Sports category, Page 525

The Akron Zips took the short trip to Pittsburgh this week as the Mid-American Conference’s lone representative in the NCAA Tournament, but Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot, their former longtime coach, won’t be there Thursday to watch his old team take on No. 3 seed Creighton in a Midwest Region first-round game...

LAS VEGAS — Given the numerous upsets that led to last year’s unusual Final Four and the many bids stolen in this season’s conference tournaments, bettors aren’t inclined to go chalk when laying wagers for the NCAA Tournament. “People are loving some (under)dogs,” BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said. “We’ve...

After graduating from Elizabeth Forward High School and perhaps a time or two through the years, Kentucky’s Tre Mitchell heard from the coaches at Pitt. After all, he has attended four institutions of higher learning and basketball through the years, and it seems some school or another always was recruiting...

Even though Ian Eagle is stepping into a new role as the lead announcer for CBS and TNT Sports’ coverage of the men’s NCAA Tournament, plenty of things will make it familiar. One of Eagle’s partners is Bill Raftery, the analyst for Nets games when Eagle moved to the television...

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend was fired from the Los Angeles Dodgers after allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star. Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from The Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged...

OMAHA, Neb. — When Creighton basketball player Isaac Traudt’s teammates take a break at practice, they might grab a drink of water, chat it up or go over assignments. Traudt does that, too, but not before he checks a device attached to his body that tells him his blood glucose...

While advocating for the NCAA Tournament to avoid expansion, Oakland coach Greg Kampe dropped a dime by noting Wednesday marked the 70th anniversary of the real-life inspiration for “Hoosiers,” the ultimate underdog and quintessential basketball movie. For the love of Fang Mitchell and Coppin State, everyone loves a Cinderella story...

Caitlin Clark has been a mainstay on the Associated Press All-America team the past few seasons. The NCAA’s all-time scoring leader from Iowa was honored for the third straight year Wednesday, becoming the 11th player to earn the distinction three times. She was a unanimous choice from the 35-member national...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — March Madness kept Tom Izzo sleepless for more than 24 hours before he heard and saw Michigan State made it into a 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Hall of Fame coach said he had one of the most anxious days of his career Sunday, sensing his...

If and when South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles hears his name called in the NBA Draft, the wacky start to his collegiate career will offer analysts plenty of talking points. The true freshman forward joined the Gamecocks last summer as a blue-chip recruit aiming to make a quick impact but...

Five years ago, John Calipari signed a 10-year, $86 million contract extension to remain Kentucky’s coach for the remainder of this decade. He sat inside PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday — not far from the brightly lit floor where Kentucky (23-9) will play Oakland (23-11) on Thursday in an NCAA...

No. 6 South Carolina vs. No. 11 Oregon 4 p.m. Thursday, PPG Paints Arena TV: TNT Winner plays: Winner of 3-Creighton (23-9)/14-Akron (24-10) on Saturday in second round Series history: 1st all-time meeting South Carolina (26-7) Coach: Lamont Paris (2nd season) How they got here: South Carolina earned an at-large...

No. 6 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 N.C. State 9:40 p.m. Thursday, PPG Paints Arena TV: CBS Winner plays: Winner of 3-Kentucky (23-9)/14-Oakland (23-11) Saturday in second round Series history: N.C. State leads 2-1 Texas Tech (23-10) Coach: Grant McCasland (1st season) How they got here: Texas Tech earned an...

No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Oakland 7:10 p.m. Thursday, PPG Paints Arena TV: CBS Winner plays: Winner of 6-Texas Tech (23-10)/11-N.C. State (22-14) on Saturday in second round Series history: First meeting Kentucky (23-9) Coach: John Calipari (15th season) How they got here: Kentucky earned an at-large bid from...

Nearly a year has passed since Lamont Butler hit a buzzer-beater that sent San Diego State to the NCAA championship game. He’s seen it so often on social media and TV that he never had search it out himself. “It’s kind of hard to miss it,” he said. Especially in...

The NFL competition committee is proposing a rule to penalize so-called “hip-drop” tackles and a radical change to kickoffs to add more returns without compromising safety. The proposals will be presented to owners at the league meetings later this month, with 24 out of 32 votes needed for approval. The...

Purdue coach Matt Painter, reigning AP Player of the Year Zach Edey and the rest of the Boilermakers have had to carry with them all season the stink of becoming the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They can truly put...

OMAHA, Neb. — One thing that always tends to get me in trouble when I fill out my NCAA brackets is that I fall in love with a team early in the season and I proclaim them as my March Madness dark horse in November. Then they inevitably flame out...

Houston has a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year but will have to navigate the likes of Duke, Kentucky and Marquette in the South Region if the Cougars are able to reach the Final Four. The Cougars (30-4) were rewarded after winning the Big...

TAMPA, Fla. — Detroit Lions defensive back Cameron Sutton is wanted on a domestic violence warrant in Florida, where authorities on Wednesday asked for tips to help find him. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which includes Tampa, said on the X social media platform that the warrant is for domestic...

COLUMBIA, S.C. — It has been a different run of perfection for South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, fueled by a lot of precocious, talented young players who make it difficult at times to know exactly what comes next. “It feels a little bit different because they’re so young,” said Staley,...

No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 14 Akron 1:30 p.m. Thursday, PPG Paints Arena TV: TNT Winner plays: Winner of No. 6 South Carolina (26-7)/No. 11 Oregon (23-11) on Saturday in second round Series history: Creighton leads 3-1 Creighton (23-9) Coach: Greg McDermott (14th season) How they got here: Creighton earned...

Purdue had just fallen unexpectedly in the Big Ten Tournament last week and Braden Smith sat down alongside star Zach Edey and coach Matt Painter to meet reporters. It took three questions to conjure a March Madness specter: the Boilermakers’ improbable loss as a No. 1 seed to 16th-seeded Fairleigh...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida center Micah Handlogten, who gruesomely broke his left leg two minutes into the Southeastern Conference championship game on Sunday, will be on hand to watch the Gators in the NCAA Tournament. Already using crutches while recovering from surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Handlogten will make...