ncaa-tournament Page 6 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
At Princeton, a turnaround one man saw coming
“I was born delusional,” said Chris Ayres, Princeton’s head wrestling coach, earlier this year. “But I think — I really do — that delusion is a good thing.” He just proved his point. At Tulsa, Oklahoma’s NCAA wrestling tournament last month, Ayres pulled off one of the least likely turnarounds colle...
The 10 Plagues of Egypt for sports fans
Have you seen The Prince of Egypt? It’s the animated movie that features the Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey song “When You Believe” and tells the story of Moses. I don’t need to get into the ins and outs of religion, but the movie ends with the Israelites escaping slavery and Moses leading his pe...
UConn has 5 national titles — but their championship game TV ratings suck
When three different coaches have combined to win five national championships at one men’s college basketball program since 1999, it means they’re one of the sport’s blue bloods. But, you know that question that goes, “If a tree falls in the forest, and there’s no one around to hear It, does it make...
The definitive list of college basketball blue bloods
Another college basketball season has come and gone. The women’s tournament outshined the men’s showcase in March Madness due to ratings and attendance records, not to mention the undeniable star power the sport has. The men’s NCAA Tournament wrapped Monday night with UConn completing the six-game s...
UConn is the top men’s basketball program of the last 25 years
Of course there have been both more highly anticipated and better-played NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship games than the one that took place on Monday night. It didn’t take long to realize that Connecticut was going to defeat San Diego State, thereby winning the championship in the most dominating...
Can college basketball’s AFC Richmond bounce back from their season finale?
Lamont Butler’s dagger as the buzzer sounded in Houston was a coup de grâce to Florida Atlantic’s storybook season. From being picked fifth in the preseason conference tournament to blitzing through their schedule, the Owls served wake-up calls to each and every one of their opponents en route to th...
The NCAA women’s tournament was given a proper platform — and is a massive success
Good to know the crowd, and thankfully fringe minority, that shouted “women’s sports are boring” never had a leg to stand on in the first place. Their ignorance becomes clearer and more definitively described as sexist each day. This year’s NCAA Tournament has been a huge catalyst for the Field of D...
The Women’s NCAA Tournament has reached a new golden era
It’s only been a few short weeks since Outkick’s David Hookstead blamed some non-existent woke-ism manifesto for the placement of women’s college basketball dominating ESPN.com’s front page. A few weeks before that, Jason Whitlock was frothing at the mouth over women’s basketball highlights leading ...
Trio of UConn players will compete in the Final Four and maybe eat before the game
UConn men’s basketball looks like the favorite heading into this weekend’s Final Four in Houston. Not only are the Huskies the highest seed remaining of the quartet, they’ve looked dominant in every March Madness game. Turns out UConn’s 15-point second-round victory over St. Mary’s was its closest m...
Charles Barkley hates the playa and the game, but he should look in the mirror
Every Cinderella story needs a bitter, jaded, elderly hater. Charles Barkley is college basketball’s evil stepmother analog. One of the most maddening staples of every March Madness is TNT loaning out Charles Barkley for CBS’ NCAA Tournament studio show coverage where he dissects college hoops with ...
Caitlin Clark stands on her own after stellar Elite Eight performance
There’s a big phenomenon when conversing about sports to find the next big thing, or who a younger athlete could become when she or he reaches their potential. Kobe Bryant or LeBron James having a Michael Jordan-like arch dominated conversations for over a decade. The name of baseball’s next great p...
Florida Atlantic athletic director still speechless after Final Four berth
From the eighth-floor lobby of Manhattan’s New York Marriott Marquis hotel, Florida Atlantic athletic director Brian White couldn’t find the exact words to describe what being in the Sweet 16 meant to the Owls’ program and community as a whole. And that was nearly six hours before tipoff of FAU’s wi...
Don't call Florida Atlantic a 'Cinderella'
Don’t fall for the Cinderella trap. That’s the general consensus from Florida Atlantic superfans, boosters, and radio-play-by-play announcers celebrating the Owls’ East regional title at the Time Square Marriott Marquis well after midnight. Given the trend in this NCAA Tournament beginning with Furm...
Tennessee and FAU’s ADs are brothers — and their schools faced off in the Sweet 16
NEW YORK — As the NCAA Tournament bracket was released 11 days ago, both Danny White and Brian White knew only one of their schools could get to the Final Four before they knew who Tennessee or Florida Atlantic would play to open the yearly showcase. Three complete regions had been called without a ...
Florida Atlantic proves just how quickly its tenacity can make opponents unravel
NEW YORK — Don’t let Florida Atlantic hang around. Memphis messed around and found out. Fairleigh Dickinson truly never had the legs to keep up with the Owls, but also felt the result of letting the grittiest team in the nation have time to respond. Surely a Rick Barnes-coached team from a battle-te...
Markquis Nowell authored the quintessential point Guard-en Party to vanquish Michigan State
NEW YORK — The last time an East Regional was held in Madison Square Garden, diminutive UConn point guard, Shabazz Napier led the Huskies to an unexpected Final Four and a national title. Flash forward nine years and Kansas State’s 5-foot-8 floor general, Markquis Nowell, staked his claim as New Yor...
Don’t label Princeton an underdog — it’s PRINCETON!
The days between games during the NCAA Tournament can feel like months. Practices are held. Flights are booked. Press conferences are completed. Stories are written. Narratives are created. And while most love an underdog, there’s one that’s received the label without filling the criteria. Because d...
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16's most vulnerable teams
By the time this week is over, the NCAA Tournament field will again shrink by at least 400 percent. One-fourth of the teams to win a pair of March Madness games last week will do so again. Half of them won’t win one more game. And after riding high over the last week and adding important wins to a p...
Four-letter words flying during NCAA Tourney — and we love it
One of the beauties of college sports is that viewers get to see young people act like young people. Sure the professionals play the game better, but sometimes youthful exuberance makes up for the many more fundamental mistakes. While we get to view their excitement, the coaches and sports informati...