U.S./World Sports category, Page 254
No. 11 seed UCLA knocks off Michigan, earns spot in Final Four
INDIANAPOLIS — Johnny Juzang poured in 28 points while playing most of the second half on a hurt ankle, and UCLA survived a series of nail-biting misses by top-seeded Michigan in the closing seconds for a 51-49 victory Tuesday night that made the Bruins the fifth No. 11 seed ever...
Gonzaga reaches Final Four, stays undefeated with win over USC
INDIANAPOLIS — Gonzaga got on a roll and put on a show Tuesday night, moving to 30-0 on the season and cruising into the Final Four with an 85-66 beatdown of previously rolling Southern Cal. Drew Timme had 23 points and five rebounds and, after one dunk, pretended to slick...
Justin Fields puts on show for NFL scouts at Ohio State’s pro dayVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Before Ohio State’s pro day Tuesday, Justin Fields was considered a lock to go among the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft. He only helped himself with his workout at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Fields ran an unofficial time of 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard...
Column: Golfer Bennett looks at his arm to lean on father’s adviceVideo
Before he takes back the club, Sam Bennett takes one last look at the tattoo on the inside of his arm. “Don’t wait to do something.” Those words, exactly how they appear on a handwritten note from his father last June, remind him of the last advice his father gave...
NCAA president to meet with protesting basketball playersVideo
NCAA president Mark Emmert is planning to meet this week with a group of basketball players who used a social media campaign at the start of March Madness to protest rules banning college athletes from earning money from their names, images and likenesses. Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National...
Column: Bristol avoided the mess most feared for a dirt race
BRISTOL, Tenn. — The pandemic gave NASCAR an overdue opportunity to break from the way things had always been done in the sport. The traditional three-day race weekend was scrapped as NASCAR scrambled to complete a season while following covid-19 protocols. Practice was scrapped and few complained, the same for...
Supreme Court case could change the nature of college sports
WASHINGTON — A Supreme Court case being argued this week amid March Madness could erode the difference between elite college athletes and professional sports stars. If the former college athletes who brought the case win, colleges could end up competing for talented student athletes by offering over-the-top education benefits worth...
Baylor beats Arkansas to reach 1st Final Four in 71 years
INDIANAPOLIS — Baylor reached the Final Four for the first time in 71 years, getting 22 points from MaCio Teague and a dominating defensive performance from Davion Mitchell to beat Arkansas, 81-72, on Monday night. The South Region final was a reunion of former Southwest Conference programs aiming to join...
Aari McDonald powers Arizona past Indiana and into Final Four
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Aari McDonald scored 33 points and No. 3 seed Arizona beat fourth-seeded Indiana, 66-53, on Monday night to earn its first trip to the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament. McDonald, the Pac-12 player of the year, did everything for the Wildcats, from slashing drives...
UConn reaches 13th straight Final Four, beating Baylor
SAN ANTONIO — It took a great game from phenomenal freshman Paige Bueckers and a last-second stop with a disputed non-foul call to keep UConn’s run of Final Four appearances going. Bueckers scored 28 points and top seed UConn used a huge run spanning the final two quarters to beat...
This date in sports history: March 30Video
1940 — Indiana routs Kansas, 60-42, for the NCAA basketball championship. 1943 — Ken Sailors scores 16 points to lead Wyoming to a 56-43 victory over Georgetown in the NCAA basketball championship. 1981 — Sophomore guard Isiah Thomas scores 23 points to lead Indiana to a 63-50 victory over North...
Westminster dog show won’t have spectators because of coronavirus
NEW YORK — America’s top dogs won’t have their pack of fans on hand at this year’s Westminster Kennel Club dog show. The club announced Monday that spectators and vendors won’t be allowed this year because of coronavirus limitations. No tickets will be sold. It’s the latest in a series...
Houston tops Oregon State, reaches 1st Final Four since ’84
INDIANAPOLIS — Houston overcame a blown 17-point lead to hold off Oregon State 67-61 on Monday night in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four for the first time in 37 years. Quentin Grimes hit a 3-pointer with 3:21 left to break a 55-all tie. The second-seeded Cougars (28-3) spent...
Logano takes the checkered flag in a haze of Bristol dirtVideo
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Somewhere under the thick red haze floating over Bristol Motor Speedway, Joey Logano took the checkered flag for NASCAR’s first Cup Series race on a dirt track in 50 years. He couldn’t see much — visibility was next to nothing during this Monday dust storm — but...
Not just offense: Gonzaga trusts defense entering USC gameVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Gonzaga has spent its entire season pushing tempo, knocking down shots and rolling to comfortable wins with one of the best offenses college basketball has seen in two decades. The Zags’ push for perfection hasn’t ignored the other end of the court, either. The No. 1 overall seed...
Iowa senior, Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee named nation’s top wrestler
While he is hyper-focused on winning, Spencer Lee doesn’t always envision a final score when he faces opponents on the wrestling mat. He just competes, and his margin slowly expands. Lee’s matches often end in one-sided fashion because he has a way of toying with opponents and piling on bonus...
UCLA-Michigan matchup brings back more memorable images of MarchVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — The names UCLA and Michigan can’t help but conjure up some of the most memorable images of March. There’s the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, slapping his rolled up game program in his hands. The grace of Lew Alcindor and the funky persona of Bill Walton. The blur...
Jim Litke: NCAA tourney hits halfway point, still the field vs. Gonzaga
The Elite Eight marks the halfway point of the NCAA Tournament, but don’t blink. It has the shelf life of chicken nuggets. By the time your head hits the pillow Tuesday night, we’ll be down to a Final Four and find out whether the selection committee is any better at...
This date in sports history: March 29
1929 — The Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup with a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers to complete a two-game sweep. 1940 — Joe Louis knocks out Johnny Paychek in the second round at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain the world heavyweight title. 1941 —...
UCLA defeats Alabama in overtime thriller to reach NCAA tournament Elite EightVideo
The runaway finish was set up by some crazy momentum swings, a wild back-and-forth battle that none of the breathless fans wanted to end. UCLA has this game! No, wait, Alabama isn’t going away! In a lopsided overtime, there was no doubt. It was all Bruins. UCLA scored the first...
U.S. men lose to Honduras, miss 3rd straight Olympic soccer tournamentVideo
American players fell to the field at the final whistle. Another missed Olympics soccer tournament for the U.S. men. Another failed four-cycle. Juan Carlos Obregón scored in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, goalkeeper David Ochoa committed a blunder that gifted Luis Palma a goal two minutes into the...
Billy Horschel outlasts Scottie Scheffler in sloppy final of Match Play
AUSTIN, Texas — Billy Horschel had just enough left in the tank to win the Dell Technologies Match Play on Sunday with plenty of help from Scottie Scheffler in a sloppy end to the longest week in golf. Horschel made only one birdie in the championship match, chipping in from...
Inside job: Michigan goes to the paint to top FSU
INDIANAPOLIS — What was touted as the marquee matchup in the Sweet 16 turned into a dud. For everyone but Michigan, that is. Seven-foot-1 freshman Hunter Dickinson had 14 points and eight rebounds and the top-seeded Wolverines took the inside route to the Elite Eight, pounding away in the paint...
Gio Reyna, Christian Pulisic lead U.S. over Northern Ireland in friendlyVideo
The U.S. broke out a 3-4-3 formation with wingbacks, a new weapon in the team’s arsenal under coach Gregg Berhalter that opened space for Christian Pulisic. The result was the Americans’ first win at a European opponent in six years. Gio Reyna scored on a deflected shot off a pass...
Memphis wins NIT title with win over Mississippi State
FRISCO, Texas — Boogie Ellis scored 23 points, and Memphis never trailed after a fast start to beat Mississippi State, 77-64, in the NIT championship game Sunday, giving the Tigers a title in Penny Hardaway’s third season coaching his alma mater. After just missing out on their first NCAA Tournament...
