Houston, Florida put different spin on ‘underdog’ in NCAA final
SAN ANTONIO — Whoever said there were no great underdog stories left in March Madness, or that the title would go to whichever team spends the most money — or amasses the gaudiest collection of big names from the transfer portal — probably never checked out Houston. And anyone who...
UConn dominates South Carolina for 12th NCAA women’s title
TAMPA, Fla. — UConn is back on top of women’s basketball, winning its 12th national championship by routing defending champion South Carolina, 82-59, on Sunday behind Azzi Fudd’s 24 points. Sarah Strong added 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Paige Bueckers had 17 points in her final game at UConn...
Houston rallies to beat Duke in the Final Four, advances to face Florida for the NCAA title
SAN ANTONIO — Houston’s suffocating defense wiped away a 14-point deficit over the final eight minutes and erased Cooper Flagg and Duke’s title hopes Saturday in a 70-67 stunner over the Blue Devils at the Final Four. Duke made a grand total of one field goal over the last 10...
Dawn Staley has South Carolina 1 win away from 3rd title in 4 years
TAMPA, Fla. — Dawn Staley and South Carolina are one win away from joining an elite group of programs in women’s basketball history with a third national championship in four seasons. Only two other schools have accomplished that feat: UConn and Tennessee. “It’s hard to break into what Pat Summitt...
Walter Clayton scores 34, Florida beats Auburn in Final Four
Walter Clayton Jr. scored 34 points, and Florida beat SEC rival Auburn, 79-73, in the Final Four on Saturday night, sending the Gators to the national championship game for the first time since their titles in 2006 and 2007. The All-America guard for the Gators (35-4) had a driving layup...
Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Sue Bird highlight Basketball Hall of Fame class
Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are going into the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, not once but twice. And LeBron James and Chris Paul are part of the group that’s headed to the Hall as well, even before their playing careers end. Anthony and Howard were announced Saturday...
Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd help UConn blow out UCLA in Final Four as Paige Bueckers moves 1 win from elusive title
TAMPA, Fla. — Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd didn’t even need much help from superstar Paige Bueckers to propel UConn into the national title game, leading the Huskies to a remarkably easy 85-51 victory over UCLA on Friday night in the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament. Strong finished...
Defending national champion South Carolina returns to title game with 74-57 rout of Texas
TAMPA, Fla. — Defending national champion South Carolina left no doubt it would return to the title game, getting 14 points from Te-Hina Paopao and overwhelming Texas, 74-57, on Friday night in the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks are a win away from becoming the first...
Shilo Sanders looking to improve his draft stock in shadow of brother Shedeur at Colorado’s showcase
BOULDER, Colo. — Shilo Sanders is trying to boost his draft stock. He also is looking for a fresh start. The hard-hitting, run-stuffing Colorado safety — son of coach Deion Sanders and quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ bigger brother — took part in the school’s showcase Friday, where potential draftees went through...
Auburn and Florida meet in the Final Four as last of the 14 SEC teams that packed March Madness
SAN ANTONIO — Auburn and Florida are the last two standing of a record 14 SEC teams that made the NCAA Tournament. Only one of them will get to play for the national championship. In a Final Four filled with No. 1 seeds, the SEC regular-season champion Tigers (32-5) play...
At Final Four, Houston stopping Duke’s Cooper Flagg could come down to a stopper named Joseph Tugler
SAN ANTONIO — Pretty much every basketball fan has heard of Duke’s Cooper Flagg. Nowhere near as many have heard of Houston’s Joseph Tugler. If the Cougars are going to spring an upset over the Blue Devils in the all-1-seed Final Four on Saturday, it almost surely will be because...
Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg named AP men’s college basketball player of the year
SAN ANTONIO — Cooper Flagg and his Duke teammates were days away from clinching a spot in the Final Four, and the Blue Devils’ freshman star was planning ahead. It wasn’t about anything on the court, though. It was to be ready the next time teammates Khaman Maluach and Patrick...
3rd time’s a charm: Winding road leads former RMU skater, Wexford native Brian Kramer to Frozen 4
When the Frozen Four gets underway next week in St. Louis, nine college hockey players with Western Pennsylvania ties will be on the ice. Seven of them will be on Penn State’s roster, as the Nittany Lions have qualified for the national semifinal for the first time in program history....
Bruce Pearl of Auburn, Kelvin Sampson of Houston a reflection of changing game
SAN ANTONIO — A decade ago, Bruce Pearl of Auburn and Kelvin Sampson of Houston were emerging from exile — two coaches who had been handed the harshest sanction imaginable by the NCAA and were looking to resurrect their once-successful careers. This week, they’re both coaching at the Final Four,...
Auburn’s Johni Broome ready to face Florida, says there’s no pain in elbow
SAN ANTONIO — Auburn forward Johni Broome returned to practice for the Tigers on Thursday and said he has no pain in his right elbow and “no limitations” ahead of the Tigers’ Final Four matchup with Florida. Broome, a unanimous first-team AP All-American, is the Tigers’ leading scorer and emotional...
USC star JuJu Watkins is the AP Player of the Year and just the 4th sophomore to earn that honor
TAMPA, Fla. — JuJu Watkins, the sensational sophomore who led Southern California to its best season in nearly 40 years, was honored Thursday as The Associated Press women’s college basketball Player of the Year. Watkins, whose Trojans won the Big Ten regular-season title for their first conference crown in 31...
UCLA’s Cori Close is the AP Coach of the Year after a historic season for the top-seeded Bruins
TAMPA, Fla. — Cori Close, who led UCLA to its first women’s Final Four during one of the best seasons in school history, was named The Associated Press Coach of the Year on Thursday. The Bruins earned the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll...
Maryland hires Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams as basketball coach
Maryland hired Buzz Williams as its men’s basketball coach Tuesday, quickly moving on after Kevin Willard left to take the Villanova job. “It is an honor and privilege to be named the head coach of the University of Maryland men’s basketball team,” Williams said in a statement. “I promise to...
Betting favorite UConn joins 3 top seeds in South Carolina, UCLA and Texas in women’s Final Four
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The women’s Final Four is full of star players, top seeds and historic programs. There will be no Cinderellas in Tampa, Fla., this week with No. 1 seeds South Carolina, UCLA and Texas in the national semifinals. They are joined by the betting favorite to win it...
Stanford hires Frank Reich as interim football coach
STANFORD, Calif. — Andrew Luck picked a familiar person to take over as Stanford’s interim football coach, hiring former NFL coach Frank Reich on Monday to replace the fired Troy Taylor. Luck moved quickly in his new role as general manager of the football program, hiring Reich less than a...
Final Four teams have been locked in on defense all season
Tennessee has one of the nation’s best defenses, a bruising crew that leaves opponents black and blue. Houston gave the Vols a lesson in defensive dominance in the Elite Eight. Swarming and switching, the Cougars had the Vols feeling like they were stuck in an escape room with no exit...
Flagg, Broome, Clayton are among the Final Four players to watch in a showdown between No. 1 seeds
Looking for an inspiring underdog or a glass slipper lying around in San Antonio? This year’s version of the Final Four is not for you. Fittingly for an NCAA Tournament in which big schools from big conferences took record numbers of spots in the first week, then hogged them all...
Auburn completes sweep of No. 1 seeds into Final Four, beating Michigan State
ATLANTA — Johni Broome held his injured right arm through most of Auburn’s Elite Eight postgame celebration. That didn’t keep the star forward from climbing a ladder to cut down the net he then wore around his neck. Broome had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Auburn took command with...
Houston’s defense carries Cougars into 7th Final Four over Tennessee
INDIANAPOLIS — Houston’s relentless defense confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the Cougars into their seventh Final Four and first since 2021, with L.J. Cryer scoring 17 points in a 69-50 victory on Sunday. Emanuel Sharp scored 14 of his 16 points after halftime for top-seeded Houston (34-4) and was...
Lauren Betts, UCLA reach first Final Four of women’s NCAA Tournament, beating LSU
SPOKANE, Wash. — Lauren Betts had 17 points and seven rebounds despite spending the entire second quarter on the bench, and top overall seed UCLA reached its first Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 72-65 victory over LSU on Sunday. The 6-foot-7 Betts added six blocks for...
