U.S./World Sports category, Page 372
ESPN’s Keith Olbermann: Sorry for threatening hunter for rare kill
JACKSON, Miss. — ESPN broadcaster Keith Olbermann has apologized for insulting and threatening a Mississippi turkey hunter who killed a rare white turkey. The Clarion Ledger reports the former MSNBC political commentator tweeted Wednesday that he was sorry for his earlier tweet that threatened 22-year-old Hunter Waltman. The threatening tweet...
NASCAR’s winners/losers from radical schedule changes
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An entire generation of NASCAR has spent its life tuned to a schedule so predictable events could be planned years in advance and race dates marked milestones. Daytona meant the beach — a week out of school in February, the Fourth of July for vacation — and...
Cameron Reddish coming up clutch for Duke
DURHAM, N.C. — When Duke needs a clutch 3-pointer, the best option might be Cameron Reddish. The freshman has been solid overall, hitting one-third of his 3s, but that number jumps to 42 percent in the second halves of games that are either tied or within a possession. And as...
Tiger returns to Match Play with a win
AUSTIN, Texas — Tiger Woods made a successful return to Dell Technologies Match Play with a victory. Jordan Spieth found some success with a tie. The most unpredictable tournament in golf began Wednesday with only a few surprises as only four of the top 16 seeds in group play failed...
Houston’s resurgence rekindles memories of Phi Slama Jama
HOUSTON — When the Houston Cougars were last in the Sweet 16, Hakeem Olajuwon starred and coach Guy V. Lewis stalked the sideline in his trademark plaid jackets. Thirty-five years later, a new generation of Cougars led by Houston native Galen Robinson Jr., Armoni Brooks and Corey Davis Jr. finally...
Phil Cofer on minds of Florida State players, coach
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Phil Cofer is not with Florida State, but he was very much on the minds of his teammates as they practiced Wednesday. The Seminoles are in the Sweet 16 for the second straight year, but the senior forward is in Georgia preparing for his father’s funeral Saturday....
Get ready for a Sweet 16 filled with favorites, star players, great matchups
Last year’s NCAA Tournament was an epic ride for the underdogs, from UMBC’s historic takedown of No. 1 Virginia to Loyola-Chicago’s march to the Final Four. This year, Cinderella stayed home to get some beauty sleep. Top seeds and power programs only, please. The top three seeds are still alive...
Ohio man takes perfect NCAA Tournament bracket into Sweet 16
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Ohio man has made history with a March Madness bracket that’s perfect through 48 games on the NCAA.com’s “Bracket Challenge,” according to the NCAA. Gregg Nigl of Columbus told the Columbus Dispatch he almost didn’t fill out his bracket last week, saying he was home sick...
Deal helps Gonzaga earn more money for NCAA Tournament success
When leaders at Gonzaga were looking to sweeten the pot for their basketball team in exchange for staying in the West Coast Conference, they knew where the money might come from. NCAA Tournament payouts. With the perennially contending Zags being courted by the Mountain West, athletic director Mike Roth sought...
NASCAR makes major changes to 2020 Cup Series schedule, including a new championship track
After repeated cries from fans and drivers alike for a renovated NASCAR schedule, the sanctioning body announced Tuesday that it finally has made some substantial changes. NASCAR released its 2020 Cup Series schedule Tuesday, confirming reports that it had shifted its schedule for the first time in several years. Among...
Conor McGregor announces retirement on social mediaVideo
LOS ANGELES — UFC superstar Conor McGregor announced his retirement on social media Monday night, abruptly ending his remarkable fighting career. In a post on his verified Twitter account, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion said: “I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Art’...
NASCAR In the Pits: Schedule may not be overhaul fans soughtVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway will not be part of next year’s NASCAR schedule, so come to terms with that now. Fans have a wish list of changes for NASCAR’s stale and stagnant schedule, and they have been led to believe series leadership heard their desires. The highly anticipated...
Big 12 a bust with early NCAA Tournament flameouts
Bill Self stood in a room just off the court in Allen Fieldhouse on Selection Sunday and lamented the Big 12 managed to squeak only six schools into the NCAA Tournament. The Hall of Fame coach of Kansas pointed to the impressive nonconference wins the league racked up in November...
Tiger Woods to open Match Play against PGA Tour Rookie of Year
AUSTIN, Texas — Tiger Woods is at another new golf course for a World Golf Championships event and faces another player he doesn’t know. Woods, who arrived Monday and played nine holes at Austin Country Club, opens the Dell Technologies Match Play against Aaron Wise, an NCAA champion from Oregon...
Top seeds dominate spots for NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16
RALEIGH, N.C. — The path to the Final Four will not be easy for Zion Williamson, Luke Maye, De’Andre Hunter and the other top-seeded stars in the NCAA Tournament. For the first time in a decade, the remaining tournament field entering the Sweet 16 looks a lot like the one...
Focus fueled Penn State wrestler Jason Nolf’s remarkable run
Jason Nolf became a dominant wrestler with a forward-thinking mindset: He never got caught looking too far ahead, nor did he spend much time thinking about what already passed. But even he took a few moments for reflection upon the end of a decorated collegiate career that ended with one...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Tennessee avoids big meltdown, beats Iowa
Two-time SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams scored six points in overtime, and Tennessee held off Iowa, 83-77, on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in three years. Williams had a pair of free throws, two jumpers and a strip in overtime that helped the...
Zion Williamson, Duke hold off UCF to reach Sweet 16
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Zion Williamson took on 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall at the end and won. So did top-seeded Duke — barely — when two last-ditch shots by UCF rolled off the rim. Williamson had 32 points and helped rally the Blue Devils from behind in the final minute for a...
Brad Keselowski cruises to NASCAR win at Martinsville Speedway
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Brad Keselowski routed the field at Martinsville Speedway to give Team Penske its third Cup victory through the first six races of the NASCAR season. Keselowski led 446 of the 500 laps around the shortest track on the NASCAR schedule but was challenged a handful of times...
NCAA wrestling finals recap: Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Northern Iowa wrestlers break through on national stage
Penn State continued its NCAA wrestling dominance Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena with its eighth team championship in nine seasons, but a few programs broke through in a big way. Rutgers’ Nick Suriano and Anthony Ashnault won titles at 133 and 149 pounds, becoming the first national champions in...
NCAA Tournament roundup: LSU gets last-second layup to defeat Maryland
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s probably the same play suspended LSU coach Will Wade would have called. After all, it worked several times during the regular season. And now it has sent the Tigers to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006. Tremont Waters drove by three defenders and...
Ryan Preece hopes short track background helps at Martinsville
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Ryan Preece is a rookie struggling to find his rhythm at NASCAR’s top level. But as the series shifts to Martinsville Speedway, the first short track on the schedule, Preece may have a slight advantage on some of his competition for the first time this season. Preece...
Virginia has long history of early exits from NCAA Tournament
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Last year, Virginia became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, but the Cavaliers’ recent history, even when they make it past the first round of the NCAA Tournament, isn’t all that good. Coach Tony Bennett has made the tournament six straight...
Zion vs. Tacko: Tournament’s most dynamic player meets its tallest player
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tacko Fall really hopes the UCF-Duke NCAA Tournament game is not all about the Knights’ 7-foot-6 center and the Blue Devils’ explosive freshman star Zion Williamson. Sorry, Tacko, it’s way too late for that with excitement strong for the East Region’s marquee matchup Sunday between college basketball’s...
LSU gets last-second layup to defeat Maryland, advance
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s probably the same play suspended LSU coach Will Wade would have called. After all, it worked several times during the regular season. And now it has sent the Tigers to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006. Tremont Waters drove by three defenders and...
