U.S./World Sports category, Page 181
Villanova coach Jay Wright worried Delaware’s Dylan Painter may know too much
Other than five Big East rivals, there may be no team in the NCAA Tournament field of 68 that Jay Wright knows better than Delaware. Yet, the Villanova coach isn’t ashamed to tell you about the “fear” he has felt preparing his Wildcats (26-7) to meet the Blue Hens (22-12)...
NTSB: 13-year-old was driving pickup that struck van killing 9
HOBBS, N.M. — A 13-year-old was driving the pickup truck that struck a van in West Texas in a fiery collision that killed nine people, National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said Thursday. The truck’s left front tire, which was a spare tire, also blew out before impact,...
Seldom-used freshman Frankie Collins sparks Michigan to NCAA Tournament winVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Freshman Frankie Collins made a starting debut that Michigan fans won’t soon forget. With starting point guard DeVante’ Jones stuck on campus in concussion protocol and the Wolverines struggling with turnovers, Collins scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and helped 11th-seeded Michigan overcome a shaky start to beat...
Ben Howland out as Mississippi State coach after 7 seasons
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Ben Howland is out after seven seasons with the program. A release on Thursday did not provide details about Howland’s departure, and a message left with a basketball spokesman was not immediately returned. Athletic director John Cohen thanked Howland for his devotion...
Breaking down No. 15 Delaware vs. No. 2 Villanova
No. 15 Delaware vs. No. 2 Villanova 2:45 p.m. Friday, PPG Paints Arena TV: CBS Winner plays: Winner of No. 7 Ohio State/No. 10 Loyola Chicago in second round Sunday Series history: Villanova leads 14-0 Villanova Wildcats (26-7, 16-4 Big East) Coach: Jay Wright How they got here: Villanova won...
Breaking down No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Loyola
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Loyola Chicago 12:15 p.m. Friday, PPG Paints Arena TV: CBS Winner plays: Winner of No. 2 Villanova/No. 15 Delaware in second round Sunday Series history: Ohio State leads 4-0 Ohio State Buckeyes (19-11, 12-8 Big Ten) Coach: Chris Holtmann How they got here:...
A 6-pack of NCAA Tournament questions to crack open with Mike DeCourcy
Whenever March rolls around I love talking about college basketball with Mike DeCourcy. An alum of Elizabeth Forward, Point Park and The Pittsburgh Press, DeCourcy now covers the sport for Sporting News, Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network. Assuming a few six-packs will be consumed around our region during...
Wright State beats Bryant for NCAA Tournament win
DAYTON, Ohio — Tanner Holden had 37 points and 11 rebounds and Wright State beat Bryant, 93-82, on Wednesday night for its first NCAA Tournament victory. Playing inside the University of Dayton Arena just 12 miles from its home court, Wright State (22-13) advanced to play top-seeded Arizona in San...
Notre Dame beats Rutgers in double-OT to cap First Four
DAYTON, Ohio — Paul Atkinson Jr. was in the right place at the right time for Notre Dame as the clock wound down in the second overtime period against relentless Rutgers. Atkinson rebounded a missed shot by Blake Wesley and put back a layup with 1.4 seconds left to give...
Fresh to Baylor, Jeremy Sochan and Kendall Brown big for defending champsVideo
Kendall Brown was a five-star recruit whose dad is a former Harlem Globetrotters player. Jeremy Sochan was born in Oklahoma, grew up in England and has played basketball in Poland and Germany. The freshmen are roommates at Baylor and have played significant roles in the defending national champion Bears being...
Arizona’s Lloyd pulling all the right strings in first yearVideo
TUCSON, Ariz. — Tommy Lloyd has an unpretentious manner forged during formative years in rural southern Washington, professional years in Spokane. Thoughts, words and decisions are measured, the emotional tides of more mercurial coaches a waste of energy to him. Credit is deflected, attention for someone else. This outwardly easygoing...
Hoop hype: March Madness brackets get America talking againVideo
Wagering on all those parlays and long shots on the betting app: fun. Filling out a bracket and waiting for the upsets to begin: that’s why they call this March Madness. Legal sports gambling across wide swaths of the United States might have made the next three weeks’ worth of...
Engaging Oscar Tshiebwe thriving on, off the court with KentuckyVideo
LEXINGTON, Ky. — An engaging Oscar Tshiebwe has won over Kentucky basketball fans with his record-breaking play on the court and affable personality off of it. The 6-foot-9 native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo anchors the No. 7 Wildcats’ attack with his tenacity on the court, including rebounding...
History-making Providence eyes deep run in NCAA TournamentVideo
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — With his team on the verge accomplishing something that never had been done in Providence basketball history last month, Ed Cooley allowed himself to get lost in the moment. The Friars were comfortably in front of Creighton, and there was about a minute to play before they...
Former CEO, law firm partner Griff Aldrich has Longwood hoops on the riseVideo
FARMVILLE, Va. — In this small central Virginia town called Farmville, the claim to fame has been massive furniture warehouses that promise to satisfy any shopper’s preferred style. It isn’t known as an NCAA Tournament town. This week, both things are true. Welcome to Longwood University, where Griff Aldrich, a...
NCAA viewing guide: March Madness app makes improvements
The developers of the NCAA March Madness Live app frequently hear two complaints — the inability to watch multiple games at once and lag times between television broadcasts and streaming. They have fixed one of those issues and are hoping they made improvements on the other. This year’s update to...
Loyola Chicago’s Sister Jean still working on Ohio State scouting report
Before he sends his Loyola Chicago team onto the PPG Paints Arena hardwood Friday to face Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, coach Drew Valentine will step aside for a moment. Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, college basketball’s most celebrated team chaplain, will have a few choice...
Tickets still available for NCAA Tournament games at PPG Paints Arena
College basketball fans will flock to PPG Paints Arena this week as March Madness comes to Pittsburgh. The Uptown venue will host NCAA Tournament first- and second-round games Friday and Sunday, respectively. Tickets are still available for all three sessions. The first session begins at 12:15 p.m. Friday with Loyola...
9 dead in Texas crash involving U. of Southwest golf teams
HOBBS, N.M. — Nine people have died in a fiery, head-on collision in West Texas, including six New Mexico university students and a coach returning from a golf tournament, as well as a 13-year-old boy, authorities said. Those killed in the Tuesday evening crash included University of the Southwest students...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
