U.S./World Sports category, Page 57
South Carolina women stay perfect, surge past N.C. State 78-59 to reach NCAA title gameVideo
CLEVELAND — All-America center Kamilla Cardoso scored 22 points, and unbeaten South Carolina avoided a second straight stumble in the women’s Final Four, surging past N.C. State, 78-59, on Friday night. The talented and tenacious Gamecocks (37-0) led by one at halftime before putting their full arsenal on display in...
Akshay Bhatia stretches lead to 5 shots at windy Texas OpenVideo
SAN ANTONIO — Akshay Bhatia survived a rocky start Friday in the Valero Texas Open by rallying with a pair of late birdies for a 2-under-par 70 that stretched his lead to five shots and raised hopes of getting the final spot in the Masters next week. Bhatia started with...
Crimson Tide trying to slow down the UConn juggernaut in the Final FourVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Alabama coach Nate Oats had to rebuild his roster and replace three assistant coaches. The pieces ended up fitting perfectly. The fast-and-furious Crimson Tide were among one of the nation’s best offenses all season and rolled into the program’s first Final Four. The run has taken Alabama...
At Final Four, they turn back the clock with Purdue, N.C. State and an old-school matchup of big menVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The opener at the Final Four on Saturday might feel like a trip through a time machine. Yes, those are Purdue and N.C. State, one program here for the first time since 1980, the other trying to write a 21st-century version of college basketball’s greatest story ever...
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson edges UConn’s Dan Hurley for AP coach of the year
There was a moment during the NCAA Tournament, when top-seeded Houston was well on its way to a 40-point rout of No. 16 seed Longwood, that helps to capture why the Cougars have become so dominant under Kelvin Sampson. It was late in the game, and Mylik Wilson was late...
Purdue’s Zach Edey is the overwhelming choice for 2nd straight AP Player of the Year award
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The child who wanted Zach Edey’s autograph during his Purdue recruiting trip apparently saw something others missed. Big Maple was destined to be a basketball star. While many college coaches passed on the unpolished Canadian prospect as the basketball world became enamored with perimeter play and...
Top 10 moments in WrestleMania historyVideo
This weekend WWE will put on WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia. In 1985, the concept was professional wrestling’s biggest names merging with some of the biggest names in pop culture. WrestleMania 1 was a gamble. Today, WrestleMania is now a sure thing. With tickets going on sale five months ahead of...
USC’s Bronny James declares for NBA draft and enters transfer portal after 1 season
LOS ANGELES — Bronny James will enter the NBA draft after one season at Southern California that was shortened by his recovery from cardiac arrest. The 19-year-old son of LeBron James announced Friday on his Instagram account that he also plans to retain his college eligibility and will enter the...
Seton Hall scores final 9 points to win NIT championship by 2
INDIANAPOLIS — Dre Davis scored on a layup with 16 seconds left Thursday night to cap Seton Hall’s decisive late run, giving the Pirates a 79-77 victory over Indiana State and their first NIT championship since 1953. Seton Hall (25-12) scored the final nine points in a battle between two...
ACC wants March Madness success to translate into more NCAA Tournament bids
GLENDALE, Ariz. — No one expected N.C. State to be in the Final Four after needing a miracle run through the ACC Tournament to even make the NCAA Tournament. It’s no surprise, however, to see the ACC here based on recent history. The league has been in transition with the...
Akshay Bhatia opens with a 63 to lead Texas Open by 3. Rory McIlroy is 6 backVideo
SAN ANTONIO — Akshay Bhatia rode the rare experience of knowing a PGA Tour course with a sublime day with his irons for a 9-under-par 63 on Thursday, giving him a three-shot lead in the Valero Texas Open and taking a small step toward a potential trip to the Masters....
Masters ’24: Competing tours converge on Augusta National chasing the same prizeVideo
Jon Rahm went from wearing a Masters green jacket in April to an LIV Golf black letterman’s jacket in December. Those two images — one in Butler Cabin with Scottie Scheffler, the other in a New York studio with Greg Norman — illustrate the great divide in golf that has...
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, UConn’s Paige Bueckers cross paths in Final Four
CLEVELAND — Their memories are blurry. Of AAU tournaments and Team USA practices. Of gold medals and deep 3s. Of the girl with the brown ponytail with the unlimited range who always seemed to know what was coming next and the blonde who never got rattled with the ball in...
Final Four serves up usual menu of fun stories — and UConn looks to snuff out all of them
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Final Four this week delivers the last entry in college basketball’s heartwarming yearbook, an annual assortment of legendary longshots, coaches looking for hugs and magic oozing from every corner of the bracket. Only problem with the 2024 version: UConn doesn’t believe in magic. The only thing...
Masters ’24: Capsules of 10 key players at Augusta NationalVideo
A capsule look at 10 key players for the Masters, to be played April 11-14 (listed in predicted order of finish): SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER Age: 27. Country: United States. World ranking: 1. Worldwide victories: 9. Majors: Masters (2022). Masters appearances: 4. Masters memory: Having such a large lead that he could...
South Carolina’s Dawn Staley is the AP Coach of the Year for the 2nd time
Dawn Staley did a masterful job guiding a young South Carolina team back to the Final Four with an undefeated record for the second straight season. Staley was honored Thursday as The Associated Press women’s college basketball Coach of the Year for the second time. She received 27 votes from...
Caitlin Clark of Iowa is the AP Player of the Year in women’s hoops for the 2nd straight season
Caitlin Clark is capping her illustrious college career with another record-breaking season and another set of prestigious awards. The star guard from Iowa was honored Thursday as The Associated Press Player of the Year in women’s basketball for the second consecutive year. Clark received 35 votes from the 36-member national...
UConn men delayed ahead of Final Four because of plane issues
STORRS, Conn. — Defending national champion UConn’s trip to a second consecutive Final Four is having a tough time getting off the ground. The Huskies were still in Connecticut on Wednesday night after the plane they were supposed to take to Arizona experienced mechanical issues getting to the East Coast....
Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau press for golf unification
DORAL, Fla. — Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau will be the in the same place next week when they head to Augusta National for the Masters. They’re saying the same things this week, albeit a golf world apart. Sounding an alarm going into the year’s first major, McIlroy and DeChambeau...
Women’s Final Four ticket on resale market selling for average of $2,300, twice as much as for men
The average price paid for a ticket on the resale market this week was twice as high for the NCAA women’s Final Four compared with that for the men’s semifinals, according to a technology company that analyzes prices across multiple platforms. The average price of a ticket sold to the...
Owner of Baffert-trained Muth sues Churchill Downs seeking to allow horse to run in Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The owner of Arkansas Derby winner Muth has sued Churchill Downs Inc. and is seeking a temporary injunction against what it called the track’s “illegal” ban of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert that keeps the colt he trained from competing in next month’s 150th Kentucky Derby....
Former PSU assistant James Johnson links Final Four upstarts N.C. State, George Mason
In many ways, the regional finals of the NCAA tournament are comparable to the NFL conference championship games. Just getting to the Final Four is a lot like getting to the Super Bowl. Except it’s not quite such a bummer if you don’t grab the college basketball championship. Just based...
LSU star Angel Reese declares for WNBA draft via Vogue photo shoot, says ‘I didn’t want to be basic’
BATON ROUGE, La. — Bayou Barbie is WNBA bound. LSU star Angel Reese formally declared for the WNBA draft less than two days after the Tigers’ season ended with a loss to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. Reese made her announcement...
Increased physicality in men’s volleyball has changed the game, boosted its popularityVideo
Though he has made his living as a volleyball coach, Penn State’s Mark Pavlik is a student of all sports, just as likely to talk about screen passes and slap shots as he is spikes and side-outs. Pavlik, a Derry grad, recently was watching highlights of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers....
Caitlin Clark will take stage in Final Four loaded with star players, power programs
CLEVELAND — The final shows for Caitlin Clark’s tour are booked in an arena just a short drive from the Rock & Roll Hall Fame. Hello, Cleveland. College basketball’s biggest act — men’s or women’s — will close her magnificent Iowa career this weekend in the Final Four after Clark...
