review Page 491 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Chase Hunter, Clemson aim to erase doubt vs. McNeese
For the second straight March, there's a sense that Midwest Region fifth seed Clemson is undervalued.,For the second consecutive March, the Tigers have drawn a first-round opponent many think will defeat them. They will face 12th-seeded McNeese on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament in Providence, R.I.,...

Purdue wobbled, bids to get back on track vs. High Point
Purdue's eight consecutive years as a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament is now the longest active streak in the country. ,As Matt Painter knows, winning games once you get there is another matter.,The Boilermakers are a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region and streaking 13th-seeded High Point arrives...

Purdue wary of upset-minded tourney rookies High Point
Purdue's eight consecutive years as a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament is now the longest active streak in the country. ,As Matt Painter knows, winning games once you get there is another matter.,The Boilermakers are a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region and streaking 13th-seeded High Point arrives...

Surprising 8 seed Louisville set for new chapter, studies up for Creighton
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- It will be a short trip across the Bluegrass State for eighth-seeded Louisville when it looks to continue a storybook revival season against ninth-seeded Creighton on Thursday in a South Region first-round contest.,The Cardinals (27-7) are in the midst of one of the biggest turnaro...

Wisconsin packs long-range firepower, shifts focus to Montana
DENVER -- Before they can survive and advance, the Wisconsin Badgers have precious few days to adapt.,East Region No. 3 seed Wisconsin insists it already turned the page from a disappointing loss in the Big Ten tournament championship game and focused on reaching new heights -- at altitude -- in the...

RHP Roki Sasaki to make Dodgers debut vs. Cubs
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki follows in the footsteps of his Japanese countrymen on Wednesday when he makes his MLB debut against the Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Series.,Shohei Ohtani collected two hits and two runs and Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed five strong innings as the Dodgers raise...

Boogie back, Arkansas dances with familiar Kansas in Providence
There are two primary reasons the informed public believes No. 7 seed Kansas and No. 10 Arkansas stand a chance to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, despite a combined 25 losses this season: Bill Self and John Calipari.,A marquee coaching matchup in the first-round Thursday in Providence, R.I., fea...

Texas Tech looks to avoid early exit vs. UNC Wilmington
Texas Tech was sent packing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by eventual Final Four team North Carolina State last season.,Red Raiders coach Grant McCasland is expecting a longer stay this year, and the journey begins when third-seeded Texas Tech (25-8) faces 14th-seeded UNC Wilmington (27-...

Gonzaga rides strong finish into first-round clash vs. Georgia
Gonzaga wasn't looking so powerful when it lost consecutive games to Oregon State and Santa Clara in mid-January.,But a strong finish helped restore order and the eighth-seeded Zags (25-8) are in solid form entering Thursday's clash against ninth-seeded Georgia (20-12) in Midwest Region first-round ...

Top-seeded Houston keeps guard up against SIU Edwardsville
Top-seeded Houston is not the type of team that overlooks a first-round NCAA Tournament foe.,Veteran coach Kelvin Sampson simply won't allow it and he seems genuinely offended when it is suggested that his Cougars (30-4) are about to play an overmatched opponent when they face 16th-seed SIU Edwardsv...

Familiar foes face off in First Four as American tests Mount St. Mary's
DAYTON, Ohio -- Two very familiar head coaches will get their first taste of NCAA Tournament action against each other when No. 16 American battles No. 16 Mount Saint Mary's on Wednesday night in a First Four contest., ,The winner advances to play No. 1 seed Duke in an East Region first-round game o...

Slumping Flames hope to regain form against Rangers
The New York Rangers and Calgary Flames share similar point totals in their bids to secure a wild-card playoff spot.,The difference is that the Flames are competing with fewer opponents while the Rangers are dealing with a massively crowded field heading into the teams' Tuesday contest in New York.,...

Bucks, jockeying for playoff position, open trip against Warriors
The Milwaukee Bucks will be seeking to improve their playoff positioning when they tip off a five-game road trip Tuesday night in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors.,The Bucks (38-29) will take the court for the trip opener tied with the Indiana Pacers for fourth place in the Eastern Co...

SEC superiority gets initial test as Texas faces Xavier in First Four
DAYTON, Ohio -- The team with the shortest commute to the First Four will meet the team with the second-longest when No. 11 Xavier plays No. 11 Texas Wednesday for the right to advance to the first round in the Midwest Region.,The winner of the Wednesday contest will face No. 6 Illinois on Friday in...

Northern Iowa seeks upset of SMU at NIT
The top-seeded SMU Mustangs welcome the Northern Iowa Panthers to Dallas on Wednesday night for opening-round action in the National Invitational Tournament.,SMU (23-10) fell from the NCAA Tournament picture after playing .500 basketball for the regular season's final month. The Mustangs did not win...

Cal State Northridge visits Stanford in 1st NIT appearance
Cal State Northridge hopes to add to a historic men's basketball season when it travels to Northern California to take on Stanford in the opening round of the NIT on Tuesday night.,The Matadors (22-10) tied a school record for wins -- set 24 years ago -- when they beat Hawaii 82-73 in the Big West C...

Amid heated playoff race, Canucks face tough test vs. Jets
Aiming to maintain a high level of intensity as the playoffs approach, the Winnipeg Jets head to Vancouver to face the Canucks on Tuesday.,Just trying to stay afloat, the Canucks (31-25-11, 73 points) were dealt a 3-1 defeat on Sunday against Utah -- one of the teams they're trying to hold off in th...

Riding 18-game point streak, Leon Draisaitl's Oilers host Utah
Leon Draisaitl will try to extend his 18-game point streak when he leads the Edmonton Oilers against the visiting Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday night.,Draisaitl has 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists) during his red-hot streak, which is both the longest in the NHL this season and the lengthiest of the fo...

Blackhawks seek rare home win streak as Kraken visit
After slumping through a winless four-game road trip, the Chicago Blackhawks will aim to earn consecutive home victories for the first time in three months on Tuesday as they host the Seattle Kraken.,Chicago (20-38-9, 49 points) is set to skate at the United Center for the first time since edging th...

Wichita St. looks to capitalize on surprise NIT bid against Oklahoma St.
Paul Mills was sure the season was over for his Wichita State team. After the Shockers lost in Friday's quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament, players and coaches parted ways, with a handful leaving Wichita to start spring break.,On Sunday night, though, Mills' daughter was na...