U.S./World Sports category, Page 373
Patriots owner Robert Kraft apologizes in Florida prostitution case
MIAMI — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is apologizing after being charged in a Florida massage parlor prostitution investigation. “I am truly sorry,” Kraft said in a statement Saturday. “I know I have hurt and disappointed my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans and many others who...
NCAA wrestling Session 4 recap: Penn State on cusp of another national title
Penn State ended the second night of the NCAA wrestling championships poised to win its eighth national title in nine seasons. And the Nittany Lions have a chance to return to State College with a record-tying number of individual champions as well. Jason Nolf (157 pounds), Vincenzo Joseph (165), Mark...
Vincenzo Joseph tops Josh Shields, on to NCAA finals
There is something about the NCAA wrestling championship that brings out the best in Penn State junior Vincenzo Joseph. The two-time champion punched his ticket to his third final Friday by edging a familiar foe: friend, practice partner from the Young Guns Club and Arizona State junior Josh Shields. Joseph...
Kentucky-Wofford provides study in contrasts
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — They are the bluebloods of the Bluegrass, a storied program loaded with future NBA players who come to Kentucky with the very reasonable expectation of contending for a national championship during their brief tenure. Then there’s Wofford. Where is that exactly? Terriers standout Fletcher Magee can tell...
Oregon extends March run with upset over 5th-seeded Wisconsin
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Oregon was stumbling toward the end of a disappointing season until a strong turnaround led the Ducks to the Pac-12 title and an NCAA Tournament bid. Oregon is not looking to slow down any time soon. Payton Pritchard scored 19 points, Kenny Wooten protected the rim...
Luke Pletcher edges Micky Phillippi before losing in semifinals
It was a match neither Luke Pletcher nor Micky Phillippi really wanted to wrestle, but they had to. The close friends from Westmoreland County battled in the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship quarterfinals Friday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena for the right to become an All-American and a spot...
No. 13 seed UC Irvine upsets Kansas State
SAN JOSE, Calif. — When it comes to college basketball in California, UC Irvine is low on the totem pole. Now the program that sometimes feels like a little brother to Pac-12 powers like UCLA and USC is the only school from the state still standing in the NCAA Tournament...
NCAA Tournament roundup: Iowa rallies past Cincinnati
Iowa kept up the Big Ten’s blitz through its first six games in the NCAA Tournament. Luka Garza scored 20 points, Jordan Bohannon made a three-point play during the Hawkeyes’ closing surge, and the No. 10 seed in the South Region kept its league unblemished by rallying for a 79-72...
NCAA wrestling session 3 recap: Top seed falls at 165 pounds
The NCAA wrestling tournament finally saw a top seed lose. Iowa’s Alex Marinelli, No. 1 at 165 pounds after winning a Big Ten championship last week, saw his bid for a national title come to a stunning end with a 3-1 loss to Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis in their quarterfinal...
Five WPIAL graduates advance to NCAA wrestling semifinals; Vincenzo Joseph, Joshua Shields to meet
Joshua Shields ticked through a long list of wrestlers he battled at Young Guns Wrestling Club before his college days. To name a few: Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Sam Krivus, Luke Pletcher, A.C. Headlee, Mike Kemerer, Spencer Lee, Devin Brown, Micky Phillippi, Gavin Teasdale. “You couldn’t go into that practice...
NCAA wrestling second session recap: Attendance near 35,000 on first day at PPG Paints Arena
Nearly 35,000 people came out to PPG Paints Arena on Thursday for the opening day of the NCAA wrestling championships. The NCAA announced attendance for the second session at 17,957, eight more than Thursday afternoon’s session, which drew 17,949. Those in attendance Thursday night witnessed some memorable matches. Biggest upset:...
Robert Morris women faces No. 1 seed Louisville minus Cardinals coach
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jeff Walz does not yet know where he will watch Louisville’s NCAA Tournament opener against Robert Morris. The Cardinals coach, who is suspended for the game, hints at being close enough to quickly rejoin his top-seeded team if it gets past the 16th-seeded Colonials on Friday. He...
Ja Morant’s triple-double leads Murray State to upset of Marquette
HARTFORD, Conn. — The game was in hand for Murray State and sensational point guard Ja Morant, who dominated Marquette in every way. With a chance to make some NCAA Tournament history, Morant’s coach told him to hit the boards and grab the rebound that would push him to an...
UCF’s 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall set for his NCAA Tournament debut
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The tallest man in college basketball is finally on the game’s grandest stage: 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall is set for the NCAA Tournament. Fall’s ninth-seeded UCF (23-8) opens East Region play Friday night against No. 8 seed VCU (25-7). “For me, for us, I would say it means...
Late mistakes cost New Mexico State in loss to Auburn
SALT LAKE CITY — After a teammate passed up an open layup that could have tied the game, New Mexico State’s Terrell Brown was fouled behind the arc and missed two of three free throws as the Aggies dropped a 78-77 heartbreaker Thursday to fifth-seeded Auburn in the NCAA Tournament....
NCAA Tournament roundup: Maryland holds off Belmont
Maryland’s Darryl Morsell made a crucial defensive stop as the Terrapins fended off Belmont, 79-77, in a first-round game in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. The mid-major powerhouse from Nashville, Tenn., couldn’t knock off the No. 6-seeded Terrapins from the Big Ten despite a 35-point performance by Dylan Windler. Maryland...
NCAA wrestling tournament Session 1 recap: Penn State dominant in opening round
More than 300 wrestlers took the mats Thursday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena for the preliminary and first rounds of the NCAA wrestling championships. Penn State, which won seven of the past eight championships, held the team lead after the end of the first session with 21 points, ahead of...
Arizona State dispatches St. Johns in First Four game
DAYTON, Ohio — Luguentz Dort overcame a hard foul and a leg injury, scored 21 points and led Arizona State to a long-awaited NCAA Tournament victory Wednesday night, 74-65, over St. John’s in the First Four. The 11th-seeded Sun Devils (23-10) will play Mid-American Conference champion Buffalo on Friday in...
Five matches to watch during the 1st round of the NCAA Division I wrestling championships
The NCAA Division I wrestling championship begins Thursday, and here are some interesting first-round matches to watch (each wrestler’s name is preceded by his seeding): 28-Gage Curry, American (23-11) vs. 5-Jack Mueller, Virginia (17-0) Mueller (125 pounds) could make some noise in the tournament. Curry isn’t an easy draw. The...
NCAA Tournament East Region preview: Michigan State hopes to avoid upset
DES MOINES, Iowa — It seems as though coach Tom Izzo has Michigan State poised to make a Final Four run nearly every year. The Spartans need to focus on surviving the first weekend this time around. It has been four years since Michigan State (28-6) made it to the...
NCAA Tournament Midwest preview: Injury hangs over Kentucky
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the Kentucky Wildcats went through a casual shootaround the day before their opening game of the NCAA Tournament, complete with a blaring band and thousands of blue-clad fans watching every move, something was missing. Their best player. PJ Washington, a rare sophomore amid John Calipari’s latest...
NCAA Tournament South Region preview: Villanova in different spot
HARTFORD, Conn. — Villanova is coming into the NCAA Tournament this year from an unfamiliar angle. The defending national champions bring the cache that comes with two NCAA titles in the last three seasons, along with a couple of key senior leaders who have a wealth of postseason experience and,...
NCAA Tournament West Region preview: Gonzaga eager to bounce back
SALT LAKE CITY — Gonzaga enters the NCAA Tournament after a loss for one of the rare times under coach Mark Few. The dominant team in the West Coast Conference for two decades, the Zags lost to Saint Mary’s in the conference title game last week in Las Vegas. The...
North Dakota State gets shot at Duke with First Four victory
DAYTON, Ohio — North Dakota State is one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country, and that’s what it came down to at the end of the Bison’s First Four win over North Carolina Central. Vinnie Shahid sank three foul shots in the last 8 seconds to secure...
What to watch at this year’s NCAA Tournament
The NCAA Tournament somehow seems to be getting better every year, almost as if each bracket is extending from the previous one. Last year brought one of the maddest of Marches, starting with Maryland-Baltimore County becoming the first No. 16 seed to beat a 1 — poor Virginia — to...
