Illinois powers its way to its first Final Four in 21 years, beating Iowa
HOUSTON — Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 25 points, and Illinois ended Iowa’s underdog March Madness run by dominating in the frontcourt, beating the Hawkeyes, 71-59, on Saturday to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2005. This will be the sixth trip to the Final Four for...
Brad Keselowski seeks special day at Martinsville for 600th NASCAR Cup start
Brad Keselowski will make his 600th career start Sunday in the Cup Series, a tribute to the adaptability of a 42-year-old who became NASCAR’s first millennial champion in 2012. “It’s a number I never dreamed of,” Keselowski said before practice and qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, the 0.526-mile oval in Southwest...
Buzzer sounds nonstop for about 7 minutes, causing delay in Iowa-Illinois March Madness game
HOUSTON — A buzzer malfunction caused a delay — a very loud, very unpleasant delay — of about 10 minutes in the first half of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region final between Iowa and Illinois on Saturday night. When the buzzer sounded out of a media timeout with 7:43 left...
IUP women’s basketball team routed in NCAA final
The Michigan machine rolls on. IUP’s dream of a national championship in women’s basketball was shattered by a nightmarish outcome in Saturday’s NCAA Division II title game against defending champion Grand Valley State. The bigger, longer and stronger Lakers from Allendale, Mich., outclassed Indiana County’s Crimson Hawks during a 72-49...
Penguins recall rookie forward Rutger McGroarty from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled forward Rutger McGroarty from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Saturday. In corresponding transactions, the team assigned forward Avery Hayes and Joona Koppanen to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. McGroarty has split the season between the NHL and AHL levels. With the NHL club, he has appeared in 20...
NFL Draft top prospect profile: Arvell Reese, Ohio State LB
TribLive is highlighting the top prospects leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. The three-day event is April 23-25. Arvell Reese Position: Edge rusher/linebacker Height/weight: 6-foot-4/241 pounds College: Ohio State Reese’s NFL position might depend on who drafts him. The versatile defender played a hybrid role for the...
Yaxel Lendeborg stars as top-seeded Michigan beats Alabama in Sweet 16
CHICAGO — Yaxel Lendeborg had 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a dazzling all-around performance, and Michigan beat Alabama, 90-77, on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau each scored 17...
Pirates farm report for March 28, 2026: Konnor Griffin reaches base 4 times in Indy loss
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 0-2) dropped a 9-7 decision to St. Paul (Twins). SS Konnor Griffin (.500) was 2 for 3 with an RBI and reached base four times. He had two singles, two walks, a strikeout and scored a run. CF Dominic Fletcher (.375) launched the Indians’ first home run of...
Caleb Foster steadies Duke in return as Blue Devils beat St. John’s, advance to Elite Eight
WASHINGTON — Caleb Foster returned from a broken foot and rescued Duke’s national title hopes, helping the top-seeded Blue Devils rally from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat St. John’s, 80-75, on Friday night and advance to the Elite Eight. Playing less than three weeks after surgery on his left...
Steelers shift attention to offensive line in latest mock drafts
The consensus among draft experts has shifted away from the Pittsburgh Steelers taking a receiver in the first round. The prevailing idea for weeks was that the Steelers would use the 21st pick in next month’s NFL Draft to grab one of the top pass catchers. But after trading for...
Steelers pre-draft visit tracker: College prospects formally hosted at team facility
Making a series of multi-million dollar decisions as part of a multi-billion dollar industry, NFL teams leave no proverbial stone unturned when it comes to the identity of their annual draft picks. Getting to know players personally can come by ways of various means — attendance at college “pro days,”...
First Call: Ex-NFL QB recalls odd draft interview with former Steelers staff; Pens get mixed results in playoff chaseVideo
Friday’s “First Call” has an odd story about an old pre-draft interview involving the Pittsburgh Steelers. A former Steeler has landed a new gig in an NFC secondary. The Penguins got some good — and some bad — results from Metropolitan Division outcomes Thursday night. And there were lots of...
Minor league report: Nailers, Taylor Gauthier shut out RailersVideo
Goaltender Taylor Gauthier made 34 saves for the Wheeling Nailers in a 4-0 win against the Worcester Railers at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va., on Friday. The result was Gauthier’s third shutout of the season and boosted his record to 17-7-5. Forward Connor Lockhart had a goal and three assists...
Pirates farm report for March 27, 2026: Konnor Griffin steals base, scores twice in Triple-A debut
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 0-1) lost 4-2 to St. Paul (Twins) in its season opener. SS Konnor Griffin (.333) led off and went 1 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and two runs scored in his Triple-A debut. C Endy Rodriguez (.500) went 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs....
Penguins rookie forward Ville Koivunen navigates ‘a lot of ups and downs’Video
Ville Koivunen put in the hours last weekend. And the miles. First, on Saturday, the Penguins rookie forward drove five-plus hours and more than 300 miles from Pittsburgh to Toronto — he was transported, via car service, to be precise — after being a healthy scratch for a 5-4 home...
Pitt WR Deuce Spann raises NFL Draft stock with impressive pro day performance
Audible gasps followed Deuce Spann’s completion of the vertical jump Thursday at Pitt’s pro day at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. Spann’s former Panthers teammates had a similar reaction when the 6-foot-4 wideout ran an unofficial 4.37-second 40-yard dash. At the start of Pitt Pro Day, Spann,...
Riverhounds enter home opener looking to shake off defensive woes
A rather cold and gray Friday along the banks of the Monongahela River served as a fitting backdrop as the defending USL champion Pittsburgh Riverhounds held a spirited practice ahead of Saturday’s home opener against league newcomer Sporting JAX. The Hounds’ 1-2-0 start to the 2026 campaign has been a...
Masters offers a locker room unlike any other with first photos of new Player Services Building
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy went upstairs in the Augusta National clubhouse the night he won the Masters, eager to see the small locker room only for Masters champions. He returned last month to find another locker room not nearly as exclusive but no less impressive. “They’ve created this unbelievable...
Cup of Joe: Ben Kindel keeps proving he’s one of the greatest 1st-round picks in Penguins history
Cup of Joe: Starkey on sports in 400 words or less This Cup of Joe was headed one of two ways, after a wild Thursday in local sports: It was either going to focus on Oneil Cruz going full Kaleb Johnson in center field or praise Ben Kindel for his...
Mark Madden: All the tools, but no toolbox; Pirates’ biggest problem might be Oneil Cruz
The Pirates should trade Oneil Cruz. There must be some MLB team still impressed by his amazing athleticism and willing to ignore that he’s 27 and hasn’t yet learned how to play baseball. Beyond occasional flashes, Cruz is useless. Cruz is a .233 lifetime hitter, a tragic .172 against left-handed...
Tim Benz: Penguins need a few more exclamation point wins before putting a period at the end of their playoff drought
A common writing tip is to avoid using the exclamation point too much. You know, save it for truly exclamatory moments. If you use it all the time, how can anyone tell which statements are really standing out? That goes for any type of writing: news, sports, advertising, books, fiction,...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Oneil Cruz’s misplays in center field prove costly for Pirates in opener
Oneil Cruz could blame his Opening Day misplays in center field on the sun — and he did, to some degree — but that only accounts for one of his two first-inning gaffes in the 11-7 loss to the New York Mets. If only it were a matter of why...
Mercyhurst drops its struggling Division I men’s hockey program as part of its master plan
ERIE — Mercyhurst will drop its Division I men’s hockey program at the end of the academic year as part of a university-wide master plan, the 2,600-student private school announced Friday. The Lakers finished 6-28-3 this season and were last in Atlantic Hockey for the second straight year. They haven’t...
Safety Damar Hamlin returns to Buffalo for 6th season after signing a 1-year contract with the Bills
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Safety Damar Hamlin is returning to Buffalo for a sixth season after signing a one-year contract with the team on Friday. Hamlin was a free agent after his one-year contract expired. And he’s staying in Buffalo where the 28-year-old has served as an inspiration for perseverance...
Tiger Woods arrested at crash scene on suspicion of DUI, sheriff says
JUPITER ISLAND, Fla. — Tiger Woods was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence after his Land Rover traveling at “high speed” on a residential road clipped a truck and rolled onto its side. Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods and the person in the other vehicle...
