review Page 60 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

No. 11 Nebraska faces tall task in Big Ten quarters vs. No. 18 Purdue
Regular-season accolades have poured in for 11th-ranked Nebraska as it prepares to take on No. 18 Purdue in a Big Ten quarterfinal matchup on Friday evening in Chicago. ,The second-seeded Cornhuskers (26-5) seized their highest placement in a postseason conference tournament, compliments of a turnar...

No. 22 Vanderbilt braces for Nate Ament, No. 25 Tennessee
NASHVILLE -- No. 22-ranked Vanderbilt will square off against No. 25 Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Friday afternoon, marking the third meeting this season between the teams.,Each team won on the other's home floor, the most recent time being the Commodor...

Arizona, Iowa State get 'final four' trial in stacked Big 12 tourney
Arizona and Iowa State are two of the top teams in the nation. It's not surprising a postseason "final four" funneled them into a marquee matchup.,This isn't the Final Four either program aspires to reach. The top-seeded Wildcats and the fifth-seeded Cyclones clash in the Big 12 semifinals on Friday...

Seton Hall optimistic about 3rd crack at St. John's in Big East semis
NEW YORK -- St. John's began defense of its first Big East tournament title since 2000 by securing five offensive rebounds.,The hustle set the tone for a comfortable win over Providence on Thursday and possibly foreshadowed another physical encounter with Seton Hall.,After easily advancing, the top-...

Illinois needs to build on last two outings to get by Wisconsin
Jim Valvano called it survive and advance in 1983 when his North Carolina State team won the national championship.,After Wisconsin hung on to eliminate Washington on Thursday in the third round of the Big Ten Conference tournament, Badgers coach Greg Gard referred to it as "just find a way to get t...

SEC champ Florida starts tourney with deep, dangerous Kentucky
NASHVILLE -- Kentucky chases a third win in three days, with rested and well-tested Florida awaiting in a Friday quarterfinal game in the Southeastern Conference tournament. ,The Wildcats (21-12) blew a 16-point second-half lead in Thursday's 78-72 win over Missouri. Otega Oweh's 21 points and big p...

Ohio State’s confidence grows ahead of marquee Michigan matchup
Third-ranked Michigan enters Friday's Big Ten tournament quarterfinal against Ohio State on five days of rest, the well-earned advantage for the conference's regular-season champion.,As the top-seeded Wolverines aim to repeat the feat with a tourney title amid lofty NCAA Tournament hopes, coach Dust...

Rockets need to end wonky stretch vs. suddenly-hot Pelicans
Following their second blowout loss in four days, the Houston Rockets hardly resemble Western Conference contenders despite being tied for the third seed behind a pair of league juggernauts.,After surrendering a season-high 145 points on the road to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, the Rockets were ...

Blazers, trying to keep pace in playoff chase, go for sweep of Jazz
The Portland Trail Blazers are out to complete a four-game season sweep of the visiting Utah Jazz when the teams match up Friday night.,Portland averaged 136 points in the first three meetings, including a 20-point home victory on Jan. 5 and a 16-point road win on Feb. 12. The Trail Blazers also won...

Conference imbalance on display as Islanders host Kings
If the New York Islanders were in the Western Conference, they already would be preparing to host playoff games.,If the Los Angeles Kings were in the Eastern Conference, they likely would have spent the trade deadline looking toward the future instead of loading up for a postseason push.,Thanks to g...

Timberwolves look to reverse course against Warriors
Two teams battling to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race meet when the Golden State Warriors face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in San Francisco.,Minnesota has slipped to sixth place in the crowded West standings after dropping three consecutive games, while fading Golden State ...

Iowa State tramples Texas Tech to reach Big 12 semifinals
Tamin Lipsey scored 20 points to help fifth-seeded Iowa State roll to a 75-53 victory over fourth-seeded Texas Tech on Thursday afternoon in Kansas City and advance to the Big 12 tournament semifinals.,Joshua Jefferson added 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists as the No. 7-ranked Cyclones overcam...

Back among Big East's best, Villanova takes on Georgetown
NEW YORK -- Villanova's return to prominence after three seasons of mediocrity following coach Jay Wright's retirement will be official when its name gets selected for the NCAA Tournament.,Until the selection show on Sunday, Villanova (24-7) will attempt to improve its seeding for the NCAAs on Thurs...

Oklahoma in desperation mode for SEC tourney clash vs. Texas A&M
Oklahoma rolled past South Carolina in the first round of the SEC tournament on Wednesday in Nashville to set up a third season meeting with Texas A&M, a match that means much more to the Sooners than denying the Aggies a season three-peat.,Playing for their NCAA Tournament lives, the 11th-seeded So...

Victor Wembanyama, surging Spurs set sights on Nuggets
The San Antonio Spurs have been the hottest team in the league since Jan. 1.,They will look to continue their run of success on Thursday when they host the Denver Nuggets.,The Spurs boast MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama and a supporting cast that seems to showcase a different player every game, They...

After allowing 83 points by Bam Abedayo, Wizards try their luck against Magic
Having been trampled by Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat, the Washington Wizards now will turn their attention to another high-scoring offensive force, Paolo Banchero, when they visit the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.,The game pairs an Orlando team that's used five straight wins to move into fifth ...

No. 5 Houston begins defense of Big 12 tournament title vs. BYU
No. 5 Houston made a quick Big 12 impact last season, winning the conference tournament in its second year in the league.,Now, the second seed begins its run at a repeat Thursday against 10th-seeded BYU in a battle of the Cougars in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals in Kansas City, Mo.,The victor ...

Coach Dan Hurley implores No. 6 UConn to limit turnovers vs. Xavier
NEW YORK -- After dominating the 2024 NCAA Tournament en route to its sixth national title and second straight, UConn took a slight step back last season.,This season, the Huskies were back to their normal lofty status, staying in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll through the entire regular se...

Ole Miss a surprising foe for Georgia in SEC tournament
Georgia will bring a historic regular season into its Southeastern Conference tournament opener Thursday night against upset winner Ole Miss in a second-round game in Nashville.,Georgia (22-9) set school regular-season records for wins and points scored, and ranked third in Division I with a 90.4 sc...

Kirill Kaprizov stepping up as Wild take aim at Flyers
Many teams in the NHL might need to choose between goal scoring from their top stars or from their depth players.,The Minnesota Wild have enjoyed both heading into their game on Thursdayt against the Philadelphia Flyers in Saint Paul, Minn.,"It's nice that some of the guys that we're expecting to sc...