Sports category, Page 339
AP Top 25: Ohio State, Notre Dame are 1-2 in final poll; Penn State finishes 5th
Ohio State was No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll of the season Tuesday after beating Notre Dame for its first national championship since 2014. The Buckeyes (14-2) received every first-place vote following their mostly dominant run through the College Football Playoff. The Irish (14-2)...
Tim Benz: Even if Steelers fans are ‘so spoiled,’ it doesn’t make them wrong
I recently saw that Cleveland area sports commentator Bruce Drennan called Pittsburgh Steelers fans “so spoiled.” Well, compared to the Browns up in Cleveland, obviously. Who isn’t “spoiled” compared to them? Compared to the likes of most franchises when it comes to Super Bowl wins? Again, sure. The Steelers have...
Hempfield grad Kason Harrell grateful to lead team to tournament title in Ireland
When he left the Yough boys basketball coaching staff last year, Kason Harrell was unsure of what his own basketball future would entail. Would he coach elsewhere, continue to train young players or keep grinding in the gym to try to prolong his professional playing career? Harrell opted to press...
Djokovic beats Alcaraz at Australian Open, getting closer to 25th Grand Slam title
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic refused to let anything stop his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam trophy in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Not a problem with his left leg. Not an early deficit. And not the kid across the net, Carlos Alcaraz, who was making things difficult and...
First Call: Steelers reportedly were quick to rebuff trade inquiries about Mike Tomlin; former Steelers coach may get promotion
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” trade talks around Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin have been short and sweet. Also, a former Tomlin assistant coach may get a promotion. It was a busy night for a number of ex-Penguins. Duquesne will be playing against a number of faces Tuesday night that are...
Penguins find balance with Erik Karlsson-Matt Grzelcyk defensive pairing
Back in mid-December, Marcus Pettersson landing on injured reserve forced the Pittsburgh Penguins to do some tinkering on the blue line. Pettersson had been Erik Karlsson’s defensive partner since Karlsson debuted with the Penguins last season. But beginning Dec. 17 against the Los Angeles Kings, coach Mike Sullivan inserted Matt...
Proposed changes to ACC championship game create more problems than answers
As the ACC tries to game the system, a question arises: Is the game itself really worth playing? Two days before Ohio State beat Notre Dame, 34-23, to win the first 12-team College Football Playoff, ESPN published a story with quotes from ACC commissioner Jim Phillips about some potential changes...
Alex Nedeljkovic stars again as Penguins dominate Kings
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves on 26 shots in a 5-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday. The result boosted Nedeljkovic’s record to 9-7-4 and followed a news-making performance Friday when he recorded a goal and an assist and...
Ohio State holds off Notre Dame comeback bid to win 1st national title since 2014
ATLANTA — The pass seemed to hang up there forever. Did it feel like seven weeks? Did it feel like 10 years? What a great debate for Ohio State fans to have forever. When that teardrop of a throw from Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard on third-and-11 finally landed, light as...
Coco Gauff loses to Paula Badosa in the Australian Open quarterfinalsVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — Coco Gauff’s forehand and serve abandoned her in the worst way and at the worst time at the Australian Open on Tuesday, and the No. 3-seeded American was eliminated in the quarterfinals by No. 11 Paula Badosa of Spain, 7-5, 6-4. Gauff entered the match at Rod...
Bengals hire Scott Peters as offensive line coach, Michael McCarthy assistant offensive line coach
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals hired Scott Peters as offensive line coach and Michael McCarthy as assistant offensive line coach Monday. Peters replaces Frank Pollack, who was an assistant on Zac Taylor’s staff for four seasons (2021-24). Pollack also coached the Bengals offensive line in 2018, which was Marvin Lewis’...
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson agrees to become Bears head coach, AP source says
Ben Johnson helped Jared Goff establish himself as one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks. Now, he’ll try to do something similar for Caleb Williams. The Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator has agreed to become the Chicago Bears head coach, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday....
Ace Baldwin Jr., Yanic Konan Niederhauser lead Penn State over Rutgers 80-72 to snap 4-game skidVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — Ace Baldwin Jr. had 22 points, Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 18 and Penn State snapped a four-game losing streak with an 80-72 victory over Rutgers on Monday night. Baldwin made 6 of 16 shots with three 3-pointers and 7 of 9 free throws for the Nittany Lions...
South Carolina gains a first-place vote as UCLA, Gamecocks, Notre Dame top women’s AP Top 25
South Carolina has so far cruised through the difficult part of its conference schedule and remained No. 2 in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday, picking up a first-place vote to gain a bit of ground on top-ranked UCLA. The Gamecocks are in the midst of a...
Auburn a unanimous No. 1, Duke now No. 2; Michigan St into top 10, Louisville ends AP Top 25 drought
A wild week of upsets and court stormings led to a massive shakeup in the AP Top 25. One constant: Auburn. The Tigers were the unanimous pick at No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released on Monday, holding on to the top spot following a week...
Oilers captain Connor McDavid suspended 3 games for cross-checking Conor Garland in the headVideo
NEW YORK — Three-time NHL MVP Connor McDavid was suspended three games for cross-checking Vancouver’s Conor Garland in the head. The Edmonton Oilers captain had a hearing with the league’s Department of Player Safety on Monday. The suspension was announced shortly after. It was the second suspension of his career...
As J.T. Miller trade rumors swirl, Canucks GM says he’s open to making a deal if it makes senseVideo
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said Monday he is open to making a trade as long as the deal makes sense for the team. His remarks come as trade buzz continues to swirl about the future of star Canucks center J.T. Miller, a native of...
Ravens look for answers after top-tier offense undone by playoff turnovers
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Mark Andrews has been reclusive since his dropped 2-point conversion sent Baltimore to defeat against the Buffalo Bills. Then again, what can Andrews and his teammates really say to make sense of the Ravens’ latest season-ending disappointment? Andrews left the locker room without speaking to reporters...
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman seeks breakthrough for Black coaches on a historic day in AmericaVideo
ATLANTA — Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman felt more comfortable talking about the national championship his players had a chance to win Monday night than the history attached to it if they pull it off. Still, it’s hard to ignore the connections between Freeman’s fate — he is trying...
T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Chris Boswell represent Steelers on football writers’ all-NFL team
T.J. Watt was one of eight repeat selections and among three Pittsburgh Steelers players voted to the all-NFL team Monday by the Professional Football Writers of America. Watt was named to the list for the second consecutive year and fifth time in his career. Also among the players honored by...
‘I think this team has solid character’: Jeff Capel defends Pitt’s attitude, outlook through skid
Pitt’s four-game losing streak has its players and coaches looking in the mirror searching for solutions and trying to weather the storm. The Panthers (12-6, 3-4 ACC) have not won since Jan. 4 against Stanford and most recently lost in overtime to Clemson at Petersen Events Center on Saturday. Entering...
Steelers positional analysis: Promising offensive line looking to put aside injuries
This is the first in a series examining the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster, position by position, heading into the offseason. Today: Offensive line It was just two years ago that the Pittsburgh Steelers fielded the healthiest offensive line in the NFL with their five starters playing 99% of all snaps. As...
Pitt-Greensburg men’s basketball team rights ship after rocky start, hopes to contend in AMCC
After winning its first two games, including a nail-biting overtime victory over Grove City in the opener, the Pitt-Greensburg men’s basketball team looked like it was on its way to a fast start. Then came the next seven games. The Bobcats won only one of them, a string that included...
A-K Valley grads help form foundation as Mercyhurst women’s bowling moves into Division IVideo
Ask a college freshmen about the biggest differences between their current level and high school, and the answers often are similar. Athletes are more accomplished. Game is faster. There’s more depth on rosters. But when Deer Lakes grad Tia Germanich donned a Mercyhurst bowling jersey and walked into her first...
Mark Madden: PiratesFest drives home notion the team has no ambition beyond profit
The annual PiratesFest propaganda rally lived up to the spirit of the franchise this past weekend at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It was wall-to-wall horse manure. That’s what I’m told, anyway. I didn’t attend. I refuse to be an enabler. Some highlights: • A Q&A with CEO Travis...
