital
CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns wide receiver Ryan Switzer said his infant son underwent a blood transfusion on Sunday and has more tests ahead to try to determine why he has been bleeding. Switzer’s 9-month-old son, Christian, is back in the hospital for the second time after undergoing surgery last week....
Pirates sign 36-year-old ex-Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright
The Pittsburgh Pirates took a low-risk chance on knuckleball pitcher Steven Wright on Sunday, signing him to a minor-league contract, with an invitation to big-league camp. It sounds like just another spring training transaction until you hear the rest of the story. Five years ago, Wright was considered a promising...
Penguins forward Brandon Tanev remains out against Devils
Penguins forward Brandon Tanev will miss his second consecutive game due to an undisclosed injury when his team hosts the New Jersey Devils at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday. In a statement issued Sunday morning, the team labeled him as a “game-time decision. Tanev participated in warmups prior to Saturday’s...
Texas stunner: No. 14 Abilene Christian ousts Texas
INDIANAPOLIS — Joe Pleasant slowed his breath and calmed himself. In the most pressure-packed moment of his college career for Abilene Christian, Pleasant’s two free throws were perfect from a spot where he’d struggled in the past. When he intercepted a final desperation pass from Texas, then Pleasant and the...
Shaler grad Brianna Schwartz has lasting impact with A-10 champion Duquesne runners
Duquesne assistant coach Jeff Gibson went scooting toward the finish line of the Atlantic 10 Championship course March 5 at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va., to deliver good news. Brianna Schwartz and her fellow Dukes were surprised at what he had to say. Duquesne coach Jim Lear told the...
This date in sports history: March 21Video
1893 — The first women’s collegiate basketball game is played at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. In this game, each basket is worth 1 point and the freshman class beats the sophomore class, 5-4. The game takes place behind locked doors, and men are prohibited from watching. 1941 — Joe...
