U.S./World Sports category, Page 256
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...
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...
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...
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...
NASCAR returns to its roots with 1st of 2 visits to AtlantaVideo
HAMPTON, Ga. — NASCAR is returning to its roots. Even as the good ol’ boys attempt to break with the uglier parts of their history — most notably, the Confederate flag — the sport has embraced a more traditional footprint with its 2021 schedule. That includes Atlanta Motor Speedway, which...
Matt Jones overcomes challenges, takes lead Honda Classic leadVideo
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Aaron Wise had a six-shot lead during the third round of The Honda Classic, looking poised to turn the tournament into a rout. Everything went wrong from there, and Matt Jones took full advantage. The 40-year-old Australian handled the wind at PGA National to shoot...
Juwan Howard back in NCAAs, takes top-seeded Michigan to 2nd round
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Juwan Howard won his first NCAA Tournament game since taking over at Michigan, guiding Mike Smith and the top-seeded Wolverines to an 82-66 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday. Smith scored 18 points, and Hunter Dickinson added 16 as Michigan rolled into the second round without...
Oregon advances in NCAA Tournament after VCU exits for covid protocolsVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — VCU has been pulled from the NCAA Tournament because of covid-19 protocols. The NCAA says the 10th-seeded Rams’ first-round game Saturday against Oregon was declared a no-contest. The seventh-seeded Ducks will advance to the second round without playing. The announcement came a little more than three hours before...
Spectators from abroad to be barred from Tokyo Olympics
TOKYO — Spectators from abroad will be barred from the Tokyo Olympics when they open in four months, the IOC and local organizers said Saturday. The decision was announced after an online meeting of the International Olympic Committee, the Japanese government, the Tokyo government, the International Paralympic Committee, and local...
North Texas pulls stunner, knocks Purdue out of NCAA TournamentVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — To be, or not to be? For an underdog named Javion Hamlet and his group of scrapping North Texas teammates, that was an easy question. Hamlet scored 24 points and Thomas Bell had 16, along with some game-changing defense in overtime, to lift the 13th-seeded Mean Green to...
Aaron Wise takes 3-shot lead at midway point of Honda ClassicVideo
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Aaron Wise is making PGA National look easy. Wise shot his second straight 6-under-par 64 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Honda Classic. The 128 total is the lowest 36-hole score at PGA National since the tournament moved there...
Oral Roberts puts madness in March, shocks Ohio StateVideo
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Oral Roberts welcomed the madness back to March. The 15th-seeded Golden Eagles pulled off the first major upset of the first NCAA Tournament in two years, holding off second-seeded Big Ten power Ohio State, 75-72, in overtime Friday. Oral Roberts got poised, impeccable performances from its...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Underdog Oregon State stays hot, upsets TennesseeVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Oregon State opened the season picked to finish 12th in its conference but instead won its first Pac-12 Tournament title. The Beavers faced another No. 12 hurdle in the NCAA Tournament and pulled off the upset. They’re certainly enjoying this underdog role. Roman Silva scored 16 points, and...
Short-handed Florida gets past Virginia Tech in OT to open NCAA TournamentVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Florida is heading to the second round for an eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance — and with arguably its best player on the bench as a de facto assistant coach. Colin Castleton scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Tre Mann hit a step-back 3-pointer with 23 seconds...
LSU, Wade push on under cloud of suspicion in NCAA tourney
The enduring controversy that prevented LSU’s Will Wade from coaching his team in the last NCAA Tournament two seasons ago hasn’t stopped him from getting the Tigers back to college basketball’s marquee event. Wade is set to coach his first NCAA Tournament game for the Tigers (18-9) on Saturday against...
UCLA beats Michigan State in overtime in First Four game
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — UCLA showed plenty of fight in its overtime win over Michigan State in a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans showed some fight, too — among themselves. After coach Tom Izzo and forward Gabe Brown carried a shouting match into halftime, the Spartans...
Matt Jones ties course record with 61 in Honda Classic
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Matt Jones’ opening round at the Honda Classic was remarkable. He was remarkably unimpressed. Jones tied the course record Thursday on a typically windy day at PGA National with a bogey-free 9-under-par 61 giving him a three-shot lead. He matched the mark set by Brian...
Have we met? Familiar names in a new place, NCAA TournamentVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Nobody will get a lump in their throat or start sizing up glass slippers for programs like these: Alabama, Illinois, Baylor. They’re not underdogs. They’re hardly unknown. What they are is a group of new teams with well-recognized names in the NCAA Tournament, and they’re hoping to keep...
Pick Six: Unusual teams hallmark of NCAA Tournament
INDIANAPOLIS — One of the beauties of the NCAA Tournament is that every team has a story. Some are more unique than others. Take the first-round matchup between third-seeded Arkansas and No. 14 seed Colgate, which pits two of the fastest teams in the country against each other in a...
Patient, relentless Brad Underwood has top-seeded Illini rolling
Brad Underwood arrived at Illinois in the spring of 2017 tasked with trying to restore wagger to a program that had become an afterthought in the Big Ten. He preached patience. He preached recruiting kids with character instead of kids who are characters. He talked about creating a culture built...
Westwood, a bit weary after a hot streak, set to play HondaVideo
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Lee Westwood’s streak of runner-up finishes is longer than some might realize. He was second to Bryson DeChambeau at Bay Hill two weeks ago, then was second to Justin Thomas at The Players Championship last week. And Tuesday, he played alongside 19-year-old son Sam at...
NCAA Tournament East preview: BYU could give No. 1 Gonzaga scareVideo
Heading into the season, there wasn’t a lot of talk about BYU. This was supposed to be a rebuilding season in Provo, Utah, for coach Mark Pope and his Cougars. Well, guess again. BYU went 20-6 starting a senior guard, three transfers and a freshman. The Cougars also are getting...
NCAA Tournament South preview: Ohio State back on track after late skid
The late-season stumble was big enough to push Ohio State into fifth place in the loaded Big Ten, an ill-timed four-game losing streak they carried into the conference tournament that raised some questions about how equipped the Buckeyes were for a march through March. Duane Washington Jr. and his schedule-toughened...
NCAA Tournament West preview: Eastern Washington coach faces role modelVideo
Bill Self will see a lot of Bill Self-like schemes against Eastern Washington. The imitation is purely a show of respect toward the longtime Kansas coach. Eagles coach Shantay Legans borrows offensive and defensive concepts straight from Self because, well, they work. Legans will get a chance to test his...
Closed circuit: March Madness trip leads to life on lockdown
INDIANAPOLIS — At Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis on Wednesday, a couple of coaches running laps around the warning track passed different diversions scattered across the minor league ballpark. In one section, a badminton net. In others, a soccer ball and a football. No sign of a basketball. When the...
