U.S./World Sports category, Page 257
Jim Litke: March was bound to be mad; NCAA tourney hasn’t disappointed
Considering how everything else has gone this past year, March was bound to be mad. So far, it hasn’t disappointed. The last perfect NCAA Tournament bracket was busted before the first round was over. The second round just wrapped with an even dozen upsets already in the books — a...
In terms of chaos, this year’s NCAA Sweet 16 field is historic
By at least one measure, this is the most chaotic Sweet 16 field to date. The seed numbers of the 16 remaining teams add up to 94, the highest total since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985. The previous record of 89 was set in 1986. This year’s regional semifinals...
Trio of upsets mark 2nd day of women’s NCAA Tournament
After an opening day of top seeds holding serve, the women’s NCAA Tournament became a little less predictable Monday as double-digit seeds BYU, Belmont and Wright State advanced. No. 11 BYU got things started with a 69-66 victory over sixth-seeded Rutgers for the tournament’s first upset. Wright State, seeded 13th,...
This date in sports history: March 23
1939 — Long Island University finishes the season undefeated after a 44-32 victory over Loyola of Chicago in the NIT championship. 1948 — Alex Groza and Ralph Beard combine for 26 points to lead Kentucky to a 58-42 win over Baylor in the NCAA basketball championship. 1956 — Bill Russell...
Column: Love him or hate him, Gragson has NASCAR talking
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Oh, Noah Gragson, what have you done now? Nothing, according to NASCAR, which went with a no-call by not penalizing Gragson for backing into Daniel Hemric’s car on pit road at Atlanta Motor Speedway over the weekend. Nobody was fined, either, for the post-race scuffle after that...
Roger Penske bullish on large crowd for Indianapolis 500
A fully vaccinated Roger Penske is hard at work at Indianapolis Motor Speedway preparing for a full season of racing that will include spectators at his showcase event. There will be fans at this year’s Indianapolis 500, Penske said Monday, but how many remains a moving target based on covid-19...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Oregon routs second-seeded IowaVideo
Chris Duarte scored 23 points, and Oregon showed no signs of rust after a long layoff, beating No. 2 seed Iowa, 95-80, on Monday to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five NCAA Tournaments. The seventh-seed Ducks (21-6) were put in an unprecedented spot, advancing...
Los Angeles Lakers legend, Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor dies at 86Video
LOS ANGELES — Elgin Baylor changed the very direction of basketball when he joined the NBA and brought his vertical feats of athletic brilliance to a largely horizontal game. He filled scoresheets and sparked young imaginations with his trailblazing aerial style, and every high-flying player of the past 60 years...
Freshmen show no signs of jitters in women’s NCAA Tournament
Several freshmen showed no jitters on the opening day of the women’s NCAA Tournament. In fact, they embraced the bright lights of the Big Dance. It came as no surprise that Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the nation’s leading scorer during the regular season, began a run of impressive performances in the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
