U.S./World Sports category, Page 368
Belief systems working for NCAA finalists Virginia, Texas Tech
MINNEAPOLIS — For Virginia and Texas Tech, doing something that had never been done before took hard work, dedication, determination — and vision. The Cavaliers and Red Raiders meet in the NCAA Tournament championship game Monday night. Neither program has ever been this close to a title, making it a...
Kyle Busch fends off brother to win NASCAR race at BristolVideo
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Busch was in the race Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, so of course, he won. Busch grabbed his third Cup win of the season, eighth overall at Bristol, and 10th this year spanning all three of NASCAR’s national series. The victory Sunday came at the expense...
Bret Hart was jumped by fan during WWE Hall of Fame speech
Wrestlers sprang to the aid of Bret Hart when a fan jumped a barrier and wrapped his arms around the 61-year-old former wrestler as he delivered a WWE Hall of Fame speech Saturday night in the ring at Barclays Center. Hart was being inducted into the Hall a second time,...
Texas Tech smothers Michigan State to reach 1st NCAA title game
MINNEAPOLIS — For those who thought Texas Tech only plays defense, it’s time to meet Matt Mooney. While the Red Raiders were locking down Michigan State on one end, the graduate transfer shooting guard was raining in 3s on the other, lifting Tech one win away from the title Saturday...
Controversial whistle leads to Virginia’s Final Four win
MINNEAPOLIS — For the second time in two years, Virginia looked headed for a crushing exit from the NCAA Tournament. One whistle, one slight bump and three clutch free throws changed everything. Kyle Guy hit three free throws with 0.6 seconds left to help the Cavaliers beat Auburn, 63-62, in...
Kyle Guy hits 3 FTs with 0.6 left, Virginia shocks Auburn 63-62
MINNEAPOLIS — From one-and-done to NCAA Tournament miracle men, Virginia will play in the national championship game for the first time after pulling off another last-second stunner on a disputed foul with 0.6 seconds left. Kyle Guy made three free throws as debate immediately started over the call, and Virginia...
Short track at Bristol latest test for new NASCAR rules package
BRISTOL, Tenn. — NASCAR’s second stop at a short track this season is another race that is impossible to predict. There is a new rules package, a traction strip around Bristol Motor Speedway and the general crankiness that short-track racing tends to produce. Moods were mixed following Saturday’s final practice,...
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo may have done best job of career
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Tom Izzo struggled with tears of joy as Michigan State knocked off top-seeded Duke to reach the Final Four. He was emotional again only a few hours later when fans packed the Breslin Center to welcome the gritty Spartans back to campus. This season might be...
Final Four runs don’t mask problems in college sports
MINNEAPOLIS — One team’s coach got kicked out of the sport for three years, and two of his assistants have been named in bribery scandals. Another team’s coach is the most high-profile name in an athletic department scarred by its handling of a massive sex-abuse scandal. Few would argue Auburn’s...
Michigan State’s Cassius Winston has chance to join Magic JohnsonVideo
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Cassius Winston is already in elite company. The crafty point guard is among a handful of Michigan State players to win Big Ten player of the year honors and earn a spot on the Associated Press All-America team. And if he can help the Spartans win...
Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams lured to Texas A&M
Texas A&M hired Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams on Wednesday, luring him back to his home state to try to turn the Aggies into a basketball power. “The Buzz is Back,” Texas A&M tweeted from its official team account. Virginia Tech was 100-69 during Williams’ five-year tenure and went to...
Robert Morris coach Andy Toole handicaps Final Four
Robert Morris basketball coach Andy Toole joins us again as our bracketologist to preview the Final Four this weekend. We talk about the two stunners who made it all the way to the semi-finals: Texas Tech and Auburn. Give Toole credit. He liked Texas Tech from the start of the...
‘That’s for Nipsey!’ Russell Westbrook records NBA’s second 20-20-20 triple-double
Russell Westbrook joined Wilt Chamberlain on Tuesday night as the only players in NBA history to net a 20-point, 20-rebound, 20-assist triple-double in NBA history. During the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 119-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Westbrook’s official numbers during 37 minutes of play were 20 points, 20 rebounds...
Jarrett Culver, Matt Mooney follow different paths at Texas TechVideo
Hometown standout Jarrett Culver was the first recruit Chris Beard reached out to when he got to Lubbock as Texas Tech’s coach three years ago. Then, when the Red Raiders were coming off their first NCAA Elite Eight appearance last season and had to replace a senior All-Big 12 point...
AAF suspending operations with 2 games remaining in inaugural seasonVideo
The Alliance of American Football, which had a promising start as the latest spring league, is suspending operations eight games into its first season. The eight-team league is not folding, but games will not be played this weekend. The decision was made by majority owner Tom Dundon, who also owns...
AP: Most states’ sports betting revenue misses estimates
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When the Patriots won the Super Bowl again — and covered the spread, too — all of New England was delirious, with the possible exception of Rhode Island’s tax collectors. The state’s sportsbooks lost $2.35 million because, come on, really, who’s going to bet against Tom Brady...
John Calipari agrees to lifetime contract with Kentucky
Kentucky suffered an upset loss in the NCAA Tournament to conference rival Auburn, marking a fourth straight season that the Wildcats have fallen short of the Final Four, but university officials seem satisfied with coach John Calipari’s job performance. How satisfied? Calipari, a Moon native, confirmed Monday that he has...
TCU coach Jamie Dixon honors late sister before NIT semifinal
TCU has a date in Madison Square Garden and a championship it’s trying to win. But first, coach Jamie Dixon had to make a travel stop closer to his heart before he took the Horned Frogs to New York City for an NIT semifinal game against Texas. The Horned Frogs...
Former Pitt offensive coordinator Jim Chaney wants to make Tennessee more physical
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee offensive coordinator Jim Chaney believes he knows the biggest way in which he’s adjusted his philosophy since the last time he worked here. “I understand the importance of physicality probably more now than ever before,” Chaney said. “In the Southeastern Conference, (I know) the importance of...
First-timers in Final Four join Michigan State’s Tom Izzo
Tom Izzo drew up the perfect play at the perfect moment, sending Michigan State past mighty Duke for a spot in the Final Four. The trip is always emotional, but Izzo has done it before. This will be his eighth Final Four and a chance for a second national championship....
Duke, Zion Williamson lose to Michigan State in Elite Eight
WASHINGTON — Cassius Winston put Michigan State on his shoulders and carried the Spartans into the Final Four for the first time since 2015. The do-everything point guard took over the game when his team faced its biggest deficit and led second-seeded Michigan State to a 68-67 victory over Duke...
Kevin Kisner wins Match Play Championship
AUSTIN, Texas — Kevin Kisner made it to the WGC Match Play final for the second straight year, and this time he got it right. A week that began with a loss ended with the biggest victory of Kisner’s career when he holed a 20-foot birdie putt to close out...
Denny Hamlin overcomes 2 penalties to win at Texas
Denny Hamlin had such a fast car at Texas Motor Speedway that he was able to win even after two penalties on pit road and some other issues during green flag conditions. While Hamlin was reviewing all that happened, crew chief Chris Gabehart leaned forward and said, “I think you...
Ferrari gifts Lewis Hamilton another win after Bahrain GP blunder
SAKHIR, Bahrain — Lewis Hamilton’s surprise win for Mercedes at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday was the latest present from rival Ferrari, served on a silver plate and wrapped with a red ribbon. Hamilton won at a canter despite the Silver Arrows lagging behind the red Ferraris for most...
Auburn tops Kentucky in OT to reach Final Four for 1st time
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The confetti was still swirling around Auburn coach Bruce Pearl when he gazed over a team headed to the first Final Four in school history and declared, “This one was for Chuma.” “The next two,” Pearl added with a triumphant grin, “are for Auburn.” Drawing inspiration...
