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Virginia coach Tony Bennett has been around college basketball for most of his life. His father, Dick Bennett, was a Division III coach during his formative years in the 1960s and ’70s, and later coached at Green Bay, Wisconsin and Washington State. Tony played for his dad in college before a brief career in the [...]
Handicapping the Big Ten men’s basketball race comes down to this: Purdue, Michigan State, everybody else. The Boilermakers, with reigning national player of the year Zach Edey and his strong supporting cast, are the prohibitive favorites to win a second straight regular-season championship. Michigan State is a possible challenger. "I think other than maybe Purdue, [...]
PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are pushing for swift approval of a financing deal for a new 30,000-seat ballpark, part of a much larger $6 billion redevelopment project that includes affordable housing, a hotel, a black history museum and many other items. The St. Petersburg City Council last week got its first [...]
Indiana coach Teri Moren started chasing Big Ten championships a decade ago. Back then, conference newcomer Maryland set the standard by winning three straight regular-season titles, three straight Big Ten tourney crowns and stringing together winning streaks of 22, nine, 23 and four against league foes. By Season 4, the rest of the league finally [...]
COLUMBUS — Ohio State provided a tantalizing look of what might be when the Buckeyes beat three higher-seeded teams in the Big Ten Tournament before losing to top-seeded and eventual champion Purdue in a semifinal. Up until then, it had been a season to forget for the Buckeyes, particularly during a long, frustrating stretch of [...]
COLUMBUS — Kyle McCord sat behind Heisman Trophy finalist C.J. Stroud for two seasons before taking over the pressure-cooker responsibility of being the starting quarterback at Ohio State. Under the tutelage of quarterback whisperer Ryan Day, McCord has earned his stripes, thanks in part to being able to throw to All-American receiver — and former [...]
Central Division teams are seeking to make amends after creating some unwanted NBA playoff history last season. Last season marked the first time that no Central Division team advanced at least as far as the conference semifinals since the league went to a 16-team playoff format in 1984. The Central Division's combined 2-8 playoff record [...]
COLUMBUS — Jim Knowles heard all the pre-game chatter about Penn State's nation-leading defense. Ohio State's second-year defensive coordinator challenged his players to be meaner and more violent than the visitors from Happy Valley. "I don't look at stats, but I guess Penn State had a pretty good defense," said Knowles, who was hired away [...]
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James is already the defining figure of this basketball era with his strength, skills, smarts and relentless will to win. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar now seems determined to redefine how long an elite player can stay on top. James begins his 21st NBA season with his 39th birthday looming [...]
MADISON, Wis. — Michigan State linebacker Jordan Hall talks about rolling with the punches to maintain focus amid adversity, but he never could have expected the haymaker his team absorbed last month. It was the same type of blow that players at Northwestern, Nebraska and Wisconsin have encountered over the last year. Unexpected firings have [...]