THE INDIANA SRN “SPORTSPAGE” TUESDAY MARCH 21, 2023

INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL STATE FINALS (SATURDAY)

CLASS A: LUTHERAN VS. SOUTHWOOD, 10:30 A.M.

CLASS 2A: FW BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN VS. LINTON-STOCKTON, 12:45 P.M.

CLASS 3A: GUERIN CATHOLIC VS. NORTHWOOD, 6 P.M.

CLASS 4A: BEN DAVIS VS. KOKOMO, 8:15 P.M.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL- NCAA TOURNAMENT

THURSDAY, MARCH 23 (SWEET 16)

NO. 3 KANSAS STATE VS. NO. 7 MICHIGAN STATE | 6:30 P.M. | TBS

NO. 4 UCONN VS. NO. 8 ARKANSAS | 7:15 P.M. | CBS

NO. 4 TENNESSEE VS. NO. 9 FLORIDA ATLANTIC | 9 P.M. | TBS

NO. 2 UCLA VS. NO. 3 GONZAGA | 9:45 P.M. | CBS

FRIDAY, MARCH 24 (SWEET 16)

NO. 1 ALABAMA VS. NO. 5 SAN DIEGO STATE | 6:30 P.M. | TBS

NO. 1 HOUSTON VS. NO. 4 MIAMI | 7:15 P.M. | CBS

NO. 6 CREIGHTON VS. NO. 15 PRINCETON | 9 P.M. | TBS

NO. 2 TEXAS VS. NO. 3 XAVIER | 9:45 P.M. | CBS

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TRANSFER PORTAL: https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/wire/basketball/2023/

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NO. 3 OHIO STATE 71, NO. 6 NORTH CAROLINA 69

NO. 4 TENNESSEE 94, NO. 12 TOLEDO 47

NO. 5 LOUISVILLE 73, NO. 4 TEXAS 51

NO. 4 VILLANOVA 76, NO. 12 FLORIDA GULF COAST 57

NO. 9 MIAMI 70, NO. 1 INDIANA 68

NO. 6 COLORADO 61, NO. 3 DUKE 53 (OT)

NO. 2 UCONN 77, NO. 7 BAYLOR 58

NO. 4 UCLA 82, NO. 5 OKLAHOMA 73

BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP

NBA SCOREBOARD

KNICKS 140, TIMBERWOLVES 134

BULLS 109, 76ERS 105 (2OT)

JAZZ 128, KINGS 120

HORNETS 115, PACERS 109

WARRIORS 121, ROCKETS 108

GRIZZLIES 112, MAVERICKS 108

BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NBA/SCOREBOARD.ASP

NHL SCOREBOARD

PANTHERS 5, RED WINGS 2

SENATORS 2, PENGUINS 1

OILERS 5, SHARKS 4 (OT)

AVALANCHE 5, BLACKHAWKS 0

KINGS 8, FLAMES 2

BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NHL/SCOREBOARD.ASP

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD

CARDINALS 5, MARLINS 0

BLUE JAYS 5, TIGERS 0

BRAVES 6, RAYS 5

PIRATES 7, RED SOX 5

PHILLIES 14, ORIOLES 6

REDS 10, ANGELS 5

DIAMONDBACKS 7, WHITE SOX 3

GUARDIANS 5, RANGERS 5

MARINERS 7, BREWERS 2

NATIONALS 3, METS 2

ROCKIES 5, DODGERS 1

BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/MLB/SCOREBOARD.ASP

CENTRAL INDIANA HS BASEBALL TOP PLAYERS WATCH LIST

THE BEST

1             MAX CLARK                       FRANKLIN                          OF          VANDERBILT

2             ANDREW WIGGINS         HERITAGE CHRISTIAN    OF          INDIANA

3             BEN MURPHY                   CENTER GROVE                 RHP       INDIANA

4             DREW CULBERTSON       CENTER GROVE                 SS           MISSOURI

HOGAN DENNY MOORESVILLE

DEKLAN THOMPSON MOORESVILLE

JUDAH HENNESSY MOORESVILLE

AJ STINER CATHEDRAL

KYUSS GARGETT CATHEDRAL

CAM HEANEY CARMEL

HUNTER SNOW CARMEL

TRIPP SCHROEDER CARMEL

GARRISON BARILE CENTER GROVE

EVAN ZAPP CENTER GROVE

TY BRADLE HAMILTON SE

JACK BROWN FISHERS

CARSON DUNN FISHERS

CARSON DUNN FISHERS

KYLE MANSHIP FISHERS

MAX CLARK FRANKLIN

LANDEN BASEY FRAKNLIN

JACKSON HENRY FRANKLIN

MASON TIBBS BROWNSBURG

ALEC MURPHY BROWNSBURG

WALKER BRODT BROWNSBURG

TREVOR CORBETT NOBLESVILLE

BRYCE RIGGS NOBLESVILLE

JACOB CULP WESTFIELD

COLLIN LINDSEY WESTFIELD

NASH WAGNER ZIONSVILLE

JACK FERGUSON NORTH CENTRAL

KADEN BARR DECATUR CENTRAL

JAKE HOOKER UNIVERSITY

SETH HOGG UNIVERSITY

AJ NUNLEY GUERIN CATHOLIC

CADEN RADCLIFFE GUERIN CATHOLIC

DAVIS WAGNER GUERIN CATHOLIC

BEN MORWICK NEW PALESTINE

BLAINE NUNNALLY NEW PALESTINE

JP POLACKIN BISHOP CHATARD

WILL BOROWSKI BISHOP CHATARD

AIDEN DUNCAN BISHOP CHATARD

JACK MURRAY BISHOP CHATARD

NATE SIMPSON AVON

LOGAN CROCK LAWRENCE NORTH

KEVIN REED MARTINSVILLE

BLAKE BORKHARDT COLUMBUS EAST

WILL BOYER COLUMBUS EAST

JOSIAH KING INDY LUTHERAN

MICAH MACKAY INDY LUTHERAN

NOAH LENTING HERITAGE CHRISTIAN

HAYDN BURZYNSKI HORIZON CHRISTIAN

AJ ODEN GREENFIELD CENTRAL

CADEN TACKETT SHELBYVILLE

ASHER BALTING SHELBYVILLE

MAXWELL HARRIS TRADERS POINT CHRISTIAN

ELI MEALS TRADERS POINT CHRISTIAN

JAYDEN OHMER BREBEUF

ALEX COOKERLY BREBEUF

MICHAEL FINELLI BREBEUF

PAYNE HEALY MT. VERNON

ELI BRIDENTHAL MT. VERNON

NATE GILMET PENDLETON HEIGHTS

ANDREW ZELLERS GREENFIELD CENTRAL

CONNER SIMS GREENFIELD CENTRAL

JADEN MARKUS GREENFIELD CENTRAL

JACKSON HENRY FRANKLIN

CJ TITARA EASTERN HANCOCK

TOP INDIANA (RELEASES)

INDIANA PACERS

The Indiana Pacers were white hot at the start and then flamed out in the end in the Queen City.

The Pacers (32-40) squandered a 21-point first-half lead in a 115-109 loss to the Charlotte Hornets (23-50) at Spectrum Center on Monday. In the final 5:29 of play, the Hornets closed the game on a 20-4 run.

After establishing an 18-point lead through 12 minutes, and pushing it to as many as 21 points in the second quarter, the Hornets climbed back to go up late in the third quarter. In the decisive final frame, the teams were tied at 94 with 8:44 left before the Hornets came up clutch after the teams traded blows.

Indiana scored 40 points in the first quarter but totaled just 43 points in the second half. A major difference was turnovers, as the Pacers finished with 21 giveaways while the Hornets totaled 11.

Hornets guard Kelly Oubre Jr. led all scorers with 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting , Terry Rozier added 23 and Central Indiana native Gordon Hayward chipped in 22. Charlotte’s Nick Richards achieved his 11th double-double of the season with 18 points and 17 rebounds.

Center Myles Turner and shooting guard Buddy Hield had 20 points a piece to lead the Pacers. Other Pacers scoring in double digits included rookie Bennedict Mathurin (18 points), Isaiah Jackson (12) and Jalen Smith (10). Jackson also had 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

“Each ensuing quarter we played a little worse,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “You look at the turnover numbers and points off turnovers (and) that tells the whole story. They had 11 turnovers for eight points and we had 22 (turnovers) for 35 points.”

Looking at postseason scenarios, the Pacers are now 2.5 games back of 10th place in the Eastern Conference after the Chicago Bulls (34-37) beat the Philadelphia 76ers (48-23), 109-105, in overtime on Monday.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: Track the Latest Standings, Remaining Schedules, and More >>

Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton missed a fifth straight game and Chris Duarte sat out a fourth straight game on Monday due to ankle injuries. Former All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball didn’t play for the Hornets, and will be out the remainder of the season after having ankle surgery in early March.

Indiana dominated Charlotte on both ends of the floor in the first quarter, shooting 75 percent from the field while holding the Hornets to 31 percent shooting.

The Pacers went up 15-5 with 8:31 left in the first quarter by making all five of their field goal attempts and going 4-for-4 from the free throw line. In that span, Turner scored eight points during an 11-0 stretch.

Mathurin, returning after a four-game absence due to an ankle sprain, then went on a self-imposed 7-0 run midway through the first quarter to push the lead to 29-18.

In the final 5:31 of the opening frame, the Hornets were limited to just one made field goal while the Pacers finished on a 12-2 run in the final 3:53 to go up 40-22.

Turner made all three of his field goal attempts and went 9-for-9 from the free throw line to lead all scorers with 15 points after 12 minutes. As a team, the Pacers made 13 of 16 free throw attempts and had 10 assists in the first quarter.

The Pacers’ lead swelled to 21 points before the Hornets finally answered with a 14-2 run, on seven points by point guard Rozier and five from Oubre, to narrow it to 56-47.

Indiana then found its footing again in the final four minutes, as a 7-2 Pacers run, on five points by Hield, pushed the Pacers ahead 63-49 before the visitors took an eight-point lead into the locker room.

The Hornets outscored the Pacers 36-26 in the second quarter by holding the Blue & Gold to 40.9 percent shooting.

In the third quarter, the Hornets didn’t turn the ball over once as they were able to get back into the game by outsourcing the Pacers 26-22.

Charlotte continued to chip away at the deficit until a Rozier 3-pointer sparked a 12-1 run that finished with a three by Oubre that tied the game at 75 with 6:45 left in the third quarter.

The teams then exchanged the lead five times in the final 6:31, but the Pacers maintained the lead at 88-85 going into the fourth quarter.

After tying three times to start the fourth quarter, Hield hit two 3-pointers and Jordan Nwora had one as the Pacers used a 11-2 run to go up 105-96 with 6:23 left in the game.

Charlotte responded with a 13-0 scoring spree, as Svi Mykhailiuk, Hayward and Rozier all drained 3-pointers and P.J. Washington scored four points, to go up 109-105 with 3:01 left in the game.

The Pacers went without a basket for four minutes before Aaron Nemsith stopped the bleeding with a layup to make it 109-107 with 68 seconds left. Hayward then hit a jumper through contact and converted the free throw to put the Hornets up five and Charlotte was able to hang on from there.

In the second half, the Pacers shot just 36 percent from the field while getting outscored 57-43.

“We’ll get in tomorrow, watch film in the gym and just flush it and move on to the next game,” Turner said. “These games matter and we’ve got to act like it.”

The Pacers will take on the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday in game two of the four-game road trip.

Inside the Numbers

Indiana’s bench outscored Charlotte’s reserves 45-18.

The Pacers outrebounded the Hornets 48-37, including winning the offensive glass 13-10.

From the free throw line, the Pacers shot 26-for-34 and the Hornets were 23-for-32.

Turner matched his season-high for free throw attempts with 11.

Hield has hit four or more 3-pointers in 41 games this season.

Nwora finished with seven points, ending his double-digit scoring streak at 10 games.

You Can Quote Me On That

“Coming into this game, I talked to the guys about really keying on two areas: rebounding and ball security. We did an admirable job (rebounding). We were pretty good there. But the ball security was very poor and we’ve got to work on it.” – Carlisle on the focuses going into the game and keys to the loss

“They were very opportunistic. We missed shots, had some bad shots, and had a couple of turnovers … things you can’t do on the road. To score 40 In the first quarter and 69 the rest of the game is not good. Our defense and our carelessness with the ball were the two things that hurt us.” – Carlisle on the last five minutes of the game

“Unfortunately, the greatest amount of growth occurs during the greatest amount of challenge and upheaval and disappointment. That kind of rang true tonight.” – Carlisle on the young players gaining experience

“No NBA game is easy, and the remaining teams on this trip are playing for a lot – so we’re gonna have to be better. I think the emphasis in all these games, for me, it’s going to be simple. It’s going to be rebounding and taking care of the ball. If we do those two things, it will help our defense.” – Carlisle on the remaining schedule

“We just let our foot off the gas. It was one of those things that you take for granted. We had a big lead and we just settled for a lot of things. We didn’t stick to our principles, our team principles of playing hard.” – Smith on the loss

“They went on a big run and we just couldn’t recover.” – Turner on the loss

“It’s a big building block in development. We’ve got a whole bunch of young guys trying to find our way around the league. I feel as though being put in different positions and thrown into the fire is the best thing for that experience.” – Smith on the young players continuing to grow

“To play that poorly early, defensively it was our transition defense and our high pick-and-roll defense, and get down like that, but you could tell even in the huddles, guys were good, talking to each other, ‘Stay with it, stay with it.’ I thought both our offense and our defense in the second half was really good.” – Hornets coach Steve Clifford on coming back

“We go out there every night, spend time in the gym, getting better each and every day – practices, shootarounds – what are we going to do, go out there and not compete with our full hearts and our souls for this city? …We’re going to continue to play hard every night, fight. We’re playing with our imagination right now. This isn’t where we want to be. We’re in the mind frame of setting something up for next year and years to come, instead of just being in the moment right now. The record doesn’t define our talent on this team.” – Oubre on the Hornets win

Stat of the Night

The Hornets scored 35 points off 21 Pacers turnovers in the Blue & Gold loss.

Noteworthy

The Pacers are three made 3-pointers away from setting a new franchise record for made threes in a season. The previous record of 997 was set during the 2021-2022 season.

Mathurin, who scored 18 points against the Hornets, passed Vern Fleming (1,126) for fourth-most points by a Pacers rookie in franchise history. Mathurin is at 1,133 points with 10 games left on the schedule, trailing just Wayman Tisdale (1,192), Chuck Person (1,541) and Clark Kellogg (1,625) on the leaderboard.

Indiana has not swept Charlotte in a series since the 2011-2012 season.

Up Next

The Pacers continue their road trip north of the border in Toronto against Pascal Siakam on Wednesday, March 22 at 7:30 PM ET.

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANA FALLS IN SECOND ROUND OF NCAA TOURNAMENT

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Miami hit a shot with 3.3 seconds left as top-seeded Indiana women’s basketball team dropped its second round contest in the NCAA Tournament, 70-68, on Monday evening in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

KEY MOMENTS

Miami got off to an early 14-4 lead, forcing Indiana to call an early timeout. Back-to-back layups from freshman forward Lilly Meister and graduate student guard Grace Berger closed the gap late in the first quarter, but the Hurricanes would take a 20-12 lead into the second period.

Berger hit a jump shot halfway through the second quarter to bring Miami’s lead down to nine right before the media timeout.

Junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil hit IU’s first three-point basket of the game on a kickout from senior forward Mackenzie Holmes to close the gap to just five points with 2:35 left in the second quarter. Miami took a 41-29 lead into the break despite 10 first half points from Berger.

Straight out of the break, Berger knocked down a three-point basket and a jumper from right inside the arc to take Miami’s lead down to just seven.

IU opened the second half on an 11-2 run with a Holmes layup off the dish from Berger forcing Miami into an early third-quarter timeout.

Junior guard Sydney Parrish responded to a Miami basket with a driving layup, finishing the shot through contact to bring the Hoosiers within three points with under a minute in the third quarter.The Hoosiers outscored the Hurricanes 19-8 in the third quarter with a bucket from Holmes drawing the home team within one at the end of the period.

Freshman guard Yarden Garzon knocked down her first basket of the game with 7:32 left in the fourth quarter, nailing a three-point basket to bring IU within one point.Holmes tied the game with just under four minutes to play at 58-all with a spin and a layup to bring the score level for the first time since it was 2-2 in the first quarter.

Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall came to its feet when Holmes took a feed from Berger for a layup through contact to tie the game at 60-all.

Garzon connected from the top of the key with seven seconds left to play to bring the game level at 68-all. Indiana had a chance at the end but couldn’t get a shot to fall.

NOTABLE

Berger scored 10 points in the first half, finishing the game with 17 in her final game as a Hoosier.

She entered the day in 9th place on IU’s all-time scoring list with 1,824 points. After putting up 17 in the victory, she finishes her career 6th all-time in scoring (1,841), passing Rachelle Bostic (1981-84) and Cindy Bumgarner (1985-88). Berger dished out six assists, finishing her career second all-time in program history with 573.

Holmes scored 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting after missing the first-round contest. She grabbed nine rebounds, finishing one board short of a double-double.

Garzon scored 10 points, including a pair of three-point baskets with under a minute to play in the game. Garzon finished the season with 69 triples, the most ever by an IU freshman.

Moore-McNeil added nine points, four rebounds and four assists.

The Hoosiers finish the season 28-4

MOREN NAMED 2023 WERNER LADDER NAISMITH WOMEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR FINALIST

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana head coach Teri Moren been named a 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year finalist, announced by the organization on Monday. The award is presented to college basketball’s most outstanding coach.

In her ninth season at the helm of Indiana, she has led her squad to a multitude of new program first and record setting numbers in the 2022-23 season. With a 28-3 overall record and a first-place finish in the Big Ten this season, its first regular season title in 40 years, with a mark of 16-2 mark. Indiana is the only team nationally to have nine top 25 wins this season, five of which came against top 5 opponents and currently rank fifth in the NET.

They rank in the top 10 nationally in five team categories, highlighted by its 50.0 field goal percentage, which is second amongst all Division I teams. Indiana is also fourth in scoring margin (+19.5), sixth in scoring offense (81.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.43) and seventh in assists per game (18.3). The Hoosiers have been ranked in both national polls consecutively for the last three seasons and are No. 2 in the WBCA/USA Today coaches poll and the Associated Press Top 25. They earned the program’s first ever No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

On Jan. 18 in a win at Illinois, Moren became the program’s all-time winningest coach with 189 career victories. She holds a current record of 199-92 (.683) in her nine seasons leading the program and eclipsed the 200 win mark at IU in the victory over Tennessee Tech on Saturday in the NCAA First Round. Moren was also named the 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year, her second league honor as she also earned the selection in 2016. 

Once again this year fans will have a say in the determining the winner.  Starting March 21 fans can visit www.naismithfanvote.com or on Twitter (@MarchMadnessWBB) and @naismithtrophy) to cast their ballot for one of these four Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year finalists. Voting ends at 12 p.m. EDT on March 28 and fans are limited to one vote per day.  The fan vote will account for 5% of the total vote.

INDIANA BASEBALL

DUO EARNS WEEKLY HONORS

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After winning three of four games last week, a pair of Indiana baseball student-athletes were honored with weekly awards. Freshman outfielder Devin Taylor was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week and sophomore right-handed pitcher Luke Sinnard was a part of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Players of the Week list.

In four starts, Taylor led the team with a .467 batting average and a 1.712 OPS for the week. He reached base at least three times in all three games of a series sweep over Morehead State with four of seven hits going for extra bases to go along with four walks.

He scored seven runs and drove in four RBIs. Taylor hit three home runs on the week, including his first career multi-home run game in the series opener against Morehead State, the second of which tied the game in the ninth inning and led to an Indiana walk-off win in the 10th inning.

He scored at least one run in each game, with three runs scored in the series opener and two in the series finale against Morehead State. Taylor struck out only twice on the week.

On the mound, Sinnard tossed six innings in a start of the series finale on Friday versus Morehead State. He allowed just three base runners – two hits and one walk – with two runs allowed.

He struck out a career-high 13 strikeouts accounted, which accounted for 72 percent of his outs recorded in the game and are the most in the Big Ten in 2023. Two of three base runners reached base in the third inning, when MSU scored its two runs, and the other was a fifth-inning base hit. He didn’t factor into the decision but left the game with a 4-2 lead.

INDIANA SOFTBALL

KERN WINS SECOND BIG TEN CO-PLAYER, FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONORS

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana freshman Taryn Kern earns Big Ten Co-Player and Freshman of the Week awards for the second straight week.

She held a batting average of .667 on the week as the Hoosiers picked up a win against Belmont and swept the two-game series against Northwestern State and Memphis.

Kern’s offensive production has propelled Indiana to 12 straight wins as she went eight for 12 at bat with six free passes, four hit by pitch and 10 runs scored on the weekend.

Her OPS was 2.735 with an eye-popping slugging percentage of 1.917 and an on base percentage of .818 including four home runs, one double, one triple and 11 RBI.

The San Jose, Calif., native leads the team in home runs (9) and the Big Ten in five categories: slugging percentage (.910), OBS (.574), OPS (1.484), RBI (36) and HBP (9). She is also holds the second most runs scored (30) in the Big Ten.

UP NEXT

The Hoosiers will begin conference play with No. 22 ranked Maryland at Andy Mohr Field this weekend. The first game of the series is set for Friday at 6 p.m. ET.

PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL

PAINTER NAMED FINALIST FOR WERNER LADDER NAISMITH COACH OF THE YEAR

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue’s head coach Matt Painter was named a finalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today.

Painter is joined by Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, Kansas State’s Jerome Tang and Marquette’s Shaka Smart as finalists for the award. Painter is looking to become the first Purdue coach in school history to win the Naismith Coach of the Year Award.

Fans will once again be able to support their favorite finalist through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike’s, which runs Tuesday, March 21, through Tuesday, March 28, at naismithtrophy.com/vote.  The fan vote will account for five percent of the overall final vote. Fans may also vote by visiting the @MarchMadness and @MarchMadnessWBB Twitter pages between March 21-28 to vote for their favorite men’s and women’s coach. 

The 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy for Women’s Coach of the Year will be awarded on Wednesday, March 29, at a press conference at Reunion Tower in Dallas during the Women’s Final Four. The 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy for Men’s College Coach of the Year announcement will take place on Sunday, April 2, at the Naismith Awards Brunch presented by Frost Bank during the Final Four in Houston.  The event will be held at the Ballroom at Bayou Place. 

The four finalists for each category were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners, all of whom base their selections on outstanding coaching performances during the 2022-23 college basketball season. The vote was tabulated and verified by the Atlanta team of J.S. Held, a global consulting firm.

Painter led the Boilermakers to a 29-6 overall record, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 27 years, the school’s 25th regular-season Big Ten Championship and the second Big Ten Tournament title in school history. He was named the AP Big Ten co-Coach of the Year and the USBWA District V Coach of the Year earlier this month.

Purdue started the season unranked and picked to finish in the middle of the pack of the Big Ten standings, but quickly made an impact in November, winning the Phil Knight Legacy with wins over West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke. It went from unranked to ranked No. 1 in just 34 days, the quickest ascent to No. 1 in AP Poll history.

The Boilermakers achieved a No. 1 ranking in the country for the second straight season and were ranked No. 1 in the country for a nation’s-best seven weeks during the year. Purdue owns 19 quad-1 and quad-2 wins, the second-highest total in the country. Since the start of last season, Purdue’s 58 wins are the fourth-most nationally and the most in a two-year span in school history. The Boilermakers achieved their most success away from Mackey Arena, posting a 15-4 record in road and neutral-site games. In addition, Purdue owned 17 wins this year against teams ranked in the KenPom top 50, easily the most in the country.

Painter has won a previous National Coach of the Year Award, the 2019 NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) National Coach of the Year.

PURDUE BASEBALL

BOILERS HOST UIC FOR FRONT END OF MIDWEEK HOME & HOME

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

UIC (7-8) at Purdue (9-9)

Tuesday, March 21 at 4 p.m. ET / Watch B1G+

Alexander Field / West Lafayette, Indiana

$3 Deals on GA Tickets, Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Nachos, Beers

Purdue Trading Cards Giveaway (Set 1 of 3)

Probable Starting Pitchers: Calvin Schapira (R-Sr, LHP) vs. UIC’s Ryan Karst (Fr, RHP)

SERIES HISTORY

All-Time vs. UIC: Purdue leads 13-9

All-Time in West Lafayette: Purdue leads 8-2

2022 in West Lafayette: UIC 10, Purdue 9 (March 29)

2022 in Chicago: UIC 9, Purdue 6 (April 19)

Purdue’s Last Win in the Series: Purdue 5, UIC 3 (April 2014 in West Lafayette)

First Meetings: Purdue swept a doubleheader 5-0 & 14-4 (May 1982 in West Lafayette)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball aims to build on its high-scoring, home-opening win last week while also righting the ship vs. a UIC team the Boilermakers are set to play home-and-home for midweek action again this season.

First pitch at Alexander Field is slated for 4 p.m. ET. Purdue defeated Northern Illinois 14-5 in its home opener last week, scoring its most runs in a home opener since 1985 (17) while posting a double-figure run total in a home opener for the first time since 2010 (10).

The Boilermakers and Flames renewed their midweek series last year for the first time since 2014. UIC was victorious in both games after overcoming a 9-0 deficit entering the seventh inning of the March meeting in West Lafayette. It marked the first time Purdue lost both ends of a home-and-home midweek series since 2016. This year’s rematch is set for May 10 in Chicago.

PURDUE’S 2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS VERSUS UIC

• Purdue Pitching: Team-record 19 strikeouts (in West Lafayette)

• CJ Backer: Struck had 11 strikeouts over 8 innings of 3-hit ball, striking out 5 of 9 batters in West Lafayette and 6 of 19 batters faced in Chicago; his performance at Alexander added his name to list of Boilers with 5+ Ks while fanning at least 50% of batters faced

• CJ Valdez: 2-Homer, 5-RBI game (in Chicago)

• Evan Albrecht: 6th of his 11 3-hit games in 2022 (in West Lafayette)

CJ Backer (5), Griffin Lohman (2) and CJ Backer (2) all contributed to the team strikeout record (19) Purdue set in the first meeting with UIC. But the Flames erupted for three, four and three runs over each of the final three innings after being shut out for the first six frames.

The rematch in Chicago was a back-and-forth affair, with UIC scoring three times in the bottom of the eighth to break a 6-6 tie. CJ Valdez powered the lineup that night with a multi-homer game and his first of two five-RBI games on the season. Earlier this month, Valdez posted the first three-double game by a Boilermaker since the 2019 season opener. In doing so, he became just the fourth Boilermaker since 2001 with a multi-homer game and three-double effort in his career – joining Kevin Plawecki (2010-12), Nick Overmyer (2007-10) and Nate Sickler (1998-01).

Valdez’s three-double game was part of a series win vs. Akron the first weekend of the month. That series featured another notable callback involving UIC. Purdue scored 13 runs in the fourth inning of that series finale vs. Akron. It was the program’s biggest inning since a 15-run bottom of the second in an April 2013 home win vs. the Flames. It remains the biggest inning ever at Alexander Field.

Calvin Schapira is slated to make his first career midweek start as a Boilermaker on Tuesday. It will also mark his return to the mound at Alexander Field since closing out the 2021 season-ending win vs. Minnesota. Schapira has pitched 13 innings over four appearances this season in his return from Tommy John Surgery.

CASKENETTE PLAYS HIS WAY INTO THE LINEUP

• Connor Caskenette has been an on-base machine while settling in as the starting catcher. He has started nine of the last 12 games and reached base safely in 13 of his last 20 plate appearance since March 5. He has not struck out while compiling a .650 OBP over the last seven games.

• Since March 5: 8-for-15, 2B, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 4 RBI, 2 R, 0 K, .533/.650/.600

ACTIVE STREAKS

• Evan Albrecht – 21-game on-base streak dating back to the end of 2022

• Mike Bolton Jr. – 10-game on-base streak, 9-game on-base streak at Alexander Field

• Paul Toetz – 10-game on-base streak

• Cam Thompson – 23-game on-base streak at Alexander Field

TOP 10 IN THE BIG TEN ENTERING THE WEEK

• Paul Toetz – T-1st in HR (8), 2nd in Slugging (.818), 3rd in RBI (29), 3rd in OPS (1.292), 10th in OBP (.474), 10th in Batting Avg. (.379)

• Couper Cornblum – 1st in Steals (13)

• Mike Bolton Jr. – T-2nd in Triples (2), 4th in HBP (7), 8th in Steals (9)

• Evan Albrecht – T-3rd in Steals (10), 8th in Batting Avg. (.403)

• Kyle Iwinski – 4th in ERA (2.02), 6th in B/Avg (.190)

• Jake Jarvis – T-8th in HBP (5), T-9th in HR (4)

• Jake Parr – T-2nd in Triples (2)

• Cam Thompson – T-5th in HBP (6)

• Jonathan Blackwell – 10th in Innings (25 2/3)

RACKING UP THE RBI EARLY – RBI IN THE FIRST 18 GAMES

• Cam Thompson in 2022: 30 (10 multi-RBI games – 1 4-RBI, 2 3-RBI, 7 2-RBI)

• Paul Toetz in 2023: 29 (6 multi-RBI games – 2 6-RBI, 1 4-RBI, 3 3-RBI, 1 2-RBI)

IUPUI SWIMMING

SCOTT AND KELLY SET TO COMPETE AT NCAA SWIM AND DIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS WEEK

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Logan Kelly is set to make history as the first IUPUI swimmer to ever compete at the NCAA Swim Championships while Alex Scott will become just the second diver in program history to compete in the diving portion of the Championships. Kelly, Scott and the IUPUI swim and dive coaching staff will leave for Minneapolis, Minnesota on Monday, March 20th as competition begins on Tuesday.

As the five-day event begins on Tuesday, March 21, both Jags won’t compete until Friday and Saturday. Sophomore Logan Kelly qualified for the 200 breast event where he took home the gold at the Horizon League Championships with a new meet record time of 1:52.86. Kelly holds the IUPUI record in the 200 breast and the 100 breast.

Kelly will swim in both events, competing in the 100 breast on Friday and the 200 breast on Saturday.

Sophomore Alex Scott qualified for the platform event during the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships. Although there is not a platform event in the Horizon League Championships, Scott finished second in the 1-meter dive and third in the 3-meter dive. Scott will compete in the platform event on Saturday.

Kelly and Scott will look to make IUPUI history as they represent the Jags this week at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

IUPUI WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SCOTT AND KELLY SET TO COMPETE AT NCAA SWIM AND DIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS WEEK

ATLANTA – The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today the WBCA Thirty Under 30 honorees with IUPUI’s own Johnny Montello named to the list. The Thirty Under 30 program recognizes 30 up-and-coming women’s basketball coaches aged 30 and under at all levels of the game.

The list honors those who have shown excellence in their involvement in community service, mentorship and impact on others, professional manner, and attitude and professional association involvement.

Montello was named IUPUI’s Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator prior to the 2022-23 season where he began his seventh year as a college basketball coach. He previously served as the Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Walsh University (OH) where he assisted the Cavaliers in reaching their first ever NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen appearance during the 2021-22 season.

This season, Montello helped head coach Kate Bruce and the Jags to a third place regular season finish in the Horizon League after being voted to finish sixth in the preseason poll. IUPUI finished the 2022-23 season 17-13 overall and 13-7 in conference play.

NOTRE DAME SOFTBALL

IRISH OPEN HOME SCHEDULE WITH MIDWEEKS AGAINST MIAMI (OHIO) AND WESTERN MICHIGAN

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team opens up the home schedule Tuesday evening as the Fighting Irish host the Miami University Red Hawks Tuesday evening, followed by a matchup with the Western Michigan Broncos Wednesday. Both games will start at 5 p.m. and be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

The Irish enter having won four-straight games, outscoring their opponents 43-9 during the winning streak. These will be the first games at Melissa Cook Stadium this season, a place where the Irish have gone a combined 42-3 since 2019, and 30-1 at home over the last two seasons.

Notre Dame’s offense hit a groove over the final games in North Carolina. In total, the team is now hitting .307, with 26 home runs and 33 doubles. Lexi Orozco leads the squad with 24 RBI, tying with Karina Gaskins for a team-best six home runs. Gaskins leads the ACC and is second in the country with 24 walks drawn this season. Her 1.04 walks per game mark also ranks second nationally. Carlli Kloss leads the offense with a .339 batting average, connecting for 12 extra-base hits. She’s scored a team-best 20 runs and driven in 12.

Payton Tidd has been the workhorse in the circle. The graduate student has worked in 13 games, making eight starts and thrown a team-best 66.1 innings. She’s earned eight wins, striking out 62 hitters and limiting opponents to a .246 average against. Micaela Kastor has been impressive in her rookie season, owning a 4-0 mark with three saves to go with a 0.88 ERA. She’s allowed just five earned runs in 39.2 innings, striking out 35 hitters. Shannon Becker adds four wins, earning at team-high nine starts. She’s worked 46.0 innings, striking out 36 hitters in the process.

The home opener pits the Irish against a 14-8 Miami Red Hawk team that was picked to finish tops in the Mid-American Conference. The last meeting between Miami and Notre Dame was at the 2021 NCAA Lexington Regional, where the Irish started the tournament with a 3-2 victory.

The Miami offense is one of the best in the country, hitting at a .318 team average. Allie Cummings leads the team with a .365 average, hitting nine home runs and five doubles to go with 17 runs scored and 20 runs driven in. Karli Spaid adds a .311 average and a team-best 23 RBI. She’s hit seven home runs to go with four doubles. Each have stolen at least four bases as the team has swiped 23 bases in 26 attempts.

Brianna Pratt leads the pitching staff, appearing in 15 games, starting 13 and logging 80.0 innings. Pratt owns a 4.29 ERA, as opponents hit for a .293 average against her, and striking out 68 hitters. Laurelai DePew has earned a 3-1 record in seven appearances. She’s started five games and thrown in 25.2 innings. Taylor Turner rounds out the staff with a 7.09 ERA, working in 26.2 innings this season.

Western Michigan enters the midweek matchup with a 6-11 overall mark. The Broncos saw their first conference weekend against Buffalo canceled as Wednesday’s game will be the first since March 11th for WMU.

Addison Hudson leads the team with a .465 average, starting all 17 games this season. She has no extra base hits, but scored five runs and driven in five of her own. Courtney Farrish leads the offense with 10 RBI, hitting a pair of home runs to go with a team-leading nine doubles. Alyssa Kramer adds a team-best 13 runs scored, hitting at a .347 average with seven RBI.

The Bronco pitching staff has used three pitchers to start its 17 games. Rissa Bajusz owns eight starts and 12 appearances, throwing a team-high 49.2 innings. She’s struck out 42 hitters as opponents hit for a .251 average against her. Autumn Godwin adds five starts and seven relief appearances. She’s thrown 30.2 innings, striking out 16 and opponents hit .285 against. Madysyn Lopez adds four starts and seven total appearances, logging 14.2 innings.

NOTRE DAME BASEBALL

PREVIEW: HOME OPENER AGAINST VALPARAISO

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Fighting Irish (9-8) open up at home as they take on the Valparaiso Beacons (7-6) at Frank Eck Stadium on Tuesday, March 21 for a midweek matchup before resuming conference play on Friday for a three-game series against Louisville.

Notre Dame Opens up at Home Against Valparaiso

This will be the 106th matchup between the Irish and the Beacons as Notre Dame leads the overall series 85-21 with the very first game taking place on May 14, 1918.

The Irish are 58-10 at home and are 24-9 at Valpo, as well as 2-1 in neutral site games.

Notre Dame has won the last 13 matchups, with the last Beacon win coming 2012 as Valpo took home a 7-4 win in South Bend.

The Irish and Beacons played two games last season as Notre Dame won 12-1 on March 5, 2022 and again on April 19, 2022 in a 5-1 victory at home.

Irish Resume Conference Play at No. 4 Wake Forest

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish finished the series 2-1 at No. 4 Wake Forest last weekend after falling in both doubleheader games on Saturday, but taking home Sunday’s game in a 3-1 victory.

The Irish are now 9-8 on the year and 2-4 in the ACC after the road series.

Due to Friday’s game being postponed for inclement weather, the Irish and Demon Deacons played a doubleheader on Saturday, March 18.

Wake Forest took game one 4-1 and game two 12-3.

Jackson Dennies started on the mound for the Irish in game one, finishing the day with three strikeouts while allowing two runs and five hits across 3.2 innings pitched.

Aidan Tyrell came in relief with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, throwing 3.1 innings, recording four strikeouts, and giving up just one run and one hit.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the top of the third, Danny Neri led off for the Irish with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a sac bunt from TJ Williams. Estevan Moreno followed with his first hit of the day as he singled through the left side to score Neri for Notre Dame’s only run of the game

The Irish struggled to score in game two on Saturday. Trailing 12-1 heading into the top of the ninth, Connor Hincks singled to center field for his first career hit and was sent home on a two-run home run from Tony Lindwedel. Lindwedel’s first career home run would close the gap to 12-3 as Wake Forest took home the second game of the series.

Wake Forest was undefeated 14-0 at home so far this season until Notre Dame took game three with a score of 3-1.

The Irish offense sparked in the top of the second with a double to right center from Carter Putz, who scored after Jack Zyska hit a single to left field.

The Irish posted an early 1-0 lead, while Findlay continued to shut down the Demon Deacons from the mound as he closed the first two innings with three strikeouts.

DM Jefferson started the third with a lead-off single to center field and advanced to second on a passed ball with TJ Williams up to bat. Jefferson was able to score and tack on another run for the Irish as an RBI single from Brooks Coetzee brought Jefferson home for the 2-0 lead.

Coetzee led off the sixth with a double to right center field, which was followed by a walk from Putz. With runners on first and second and Jack Penney up to bat, Coetzee was able to steal third on a wild pitch. Penney reached on a fielder’s choice, recording an RBI as Coetzee ran home to give the Irish a 3-0 edge heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Findlay recorded his 10th strikeout of the day before he was relieved by Blake Hely with two outs in the sixth. Findlay absolutely dominated from the mound, throwing 10 strikes across 5.2 innings and allowing just two hits and no runs.

Midweek matchup in Holly Springs

The Irish took down the Hawks on Tuesday, March 14, and Wednesday, March 15, in their first midweek matchup of the year.

Notre Dame defeated Saint Joseph’s 6-3 on Tuesday and 10-9 on Wednesday at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, NC.

Matt Bedford made his first start of the year in game one and freshman David Lally Jr. made his first career start on the mound in game two.

Carter Putz recorded his second home run of the year in game one with a 440’ rocket to right field in the game one win.

The Irish took game two in a close 10-9 win, finishing the game with a bases loaded walk-off HBP as Coetzee was hit by the pitch for the fourth time that game for the walk-off win.

Putz, Penney, and Neri each recorded their third home runs of the year in game two against Saint Joseph’s.

Conference Play Opens Up at Georgia Tech

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish start the 2023 conference season 1-2 in the ACC after falling in games one and two, but taking home game three against the Yellow Jackets on the road.

The Irish fell in a close one on Friday night (March 10) at Russ Chandler Stadium. While the Irish trailed 2-0 early, a strong fifth inning that included five singles allowed Notre Dame to put four runs on the board to take the lead 4-3. However, the bottom of the seventh inning would lift the Yellow Jackets to the 7-4 victory in game one.

Due to Sunday’s weather, a double header was played on Saturday where the Yellow Jackets took the first game of the day 15-2.

While the Irish struggled to find the strike zone, the Yellow Jackets were hot from the plate, bringing in nine runs in the first three innings.

The Fighting Irish scored their first run of the day in the top of the third after Estevan Moreno singled up the middle and was sent home from an RBI double down the right field line from Jack Penney.

The Yellow Jackets would tack on another two runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead 11-1 and wouldn’t score again until the bottom of the seventh.

Freshman Caden Spivey made his debut on the mound in the bottom of the fourth, striking out his very first batter faced. Spivey allowed only one hit and gave up no runs in his two innings pitched.

Norte Dame wasn’t going anywhere though, as they came out strong to start the second game of the day and went on to take the final game 17-4. The Irish finished with 16 hits, their best offensive outing of the season.

Zack Prajzner started the Irish offense with a double to left field, followed by a base hit from Brooks Coetzee. Nick Juaire reached first after being hit by a pitch and it was bases loaded for the Irish. Jack Zyska was walked in his first at bat of the game, which scored Prajzner and put Notre Dame on the board 1-0.

Jack Penney stepped up to the plate with bases loaded and two outs and crushed a ball down the right field line for a grand slam. Penney’s second home run of the season scored Coetzee, Juaire, and Zyska to give the Irish the 5-0 advantage after one.

Leading 5-2 heading into the third, Carter Putz led off and started the inning with his first home run of the season with a 418’ homer to deep center field. Juaire followed with a base hit to left field and scored on an RBI double from Penny, his fifth RBI of the game.

Jackson Dennies started on the mound for the Irish, pitching 2.2 innings, throwing three strikeouts, and giving up three runs.

Dennies would give up one run in the bottom of the third before he was relieved by Aidan Tyrell, who finished with a game-high five strikeouts. Tyrell allowed no runs and only gave two hits across four innings pitched.

Vinny Martinez kept the offense going with a 434’ rocket out to left field, his first home run of the season with the Irish in the top of the seventh. Notre Dame tacked on another five runs in the seventh to take home the 17-4 victory.

Irish Travel to UAB

The Irish took home their second series win of the season after taking down the Blazers 2-1 last weekend in Birmingham, AL.

Danny Neri led the Irish against UAB, batting .500 (4-8 at the plate) and scoring three runs. Neri finished with a triple, a home run, and three RBI.

Zack Prajzner batted .333 on the weekend recorded three hits and two runs. Pinch hitter Nick Juaire came in and went 2-2 at the plate and scored one run while also recording two RBI.

The Irish took home game one of the series 7-2 on Friday, March 3 at Young Memorial Field after tallying runs in each of the first three innings and out-hitting the Blazers 10-5 on Friday. Jack Findlay (2-0) took home his second win of the season, finishing with six strikeouts on the day.

Game two went to the Irish 7-3 after trailing 3-0 to start the top of the sixth. Notre Dame scored six runs in the top of the sixth, including a first career home run from Estevan Moreno. Will Mercer took home his first win of the season in game two.

The Irish fell 5-2 in game three, falling to 5-4 on the season.

Notre Dame Wins First Series of the Year at UNCG

The Notre Dame baseball team won their first series of the 2023 season after taking down UNCG on the road.

Carter Putz led the way for the Irish,  batting .400 on the weekend, finishing with four hits and three runs.

The Irish took home game one on Friday, Feb. 17 in a 6-5 win after Danny Neri stepped up to the plate and homered to right field. After an even ballgame at 4-4 heading into the top of the ninth, Neri’s home run scored Putz and added two more runs to the board.

Jack Findlay’s three strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth closed out Notre Dame’s game one win.

Despite falling 12-0 to UNCG on Saturday, the Irish responded with a game three win 7-4 over Sunday to take the series.

The Irish struck first as grad students Zack Prajzner and Brooks Coetzee got the Notre Dame offense rolling. Coetzee recorded an RBI single to send Prajzner home and put the Irish on the board. Notre Dame held the Spartans scoreless the first three innings and led 1-0 to start the fourth.

Notre Dame scored another four runs in the top of the fourth with runs from Prajzner, Putz, Penney, and Martinez.

Bedford, who got the win for Notre Dame on Sunday, dominated at the hill for the Irish. He threw four strikeouts over three innings and allowed no runs and only one hit.

Irish Open Campaign at Lipscomb

The Notre Dame baseball team took on the Lipscomb Bisons for just the second time in program history Feb. 17-19 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Irish fell 5-4 in game one despite scoring two runs in the top of the ninth to close the gap within one.

Norte Dame bounced back in game two, defeating the Bison 8-4 after a big seven-run inning in the top of the seventh.

Despite taking home game two, the Irish struggled to connect at the plate and fell in game three 4-2, falling to 1-2 to start the 2023 season.

With only 10 hits as a team on the weekend, TJ Williams and Jack Penney both hit their first home runs of the 2023 season.

Freshmen Rory Fox and David Lally Jr. made their debuts on the mound on Sunday, as well as graduate transfers Carter Bosch and Blake Hely who pitched in an Irish uniform for the first time. 

BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WBB ENDS SUCCESSFUL SEASON WITH SECOND ROUND WNIT LOSS

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Ball State women’s basketball team suffered a tough 79-62 loss to Memphis Monday night in Elma Roane Fieldhouse in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. 

It seemed like déjà vu at the start of tonight’s contest, with the Cardinals (26-9) falling behind 26-10 to Memphis (22-10) after the first quarter of play.  BSU trailed 23-12 after the opening quarter of action in last Thursday’s opening round WNIT win over Belmont.

Like last week, Ball State would warm up in the second quarter of play, putting together a 23-12 run to cut the Tigers’ advantage to seven (39-32) at intermission. The big play of the half was a buzzer-beating three by freshman Hana Muhl, her third of the season, to give BSU the momentum heading into the lockerroom.

Graduate senior Thelma Dis Agustsdottir also helped the Cardinals’ charge in the second frame with a pair of 3-point baskets. Those two threes were all she needed to become the program’s all-time 3-point leader, passing current associate head coach and former Cardinal Audrey Spencer. Agustsdottir finished her career with 325 3-point baskets, including three against Memphis. 

After the break, the Cardinals continued to fight and drew within four at the 6:17 mark of the third after a jumper from senior Anna Clephane.

Ball State would keep within seven, at 62-55, after another jumper from Clephane with 8:21 left in the fourth. However, Memphis would pick up the pace and their defensive play, outscoring the Cardinals 17-7 the rest of the way.

Despite the loss, the Cardinals put together a historic year by tying program record for wins in a season (26), along with fighting for the Mid-American Conference regular season title throughout league play, finishing tied for second in the MAC standings. 

Ball State also made its eighth WNIT appearance under 11th-year head coach Brady Sallee and 11th overall (all since 2002). Tonight’s contest also marked the fourth second round WNIT game under Sallee (2013, 2016, 2018 & 2023).

Overall, Clephane led the Cardinals with 15 points and finished the season ranked 14th on BSU’s all-time scoring list with 1,330 career points. 

Agustsdottir finished second tonight in scoring with 11 points. She ends her record-breaking career as the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers (325), tied for 3-pointers in a single game (9) and 3-pointers in a single season (107). She also finished her career ranked fifth all-time in scoring with 1,680 points.

INDIANA STATE MBASKETBALL

INDIANA STATE’S CBI RUN ENDS IN OVERTIME HEARTBREAKER

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The No. 1 seeded Indiana State Sycamores saw their season end in the CBI Quarterfinals with an 89-88 overtime loss to No. 8 Eastern Kentucky Monday afternoon inside the Ocean Center. ISU closes the year with a 23-13 mark while EKU improves to 22-13 and advances to the semifinals to face No. 4 Southern Utah Tuesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. ET.

There were 14 ties and 11 lead changes in the game with neither team gaining a lead greater than nine. The Sycamores and Colonels went bucket-for-bucket in the overtime period, and a Cooper Neese three gave ISU an 88-87 lead with 55 seconds to go, but EKU pulled down an offensive board and drew a foul for a trip to the line with 19 seconds remaining. Isaiah Cozart knocked down both free throws for the Colonels and ISU missed three straight jumpers on the other end in the last four seconds as EKU held on for the one-point victory.

All five Sycamore starters scored in double figures, led by Neese and Courvoisier McCauley with 17 points apiece. Neese was one board shy of a double-double, pulling down a team-high nine rebounds. He scored 10 points in the first half while McCauley and Julian Larry combined for 21 points in the second half. Larry finished with 13 points, and Robbie Avila posted 15 points with six rebounds and three assists while Cameron Henry contributed 12 points and dished out a game-high eight assists.

Henry hit back-to-back buckets to even things up at 12-12 with 13:59 to go in the opening frame, and then Avila gave ISU a six-point lead with eight points in two minutes as part of a 10-2 run that made it 22-16 at 12:21. A McCauley three and free throw pushed that lead to eight points, and Xavier Bledson got the lead back to eight with two straight layups that made it 35-27 at 5:49.

EKU responded with a 10-0 run to take a 37-35 lead, and the two teams went back-and-forth before being tied at 43-43 with 36 seconds to go in the first half. EKU committed a foul with 0.6 on the clock and then received a technical that sent Neese to the line for five shots. He made four of the five shots to get him to double figures and send ISU into halftime with a 47-43 lead.

Henry and McCauley hit double figures with quick buckets to open the second half which put the Sycamores up 52-43 two minutes into the frame, but EKU answered with a 13-0 run to go up 56-52 at 13:42. Bledson ended ISU’s nearly five-minute scoring drought with a layup at 13:30, and the Sycamores played from behind through most of rest of the second half. They fought back to even things up at 78-all with McCauley’s fifth three of the day at 3:19.

The two teams were tied 80-80 in the final minute before Larry swiped a pass and ISU called a timeout with 14.7 on the clock but the Sycamores couldn’t get a clean shot off out of the timeout in the closing seconds, sending the game into overtime.

ISU and EKU exchanged buckets throughout the overtime period and ISU led 88-87 after a Neese triple with 55 seconds left. The Colonels missed a jumper and won the bobbling battle for the rebound, and then Henry was called for his fifth foul of the game which sent Cozart to the line with 19 seconds left. He made both free throws and ISU called a timeout with 13.9 on the clock. Out of the timeout, Neese’s first jumper was blocked but he got a second chance for a go-ahead bucket. He missed again but Avila snagged the offensive board for one last chance at a long jumper at the buzzer but was just short of making it. Avila had three points, a rebound, two assists, and a steal in overtime while Neese had five points in the period.

Inside the Numbers

There were 14 ties and 11 lead changes in the game, and neither team ever led by double figures. Indiana State’s largest lead was by nine and EKU’s was by seven.

Indiana State committed a tied season-high 18 turnovers, with 10 in the second half and none of them coming in overtime. EKU scored 16 points off ISU’s turnovers.

The Sycamores had 18 assists in the game, dishing out 13 in the first half on 18 baskets with just five in the second half.

McCauley posted a team-high in scoring for the second straight game, hitting five threes in both of those outings.

Indiana State shot 32-of-60 (53.3%) from the field compares to EKU’s 34-of-69 (49.3%). Each team had nine threes and ISU was 15-of-20 at the free throw line while EKU was 12-of-14 at the line.

Both teams pulled down 27 boards, with EKU grabbing three more on the offensive end and ISU grabbing three more on the defensive end.

News & Notes

Cooper Neese ends his Indiana State career as ISU’s all-time leader in games played with 137, and his two 3-pointers in the game make 231 triples for his career which ranks fourth on ISU’s list of career threes made.

With 15 points in the game, Robbie Avila passed Brenton Scott for fourth place on ISU’s all-time list of freshmen scoring marks. Avila ended his impressive freshman campaign with 363 points.

Courvoisier McCauley’s five threes in the game brought his season total to 111 which ranks second on ISU’s all-time list of 3-pointers in a single season, just six triples shy of tying the program record (117 by Jordan Printy in 2017-18).

After breaking the program record for team threes in a single season earlier this year, Indiana State ends the season with 340 triples for the new official program record. The previous record was 217 originally set in 2017-18 and tied last season.

Indiana State dropped to 5-3 in neutral site games this season.

Going into Monday’s game, the Sycamores were the only remaining Missouri Valley Conference team in postseason play as Bradley lost its first round NIT matchup against Wisconsin and Drake lost its first round NCAA Tournament matchup against Miami.

Following Indiana State’s CBI appearance in 2010, the Sycamores went 20-14 the next season with an NCAA Tournament appearance.

The Sycamores ended their 2022-23 campaign with 23 wins for the first time since 2013-14 and just the second time since Larry Bird’s Final Four team that won 33 games in 1978-79.

The 2023 CBI marked Indiana State’s first postseason appearance since 2014, and ISU’s first-round win over USC Upstate was the team’s first postseason win since 2001.

INDIANA STATE BASEBALL

SYCAMORES BACK ON THE ROAD WITH TUESDAY NIGHT TRIP TO INDIANA

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State is back on the road this week as the Sycamores make the short trip to Bloomington, Ind. for a midweek contest at Indiana University on March 21.

The Tuesday night contest at Bart Kaufman Field is set for 5 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed live on B1G+ with live stats provided on IUHoosiers.com.

The Sycamores return to the road once again after making their home debut this past Sunday with a doubleheader against Michigan State. ISU connected on four home runs over the two-game set with the Spartans, but MSU jumped ahead early in both contests to take the 8-2 and 10-7 wins.

Parker Stinson, Keegan Watson, Adam Pottinger, and Miguel Rivera all homered for the Sycamores in the pair of losses, while Jared Spencer set a new career-high with seven strikeouts in a relief outing to highlight ISU’s efforts on Sunday.

Over the last week the Sycamores were paced by Watson’s resurgence at the plate. The redshirt senior came through in the clutch in ISU’s midweek extra-inning win at Illinois and hit safely in all three games. He opened with a pinch-hit three-run double down the right field line that gave ISU the 7-3 lead in the Sycamores’ first win at Illinois since 2007. He finished the week with a team-high .500 batting and a team-high five RBI.

Spencer also highlighted the week after recording 12 strikeouts over 5.2 innings of work in multi-inning relief appearances against Illinois and Michigan State. The sophomore left-hander retired the final eight batters in his second win of the season against the Fighting Illini. He posted a stretch of five consecutive strikeouts to shut down the Illinois offense and kept it going on Sunday against Michigan State. Spencer went the final three innings in the doubleheader posting seven strikeouts on his way to boasting a 19.06 K/9 inning mark and a 6.0 K:BB ratio over the week.

Luis Hernandez continues to be Indiana State’s leader at the plate with a .290 batting average on the season. The sophomore boasts team-highs in hits (20), runs scored (13), and doubles (5), while adding eight RBI with 17 starts at first base, designated hitter, and right field. Seth Gergely already boasts an MVC Player of the Week selection on the season and is hitting .286 with a team-high six stolen bases. Mike Sears continues to lead ISU with four home runs and 15 RBI.

Fifteen different Indiana State pitchers have seen time on the mound this year with the Sycamores boasting a team 5.68 ERA and a 172:82 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Zach Davidson and Jared Spencer pace ISU with two wins apiece with Spencer (14.1), Davidson (13.0), Brennyn Cutts (12.0), and Jacob Pruitt (11.0) joining Connor Fenlong (28.1) and Matt Jachec (26.0) with double-digit innings pitched. Cameron Holycross (0.82 ERA) and Luke Patzner (1.35 ERA) are ISU’s ERA leaders on the year.

The Sycamores continue to be elite defensively. Indiana State entered the week third in the NCAA and first in the MVC in fielding percentage. The Sycamores are fielding at a .988 clip on the season with six players posting perfect 1.000 percentages with at least 20 chances.

Scouting the Opposition

Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana enters the midweek matchup with a 13-7 overall record on the year following their weekend home sweep against Morehead State. The Hoosiers have won eight of their last nine dating back to March 8 against Purdue Fort Wayne with their lone loss during the stretch coming on the road at Kentucky (12-2) on March 14. The Hoosiers boast a perfect 10-0 mark at Bart Kaufman Field this season.

Phillip Glasser (.434) leads an Indiana offense that is hitting .290 from the plate in the 2023 season. The senior infielder leads the Hoosiers with 21 runs, eight doubles, and 20 RBI, while adding 10 stolen bases. Tyler Cerny (.350) and Hunter Jessee (.313) are also among the team’s hitting leaders on the season with Jessee and Devin Taylor boasting a team-leading three home runs on the year.

The Indiana pitching staff has posted a 4.60 ERA on the year with 19 different pitchers making appearances so far in 2023. Evan Whiteaker (1-0, 1.42 ERA), Aydan Decker-Petty (1-0, 1.69 ERA), and Ryan Kraft (1-1, 1.72 ERA) are all among the Hoosiers’ top pitchers in the 2023 season with Indiana boasting a 191:80 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Indiana was ranked sixth overall in the Big Ten preseason poll as announced by the conference office in the preseason. Catcher Matthew Ellis, infielder Phillip Glasser, and outfielder Carter Mathison were all honored on the preseason Big Ten All-Conference team. Mathison was a four-time Freshman All-American following his 2022 season that featured a .273 batting average with 19 home runs and 58 RBI.

Indiana State and Evansville (May 16) are the lone Missouri Valley school teams on Indiana’s schedule in the 2023 season.

Indiana State – Indiana History

Indiana leads the all-time series against Indiana State 66-46-1 dating back to the first contest in 1895. The Sycamores and Hoosiers have lined up in Bloomington 46 times with Indiana holding the 27-19 advantage. ISU picked up its last win at Bart Kaufman Field in 2017 with the Sycamores taking the 7-3 win on March 29.

Indiana took the lone contest between the two teams last year in Terre Haute on April 12 as the Hoosiers utilized a five-run rally in the top of the ninth inning to win 6-5. The IU-ISU game in Bloomington on March 21 was called due to inclement weather.

INDIANA STATE SOFTBALL

SYCAMORES COMPLETE SERIES SWEEP OF UIC

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State softball completed a three-game sweep of UIC on Monday, taking both games of a doubleheader by run-rule on a windy afternoon at Price Field.

The Sycamores (13-11) won game one 9-1 and game two 12-2 to clinch the series sweep over the Flames and improve to 3-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

Game One

UIC had their bats going early, getting out in front in the top of the first with a 1-0 lead on a pair of hits. Indiana State wasted no time, responding with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame to take a 3-1 lead. Olivia Patton reached on an infield single followed by walks from both Henning sisters which loaded the bases. Kennedy Shade promptly cleared them with a double to right center.

After a scoreless second inning, the Sycamores would extend the lead in the third. Kaylee Barrett drove in Isabella Henning to led off the inning with a single. Kennedy Shade added her second double of the game in the inning as well.

Cassi Newbanks went three innings, allowing the lone run and striking out three before being replaced by Hailey Griffin prior to the start of the fourth. Griffin worked a scoreless frame to bring up the ISU bats who looked to add to the lead.

The Sycamores would score five runs in the inning, with Kennedy Shade collecting her third double of the game to begin the scoring. After her double made it made 5-1, Cassie Thomerson was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kaylee Barrett then launched a grand slam to left center, her second long fly of the season to make it a 9-1 game after four innings.

Hailey Griffin allowed a leadoff double in the fifth but got the next three hitters in order to secure the run-rule victory and give ISU the series win. Newbanks got the win and improved to 4-4 on the season.

Indiana State finished game one with 11 hits while UIC had 6. Randi Jo Pryor registered the first multi-hit effort of her career, finishing 2-for-3.

Game Two

Indiana State continued their offensive attack in the series finale. The Sycamores turned in an eight-run second inning to put the Flames away early in the contest. Isabella Henning had a 3-RBI double followed by a Kennedy Shade RBI double to make it 4-0. Cassie Thomerson then singled home Shade to make it 5-0. Following Thomerson’s base hit, Annie Tokarek singled home Thomerson which made it 6-0. Kaylee Barrett made it 7-0 with a double to center field and then came around to score on a throwing error to cap the eight-run frame.

The Sycamores added to their lead in the 3rd, scoring on a UIC error to go up 9-0.

UIC would get in on the scoring in the 4th, scoring a pair of runs on three hits in the frame including a two-out RBI double. Indiana State went down in order in the bottom of the 4th as the score remained 9-2.

In the top of the fifth, Sycamores starter Lauren Sackett picked up two more strikeouts to finish with a career-high 11 on the afternoon.

Danielle Henning led off the fifth with a single followed by an Isabella Henning hit by pitch which brought up Kennedy Shade who had been swinging a hot bat all day. Shade promptly sent the second pitch over the wall in left center for a three-run home run to clinch another run rule victory with a 12-2 score.

Sackett’s complete game improved her record to 4-4 on the season and she’s now up to a team-high 49 strikeouts with her 11 today.

Indiana State had 12 hits led by Kennedy Shade who finished with three. Annie Tokarek and Abi Chipps also had multi-hit games with two apiece.

Up Next

The Sycamores travel to West Lafayette, Indiana on Tuesday for a doubleheader at Purdue scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET. The Sycamores then resume play with a three-game series at Drake beginning Friday in Des Moines.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE SOFTBALL

HORIZON LEAGUE PLAY OPENS FOR MASTODON SOFTBALL ON TUESDAY

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne softball team opens Horizon League play on Tuesday with a doubleheader at Youngstown State. The series was previously scheduled to be a three-game series over last weekend, but the forecasted weather prompted a shifted schedule.

Game Day Information

Who: Youngstown State Penguins

When: Tuesday, March 21 | Doubleheader at 3 PM

Where: Youngstown, Ohio | YSU Softball Complex

Live Stats: Link

Watch: Game 1 | Game 2

Know Your Foe

Youngstown State is 7-13 and is riding a four-game losing streak. The Penguins have wins over Norfolk State, Lafayette, Providence, Saint Louis, Arkansas Pine Bluff (2) and Memphis. Sara Fessler has 21 hits to lead the team and has a team-best .588 slugging percentage. Devan Ryan is pitching with a team-best 2.19 ERA and 3-5 record. She has thrown five complete games and two shutouts.

Series History

YSU Leads the all-time series against the Mastodons 7-3. The Mastodons’ last win over the Penguins came in 11-6 fashion in 2021. No member of the current Mastodon team played in that game and Alyson Quinlan is the only current player on that roster. Youngstown State has won the last four matchups.

Allllllll The Extra Bases

Purdue Fort Wayne is averaging a Horizon League-best 0.52 home runs per game. This is 123rd nationally. The ‘Dons are also second in the HL and top-200 in the country with 22 doubles this season.

HL Preview

Purdue Fort Wayne beat Green Bay 2-1 in a non-league game at the Hoosier Classic. The Phoenix were picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League.

1-2 Punch

Grace Hollopeter and Alanah Jones have the most and second-most home runs in the Horizon League with four and three, respectively.

oK Queen!

Alanah Jones is second in the Horizon League with 58 strikeouts this season. This mark is also top-150 nationally.

Well That’s Pretty Good Too!

Alyson Quinlan has the best opposing batting average in the Horizon League, allowing batters to hit just .220. She is also ninth in the league with 34 strikeouts.

Graced By Her Presence

Grace Hollopeter was named Horizon League Player of the Week on February 21. The freshman finished the week with seven hits with a .368 batting average and a 1.053 slugging percentage. Hollopeter had nine RBI behind four home runs, three of which were 2-run shots. In the first game against Rhode Island, Hollopeter had two two-run home runs in her first two at bats, the second of which was on the first pitch she saw. Defensively, she was a perfect 1.000 in the field with eight putouts.

Last Time Out

Butler completed a comeback against Purdue Fort Wayne to top the Mastodons 5-4 last Wednesday (March 15). Brooke Wintlend had a two-run home run in the fourth inning.

Next Time Up

The Mastodons return home for a midweek contest against Valparaiso on Wednesday (March 29) at the Purdue Fort Wayne softball field.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL

MASTODONS TO PLAY THE FALCONS ON TUESDAY

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne baseball team steps out of league play for a non-league game at Bowling Green on Tuesday (March 21).

Game Day Information

Who: Purdue Fort Wayne (4-16) at Bowling Green (4-12)

When: Tuesday, March 21 | 3 PM

Where: Bowling Green, Ohio | Steller Field

Weather: High of 56, partly cloudy

Live Stats:Link

Probable Starters:

Purdue Fort Wayne: RHP Colin Bauer (0-1)

Bowling Green: LHP Nic Good (0-0)

Scouting the Falcons: Bowling Green has four wins on the season but one of the came over then No. 5 Louisville by the score of 9-6. The Falcons are 2-4 in MAC play this season after playing Ohio and Akron. The Falcons have a .188 team batting average with Nathan Archer leading the team in RBIs with 11. Their team ERA is 6.52.

Hey Batter Batter (of the Week):Braedon Blackford hit .429 and slugged 1.357 with four home runs in 14 at bats over four games played in Winston-Salem, N.C. (March 3-5). He also recorded one double, seven RBIs, five runs scored, two walks and 19 total bases to earn the Horizon League Batter of the Week honor. The Peoria, Ill. native began a doubleheader against Cornell going 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double to drive in two runs and score three times in a 6-3 victory. He ended the week driving in five more runs against Ball State on Sunday as he blasted two more long balls and finished the day going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk. He now has three career multi-home run games for the ‘Dons. Last season he had two against Cal Baptist on Feb. 26, 2022.

D1Baseball Top 30: Blackford was named a Top 30 Hitter of the day for his two-run home run game vs. Cornell. He was ranked No. 11. JD Deany was selected as a Top 30 pitcher for his five shutout innings vs. Cornell.

Home Run Time: Braedon Blackford owns a Horizon League-best six home runs. He is fifth in the league in slugging (.623) and RBIs (17).

Save X3: Three different Mastodons have recorded a save this season. Brody Fine, Mac Ayres and Justin Miller own saves for the ‘Dons.

Walk This Way: Jacob Walker leads the team in hitting at .333. He had two hits on Sunday at Wright State.

Get On Base: Three Mastodons enter Tuesday’s game with active double-digit on-base streaks: Eli Tencza (13), Jacob Walker (12) and Braedon Blackford (11).

Turn It!: The Mastodons are 20th in the nation double in plays turned with 18 this season.

Multi-verse: 12 different Mastodons have had a multi-hit game this season.

Up Next: The ‘Dons will host Northern Kentucky in the 2023 home opener on Friday (March 24). It will be the start of a three-game series with the Norse.

PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S GOLF

KASEY LILLY RECORDS TWO EAGLES IN OPENING ROUND OF ECU INTERCOLLEGIATE

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Kasey Lilly was the only player in the ECU Intercollegiate field of 96 golfers to record two eagles in the opening round on Monday (March 20).

The opening day of the ECU Intercollegiate was cut short, with part of the field not completing round two. Full results of round two and three will be publicized tomorrow (Tuesday, March 21).

Lilly’s first eagle came on hole 15, a 345-yard par-4 with some tricky greenside bunkers. After finishing the first nine with a 76, the senior dropped in his second eagle on hole two, a 509-yard par-5 with a creek guarding the approach. Lilly finished the front nine with a birdie on nine to finish the morning round at 76. This included a 2-under 34 on the front. In round two, Lilly started with an even back nine. He birdied 12 and bogeyed 16. With three to play, he birdied the seventh. Lilly shot 76-74-150.

Jadden Ousley was the second-best Mastodon in round one, turning in a 78-75-153. He had two pars and a birdie in his first three holes, then rattled off seven straight pars from 16-4. In round two, he birdied seven and 17 while parring 12 holes to turn in a 75. Ousley was even on the front nine.

Burke Pitz shot 82-72-154. He birdied hole six to go with eight pars in the morning. In round two, he rattled off four birdies on the back nine. They came on 11, 12, 16 and 18. Then he birdied five on his second time through the front nine. Pitz was even on the front nine in the afternoon.

Hunter Mefford shot 82-73-155 to finish one shot behind Pitz. After a rough first nine holes, Mefford was even for the rest of the day. He shot 1-under on the front nine both times through. In the morning, he birdied 1, 2 and seven. In the afternoon, he birdied two again, and six for the first time.

Nick Holder shot 80-79-159. He birdied hole 13 in round one and holes three, eight and 17 in round two.

Jarred Bowser shot 80-82-162 in his first collegiate action.

The final round of the ECU Intercollegiate will fire off on Tuesday morning (March 21).

EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S GOLF

ENCHELMAYER AND RUSSELL TIED FOR SECOND AFTER OPENING ROUND

PROSPECT, Ky. – Allison Enchelmayer and Mallory Russell carded even rounds of 72 to pace the University of Evansville women’s golf team in Monday’s opening round of the Nevel Meade Collegiate at Nevel Meade Golf Course.

Both Enchelmayer and Russell’s rounds put them in a tie for second place heading into Tuesday’s final round of 18.  Originally scheduled for a 54-hole tournament, weather forced the event to be shortened to a total of 36 holes.  Evansville’s duo is two strokes behind tournament leader Casilda Allendesalazar of Central Michigan.

Third for the Purple Aces and tied for 10th overall is Kate Petrova.  Her score on Monday finished at a 4-over 76.  Alyssa McMinn carded an 81 in the opening round to rank in a tie for 34th while Magdalena Borisova posted an 83.  She is tied for 46th.  Caitlin O’Donnell matched Borisova’s score as an individual.

As a team, the Aces are in second place with a score of 301.  They are just four strokes off the lead, which is currently held by Central Michigan with a 297.  Bowling Green is two behind UE with a 303.

Tuesday’s final 18 holes is set for an 11 a.m. ET start time.

EVANSVILLE BASEBALL

SCHULTZ NAMED MVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK; SIUE GAME MOVED TO WEDNESDAY

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville junior pitcher Donovan Schultz (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week after a dominating performance in UE’s 6-4 victory over Big Ten member Purdue on Sunday afternoon.

Schultz tossed six shutout innings on Sunday to earn his third victory in a row on the mound.  He held a Purdue offense, which entered the weekend series ranked 31st in the country in scoring at 8.9 runs per game, to just four singles and five total base runners in the six-inning outing.  Schultz did not allow a runner past second base on the afternoon, and allowed only three men to reach scoring position overall.  He equaled a career-high with eight strikeouts, while only six balls left the infield against him on the afternoon.

Schultz also did not allow an earned run for his third-straight start, and he extended his scoreless inning streak to 14.1 IP overall.  With the victory on Sunday, Schultz improved to 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA on the year for UE.  He has held opposing teams to a .159 batting average against this year, and he ranks 29th nationally in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (4.67).

With Sunday’s victory over Purdue, Evansville improved to 12-7 overall and the Purple Aces have won five games in a row and 12 out of 14 overall.  UE will now hit the road this week for four games, starting on Wednesday at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.  First-pitch is set for 5 p.m.

SOUTHERN INDIANA SOFTBALL

NEWMAN NAMED OVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE WEEK

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) has been named Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week.

Southern Indiana swept an OVC doubleheader on Sunday against Lindenwood University, placing the Screaming Eagles at 4-1 in conference play.

Newman continued her winning streak with another brilliant start in USI’s 8-0 game 1 win against Lindenwood. Newman held the Lions to only three hits with seven strikeouts. The sophomore tallied her fourth shutout of the season and seventh complete game. Newman was rewarded with her eighth win of the season.

In Southern Indiana’s 7-4 game 2 victory on Sunday, Newman was called upon in the seventh inning to close out the game, picking up the last two outs. She struck out one en route to her first save of the season.

In her last five starts, Newman has won five straight decisions. The right-handed pitcher has struck out 38 batters in 34 innings of work in the last five starts.

This season, Newman is 8-4 with a team-best 2.18 ERA and team-high 79 strikeouts. The sophomore has pitched in 67.1 innings, making 10 starts in 13 appearances.

Newman and the Screaming Eagles (10-11) will resume conference play in the OVC with a trip to Southeast Missouri State University Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s contest is slated for 2 p.m., and Sunday’s doubleheader is scheduled for a 12 p.m. start. All three games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM.

VALPO BASEBALL

BASEBALL BACK IN ACTION ON TUESDAY

Valparaiso (7-6, 0-0 MVC)

at Notre Dame (9-8, 2-4 ACC)

Frank Eck Stadium (2,500) | Notre Dame, Ind.

Tuesday, March 21, 3 p.m. CT – RHP Nathan Chasey

Next Up in Valpo Baseball: After playing the first month of the season in warm-weather locations, the Valparaiso University baseball team will play its first game in the state of Indiana this year on Tuesday afternoon at Notre Dame. This will mark the final nonconference contest prior to the start of Missouri Valley Conference action this weekend at Indiana State. Although the temps may be cool, the Beacons will hope to stay hot after posting a winning record during their stretch of 13 straight road games against quality warm-weather competition. Valpo’s Nathan Chasey will make the first start of his Valpo career in his 41st appearance with the Brown & Gold.

Last Time Out: Valpo picked up a 6-1 win over No. 22 Southern Miss in the series opener on Friday, March 10 behind a gem by Jacob Rosenkranz and a grand slam by Brandy Renfro. That marked Valpo’s first win over a nationally-ranked opponent in five years. The host Golden Eagles did come back to win the series, prevailing 8-3 and 11-5 in the remaining games. Sunday’s series finale got a late start after a three-hour rain delay. Valpo has not played since March 12 after this past weekend’s scheduled set at Omaha was wiped out due to cold temperatures.

Following the Beacons: The game will be aired on ACC Network Extra. Links to live video and stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com. For all the latest in Valpo Baseball, follow @ValpoBaseball on Facebook and Instagram.

Head Coach Brian Schmack: Brian Schmack (175-273) is in his 10th season in charge of the program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he enters 2023 having skippered 435 Valpo games. He enters the season with 168 victories, one of four coaches in program history with over 150. The former big-league pitcher led Valpo to 25 wins in his inaugural campaign in 2014, a school record for victories by a first-year skipper. Schmack, a member of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, served as pitching coach/associate head coach at Valpo for seven seasons prior to his promotion.

Series Notes: Notre Dame leads the all-time series 71-21 in a series that dates all the way back to 1958. Six of the last seven matchups have been decided by four runs or fewer. Valpo has dropped 13 straight head-to-head meetings since a 7-4 triumph on May 2, 2012. The two teams will face off twice this season, with the second meeting set for April 18 at Frack Eck Stadium.

In the Other Dugout – Notre Dame

Coming off a 3-1 win over No. 4 Wake Forest on Sunday.

Did drop two of three in the series, which took place in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Last year, boasted a 41-win season and College World Series appearance.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Shawn Stiffler.

Top-25 Triumph

Valpo was recognized by D1Baseball as one of three “Upsets of the Night” on March 10 after beating No. 22 Southern Miss 6-1 in the series opener.

The victory snapped the team’s skid of 15 straight losses against nationally-ranked opponents and marked the team’s first victory over a top-25 foe since beating No. 25 Illinois on April 17, 2018.

At No. 22, Southern Miss was the highest ranked team that Valpo has defeated since a win over No. 9 Arizona State on April 21, 2013.

Southern Miss entered the game ranked No. 22 by Baseball America, the NCBWA and D1Baseball, while ranking No. 24 in the coaches’ poll and No. 30 according to Collegiate Baseball.

The Golden Eagles were the preseason favorites to win the Sun Belt Conference and won an NCAA Regional last season before falling to Ole Miss in the Super Regional. They own a streak of six straight 40-win seasons, the longest such streak in Division-I Baseball.

Southern Miss swept former Missouri Valley Conference member (and powerhouse) Dallas Baptist the weekend prior to dropping the game to the Beacons.

Outdueling An All-American

In the 6-1 victory at No. 22 Southern Miss on March 10, Valpo handed 2022 consensus All-American starting pitcher Tanner Hall the loss. He went six innings and allowed two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out five.

Hall was outdueled by Valpo starting pitcher Jacob Rosenkranz, who yielded one run on just two hits in six innings to pick up the win. He walked only one and notched three strikeouts, needing only 60 pitches to get through six frames.

The win marked the second of Rosenkranz’s career, with both coming this season. His prior victory occurred on Feb. 26 at UT Martin.

Rosenkranz was making the second start of his collegiate career and his first of the season. This one had a far different result than his first collegiate start, which came way back on March 14, 2021 at Middle Tennessee. In that outing, he did not record an out and was charged with three runs on one hit while walking two.

After Rosenkranz was lifted, Ryan Mintz did the rest, working in and out of trouble over three scoreless innings to nail down his first career save.

Thanks to his standout showing on the mound in the win over the Eagles, Rosenkranz was named MVC Pitcher of the Week on March 13. He became the second Valpo pitcher to earn an MVC weekly award this season, joining Connor Lockwood. They join Jake Miller, Colin Fields (twice) and Easton Rhodehouse as the only Valpo hurlers to achieve MVC Pitcher of the Week status since the program joined the league.

It’s Grand Salami Time

While Jacob Rosenkranz carved on the mound, it was Brady Renfro who delivered Valpo’s big offensive blow of the game in the March 10 upset of No. 22 Southern Miss.

With the bases loaded in the seventh, Renfro belted a 409-foot grand slam featuring an exit velocity of 104 to stretch Valpo’s lead to 6-1.

Renfro’s slam was the first by a Valpo player since Sam Shaikin on March 3, 2019 at UNCW.

Renfro became the ninth Valpo player to hit a grand slam since Brian Schmack took over as head coach in 2014, joining Shaikin, Jayden Eggiman (April 11, 2018 vs. Milwaukee), Chase Dawson (March 16, 2018 at Arkansas Pine Bluff), James Stea (April 13, 2017 vs. Oakland), Nate Palace (May 15, 2016 vs. Oakland), Giovanni Garbella (April 25, 2016 vs. Purdue North Central), Dustin Beasley (March 2, 2015 at Western Carolina), and Nolan Lodden (March 1, 2015 at Gardner Webb).

The home run was Renfro’s second of the season and the 13th of his collegiate career.

On the Board Early

Valpo has struck first in nine of the team’s 13 games this season and owns a 7-2 record in those contests.

The first frame has been a prosperous one for the Beacons, who have jumped on the board in the opening inning in six of their 13 contests. Valpo is 5-1 in those six.

Strong Start

At 7-6 through 13 games, this marks the program’s best record at this juncture of the season since Paul Twenge’s group won eight of its first 13 in 1997.

Through nine games, the Valpo baseball program was off to its best start since Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and way before Nirvana as the team’s 6-3 record was its best at this point in the season since 1985. Head coach Rick Ferchen’s team began 1985 with a 7-2 mark through nine games.

The highlight of the sizzling start was a five-game winning streak that was snapped in Sunday’s series finale at Little Rock. That marked the team’s longest winning streak since recording six straight from May 15-25, 2016. That stretch featured wins over Oakland, Youngstown State and Northern Kentucky.

Valpo ranks 89th in the latest RPI as of March 19, one of four Missouri Valley Conference programs in the top 100.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Southern Miss

Nolan Tucker had a triple in the series opener, the first by a member of the Beacons this season and the second of Tucker’s career.

Jake Skrine saw his 10-game hitting streak – the longest by a Valpo player this season – come to an end in the Saturday game against the Golden Eagles.

Three double-figure on-base streaks were extended over the weekend as Nolan Tucker (13), Brady Renfro (13) and Jake Skrine (12) all stretched their streaks.

Kyle Schmack had Valpo’s only multi-hit performance in Sunday’s series finale, his team-leading seventh of the season.

Nathan Chasey heaved three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in the March 12 series finale.

U OF INDY MLAX

MEN’S LACROSSE SIXTH IN LATEST USILA POLL, OPENS GLVC PLAY THIS WEEKEND

BALTIMORE, Md. – The UIndy men’s lacrosse team jumped two spots to No. 6 in the latest USILA national poll, announced Monday.

The Greyhounds are coming off an impressive victory at then-No. 2 Mercyhurst on Saturday, which dropped to seventh. UIndy limited the Lakers to their lowest goal total in nearly four years last weekend, shutting out the home team for more than 30 minutes. Drew Billig tallied four points in the win, including his fifth hat trick of the season, while KC Carlson made 10 saves between the pipes.

UIndy is 6-1 overall this season and will open GLVC action this Saturday at Lewis. The Flyers recently earned a 14-8 win at No. 20 Belmont Abbey.

MARIAN WOMEN’S LAX

INDIANAPOLIS – After helping the women’s lacrosse team to an undefeated 2-0 week, Marian’s Katelynn Gray has been recognized by the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) as the Defensive Player of the Week. The honor is the third POTW for Marian this season, as Gray joins Ruby Mason and Madeline Dumke as weekly honorees from the WHAC.

The senior was a force on defense for the Knights in wins over Wittenberg and Madonna, recovering eight ground balls and forcing a team-high four turnovers in the WHAC opener against the Crusaders. Gray led the Knights on the week in caused turnovers and ground balls, and in addition to her defense the midfielder added four goals and three assists. Katelynn Gray’s scoring was on display with a hat trick against Wittenberg.

Marian will continue their WHAC schedule on Wednesday as they take on Concordia.

MARIAN MEN’S GOLF

LUKE BEETZ EARNS FIRST CAREER CL GOLFER OF THE WEEK

Jackson, Mich. – For the first time in his collegiate career, Luke Beetz of the Marian men’s golf team has been named the Crossroads League Golfer of the Week. Beetz’s honor is the second consecutive week the Knights have taken the title, following Patrick Guymon’s honor the week prior.

Beetz led RV Marian at the Carey Collegiate, tying for 21st on the individual leaderboard with rounds of 75, 77, 73 on the 6,891 yard course. Beetz posted the fifth-most pars made for the tournament, and was one of a dozen golfers to score an eagle in the tournament.

Marian will next compete in April at the Midway Spring Invite on April 3 and 4.

MARIAN SOFTBALL

STUNKEL REPEATS AS CROSSROADS LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE WEEK

JACKSON, Mich. – The Crossroads League Athletes of the Week were announced on Monday, with Marian’s sophomore pitcher Olivia Stunkel repeating as the Crossroads League Softball Pitcher of the Week. Stunkel’s honor is the second of the season and the fourth earned in her career.

Stunkel continued her dominant work, fanning a career-high 15 batters in a complete game win for No. 23 Marian. The sophomore did not yield an earned run in the 7-1 win over Grace and allowed just three hits and two walks. Stunkel’s career-high strikeout performance was the second most in single game history for Marian behind Breena Smith’s 16, and breaks her previous career-high by three.

Stunkel now leads the Crossroads League in wins this season with six following her victory over the Lancers.

Marian will host Goshen College on Tuesday as they begin an eight-game slate for the week of March 20, with first pitch coming at 3:00 p.m.

SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:

INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/

EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/

WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/

FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/

ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/

ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index

TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index

BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/

DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/

HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/

MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/

HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/

OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index

IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/

IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/

IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/

PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/

INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx

GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/

ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/

GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/

HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php

TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/

VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index

TOP NATIONAL NEWS

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NEW YORK (AP) — Rick Pitino is set to become the new men’s basketball coach at St. John’s, according to a person familiar with the agreement.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the school had not yet made the announcement. Pitino is expected to be formally introduced by St. John’s during a news conference Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

The move puts the Hall of Fame coach back in the Big East Conference, looking to boost a storied St. John’s program that’s been mired in mediocrity for much of this century.

Following a successful run at nearby mid-major Iona, the 70-year-old Pitino was plucked away to replace Mike Anderson, fired March 10 after four seasons in charge of the Red Storm without making the NCAA Tournament.

Reports quickly surfaced that indicated St. John’s planned to target Pitino, who grew up on Long Island not far from the school’s Queens campus in New York City.

Pitino has been to seven Final Fours and won a pair of NCAA championships, one each at Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013).

He was dismissed at Louisville in 2017 after an FBI investigation into college basketball corruption led to allegations of NCAA violations. It was the third scandal, professional and personal, in an eight-year period with the Cardinals — but Pitino was eventually exonerated in the FBI-related case.

Pitino has been coaching college basketball so long that he was on the opposing bench with Big East rival Providence when St. John’s was a national power in the mid-1980s under Lou Carnesecca.

Now, he’s tasked with invigorating a Red Storm squad that hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game — or even reached the Big East semifinals — since 2000. The school has made only three NCAA appearances over the past two decades, the most recent coming in 2019 under Chris Mullin.

During that time, through several conference reconfigurations, St. John’s has fallen behind Big East foes with similar profiles such as Villanova, Providence and Seton Hall.

The Red Storm went 18-15 during a turbulent 2022-23 season, including 7-13 in Big East play to finish eighth in the conference standings. They blew a 14-point lead against sixth-ranked and top-seeded Marquette in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals, ending the season with a 72-70 loss in overtime that left Anderson with a 68-56 record at St. John’s.

Pitino has a .740 winning percentage in 34 full seasons as a college basketball coach. He has guided five schools to the NCAA Tournament, including Boston University (1983) and Iona (2021, 2023).

He took a surprising Providence team on a memorable run to the 1987 Final Four, but the 2013 national title Pitino won at Louisville (then in the Big East) was later vacated by the NCAA after an investigation found an assistant coach paid escorts and exotic dancers to entertain players and recruits in campus dorms.

After two years coaching in Greece, he got the job at Iona — a small, private Catholic school located in New Rochelle, just north of New York City.

Pitino went 64-22 in three years with the Gaels, guiding them to two regular-season titles in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. Seeded 13th this year, they led No. 4 seed UConn at halftime before getting knocked out in the first round with an 87-63 loss that snapped a 14-game winning streak.

Leading up to the game, Pitino said he hopes he can coach for 12 more years.

“But I’ll take six or seven,” he said.

He said it would take “a special place” for him to consider leaving Iona, but he also spoke about how much he admired St. John’s president, the Rev. Brian Shanley, who previously worked at Providence.

Pitino had two stints in the NBA, one with the New York Knicks that featured a division title and a failed stretch with the Boston Celtics that didn’t produce a playoff appearance.

But in college, he’s endured only one losing season (13-14 at BU in 1980-81).

And now, at a time when Hall of Fame coaching contemporaries like Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim have reached the end of their road, Pitino is going strong and getting new jobs.

St. John’s has the ninth-most wins among Division I teams, with 90 winning seasons in its 116-year basketball history.

The school has reached two Final Fours (1952, 1985) and won the NIT a record six times — including back-to-back crowns in the 1940s when that event was still often considered the country’s premier postseason tournament.

GEORGETOWN HIRES PROVIDENCE’S ED COOLEY AS BASKETBALL COACH

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ed Cooley is the new men’s basketball coach at Georgetown, hired away from Big East rival Providence in the hopes of rebuilding a once-proud program that dropped to new lows under former star player Patrick Ewing.

Georgetown announced the move on Monday, after Providence issued a news release saying that Cooley had resigned.

“I plan on hitting the ground running, getting to work on the court and cultivating relationships in and around the District,” Cooley said in a statement released by his new employer. “Accepting this opportunity with Georgetown is not a decision I took lightly.”

He leaves the Friars with a 242-153 record after 12 years and seven March Madness appearances with a total of three wins in the tournament; the highlight was a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2022. His team went 21-12 this season, closing with four consecutive losses, including in the first round of the Big East Tournament against Connecticut and the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Kentucky.

“Coach Cooley is a mentor to young men, and a consistent winner with an impressive body of work,” Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed said. “His previous experience gives him an understanding of our Jesuit values and I am confident that he is the coach to return our program to prominence within the Big East and nationally.”

Cooley’s name was linked to the Georgetown job even as Providence’s season was still in progress, and so he was asked after the 61-53 defeat against Kentucky on Friday whether he would be returning. The initial reply: “Next question.”

When a follow-up query came about whether there was a chance that was his last game with the Friars, Cooley avoided a direct answer.

“There’s all kinds of rumors and speculation, and I know you guys are trying to do your job. I get it,” said Cooley, whose daughter is a student at Georgetown. “But after a game like this, I just think it’s fair to talk about our players. I think it’s fair to talk about the game.”

The Hoyas will be the 53-year-old Cooley’s third team as a college head coach; before Providence, he was at Fairfield for five seasons. He is the first Georgetown head coach in about a half-century without a direct tie to the late John Thompson Jr., who took the job in 1972, was in charge of the team when Ewing was a player, then was succeeded by assistant Craig Esherick, who was followed by Thompson’s son, John III, who gave way to Ewing.

Ewing was fired on March 9 after going 75-109 in six seasons, 13-50 over the past two. Georgetown made only one March Madness appearance in that time, bowing out in the first round in 2021.

It was quite a difficult stretch for Ewing and the school he led to a national championship in 1984 and helped make two other runs to the title game.

His last two contests in charge at his alma mater were a pair of losses by a combined 72 points, one to close the regular season against Creighton and one in the Big East Tournament against Villanova.

ANTOINE DAVIS ENDS CHASE FOR MARAVICH’S NCAA SCORING RECORD

(AP) — Antoine Davis has ended his pursuit of “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s NCAA scoring record.

The Detroit Mercy guard finished four points shy of Maravich’s mark earlier this month in a loss during the Horizon League Tournament.

While it looked like Davis’ college career was over when the College Basketball Invitational did not extend an invitation to the Titans, he held out hope until Monday that he would get another chance to play, possibly in an inaugural College Hoops Postseason 8.

“I’m upset about it,” Davis said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “I feel like I got cheated out of something that they can’t ever give back to me. I think it’s selfish – and weird – that people emailed or called the CBI to say we shouldn’t be in the tournament because they didn’t want me to break the record.

“But there’s nothing to hold my head down about. I still feel like I’m the best scorer in my generation, especially finishing No. 2 behind him.”

The CBI, which started Saturday, posted pictures on its Twitter account of Maravich and Davis shortly after Detroit Mercy lost at Youngstown State and had talks with the school about a potential invitation. Ultimately, the CBI decided not to give the Titans (14-19) an opportunity to pay $27,500 to play in the 16-team tournament.

“We did receive unsolicited emails and voicemails about Detroit Mercy and some said we don’t ever want Pete Maravich’s record broken,” said Rick Giles, president of the Gazelle Group that runs the CBI. “The decision we made wasn’t based purely on whether we wanted him to break the record or not.”

Jaeson Maravich said he did not have a personal problem with Davis, but he wasn’t happy that his father’s record had a chance to be broken in a lower-tier, pay-to-play college basketball postseason tournament.

“I think it’s a terrrible look,” Jaeson Maravich told the AP. “Your season should be over if you’re 14-19.

“This situation is very personal and sensitive to me. But to be clear, I’m not mad at Antoine Davis and I have nothing bad to say about Antoine Davis. My beef is with these tournaments.”

In mid-March of last year, the Titans were below .500 and still played in the postseason. Davis scored 24 points in a loss to Florida Gulf Coast in The Basketball Classic, and Fresno State went on to win the tournament’s championship.

Maravich closed his three-season, 83-game career at LSU with 3,667 points in 1970, and his mark has stood for more than a half-century. The dazzling guard, who went on to become a five-time NBA All-Star in a 10-season career, died in 1988 at 40 after suffering a heart attack in California while playing in a pickup game.

Davis scored 22 points in a 71-66 loss at Youngstown State in the 144th game of his five-year career. He missed four 3-pointers, one of them a wide-open look, in the final two minutes of his last college game.

“I had opportunities to do it in the Youngstown game,” Davis said. “I can’t be mad about it, but I just don’t get why people would go out of their way to say we shouldn’t have an opportunity.”

Davis, like all NCAA athletes enrolled when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., was granted a fifth year of eligibility.

The 6-foot-1 guard does own some NCAA records, including 144 straight games with double figures in scoring and 588 career 3-pointers. He led the nation with 28.2 points per game this season and 159 3-pointers, four shy of surpassing the single-season record set by Stephen Curry at Davidson during the 2007-08 season.

Detroit Mercy coach Mike Davis said his son’s pursuit of the scoring championship was not the only the reason the Titans were trying to play again. He said the postseason would have given previously banged-up players a chance to play for a team that was not healthy all season.

“People were trying to paint a picture of us that wasn’t true,” Mike Davis said. “The picture painted was that we were trying to buy a record. The CBI was never going to let us in because of the backlash. The PS8 had teams pulling out, saying they wouldn’t play if we were going to be in the tournament.

“It’s disappointing that people were calling our school president and athletic director and the people running these tournaments to say don’t let us in. We just had to let it go.”

ST. FRANCIS, BROOKLYN, TO DROP NCAA D-I ATHLETICS PROGRAM

NEW YORK (AP) St. Francis College, one of the smallest NCAA Division I schools, announced Monday that its board of trustees has approved a plan to eliminate its athletic program at the end of the spring semester.

St. Francis sponsors 21 NCAA teams, including men’s and women’s basketball, and has been a member of the Northeast Conference for more than four decades.

The move comes as part of larger restructuring of the private Catholic school located in Brooklyn. Enrollment at the school is about 2,300 undergraduate students.

“There are challenges facing higher education institutions, particularly smaller liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, from which SFC is not immune,” the school said in a new release. “Among these challenges are increased operating expenses, flattening revenue streams, and plateauing enrollment due in part to a shrinking pool of high school graduates in the aftermath of the pandemic.”

The Northeast Conference conference is also home Fairleigh Dickinson, the small school located in Teaneck, New Jersey, that pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA men’s basketball tournament history this past weekend.

FDU became just the second team seeded 16th in the field to defeat a No. 1 seed when the Knights beat Purdue last Friday.

FDU lost to FAU Sunday in the second round of the tournament.

“Coming off a week that has served as a rallying cry for the entire Northeast Conference, today is a bittersweet day,” NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris said in a statement. “As a charter member of the NEC, St. Francis College is tightly woven into the very fabric of this conference. It saddens us to lose them as an integral member of the NEC community.”

St. Francis also announced that board granted school president Miguel Martinez-Saenz a request for a personal leave and appointed Chief Operating Officer Tim Cecere as acting president, effective immediately.

THE MADDEST MARCH EVER? UNDERDOGS HEAD TO THE SWEET 16

We know you’re upset. Underdogs have blown up every bracket in the country.

An upside of the upsets: perhaps the maddest March ever.

Defending national champion Kansas and fellow No. 1 seed Purdue are gone — the Boilermakers with a slice of unwanted history. The Sweet 16 won’t have blue bloods Kentucky, Duke or North Carolina for only the second time since 1979.

In are upstarts like Princeton, Florida Atlantic and a team picked to finish last in the Big 12 Conference.

And, this being March, of course there’s Tom Izzo.

The bracket has been nearly devoid of the buzzer-beaters that college hoops fans have been accustomed to, but the games have been close. There have been four games decided by one point, the most since there were six in 2017 and three short of the record last matched in 1998.

SOUTH REGION

Alabama has looked every bit the No. 1 overall seed, blowing out Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Maryland despite turmoil swirling around the program.

Waiting for Alabama in Louisville, Kentucky, will be San Diego State. The fifth-seeded Aztecs are old and love to knock around opponents — just ask College of Charleston and Furman.

The second game marks Princeton’s first Sweet 16 in 56 years. The No. 15 seed Tigers had the first major March upset by knocking off No. 2 Arizona and proved it was no fluke by taking down Missouri.

They face Creighton, one of three Big East teams to get this far. Inconsistent early, the bombing Bluejays and big man Ryan Kalkbrenner are in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons after bouncing No. 3 seed Baylor.

EAST REGION

Florida Atlantic won the battle of bracket darlings by knocking off Fairleigh Dickinson, the second No. 16 seed ever to beat a No. 1, taking down Purdue.

The Owls better be ready for some bruises against Tennessee at Madison Square Garden in their first Sweet 16. The third-seeded Vols bullied their way through the first two rounds, pushing around Duke after grinding out a win over Louisiana.

Sharing the Garden marquee will be Michigan State and Kansas State.

The Spartans are at their best in March under coach Izzo, who won his record 16th NCAA Tournament game as a lower seed by bouncing No. 2 seed Marquette.

Jerome Tang is taking underdog Kansas State from one Manhattan to another in his first season in the Little Apple.

Picked last in the Big 12, the Wildcats and undersized but undeterred guard Markquis Nowell shoved aside Montana State and wore down Kentucky for their first Sweet 16 since 2018.

MIDWEST REGION

Tang said the Wildcats won because they’ve “got dudes.” Houston has a few of its own.

The Midwest’s No. 1 seed, the Cougars have played the lockdown defense that made them a Final Four favorite at the start of the season, holding Northern Kentucky to 52 points and Auburn to 64.

The Cougars’ bid to play the Final Four at home now heads to Kansas City, Missouri, where they will face Miami.

The speedy, fifth-seeded Hurricanes hit Indiana with a gale force of offensive rebounds, scoring 29 second-chance points to reach the Sweet 16 for the second straight season under Jim Larrañaga.

Another Texas team is still in the mix to reach the Final Four in its home state — the one from Austin.

No. 2 seed Texas overcame the midseason firing of coach Chris Beard to play some outstanding basketball under interim coach Rodney Terry. The Longhorns shut down sweet-shooting Colgate in the first round and earned their first Sweet 16 appearance in 15 years with a 71-66 win over Penn State.

Up next is another coach making the most of an opportunity.

Fired by Arizona two years ago, Sean Miller landed back where he started at Xavier. The Musketeers earned their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2017 with a 84-73 win over Pittsburgh.

WEST REGION

Losing guard Jaylen Clark has done little to slow down No. 2 UCLA. Now the Bruins hope their lineup isn’t depleted further after key guard David Singleton injured his ankle late in a 69-63 victory over Northwestern.

UCLA still has Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell, which will give them at least a shot at beating Gonzaga in Las Vegas.

There were midseason whispers the Zags were in a down year. An eighth straight trip to the Sweet 16 under Mark Few put those to rest.

Two coaches with familiar last names face off in the other Sin City game.

Eric Musselman, son of longtime NBA and college coach Bill Musselman, has shown off his coaching chops by leading Arkansas to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season. The Razorbacks got there with a takedown of top-seeded Kansas that had Musselman taking off his shirt — again.

Danny Hurley’s father is a Hall of Fame high school coach, his brother the NCAA’s all-time assist leader. Bob’s son and Bobby’s brother has revitalized UConn, taking the Huskies to the Sweet 16 for the first time in nine years.

MARCH MADNESS: SWEET 16 MATCHUPS ARE SET AFTER WILD WEEKEND

March Madness is heading to the Sweet 16 without a handful of top teams. Two No. 1 seeds, Kansas and Purdue, No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 4 seed Virginia are all gone — and gone with them are millions of busted brackets.

It’s been tough sledding for the bluebloods, too: Besides Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Indiana are all heading home. UCLA’s drive for a 12th national title remains alive.

Here is what to know with the regional semifinals up next at the NCAA Tournament:

TOP SEEDS

The top four seeds in the tournament were given to Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue. Each had its share of headaches to set up what is proving to be a chaotic tournament. The Boilermakers were the first to fall, ousted in a first-round stunner, and the Jayhawks followed the very next day.

EAST REGION: The Boilermakers got a top seed for the fourth time, but Purdue was dumped by Fairleigh Dickinson in a near-historic upset. and the 2-seed, Marquette, is also gone. Up next: No. 9 seed FAU vs. No. 4 seed Tennessee and No. 3 seed Kansas State vs. No. 7 seed Michigan State, whose coach Tom Izzo is heading to his 15th regional.

SOUTH REGION: Alabama, led by coach Nate Oats in a challenging season, got a top seed for the first time behind SEC player of the year Brandon Miller, who has armed security on hand after being the subject of threats. Up next: No. 1 seed Alabama vs. No. 5 seed San Diego State and No. 6 seed Creighton vs. No. 15 seed Princeton, which is in rare territory.

MIDWEST REGION: Houston got a top seed and won its opener before a rugged victory over Auburn even with All-American Marcus Sasser hobbled by a groin injury. Up next: No. 1 seed Houston vs. No. 5 seed Miami and No. 2 seed Texas vs. No. 3 seed Xavier.

WEST REGION: Kansas, the top-seeded defending national champion that was without coach Bill Self in the tournament following a heart procedure, blew an 8-point halftime lead and lost to Arkansas. Up next: No. 2 seed UCLA vs. No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 4 seed UConn vs. No. 8 seed Arkansas.

SHINING MOMENTS

The unforgettable plays are piling up.

Princeton used a late run to earn its first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years by ousting No. 2 seed Arizona and then answered any skeptics by rolling Missouri to lock in its first Sweet 16 spot in 56 years.

Furman celebrated its first tourney appearance since 1980 with a win over No. 4 seed Virginia on a deep 3-pointer by JP Pegues with 2.4 seconds left. Then came 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson’s win over Purdue as the 22 1/2-point underdog stifled 7-4 center Zach Edey to advance and join UMBC in the record books.

All that happened before the Razorbacks and shirtless coach Eric Musselman celebrated their win over the Jayhawks.

GAMES TO WATCH

No. 4 seed Connecticut (27-8) vs. No. 8 seed Arkansas (22-13), Thursday, 7:15 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Huskies are returning to the Sweet 16 for the first time in nine years, and hoping to avoid being the next victim of Arkansas, which ousted defending champion Kansas. UConn outclassed Saint Mary’s 70-55 behind 24 points by Adama Sanogo and timely 3-point shooting.

No. 2 Kansas State (25-9) vs. No. 7 Michigan State (21-12), Thursday, 6:30 p.m. ET (TBS)

Tom Izzo is taking Michigan State to the Sweet 16 for the 15th time and first in four years after a 69-60 victory against No. 2 seed Marquette. The victory was the 16th for Izzo in the tournament against a higher seed, breaking the record he shared with recently retired Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. At Madison Square Garden, the Spartans will face a Kansas State team that was picked to finish last in the Big 12 with a remade roster and first-year coach in Jerome Tang. The Wildcats outlasted Kentucky 75-69 behind 27 points by Markquis Nowell.

No. 5 seed San Diego State (29-6) vs. No. 1 seed Alabama (31-5), Friday, 6:30 p.m. ET (TBS)

The Aztecs are heading to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004 and have won 11 of their last 13. Balanced scoring carried them to a second-round victory against Furman and they’ll need more of the same against the Crimson Tide, who handily dispatched Maryland in the second round. All-America freshman Brandon Miller, who is nursing an injury, had 19 after going scoreless in the first round.

No. 3 seed Xavier (27-9) vs. No. 2 seed Texas (28-8), Friday, 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Musketeers are heading to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and will face a Longhorns team that hasn’t been there in 15 years. Xavier put on a clinic on unselfishness in the first half of its 84-73 victory against Pittsburgh, totaling 17 assists on 19 made field goals. The Longhorns made just one 3-pointer in 13 tries in their 71-66 victory against Penn State, but Dylan Disu had season-high 28-point performance.

BRAGGING RIGHTS

The SEC and Big Ten led the way by placing eight teams each in the 68-team field. Conference USA (Florida Atlantic) and the Ivy League (Princeton) each got one team into the tournament and both are still alive. The rest of the leagues can’t say that. The records through two rounds:

ACC (5 teams made tourney): 5-4. One team left (Miami). American Athletic (2): 2-1. One team left (Houston). Big 12 (7): 7-5. Two teams left (Kansas State, Texas). Big East (5): 7-2. Three teams left (Creighton, UConn, Xavier). Big Ten (8): 6-7. One team left (Michigan State). Mountain West (4): 2-3. One team left (San Diego State). Pac-12 (4): 3-3. One team left (UCLA). SEC (8): 9-5. Three teams left (Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee). West Coast (2): 3-1. One team left (Gonzaga).

GO DEEPER

Gun violence has cost lives and disrupted college sports all season, touching some of the top programs in college basketball, including Alabama. Coaches have been thrust into uncertain and unwelcome roles in trying to navigate the topic — as well as the fallout from the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

On a lighter note, if you feel you know March Madness pretty well, try this 25-question trivia quiz put together by AP.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

The NCAA Tournament is filled with great players and the AP All-America team is a good place to get familiar with the names. It’s also an event where guys you’ve never heard of can take a star turn. Guard play is always going to be important (see: Baylor, 2021 title winner) and there are some NBA prospects in the mix.

Bet on this, too: Some player — maybe more than one — will have a chance to join the mustachioed Doug Edert (remember Saint Peters’ inspiring run last year?) and find a way to cash in on their celebrity.

HOW TO WATCH

Every game of the men’s tournament will be aired — here is a schedule — either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms. CBS, which also has a handy schedule that includes announcing teams, will handle the Final Four and national title game this year.

The NCAA is streaming games via its March Madness Live option and CBS games are being streamed on Paramount+. Fans of longtime play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz should soak up every moment: It’s his final NCAA Tournament.

BETTING GUIDE

Who’s going to win the national championship? The betting favorites to reach the Final Four are (in order, as of March 19): Alabama, Houston, UConn, UCLA, Gonzaga and Texas, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

MARCH MADNESS CALENDAR

Sweet 16 weekend will see games in New York City (East Region), Las Vegas (West), Kansas City, Missouri (Midwest), and Louisville, Kentucky (South).

Where is the Final Four? In Houston, on April 1, with the championship game on April 3. Basketball aficionados, take note: The women’s NCAA Tournament will hold its Final Four in Dallas, a four-hour drive up the road from Houston.

Can’t get enough March Madness? Well, there is talk about expanding the tournament despite a host of challenges. Enjoy the 68-team version for now!

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NO. 3 OHIO ST BEATS NO. 6 UNC 71-69, ADVANCES TO SWEET 16

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Jacy Sheldon made a tiebreaking jumper in the lane with 1.8 seconds left to lift No. 3 Ohio State to a 71-69 win over No. 6 seed North Carolina on Monday and help the Buckeyes advance to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

With the game tied, Sheldon took the pass from Eboni Walker and floated in the game-winning score. North Carolina had one final chance, but turned it over with a second remaining.

“Eboni did a great job,” Sheldon said. “It didn’t go as planned and she made a great play there, and that’s what led to that bucket. So I think keeping our composure in that situation was huge, keeping possession of the ball. And that was all Eboni.”

Ohio State (27-7) saw its 12-point lead with 7:02 to go erased as the Tar Heels went on a 13-2 run midway through the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels did most of that run without star Deja Kelly, who exited midway through the final quarter with a leg injury. She went to the locker room, but returned to the court a short time later.

Trailing 66-63, Kelly made two free throws before Paulina Paris made a layup in transition to give the Tar Heels (22-11) its first lead of the game with 2:09 left.

Sheldon scored to give the Buckeyes the lead back with 1:07 left. She added a free throw 29 seconds later to make it a two-point game.

Kelly, who finished with 22 points to lead North Carolina, hit a jumper to tie the game at 69 with 9 seconds left.

MARCH MADNESS ROUT AS LADY VOLS REACH 2ND STRAIGHT SWEET 16

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee is starting to look a lot more like the dominating Lady Vols of old, especially after a second straight rout to open the NCAA Tournament.

Reserves Sara Puckett and Jillian Hollingshead led five Lady Vols in double figures with 13 points apiece as fourth-seeded Tennessee dominated No. 12 seed Toledo 94-47 Monday night to advance to their second straight Sweet 16 in the Seattle 3 Regional.

This is the first time since 2015 and 2016 that Tennessee (25-11) has reached consecutive Sweet 16s and the first in coach Kellie Harper’s fourth season. The Lady Vols now have reached the Sweet 16 for the 36th time – most for any men’s or women’s team – as the only program to play in all 41 NCAA Tournaments.

“We’re so excited to be going back to the Sweet 16, and I’m really proud of our team and how we’ve played in these first two games,” Harper said. “I think we’ve played really well from top to bottom, our starters and our bench.”

Puckett was 5-of-7, making all three of her 3s. Rickea Jackson and Jasmine Powell each added 12, and Jordan Horston had 10 points and eight rebounds. The Lady Vols were 11-of-21 from 3 (52.4%), one made 3 away from matching their season high. Seven different players made at least one 3.

Yet the Lady Vols smothered the quick Rockets, holding them to 29% shooting (18 of 62). Harper said defense set the tone.

MARCH MADNESS: VAN LITH AND LOUISVILLE PUMMEL TEXAS

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Louisville rarely opens the NCAA Tournament away from home. The Cardinals could learn to love these early road trips.

Faced off with No. 4 Texas on the Longhorns’ home court, Hailey Van Lith and the No. 5 Cardinals delivered a swaggering, smothering, romping 73-51 victory Monday night to earn Louisville’s sixth consecutive trip the Sweet 16.

Van Lith scored 21 points, delivering the early punches and then the late knockout blows for the Cardinals.

“Coach (Jeff Walz) told us, ‘How many times can you quiet down the crowd,’” Van Lith said.

Louisville didn’t host the first two rounds of the tournament for the first time since 2015, excluding the 2021 pandemic tournament played entirely in Texas. And from the opening tip against Texas, the Cardinals pushed around the Big 12 regular season co-champion and relished the silence as the Longhorns unraveled.

Louisville (25-11) led by as much as 27 early in the fourth. The win sends the Cardinals to the Seattle 4 Region to play No. 8-seed Mississippi, which upset No. 1 Stanford on Sunday. Louisville made the Final Four last season.

“We wanted to go out and prove we’re the same Louisville tough that this program has been for a long time now,” Van Lith said. She also scored 26 in Louisville’s first-round win over Drake.

SIEGRIST LEADS VILLANOVA INTO SWEET 16 FOR 2ND TIME EVER

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) As Maddy Siegrist hugged and high-fived every Villanova fan down the front row of seats in a wild celebration following the biggest win of her career, it was hard for the All-American not to think about far the Wildcats have come in just four seasons.

Siegrist’s journey saw her dominate as the program’s career leading scorer, lead Villanova into the kind of elite team that can pack a postseason game in their own house and now this milestone, a Sweet 16 berth for the first time in 20 years.

“Everyone wants to leave their mark,” Siegrist said.

Siegrist sure left hers on the Main Line.

Siegrist scored 31 points, had four blocks, four steals and sent the winningest team in Villanova history into the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history with a 76-57 win over 12th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast on Monday night.

“What Maddy has done and continues to do is off the charts,” coach Denise Dillon said.

The fourth-seeded Wildcats (30-6) won their record 30th game and celebrated the March Madness milestone in front of another packed house at the Pavilion. Siegrist, the first-team AP All-American, made 13 of 24 shots in what was likely her final home game. The four-year star has left some wiggle room that she could return for a fifth season, but all signs point toward her playing in the WNBA this summer.

One thing is sure, Siegrist is headed to the Sweet 16.

COLORADO KNOCKS OFF DUKE IN OT IN MARCH MADNESS THRILLER

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) Colorado made enough big plays to survive.

It was a pretty sweet moment for Quay Miller and the Buffaloes.

Miller had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Aaronette Vonleh converted two overtime baskets in the lane after picking up her fourth foul, helping No. 6 seed Colorado beat third-seeded Duke 61-53 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night.

“Our ability to just never wilt,” Colorado coach JR Payne said. “When things get hard, we dig in. We lean into each other.”

Jaylyn Sherrod had 14 points and Vonleh finished with 12 as the Buffaloes (25-8) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years.

Colorado outscored Duke 11-3 in overtime after the Blue Devils made a big push in the second half.

“I think the best thing that we did was just embrace it,” Miller said. “Even though the crowd was going against us, it’s a beautiful environment and we thrive off that. We’ve been underdogs all season.”

Colorado held Duke without a field goal for almost seven minutes to end the game. By the end, the Buffaloes were celebrating with the pep band in the stands after quieting the home crowd.

“I just love being the bad guy, and feed off of that and I think the team feeds off that, too,” Sherrod said. “We’ve been in a lot of those situations, so I don’t think it’s anything that shocked us.”

Elizabeth Balogun scored 14 points and Reigan Richardson had 10, but the Blue Devils didn’t hit a field goal in overtime. Duke (26-7) overcame a 13-point deficit in regulation.

“They were better in that five-minute stretch and that’s why they’re moving on,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “It hurts to come up short at this time of the year, but I’m really proud of my group and the season that they’ve had.”

Next up for Colorado is Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Seattle 4 Region semifinals.

UCONN BEATS BAYLOR 77-58 FOR 29TH STRAIGHT TRIP TO SWEET 16

STORRS, Conn. (AP) Azzi Fudd is still rounding back into form after missing 22 games with injuries this season.

She’s only been back for five games and hadn’t looked like the player that was dominating the game before suffering two knee injuries.

But after going 2 of 8 from the floor in the first half Monday night, the sophomore guard scored 16 of her game-high 22 points in a decisive third quarter, leading second-seeded UConn to a 77-58 win over No. 7 seed Baylor on Monday night. That put the Huskies in a 29th straight Sweet 16.

Fudd said she just stayed confident and her shots began to fall.

“I definitely wouldn’t say (I took) the team on my back, I think everyone played an incredible role tonight,” Fudd said. “But I think (I just kept) that mindset of being aggressive and having my teammates and coaches continue to remind me, ’Don’t stop shooting, keep shooting, keep looking for your shots.”

Aaliyah Edwards added 19 points, Aubrey Griffin pulled down 12 rebounds and Nika Muhl had 10 assists for the Huskies (31-5). Dorka Juhasz chipped in with 11 points and Caroline Ducharme added 10 points.

Ja’mee Asberry scored 15 points and Jaden Owens had 14 for Baylor, which finishes its season 20-13. Bella Fontleroy scored 12 points for the Bears, who made 12 3-pointers after hitting 14 in their first-round win over Alabama.

But the Huskies dominated inside, outscoring the Bears 36-12 in the paint and outrebounding Baylor 42-31.

OSBORNE SCORES CAREER-HIGH 36 TO LEAD UCLA INTO SWEET 16

LOS ANGELES (AP) Charisma Osborne has taken a lot on her shoulders during her four years at UCLA. With her team down four points late in the third quarter after blowing an 18-point deficit, the senior guard wasn’t about to let a trip to the Sweet 16 go away.

Osborne’s three-point play was the catalyst in a rally that propelled the fourth-seeded Bruins to an 82-73 victory over No. 5 seed Oklahoma 82-73 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night.

Osborne scored a career-high 36 points in her final game at Pauley Pavilion, including 13 points in the final 10 minutes as the Bruins (26-7) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.

“I felt like the light came back in their eyes after that play.,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “When they came back to that huddle in between the third and the fourth quarter, I just thought it blew wind into their sails. I thought it really pushed ’em over the hump mentally and emotionally.”

The Bruins, who had an 18-point lead in the second quarter, found themselves trailing 54-50 late in the third quarter before Osborne started the comeback. She drove the lane and hit a layup while being fouled by Beatrice Culliton. Osborne made the ensuing free throw to bring them within one.

“Honestly, I was just thinking attack, attack, attack because I was getting to my pullup and they weren’t really going in a little bit in the third quarter, so I was just thinking how can I get to the basket,” said Osborne, who was 11 of 21 from the field and made all 12 of her free throws. She also had eight rebounds and four assists.

UCLA regained control in the fourth quarter by going on a 6-1 run. Oklahoma was within four with 3:31 remaining before the Bruins scored six straight points to put it away.

Kiki Rice added 14 points for the Bruins, who will face top-ranked South Carolina on Saturday in a Greenville Regional semifinal. UCLA hung tough with the Gamecocks earlier in the season before losing 73-64.

NBA NEWS

NBA ROUNDUP: KNICKS’ JULIUS RANDLE SCORES 57, WOLVES STILL PREVAIL

Taurean Prince outdueled Julius Randle in a battle of performances that flirted with history Monday night, hitting all eight of his 3-point shots and scoring the insurance basket with 10.4 seconds remaining as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves edged the New York Knicks 140-134.

Prince racked up 35 points and finished one 3-pointer shy of tying the NBA record for most 3-pointers without a miss, held by Ben Gordon (twice) and Latrell Sprewell. Prince is just the seventh player to hit at least eight 3-pointers without a miss.

The Timberwolves needed every bit of Prince’s effort to overcome a 57-point performance by Randle, who tied Richie Guerin (Dec. 11, 1959, against the Syracuse Nationals) for the third-most points in a game in team history and finished five points shy of tying Carmelo Anthony’s franchise mark, set Jan. 24, 2014, against the Charlotte Hornets.

Mike Conley (24 points, 11 assists) had a double-double for the Timberwolves, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Jaden McDaniels scored 18 points while Rudy Gobert had 16. Jalen Brunson supplied 23 points for the Knicks.

BULLS 109, 76ERS 105 (2OT)

Zach LaVine scored 26 points, DeMar DeRozan added 25 and Chicago outlasted host Philadelphia 76ers.

DeRozan hit consecutive shots to tie the game before LaVine and Coby White sealed the victory with two free throws apiece in the final 51.4 seconds of the second overtime. Joel Embiid had 37 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Sixers. Embiid fouled out with 3:54 remaining in the second extra period trying to block LaVine’s shot.

Embiid’s driving layup gave the Sixers a 99-97 advantage with 47.6 seconds left in the first overtime, but DeRozan tied the game at 99 on a layup with 37 seconds to go. Following a turnover by James Harden, the Bulls had one last chance to win the game but DeRozan misfired on a 3-pointer to force a second extra session.

JAZZ 128, KINGS 120

Rookie Ochai Agbaji scored a career-high 27 points to lead short-handed Utah to a victory over Sacramento in Salt Lake City.

Agbaji, who led Kansas to the NCAA championship a year ago, made several key plays down the stretch to help the Jazz win despite the absence of injured starters Lauri Markkanen (back), Jordan Clarkson (finger) and Collin Sexton (hamstring). Kelly Olynyk tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Utah.

De’Aaron Fox produced 37 points and seven assists and Keegan Murray had 22 points, but the Kings saw their three-game winning streak end. A Domantas Sabonis dunk cut the gap to 123-120, but Agbaji restored a five-point advantage with a pair of free throws with 41.3 seconds remaining and Utah closed it out.

HORNETS 115, PACERS 109

Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 28 points and Charlotte wiped out a 21-point first-half deficit to defeat visiting Indiana.

Terry Rozier racked up 23 points and Gordon Hayward hit a pair of key fourth-quarter baskets to finish with 22 points as the Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak by winning the finale of a five-game homestand. Nick Richards supplied 14 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.

Myles Turner and Buddy Hield both had 20 points for the Pacers, who couldn’t overcome a five-minute scoring drought down the stretch. Bennedict Mathurin notched 18 points, Isaiah Jackson had 12 and Jalen Smith added 10.

WARRIORS 121, ROCKETS 108

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 59 points as Golden State snapped an 11-game road losing streak with a victory over Houston.

Curry finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Thompson added 29 points and seven rebounds. They combined to shoot 21-for-44 overall and 10-for-28 from 3-point range to pace the Warriors.

Jonathan Kuminga chipped in 17 points off the bench for Golden State, which won on the road for the first time since a Jan. 30 victory at Oklahoma City. All five starters scored in double figures for the Rockets. Rookie Tari Eason posted his seventh double-double with 21 points and 12 boards while fellow rookie Jabari Smith Jr. also recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

GRIZZLIES 112, MAVERICKS 108

Memphis trailed by 13 points at the end of three quarters but outscored Dallas 29-12 in the fourth to earn a hard-fought home win.

Jaren Jackson Jr. played most of the game in foul trouble but led Memphis with 28 points, while Santi Aldama scored 22 points and grabbed a career-high 14 boards to earn his fourth double-double of the season. Kyrie Irving led Dallas with a team-high 28 points. He also added four rebounds and two blocks.

Jackson picked up his fourth and fifth fouls within a span of three seconds and he left the game with 7:10 left in the third. With Jackson out, the Mavericks outscored the Grizzlies 22-16 the remainder of the quarter and took a 96-83 lead into the final frame before Memphis came back.

HORNETS’ BALL ANTICIPATES BEING READY FOR TRAINING CAMP

CHARLOTTE, N.C (AP) — Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball said he anticipates being ready for training camp in September after suffering through an injury-plagued 2022-23 season in which he sprained his left ankle three times and fractured his right ankle, all of which limited him to 36 games.

Whether he’ll consider wearing ankle braces moving forward remains to be seen.

“It’s tough,” Ball said Monday. “I mean probably annoying just going through it, but I’m still alive and stuff like that, so you can’t really be too mad. Just go through the rehab, do that whole process and try to come out on top.”

Ball, wearing a walking boot on his right foot and leaning on crutches, spoke to reporters for the first time since undergoing season-ending surgery on his broken right ankle on March 1.

The Hornets had playoff expectations this season, but Miles Bridges’ legal troubles over the summer and a series of injuries to key players like Ball, Gordon Hayward, Cody Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. wrecked the team’s season.

When on the court, Ball showed he was ready to take the next step in his progression after reaching the All-Star game last season.

He averaged career highs in points (23.3) and assists (8.3) per game while shooting 37.6% from 3-point range, becoming the second-youngest player to record 1,000 points, assists and rebounds in NBA history behind only LeBron James.

The Hornets (22-50) currently have the fourth-worst record in the league heading into Monday night’s game against Indiana, and have already been eliminated from playoff contention.

It marks the seventh-straight year Charlotte will miss the postseason.

“Well we didn’t make no playoffs and so whether I played 36 games, 25 or 50, it doesn’t really matter,” Ball said. “The fact that we didn’t make it… I mean, it’s just kind of getting ready for the next season now.”

It has been a rough year for Ball’s older brother Lonzo, too.

The Chicago Bulls point guard hasn’t played in more than a year and a half and his agents announced last week he will have a cartilage transplant in his left knee and miss the remainder of this season. It is Lonzo Ball’s third surgery on the knee in a little more than a year.

LaMelo Ball, who is just 21, didn’t discuss the details of his rehab schedule, saying he’s not sure when he’ll be allowed to walk without crutches or begin running or jumping.

The repeated injuries to his ankles, which actually began in October when he stepped on Anthony Gill’s foot in a preseason game against the Washington Wizards, has raised questions over whether Ball should wear ankle braces.

Like many NBA players, Ball wears low tops and no ankle braces.

“I haven’t really looked into that yet,” Ball said when asked if he’s considering ankle braces. “I gotta see how I feel first when I come back. Then I will make a decision.”

Ball, who has relatively thin legs, said he wants to build more overall strength in his ankles this offseason and make sure they’re fully healed, including the bones that have been repaired when he came down wrong on his foot during a non-contact play on Feb. 27.

“I hate milk for real but my pops always had me drinking it — cookies and milk every night,” he said with a laugh.

Ball, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, has yet to make the postseason with the Hornets, but added he still likes playing for the franchise.

“Wherever I’m at I feel like I’m straight, I feel like I’m good,” Ball said. “I love it here.”

NFL NEWS

SEEKING NFL COMEBACK, CAM NEWTON TO THROW AT AUBURN’S PRO DAY

Former NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton revealed Monday that he will throw passes for scouts attending Auburn’s pro day on Tuesday.

Newton, who starred at Auburn and won the Heisman Trophy there in 2010, is looking for a new team after he went unsigned throughout the 2022 season.

Newton announced his intentions to work out at Auburn in a video posted to social media that ended with him saying, “Ain’t 32 (expletive) better than me, you dig?”

Newton last appeared with the Carolina Panthers in 2021 as a midseason addition after starter Sam Darnold was injured. He split playing time with P.J. Walker and wound up starting five of the eight games he played, throwing for 684 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions and running for another five touchdowns.

Drafted No. 1 overall by Carolina in 2011, Newton spent 2011-19 with the Panthers, winning Rookie of the Year in 2011 and MVP in 2015. He led Carolina to a Super Bowl berth in his MVP season. He started 15 games for the New England Patriots in 2020 but was released shortly before the 2021 season began as the Patriots preferred to start rookie Mac Jones.

In 148 career games (144 starts), Newton has thrown for 32,382 yards, 194 touchdowns and 123 interceptions. He has also rushed for 5,628 yards and 75 touchdowns, the latter an NFL record for quarterbacks.

REPORTS: TEXANS SIGN RB DEVIN SINGLETARY, TE DALTON SCHULTZ

The Houston Texans added to their offense by signing free agent running back Devin Singletary and tight end Dalton Schultz to one-year deals, multiple reports said Monday.

Singletary signed a contract worth up to $3.75 million, ESPN reported, and Schultz’s deal will be worth up to $9 million, according to NFL Network.

Singletary, 25, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills and was their full-time starting running back for the past three. In 2022 Singletary started all 16 games he played, ran for 819 yards on 4.6 yards per attempt and scored six total touchdowns (five rushing).

In 61 career games (56 starts), Singletary has 3,151 rushing yards (4.7 per carry), 16 rushing touchdowns, 145 receptions, 971 yards and four receiving TDs.

Schultz, 26, had been the Dallas Cowboys’ starting tight end since 2020 and spent his first five pro seasons with the club. In 15 starts last season, he caught 57 passes for 577 yards and five touchdowns.

In 75 career games (51 starts), Schultz has 211 receptions for 2,122 yards and 17 scores.

AGENT: QB JOSH DOBBS SIGNS WITH BROWNS

Quarterback Josh Dobbs signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns, his agent Mike McCartney said on social media Monday.

Dobbs, who has bounced around the NFL since 2018, will be a prime candidate to be the backup quarterback in Cleveland behind Deshaun Watson.

Dobbs, now 28, signed with the Cleveland Browns in April 2022 on a one-year, $1 million deal, but he was waived in November without having played a game for the team once Watson returned from a 11-game suspension.

In December 2022, with Ryan Tannehill injured, the Tennessee Titans signed Dobbs off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad and had him start the final two games of the season — the first two starts of Dobbs’ NFL career. Dobbs went 40-for-68 passing for 411 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in those games.

After being drafted in the fourth round in 2017 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dobbs saw action in five games in 2018 and one in 2020. Pittsburgh traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the 2019 season and claimed him off waivers from Jacksonville before 2020.

Kellen Mond is the only other quarterback on the Browns’ roster behind Watson.

NHL NEWS

NHL ROUNDUP: ALEKSANDER BARKOV SETS PANTHERS’ SCORING RECORD

Carter Verhaeghe scored two goals to lead the Florida Panthers to a 5-2 road win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday.

Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and two assists, Gustav Forsling and Eric Staal each scored and Sam Bennett had two assists for Florida, which has won three straight.

Aleksander Barkov also added an assist, tallying his 614th point with the Panthers to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. He broke the mark set by longtime teammate Jonathan Huberdeau, who is now with the Calgary Flames.

Pius Suter and Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit, which has lost three straight.

SENATORS 2, PENGUINS 1

Goaltender Dylan Ferguson made 48 saves in his first NHL start and Drake Batherson scored a power-play goal with 2:09 left in regulation to give visiting Ottawa a win over Pittsburgh.

From the top of the crease, Batherson fended off Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin and swatted the puck inside the left post for the winner. Thomas Chabot also scored for the Senators, who snapped a five-game losing streak (0-4-1).

Rickard Rakell scored for the Penguins, who have lost four in a row. Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry made 19 saves.

OILERS 5, SHARKS 4 (OT)

Darnell Nurse scored with 15 seconds remaining in overtime to give Edmonton a wild win over visiting San Jose, the Oilers’ fourth consecutive victory.

Mattias Ekholm had two goals and Kailer Yamamoto had a goal and assist for Edmonton. Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid each had two assists, and Nick Bjugstad scored the Oilers’ other goal. Jack Campbell stopped 28 of 32 shots for the win.

James Reimer made 46 saves for the Sharks, who are on a seven-game losing streak (0-4-3). Erik Karlsson had two goals, Alexander Barabanov had a goal and an assist, and Steven Lorentz scored San Jose’s other goal.

AVALANCHE 5, BLACKHAWKS 0

Denis Malgin had two goals and an assist, Alexandar Georgiev turned away 27 shots for his fifth shutout of the season and Colorado beat Chicago in Denver.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist and Logan O’Connor and Kurtis MacDermid also scored goals. Georgiev notched the 13th shutout of his career to help Colorado win its sixth straight.

Alex Stalock made 27 saves for the Blackhawks, who have lost two in a row.

KINGS 8, FLAMES 2

Adrian Kempe had two goals and an assist for Los Angeles in a win against visiting Calgary.

Carl Grundstrom scored two goals and Viktor Arvidsson, Drew Doughty and Mikey Anderson each had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who are 8-0-2 in their past 10 games. Los Angeles’ Gabriel Vilardi also scored, and Anze Kopitar, Quinton Byfield and Rasmus Kupari logged two assists apiece.

Tyler Toffoli and Noah Hanifin scored, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 20 of 26 shots for Calgary before he was replaced after two periods. Dan Vladar came in and finished with 11 saves for the Flames, who are 1-1-2 in their past four games.

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

DOMINANT THROUGHOUT WBC, JAPAN AND USA SET FOR FINAL CLASH

MIAMI — Team USA, which prevailed in the most recent World Baseball Classic in 2017, is one win away from repeating as champions.

The Americans, who will play Japan for the title on Tuesday night at LoanDepot Park, are clearly excited to go for the gold. USA is 5-1 with a plus-24 run differential in this tournament — though Japan is 6-0 with a plus-37.

“We’re in spring-training mode, but we’re also playing for our country,” USA pitcher Adam Wainwright said. “We’re not playing for money. We’re playing because we love this game, and we love this country.

“I’m proud to be out here.”

Wainwright, who won a World Series title in 2006, said he has been impressed with the WBC crowds.

“That is the wildest environment I’ve ever pitched in,” Wainwright said after USA beat Cuba 14-2 in a semifinal game on Sunday. “Fans were going crazy.

“It’s been like that every round. It seems like every fan is on their feet cheering. You can barely hear yourself talk in the dugout. You can barely hear yourself think on the mound. You have to really focus.”

Team USA’s batting order is clearly focused, especially shortstop Trea Turner, who has hit three homers in the past two games, driving in eight runs.

Turner’s two homers on Sunday made him just the second American to hit multiple dingers in a WBC game. Ken Griffey Jr. first accomplished the feat in 2006. Griffey is USA’s current hitting coach.

“I just want to win,” said Turner, who is the first WBC player ever to have four-plus RBI in consecutive games. “That stuff (records) is for my family. I know they’re proud of me. I just like playing baseball and coming out on top.”

There is one concern for USA, however. The Americans could be without star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who was hit by a pitch on Sunday. X-rays on his right hand were negative.

As for Tuesday’s pitching matchup, while neither starter has been officially names, the United States has Merrill Kelly lined up to start, while Japan would likely go with Yu Darvish or lefty Shota Imanaga. Kelly and Darvish are both righties.

Kelly, 34, has never pitched a major league postseason game. His career numbers are 36-35 with a 3.96 ERA.

Darvish, 36, is 95-75 with a 3.50 ERA. He does have plenty of playoff experience in the majors, playing in 11 games (all starts). Last season he was 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA in four playoff games.

Imanaga, 29, has pitched in Japan’s top league for seven seasons, posting a 57-46 record with a 3.24 ERA in 143 career games (24 starts).

Japan advanced in the other semifinal by beating Mexico 6-5 on Monday as Munetaka Murakami slugged two-run, walk-off double in the ninth inning of a wild game that saw Japan score six runs in the final three innings and come from behind twice.

Mexico led 5-4 entering the ninth before Japan rallied, starting with a leadoff double by Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

On Tuesday, Ohtani could be an option out of the bullpen.

“I will be prepared to pitch,” Ohtani said after Monday’s game. “But, before that, I will make sure I put some runs on the board.”

Japan has probably the deepest pitching staff in the WBC, including Ryoji Kuribayashi, who has 68 saves in two seasons in Japan’s top professional league, the Nippon League. Japan also has Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has a 1.95 career ERA over 733 in the Nippon League.

USA on Tuesday will face a tradition-rich baseball program. Japan, the only team to win consecutive World Baseball Classic titles — prevailing in 2006 and 2009 — has made it to at least the semifinals in every WBC.

MLB NEWS

BRAVES APPEAR TO HAND SHORTSTOP JOB TO ORLANDO ARCIA

The Atlanta Braves cleared the way for Orlando Arcia to serve as their regular shortstop, optioning Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

The moves appear to put an end to the three-way competition to find a successor to Dansby Swanson, who left in December to sign a seven-year, $177 million free agent contract with the Chicago Cubs. Ehire Adrianza figures to serve as a utility infielder.

Shewmake, 25, hit .323 with five RBIs in 31 at-bats this spring while Grissom, 22, batted .371 with six RBIs in 35 at-bats. Arcia, 28, is hitting .240 with one homer and four RBIs in 25 at-bats.

Still, the Braves decided to go with Arcia, a strong defender with a major league track record of five-plus seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers (2016-21) and Atlanta (2021-22).

In 642 career major league games, Arcia has a .243 batting average, a .295 on-base percentage, a .369 slugging percentage, 53 homers and 223 RBIs.

The Braves also optioned outfielders Eli White and Jordan Luplow and right-handed reliever Nick Anderson to Gwinnett on Monday, and they reassigned catchers Ryan Casteel and Joe Hudson, infielder Yolmer Sanchez and left-hander Danny Young to their minor league camp. The transactions leave 32 players vying for the 26 Opening Day roster spots.

PHILLIES RELEASE RHP MARK APPEL, FORMER NO. 1 OVERALL PICK

The Philadelphia Phillies released former No. 1 overall draft pick Mark Appel on Monday.

The 31-year-old right-hander finally reached the big leagues in 2022 following seven seasons in the minors and three years out of baseball.

Appel made his major league debut last June 29 and appeared in six games out of the Philadelphia bullpen, posting no decisions with a 1.74 ERA and five strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings.

The Houston Astros made Appel the top pick in the 2013 draft out of Stanford. Houston traded him to the Phillies in December 2015. Appel stepped away from the sport in 2018 after injuries to his labrum and rotator cuff, then made a comeback in 2021.

He has compiled a 33-24 record with a 5.05 ERA in 135 games (93 starts) in the minors, striking out 411 batters in 486 2/3 innings.

ANGELS RHP JOSE MARTE (ELBOW) OUT AT LEAST 4 WEEKS

Los Angeles Angeles reliever Jose Marte will be shut down for four weeks with a stress reaction in his right elbow, the team said Monday.

The 26-year-old right-hander could wind up on the 60-day injured list if the Angels need to clear a spot on their 40-man roster.

Marte did not make any appearances in Cactus League play this spring while dealing with soreness in the elbow.

He is 0-1 with a 7.80 ERA, 20 strikeouts and 21 walks in 15 relief appearances for the Angels the past two seasons.

SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: JAKE WOODFORD, CARDS SHUT OUT MARLINS

St. Louis starter Jake Woodford pitched five shutout innings — striking out seven — and Nolan Gorman had an RBI single in a four-run sixth inning as the host Cardinals blanked the Miami Marlins 5-0 Monday in Jupiter, Fla.

Gorman finished 1-for-3 and scored a run. On Sunday, he hit a two-run homer in the Cardinals’ 8-7 victory over the New York Mets.

Woodford gave up five hits and walked one against the Marlins. His counterpart, Daniel Castano, also pitched five shutout innings, giving up three hits, one walk and striking out four Cardinals to lower his spring ERA to 0.71.

BLUE JAYS 5, TIGERS 0

Starter Kevin Gausman threw five shutout innings with six strikeouts and Devonte Brown hit a three-run homer to help visiting Toronto shut out Detroit in Lakeland, Fla.

The Blue Jays scored their runs in the final two innings; Brown’s homer came in the ninth. Riley Greene led the Tigers with two hits.

BRAVES 6, RAYS 5

Marcell Ozuna went 3-for-3 with two runs to lead host Atlanta past Tampa Bay in North Port, Fla.

The Braves outhit the Rays 13-12. Yandy Diaz and Taylor Walls each had a home run and one other hit for Tampa Bay.

PIRATES 7, RED SOX 5

Canaan Smith-Njigba had three hits and drove in two runs as Pittsburgh defeated host Boston in Fort Myers, Fla.

For the Red Sox, Rafael Devers went 1-for-3 with a run to raise his spring batting average to .350.

PHILLIES 14, ORIOLES 6

Rhys Hoskins recorded a homer, a double, two runs and four RBIs to lead host Philadelphia’s 15-hit attack in a victory over Baltimore in Clearwater, Fla.

Hoskins’ homer was a two-run shot in the second inning. He has 11 hits — including four home runs — in 31 at-bats this spring for a .355 average. The Orioles got a three-run homer from Gunnar Henderson.

REDS 10, ANGELS 5

Nick Lodolo struck out eight in six scoreless innings as Cincinnati doubled up Los Angeles in Goodyear, Ariz. Lodolo yielded three hits and three walks.

Wil Myers went 2-for-2 with a solo homer for the Reds. Angels starter Chase Silseth was pounded for eight runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.

DIAMONDBACKS 7, WHITE SOX 3

Corbin Carroll, P.J. Higgins and Jake Hager each had two hits and two RBIs for Arizona in a victory over Chicago at Phoenix.

Hanser Alberto accounted for all of the White Sox’s offense with a three-run homer.

GUARDIANS 5, RANGERS 5

Ezequiel Duran’s two-run double capped a four-run seventh inning that lifted Texas to a tie with Cleveland in Surprise, Ariz.

Josh Naylor went 3-for-3 with a homer for the Guardians, and Cleveland’s Oscar Gonzalez also had three hits.

MARINERS 7, BREWERS 2

Logan Gilbert tossed four shutout innings, fanning five with issuing a walk, as Seattle beat Milwaukee in Peoria, Ariz.

The Mariners got home runs from Cooper Hummel and Jose Caballero. Keston Hiura hit a two-run double for the Brewers.

NATIONALS 3, METS 2

Patrick Corbin fired six innings of one-run ball as Washington edged New York in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Tigers starter Justin Verlander walked six and yielded two runs in 4 2/3 innings.

ROCKIES 5, DODGERS 1

Brenton Doyle had an RBI single and a run-scoring double to lead Colorado past Los Angeles in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Rockies starter Gabriel Hughes threw three shutout innings, striking out four. The Dodgers managed just five hits, including Brandon Lewis’ RBI single in the ninth inning.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

LSU COACH: SKENES SO HOT, HE COULD HANDLE BIG-LEAGUE BATTERS

Paul Skenes put up numbers impressive enough last season to earn Mountain West Conference co-pitcher of the year and some All-America honors.

So far this season, he’s the most dominant pitcher in the country and doing it under the hot spotlight of LSU and the Southeastern Conference.

After throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a 9-0 win over Texas A&M on Friday, the big right-hander has won all five of his starts and has a nation-leading 59 strikeouts against four walks in 30 1/3 innings.

His 0.53 walks and hits per innings pitched is best in the nation, his 17.51 strikeouts per nine innings rank second, and opposing hitters are batting just .115 against him.

“He could do it against a major league lineup right now and I believe that,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said.

Skenes grew up in Lake Forest, California, and three of his uncles served in the armed forces. He initially wanted to do the same, but he said before the season that he changed his mind last year and wanted to pursue a professional baseball career.

Skenes was drawn to LSU so he could be tutored by Wes Johnson, the former Minnesota Twins pitching coach who left at midseason last year to take the same job at LSU.

Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle said Skenes ranks with Stephen Strasburg and Mark Prior as the best college pitchers he’s seen in his 33 years in coaching.

Schlossnagle offered that opinion after watching Skenes strike out 11, walk none and give up four hits against the Aggies. Skenes retired 10 in a row during one stretch.

“It’s one thing to throw 98-100 mph, but this guy is big and tall and loose, and he’s got some life to his fastball,” Schlossnagle told reporters. “He threw a couple decent change-ups. He’s a real pitcher. He’s pitching in the wrong league, I’ll tell you that. He needs to be in the American or National League.”

IN THE POLLS

LSU (18-2) stayed No. 1 in the polls after winning two of three on the road against Texas A&M.

D1Baseball.com ranks Wake Forest (18-3) and Florida (18-4) second and third. Florida is No. 2 and Louisville (17-2) is No. 3, according to Baseball America.Collegiate Baseball newspaper ranks Louisville second and Arkansas (18-2) third.

MIGHTY MIZZOU

Missouri produced the biggest surprise of the weekend, sweeping three games from Tennessee and outscoring the Volunteers 23-6 in the process. The Vols had been swept only once in SEC play since the start of the 2022 season.

Chandler Murphy and Rorik Maltrud combined on a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts in Friday’s 9-1 win. The teams played two seven-inning games Sunday, and Austin Troesser and two relievers combined on a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts in a 7-1 win in the finale.

REAL DEAL EAGLES

Eyebrows were raised last week when Boston College failed to crack the highly regarded D1Baseball rankings. The Eagles couldn’t be denied after taking two of three at nationally ranked Florida State. They’re No. 16 in the D1Baseball poll, 14-3 for the first time in program history and 4-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time since joining the league two decades ago.

STEAL FEST

VMI tied the NCAA record for stolen bases in an inning when it swiped eight in the first inning of a 15-4 win over Norfolk State on Sunday. The previous team to steal that many in an inning was FIU, against Florida A&M in 1993.

The Keydets’ 13 steals for the game set the school record. Justin Starke led the way with four.

OUCH!

William & Mary batters are taking a pounding. Marist pitchers plunked the Tribe 10 times on Feb. 26, and Norfolk State hit them 10 times last Tuesday. Both are national single-game highs.

Surprisingly, William & Mary does not lead the nation with its 58 hit batsmen. Southeastern Louisiana, which has had at least five batters hit in eight of its 20 games, has a total of 71.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

HUSKERS’ LEADING RUSHER ANTHONY GRANT SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska opened spring practice with running back Anthony Grant suspended indefinitely to work on academics and other issues, first-year coach Matt Rhule announced Monday.

Grant led the team in rushing with 915 yards and six touchdowns last season. He also caught 18 passes for 104 yards.

“Working on academics and general things. Nothing bad other than just our standards as a program,” Rhule said. “That will be day by day. Good kid. Just have to get him going in the right direction.”

Rhule said kick returner and reserve receiver Tommi Hill also is suspended. He did not specify a reason.

Backup tight ends Chris Hickman and James Carnie and reserve cornerback Tyreke Johnson have left the team.

SPORTS EXTRA

NBA STANDINGS

Eastern Conference
	W	L	Pct	Conf GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Last 10	Streak
1 x-Milwaukee	51	20	.718	—	29-7	22-13	8-5	30-15	7-3	1 W
2 x-Boston	49	23	.681	2.5	26-9	23-14	9-4	29-16	5-5	1 L
3 Philadelphia	48	23	.676	3.0	26-11	22-12	7-6	29-16	8-2	1 L
4 Cleveland	45	28	.616	7.0	29-8	16-20	12-3	29-15	7-3	1 W
5 New York	42	31	.575	10.0	20-17	22-14	8-8	28-17	6-4	1 L
6 Brooklyn	39	32	.549	12.0	19-14	20-18	7-8	26-18	5-5	3 L
7 Miami	39	34	.534	13.0	24-13	15-21	9-5	20-24	6-4	1 W
8 Atlanta	35	36	.493	16.0	19-15	16-21	7-8	21-23	4-6	1 L
9 Toronto	35	37	.486	16.5	23-13	12-24	4-9	20-22	5-5	1 L
10 Chicago	34	37	.479	17.0	20-16	14-21	6-8	25-22	6-4	3 W
11 Washington	32	39	.451	19.0	16-18	16-21	7-5	19-25	3-7	2 L
12 Indiana	32	40	.444	19.5	19-17	13-23	7-6	22-22	5-5	2 L
13 Orlando	29	43	.403	22.5	16-19	13-24	5-8	15-28	3-7	1 L
14 Charlotte	23	50	.315	29.0	12-24	11-26	7-9	14-34	3-7	1 W
15 Detroit	16	56	.222	35.5	9-29	7-27	1-12	7-37	1-9	3 L
Western Conference
	W	L	Pct	Conf GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Last 10	Streak
1 xy-Denver	48	24	.667	—	30-6	18-18	10-5	32-13	5-5	1 W
2 Memphis	44	27	.620	3.5	30-5	14-22	11-2	26-19	6-4	3 W
3 Sacramento	43	28	.606	4.5	21-14	22-14	8-6	27-15	7-3	1 L
4 Phoenix	38	33	.535	9.5	23-12	15-21	9-3	24-18	5-5	1 L
5 LA Clippers	38	34	.528	10.0	19-16	19-18	7-7	22-21	5-5	1 W
6 Golden State	37	36	.507	11.5	29-7	8-29	6-9	24-20	4-6	1 W
7 Dallas	36	36	.500	12.0	22-14	14-22	9-6	27-22	4-6	1 L
8 Minnesota	36	37	.493	12.5	20-17	16-20	8-7	25-20	5-5	1 W
9 Oklahoma City	35	36	.493	12.5	22-15	13-21	7-7	21-23	7-3	1 W
10 Utah	35	36	.493	12.5	22-13	13-23	5-8	22-22	5-5	2 W
11 LA Lakers	35	37	.486	13.0	19-17	16-20	4-9	20-24	6-4	1 W
12 New Orleans	34	37	.479	13.5	22-13	12-24	9-5	23-20	4-6	1 W
13 Portland	31	40	.437	16.5	17-18	14-22	5-8	21-21	2-8	6 L
14 San Antonio	19	52	.268	28.5	13-25	6-27	2-12	7-37	5-5	1 W
15 Houston	18	54	.250	30.0	12-26	6-28	4-10	11-37	5-5	2 L

Eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. 

X – Clinched Playoff Spot,  Y – Clinched Division,  Z – Clinched Conference

NHL STANDINGS

Eastern Conference
	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	ROW	GF	GA	Home	Road	L10
1 x-Boston Bruins	69	53	11	5	111	51	263	150	27-3-3	26-8-2	7-3-0
2 Carolina Hurricanes	68	45	15	8	98	41	229	177	24-8-2	21-7-6	6-4-0
3 New Jersey Devils	70	45	18	7	97	43	246	191	19-13-3	26-5-4	5-3-2
4 Toronto Maple Leafs	69	42	18	9	93	41	237	187	25-7-5	17-11-4	6-3-1
5 New York Rangers	70	41	19	10	92	37	239	191	21-11-4	20-8-6	7-2-1
6 Tampa Bay Lightning	71	42	23	6	90	39	248	218	25-7-5	17-16-1	5-4-1
7 New York Islanders	71	36	27	8	80	36	208	196	20-12-3	16-15-5	6-3-1
8 Florida Panthers	70	36	27	7	79	34	247	235	21-10-4	15-17-3	7-2-1
9 Pittsburgh Penguins	70	34	26	10	78	33	224	228	19-11-5	15-15-5	4-5-1
10 Ottawa Senators	70	34	31	5	73	32	220	229	19-13-3	15-18-2	4-5-1
11 Washington Capitals	71	33	31	7	73	31	221	219	16-14-4	17-17-3	4-5-1
12 Buffalo Sabres	69	33	30	6	72	32	248	256	13-19-3	20-11-3	2-6-2
13 Detroit Red Wings	69	30	30	9	69	28	203	229	17-14-4	13-16-5	2-7-1
14 Philadelphia Flyers	69	25	32	12	62	24	181	229	13-16-5	12-16-7	2-6-2
15 Montreal Canadiens	70	27	37	6	60	23	198	262	14-17-3	13-20-3	1-7-2
16 Columbus Blue Jackets	69	21	41	7	49	20	182	267	13-20-2	8-21-5	2-6-2
Western Conference
	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	ROW	GF	GA	Home	Road	L10
1 Vegas Golden Knights	70	43	21	6	92	39	231	197	22-14-1	21-7-5	8-2-0
2 Dallas Stars	70	38	19	13	89	35	243	194	17-9-8	21-10-5	7-3-0
3 Los Angeles Kings	71	41	20	10	92	35	247	229	23-9-4	18-11-6	8-0-2
4 Colorado Avalanche	69	41	22	6	88	36	231	191	19-11-5	22-11-1	7-2-1
5 Minnesota Wild	70	40	22	8	88	33	210	191	22-11-3	18-11-5	7-1-2
6 Edmonton Oilers	71	40	23	8	88	40	279	239	19-12-5	21-11-3	8-2-0
7 Seattle Kraken	69	38	24	7	83	38	240	223	16-15-4	22-9-3	6-3-1
8 Winnipeg Jets	71	39	29	3	81	38	215	202	21-12-2	18-17-1	4-5-1
9 Calgary Flames	71	31	25	15	77	29	223	224	16-14-4	15-11-11	4-4-2
10 Nashville Predators	68	34	26	8	76	30	191	202	17-12-4	17-14-4	5-3-2
11 St. Louis Blues	69	31	33	5	67	28	218	252	15-16-4	16-17-1	5-5-0
12 Vancouver Canucks	69	31	33	5	67	26	233	258	16-17-1	15-16-4	8-2-0
13 Arizona Coyotes	70	27	32	11	65	24	199	244	20-11-3	7-21-8	6-2-2
14 Anaheim Ducks	70	23	37	10	56	20	183	283	12-18-3	11-19-7	4-3-3
15 Chicago Blackhawks	70	24	40	6	54	22	175	249	14-18-3	10-22-3	3-6-1
16 San Jose Sharks	71	19	37	15	53	18	204	274	6-20-10	13-17-5	1-6-3

Eight teams in each conference qualify for the divisional playoff format.  The top three teams from each division make up the first six spots.   The two remaining teams with the highest points, regardless of division, qualify for the final two wild card spots.  

X – Clinched Playoff Spot, Y – Clinched Division, Z – Clinched Conference

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1908      Detroit outfielder Ty Cobb signs for $4000, with an $800 bonus if he hits over .300. The 21-year-old ‘Georgia Peach’ will finish the season with a league-leading .324 batting average for the first-place Tigers.

1931      On a chilly night at Houston’s (TX) Buffs Stadium, the White Sox and Giants become the first major league clubs to play a night game when they square off in an exhibition under 245-kilowatt lamps, according to reports, provided adequate lighting for the contest. The disappointing crowd of 2,500, due most likely to the cold weather, watch Chicago score five runs in the tenth frame to beat John McGraw’s New York squad, 11-6.

1936      The Reds trade first baseman Jim Bottomley for the Browns’ utility player Johnny Burnett, who will never appear in a game for his new team. The former Cincinnati infielder plays two seasons with St. Louis, finishing his 16-year Hall of Fame career with a lifetime .310 batting average.

1943      The A’s trade Bob Johnson to the Senators for Jimmy Pofahl and Bobby Estalella. The former Philadelphia’s fan-favorite outfielder will make the All-Star squad for Washington and receives consideration for the Most Valuable Player award.

1957      The owners will receive 9.3 million dollars in revenue for the 1957 TV-Radio rights. The breakdown includes $3.2 million for the World Series/All-Star contests, $1.26 million for two Saturday games of the week, and the remaining $4.84 million for local right fees.

1959      The Indians trade Larry Doby to the Tigers for Tito Francona. The deal will be a great swap for the Tribe when their new outfielder hits .363, while Doby will play in just 16 games for Detroit.

1962      Before the spring training game against New York in Clearwater, the Phillies honor Robin Roberts, sold to the Yankees in the off-season, by retiring his uniform number 36, the familiar numerals he wore for 14 seasons with Philadelphia. The future Hall of Fame right-hander starts the exhibition game giving up four runs in three innings but gets the win when the Bronx Bombers beat his former team, 13-10.

1965      In an exhibition game, Gary Kroll and Gordie Richardson combine to keep Pittsburgh hitless for nine innings in the Mets’ 6-0 win in St. Petersburg. The first no-hitter thrown during the regular season in franchise history won’t occur until 2012, when Johan Santana accomplishes the feat against St. Louis.

1966      In a spring training game in Houston’s Astrodome, the Dodgers and Astros become the first major league teams to play on artificial grass. The material, which will become known as AstroTurf, was developed by Monsanto to overcome the team’s inability to grow grass indoors.

1968      The new American League team in Kansas City announces its nickname. The expansion club, which will join the circuit in 1969, will now be known as the “Royals,” paying tribute to the Negro League Monarchs, a team playing in the City of Fountains from 1920 through 1965.

1973      In an exhibition game against the Mets, Fritz Peterson appears in his first game since going public about swapping families with Yankee teammate Mike Kekich. Many of the 4,320 fans at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg roundly boo the 31-year-old southpaw, but he goes the first five innings, picking up the win in the Bronx Bombers’ 6-2 victory over their crosstown rivals.

1975      Georgia Tech blanks Earlham (IN), 41-0, setting the NCAA mark for the largest margin of victory. In 1999, Nebraska will break the record, equaled by West Chester (PA), with a 50-3 win over Chicago State at Buck Beltzer Stadium.

1978      In a surprise move, Padres manager Alvin Dark becomes the second manager ever fired during spring training after being told that he was having difficulties communicating with his players. San Diego names Roger Craig, the club’s pitching coach, as the interim skipper.

2002      The Phillies make public the one-day regular-season suspension of Larry Bowa handed down by Bob Watson, Major League Baseball’s vice president for on-field operations. The action comes from the Philadelphia manager’s “inappropriate conduct toward the umpire” when he became enraged with the home plate umpire over two close calls on checked swings during an exhibition game against the Indians on March 9.

2011      Citing a lack of velocity and command, Mets GM Sandy Alderson announces the release of 29-year-old southpaw Oliver Perez, who is still owed $12 million on his deal. The roster move marks the second time in four days that the team has cut a player having a considerable contract, with second baseman Luis Castillo asked to leave despite his $6 million price tag.

2013      David Wright is named the Mets captain, joining John Franco, Keith Hernandez, and Gary Carter as the fourth player honored by the franchise. Like Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter and White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, the two other major leaguers currently with the title, the 30-year-old third baseman will not wear a “C” on his uniform.

2018      The Cleburne Railroaders’ first baseman Rafael Palmeiro becomes the oldest player in professional baseball history to homer in a game when he goes deep against Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks starter Trey McNutt in the American Association independent team’s 4-3 home loss at the Depot. The 53-year-old former major league All-Star batted sixth in the lineup, behind his 28-year-old son Patrick, who plays the corner infield spots for the second-year club.

2019      The Angels announce the signing of center fielder Mike Trout to a 12-year record-setting contract, making the biggest financial commitment to a player in North American team sports history. The Halos reportedly will pay the two-time American League Most Valuable Player more than $430 million, far surpassing the mega-deal Bryce Harper (13 yrs, $330 M) and the Phillies agreed on earlier in the month.

2019      After a 19-year eventual Hall of Fame career, Ichiro Suzuki announces his retirement, receiving an overwhelming ovation from the Japanese crowd at the sold-out Tokyo Dome. The 45-year-old three-time Silver Slugger, who holds the MLB mark for consecutive 200-hit seasons, left the Mariners’ 5-4 extra-inning victory over the A’s in the bottom of the eighth, standing alone on the field, soaking in the admiration of over 46,000 fans in the country he started playing professional baseball.

2021      Before an exhibition game at Surprise Stadium, the Royals announce catcher Salvador Perez has agreed to a four-year extension reportedly worth $82 million, setting a franchise record. The 30-year-old backstop’s deal, with an average annual value of $20.5 million, easily surpasses the $72 million contract signed by outfielder Alex Gordon in 2014.

BASEBALL’S BEST

JAKE BECKLEY

His durability was so impressive that almost 80 years after his death, Jake Beckley’s name appeared on the computer screens of baseball writers across the world.

But Beckley’s ability to play every day is only part of the story of the powerful first baseman whose standards still top the record books.

Beckley played 19 National League seasons with the Pirates, Giants, Reds and Cardinals and one season with Pittsburgh in the Players League from 1888-1907. He played 2,383 of his 2,392 games at first base, setting a big league standard that was not eclipsed until 1994.

Born Aug. 4, 1867 in the town Mark Twain made famous – Hannibal, Mo. – Beckley began his career in semipro leagues before St. Louis of the Western Association sold his contract to the NL’s Pittsburgh Alleghenys in June of 1888 for $4,000. Beckley immediately won the first base job and batted .343 that season.

Beckley hit .301 and drove in 97 runs in 1889, then jumped to Pittsburgh of the Players League the following year, leading the league with 22 triples and driving in 123 runs. Beckley returned to the NL after the Players League folded following the 1890 season, averaging 102 RBI and 106 runs scored with Pittsburgh from 1891-95.

Beckley was traded to the Giants in 1896, but never found his footing in New York and was released in 1897. Given another chance by the Reds, Beckley’s batting form returned with a .345 average in 97 games in Cincinnati. On Sept. 26 of that year, Beckley hit three homers in a game against St. Louis – a feat no other big leaguer matched until 1922.

From 1899-1904, Beckley topped the .300 mark each season – establishing himself as one of baseball’s best contact hitters and earning the nickname “Eagle Eye.” His skills as a bunter were well known – he could drop a sacrifice with the handle of the bat, holding the thicker end – and he continued to thrive at the plate even after he was beaned by a Christy Mathewson fastball in 1901.

Sold to the Cardinals before the 1904 season, Beckley left the big leagues following the 1907 season but continued to play and manage in the minor leagues. He finished his big league career with 2,938 hits, 1,581 RBI, 1,603 runs scored and a .308 batting average.

In the field, Beckley recorded 23,755 putouts at first base – still the all-time record – and trails only Eddie Murray (by 30 games) on the all-time list for games as a first baseman. When Murray passed Beckley in 1994, the Beckley’s turn-of-the-century accomplishments became news once again.

Beckley passed away June 25, 1918. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971.

COOL PAPA BELL

“One time he hit a line drive right past my ear. I turned around and saw the ball hit him sliding into second.” – Satchel Paige

Cool Papa may well have been the fastest man ever to play the game of baseball. Certainly, the stories of his speed are the stuff of legend.

“I remember one time I got five hits and stole five bases, but none of it was written down because they forgot to bring the scorebook to the game that day,” Bell said.

The most colorful story was one told by Satchel Paige, who said that Cool Papa was so fast he could flip the light switch and be in bed before the room got dark. There may have been some literal truth to this one, as one room they shared had a short in the switch. But stories of his base running speed are legion, advancing two and even three bases on a bunt, beating out tappers back to the pitcher and also playing a shallow center field – because his speed allowed him to catch up to just about anything out there.

His nickname derived from his youthful stint as a pitcher – at age 19, he joined the St. Louis Stars as a left-handed pitcher, with an assortment of curves, knucklers and screwballs thrown from any of three release points His calm demeanor on the mound, especially after a pressure-packed strikeout of Oscar Charleston, earned him the colorful sobriquet.

He was a member of three of the greatest Negro League teams in history, winning three championships each with the Stars, the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays. The 1933 Crawfords featured seven future Hall of Famers: Bell, Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson, Biz Mackey, Satchel Paige and Jud Wilson.

Bell was a switch hitter and a contact hitter with great bat control, bunting ability, and speed. Though not a power hitter, he could take an extra base perhaps more often than any other player in history.

In addition to the Negro Leagues, Bell played several seasons in the Mexican League, having great success and enjoying the more relaxed racial atmosphere. He also played 21 seasons of winter ball in Cuba, Mexico and California. Late in his career he became a player-manager. Later, he was a scout in the early 1950s for the St. Louis Browns.

Bell was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1974. He passed away March 7, 1991.

BASEBALL YEAR IN REVIEW

1918 AMERICAN LEAGUE

Off the field…

New York suffered its worst subway accident in history after a train jumped the tracks in the Malbone Street tunnel (in Brooklyn) while traveling five times the speed limit. Ninety-two passengers were killed and over one hundred were injured. After subway motormen on the Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) had gone out on strike on October 31st, many dispatchers and supervisors were pressed into service as replacement workers. On November 1st, dispatcher Antonio Luciano was assigned as the motorman on the Brighton Line that ran from Park Row over the Brooklyn Bridge. Luciano had never operated elevated trains in passenger service and had to navigate an S-shaped curve on what would later be called the Franklin Shuttle at Malbone Street. The speed limit at the location was posted at six miles per hour, but those on the scene later reported that the train roared through at nearly fifty causing the second and third cars to derail.

In the American League…

The American League season opened with Boston Red Sox ace Babe Ruth pitching a four-hit, 7-1 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. Shortly after, manager Ed Barrow started Ruth’s conversion to slugger by working him into seventy-two games as an outfielder-first baseman.

On April 18th, Cleveland Indian’s centerfielder Tris Speaker turned an unassisted double play against the Detroit Tigers. Eleven days later, Speaker duplicated the feat against Chicago for the fourth solo-DP of his career and a franchise record that he would later share with teammate Elmer Smith.

During the 1918 season, Washington Senators ace Walter “The Big Train” Johnson completed nine extra-inning games; including an 18-inning contest, one that was “only” 17.1 innings, and three more that were 12-innings plus!

In the National League…

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves went head-to-head on August 1st for a Major League record of twenty scoreless innings. Marathon man Art Nehf went the distance for Boston, but was eventually beaten 2-0 in the twenty-first inning.

Cincinnati Reds manager Christy Mathewson suspended Hal Chase indefinitely on August 9th after suspecting him of taking bribes to fix games. Chase was eventually reinstated and returned to play for the New York Giants in 1919.

On October 5th, National League infielder Eddie Grant became the first Major League player killed in wartime action while leading a mission in the Argonne Forest offensive to rescue the “Lost Battalion” who was trapped behind German lines. Other players killed in WWI included Alex Burr, Larry Chappell, Ralph Sharman, and Bun Troy.

Around the League…

Although both leagues optimistically kept the schedules at a one-hundred fifty-four game season, all owners agreed to shorten spring training by 50% in an attempt to save money.

Sunday baseball was officially legalized in Washington, D.C. on May 14th after district commissioners finally rescinded the ban in response to the large increase in the city’s wartime population and the need for more recreational activities.

Secretary of War Newton D. Baker ruled that baseball was not considered an essential occupation and that all players of draft age were subject to the “work-in-essential-industries-or-fight” rule.

During the “7th-inning stretch” in Game 1 of the World Series, a military band played “The Star Spangled Banner” as a tribute to all servicemen on leave and in attendance. From then on, the song was played at every World Series outing and every season opener (though it was not yet adopted as the national anthem). The custom of playing it before every game began during WWII, after the installation of stadium speaker systems made it more feasible.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

March 21, 1946 Kenny Washington signs with Rams, 1st black NFL player since 1933. There was an ugly 13 year period in the NFL where franchises in some cruel, unwritten agreement would not sign a player of color. According to an article on the Undefeated.com the Cleveland Rams, who were relocating to Los Angeles, changed that. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in which the team wanted to play was publicly owned, meaning it was funded by white and black taxpayer dollars, and there was an expectation that the team would be integrated. Rams general manager Charlie “Chile” Walsh signed former UCLA standout Kenny Washington. The Rams purchased the 27-year-old’s contract from the Hollywood Bears and reportedly signed the halfback to a “five-figure salary,” the Los Angeles Sentinel reported. Walsh would tell the Los Angeles Times that the “financial arrangements are entirely satisfactory to Washington and keeping with the [ex-UCLA player’s] gridiron reputation.” The article goes on to say that Kenny was named as an All-American in 1939 with the Bruins per Liberty Magazine. Washington was not the first African -American to play in the NFL as great players such as Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall played in the early 1920’s when the League was forming, but it was groundbreaking nonetheless. Remember Jackie Robinson did not bravely break the color barrier in baseball until April of 1947.

March 21, 1961 Art Modell purchased the Cleveland Browns for a then record $3,925,000. Modell was a businessman who was well connected in the television and advertising industries and he was adept at public relations. He wanted an NFL team to make a name for himself so he went and paid the price for it. According to BrownsNation.com Modell invested $250,000 of his own money, borrowed $2.7 million, and had his partners foot the rest of the bill, then after the sale was completed, Modell was given control of the Browns. Modell fired Paul Brown as Coach, squabbled with Jim Brown until he prematurely retired, demoted Berni Kosar in favor of Vinnie Testeverde and then in his 35th year ownership of the club he took the franchise out of Cleveland and moved to Baltimore.

March 21, 1984 NFL owners passed the infamous anti-celebrating rule. A Bleacher Report article expands on the motion stating that the league first introduced language that defined illegal celebrations as “any prolonged, excessive, premeditated celebration by individual players or groups of players,” according to the official 1984 rulebook excerpt. That effectively ended group celebrations. The use of a prop was further included in the rules in 2006 and in 2014 the rule and its intention had to be looked at again when KC’s Husain Abdullah was flagged for dropping to his knees in prayer after a pick six therefore a few later group celebrations were welcomed once again and this made for some further entertainment in the League.

MARCH 21 FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS

March 21, 1884 – Boston, Massachusetts – Princeton’s star fullback Jim McCormick was born. More on this legend by clicking his name.

March 21, 1951 – Cleveland, Ohio – The great guard of the Ohio State University Buckeyes from 1970 to 1973, John Hicks celebrated his day of birth. John according to the NFF was a two-time First Team All-American and undeniably one of the most outstanding Ohio State football players of all time. Hicks was only able to play 4 games in 1971 until a devastating knee injury put him out for the rest of that year. The three full years he did play though his Coach Woody Hayes enjoyed a National Championship in 1970, three Big Ten titles and three trips to the Rose Bowl. As a matter of fact Hicks was the first player to start in three Rose Bowls, and in 2009 he was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. In 1973 John had multiple awards as he was a unanimous All-American, won both the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman in the nation, and he finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting to Penn State’s John Cappelletti. His Ohio State teammates Archie Griffin and Randy Gradishar were fifth and sixth in that year’s voting. John Hicks joined other collegiate legends of the gridiron in the College football hall of Fame in 2001. Hicks was first-round NFL Draft pick of the New York Giants, who he played for from 1974 to 1977. We unfortunately lost Mr. Hicks in 2016 after a battle with illness.

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

44 – 36 – 27 – 99

March 21, 1953 – An NBA record for fouls in a game is reached when a total of 106 of them wear out the pencils of scorekeepers, as 12 players foul out in in the Boston Celtics versus Syracuse Nationals game.

March 21, 1959 – Jerry West, Number 44 of West Virginia helps his team win a tight one as they fall to California 70-71 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. West was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for his high performance of play even though his team lost.

March 21, 1962 – The productive right-handed pitcher Robin Roberts uniform Number 36 is retired by the Philadelphia Phillies organization, Roberts recorded a lifetime ERA of 3.41 with 286 MLB wins in his career.

March 21, 1973 – For just the fifth time  in NHL history a player scored 500 goals in his career. This time it was left winger Frank Mahovlich, Number 27 with the Montreal Canadiens who helped his team earn a 3-2 victory over Vancouver that evening.March 21, 1994 – Hockey history is made when Wayne Gretzky, Number 99 tied Gordie Howe’s mark of 801 careeer goals. The Great One lit the lamp twice as the LA Kings tied the Sharks of San Jose 6-6.